Disclaimer: Buffy and Torchwood universes are not mine. I'm just playing with them ^^
Hi guys! First of all, I'm sorry for the little delay but I was busy... watching Torchwood ^^ All the three seasons and the third for the first time and it took me a long time to even want to hear about the show. I was so depressed and I had cried so much that I needed funny things. OMG it was awful and beautiful and so many things at the same time!! Even now, more than one week after, I have a hard time thinking about CoE without wanting to cry. I hate this show!! And completely love it!
Back to business, here comes the new chapter. I hope you'll like it and happy hollidays for the lucky ones!
Of course, reviews are welcomed!
Chapter Thirteen
Home
Buffy watched the casket as it was lowered into the ground and felt herself fall deeper into her depression. The world had been saved but they had lost two Slayers doing so. Kelly, the Slayer being buried today, was only sixteen. She had been adamant that she wanted to be there for the final battle. They had tried to talk her out of it but they hadn't have the time and they had all been so tired by then. The warlocks had hired or summoned demons to distract the Slayers. And it had worked. They had barely managed to stop the apocalypse.
She watched the grieving parents bid one last goodbye to their daughter. It seemed so unnatural. No parent should have to bury their child. After the funeral, people went to them to offer their condolences. When it was her turn, the mother glared at her:
"It's all your fault."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Was all Buffy said.
What else could she say? Nothing could bring back their daughter or fill the void her death had created. Nothing could make her death less painful, less unfair. She felt a hand on her arm and looked at her little sister. The only thing she saw was the bruised face, the cut lip and the tiredness. She wasn't any better herself. She had been badly burnt on her right side. Her arm and side were heavily bandaged, even if it had been a few days since acquiring the injuries. If she hadn't been a Slayer, she would have ended up in the hospital and would have been severely scarred. With one last look towards the grave, she left the cemetery.
They made their way back to the school. It was strange to see all the cars park up in front of the house and all these people, mostly girls, appear. They had gone en masse to the funeral, to show respect to their fallen sister. The former Scoobies went to the main meeting room. Except for Buffy. She packed her things first. She would travel by night and would pass most of the next few hours on planes and in airports. Then, she would rush to her apartment, jump into some nice clothes and run to Gwen's wedding. She would barely make it in time for the reception.
She finally joined the others. They were talking calmly, all in black and all slightly depressed. They were saddened by their loss but so used to it. Losing people was part of their life. She listened to them, hidden in the corridor. They hadn't talked to each other except for the mission. Nothing personal, no small talk. They had quickly asked how her life was in Cardiff, out of politeness more than real concern. It had been tinged by uncomfortableness. She wasn't a part of the group anymore. And she had realized she didn't want to be.
"Are you going to come in anytime soon, B?"
Buffy smiled. If someone had told her that she would be closer to Faith than to her own sister and best friends, she would have never believed it. She walked in and smiled at her sister Slayer. She had arrived the eve of the battle and had said that she couldn't let them have all the fun.
"When are you leaving Buffy?" Giles asked.
"In a few hours. One of my friends is getting married."
"Gwen, is that right?"
"Yeah. I promised her to do everything I could to be there."
He knew who everyone was in Torchwood, even if he was slightly worried that she got involved with them. He wasn't going to be pleased with her decision. She decided to make her announcement now.
"Jack offered me a job."
Giles gasped. The others didn't know what was happening. They weren't in the involved and didn't know a thing about her new life. She smiled fondly when her former Watcher started polishing his glasses.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
"I'm going to accept it."
He sighed:
"Are you well aware of the implication?"
"Yes, I am."
Dawn stood up and looked at them:
"What's happening? Who offered you a job? And you can't accept it!"
Buffy glared at her:
"Of course I can! And I will!"
"But the Council?" Willow asked. "And us?"
"I could be a consultant. But other than that, I quit."
"You can't do that!" Xander exclaimed. "You're the Slayer!"
"You have eighty-seven Slayers. You don't need me anymore. You made that very clear once."
