Anote2: Intentionally mixed Hoodoo and Voodoo for the spells and references. Not meant with disrespect to either belief, for storyline purposes only.
The house finally settled down, with everyone finding a place to sleep. Beck tucked Buffy into bed, and spent an hour just watching her breath in and out. Wrapping his arms around the slender, yet powerful body, beside him, he too let the tiredness overtake him.
All too soon, the morning came and the house stirred to life. Used to having a vampire occupant, Angel found he could move around safely without worrying about becoming so much dust. He made his way down to the kitchen and found Momma already there whipping up breakfast. Unsure of himself around the voodoo priestess, he warily eased himself into a chair.
"Can I help with anything," he offered.
"I been cooking a long time, 'spect I know how to do it by myself," came the curt answer.
"Yes, ma'am." Angel nodded his head respectfully, not sure if there was anything he could say or do to improve her opinion of him. He sighed in relief to hear others coming down the stairs.
"Good morning, Momma." Beck came into the room, bending down to kiss a wrinkled cheek.
A brilliant smile lit up Momma's face. "How's our girl? Is she awake yet?"
Beck nodded his head, getting the orange juice out, along with glasses. "She's in the shower. I'm going to take her some juice and try to get her to rest a little longer. Don't expect to have any luck, but thought I'd give it a shot. She wanted to know if you'd checked on Robin or if you wanted her to." He saw the look in the old woman's eyes and knew that there wasn't any need to check on the high school principal. "I'll tell her. She'll want to take care of this herself." Beck walked back up the stairs without another word. He sighed, knowing that this morning was going to be hard on Buffy, and he planned to make sure that she knew that he was there for her.
Robin's funeral was a solemn affair, even Faith shed a few tears. They buried him alongside the other Potentials who died fighting the First. Buffy couldn't help feeling responsible for his death. She knew that the First took his life because she killed Caleb. As if he knew what she was thinking, Buffy felt Beck gently rub soothing circles on her back. He was always there when she needed him. Turning around and laying her cheek against his heart, Buffy wrapped her arms around his waist. She closed her eyes for a moment just taking strength from the man who held her as if she were made from delicate crystal.
"Let's go back in the house. We need to talk." She announced to the other mourners.
They trudged back into the Summers' house, where Spike and Angel watched safely away from the sun's harmful rays.
Buffy lifted her lips up to Beck's, begging for a kiss. He readily complied. Beck pulled away, placing his hand under her chin. "Babe, whatever you decide I'm with you, remember that. Don't doubt yourself, you know what needs doing. Now, let's go kick some butts into gear. I'm ready for us to get back home. I miss my kitchen and our bed."
They walked inside and everyone turned expectantly toward Buffy, waiting for her to speak. Taking a deep breath, the blonde Slayer started speaking. "It's time for us to quit letting the First jerk us around. I'm going into the Hellmouth in exactly one hour. Anyone who plans on going with me be ready." She ignored the protests, not waiting for anyone's opinion, instead she pulled Beck upstairs with her to prepare for the coming battle.
Spike slipped down the basement steps intent on gathering his favorite weapons and a heavy blanket. Travis did likewise, checking to make sure they had plenty of ammunition. Momma stuck around in the kitchen interested in hearing what the others would say now that the others were gone.
"Are we going to just follow after Buffy like a bunch of good little soldiers?" Cordelia got her question out first. Her tone left no doubt what she thought about Buffy's plan. She was still pouting over Travis' words and Angel's inability to sooth away her feelings of inadequacy when compared to Buffy. Although they did sleep together last night, she only allowed him to hold her.
"I'm not sure that B is thinking straight. You know me, I'm all for the fighting, but the First just kicked our ass. Don't you think jumping in the fight ain't working out to good for us?" Faith plopped down on the couch.
Angel ran a hand through his hair, waiting for Willow to chime in with her two-cents worth. He knew that Gunn wouldn't have much of an opinion one way or the other. The street fighter would fight whenever they said fight.
"Buffy is right." All three looked at the witch as if magic had damaged her brain. "We keep letting the First call the shots and it hasn't gotten us anywhere. Maybe if we do what it doesn't expect, it will give us a chance at winning." Willow didn't tell them that she stayed up memorizing the spell, and planned to cast it on Buffy, knowing that the First would target the blonde Slayer. She snuck it back into the Grimoire when Momma went upstairs to help Buffy prepare Robin's body.
Angel sighed, seeing no better plan in the offing. "Everyone wanted Buffy back, saying she was the only one who could stop the First. I guess we are about to see if they were right. We should go back to the mansion and pack our things in case we have to make a quick getaway."
