Going back to the begining.: Chapter 5
by Peaches Girl
A/N:Sorry guys but this chapter is mostly fluff. The plot is building and these things need to be told to get were we need to go. Please let me know if I'm boring you but I promise actions is coming soon.



CHAPTER 5

London

Willow was climbing on board a small commuter plane. Giles had a friend who ran an airport not far from the council and he had arranged her flight only a few hours after their talk. She was scared and excited to be going to Rome. She was scared at the thought that her friend might not welcome her back but excited to be visiting the ancient city itself. Rome was the center of many great religions including the worship of the ancient gods. She was hoping to visit some of the old landmarks that she had read about over the years in school and it reminded her of simpler times when she was just a geek. She smiled at that thought and settled into her seat awaiting her journey.

Just as the plane was about to take off she pulled out her cell phone to call Dawn and let her know where and when to pick her up. She needed to think things over before she confronted Buffy and she would only have the flight time to do that. There were things that she needed to tell Buffy and she wasn’t sure if her friend would forgive her after the news she was going to give. She just hoped that their friendship was strong enough to get past all the things that had pulled them apart.

Rome

Dawn was pacing back and fourth in her bedroom trying to sort things out in her head. She had called Willow for advise and when Willow finally called her back she was shocked and kind of worried that the witch was coming to Rome instead of just dealing with her dilemma on the phone.

She didn’t want Buffy to be upset that Willow was coming unannounced but she thought if Buffy knew she was coming, she would just take off until Willow had gone. Dawn wanted to put an end to this conflict keeping her family apart. It was time for Buffy to be the grown up and deal with the problems that had drove them all too different parts of the world. She desperately missed Willow and Xander and their absence in her life had affected her more than she ever thought it would. They had spent the better part of seven years together, which Buffy missed a few months of, and Dawn felt they were more than friends they were family and she wanted that back.

It was time to lay all the cards out on the table and that included what they were going to do about Spike. Dawn felt that Spike was also part of her small but dysfunctional family and she at least wanted to see him even if it was to say good bye one last time. She felt they were all robbed of the good byes that day and if she knew it were the last time she would see Spike she would have told him how much he really meant to her.

Spike was always there to watch out for her and explain things to her in a way she could understand. She did have a crush on him when she was younger, that was until she realized how much he loved her sister. She did have a hard time forgiving him after learning that he had hurt Buffy but after he regained his soul and was back at home fighting with them she filed those bad feelings away under, soulless did bad, and souled does good. She wanted the chance to at least tell him that she cared for him and she hoped only good things in his……….unlife. Her cell phone rang and she knew it was Willow calling to tell her when to pick her up. She talked for a minute and hung up knowing it was time to put her plan into action. She needed Buffy at home when Willow arrived and she headed out to make sure she was.

Buffy was still upset at Andrew for not telling her everything about his trip to LA and that morning after she showered; she headed out to the kitchen and found him sobbing into his bowl of cheerios. He was such a baby sometimes and Buffy couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Yes, he was a geek, and got on her nerves terrible at times but she had grown fond of him and she now felt bad that she could reduce him to a simpering fool sogging his morning cereal. She filled her coffee mug and took a seat across from him.

“Cheer up Andrew. I was only mad during the moment and so long as you don’t withhold anymore information like that again, I will forgive you this one time. Now stop flavoring your milk and go wash your face.” Buffy smiled at him as he lifted his head to meet her eyes.

“I’m sorry Buffy I will never do it again. I promise.” He got up from the table whipping his nose with the sleeve of his shirt and left the kitchen to a chuckling Buffy. ‘Oh happy day,’ Buffy spoke to herself.

As she sat there sipping her coffee, her hand drifted to her neck again at the still red marks that had appeared. She felt her body tingle as she moved her fingers around the mark and her mind wandered instinctively to Angel. She wondered where he was and what he was doing. Was he sitting in his office reading some file or sleeping in his bed waiting for the moon to rise? She closed her eyes and imagined him standing in front of her. She could picture his strong arms and tightly muscled chest and luscious chocolaty brown eyes staring back at her. She imagined running her hands over that chest and down his abs to the base of his hips and across his ass and a sign escaped her lips.

She was abruptly interrupted by the sound of her sisters’ shoes clacking on the tile of the kitchen floor as she came in to pour her own cup of coffee. “You know day dreaming is supposed to happen in the afternoon, not first thing in the morning. If you are tired then maybe you should lay back down.” Dawn said as she filled the seat just vacated by Andrew.

“I’m fine; I was just thinking about what I was going to do today. I know I should call Giles and yell at him but maybe I should calm down a little first. Let my fire dim or stew depending on how hard I think about it.” Buffy greeted her sister with a grin.

“Well if I were you, I would be calling Angel and yelling at him for not telling you that Spike was back in the first place. You would think Angel would want to get rid of Spike anyway.” Dawn spat at her sister. She was mad at Giles too but Buffy always seemed to have a blind spot when it came to blaming Angel for anything.

“Valid point Dawnie but your forgetting one thing, remember Andrew’s story about his little trip to LA, he told Angel that we didn’t trust him anymore so why would he be willing to call and tell me anything. I think that gave him enough to not trust us or the council anymore. I wonder what else Giles has been doing behind my back and not telling me about. Maybe I won’t wait to call him.” Buffy got up from the table and went back to her towards her bedroom.

Dawn was frantic now. She didn’t want Buffy getting mad and leaving the apartment before Willow got to town. She ran after her sister to try and calm her down and make sure she was home later when Willow got in.

