Life Goes On
"Angel? Is that you?"
"Buffy. What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here. You're not dead."
"I want to apologize. I didn't mean to do it."
"No. You had to do it. So many were counting on you. Buffy, don't ride yourself too much because of it. I'm fine. Really."
"Angel..."
"You set me free. From the demon, the guilt. My only regret is not being with you. But even then, I am *with* you. Always. Now it's you who have to let go. You have to live on, for the both of us."
"I can't."
"Buffy, you have to. You'll meet someone... you'll love again."
"No. Never."
"Don't say that."
"Angel, you have to come back."
"No, Buffy. My time was up, a very long time ago. Just remember, life goes on. Even for you, Slayer."
Sunnydale Police Station
"I-I was there. Just before the shelves, uh, fell on me, a-and all those books, I saw Druscilla fight with Kendra..."
"And Kendra is..?" the Sunnydale Police Department head officer asks Willow.
"K-Kendra is the girl who died."
"Oh."
"She was fighting with Druscilla, then Druscilla t-took out a, uhm, k-knife and slashed her and t-there was blood everywhere, and then I passed out." Willow begins to cry.
"I understand this is difficult for you, but what about the other girl? The blonde."
"Who? Buffy?"
"Yes. Was she anywhere in the room?"
"No. She left earlier. If she had been there, Kendra wouldn't have died."
"Why is that?"
"Be-because Buffy is... she's stronger than Kendra. With the two of them, t-they could have stopped Druscilla..." the police officer nods his head, apparently, satisfied, then confused, "Stronger?"
The Aftermath
"Well. It's good they threw out the case against Buffy. Now, everything will be alright." Willow comments, cheerfully.
"Y-yes, yes of course." Giles barely looks at her.
"Of course everything isn't alright!" Xander suddenly explodes. "She isn't here!"
"She'll come back." Cordelia says, giving her boyfriend, Xander, a dark look which he doesn't notice.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Willow turns away, tears falling from her eyes. "No she won't. She's never gonna come back." With that, she limped away from them and out of the library, sobbing.
"Will, wait! Willow!" Oz runs after her.
"That was really good, Xander!" snaps Cordelia.
"What? What did I do now?!"
"Forget it!"
"Fine." he storms off.
Cordelia turns to the quiet librarian. Giles looks up at her blankly.
"She's gone."
"Oh, for heaven's sake, everyone's acting like, like the w-world was gonna end just b-because Buffy isn't..." crying now as well, Cordelia rushes out of the library and out into her car. She drives around the small town aimlessly, the rest of the afternoon, to the misfortune of many drivers and pedestrians.
Guilt And Regrets
"This is all my fault. I should've s-seen it coming. I-I mean... Oh, god..."
"It's ok..."
"No, Hank. It'll only be ok when she's back. Oh, I drove her away. I-I made her leave."
"Joyce, it wasn't... it isn't your fault, if anything, it's mine. I should've been more of a father to her, maybe if, if I..."
"But you weren't the one who told her never to come back." Joyce forces out bitterly.
"Hon, our daughter is tough. And smart. She'll be fine. The only thing we can do now is wait. As much as we want to, we can't decide for her anymore."
"I know. But she's so young. And she's all alone out there." Joyce pushes the thought of Buffy being a vampire slayer. She hasn't even mentioned it to her ex-husband. "I'm glad you're here."
"Me too. I wasn't always there before, I know." Hank shakes his head, trying to stop himself from crying. Joyce takes his hand and squeezes comfortingly. "I-I'm glad to be here."
Choices
"So, what's it gonna be, Slayer?"
"Stop calling me that!" furiously, Buffy turns away, and starts running.
"You can't run away from this. You can't run away from yourself." Whistler calls after her.
"Go away. Just l-leave me alone." sobbing, she falls on a darkened part of the bus terminal, hiding her head. There were not many people around, but it has never been easy for Buffy to show weakness.
"Do you think, because you defeated Angelus, it's all over? No more monsters, no more demons, no more vampires?" the man called Whistler, continues. Buffy doesn't answer. "Is this what your Angel deserves? Is this what he died for?"
Buffy's head snaps back, angrily, she growls at the man, "Leave Angel out of this. A-and don't bother using emotional blackmail. I'm not gonna fall for it." After a pause, she mutters through her tears, "I didn't kill him. I did something worse, I sent him to hell. And I l-loved him. What use am I, if I do that to those I love?"
