Q/A: Mega - I have Piper and Giles talking to Willow in the beginning of Oh My Goddess about her spell. About Buffy telling Piper and Phoebe about seeing Prue, Grams, Patty and Joyce in heaven. She remembers being in heaven but that's about it. She doesn't remember really much in the way of details of her time there. In fact Buffy doesn't even learn that she voluntarily left heaven till Once More With Feeling when she gets a visit from Joyce.
Chapter 136: Afterlife
Buffy stands in front of the Manor, looking up at it, her expression blank.
Dawn stands nearby; she's not looking at the Manor but nervously at Buffy. "Home! See?" Buffy doesn't answer. "You're back home. We're all okay now."
Dawn leads Buffy inside and closes the door behind them. She looks at Buffy apprehensively. "Home again, home again... Jiggety jog."
Buffy steps into the living room. "It's different."
Dawn nods, "Piper felt the need to rearrange the furniture a bit to make room for the playpen for Celia and Wyatt."
Buffy looks at a photograph of her, Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Dawn. She reads the inscription in the corner: To my sister, Buffy. Happy Birthday, Dawn.
Buffy turns and heads into the dining room. Dawn trails after her. One end of the table is set up as a computer work station.
"This is the same. Except the computer stuff, that's Phoebe's. Since you well… She's been working from home more so that there is at least one of us here to watch Celia." Dawn says. "We eat at the other end..."
Buffy is already gone, heading up the stairs.
Dawn looks after her, feeling that she's not doing a very good job as tour guide. "Obviously." She heads up the stairs after Buffy.
A little later Dawn is standing with Buffy at the bathroom sink. Buffy is wearing casual clothes now; a button-up shirt hangs open over a camisole. Buffy's hair is combed and pulled back.
Dawn is washing the dirt from Buffy's face with a washcloth. "There you are. Knew you were under that dirt somewhere. Remember what Mom used to say? "Either wash that neck or plant potatoes."
Buffy doesn't react.
"Yeah... I never thought it was funny either." Dawn says as she looks at Buffy's shirt. "You want to button that up, or..."
Buffy looks down at her hands.
Dawn looks down too, sees the damage to Buffy's hands. "Oh. Ow. We should take care of that."
"Okay." Buffy says.
"I'll do the shirt. Then we can do your hands ..." Dawn says as she starts to button Buffy's shirt. "Here we go. See how nice you look..."
Buffy walks away, just pulling out of Dawn's hands and heading into the hall.
Buffy enters hers and Dawn's room and looks around. Dawn follows her in, "Our room. I know it's really different now. I rearranged the furniture. So that the changing table and Celia's bassinet were next to each other."
Buffy is already turning to leave, but Dawn gets in front of her, blocks the way. "Buffy? You wanna, like, stop? We can sit down and talk. I mean, I'm trying to be all this-happens-all-the time about this, but I'm really kinda freaking out and I don't know what to do."
Buffy's attention drifts inward. Then she shakes herself out of it, tries to focus. "What else is different?"
"You mean, with the house, or..." Dawn says.
Buffy shrugs.
"Um. Let's see ... Giles. It's so weird. He left. Today. Because you were- He'll come right back. I'll call him. Someone will call him." Dawn says.
"Okay... what... Um..." Buffy says as she loses focus again...
"What… what?" Dawn asks.
"What ... What will you say to him?" Buffy asks.
"I dunno... It'll be interesting. We could do it now, put you on the phone, "Hi, Giles, guess who this is?" Give him a heart attack." Dawn says as she starts laughing from the image, but mostly from the tension, on the edge of losing it. Buffy doesn't laugh, just watches. Dawn's laugh peters out. "Or, you might not be in the mood for prank calls."
There is the sound of the front door opening below them, rushed heavy footfalls ... Dawn stops laughing. And Buffy is, instantly tense and alert.
"What's that?" Buffy asks.
"It's okay." Dawn says.
"Dawn? Dawn! You here?" Piper calls up.
"See? It's just Piper." Dawn says. "I'm here!" She heads for the stairs as Buffy follows.
Piper is standing at the base of the stairs as Dawn comes downstairs. "Thank God. You scared me half to death..."
"Piper," Dawn says.
"I mean it." Piper says. "I've already lost Buffy and Prue, I don't want to lose you too."
