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Don’t own nothing, cept this story. And you can take that if you really want to. I’m nice that way. Many props to the real owners, actors, producers, writers, and directors of BtVS. The only reason I wrote this is to keep me from turning blue while I hold my breath waiting for the new season of Buffy to start.
(Spoilers for, well every thing) Okay. I know that I already wrote a story in reply to the season finale, Becoming. But, while I like that story, I wanted it to take another turn. “Home Coming” just didn’t turn out the way I planned. So here’s my vision.
Rating: Hmm, I have no idea. Maybe a tad more racy than the show, I don’t know. But is doesn’t really matter because if you really want to read the story, you’re going to read it any ways. “Death Became Her” has a little swearing, a little kissing, a little violence, a lot of angst.
Further warning: In this piece, Angel does not come back. Willow, Xander, and Cordellia hardly make an appearance. Buffy finds a new guy. But if you’re a Whistler fan or a Spike fan, he plays a major part. If you still want to read, go ahead!
PS: Feed back is *so* appreciated. Thanks! (ophelia_star@hotmail.com)
Willow Rosenburg yawned sleepily as the phone jarred her from sleep. She sighed, angry. Xander had kept her on the phone most of the night complaining about his most recent spat with Sunny Dale’s ex ice queen Cordellia Chase. Besides that, she hadn’t been sleeping too well lately. She was worried about Giles and Angel. And most of all Buffy.
No one was really sure what had gone on a few weeks ago. All they really knew was that the world didn’t end. Acathala had not been set free, obviously, and Buffy was no where in sight.
With a little hacking and a little good luck, Willow and the other Slayerettes had found out that Buffy had been expelled from school. Snyder had finally gone through with what they all knew would eventually happen. They also knew that Buffy’s mom had kicked her out of the house. Mrs. Summers had come to Giles asking him about Buffy.
Apparently Buffy had told Mrs. Summers all about being the chosen one, but Buffy’s mom really didn’t believe her. She was convinced that Buffy was on drugs. Oh, well. Giles was certain it was much safer that way.
Willow groaned, grabbing the phone.
Willow stopped still, wide awake when she heard a low chuckle on the other end of the line.
Giles eyed the teens warily as he picked up his suit case and started to board the plane. On impulse, he turned around and gave a hug to Willow, Cordellia, and Xander in turn. This was probably the last time he would see them in this life. Trying to ignore the tears flowing from Willow’s eyes, Giles handed the flight attendant his plane ticket and walked the lonely hall and through the plane to his seat.
With a sigh, he hefted his case into the over head compartment and settled down in his seat next to the window, trying to close his eyes and sleep through the sad good-bye. Today he would leave Sunny Dale and late at night he would meet Buffy in Texas.
Texas of all places. Why? Giles had no idea what Buffy had in mind when she got on the bus out of Sunny Dale. But for some reason she was drawn to Texas. And he would go to her. Giles was a watcher. And Buffy was the slayer. It was his sacred duty. A duty that he would full fill at any cost.
Willow was the first person that Buffy had called yesterday in the wee hours of the morning. Then Xander. She wanted to tell them that she was okay. Lastly she had called him.
Buffy had spent hours on the phone with her watcher; crying, ranting, apologizing. She told him what had happened with Acathala . . . and Angel. How she had been forced to kill Angel, to send him to hell to save the world. Giles was so proud of his slayer. She had sacrificed her first love to her duty.
Buffy had took her savings and boarded a bus out of town. Finally her money had run out in El Paso and she had hitch hiked to a little town on the border of Mexico on the Gulf Coast. Giles wasn’t too happy that she had hitch hiked, but Buffy assured him that she was fine. More then fine actually. She insisted that the change of scenery was good for her. That she had kept up her slaying.
But she missed her friends and she missed him most of all.
Giles missed her too. She was his slayer, his duty, his child. So that night he bought a plane ticket out of the Sunny Dale Airport for the first redeye fight into San Antonio.
Shaken out of his revere, Giles straitened up in his seat to cast a glance at the man just sitting down in the seat next to him. Giles quickly looked back away from the man’s glaring smile. To his surprise, the short little man with the beady eyes laughed.
“Name’s Whistler,” he said. Giles looked back at the man, not in the mood for pleasant conversation on this flight.
“Charmed, I’m quite sure,” Giles said brusquely trying to avoid a long drawn out conversation.
Whistler let out another low chuckle. “You don’t know me do you? I’m a friend of Buffy’s.”
Sharp eyes affixed steadily on Whistler. Giles was about to speak when Whistler opened his mouth again. “You know,” he said, “I’m hurt. Quite hurt actually. She didn’t mention me at all when she called you last night.”
