Author note: I'm so, so sorry guys, for not getting this out. I was going to update Wednesday, but a sudden death in the family that morning pretty much derailed life for a moment. I just now got around to checking my calendar and got the notice that the chapter was late, so I'm posting it. I'm not going to proof-read it, so if there are mistakes, sorry.

And have a Merry Christmas.

……………………

Draco dropped to his knees, his breathing erratic. He had mentally planned for many things when he and Buffy returned, but not this. One of his thoughts had been that they'd be in the coffin when they came from heaving, but he'd planned on being inside of it with her. Apparating out would have been easy and quick.

His mind was trying to figure out a way to work around this problem. He wasn't going to wait for her to crawl out of her grave another time, but magically digging down through the ground would take too long, and he could easily miscalculate where the new coffin was they placed after Buffy returned.

Swallowing nervously, he knew the only way to get her out quickly would be to attempt Apparating inside of the coffin, get a grip on Buffy, and Apparate back at. The consequences if he miscalculated were deadly, but it was the only way.

With a deep breath, he pulled out his wand and dug his hands into the earth on top of the grave. The magic was upset, knowing that Buffy was not supposed to be in the coffin, but it couldn't do anything for her. Draco pinpointed on Buffy as close as he could and held his breath as he Apparated.

The next thing he knew, he was in a cramped coffin, lying on a hyperventilating slayer who was clawing at the wooden sides and dirt that crept in from where she'd punched her way through. Draco held onto her as hard as he could and concentrated on the ground above. With a pop, they were lying on the undisturbed earth above Buffy's grave.

They both were taking deep, gasping breaths as Draco rolled off of Buffy. After a quick glance to make sure he hadn't splinched them, he let his head fall back with a thud. He closed his eyes in relief and decided that he would always have a fear of being buried alive after this encounter.

"So much for breathing and staying calm, right?" Buffy gasped, staring up at the sky. The stars in the open sky were a sight that she very much appreciated right now.

Draco let out a breathless laugh. "But you're out now, and you don't even have to worry about replacing the empty coffin again."

He turned his head to look at her, and she did the same. If these were different circumstances, it would have been romantic. They were lying close to each on the ground under the stars. Except they were in a graveyard and he'd just rescued her from suffocating in her own coffin six feet under.

Buffy had the overwhelming urge to curl up and cry. It hurt to leave her mother yet again, but she knew that she was better for it. She'd had the chance to say goodbye with the knowledge that Joyce Summers was always watching over her and her family. Also different from the last time was knowing that when she came back, there was no grasping at roots through the dirt as she climbed her way up like a vampire.

"Thank you," she said softly, knowing he would know what she meant, because those words seemed so small in comparison to the gratitude she felt.

"I couldn't let you do it again," Draco answered, and Buffy smiled.

"But thank you anyway."

She started to sit up when Draco did and realized she was in her halter top shirt that she'd put on that morning. The halter top that was still untied in the back. Buffy quickly found the strings and tied the shirt together in the back, grateful she hadn't sat up all the way and flashed Draco. She'd never heard the end of it. iRemember the time I rescued you from your coffin and you flashed me?/i

Draco stood up and offered Buffy a hand. Once they were both on their feet and brushed the dirt and leaves off of their clothing, they made their way out of the cemetery. Buffy furrowed her brow and looked at Draco as they slowly walked down the street.

"Why aren't you doing your poof thingy?"

Draco's eyebrow slowly raised as he looked at her. "My poof thingy? What are you talking about?"

"You know," Buffy said, trying to not sound completely incompetent. "Wave your wand and ipoof!/i You're gone."

"Ah," Draco said with a small grin. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather walk right now. I think I'll stay away from Apparating for a few days."

Buffy just shrugged. "You're the girl who complains that walking too much hurts your feet. Try chasing a vampire in four and a half inch heels. iThen/i you can complain."

Draco just rolled his eyes.

The rest of the trip back to the Summers' house was spent in silence. When they neared the house, both slowed, feeling something was wrong. All the lights were on, and shadows were running back in forth of the windows.

They both made their way to the front of the house and just as they were coming up the front walk, the front door slammed open and Pansy rushed out, throwing her arms around Draco.

"When you disappeared I was so worried!"

Draco stood in shock, his arms at his side and looked over at Buffy. She only grinned back, amused. Sure, she had been the one who died all over again and got locked in her coffin but Draco got the hugs and concern.