The last bit was out of her mouth before she was even aware of thinking it. The reaction was immediate. She saw her two friends and her sister looked down at once. At least, they seemed to regret their actions. It was something. But she wasn't finished yet.
"I've been killing what you told me to kill for ten years. I've given up my entire life for my duty. Even when it was supposed to over and I was dead, you pulled me out of Heaven, threw me back into the game, asked me to make decisions! And when I did, you kicked me out of my own house! You said I wasn't better than you, just luckier, that you couldn't stay unified with me there. I stayed because we had work to do. A whole Council to build. Now, it's done. And I quit. There's nothing left for me. I have nothing here."
"And me?"
Dawn was looking at her, tears running down her cheeks now. There wasn't any anger in her eyes. Only sadness, hurt and supplication. It hurt Buffy but she didn't care. Right now, she needed to live for herself and the first step was to express her feelings. Coming back had shown her that she couldn't do it anymore—live a lie. She could die any day. She wasn't going to waste anymore time.
"You're my sister Dawn. I fought for you. I died for you. And when I needed support, you weren't there. And worst of all, you were against me. You kicked me out of our house when I needed you. How do you think I feel? All of you, if you were in my shoes, how would you feel?"
Their guilt showed on their faces, but they didn't respond and didn't contradict her. Giles was just listening. He had known for some time now that this was coming. It was only a matter of time he thought. Buffy had a chance to live her own life. Her moving to Cardiff gave her the time and space to think about her past and her future. Her words were rough but hadn't they been back then? She wasn't enjoying the talk. Her eyes were blurry and her voice shaky. But she was being tough. So she continued:
"I'm sorry for the way I behaved back then. I could have been less bitchy but I didn't think you understood the reality of the situation. Those girls needed to understand that their nice life was over, they were done playing, it was a real fight. I was relying on you! You betrayed me at the worst possible moment. You asked me to make all the decisions and when I did, you kicked me out. We were supposed to be friends, to be a family!"
"We are!" Willow exclaimed.
"No, we're not! Not anymore," the blonde contradicted. "You didn't even apologize!"
"Why?" Xander asked. "Girls died and I lost my eye! Am I supposed to thank you for that?"
Faith shot on her feet and grabbed the man by the collar. "You're supposed to be thankful to be alive!"
She threw him back.
"I can't believe the nerve you have! Do you think it was easy back then? Do you think because we were the Slayers we had all the answers? It's easy to blame all the bad things happening on someone else when you're not the one having to make decisions. Come on! You kicked her out and put me in charge! Me! The one who tried to kill you, who went completely psycho and who had just escaped from prison where I was locked up for murder! That was completely insane. You were desperate to have someone who'd make the decisions for you, someone to blame if things went ugly."
She sat on the table and crossed her arms.
"And, should I remind you that I walked right into a fucking trap? And that it's Buffy who find the Scythe, killed the crazy preacher and finally came up with the way to win the war? She's the reason we're still alive."
They had nothing to say to that. Giles put his glasses on his nose and said, "It was a war. Casualties were inevitable. Kicking her out was uncalled for. The least we can do now is admit our mistake and make amends for them."
Buffy sent a grateful took at the older man. He smiled gently at her.
"I'll come to Cardiff and we'll talk more about it. Now, you're going to miss your plane if you don't hurry."
She looked at the time and nearly swore. She went to hug the man, greatly surprising him by this spontaneous gesture. She murmured a quick "thanks" in his ear. Faith offered to drive her to the airport and she accepted. She still wasn't able to drive, even if her life depended on it. The last time she was behind wheel was to drive Andy to the hospital and she had been lucky enough that it was the middle of the night and the streets were almost empty. On the doorstep, Dawn grabbed her arm.
"Buffy, please, can we talk?"
She sighed. "No Dawn. We can't. I have a plane to catch and a wedding to attend. I have to go back to my life, to my friends. I want to. And it's not here. Maybe later, when enough time has passed we can talk about it. I love you but I'm angry too. Give me time."
She could have kicked her, it would have had the same result. It pained her but that didn't stop her. She left the room, her former friends, the school she had helped to create. In the car, she laughed:
"I can't believe we're here."