Cordelia glared at him, but went upstairs to borrow the keys from Buffy, since everyone had walked here. She came back down, throwing a blanket at Angel and snapping at the others to hurry up.
Momma came from the kitchen when she heard the door shut. She knew that Buffy would be facing her final challenge and feared for her little girl. Buffy was this world's only chance, and Momma wished that she knew a way to get her girl away from this Hell forsaken place. Moving toward her bedroom, the voodoo priestess intended on giving Buffy all the help she could. She closed the door before lighting candles and pouring oils mixed with herbs into a bowl. Pulling the red book out, Momma thumbed through until she got to the page she was looking for. A soft, melodic chant came from the downstairs bedroom. It filled the people inside the house on Revello Drive with a sense of warmth. Buffy gasped, straightening up from where she was going through her closet packing things to take back to New Orleans.
"Did you feel that?"
"Yeah." Beck smiled at her. "Have a feeling Momma's stirring us up a little something special."
"She should bottle that. It would be worth a million bucks." Buffy shivered with pleasure. The feeling in her stomach felt like she just ate the yummiest chocolate. "We better get this stuff in the Rover, and see what Momma wants to do while we are kicking evil's ass." She stood on her tiptoes while he bent over, giving her the kiss she wanted.
"Well, bugger me; wonder if the old woman would be interested in a younger looking man?" Spike stretched, feeling better than he could remember in the longest time.
Travis stopped in his tracks, looked around and proceeded to pat himself down before muttering to himself. "This is the weirdest place. One minute you're fighting for your life, and the next the good the fairy of the south is sprinkle fairy dust on your head giving you the tingles." He shook his head and continued packing up the Rover.
Spike let out a loud bark of laughter when Beck drove straight into the school. He admitted that Buffy's man had definite style. The blonde vampire climbed out, then helped Momma from the car. The old woman decided that she wasn't going to wait at home while her kids fought and possibly died. Angel followed suit, pulling the GTO in behind the Range Rover. The Fang Gang got out, followed by Willow and Faith.
"Gunn, take the car back out and park it in front of the school. If we have to make a run for it, I'll just have to use a blanket."
Buffy didn't say a word, walking toward the basement door. Her team followed dutifully behind her. She stopped outside the door. "Travis, I want you to guard this door and not let anything get by you. I don't care what you have to do."
He cocked his gun, giving her a huge grin. "Locked and loaded, ma'am."
"Promise, me that if it gets bad and we don't come back out, you will take Momma out of here."
"Now, you hush up, girl." Momma shoved her way into the middle of the small team. "I'm gonna leave here with you and my boy there." She pulled a container from her pocket. "Come here and let me finish up what I started at the house." Motioning for them to move closer, each stepped up for her to administer a sweet smelling mixture to their hands and face. Momma hummed a melodic tune while she worked. Her voice mixed with the sweeping motion of her hands, putting the fighters into an almost hypnotic trance while she worked. "You will fight with a clear mind and a brave heart. See clearly who your enemy is and strike quickly. Come home to me, my children." They bent down, accepting her kiss as the blessing it was meant to be.
Buffy wrapped her arms around Momma's frail body. "I love you, Momma. Keep safe up here. Who is gonna cook me Etouffee if you get hurt?" Tears filled her eyes at the thought of anything happening to the woman who had filled the place her mother's death left empty.
"Don't you worry 'bout Momma none, child. I been scaring off evil since I was a youngin. You just come on out of the hell hole, and Momma will fix you the biggest feast you ever saw." They smiled at each other, understanding all the words they didn't dare say.
Cordelia interrupted. "Are you two done yet? I thought Buffy was all gung-ho on kicking the First's ass." The seer didn't mean to be so abrasive; she was nervous, and unsure that they would make it back out of the Hellmouth alive. In true Cordelia fashion, she fell back to her old ways. She gritted her teeth, glancing up at Angel to gage his reaction. His soulful eyes bounced between her and Buffy, fraying Cordelia's emotions even more than they already were. She started walking by him, when he grabbed her arm. Looking up, Cordelia saw that Angel had finally decided where and who he wanted to be with.
"Please be careful in there. If we survive this, I'd like to work through our problems. I do love you, Cordelia." He bent down, capturing her lips in a soft kiss that told her that he meant the words he said.
A soft smile graced Cordelia's lips when they broke apart. She saw that everyone was looking at them and straightened her back, telling them in a dignified tone, "How about we do like Buffy said and go kick the First's ass, then head back to LA for a huge party?" Not waiting for an answer, she took Angel's hand, walked over to stand beside Buffy, showing her support, and hopefully her apology for the way she had been acting.
