Disclaimer: I do not own any of the BTVS characters, they belong to Joss Whedon. However, this story is my own creation.
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Part One
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As she rode the bus out of Sunnydale, Buffy did not look back, not even once. She knew what she was leaving behind and did not need to look back. She only had one regret, her Mom, she would feel it was her fault. Her last words to Buffy had been about not returning if she chose to leave. She knew that her mother did not mean it, thats why she left the note. But a note would not be much comfort.
She had to leave Sunnydale. She had to leave everything there that reminded her of him. She knew that Giles would have tried to talk her into staying by bringing up her sacred duty as the chosen one, the slayer. Well, she had slayed her last vampire, what did they expect of her? she had given up everything, she had lost friends, family, and the love of her short life. She had sent the man she loved to live with a demon. She had never neglected her duty, even if it meant the ultimate sacrifice - Angel. She had saved the world for the last time, they clould all fend for themselves now. She had to go find some peace, if it was out there.
The bus pulled into New York about 9am. Buffy had lost track of how many days she had been on it. She got off and started walking, she didn't know why, but she had been drawn to Manhatten for a reason. Maybe her peace was to be found here.
From around the corner, Whistler watched as Buffy walked down the street. He said to himself "She's not ready to see me, I'll give her time."
Someone else watched Buffy as she walked down the street. Anna was in her mid-thirties, a petite , pretty woman in a quiet way. She ran a soup kitchen for the homeless. There were alot of people who needed to eat, and she tried to feed them all, and help them find shelter. She watched Buffy walking and thought she had never seen a sadder looking person in her life. In her line of work, that was saying something.
She went down the street after Buffy. "Hello!" she called. Buffy turned around, and looked at her. Her blond hair hung limply and she looked more like a five year old in baggy overalls, then a 17 year old girl. Her eyes showed every bit of sadness she had seen the last few months. Anna wanted to cry when she looked into them. "Hello" she repeated. Buffy thought for a minute and returned the greeting.
"My name is Anna, and I run the soup kitchen down the block" said Anna pointing the way. "You look like you could use a good meal."
Buffy was suprised by this, she was hungry though, she couldn't remember the last time she had actually eaten. It didn't seem important, nothing did. "That would be nice" replied Buffy. She felt an immediate liking for this woman and she followed her back to the kitchen.
Anna fixed Buffy a plate of food and gave her some juice to drink. The place was empty, the breakfast crowd was gone. "I don't want to push, but you look like you need a friend, I am sure that what ever is wrong can be fixed" said Anna.
Buffy replied "No, this can never be fixed."
"Well if you feel that way, the least, I can do is offer you a job, not a paying job, but you can have room and board if you will help me with the cooking and cleaning around here. I have this building, my grandfather left it to me. The bottom floor is the soup kitchen, the second floor has a tiny, but cute apartment on it. You can have it for as long as you need it. It's not fancy, but it is clean and not on the street. My husband Duncan and I live on the top floor. Duncan works at home, you'll like him. What do you say?"
Buffy thought for a few minutes, and softly said "I accept your offer." Anna nodded her head happily "Let me show you the apartment."
Buffy followed her upstairs. Anna was right, it was small, but neatly kept like Angel's apartment. "Stop, Buffy, don't think about it" she whispered to herself. "I"ll leave you, to get settled now" Anna said as she left.
Buffy thought this was the perfect place to start over, to find the peace she was so desperately seeking.
Below on the street, Whistler looked up at the apartment window. "Good girl," he said to himself. " She's gonna be okay with a little time."
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