“How did you know that she called me?” Giles asked angrily. What game was this man playing
Whistler waved his hand in dismissal. “Doesn’t matter. I know.” Whistler continued slowly, as if turning each and every word over in his mind before letting them slip out into the world. “I’m a demon. A good one. I’m sure being book guy and all you’ve heard of us before. We’re put here to help balance the tables a bit. You know, help the slayers, the demon hunters, the forces of good and all that. Well I’m the one who helped Buffy the other night. You know with the saving the world and all that.”
Giles nodded stonily. “Okay, what are you here for now?” he asked.
Whistler smiled, “Well, you and I know where Buffy is. I figured that we could help her together. You and I. There’s some tough stuff going down where she is right now. She’s gonna have help from a few others, but she’s really going to need you and I.”
“What’s going to happen to her?” Giles breathed.
Whistler shrugged. “That I don’t know. I’m not the voice of God. I’m not omniscient.”
Whistler settled back into his seat and winked at a stewardess coming up the isle. He cast a wayward glance over his left hand shoulder to look at Giles, still tense in his seat.
“You worry too much,” Whistler complained. “You’re making me nervous. It’s okay watcher. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy you’re in flight meal.”
Giles sighed and did as he was told. Too tired and too confused to protest or ask any questions.
Part Two
Buffy smiled as she whatched the kids playing across the street. They were so free and innocent. So unaware of the world. She ran a hand through her hair and jumped off of the hood of the red toyota she had been resting on. Time for the slayer to go back to her day job.
Her boss nodded his head at her when he saw Buffy slide back behind the counter. For the time being, Buffy had been working as a waitreess at a little out door cafe in a town about two hours from the big city and two hours from the coast. The place wasn’t much, although it had the heart of a big city, but it was quickly becoming her home. And the job was nice. Friendly people, nice tips, and no uniform.
Of course, she had lied to every one. To get a job, Buffy had lied and said she was almost nineteen. They all thought that her mother had died a year ago and Buffy had quit school to support herself. Most of the people around here didn’t mind if she didn’t have a high school diploma. The town was really just a place for the area farmers to come to church and go shoping.
Buffy was renting a room in a hotel in town. The only place to stay. It charged by the day, and was mostly used by people needing to stop over for the nigt, but it was clean and the owners were really nice.
The lunch rush was about to start, and Buffy got ready to handle her hungry customers. Up above the sun was shinning hot and hard on her back, but Buffy didn’t mind. The farmers didn’t seem to mind either. They worked all day in the heat. Buffy straitened the apron resting on top her short balck skirt and pasted a smile on her face as her first costomer drove up.
It was Jacob. Buffy felt her grin widen despite her self. Jacob came every day at lunch and some times at dinner too.
She had a tall glass of ice tea waiting for him at his favorite table, which just happenened to be in Buffy’s section.
Buffy whipped her ordering pad out and asked, “What’ll it be Jake?”
Jake grinned, “What do you recommend?”
Buffy laughed. It was always the same thing when she would try to take Jake’s order. Buffy would ask him what he wanted, Jake in turn would ask her what she recomended. Of course, Buffy would say the barbeque plate. Rosie’s Cafe was famous for the combination. It was to die for.
Then Jake would shake his head and order the special.
Buffy was tired when she got off work. She picked up her purse and started walking towards the boarding room she lived at. Not really wanting to go home, but having no where else to go. Not too many people her age hung around town. The ones that did, she didn’t know well enough to hang out with yet.
She turned slowly when she felt a car ease up along side of her. She recognized the make and model, but didn’t recognize the driver immediately. Suddenly a familiar voice called to her from the cab of the truck.
“Wanna ride?” Jake asked.
Buffy eyed him for a moment, nodded, and clambered into the passenger side seat of the truck. “Thanks,” she whispered.
“No problem,” Jake smiled, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. “So,” he asked, “You too tired?” Buffy shook her head. “Not really, why?”
Jake shrugged, “Just wondering.” Buffy looked at him for a minute, waiting for him to finish. “I was hoping you’d wanna pick up a burger or something. Go some where and talk. You know, just hang out. Be friends.”
Buffy smiled softly and gently at him, “Sure.”
They picked up hamburgers and milk shakes at a small stand and Jake drove out into the surrounding country side.
“Where are we going?” Buffy asked, staring out the window.
“We can turn around if you want to,” Jake said quickly, nervously. He wasn’t used to being around some one like Buffy. He hadn’t been for a while.
“No,” Buffy assured him, “I was just curious.”