Buffy smiled at the former cheerleader. "Okay, people, here is how this is works. Gunn, I want you and Travis manning the exits, don't let anything out." She saw the street fighter about to protest and stopped him with a look. "Everyone else, when we get in there, I want you to fan out. Faith, you and Spike go right; Angel and Cordelia go left, and Beck and I will go straight for the middle. Willow, stay at the back and cover us wherever we need it. Any questions? Good." Buffy hefted the Scythe over her shoulder, took Beck's hand and walked through the basement door.
"Wow, she really goes into general mode doesn't she?" Gunn rubbed his baldhead, not happy with being left out of the big fight. He felt someone slap his head, turning he saw the small black woman staying at Buffy's house. Gunn stepped back, seeing the fury in Momma's eyes.
"You will do what my girl say and keep that tongue in your mouth, or Momma will snip it out." She made a cutting motion with her hands, bearing down on the unlikely man like a fury from Hell. "Now, get to where you're supposed to be. Gets."
Gunn moved faster than he thought possible. He had faced demons, vampires, and evil lawyers, but none of them scared him as much as this angry old woman.
Momma turned to Travis, and winked before moving down the empty high school hallway. A soft cackling laugh could be heard echoing down the halls. Travis shook his head, cocked his shotgun and waited for the all Hell to break loose.
Buffy stood over the Seal of Danzalthar, blood dripping from a cut in her palm to open the Hellmouth's gateway. Beck watched the woman he loved preparing to walk into Hell. He knew that he had loved Buffy before, but seeing her like this brought it all together for him. Beck was willing to die to ensure that she walked back out again. She turned around, feeling his eyes on her and smiled. The Seal opened, unfolding with an eerie silence. It didn't seem right that evil's door should be well oiled. It should be creaky with disuse. The sense of malice and hatred that wafted up from the gaping hole wrapped around each warrior, causing them to shiver.
"That is only a taste. The Shadowmen let me see what's waiting down there, and it ain't pretty. Remember, take the Turok-Han out quickly, don't try to fight them. They are too strong and you will tire out before they do. Take their heads and move on. The First is mine. Let's go."
Buffy didn't bother with the stairs, she jumped straight down, landing on her feet ready for whatever lay in wait for her. The others quickly followed, moving into their assigned positions. Although Buffy had told them what to expect, it took them a moment to wrap their minds around what they were seeing. Walking toward the edge of what seemed like an endless cavern, they looked over to see thousands on thousands of Turok-Han below them on the Hellmouth's floor. The Turok-Han growled when they saw them, snarling as they mobbed below. Spike and the others backed up, turning to look at Buffy.
The snarling Turok-Han army rushed toward the cliff where Buffy and the others stood. Buffy held her ground, knowing that this was where she lived or died. Fighting broke out immediately; as fast as they killed off the first wave another came over the edge. They were holding their own, with only minor injuries, which was odd. The Scythe had a mind of its own, taking out Turok-Han with ease. It seemed to feel them before they were even there. Buffy kicked, spun, whirled and sliced. She was a blur of red, silver, black and blonde. Releasing the Slayer power from its tight leash, it lashed out to blend with the mystical weapon into a deadly combination. Beck and the others took care of the straggles on the outer limits, but the majority seemed to concentrate on one target - Buffy. Everyone tried to work their way toward her and found their way blocked on every attempt. Buffy felt a prickling race down her spine, before she could react, a Turok-Han stabbed her in the back. She screamed, crumbling to the ground, and when she looked up there stood the First in her body, smiling down on her.
"Oh no...ow! Mommy, this mortal wound is all...itchy. You pulled a nice trick. You came pretty close to smacking me down. What more do you want?" The First smirked at Buffy. The same wound appeared on its body. It laughed while it scratched it.
Buffy's eyes narrowed. There was something wrong here. Gritting her teeth, she sat up. "I want you to get out of my face." Standing up, she continued. "Bitch!"
Willow had been watching the entire time, preparing herself to throw the protection spell around Buffy. She used a spell to translate the spell she stole and couldn't believe how simple it turned out to be. Pulling on her magical reserves, Willow took chalk, sulfur, and some of Buffy's hair from her pocket. Closing her eyes, she pictured the spell from the book in her mind and cast her hand out at Buffy. A circle with arcane symbols appeared at the four corners around the Slayer's feet, on each symbol the ingredients landed, and on the last wind carried the blood from her wound. Light flared for the briefest moment then went out, sealing the casting.