"Look," Dawn says.
Piper sees Buffy coming down the stairs behind Dawn.
"Yeah? It's just the robot. How did Willow get it patched up so…" Piper says, and then it hits her. The robot was done for. This isn't the robot.
"She's kind of— She's been through a lot, with the ... death. But I think she's okay." Dawn says. "Piper? Are you okay?"
"I'm... what did you do?" Piper asks. "This is so personal gain."
"Me? Nothing, Piper I swear. Buffy taught me better than that! I wouldn't cast a personal gain spell and you know it." Dawn says.
Piper looks Buffy up and down and notices her hands, "Her hands."
"I was gonna fix 'em. I don't know how they got like that." Dawn says.
Piper shakes her head, she does. She's been on patrol plenty of times with Buffy and has watched vampires dig their way out of their coffins. "You had to dig yourself out?"
Buffy looks at her hands as if they belong to someone else. "I ... Yes. I had to do that."
"We'll take care of you. Come on... Leo!" Piper says as she leads Buffy into the living room.
Leo orbs in holding Celia and Wyatt. "Piper?"
Dawn comes over to Leo and takes first Celia and then Wyatt and puts them in the playpen.
"She needs to be healed." Piper says.
Leo looks around confused for a moment and then he sees Buffy, "How?"
Piper shakes her head, "We don't know. Heal her first and then go ask."
Leo moves over to Buffy and heals her hands before orbing out.
"How long was I gone?" Buffy asks.
Piper looks to Dawn who sighs.
"Three months." Dawn says. "Three long months."
Buffy nods.
"How long was it for you... where you were?" Dawn asks.
"Longer." Buffy says.
Xander, Anya, Willow and Tara enter through the front door and enter the living room.
"Is she here?" Willow asks.
Buffy stands up, startled.
"She's here!" Anya says.
"Buffy!" Willow says, smiling.
"Are you okay?" Tara asks.
"You knew she was back?" Dawn asks. "How did you know?"
"That's a good question," Piper says. "Willow, please tell me you didn't cast a personal gain spell."
Willow looks to Piper and then to the floor, "Maybe? But how can it be personal gain when the power of five is no longer broken?"
Piper sighs, "It doesn't work like that. There will be consequences."
Leo orbs in, "They say they know but they aren't telling. I think were supposed to find out how and why on our own."
"Well on the how we already know." Piper says. "Willow cast a personal gain spell."
Leo frowns and looks to Willow, "You did what?"
Willow sighs, "I invoked Osiris."
Piper shakes her head looking at Leo, "Osiris?"
Leo nods in understanding, "She used an old spell. One if I'm not mistaken that has been lost for several millennia. Where did you find it?"
"It wasn't easy. I'll tell you that." Willow said.
"Is she going to be okay?" Dawn asks.
"I'm okay." Buffy says. "I'm going to be fine. I remember—I was— You brought me back."
"How long were you gone? I mean, how long for you?" Xander asks.
"It ... it seemed like forever." Buffy said.
"Oh, Buffy, I'm so sorry." Tara says.
"What are you saying? Are you saying she was somewhere else? Like, in hell? Piper I thought you said she went to heaven like Prue?" Dawn says.
"I thought she was." Piper says, wishing she had talked to Grams, her mom or even Aunt Joyce after Buffy had died.
"A hell-dimension. Same torture, less religion." Anya says. "What was it like?"
"No! She shouldn't have to talk about it!" Dawn says.
"It was ... I can't – I couldn't leave." Buffy says.
"It's okay. You really don't have to do this, Buff." Xander says.
Buffy looks at Piper and Dawn helplessly.
"Hey, do you want something?" Dawn asks. "Anything you name it."
Buffy shifts uncomfortably. "I think... I want to sleep."
Tara nods, "That's a good idea. You should sleep."
"Yeah. Long day. But, Buffy... be happy. We got you out. We really did it." Willow says.
Piper glares at Willow, "And we'll be talking about your use of a personal gain spell later."
Willow lets out a sigh as she nods.
"Tired." Buffy says.
"Well, yeah. The jet-lag from hell has gotta be, you know, the jet-lag from hell." Anya says.
Buffy looks to Dawn, "Our room?"