“Well,” Jake continued, “We’re actually here.’
He pulled off of the road, shifted into park, and turned off the ignition. Both he and Buffy hopped out of the car. Jake pulled out the tail gate of his truck and he and she climbed on.
Buffy crossed her legs comfortably, still slurping her chocolate milk shake.
“This is nice,” she commented slowly.
“Yeah,” Jake agreed, “This is my favorite spot. It’s so peaceful out here. Some nights I drive out here and sit for hours looking at the stars.” He glanced quickly at Buffy. “You probably think that I’m a huge dork don’t you. Just sitting here for hours.”
Buffy shook her head, “No. I know what you mean. Just to sit. In silence. With out any worries or occupations. Look at the stars. I mean, really look at the stars. See them again for the first time. How beautiful they really are.”
Buffy and Jake locked eyes. Her green ones meeting his steely gray ones. Suddenly Buffy looked away, uncomfortable.
“So, Jake,” You live here all your life?” she asked quickly, hoping to change the subject.
Jake cleared his throat nervously and mumbled something under his breath. He could feel Buffy’s beautiful eyes burning into him. “Um,” he spoke up quickly, “Not really. I moved down here with my mother about a year ago after my father died.”
Buffy glanced at him, sorry she had asked. “I ,” she murmured, “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” Jake cleared his throat, unsure of why he had told Buffy.
“That’s okay,” he said slowly. “It’s actually pretty nice down here. He left me some money and I bought some land. Every since I was a little boy I wanted to raise horses. So that's what my mom and I do now.”
Buffy smiled at Jake. “Wow,” she murmured, her curiosity sparked. “So,” she asked breezily, “How long have you been out of school?” She wanted to know how old he was. Jake looked about twenty, but as she had learned from experience, looks were very deceiving.
Jake grinned at her, “Well, I’ve been out of College for about a year. I was going to major in art. But I only went for three years and I didn’t get to finish my degree.”
So, Buffy thought, he’s about twenty-one. “You wanted to major in art? Like be an artist?” she asked confused.
“Well,” Jake agreed, “Sorta. I love to draw. I also wanted to study paintings, you know. That kind of stuff.”
Buffy smiled, “Yeah. I can see what you mean. It would be nice. Once, a few years ago, before my parents had gotten divorced, we all went on this trip to an art museum in LA. Any ways, it was nice. I really enjoyed myself. My parents thought I had wandered off and left the museum, but I really spent hours looking at this one painting.” Buffy closed her eyes, thinking. “Edward Munch, The Scream,” she quoted. “That was it’s name.”
Jake smiled. “You know, I wouldn’t have pegged you as an art fan.”
“Why not?” Buffy asked, indignant. Jake laughed.
“I just,” he started shyly. “I see you, and you’re so free. I watch you and you are art. When you smile, I see your face as a painting. A master piece.”
Buffy smiled, relieved. “That’s sweet.”
Jake shook his head embarrassed, “Yeah well,” he joked, “You just don’t seem like the type to hang around in an art museum all day. You just, you just seem to have this urge to live life. Not to see how others lived it. . . . I mean, you’re . . .”
“Flakey?” Buffy asked, interrupting him.
“No!” Jake said quickly.
“It’s okay,” Buffy said morosely, “I’m used to people thinking I’m stupid.”
“You are not stupid,” Jake said sternly.
“No,” Buffy commented, “I’m not. It’s just, how smart can you be if you didn’t even finish high school? I used to do really good in school. I was a strait A student, I was even in the Nation Junior Honor Society for God sakes. All the time up until . . . ”
Jake grabbed her hands in his, “Until your mom got sick?”
Buffy looked away, “Yeah,” she murmured, “That’s it.”
Jake reached out toward Buffy’s face and tugged at her chin gently until she was looking him in the eyes. She is so beautiful Jake leaned in slowly. Buffy closed her eyes, waiting for their lips to meet. Suddenly, mere spilt seconds away from the kiss she pulled away.
“Oh my God!” she nearly shouted.
“What is it?” Jake asked turning around, looking for some evil in the night.
“I need you to take me home right now,” Buffy said, jumping off of the tailgate.
“Why?” Jake asked upset, afraid that he had moved too fast. Buffy turned back to Jake, and ran her hands through his short dark hair. She stood on her tip toes to kiss him lightly on the cheek.
“I promised some one that I’d meet them. I’m already late,” she explained.
“Oh, okay,” Jake murmured, confused by her actions. “Hop in.”