Buffy started forward only to find that she couldn't move past the odd symbols that had somehow appeared on the ground. "What did you do? You couldn't beat me in a fair fight, so you had to resort to magic to hold me down. Some powerful evil you are." She snorted, showing the First what she thought about it.
"Don't look at me, dearie. Looks like your little witch friend has been playing in the wrong cauldron. This is too rich." The First threw back its head and laughed.
The fighting stopped and all went deathly silent. Buffy turned to glare at Willow. The red headed Wicca wouldn't meet her eyes, letting the blond Slayer know that the First was telling the truth.
"What now? Are you gonna taunt me to death or what?" Buffy crossed her arms over her chest, the Scythe lay comfortably across her breast.
"How about this? You and me in your mystical little circle? We fight it out. You win and I go away. I win, and well, I win." The First grinned at Buffy, gracing her with a mega-watt Buffy Summers smile.
"What choice do I have? Come on in the dirt is fine." Buffy took up a fighting stance, the Scythe held tightly in her hands. She wasn't sure what to expect from the First. How do you fight a non-corporeal being anyway?
It stepped into the mystical circle causing the symbols to flare once more to life. They turned a bright red before fading back to normal.
Beck stalked over to Willow, death in his eyes, and the little witch cringed in fear. Angel intercepted him, pushing him away from the scared Wicca. "Get out of my way. I warned her that if she did anything to Buffy, I would kill her. She is about to find out that I never lie," Beck growled in Angel's face.
"You aren't helping Buffy by threatening Willow. Yes, what she did was stupid, but that isn't important. We have to hope that it doesn't affect the outcome of this fight."
"If Buffy doesn't survive, you won't be able to stop me from taking her out." Beck walked away, moving as close as he could to Buffy.
"Thank you, Angel," Willow softly said.
"Don't thank me. If Buffy dies, I just may help him." Angel snarled at her, morphing into his vampire visage.
Willow started crying. "I just wanted to help her. It was supposed to be a protection spell to keep the First away from Buffy."
"Right, where did you get that spell?" Spike asked, joining in the conversation while keeping an eye on Buffy.
"I t-took it from a b-book in Momma's room." Willow hung her head in despair.
"You idiot. No wonder it didn't work."
Before anymore could be said, the true battle between good and evil began. The First threw a punch at Buffy's head, which struck true. Her head flew to the side from the blow. Eyes widened in shock before a feral grin spread across the Slayer's face. Stepping back and twisting her feet in the dirt, Buffy pulled on the Slayer power sending it down into her hands like a guided missile. She shoved it out into the Scythe, extending it down through the mystical weapon and stuck out at the root of all evil. Gasps rang out when a cut appeared on the Buffy body not holding a weapon. A happy crow escaped Buffy's lips and she spun around ready for another round. A body blow met her square in the chest, knocking her back into circle's outer edge and throwing her back. Buffy cursed under her breath. Fighting inside a freaking circle sucked, and she didn't know how much damage it would take to kill the First. The happy gleam in her opponent's eyes gave her the wiggins, telling her that she was missing something. Going back in for another swipe with the Scythe, Buffy noticed that the First looked more solid each time she hit it. Shit! Her eyes looked down at the weapon in her hands, then back at the enemy that wore her face. The dream came back to her and she broke the Scythe over her knee. A mega-watt smile of her own broke out on her face when the First screamed in agony.
"No! What have you done? You have ruined it all."
"Check mate. Never played chess, but I always liked the saying. This was yours all along, so I'm giving it back, sorry that I broke it. Send me the bill. Catch."
Buffy threw the Scythe at the First, cutting her hand in the process. Her blood sprayed across her chest hitting the amulet Momma gave her. A bright light burst from her chest. The light knocked a hole in the ceiling of the Hellmouth that went all the way through the school until it hit daylight. Sunlight streamed in, hitting the Turok-Han army, turning them into so much dust. Buffy screamed, her back arched as a force lifted her off the ground. The amulet's light hit the First, and it started to slowly fading from sight. It cursed, changing into its true form, trying to maintain its foothold in this world, but finally winked from sight. Angel and Spike ducked back up the steps away from the harmful light still emitting from Buffy's chest. When the First's and its army no longer existed, the light stopped, and Buffy started falling. Beck rushed forward, catching her before she hit the ground. She looked pale and she was breathing shallowly. The others slowly gathered around, hoping that the blonde Slayer hadn't once again given her life to save the world.