Her sister Slayer looked quizzically at her. She explained, "You and me, sitting civilly in a car."
"Life's full of surprises."
Buffy laughed at that. She wouldn't be the one to contradict her. They were the last two Slayers called. They had been sisters first, then nemesis and finally allies. They had tried to kill each other. They had hated each other. But they also had envied each other.
Faith had envied Buffy's family and friends, she had been jealous of her love with Angel, of the attention she was getting. The blonde had had everything she wanted and desired. She had thought that her life was perfect and hadn't understood why she couldn't have one like that. With time, Faith had understood that Buffy's life hadn't been simple. It hadn't been a walk in the park. She had experienced some really bad stuff—had been ripped from Heaven and had been betrayed. And with understanding had come respect.
Buffy had envied the way Faith had accepted her fate and the role of Slayer. The brunette had seemed so at ease with that entire destiny thing. To Buffy, she had seemed made for the job. It had been an obvious fact. She had belonged to darkness and to the job. She had envied her entire "See. Want. Take." mentality. Everything was so simple with her. She had seen too late what was really happening, the deep pain her sister Slayer was hiding. Faith had lost herself in the Darkness before Buffy could help her. She had really thought she was beyond help. But Angel had come and saved her. And the blonde had hated that because her lover was sharing something with the Dark Slayer she could never understand. And Faith had begun her journey on the redemption path. Along the years, Buffy had been more and more aware of the darkness in her. One day, she had realized that she could understand Faith. She could have easily been in her shoes. And with understanding had come respect.
And now, Faith had come to her defense. She thanked her for that.
"No big deal," Faith replied. "They should have seen it coming."
They made the rest of the ride in silence. She arrived just in time for the boarding. She stood in front of Faith awkwardly, not sure what to say.
"Come on!" the brunette exclaimed. "It's not like we're never gonna see each other."
Buffy didn't say that it was a possibility with their work. She simply replied, "You're right. Take care of yourself."
Faith smiled. "I will if you do it too. Remember: first rule of slaying is…"
"Don't die!" they finished together.
They laughed, hugged and then Buffy was on the plane, trying to get a little sleep. Her day was far from over. She couldn't wait to be in her bed. But before that, she would have to go to Gwen's wedding. Hopefully, she could just sit in a chair and snooze.
When she finally arrived at her apartment, she wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed. Her side was killing her and she couldn't stop yawning. She left her luggage in the living room, she could unpack later. She took a shower and applied the lotion Willow gave her on her burns. The skin on her side was red and awfully dry but she could do without a dressing. But her arm was another thing. The burn had been worse there and it was still killing her. She made the dressing as best she could.
Her beautiful dress wasn't very comfortable. It put pressure on her injuries. She was sleeveless so nothing was hiding the heavy dressing on the wound. It wasn't as glamorous as in the shop. Stupid apocalypse. She applied make-up and tried to hide her bruises the best she could. Finally ready, she jumped in a cab and gave the driver the address.
She couldn't stop fidgeting and checking the time during the drive. Why did they choose to have a wedding in the middle of nowhere? Okay, maybe she was exaggerating a little… When she finally arrived, she paid the driver and looked in awe at the castle in front of her. It was amazing. A party, that was exactly what she needed!
Suddenly, she heard running and someone's voice ordering people to move. A voice that sounded like Jack's. Following her instinct, she ran toward the commotion. She stopped when she saw the scene in front of her. She was still outside, in a garden. A really ugly woman-like alien in turquoise with grey face, red eyes and teeth that would make every vampire jealous was holding another woman. While Jack, Tosh, Ianto and Owen were pointing guns at her or it. What the Hell was happening? Rhys and Gwen were together, talking to the hostage. Buffy listened and learnt that the woman was Gwen's mom. The alien was ranting on about the link between a child and a mother. Jack ordered Rhys to back off. Gwen moved forward, her flowers in front of her. The alien rushed towards Gwen who fired the gun hidden in her bouquet. The alien ran away.
