A New Freedom

Disclaimer: The characters and the idea for the plot do not belong to me, no matter how much I wish they did.

This is the introduction to 'A new Freedom' a story about Buffy in a 'what if' fashion. Such as what if in the last episode, Buffy and all of her friends died and instead of death it was back to the white room in which she had awoken once after dieing at the end of 5th season and one episode in 6th season. When I say that she woke up at the end of 5th season in the same place, the Insane Institute, that she woke up in 6th season, it is because Buffy described her heaven as a bright white room that was quite, and the Doctor said that she had woken once before but had left for her friends.

Chapter One: Time To Awake, Revised

Buffy watched as all of her potentials fell to the ground one by one, either Willow's spell wasn't working or it wasn't working fast enough. She gasped as Faith fell to the dirt with one last warrior scream and then fell silent. She felt a pull at her heartstrings and knew that one of the four had died. The four being the originals in her group, the Scooby gang, the four meaning that Giles, Willow, or Xander was dead. She kicked out at an ubervamp and silently prayed it hadn't been Willow, without her they were all dead. This time as her heart was wrenched a tear trickled down her cheek. Dawn was gone. She looked around and found that Spike had stopped fighting and was standing with the necklace trying to get it to work, she screamed as a ubervamp twisted Spikes neck. She was alone now, the spell hadn't come through. She fell to the ground as a blade went through her body with a quick swipe. The first stood in front of her taunting. She tried pushing up, but couldn't because there was much pain. She was alone, everyone else was gone, and she let every thing go black.

Hazel eyes fluttered a couple times then opened. Blinding white lights blurred her vision and her eyes closed once again. Her hand went to her other were she could feel the IV and she pulled it out. What wouldn't have even caused her to flinch now caused her eyes to tear up uncontrollably. The lights in the room dimmed to a shadow color and she found that it didn't hurt to open her eyes. She sat up in the bed, the white bed.

"Where am I?" She asked the empty room, not even realizing that she had spoken out loud. Her voice was somehow soothing to hear, but her lips and jaw hurt as she spoke as if she hadn't said a word in years.

"This, Elizabeth Summers, is a hospital. You're in here because you were making up stories that couldn't be real." An African American man said walking into the room with a large needle. She flinched and yelled out as he injected the medication into her arm. "Did you leave you're friends behind? Are you ready to stay with us here Miss Summers?" He asked her as he pulled out a flash light and shined it in her left eye, followed by her right. She closed them trying to block out the light.

"I re-remember you...You were here when the trio poisoned me..." Buffy could barely form the words on her mouth.

"I see you still have you're stories..." The doctor frowned unhappily.

"My-I-They're all dead. Dawn, and Willow, and Xander...Oh, God Giles..." Tears started streaming down the blondes face. Her hair was thin and limp from lack of sunlight and care. Her skin was pasty white and her hazel eyes that once held fire and life were dull and puffy from crying.

"Those people aren't real Miss Summers." The doctor started sternly. "And you couldn't possibly be dead, you're hearts beating and you're here now. Am I right?" He was examining her closely as if her eyes would get cloudy and her head would fall back against the pillow. "Are you going to stay with us Miss Summers? Because I don't want to call you're parents and have you leave us again."

She looked up at him, tears still coming. "I can't go back there." She pleaded. "I'm alone there, I can't go back." She shook her head trying to get Faiths dead body out of her mind's eye.

"Good, I'm going to go call you're parents and tell them your awake then. Nurse Lilah will be in shortly with some good old hospital food and some apple juice for you." The Doctor smiled and walked out of the room. Buffy sat up in her bed and let her feet dangle over the side. She stepped out with one foot, then the other, holding onto the bed for support. She tried taking a step without the beds help and fell to her hands and knees, her legs weak from not being used.

"Miss Summers! What on heavens name are you doing out of you're bed!" The young nurse walked over and held Buffy's arm, helping her back into the white bed. She went back to the door and picked up a tray with Jell-O and mashed potatoes bringing it back to Buffy's bedside table and pulling an Apple Juice juice box out of her matron pocket. "There you go kid, here's your Spork." She handed Buffy the plastic Spork and smiled. "A little sun and fresh air and you'll be good as new." The nurse went to walk out to leave Buffy with her food. Buffy closed her eyes and saw the bodies of all the girls she had help take to their grave and pushed her food away, suddenly she wasn't hungry.

The doctor and nurses were in a staff room talking about the patients.

"Amazing really how all of em' woke on the very same day...Ain't ever seen nothing of the sort." A large woman was saying while stirring her coffee, shaking her head as if the whole ordeal was insane.

"I know what you mean Kathy. It's unbelievable, starting with that Summers kid and the rest of them wake up. It's unreal." The doctor started rubbing his temples.

"The weird part is that she used to scream out their names when she was havin' one o' them skyrocketing dreams of hers. I think she's a witch that one. Put um' all under some curse she did."

"Oh that's just a load of..." His sentence was cut off as a couple walked into the waiting area out side the staff room. The woman had short curly blond hair and a kind face that would look young if not for the worry and stress wrinkles that had arrived through years of waiting for her daughter. The man was tall and sturdy with dark hair that was receding and grey spots every once and a while.

"Mr. and Mrs. Summers! Right this way." The doctor stood up and went to lead them to Buffy's room. "I think she may be staying with us this time." He whispered as they neared Buffy's door. The woman's eyes were brimming with tears as she looked at the sleeping blond on the snow white bed.

"Your sure she's…she's awake and with us doctor?" Joyce asked wiping the tears out of her eyes. The doctor nodded a 'yes' and walked to the bed.

"Miss Summers, your parents are here to see you..." Buffy's eyes opened slowly readjusting to the light in the room. She looked around, and in seeing her parents, fresh tears started streaming down her face.

"Mom? Dad?" Both of them ran over to see their daughter who embraced them in a strong hug. "I'm so-so sorry..." Buffy was cradled in her parent's arms. A sudden feeling of anguish swept over her. Dawn would never have this, or Willow, or Xander, or even Giles. They were all dead...Right? Was she dead? Was this heaven or really an Insane Hospital...It was all so confusing.