Beck gathered her close before moving toward the stairs. The Hellmouth started shaking and stalagmites fell from the ceiling. Everyone quickly followed Beck up the steps. He walked faster, never taking his eyes off Buffy's face. Momma rushed forward when she saw him coming from the building.
"Bring her here and lay her in the seat." She pointed to the Rover that Travis had moved to the back door of the school.
Travis didn't say a word, knowing that his friend was on the edge ready to blow. A loud noise caught his attention, turning around he watched the roof cave in taking the entire high school with it. Large cracks started forming on the ground, spreading out and raced toward them. "Uh, guys, I think that we better get out of here."
Spike dashed to the Rover, jumping into the front while Momma and Beck moved to place Buffy across their laps. Travis gunned the powerful engine and took off down the road, racing ahead of the destruction. Angel's group was like minded. After shoving the souled vampire into the backseat against his wishes, Gunn let out a maniacal laugh as he raced to catch Travis.
"I didn't get to be in on the big fight, but at least I get to drive the getaway car." A grin from ear to ear spread across his face.
The passengers slid in their seats; with each turn the large convertible took. Angel closed his eyes and said several rosaries he remembered from his childhood and Angelus' obsession with churches. Gunn crowed with triumphant when he saw the Rover up ahead, a loud percussion wave hit the cars sending them fishtailing across the road. Looking out the back window, the former Sunnydalers were shocked to see that the entire town had fallen into a sinkhole.
Beck thought it was a fitting end to the town and wondered how far it was to the nearest hospital. Almost as if she could hear him thinking the hateful word, Buffy started to stir. He brushed the hair away from her face, leaning over to whisper. "Babe, Buffy, can you hear me? Do you hurt anywhere? Please, Baby, talk to me, come back to me," he softly pleaded with her.
"Kay." She nestled closer to his warmth, wrapped her arms around his waist, and slowly opened her eyes, then shut them again. "Not to sound like a baby or anything, but light - bad." She pouted prettily.
Momma laughed, knowing that her girl was going to be all right. "From what I hears, you was the light there for a while little missy. Sure you're not just jealous?"
A soft pink lip jutted out even further. "Nope, did so not like being a 100 watt. I'll leave that to Storm on X-Men, she has the nifty suit and everything. Are we far from, where are we headed?" She scrunched up her forehead in the way that Beck found adorable.
"LA. We might as well pick up Dawn before we head home," Beck said nonchalantly, although inside he was shaking. He hoped that those were her plans, but couldn't be sure that was what she would still want to do.
"Sounds good to me. I can't wait to be back in New Orleans. Especially to sleep in my own bed, have good coffee, and beignets and well, you get the picture."
"Xactly, which bed is that? The one in my house or the one in his?" Momma grinned when she saw Buffy blush a bright pink.
"Uh, I think I'm going to close my eyes now, the light is still bothering them." Buffy quickly closed her eyes, turning her head as the car filled with laughter.
They pulled around behind the Hyperion to provide a safe exit for the sunlight allergic passengers. An exhausted group entered the old hotel, causing those inside to start shouting in excitement. Beck ignored them as he carried Buffy directly upstairs, following the directions Angel had given him. Dawn took off close on his heels.
Spike and Travis looked after them with longing. They didn't think it safe to leave Momma alone with the others and from the looks of it; the Voodoo Priestess had other things on her mind. Spike felt a twinge of regret as he watched the older woman advance on the petite redhead. He remembered the bright-eyed girl he had kidnapped to create the love charm for him to woo back his Dru, and how she had tried to convince him it to try to bite her again after the Initiative had chipped him. Red had fallen so far, and he missed the girl she once was and for her he would mourn. His allegiance belonged to Momma now. Spike planned to ensure the others wouldn't interfere, not that the Maria Laveaux's great granddaughter needed his help. He just knew Buffy and her man would surely stake him, if even one of these wankers laid a finger on the old girl.
Travis' eyes narrowed as his fingers tightened on his gun. Why, the hell, had Beck left him down here with these crazy people? He knew Buffy was hurt, but damn, couldn't Momma wait to do her crazy Voodoo vengeance dance when he had the full family as backup? The hotel was full of people, and all he had was his shotgun, Buffy's crossbow and two pockets full of shot. Travis could only hope that if he started shooting, Beck would come running. Damn, he was tired of this place.
The lobby went still and quiet when Willow let out a terrified shriek. Everyone turned around to find out what had frightened the powerful witch. Kennedy awkwardly tried to hurry over on her crutches to help her lover. They watched in fascinated wonder as Willow backed away from Momma. She seemed unable to escape the furiously advancing woman.