Dawn nods, "Is still our room. Tell you what I'll take Celia's bassinet and put it in Paige's room and sleep with Paige. You have a good night's rest, okay?"
Buffy nods and heads up the stairs and into her room. She stands motionless in front of a mirror. She doesn't seem to register her own face in front of her. She startles at the sound of footsteps in the hallway, gasping and stepping away from the door.
Dawn enters and goes to the bassinet, "Just getting Celia's bassinet, okay?"
Buffy nods, "How is…"
"Celia?" Dawn asks and Buffy nods. "She's doing well. I've been looking after her while you were gone. I was going to make sure she knew about her wonderful mother when she grew up." Dawn smiles hoping Buffy would smiled back. When Buffy doesn't return the smile, she turns and takes the bassinet out of the room closing the door behind her.
Dawn puts the bassinet in Paige's room and then heads downstairs. "Piper?"
Piper nods as she hangs up the phone, "If you're asking if I talked to Giles. Yes I did. He's going to head back as soon as he can. Probably... I'm not sure, maybe a couple days."
"How'd he take it?" Dawn asks.
"Um. I'm not sure. Glad, but ... kinda weirded out, you know? Which I get, I'm kind of weirded out myself. There were a lot of dear lords… I think I actually heard him cleaning his glasses." Piper says.
Dawn laughs before getting serious, "Are you worried?"
Piper nods, "A little. I would like to think Willow's spell was consequence free. But we know that personal gain spells can go wrong. I remember the spell Prue and Phoebe cast when Buffy and I had Arroyo fever. Other people were getting the disease because of it. They had to risk losing Buffy and I or the spell would have killed all those innocents."
Dawn nods, "What are we going to tell Phoebe and Paige?"
"The truth." Piper says. "And hope it's not all for nothing."
Upstairs Buffy is still fully dressed. She's sitting on the edge of the bed. Back straight, hands folded, like she's in a doctor's waiting room.
There is a framed photograph on the dresser: a picture of Buffy, Willow and Xander. Buffy gets up, picks up the picture. She carries it over to a wall where other snapshots are taped up, or hanging in frames - these include a number of pictures of Buffy with Xander and Willow and also Tara and Anya as well as some with her and Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Dawn as well as her with Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Dawn. She looks at them, trying to connect herself to the girl in the photos. She notices a photo of just Dawn with Celia in her lap. She notices the vacant look in Dawn's eyes.
For a moment Buffy could swear she remembered hearing Prue say, "You take good care of my namesake. Both of them." She didn't know from where though or even when.
Suddenly the faces change in every single photo. They turn into faces of death: decayed, skeletal, empty eyed. Buffy, her family and her friends become corpses.
Buffy closes her eyes for a second. When she looks again, the pictures are normal. Buffy continues to stare at them, expressionless.
In Willow and Tara's dorm room the room is dimly lit by moonlight. Willow and Tara are asleep. Suddenly something hits the wall over their heads with a crash - a candle in a glass candle holder. It showers glass on them. Tara screams and they both sit up, terrified.
Buffy, still dressed, stands in the darkness at the foot of the bed. Hands clenched, body tense.
"Buffy?" Willow asks.
"What did you do? Do you know what you did? You're like children! Your hands smell of death! Bitches! Filthy little bitches, rattling the bones, did you cut a throat? Did you pat its head?" Buffy says as she grabs a crystal ball off the dresser and throws it at them. Willow and Tara just manage to duck it, and it smashes against the wall. "The blood dried on your hands, didn't it? You were stained. You still are."
"Oh God, oh God, oh God." Tara says.
"I know what you did!" Buffy says.
Willow jumps out of bed and hits the lights.
The room is empty. No Buffy.
The candle is in its holder and the crystal ball is whole, sitting where they are supposed to be.
Tara looks around her in the bed. "No glass. There's no glass."
At the Manor Piper cracks open the door of Buffy and Dawn's room.
Buffy is lying sound asleep in bed in her pajamas.
Piper closes the door and walks back into her room and picks up the phone, "She's asleep, Willow."
"Okay, what in the frilly heck is going on?" Willow says.
"Maybe we dreamed it." Tara says.
"Right. Right." Willow says.
"Wrong." Piper says. "How could you both have the same dream?"
"Piper's right, Tara. Different brains." Willow says.