Buffy approached with her mind in overdrive. Owen's left arm was in a sling. But that was not the most shocking thing. Gwen's prominent belly was! She looked like she could explode at any time.
"I wasn't gone that long!" she exclaimed.
Torchwood saw her for the first time and Jack smiled at her.
"Just in time for the fun."
Rhys glared at him. If looks could kill, Jack would be dead right now. Gwen hugged her and whispered, "I'm happy you're here."
It was a weird sensation to feel Gwen's big belly, knowing that the pregnancy was completely wrong. Jack ordered Owen to get Gwen ready. The doctor left quickly with the soon-to-be husband and wife. Buffy turned towards the others.
"Ok, tell me what's going on."
They explained to her how Gwen was bitten by a Nostrovite the previous night, being impregnated by it. Now, the mommy alien was back for her child. She was fast and super strong. She was also a shapeshifter. Gwen had refused to postpone the wedding but at the time, she didn't know that there was a mommy in the game. And now, the wedding was going to Hell. At least, they would remember it all their life. Jack looked at her and her bandages.
"Are you going to be okay?"
"Yeah. I'm used to things going haywire."
She didn't say that she was on the verge of collapsing because of her lack of sleep and that each movement was sending a wave of pain through her cracked ribs and burnt skin. She let the Slayer came to the surface and felt adrenaline rush through her veins.
"I'm going to find Gwen," she said.
She left the group and walked quickly through the corridor. Then, she heard gun shots and ran towards it. She arrived at a room just in time to see Owen pointing a gun to the alien on the bed, in Jack's form. He was walking towards it. Bad move! The thing jumped on him and Buffy rushed in, grabbing the alien and slamming him against the wall. The Nostrovite didn't seem fazed and once again ran away. The Slayer helped Owen back to his feet.
"Are you alright?"
He groaned. She pointed at his sling. "What happened?"
"Bullet in the shoulder. And you?"
"Apocalypse."
Jack, Tosh and Ianto arrived and surprised them. Owen pointed his gun at them while Buffy went into a fighting stance. They sighed when they recognized each other.
"What happened?" asked Jack.
Owen didn't lower his gun and her blonde companion was watching Jack closely.
"Put it down Owen!" ordered their boss.
Buffy nodded her head towards the doctor. It was really Jack.
"Where are Gwen and Rhys?" Tosh asked.
"They've done a runner."
Owen explained how he had emptied a clip into the alien, as did Gwen, without much effect. He supposed that some mother instinct was making her unstoppable. He concluded:
"Our guns don't work."
Then Jack smiled and said:
"Then I guess we're gonna need a bigger gun."
They followed him to the SUV and watched as Jack unloaded one of the biggest guns Buffy had ever seen. She used her Slayer senses to guide them and found the Nostrovite quickly. After months of hunting Weevils, she was used to the strange feeling given off by aliens. She could feel their presence nearly as well as demons. It wasn't as easy but she was quickly getting used to it.
They found the couple in a matter of minutes. The alien was in front of Rhys who had a chain saw on his hands. Jack fired his gun and the alien exploded.
"How's that for a shape-shift?" he said with a smirk.
Buffy watched Jack with awe and announced, "I think I'm in love with you."
He winked at her before running towards Rhys and Gwen. Then, they gathered everyone and restarted the ceremony. They were slightly beat up and the newlyweds had alien goo all over them but they seemed so happy that it didn't really matter. Buffy watched everything with a little envy. Gwen seemed to be the only one to have succeeded in keeping her life as normal as possible. Which wasn't really all that normal if you considered the fact that an alien crashed her wedding.
Everything went normally after that. The ceremony was followed by the reception. Everyone congratulated the newlyweds, ate, drank and made the usual stupid games. Night had fallen and Rhys and Gwen were dancing. They were so cute. Buffy was finally able to snooze in her chair. However, she was interrupted by a blonde man who offered her a glass of champagne. She accepted out of politeness, hoping he would leave her alone after that. But he stayed and introduced himself.
"I'm Banana. I'm on the husband's side."
Her eyes went wide and before she could stop herself, she said, "And I thought we couldn't do worse than my name."