"See here, my good woman, what are you doing?" Giles started forward only to find he couldn't take another step.
Momma kept advancing on Willow, never taking her eyes away from the clearly frightened witch, even as her hand waved in the air, creating intricate patterns in Giles' direction. "Stay away, juju man. You is no better than this here witch," the old woman spat out the words. Giles' back stiffened at the insult. Stopping briefly, she turned to look at him and said," 'dis little fool stole old magic from my great-grandmama's Grimoire! She use it in a place of evil, not knowing what it do. She almost got my little girl killed! 'Dis one got no business doing what she don't understand and don't respect!"
Ignoring Giles' furious protests, as he demanded to know what she was planning to do, Momma turned her attention back to Willow. Her frail arm raised back into the air, creating an intricate net design as her arms rapidly weaved around Willow's head. The colorful bracelets decorating her arms clinked against each other, filling the air with tribal music. Momma had called something ancient into the room. Everyone felt its presence as their skin prickled and the hairs stood on end. They heard the faint sounds of something ancient and tribal, calling to each other, as they watched an ethereal net appear and spread around Willow. It surrounded her, although the bottom didn't close immediately. It seemed to ripple before laying down flat. Suddenly, whatever Momma conjured into the room swept in and snatched the net away from Willow, causing an explosion of sparks followed by a dark cloud. The room went dark and quiet as the ancient entity withdrew.
Willow shook while tears ran down her face. Tara's words came back to her about respecting magic and never performing it on anyone without their permission. She hung her head, knowing that she deserved this punishment. After coming back from the coven, she thought she was in control. She was wrong. Her personality was too addictive. Perhaps, if she had learned magic properly early on, but now it was too late.
The clinking stopped and Momma lowered her arms. A touch of sadness mixed with kindness showed on the old weathered face. "The magic you stole is gone child. It should never have been left inside you, left to fester and grow." Momma turned and leveled hard dark eyes on Giles, which had him wishing he could turn away. Turning back to Willow she said, "You can't take magic simply because you want it. The magic has to want you first. True magic has to call to you, and if you understand what you hears then you can wield the craft with proper care and respect. What you gots you haven't earned and you'll never have it again. Tis not a place where it can grow. I don't know if you was meant to wield the craft. Tis not for me to judge. There are those out there who can help you. Find them, find yourself. Do you understand what I'm saying to you child?"
Willow nodded her head as tears raced down her face. "You did the right thing," she said quietly.
Kennedy verbally exploded, not understanding what was happening, except that the old woman had done something to her girlfriend. "What did you do to her, you old cow?"
Momma hissed at her, causing the obnoxious teen to hastily back up. "Young ones should be seen and not heard and only speaks when spoken to. Move out of my way, so I can go and check on my little girl." Kennedy's eyes went wide with shock when Momma shoved her away with no small amount of strength. A happy cackle filled the Hyperion lobby. "Boy, come show me where the one with the funny hair said to take my girl."
Travis escorted the voodoo priestess up the stairs. As soon as they were out of sight, the questions started. Spike totally lost it, rolling on the ground with laughter. He loved Momma, she was his idea of a woman. Too bad, he didn't stick around to watch her grow up when he was in New Orleans all those years ago.
Beck was already on the phone, finding them the next flight for New Orleans. Buffy wanted to leave as soon as possible. She had talked to Dawn and told her they were moving no questions asked. The teenager took the news better than Buffy thought she would. She had pouted at first, but after seeing it wasn't getting her anywhere, she quickly straightened up. Truth be told, the last few months without Buffy had opened her eyes, and Dawn didn't like everything she saw. She understood a lot more about why Buffy was the way she was, and planned to get her act together. They found a flight leaving in an hour, and planned on being on it come Hell or high water. Next came the fun part, telling everyone downstairs, she was leaving. Buffy grimaced at the expected accusations.
"Ready, everyone? Spike, is the Rover okay to drive to New Orleans, or do you want us to rent you some different?"
"Rover's fine. Don't worry 'bout me none, luv." The blonde vampire smirked when Beck growled at the endearment. It had Momma and Travis giggling at their friend's response to the snarky vampire. "Ole Spike'll show up in 'bout a week. Figure I'll stick round here just to piss ole Peaches off good an' proper before I take off for greener pastures. You know I have to nick me some of his best stuff 'fore I go. No self respecting vampire would leave this place without pilfering something."