"Oh, yeah." Tara says. "What was it talking about? Did you understand it?"
"I understood the words, but ... no." Willow said.
"What did it say?" Piper asks and Tara and Willow recite what they remember. Suddenly Piper hears Tara gasp over the phone. "What is it?"
"There's, there's something in the room." Tara said. "It looked to be in the wall."
The next morning Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, Piper, Phoebe and Paige are gathered in the living room of the Manor.
"It was very bad. Very very very very very very bad. Bad." Xander says.
"He's all traumatized." Anya said.
"Well, whatever it is, it's not a traditional haunting, 'cause it's not limited to one specific place and there's not, you know, a dead person." Willow said.
"Not anymore." Tara says.
"I bet it's a hitchhiker." Anya says.
"A hitchhiker?" Paige asks.
Anya nods, "Standard way to travel between alternate dimensions. Something-ama-demon sees someone moving between worlds, and grabs on for the ride."
"You mean some Hell beastie rode back with Buffy. Like ... we're responsible for this." Willow says.
Piper shakes her head, "And there is your consequence for using a personal gain spell, Willow."
"I think we shouldn't've brought Buffy back. I knew it was going to go badly. I should've said something." Anya says.
"Hey, you know what, yeah! You should've! At least you could've mentioned the "highjackers" so we could stop 'em!" Willow says.
"They're hitchhikers, not highjackers, and I thought you knew! It's basic stuff! You're supposed to be the all-powerful witch, which—" Anya says.
"Witch-witch?" Xander asks. "What are we going to do? I mean, I'm feeling the need for some vigorous doing, you know?"
"It's okay. We kill the beastie and all is good, we're rolling in puppies!" Willow says. "Right?"
"Can we do that? Kill it?" Xander asks.
"If it's the only consequence of the spell. Then we might not even need to reverse it. Kill the demon…" Paige says.
"Are we killing something?" Buffy asks.
They look up to see that Buffy has entered from the kitchen, holding a mug of coffee. She's wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
"Buffy! You're not supposed to be up!" Piper says.
"How are you feeling? Are you okay?" Paige asks.
"It's all right if you're still plagued with nightmarish visions of Hell." Anya says.
Buffy, smiles, seems like her normal self. "I'm fine. I'm really..." She takes a long pause, loses the smile, gets it back - it's suddenly clear that it's an effort. "So what are we killing?"
"A demon you brought back from Hell with you." Anya says.
"Oh." Buffy says.
"It's not like she's making it sound. A little haunting-type stuff. Boo-scary, then everything's normal." Willow says. "You shouldn't worry about it."
"Wait. Last night. Something happened—" Buffy says as she loses focus.
Piper touches her on the arm to try to bring her back. "Buffy?"
"Um... the photographs. Of us. They changed." Buffy says.
"How did they change?" Phoebe asks.
"They were dead. I mean, we were dead. Like dead bodies. Then they were okay. I thought maybe it was me. That I was going crazy." Buffy says.
"Maybe you are! Because of Hell!" Anya says as Willow glares at her. "No. You're fine."
"You are. Buffy, we're so glad." Willow says.
Piper glares at Willow, "Remember were having that talk later."
"We should work and figure this thing out." Buffy says.
Willow nods, "Right."
Later at the Magic Box Paige, Buffy, Xander, Anya, Willow and Tara are doing the research thing. Buffy is staring at a book, but doesn't seem to be seeing it.
Dawn looks over Tara's shoulder at a legal pad with a hand-written list on it. "What's the list?"
"Possible hitchhikers." Anya says.
"Demons that might have come out of Hell at the same time Buffy did." Xander says.
Dawn reads from Anya's list, "Skaggmore demons, Trellbane demons, Skitterers, Large and Small Bone-Eaters ..." She thinks about what she's read. "If we get to pick, I say we go with the Small Bone-Eaters."
"That just means they prefer eating things with little bones." Anya says. "Like you."
"That's just what we have so far. Five species of demons that have been known to move transdimensionally. Two of them may be invisible in this dimension and two others can perform spells to alter perception." Willow says.
"That's four. What's the other one like?" Anya asks.
"Kinda like the others, only dripping with viscous fluid." Tara says.
Paige rolls her eyes.
"Eww." Dawn says as she scrunches her nose.