Giles and Whistler sat impatiently by the door to the room Buffy was supposed to be staying in. There was no way they could get a key from the owner, and in a small town such as this, they didn’t want to arise suspicion. Gile’s ears perked up when he heard the engine of a truck. A few seconds later he heard a car door shut and saw Buffy jogging up to him.
“I am so sorry,” she said, running up to him and embracing her watcher in a big bear hug. Giles hugged her back, glad to see her again. They stood that way for a while, until finally, Buffy broke away and slipped her key into the lock. She stopped when she noticed a dark figure standing next to Giles.
“What?” Whistler asked, “Slayer? No hug for me?”
Turning quickly, Buffy shoved Whistler against the wall viciously. “What the hell are you doing here?” she yelled, voice full of venom. Whistler laughed, “Just here to help!”
“Maybe I don’t want your kind of help,” she hissed, pinching off the air flowing through his wind pipe.
“Buffy!” Giles reproached. “You don’t have to hurt him.”
“Oh yeah,” Buffy murmured sarcastically, “I’ll just put the good little demon down.”
With that she let go of Whistler’s throat and let him fall to the ground. He picked himself up slowly and dusted the dirt from the knees of his jeans. “Got some grip there slayer,” he joked. Buffy just rolled her eyes and ushered the two men to move.
She led them inside of her room quickly and told them to make themselves comfortable while she went into the bathroom.
Giles sat on a small chair adjacent the bed and looked around. The room wasn’t much, but it was homey and clean. He looked around, aloss for something to say. There were so many things that he wanted to tell Buffy. That he missed her. That he loved her like a daughter. That she was his daughter.
Whister interupted his train of thought. “Slay any vampires lately?” Whister asked.
Buffy sighed coming out of the batroom with a brush in her hand, already changed into a pair of flannel PJ’s. “Always bussiness with you isn’t it?” she asked angrily.
“Well,” Giles granted, “That is a good point. You told me that you were keeping up you’re slaying, yes?”
Buffy nodded, sitting beside him on her tiny couch. “Yes, there’s a lot of vamps here Giles. More than there should be. This place even rivels the hell mouth.”
Giles furrowed his brow. “I’ll have to consult my books.”
“Tommarow that is,” Whister piped up explaining, “Rupie had to have have his books fed-exed here. He had them shipped to this address.”
“Rupie?” Buffy asked surprised.
“That is okay isn’t it?” Giles inquired.
“Um, yeah,” she murrmed, “Rupie?”
Giles grimmaced, “A nick name Whister insists on calling me.”
Buffy smiled, nodded. “Anoying isn’t he? Should of let me kill the little monster outside.”
“I’ll have you know that I’m tall for a demon,” Whister groused, Buffy had hit his sore spot. “Besided, slayer, isn’t it time for you to go to bed?” Buffy glared at him. She moved off the couch to the bed and snuggled under the covers.
“I’m going to sleep now,” she said coldly, “And not because you told me to.” Suddenly she let out a small chuckle. “And you Whister,” she laughed, “Get to sleep on the floor.”
Jake smiled as he knocked on the door to Buffy’s room. He had come in early and asked the Ida, the owner, which room Buffy was staying in. 3B He held a bag of dougnuts up triumphantly when he heard some one approach, waiting for Buffy to open the door.
“Um,” he said nervously, eyeing the short little man holding the door open for him, “Is Buffy Summers staying here?”
Whister nodded, grabbing the bag from Jake’s hand. “She’s in the bathroom,” he grunted through a mouth full of sugary sweet doughnut, leaving the door wide open. Jake fallowed him suspiciously into the boarding room, shutting the door behind himself.
He looked around once inside, spotting Giles using Buffy’s couch as a makeshift desk, crouded with papers. “Buffy?” Jake called quickly.
Giles looked up surprised, “Who are you?”
“Who are you?” Jake asked jealously. Giles tried to stand up, knocking down a dozen papers off the couch in the process. He straitened his sweter vest, rumpled from sleep, and extended a hand.
“I’m Jake North,” Jake said shaking it strongly, “And you are?”
“Um, Rupert Giles,” Giles began, “Buffy’s . . . “
“. . . Uncle,” Buffy said walking out of the bathroom. “What are you doing here?”
Jake blushed, “I brought you doughnuts.”
Buffy fallowed his eyes to the place Whister sat licking his fingers of goey icing. He let out a huge burp. Buffy laughed as Jake eyed Whister bewilderedly. “Its the thought,” she offered, taking his hand. Jake smiled at her.
“I guess that means I should take you out to breakfast,” he offered, staring at the crumpled, empty bag from Doughnut Palace. Buffy’s eyes lit up.
“I’d love to,” she said a little too quickly. Than slowing down her heart rate, “I just have to get ready.”