Buffy couldn't stop the laughter that burst from her lips. "Spike..." She started to admonish him then thought better of it. A wicked gleam entered her eye as she said, "When Angel had his apartment there was this gorgeous Chinese jade statue, if you see it around, "nick" it, but I call dibs, got it?"
Dawn squealed in shock, "Buffy!"
The oldest Summers looked at her with an innocent and utterly unrepentant smile. "What? I'm just saying if he's going to steal something, might as well be something pretty."
Giles and the Scoobies looked up expectantly when they saw Buffy walking down the stairs arm in arm with Dawn. Their expressions turned to ones of confusion when they noticed that Beck followed behind them, carrying their luggage, including Dawn's. They were so focused on their plans, since Buffy had returned; they hadn't noticed that Travis had pulled the Rover around to the front, or when Spike escorted Momma downstairs and helped her into the car. They had completely ignored the new people in Buffy's life and their importance, stubbornly holding to the 'Scoobies forever' and 'Slayer duty' mantras of old, never realizing they were no longer dealing with the same Buffy Summers.
"Buffy, where are you taking Dawn's luggage?" Giles asked. He had his suspicions, but he'd hoped was wrong.
"New Orleans," came the short reply.
"What! Are you taking her back with you to pack your things?" Xander asked, moving closer to the steps.
Anya trailed after him, which started a wave of the others in the room. The Fang Gang stayed in the background, watching the show with interest. They were happy to have their family back together and didn't want the Scooby drama to rub off on them.
"Nope."
Buffy was glad she had sent Momma down earlier. She loved Momma and had a healthy respect for her powers. Buffy didn't want her to hear what her 'friends' say for fear the old woman might would curse them. Buffy might still feel hurt from what had happened months ago, but she didn't want them hurt. Well, not much.
Buffy and Dawn stepped down into the lobby. Beck moved over to lean against the wall, ready to step in if needed. She gave him a grateful smile, but knew this was something she had to do on her own. Taking Dawn's hand in hers, she leaned over and whispered in her little sister's ear. Dawn nodded before walking over to join Beck.
She had taken a good hard look at the events leading to her exodus. Buffy admitted that everyone shared blame in the situation. It in no way alleviated her anger or hurt toward her friends for kicking her out of her own home, or replacing her as their leader. She couldn't decide which had hurt the most. Time away from the situation had given her some perspective. She had spent long hours looking at the situation and could understand it to a certain point.
The Potentials had reacted from fear at facing their first life or death situation. They blamed the person who they felt should have prevented them from getting hurt and their friends from dying. She understood that and even agreed with it. Those young untried girls shouldn't have gone with her to the vineyard. She had gambled with their lives and lost. It was the same risk she had taken each night for the past seven years, never knowing which fight would be her last. The difference was that she was the Slayer and they were still young girls, potential slayers, waiting in the wings. Potentials did not a Slayer make. She had forgotten that fact somewhere along the way.
"Why did you send Dawn over there with him?" The inflection in Xander's voice left little doubt what he thought about Buffy's new man.
"I'm her guardian and decided she didn't need to hear this. Anymore questions?" Not waiting for anyone to fill the small gap of silence, Buffy jumped right in saying what she needed to say. "Dawn and I are moving to New Orleans, permanently. Sunnydale is no more, which means the Hellmouth's closed for business."
She watched the emotions race across their faces - joy, fear, anger, and then, yep - betrayal. And here it comes.
"How can you leave us...You're the Slayer...Who is going to teach us...What are we supposed to do...Your sacred duty..."
"Enough!" She didn't yell, but kinda let the Slayer to the fore to color her voice, and voila, instant silence. Buffy wondered why she never thought to do that before. "I'm not responsible for your lives. Giles, you already told me that I no longer needed a Watcher, and only decide to be one when it suits you. I am and always will be the Slayer. But listen close. That does not mean that you own me. Somewhere along the way you've taken the place of the Council in my life, and I'm handing in my resignation."
"That's just like you. When the going gets tough, you get going," Kennedy snorted.
"I don't remember speaking to you," Buffy said, level the dark haired Potential with a hard glare.
"I'm with Willow, that gives me a say," she answered, swallowing hard, but standing her ground.
"She was with Tara, you she just sleeps with, so shut the hell up."
Kennedy turned to Willow, waiting for her lover to defend her. When the redheaded witch didn't say a word, the teenager hobbled off in a huff.
"Leaving turned out to be the best thing to ever happen to me. I spent hours looking at this from every perspective and talking it over with people I respect." She sent Beck a grateful look, before she continued. "I made mistakes, which I'm willing to take the blame for and apologize. The people who I've wronged the most are the Potentials."