"Pansy, what the bleeding hell are you talking about?" Draco asked sharply, pulling away from her. After attempting to unlock her arms around his waist, and failing, he gave up and put his arms around her with a roll of his eyes. He'd never understand women.

Harry appeared in the doorway, his silhouette framed by the light on the stairway. As Draco looked past him to the house inside, he had the strangest case of déjà vu, except the house he'd been in the past two months was different, and he almost missed it. When he looked at Buffy's face, she was clearly thinking of the same thing.

He finally unwound himself from Pansy's grasp and took a deep breath. "Give us a moment, okay? It's tough being back."

Pansy's eyebrow shot up and she crossed her arms, instantly defensive. "Oh really? You've both been passed out for twelve hours and then a few moments ago you completely disappear. I was iterrified./i What the hell happened?"

"Twelve hours? We were only gone for twelve hours?" Buffy asked slowly. "That doesn't make sense." She looked at Draco for an explanation, but he could only shrug. He didn't understand the way time worked, and he wasn't about to try.

"Why doesn't it make sense?" Harry chimed in, still standing on the threshold of the door.

Draco saw Buffy pause, and knew that even though she was putting on a brave front and this time hadn't been as hard as the last, it was still hard. "Because we were in heaven for two months, and it's going to be a bit hard for both of us, all right?"

He hadn't meant to snap at anyone, but it came out a bit too harsh. At Pansy's incredulous look he knew that coming back from heaven or no, she wouldn't hesitate to lay him on his arse for being a bastard. "Sorry," he grumbled, pushing past both her and Harry to throw himself onto the couch in the living room. It wasn't as comfortable as the one he'd taken to napping on in heaven.

Buffy stood on the porch a moment, almost unable to take the final step into the house that was so different than what she wanted it to be.

"What was it?" Pansy asked softly, and when Buffy looked at her, she didn't see anything mocking or spiteful in her eyes. She turned back to face the front.

"It was here," Buffy replied softly. "It was here, but it was like the last six years never happened. That's my heaven."

Harry and Pansy stood frozen, staring at her Buffy and she could feel the weight of their gaze on her shoulders. Suddenly claustrophobic, she rushed through the door and was halfway up the stairs, the rough banister biting in her skin. She turned to look at Draco, who was lying on the couch with an arm thrown over his eyes. "Can I go lie down upstairs?"

He moved his arm and looked at her with a piercing gaze. She knew they'd be closer after this encounter, because he now knew very intimate details about her life and her desires. But there was a fire in his eyes when he looked at her that wasn't there in heaven. Straightening her back and lifting her chin, she sent him a questioning glance.

"You're absolutely fine. It worked wonderfully. Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Without another word, she finished climbing up the stairs and went straight into her bedroom. When the door shut, Draco sighed, closing his eyes, and tried to let the tension bleed from his body. He could finally relax.

"What the ihell/i was that?" an icy voice questioned from above him. Draco groaned and grabbed a pillow to put over his face.

"Pansy, can I please just rest and put your bitching off until tomorrow? That would be wonderful."

She must have seen how tired he was or had one of the lucid moments when she actually clued in to other's feelings. He felt her sit down on the small space of couch he left and put an arm on his chest.

"Draco?"

"Not yet, Pans. Later, but not yet."

The hand was removed from his chest and Draco heard her heels click as she walked away. Draco let out a deep breath and tried to keep his hands from shaking. The pressure of the magic surrounding him was almost too much. He'd been without it for two months and now there was a weight that was crushing him. The Hellmouth magic swirled around him.

His breath quickened and he shot off the couch. The air was stifling. Brushing past a shocked Harry, Draco rushed around the stairs and through the dining room, barreling through the kitchen and slamming the door to the back porch open. The fresh air helped, but he didn't stop until he dropped to his knees outside on the grass. His hands clenched into fists as the blades of grass slivered through his fingers.

His lungs were taking in oxygen as if he'd been deprived of it, and the gasping breaths wouldn't stop. In his haze, he heard a dull thud behind him and then someone else collapsed at his side. The hand that lay on his shoulder was not Pansy's, but Buffy's.

"I forgot how much it hurt the first time. I was more disoriented, but it really did hurt."

She didn't say anything else and Draco got his breathing under control. He sat back on the ground fell to the cool earth, letting the chill seep through his back. "And I didn't think it would hurt. It took a while."

