Light and Shadow

"Morning sunshine."

"Mmm ... morning..."

"How about I bring up some bed breakfast?"

"Bed breakfast?"

"Breakfast in bed silly. I brought home some fresh strawberries I can cut in your cereal. I was in the grocery store and when I saw those luscious red berries, they reminded me of you."

Willow rubbed her puffy eyes and rolled over in her sheets so she was face to face with Tara. "It's not because you think I'm sour?"

Tara quickly shook her head. "Oh no." She laid a firm kiss on Willow's forehead. "You don't taste sour at all." She smiled.

"So you're not angry at me anymore?"

Tara looked away with a puzzled expression. "It feels like I should be mad at you but..."

"But what?"

"I guess I'm just too happy to be angry anymore."

"That's a good thing." Willow pulled the blankets snugly to her face. Her hands still smelt of magic weed.

Tara pulled back her bangs behind her ear. "Willow." Her head bowed timidly.

"What's wrong?"

"You didn't ... Did you..."

"Huh?"

"No never mind." Her face lit up happily like a light bulb. "Oh look at the time, shouldn't Dawny be up by now?"

"She's getting in a few extra Z's since Buffy wanted to drive her this morning."

"Buffy's driving?"

"Yeah."

"In the sunlight."

"Um. Yeah. There was this whole thing and- well I didn't want to argue with her."

"Oh. You think they're going to be alright?"

Willow waved her hand. "They'll be fine."

. . .

"Buffy, you look like an Arab woman."

Buffy shifted the black cover over her face so she could see the road better. As she did, the blanket fell away from her wrists and the sun caught her skin.

"Ow ow!"

"Careful!"

Buffy swerved the steering wheel to avoid a bike rider on the shoulder lane.

"Maybe you should have just let me walk."

"No Dawn. I'm driving you to school just like any normal big sister."

"But-"

"Dawn-" The skin on her bare neck sizzled. She clenched her teeth to suppress the pain, but it felt like she was lying on a barbeque grill.

"Maybe we should get the windows tinted."

"God, how does Spike do this."

Buffy made a left at the light cutting off incoming traffic, and then drove beside the curve finally coming to a halt.

"Okay!" Buffy said happily. "Off to school. You need a pick up?"

Dawn cringed as she opened the door and then smiled. "No thanks, I'm good."

Buffy sighed, relieved she didn't have to go through the nightmare twice in one day. "You'll be home early?"

"Mhm."

Buffy watched Dawn wave to a group of friends, and they entered the school doors as the bells rang. She sighed again. That wasn't so bad. It only feels like I stuck my hands in boiling water and got a sun burn all in 10 minutes. Buffy eased the car back onto the road. What's the next thing a circus freak like me should do? Oh yes chores. Maybe I'll visit Xander- oh no, he's probably at the construction site. Willow probably has class. Tara- I actually have no idea what she does or where she works. I should probably ask her sometime. The thought of visiting Spike for a warm cup of ketchup crossed her mind. She shivered. Yuck, come to think of it, I'd actually rather drink blood than ketchup, or even tomato juice.

A familiar boy entered her mind. He was just a few years younger than Buffy with a buzz cut and he wore a buttoned shirt, the usual attire one wears to a club. He was probably a freshman because he smelt of cheap cologne and man, those were really bad pickup lines. I don't really know what happened. We had some drinks, we left the underground and we were walking down an alley. I grabbed his hand pulled him into a dark corner. Buffy didn't notice her wrists steaming until the searing pain finally registered. She stopped the car in the middle of the road and pulled her gloves down over her wrists. Car horns sounded around Buffy and she stepped on the gas pedal again not bothering to look to see who it was because she wouldn't be able to anyway.

She pulled into the driveway of her home, and then checked to make sure fabric was covering all of her skin. She felt the warmth of the sun as she stepped outside and went to take deep breath of the fresh air but realized she couldn't.

Buffy closed the door behind her and slowly began unwrapping herself of her garbs until finally only her white gown remained.

"Hello Buffy," a man's voice said in an English accent.

Buffy looked across the living room seeing a familiar face wide eyed and holding a pair of glasses.

"Giles?" Buffy said breathlessly.

He was wearing a brown blazer with a blue collar and black tie. His mouth was slightly gaping but it still formed a smile. He approached her slowly as Willow and Tara came from the room behind him. Before Buffy could think of anything to say, Giles had already wrapped his arms around her. He smelt like old books with the faintest hint of cologne that brought back memories of scooby meetings in his old home.

"Buffy," he whispered, "you're alive."

Buffy gently pushed him from the embrace. She had seen that look on his face before. She saw it every time they had survived an apocalypse. Deep inside, Giles always felt like he would lose his Slayer to evil forces but when he would see her alright it was like a miracle happened before his eyes. Miracles they definitely were.