"So should we concentrate on how to kill those or should we try to find more?" Xander asks.
Paige shakes her head, "We're not really sure. I guess ... Maybe some of us could keep going finding more, and the others—"
"I miss Giles." Buffy says.
Dawn smiles, "He's coming back. Piper talked to him. I know we're a kinda poor substitute, but until then, we'll get it done ..."
Buffy stands up. "I think I should patrol."
"I know we'll find something soon!" Willow says.
Buffy nods, "Yes."
Paige stands, "Want me to come with you?"
Buffy is already heading for the door. "No. I need to go. Um, I know you're worried. But I ... I feel like I have to get out. Sorry."
Dawn looks to Paige and then back to Buffy and nods, "You should go." She turns toward the exiting Buffy, back to the others. "Don't worry about me. I'll be safe here with Paige and the others." Unseen by anyone, she slowly smiles.
In a cemetery Buffy patrols alone. But she doesn't have a stake in hand, and she doesn't scan her surroundings. She just walks.
Back at the Magic Box it's very late. Piper has replaced Paige who has gone home. Willow, Tara, and Xander are still researching, exhausted - heads on hands. Dawn is looking at the shelf of books.
Anya enters, carrying take-out cups of coffee. "I found a 24-hour place for coffee. Remember that bookstore? Well they became one of those books-and- coffee places and now they're just coffee. It's like evolution only without the getting-better part." She sets the drinks out on the counter. "Coffee, coffee, coffee and hot chocolate for Dawn." She looks to Dawn. "You're too young for coffee."
Dawn whips her head toward Anya. Dawn's eyes are white. "Idiot."
Startled, everyone turns to look at Dawn.
"Dawn?" Piper asks as she stands up.
"You can have my coffee." Anya says.
Dawn's blank eyes scan the group. "All of you did it, Stupid children, Did you think the blood wouldn't reach you? I smell the death on you, LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" She suddenly roars fire at them. Everyone dives to the side, and the flames catch some books on the table on fire.
Dawn collapses to the floor, unconscious.
"Dawn!" Piper says running to her cousin.
"Fire, fire, fire." Xander says as he grabs the cushion from Anya's chair, uses it to smother the flames.
"Oh my God, oh my God." Willow says.
Piper helps Dawn to sit up.
Anya watches as Xander puts out the last of the fire with the now-singed cushion. "I liked that cushion."
"That was it. Like Buffy. Only with fire." Willow says.
"Is she okay?" Xander asks.
"Did I look like that? I hope I didn't look like that." Anya says.
"No, I'm sure you looked really glamorous cutting up your face." Willow says.
Dawn opens her eyes. They're normal again. "What happened? What's going on?"
"You'll be okay." Piper says. "That thing we've been researching possessed you. But it's gone now."
Xander nods, "Yeah. It's gone."
"Yes. But where did it go? I mean, evil things have plans. They have things to do." Anya says.
In Spike's Crypt, Spike emerges from below at the top of the ladder. He sees Buffy standing, back to him, looking around at the new furnishings. Spike goes over to her, stands directly behind her. "Buffy?"
Buffy turns around, sees him standing there, notices the knife in his hand, but doesn't react to it.
"You should be careful. Never know what kind of villain's got a knife at your back." Spike says.
"Your hand is hurt." Buffy says as she looks at his bloody hand.
Spike puts down the knife. "Willow's getting pretty strong, isn't she? Bringing you back. Hard to get a good night's death 'round here." Buffy looks at him. "A bloke hears things." Buffy doesn't say anything. "You can sit, if you want. Got furniture. You should see the downstairs, too. Quite posh."
Buffy sits.
Spike sits opposite her. She keeps staring at him. He takes it as an accusation, responds to it ... "I do remember what I said. The promise. To protect her. If I'd done that ... Even if I didn't make it, you wouldn't've had to jump. I want you to know I did save you. Not when it counted, of course. But after that. Every night after that. I'd see it all again, do something different. Faster or more clever, you know? Dozens of times, lots of different ways ... Every night I save you."
Spike looks at her again. Her stare is the same, vacant. He realizes she's not there to accuse him. They sit quietly. Not talking.
Back at the Magic Box Anya and Dawn have both fallen asleep, heads down on their books. Piper, Tara and Willow are still paging through books. Xander is looking toward the windows. Tara takes a break, comes over to the windows by Xander.
