If There Was No Buffy

Chapter Fifteen

How Did It All Happen?

When Willow, Tara and Dawn went downstairs just after nine the next morning, Buffy and Giles were sitting in the dining room, cups of tea in front of them. By 9:30 everyone was up and having tea or coffee or milk, and stale coffee cake.

The various conversations were born and died, but no one broached the one thing they all wanted to know – How was Buffy able to return from the hell dimension?

Giles, knowing it was information that would come when she was ready, instead tried to explain the last few days.

"I spoke to Quentin Travers earlier this morning, and he said—well, perhaps I should start at the beginning. The information I have also comes from what I was able to glean from Mary and Marie. I suppose they thought there would be no harm in telling me since I was under their – thrall, for lack of a better word."

He cleaned his glasses, again, then began:

"There frequently is a radical faction in almost every organization. In this case it involved thirteen of the witches in the coven I spoke of previously. They formulated a plan to control the Hellmouth to use its power to try to rule the entire planet. And in doing so, they invoked the darkest and most powerful of magicks to actually select the next Slayer - Slayers. Something the Council had thought quite impossible."

"I bet that Travers guy was licking his chops about THAT," Xander cut in. "Getting to pick and choose whoever he wants to be the next Slayer."

"Quite the contrary. The Council has long believed that the Slayer is chosen when and where she is most needed. For example, in 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion in China, it is thought that Xin Rong was selected because it was known that vampires are attracted to the most chaotic of occasions. Spike, I believe you know what I am referring to."

Looking almost embarrassed, Spike said, "Yeah, you're right. Lots of vamps gone wild."

Giles continued. "And of course, Buffy was directed here because the Master was reactivating the Hellmouth, which is still causing no end of problems. But I digress. The witches' plan involved convincing the Council that a horrific evil was about to erupt from the Hellmouth, and that Faith could not be trusted to fulfill her sacred duty as Slayer. So the Council was manipulated into have her killed. And the new Slayers who were Chosen - the twins, was the witches' doing. They then decided that everyone who knew anything about the Hellmouth and its inherent dangers, should be eliminated. So, they chose me as their Watcher. We came to Sunnydale to convince all of you that you no longer were needed, and then one by one, you would be killed."

"Wouldn't that raise some red flags?" Willow asked.

"Not at all. Who would question a random hit and run? Or an apartment or house fire? Or a vampire who just disappeared in the night?"

"But what about Angel, and Cordelia?"

"Oh, I'm quite sure they, too, were targets. As most likely, was Oz."

"Diabolical!" Xander said. "And it almost worked."

"Yes, it did. But the one thing they hadn't counted on was the suspicious nature, and the bulldog tenacity, of a certain redheaded witch."

"Darn tootin'!" Willow responded with a grin.

"Of course, Buffy's mysterious return was completely unforeseen."

Buffy gave a small, humorless smile, but remained silent.

"So – who beat you up?" Dawn asked.

"Unfortunately, when I chose the abandoned motel as a center of operation I just naturally assumed that Mary and Marie's protection was all that was necessary. After they left to patrol, I was mugged and robbed. And when Willow and Tara and Spike found me and brought me back here, the twins assumed either I had been kidnapped by them, or somehow a way to remove their mental control was found and I betrayed them. In any case, they came after me, precipitating the subsequent altercation."

"So, what about all those evil witches?" Dawn asked. "What happened to them?"

"Of course they have dispersed and gone into hiding. But the Council has dispatched witch hunters to, well, to hunt them down and bring them to justice."

"W-witch hunters? The C-Council has w-witch hunters?" Tara asked.

"Oh, yes. They use both humans and warlocks. And the other witches of the coven are helping also. Did you think demons and vampires were the only supernatural beings they monitor? In any event, everyone seems to be quite embarrassed about the entire situation."

"Well, golly gee!" Xander said in his most sarcastic voice, "I'm sure glad they feel uncomfortable about us being the targets of psycho killer Slayers. Makes ME feel a whole lot better!"

"But what about the blizzard, and the floods? Were they able to control the weather?" Willow asked.

"There was an anomalous snow storm, but it only lasted a day, and then turned to rain. But they used their combined psychic powers create the illusion it was much, much worse than it really was."

"I wonder who the new Slayer will be," Anya said, but no one had an answer. It was here that the conversation flagged and an uncomfortable silence took over.

Finally Giles said, "Buffy, I know this is something you are disinclined to talk about, but something you said earlier has me quite puzzled."

Buffy looked at him but didn't answer.

"You said you had to return because you saw us dying?"

"I didn't see so much as I – felt, was aware of, knew? I can't explain it, but first it was Faith. I don't know how I knew she died, but I did. And knowing she was a Slayer, I just thought she had – she was killed by a vampire or a demon."

"You didn't know she was still in prison?" Willow asked.

"Time had no meaning where I was. I could have been there for a second, or for an eternity. But after Faith, then there was Giles, then Xander, Anya, Tara," At this point her eyes began to water and her voice cracked. "Dawn, and then Willow."

"But that never happened!" Willow exclaimed. "You were here. You stopped it!"

"I guess I was sent back before it happened."

"Buffy," Giles said, confusion in his voice, "I must admit I am quite baffled. It is my understanding that hell-gods, such as Glory, never willingly release the souls they torment and torture from their hell dimensions."

For almost half a minute Buffy was silent, trying to find the words, then she softly said, "I wasn't in a hell dimension. I was – I think I was in heaven. Or someplace that felt like heaven."

Stunned, no one knew what to say. This was something none of them had ever considered.

Then Dawn spoke up. "So, if you were in heaven, did you see Mom?"

"I didn't see anyone."

"But she's in heaven, right? She has to be there! I mean, if anybody deserves to go to heaven, it's Mom."

"You know, Dawn," Anya said, "there are thousands, if not millions of heavenly – heaven-like, dimensions. There could even be a heaven for shrimp."

"She's right," Tara added. "Dawn, honey, as tragic as it was, your mom's passing was – it was natural, not supernatural. But Buffy's wasn't a natural death. So they probably went to different heavens."

"But Mom IS in heaven!"

"Of course she is. I'm sure when the heaven she went to was created, her name was at the top of the list of who to let in."

Dawn knew Tara was just trying to console her, but she still appreciated it, and loved her even more for it.

Then in the same soft voice, Buffy said, almost to herself. "I love you all. I had to come back to save you. I couldn't let you die." She then took a tired, almost painful breath, and continued. "I was told it would be like this."

"What would be like what?"

"Being here – in this room, in this house, in this – life. I'm in Hell."

The End

{A.N.: Originally, I had intended to not have Buffy come back at all. But as I was writing the story, I felt the title became more like "How Would Things Be If There Was No Buffy Until She Was Really Needed."

Also, for some reason I almost always want my stories to begin and end as if they could be dropped into the show at the appropriate place and the series would continue as they were aired with no major changes.

I appreciate everyone who took the time to read, and to post their comments.}