"Life, and love, is full of sacrifices. It is not without pain. If you hadn't ki - done what you had done, all the people that you love will be gone. And if you don't go back, the same thing can still happen. Are you going to let it..?"
"I don't want to be the Slayer anymore. I never did. Why does it have to be *me*?"
"Ah, the proverbial question, 'why me'?" Looking at Buffy with an amused expression, Whistler shrugs, "Why you? Because you're the most capable. The best for the job. Even in you present condition."
More composed now, Buffy gives him a look. "Hey. Watch it. You're a demon and I'm still the Slayer."
The Whistler stands up and chuckles, "So you are, Buffy. So you are." He starts walking away. Buffy frowns, unsure whether she should follow him. Finally, with a sigh, she gets up and trots after the older man. Besides, she was hungry, maybe he could lend her some money.
Hearts Breaking
"You always cared more for her than you did for me. It was always 'someone's gotta watch her back'. Well not anymore."
"So, what exactly are you saying, Cordelia?"
"I'm saying, maybe we s-should just, just have a b-break from each other. From all of this."
Xander's eyes bore into the other's. Then quietly he nods his head and turns away, he walks on down the hall and turns in the next corner. The hall is completely quiet. Cordelia begins to cry, but no sound can be heard from her. Xander stops walking and leans against the wall. He seems unable to move. Tears escape his closed eyes too.
* * *
"Do you hear that?" Whistler asks sadly.
"Hear what?"
"That is the sound of hearts breaking." he replies softly, his own eyes closing briefly. "Do you wish to go on?"
Without waiting for an answer, he disappears. The next moment, Buffy is standing next to him in front of Giles in the library. Willow is slouched on one of the chairs.
* * *
"I failed her. I-If I'd only..." Before Giles could finish, Willow sits up and snaps back.
"Giles, get over yourself. Not everything is, is because y-you 'failed' her. This whole situation, it isn't really your issue. It stopped when Kendra died, a-and Buffy left."
A little stunned at Willow's words, Giles is unable to respond. The usually quiet girl continues, "She's always hated this place. I mean, she saved this town, the world, time and again, and w-what kind of gratitude do we really g-give her? And now that she's gone, all you're really worried about is who is going to save the world next, who's going to fight the new vampires..."
"B-but, she's, um, well, the S-Slayer."
"What difference does it make. She's not here. She's never going to come back, you may as well get used to the idea." With that the auburn-headed girl jumps to her feet and walks from the library as fast as she can.
Giles just stares after her.
* * *
Buffy is shocked. She turns to Whistler, "Willow, she cannot be so mean, a-and to Giles..?"
Sighing, Whistler just gestures, and Buffy turns to see Giles simply stand up and walk out. He doesn't clean up and pack his precious books away; he doesn't get his bag and familiar tweed jacket. He simply walks out of the library. Buffy realizes the finality to it. She shakes her head and silent tears break out from her eyes.
Whistler closes his eyes again, and disappears. Buffy turns away, and when she looks back, they were in her house.
* * *
Buffy looks at the sleeping figure on the couch. She's surprised to see that it's her dad.
"Dad?"
Before either the figure could answer or Whistler, however, a loud screech is heard through the large open windows. It is followed by a loud bang and metal grating on metal.
Buffy's head snaps back. A look of dread on her face. "Oh, God. Mom... Dad, where is mom?" She reaches towards the oblivious sleeping form, but her hands passes through him. Buffy turns towards Whistler. He simply looks at her sadly.
She turns and rushes towards the front door, but she was outside in three steps. Buffy staggers and almost slips. When she ragains her balance, she is horrified to see her mother's car with the broken telephone pole on its roof. The windows had all been smashed in and her mother's still form could just be seen.
Buffy screams.
* * *
"It's not real. It's not real. It's just a dream." They were back in the bus terminal.
"No, Buffy. It is all too real. If you don't go back."
At this Buffy looks up, "Y-You mean it hasn't happened yet?"
"It all begins tomorrow."
"No..."
"What will it be, Buffy? What will it be?"
A look of pain crosses Buffy's face, she knows she has no other choice. "H-How will I get h-home on time? B-Before it all happens?"
"I'll take you there, but you must really want to, Buffy."
The girl simply nods her head. There are no more words to be said. She closes her eyes and leans her head against the cold concrete wall of the bus station.
FIN
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