Chap 1

The silence was becoming oppressive until Dawn broke it with an innocent question.

"What are we going to do now Buffy?"

Buffy shook her head slowly, and looked at her sister. "Whatever you want Dawnie."

That's how it ended. Life in Sunnydale. A Witch, a Watcher, a Man and a bus full of Slayers pulled away from the Ex-Hell Mouth, voices silenced as they thought of what had just happened to them, and for some of them, to their home.

Buried somewhere in the depths of the gaping hole that was their town lay the bodies of friends and loved ones. Many Potentials, killed before their Slayer power was awakened. Robin Wood and Andrew.

And Anya. The ex-vengeance demon died fighting for a race she'd just joined.

Is it a kind of dream?

Floating out on the tide

Following the river of death downstream

Oh, is it a dream?

There's a fog along the horizon

A strange glow in the sky

And nobody seems to know where you go

And what does it mean?

Willow sat back on her seat, sighing. Beside her sat Kennedy, still surging with adrenalin and unable to keep silent any longer, she turned to Willow and smiled. "We did it! We kicked their ass!" Faith turned around from near the front of the bus, where she'd been sitting and staring back at the gaping hole that used to be Sunnydale.

Of all of them, she'd been the least surprised when Buffy jumped onto their roof. 'She's a Slayer' Faith had said patiently. 'Think she's gunna let a minor annoyance like saving the world get in the way of giving me more lectures?'

"Yeah kid, that was a fun afternoon." Faith said smirking slightly, "But shut-up about it for now. It's not a good time." Faith turned back around and thus missed the astonished looks from Buffy, Kennedy and the rest of the bus.

However Willow realised what Faith was talking about and she got up, making her shaky way to the front of the bus to where Xander was sitting, a seat ahead of Faith.

"Xander?" she said uncertainly.

Xander sat staring out the window, hands clenched together tightly.

"Xander." she said again.

The man turned and faced her, his good eye glittering with unshed tears and a half-smile on his face.

"Will," he half whispered. "Glad to see you didn't go 'Veiny Willow'."

"I, it didn't happen like that" Willow replied uncertainly.

"I know." Xander said "Kennedy told me you're a goddess."

Willow shook her head miserable, and sat down next to Xander, holding his hand uncertainly. "I'm really sorry Xander."

Xander looked away. "She, she wanted to help. I guess..." Xander hesitated, his voice faltering. "She understood the risks, but I never, I never really thought that she'd, she'd die."

His voice shook on the last word but Xander continued bravely.

"I really loved her Will." Willow ducked her head, her own eyes full of tears. I know.

What it is to lose the one you love. Tara...

"Tara." Xander said suddenly. "Anya told me she'd never really understood death until Tara died." Willow flinched.

"And she saw you, saw how much it hurt you and she told me that if I 'went and got myself killed' then she'd dig me up and kill me again herself."

Willow smiled weakly and hugged Xander, who cried for a few minutes, and then stopped, acutely aware of the silence and the likelihood that everyone on the bus was looking at them.

Eventually Willow went back to her own seat, sliding in next to Kennedy. "Poor Xander" Kennedy murmured quietly, scanning Willow's face. Willow nodded. Kennedy grinned. "You are a goddess. You made me a Slayer."

Willow frowned. "I didn't just do it for you. It was necessary. And stop calling me that!" Irritated, Willow turned away. I'm an Amazon...she thought sadly, remembering what Tara had called her. Kennedy looked at her, hurt.

The bus ride continued, the girls chatting quietly as they became tired.

Willow sat silently, lost in thought, thinking back to those last few moments.

It was an incredible rush of sadness and happiness mixed together, power and pain. The thing she'd felt most vividly though, was relief and love. Relief, that it had worked, that she was not evil, and love. Fighting the urge to give into the darkness Willow had cried out, aloud and silently, asking for someone to help her be strong. And the universe granted her wish.

And she came to her. Tara's face appeared out of the blackness and instantly her view changed, behind her stars wheeled, the universe filled with light for that instance and Willow's power changed from Dark to Light. As she completed the spell, whispered the last syllable, Tara's face faded and only the lingering sound of her words remained. "I love you."

Coming back into the chaos of the Hell mouth Willow gazed into Kennedy's eyes as she said the same thing, grinning.

"I love you too" Willow had replied. I love you too...Tara.

Willow raised her head as the bus slowly halted outside a ramshackle hotel on the outskirts of a town. "We'll stay here tonight" Giles announced, standing near the front of the bus.

The Slayers and Andrew, Xander and Giles filed off the bus.

"I'm sorry Kennedy." Willow said, last off the bus. Kennedy turned around and smiled.

"No worries." she said. Willow held out her hand and Kennedy took it. Walking ahead of them was Faith, who halted and stared up at the Hotel.

"Jesus B, even I've stayed in better dives than this one."

"It's cheap and close." Buffy replied from the front of the group. "Plus, Giles picked it."

"Hey" that ex-watcher replied. "I was under the impression some of you girls were tired- no?"

Half-hearted mumbling answered him. Later that night, after a meal the girls headed to their rooms. "Now I couldn't get as many rooms as I would have liked, so you'll have to share." Giles announced awkwardly.

Giles stopped at the first door. "Do not hesitate to call me if you need anything although," he paused tiredly. "Try not to make it in the next few hours." There was a round of patient laughter.

The girls quickly got into rough groups, although Faith in particular was annoyed to find it was 4 girls to a room. Willow and Kennedy stood side by side, Willow gradually becoming aware that Kennedy had a very tight grip on her wrist, as if she was afraid of Willow wandering off.

"Ease up Ken" she whispered. "You're hurting my arm."

Kennedy eased the pressure a little and smiled sheepishly.