“Buffy wait, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to start anything. I know Giles has you very upset but maybe you should wait to call him. As angry as you are right now you might say something you’ll regret later. Why don’t you just take a little nap for now and calm down before you call him. I need to get to my History Club for now but I need to go to the library later. Can you be home around four to take me out later?” Dawn hoped she got Buffy to think before she acted, her sister wasn’t know for her patience a slayer acted on instinct and quick thinking and if Buffy was anything she was a slayer.

“Fine, I’ll take a nap…whatever. I didn’t really sleep that well last night anyway. I guess my call to Giles can wait a few more hours. No problem taking you to the library later but it might be more like 4:30, I want to take Andrew to the video store later let him pick out a sci-fi movie for tonight. I feel kind of bad being so hard on him. He was crying in his cheerios this morning….am I getting soft or what.” Buffy pulled her sister into a hug and then went to her room. When she disappeared behind the door Dawn let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding in. That was way too close. She knew her sister could be a hot head and if she called Giles before Willow got there she would definitely be gone all night patrolling to get rid of that angst.

Los Angeles

Faith and Wood had just arrived in LA. They were surprised to be going back to the states but happy about the trip all in all. Faith loved LA and being back in California much less the US was a blessing in disguise. She had all but lost her tan being in London, that place was nothing but rain and fog and Faith always felt depressed living there. She was however not pleased with the reason for her actually being there. She felt she owed Angel a lot. He believed in her when no one else did. He brought her out of the dark and taught her how to deal with her evil intentions. It was hard and she had a lot to atone for but she would have never made it at all if it weren’t for Angel. She owed him her life and her loyalty and she never wanted to betray that but what Giles was asking her to do was coming damn close.

It was a very uncomfortable feeling being here in LA and not letting Angel know she was there. She could help him right now but Giles told her under no circumstances was she to interfere or let Angel know that they were there. Giles told them of the prophecy and all the predictions he and Willow had uncovered over the past few weeks. He told them of another apocalypse and she roller her eyes at the notion of averting yet another doom headed in their direction. Apocalypse was a word so common among them now it just didn’t hold the wait it used to. When he filled her in on the parts involving Buffy and Angel, Faith was convinced to go along with his game of cat and mouse.

She decided to go along with Giles’ plans only because she would be helping Angel in the long run and she hoped Buffy too. They set up their base of operations and began their mission. She was just glad that Wood was there to help her and keep her company. If you were going to be stuck in a dusty old apartment playing eye spy, you should at least have a play toy to keep you occupied when things got boring.

Rome

Dawn was very pleased that Buffy was home when she got there with Willow. Her car was parked in her usual spot and Dawn happily carried Willows over night bag up the steps leading to their apartment. Willow was smiling but Dawn could tell she was nervous. Willow would giggle after each sentence she finished and that was a sure sign of her nerves. Dawn just smiled and tried to assure her friend that things would work out.

Dawn slowly opened the door and led them both in. Buffy and Andrew were curled up on the couch watching some weird movie that Buffy had let him pick out and he was totally glued to the TV not paying any attention to the people who just entered their home.

Buffy looked up at the pair and immediately jumped up from her spot on the couch. “Willow?” She asked as if she were seeing a ghost standing in her living room.

“Hi Buffy, it’s nice to see you. How have you been?” Willow smiled and walked closer to her friend dropping her bags along the way.

Buffy backed away as her friend approached. “Not that I’m not glad to see you but…..why are you here? Is there something wrong with Xander?”

“No Buffy. I just needed to see you. We need to talk, don’t you think it’s time we did?” Willow stopped inching closer to Buffy when she backed away.

“I really don’t think we have anything to discuss. Maybe you should have called before you came I have things to do. I don’t have time for this.” Buffy began to retreat to her bedroom. She was pissed at her sister for doing this and she would let her know just how much later. “I have a date to get ready for.” Buffy said before reaching the end of the hallway.

Willow didn’t want her to get away. They needed to talk. She had a mission and she needed Buffy to know everything. “Buffy wait…please……I need to talk to you. Please I know I haven’t been the best friend you used to have but I need you now…..I need to tell you…..things.” Willow was stammering and she felt the tears welling up in her eyes.

Buffy was now furious. Why couldn’t they just leave her alone? She wasn’t the only Slayer now they had plenty of girls to push around. She just wanted to take care of her sister and try to live a semi-normal life. She didn’t turn around but decided to tell her friend how she felt with her back turned to her, let her see how it feels to be shut out, to be shown the door, and to feel betrayed by the very people who were supposed to care and love her.

“No Willow. I have had enough talk….no not talk…lies all lies. That’s all I ever got from you and Giles and Xander. You told me what you wanted me to know when you wanted me to know it. Well I say to hell with that, this is my life now and I say who I listen to and don’t listen to. You can go back to Giles and the Council and leave me alone. I’m not interested in what you or anyone else has to say.” It hurt Buffy to say this to her friend but she had been betrayed, she had been hurt, and she wanted them to feel what she felt.

“I’m so sorry Buffy….for…for everything. Your right not to wanting to talk to me or Giles but you also need to hear what I have to say, it’s important and you need to know…you will want to know. You don’t have to forgive me, or like me, or hell even see me ever again if you don’t want to but please Buffy….I beg you….don’t…don’t walk away.” Willow was so hurt and she knew that Buffy wanted her to feel this. She now felt her tears streaming down her face and could do nothing to stop them. If this is even half of what Buffy had felt she knew she didn’t deserve her forgiveness.


This story archived at: The Slayer\'s Fanfic Archive
The Slayer\\\\\\\\'s FanFic Archive - http://www.slayerfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=17387