“I think you look great,” Jake said honestly.
“Oh . . . Oh . . . kay,” Buffy said. “Just let me slip into some shoes.” Buffy walked over to her bed and slid her feet into a pair of flat footed sandles. She kissed Giles good-bye and told him that they’d talk about . . . the stuff they had to talk about . . . when she got back. She fallowed Jake out of the room to his truck, leaving Giles and Whister staring at the closed boarding house door.
Buffy kept looking at her self in the mirror as Jake drove to a small resteraunt a few miles out of town. The only one open at eight in the morning.
“You do look great,” Jake said, having noticed Buffy’s vain habit.
“Um, sorry,” Buffy stammered, embarrases at being caught. “I just didn’t get a chance to get dressed. I mean, hair-make up-and-stuff.”
Jake glanced at her quickly, not taking his eyes off the road for too long, just long enough to really get a good look at Buffy. She was dressed in a tank top and a pair of Cargo shorts. Face free of make up and hair pulled back in a head band.
“You look good with out make up, and with your hair out of your eyes,” he commented. “Younger, but good.”
Buffy smiled, turning a little to look out of the window of his truck, whathcing the scenery slide by. Content. Content, and almost happy again.
Giles and Whister poured over the books that had finally arived at Buffy’s door step. Both searching for a reason that Buffy was here. Even is she didn’t realize it, there was a reason Buffy had come to this town. There was something bigger working. Bigger than Buffy. Bigger than the slayer and the whatcher.
There were forces out there. Great forces at work in the world that cared not about the loss of a single person, or a single slayer, as long as the out come was favorable.
“Found it,” Whister shouted, slamming an obviously ancient book infront of Gile’s nose.
Giles wrinkled his brow, reading parts of the book, confused at the relavence of the passage to their current situation.
He read from the Codex, “And the one who lead him astray, shall she herself be lead astray -but will not fallow into the dark. For she is the slayer no longer, but the stars themselves. The light in the dark, condemed not to the dark. But to eternal life as a merciful death.”
Giles looked at Whister, at loss for words. “I don’t see it,” he murmered confused.
“This is the codex. The complete writtings and prophecies of the slayer in the end years,” Whister started to explain. “It’s a fickle thing, the prophocies change in meaning as the time changes, but they always hold the future.”
“But that’s not true,” Giles started, “The Codex said that Buffy would die at the Master’s hand and chaos would reign. That didn’t happen.”
Whister sighed, “Oh, but it did.”
Giles looked up from the Codex sharply. “Explain, now,” he comanded.
“Buffy was killed. The master killed her and she died. Drowned, technically. All of us figured that was the end you know. The master would walk and, well, without a slayer, we’d be fucked. Perpetual Darkness would fall on the earth,” Whister laughed. “But Buffy came back to life. Let me tell you, we were not expecting that.”
“Sure,” Giles agreed, “Buffy died, but what about the end of the world? The Codex predicted the end of the world, that didn’t happen. We’re still here.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Rupie,” Whister said humorlously, “The Codex predicted chaos. It said the universe would be thrown in disarray. That happened.”
“You mean when the hell mouth split open and the master walked?” Giles asked still confused.
“Nope,” Whister shook his head. “That’s not what I’m talking about. The universe is in Chaos right now.” He slid down to the couch, drained, realization of the past events of the last year dawning on him.
“The prophecy never ment that the world would end. It didn’t say that. The Codex simply said that the forces will be thrown in chaos. It was just assumed by us that with those words it menat the end of the world.
“The forces were thrown in Chaos when Buffy came back to life. See, when a slayer dies, anouther is called. You know that. But, the universe wasn’t prepared for her to come back. So there was already anouther slayer in activation when Buffy came back to life. Slaying isn’t an ability that can be revoked. The other girl was still a slayer. Buffy was still a slayer. That’s a great drain on the powers of Good in the universe. Two slayers at once I mean. The powers, they lose their predictability that way. Things were thrown off thier normal course of events, adjusting the future in a very radical way.”
Giles snapped his fingers in realization, “When Kendra died, anouther slayer was called to the duty wasn’t there? Instead of fallowing the logical course, anouther slayer was activated even though Buffy was alive.”
Whister nodded, “And we have no idea who she is.”
Giles looked down somberly. Suddenly a light bulb went off in his head. “Whistler,” he asked slowly, “Who is ‘we’?”
Prologue
Part One
“Hey Buffy,” Jacob said shyly. He smiled at her when she handed him his glass and he sat down in the shade under the big green-white striped umbrella stuck in the middle of the table.
Par Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