"It's getting light out. Buffy's probably on her way home from patrolling." Xander says.
Tara nods, "I like sunrise better when I'm getting up early than when I'm staying up late, you know? It's like I'm seeing it from the wrong side."
"Mmmokay." Xander says. "Hey, Tara. This is probably crazy, but what Piper said… The spell we did. It was personal gain wasn't it. It's having consequences, isn't it? I mean, it sure seems like it. And I was wondering... did you know this might happen?"
Tara shakes her head, "No!"
Xander glances back toward Willow. "Do you think... could someone have known?"
"Willow's a talented witch and she'd never do anything to hurt anyone." Tara says.
Xander nods, "I know, I know. Backing off quickly, see, hands in the air, I just mean—"
"Thaumogenesis!" Willow says.
Startled, Xander and Tara look over at Piper and Willow. Piper stares at Willow as Dawn and Anya are both jolted awake.
"She's possessed!" Anya says.
"Thaumogenesis." Willow says.
Dawn nods looking to Anya, "You're right."
"That sounds familiar." Piper says.
"I'm not possessed. It's just, I think I figured it out. This isn't a demon we let out. This is a demon we made." Willow says.
"Of course." Piper says. "Phoebe and Prue did something similar when Buffy and I when had Arroyo fever. We believe the doll that they used to awaken Buffy and I may have been brought to life and inhabited by a demon. Reversing the spell killed the demon that inhabited the doll."
"So we made a demon? Bad us." Xander says.
Willow nods, "Thaumogenesis is when doing a spell actually creates a being. In this case it was, like, a side-effect, a consequence of the spell."
"So this is the personal gain consequence? You guys created a demon?" Dawn asks. "But if you made a demon how come we don't see it? I mean, we just see us. Doing stuff."
Piper nods, "Am I correct in my thinking, Willow that it might be out of phase with this dimension. Its consciousness is here, but its body is caught in the ether between existing and not existing.
Willow nods, "That sounds right, Piper."
"It doesn't have a body... so it's borrowing ours ... It borrowed Dawn and Anya ..." Tara says.
"Or it's manifesting copies of them, like it did when Buffy came at us ..." Willow says.
"It's using them to do stuff. To scare us, attack us." Tara says.
"So we need to uncreate it, right? Get it the rest of the way out of our world." Xander says.
"One problem. If this is a consequence it's likely linked to the spell." Piper says.
Willow nods, "When we reverse the spell it will be like it never happened."
"Like it never brought Buffy back." Dawn says.
Willow sighs, "Yes."
Dawn is in control here, quietly hurt, demanding attention. "You can't do that. You can't think for a second that you're going to do that."
"Dawn…" Piper says.
Dawn doesn't take her eyes off Willow. "If you think you can give her back to me and then take her away again... No. That's worse than if you'd never brought her back. You can't mess with people's lives this way! What about what would happen to her? You'd send her back to where she was, hell or whatever?"
Piper looks to Willow who sighs. "No. Dawn, we're not going to do it that way," Willow says.
Dawn turns to the others, appealing to them. "How can you let her do this? How can you even talk about letting her go? I thought you loved her too!"
Piper stands up in front of Dawn, "Dawn Marie Summers!" Dawn looks at Piper and then down at the floor. "Honey, you're not listening. Willow said we'll find another way. We're not going to lose her again. Okay?"
"Promise?" Dawn asks looking at her eldest cousin.
Piper smiles, "Promise."
Willow is looking through the book again. "Wait. Everyone hold on." She looks up, smiles.
"What? Why are you smiling?" Anya asks. "That's inappropriate."
"Because it's temporary." Willow says.
Piper looks at Willow, "Uhm your sure about that, Willow. Because consequence of spells are not generally temporary."
Willow nods, "I'm sure. It's going to dissipate. The only way it can survive on our plane is if it was to kill the subject of the original spell."
"It would live if it killed Buffy?" Tara asks.
Willow nods, "Right, but that's not gonna—"
"Thanks for the tip." Xander says, his eyes are white – the sign of him being possessed. He then collapses to the ground, unconscious.