Buffy nodded. "It gets better." She grinned down at him sadly. "I'd know. Just breathe through it. Fresh air helps. Stay out here tonight."

He'd closed his eyes but opened them at Buffy's words. "Stay out here? What's to keep some evil vampire from snacking on my blood?" His grin was sharp. "I'm not exactly carrying around a dangerous powdered poison in my blood this time around that will make vampires turn to ash."

"I'll watch you," she said calmly. "You protected me in heaven, and I'll protect you here. Trust me; it'll help more than if you stayed inside."

Draco stared at her for a few moments, then nodded. Even out in the open, he felt claustrophobic. If something were to happen, she would take care of it. He didn't even bother turning his head away from her; he just closed his eyes.

His last memory before he drifted off to sleep was of a hand combing through his hair.

……………………

Willow was nervous, but she wasn't sure why. She was living proof that Draco knew what he was doing and that he was good at what he did, but this was her best friend. Buffy was special, and since he was trying to undo the mess she did, Willow felt more than a little responsible. If the damage she'd done to Buffy was irreversible…

She let the thought drift from her head. There was no good in worrying. It either worked or it didn't. She wasn't going to go back in time to change anything, because there was nothing she could change.

As Giles drove up to the house, Willow's nervousness came back full swing and she raced out of the car before Giles even put it in park, drawing a surprised yell from the man. She rushed up the steps and through the front door, where she stopped. Harry was coming down the stairs and he glanced at her in surprise.

"Willow, what are you—"

"Where is she?" she blurted out, half-afraid of the answer.

Harry kept looking at her curiously. "She's out back, but what are y—"

She didn't give him a chance to finish and ran to the backyard. Willow skidded on the wood planks of the deck when she took in the scene in the back yard.

Draco was lying back on the grass with his eyes closed and his arms pillowing his head. It appeared he was asleep. But what really caught her attention was Buffy, dressed in a white tank top and charcoal athletic pants going completely postal on a vampire.

In the daylight.

Her jaw dropped and she just stood there in shock.

"Are you all right?"

Willow spun around with her hands to her chest, trying to calm the beating down. She hadn't heard Harry come up behind her. "Geez! You nearly scared the poop out of me! No sneaking up on people!"

The corner of his mouth quirked up, but Harry continued to look Willow over. "Are you okay? You ran in and gave me a fright. It looked like you'd seen a ghost or something."

"I was worried about Buffy, but by the looks of things she's doing okay," Willow said with a gesture towards the still fighting Slayer. "And how is she fighting a vampire that's not going poof in the daylight?"

"Draco's conjured it for her to work with."

That made more sense. Draco wasn't asleep, he was merely tuning out everything else to keep up the conjuring. Willow started to breathe a little easier. "So everything went okay? Where's Pansy?"

"Right here," she said, coming up behind Harry, with Giles trailing behind her. "I was flooing Blaise but when you rushed in I cut it short. Everything all right?"

"Fine, I was just worried about Buffy." Willow turned back to watch her fighting friend. Her hits were harder than she'd seen in a while, and the blonde was incredibly focused. There was a determination behind every movement and the vampire didn't stand a chance, conjuring or not.

It was quickly dusted and a satisfied grin came over Buffy's face. She twirled the stake in her hand then blew the tip, as if it were a smoking gun and not a sliver of wood. When she turned to the deck, her grin widened.

"Willow! Giles! Have fun playing spirits in the desert? That's always been one of my yearly highlights."

Before she could say anything else, Willow rushed forward and hugged Buffy as hard as she could. "I'm so glad you're all right."

With an understanding smile, Buffy dropped the stake and pulled Willow in for an even tighter hug. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Oh vomit," Draco said, disgusted. "Are we done with the sickeningly sweet reunions? My teeth are rotting."

Willow pointed a finger at him. "Back off, buster. I need my Buffy snuggles." His eyebrow rose. "No, you can't join in."

"Then can we move this inside?"

Every moved inside to the living room and took a seat. Draco sighed and sat down on the couch, staring at the ceiling. "I am bored as hell and I demand to be entertained," he stated loudly. All conversation stopped. It took all his self-control to not smile when both Buffy and Pansy sent him the exact same 'are you serious?' look. "What?"

"Demanding gets you hexes, darling, and not the kind you like," Pansy stated.

Draco finally grinned. "Remember what happened last time I got bored?"