Banana's smile wavered a little. The Slayer felt an arm on her shoulders and looked up at Jack. He smiled at the other man and said casually, "We're friends with the bride."
"Oh, well, hum… I hope you have a good time," he said before leaving them.
Buffy turned in the man's arms.
"You know that he think we're a couple, right?"
"Would you have preferred him to flirt with you for the rest of the night?"
She shook her head. Oh, no, she wouldn't have preferred that. At least, he had brought her a glass of champagne. She hadn't had a chance to taste it. She wasn't really into alcohol but it was a wedding, she had to celebrate. Jack's hand stopped her and took her glass.
"Believe me, you want to avoid the champagne."
He said nothing more and stood up. She sighed. Owen and Tosh were dancing together. She saw Jack stealing Gwen from Rhys. She felt incredibly alone as she watched the couple. She studied Jack and Gwen. There was something between them. But what? She didn't know. But there weren't just friends or partners. They were more. After a few minutes, Ianto cut in and begun to dance with his boss slash boyfriend. They were so handsome. It was such a waste. She sat back on her chair, closed her eyes and began to snooze again.
A hand shook her and woke her up half an hour later. She realized they were all sitting around the table now. She smiled tiredly and yawned.
"You seem completely dead on your feet," Tosh said.
"It's because I am. But I didn't want to miss Gwen's wedding."
"Thanks for coming," the bride added. "And for saving the world, permitting my wedding to actually happen."
"No big deal."
Jack arrived with beers. Rhys looked around.
"You'd never think a couple of hours ago they all nearly got torn apart by some alien psycho-bitch."
Gwen saw her mother and her step-mother snoozing together. That wasn't a sight she was used too.
"It's all been a bit too much for my mum and Brenda."
"I never thought I'd see that," her husband added.
A quick look around showed them that the two women weren't the only ones to sleep. In fact, the Torchwood group were the only ones awake. The music stopped.
"Okay, Jack, what's going on?" Gwen asked.
Buffy remembered Jack's earlier comment about the champagne. She realized what he had done. It was verified when he replied, "Strange thing when you mix level Six retcon with champagne. Really makes the party go with a swing. Then you fall asleep."
"You retconned our families?" She laughed a little and added. "It's probably for the best. I don't want my mum remembering what happened to her today."
There was a silence. Then Jack slid two glasses of champagne towards the newlyweds.
"Maybe the happy couple shouldn't either?"
Rhys seemed astonished but Gwen replied without hesitation, "No, thank you. There'll be no secrets in this marriage."
She was looking at her husband. Buffy knew that the time when Gwen was working for Torchwood and lying to Rhys wasn't a good one. That could have broken their relationship to pieces. The only reason they were still together was that he had discovered what his beloved was really doing and hadn't been Retconned.
"Time for bed, I think," Owen announced.
And Buffy couldn't have been happier to hear that. She was dead on her feet.
Rhys didn't argue.
"We'll see you after the honeymoon. Stay out of trouble."
The Slayer groaned. "You have just jinxed us! Happy?"
He smiled at her and hugged her carefully. Then, Buffy watched Gwen make her way towards her. Both women hugged.
"Thank you very much for coming."
"It was my pleasure. You sure know how to keep a wedding interesting."
The brunette laughed. They watched the couple leave in silence. Buffy's mind was focusing on her bed at her apartment. How she longed to be there… But Tosh brought her down to the real world.
"Something tells me our bed time is a long way off."
"That's right guys," Jack confirmed. "It's been a busy day, but we're not finished yet. We've got a lot to do. We've got a major mop-up operation. And I want your best work. Remember, it's Gwen's wedding."
He turned towards Buffy. "If you want to head home, you can."
She shrugged. "I'll help. Owen, could you give me a ride home after?"
"No problem. It's not like I'll have to make detour."
"Thanks."
They separated and began their work. Buffy heard Ianto declare, "That's what I love about Torchwood. By day you're chasing the scum of the universe. Come midnight, you're the Wedding Fairy."
She smiled. It felt good to be home.
¤ ¤ tbc ¤ ¤