At the Manor Buffy flames into the foyer. "Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Dawn?" There is no answer. She notices a note on the table next to the door from Phoebe: 'Leo has Wyatt and Celia. Paige and I went out to patrol, be back later.'
Buffy heads up the stairs. A swirling milky-white cloud wafts up the stairs after her, becoming more solid as it rises, resolving into the still-misty form of a woman. She makes her way into hers and Dawn's room. She still looks detached. She goes to look at the photographs again. As she takes a step toward them...
The white woman-demon attacks her. At first it's nothing more than a cloudy white arc that slams into her chest, driving her back. Buffy hits at it, but her fists just scatter the mist, harmlessly.
The demon speaks in a watery female voice. "You don't belong here." Another arc projects from the mist, this time becoming more solid... a clenched white fist that whips Buffy head around. "Did they tell you you belonged here? Did they say this was your home again? Did they say there would be room for you?"
It strikes at her again. This time Buffy catches at it, has it in her grasp for a second before it dissolves.
"Were you offered pretty lies, little girl?" The demon asks as the mist swirls around Buffy, surrounding her. Two thin arms forming to crush her like a coiling snake. "Or did they even give you a choice?"
At the Magic Box Piper, Willow and Tara sit on the floor in the darkened room. Their hands are joined. They chant. "Child of words, hear thy makers. Child of words, we entreat. With our actions did we make thee, to our voices wilt thou bend..."
At the Manor Buffy is being gripped by the bands of mist. They solidify, turning into thin white arms. Buffy breaks the grip and spins to face the demon. It's half-formed, limbs solid, but the head and torso still swirling and cloud-like. It is thin and female.
But it's strong. It knocks Buffy to the ground with a punch. She lands sprawling, one arm going under her bed. The demon takes a menacing step toward her - its foot is bare, its ankle thin and bone-white.
At the Magic Box Piper, Tara and Willow continues to chant, "With our potions thou took motive, with our motions came to pass. We rescind no past devotions, give thee substance, give thee mass. Child of words, hear thy makers ..."
At the Manor the demon continues to advance. Curls of dusty white smoke rise off its thin still-misty body. Buffy brings her arm out from under the bed. She's holding a battle-ax. She sweeps the ax through the cloudy body.
The demon laughs a female, bubbling, disembodied laugh. "You're the one who's barely here. Set on this earth like a bubble."
Buffy cuts through the demon, which is more solid this time, the mist seems heavier, like oily smoke.
"You won't even disturb the air when you go." The demon says as Dawn orbs in with Anya and Xander.
The demon turns its half-formed head to look at the newcomers.
"Go! Take Dawn out of here!" Buffy says.
Anya and Xander turn to try to move Dawn away.
Dawn doesn't move, "I'm Charmed, remember?" She steps around Xander and Anya as she powers up an energy ball.
At the Magic Box Willow, Tara and Piper continue to chant, "... we entreat ..."
Piper and Tara breaks off, gasping, as a nimbus of light surrounds Willow. They look at it, stunned.
Willow opens her eyes. "Solid."
At the Manor as it turns back to Buffy, the Demon becomes completely solid. It looks like a drowned woman. It is deathly white, with a cracked surface, brown corpse-like teeth, deep blackshadowed gorey-like eyes and floating tangled white hair. "I am here!"
Buffy SLAMS the demon with the broad side of the ax blade. For the first time it takes a solid blow. Buffy lunges after it and hits it with a flurry of kicks. Dawn watches and smiles as sees the demon is solid. She starts throwing energy ball after energy ball at the demon causing it to stagger back.
Buffy pops back to her feet, raises the ax and swings it chopping the demon's head clean off.
Anya and Xander watch the severed head fall and then turn away from the gory sight. "Ooph." Xander says.
"Oh." Anya says.
Dawn laughs, "That's probably the sort of thing I'm not s'posed to see, right?"
"In this house?" Buffy says. "You're kidding, right?"
Dawn nods, "I'm kidding."
The next day Dawn emerges from the Manor, wearing a backpack, ready for school. She heads toward the sidewalk.
Buffy, carrying a brown lunch bag, runs out of the house after Dawn. "Dawn!"
Dawn turns back, a little alarmed. "What's wrong?"
"Lunch." Buffy says.
"You made me lunch?" Dawn asks.
Buffy nods. Dawn takes the lunch.