Giles sighed and took his glasses off and started to wipe them with the edge of his shirt. "You snuck into the Daily Prophet with Blaise and completely vandalized the offices of anyone who has printed anything false about you, which was the majority of the offices. I believe carving giant penises into the desks was a bit overboard."

"Don't forget about the glittered unicorns on all the walls and the massive bags of dragon dung," Harry said with a snicker. It was one of the few times Harry wished he would have agreed to go along with Draco and Blaise on one of their adventures.

The teasing mood was interrupted by Willow. "Well? What happened?" she demanded before pausing. "Was that too sudden? I was being too sudden, wasn't I? I shouldn't have asked you that. It's bringing back bad memories. I mean, once was enough but twice? You shouldn't have to go through that. And why am I still talking about it?"

She continued to ramble and Draco rolled his eyes. "Someone shut her up," he groaned tiredly.

Buffy obliged and put a hand over Willow's mouth. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"I'm fine, Willow. This was easy. Well, not entirely easy, but easier. Draco helped me through it, and I knew I was coming back and knew what I had to do."

"Do you remember?" Giles asked softly and Buffy took a deep breath. Draco sat up, prepared to stop the line of questioning if he saw it took too much out of Buffy, but she held on to her strength and sped forward.

"I do, in all it's Technicolor detail. I kind of got… lost in it, too, but Draco snapped me out of it. It was hard at first. I broke down a bit, but it was when the memories of what I was meant to do started fading that it got harder."

She knew the question they were all dying to ask. Since she remembered her heaven now, they wanted to know what she was ripped from.

"But I left things knowing I was doing the right thing. And when I'm done here, I can go back, and we can pick things up right where they left off."

"We?" Willow asked, almost not wanting to know the answer, and when Buffy put a hand on her knee, she could feel it shaking.

"Mom. I was with mom in heaven."

Both of Willow's free hands covered her mouth but not before a sob escaped her throat. Willow's pain and anguish nearly choked Draco and he had to take deep breaths. His fists were clenched in a couch pillow and he could feel Pansy's gaze sharpen as she looked at him from the seat next to him on the couch. She could probably feel what he did, but it was not as strong.

"Get her under control," Draco muttered before rising off the couch and stalking out the front door, slamming it behind him. His head felt like it was in a vice, and he couldn't release all the dark magic curling inside of him. Finally, he gripped one of the posts on the porch and let the magic funnel out of him. The hanging plants on the porch wilted.

Draco rolled his eyes and got his breathing under control. Giles was going to scrutinize him once he saw the dead plants, but Draco had been holding in that dark energy since he'd come back. The Dementor in him had been harder to control since he'd come back from heaven, and that was starting to worry him. His dark magic was going completely mad. Soon he would need to return to England and return to the coven to get some of his magic stabilized or he'd end up sucking out everyone's soul.

The door opened and when Buffy stepped out, Draco's eyebrow went up. He'd not expected her to come check on him. "Shouldn't you be inside?"

"Willow pretty much lost it, especially when I told her that mom said hi. Pansy and Giles are trying to get her to calm down. It was a bit stifling in there, to be honest." Buffy's eyes wandered, but noticed something different about the porch. "What the hell happened to my plants?"

Draco cringed and pulled his hand away from the post, revealing a blackened handprint in the wood. Something was seriously wrong.

"What the hell is going on?" Buffy asked lowly.

"Ever since we came back, my magic is getting darker. I've been able to balance it, but if I can't get it under control soon, I'll have to return to England and have the coven help. It's never come on this sudden before. It's an easy fix; I just have to watch it."

Draco pulled out his wand and cast a concealment over the handprint. He'd conjure new flowers the next morning when he wasn't so drained. "Let's go back inside. We don't want to cause suspicions."

As he turned to go inside, his eyes caught a shadow across the street. Draco quickly turned and narrowed his eyes in the direction and even felt around with his magic, but couldn't sense anything. A feeling of unease came over him and his skin tingled.

"What was that?" Buffy asked suddenly, looking around.

"You felt it too?" Draco questioned, mildly shocked that she would feel the magic, but being surrounded by the Hellmouth had affected her aura anyway. She would be able to sense the magic, and a change had just occurred that caught her notice. That meant it was big. "I don't know."

Draco looked at where he'd seen the shadow.

"But I don't like it."

…………………

The next chapter picks up the pace and then chapter eighteen is a doozy. Four more chapters until this sucker is done.