"Wow. Thanks." Dawn says remembering that Buffy was never the best cook.
"You better go. You've been out since I ... got back. Go catch up." Buffy says as she tries a smile and make a teeny joke, "You know what they say, those who fail history are doomed to repeat it in summer school."
Dawn smiles back, then hugs Buffy, grateful for the effort more than the lunch. "Thank you." Buffy shrugs. Dawn looks at her closely. "Are you okay?"
Buffy smiles, "Between you, Piper, Phoebe and Paige. I'm going to start charging people money to ask me that."
Dawn nods, "Everyone's been doing that, huh?"
"Lil' bit." Buffy says.
Dawn nods, "We all care about you a lot, even Willow and the guys. When you were gone ... it was bad when you were gone. But it'll get better now. Now that they can see you being happy. That's all we all want."
Buffy nods, takes that in as Dawn heads for the bus.
"She's right you know." Piper says coming up behind Buffy.
"I know. Will you watch Celia?" Buffy says as Piper nods. "I got to run an errand I'll be back later."
At the Magic Box Anya is at the cash register. Xander leans on the counter near her. Willow and Tara look casually at the merchandise as Buffy enters through the front door.
Everyone looks up eagerly.
"Buffy! Hey!" Willow says.
"You get Dawn off to school okay? Cuz I was thinking if you need me to pick her up—" Xander says.
Buffy shakes her head, "That's okay. I've got it. Look, guys ... There's this thing. And I'm just gonna say it." They look at her, waiting. "You brought me back. I was in a place ... I was in Hell. I don't ... I can't think much about what it was like. But it felt ... I felt like the world abandoned me there. And then suddenly you guys ... You did what you did."
"It was Willow. She knew what to do." Tara says.
Buffy smiles. The others smile gamely back. "So you did that, you cast the personal gain spell. And the world came rushing back. So... thank you. You guys gave me the world. Thank you. I can't tell you what it means to me." Willow and Tara have some tears. Xander, too, in a manly way. "I should have said it before."
"You're welcome." Willow says.
"Welcome home, Buffy." Xander says.
Willow and Xander hug Buffy.
Moments later Spike is in the alley, leaning against the wall, having a smoke. Buffy enters from the store's side door. "Buffy."
"Spike. It's daylight and you're ..." Buffy says.
Spike nods, "Not on fire? Sun's low. IS shady enough here."
Buffy nods.
Spike sits on a packing crate, gestures to the space beside him. She sits down next to him. "I was gonna go in, but I overheard you and the Super-friends sharing "a special moment" and I came over a bit queasy." He throws down his cigarette butt. "Say, aren't you leaving a hole in the middle of some soggy group hug?"
"I wanted a little time alone." Buffy says.
"Oh. Right then..." Spike says as he heads for the alley entrance. He reaches the edge of the sunshine - realizes - turns back.
"That's okay. I can be alone with you here." Buffy says.
Spike smiles, "Thanks ever so."
"Right." Buffy says.
Spike frowns as he looks at Buffy. He can see something is wrong, "Buff? Slayer? You okay?"
Buffy looks at him, blinks, tries to pull it together. "I'm here. I'm good."
"Buffy, if you're in- if you're in pain. Or if you need anything... If I can help you..." Spike says.
Buffy shakes her head, "You can't."
"Well, I haven't been to a Hell dimension just of late, but I know a thing or two about torment." Spike says.
Buffy sighs, "I was happy."
"I don't ..." Spike says.
"Wherever I ... was ... I was happy. At peace. I knew that everyone I cared about was all right. I knew that Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Dawn and even Celia were all right. I knew it. Time didn't mean anything... I was warm and I was loved... and I was finished. Complete. I don't understand about dimensions or most theologies other than Wiccan or any of ... but I think I was in heaven." Buffy says as Spike stares, takes it in. She looks at him. "And now I'm not."
"Buffy—" Spike says.
"I was torn out of there. My friends pulled me out. And everything here is bright and hard and violent... everything I feel, everything I touch... this is Hell. Just getting through the next moment, and the one after that... knowing what I've lost..." Buffy's said too much. Spike's speechless as she rises. She pauses, not even looking back. "They can never know. Never. Not even my family." She looks at him. He nods almost imperceptibly.
She flames out.