Shock spread across the young girls' faces. It was the last thing they had expected her to say. Buffy's gaze encompassed each girl as she spoke, landing finally on Kennedy where she stood alone at the back of the room.
"I'm sorry you were pulled into a world some of you might never have known, and were forced into situations you can never forget. My greatest sorrow is the way I treated you as pawns rather than as scared young girls. Only a few of you were raised to even expect or hope to become the next Slayer, and I'm certain none of you thought you'd enter this world in such a violent way. Please, don't think that I didn't take the time to get to know you because I didn't care about you. There simply wasn't enough time in the day for me to spend the time with you along with the other burdens already on my plate. This fight is over, and I wish you all the best with whatever you choose to do with your future. Do me one favor, choose that future and choose your path based on what you feel is right in your heart no matter what anyone else tells you is expected from you."
The Potentials murmured soft words of thanks and stepped away from the group.
"Kennedy," Buffy said, calling the dark haired girl forward and waiting for her to reluctantly hobble forward. "I know you expect to become the next Slayer." She watched the excitement enter the young girl's dark eyes, thinking she was about to get something from the oldest Slayer to further her dream. "There are some things you should think about before pinning your hopes on that particular dream. Nothing is ever guaranteed." The light dimmed as the ever-present anger when dealing with Buffy returned to replaced it. "I'm not sure what I've ever done to deserve your anger, your rudeness and continued insults, but here are a few things for you to think about. I was fifteen when I became the Slayer, Kendra was sixteen and so was Faith. Exactly, how old are you, Kennedy? Seventeen, almost eighteen, right? No Slayer has ever been called past the age of eighteen, as far as I know. And although Giles gathered all the Potentials he could find, it doesn't mean he found them all. You do know the Council didn't know about me don't you?" Buffy watched her as her words hit the girl with the power of a Slayer wielding a sledgehammer. "Consider that as you plan your life. You might want to think about some apologies of your own."
Buffy turned to Faith and shared a look with her sister Slayer. They had once been the Chosen Two; or at least they had tried, for a little while. It just wasn't meant to be. Slayers weren't meant to exist in pairs or groups, thus the Chosen One title. They were lone predators, the alpha of alphas. Similar to how it was with lions. When a new lion challenged the existing lion for the pride, he had to kill him in order to take his place. There can only be one lion, one king. Just as there supposed to be only one Slayer. Why the Council, or even Giles hadn't understood this and foreseen the potential problems it would entail with two Slayers on the same Hellmouth and done something before things had completely gone to Hell, she would never know.
"Faith," she said, her voice soft. This was harder than she thought it would be. "We will never be friends." Buffy watched the younger Slayer's face close off from her as she hid her feelings. "I know you've worked hard to change and I'm glad. There's just too much that's happened for us to go back, but it's more than that, and it's taken me a while to finally figure it out. We're connected, and I still feel you the same as I always have."
Faith's head came up as she stared at Buffy. She had hoped to have a chance to talk to Buffy to apologize for the past. It was all she had thought about for the past two years. Buffy's words had dashed her hopes to shreds, and now she was throwing her a small bone here at the end. Opening her mouth, Faith started to speak, but Buffy stopped her.
"Wait, Faith, you need to listen to this. It will help you understand what happened wasn't our fault; although what you did with it was yours. Even after that, the Council could have helped, rather than make it worse," she said sadly. "Slayers can't exist in pairs. The Chosen Two should have never happened. We are the ultimate predator and even though we felt each other, our Slayers, our predators, felt threatened by the other. They're meant to sit at the top of the food chain. We didn't know it at the time, but the ultimate fall out was your Slayer challenging me for territory and my pride."
"Oh, dear lord," Giles and Wesley exclaimed simultaneously.
The girls turned to stare at their former Watchers, who looked at each other as if they had somehow overlooked the very noses on their faces.
"One of us should have left the Hellmouth. I know you came to get away from Kissing Toast, and meet me of course." Buffy pursed her lips sending an air kiss in Faith's direction. "The Council should have sent you to the next active Hellmouth, which is in Cleveland. It's pretty much water under the bridge. Lucky for us both, we survived and according to whoever is in charge up there." She pointed upward. "I'm officially retired from this gig and the Slayer Line runs through one Faith Lehane of LA. Surprise, it's a stake with your name on it. You are the one girl in all the world, yada, yada, yada...It's all up to you baby. So, no more comparing who has the biggest stake," Buffy said, flashing her mega-watt smile.
Faith returned the smile, following it with her husky laugh. "Have a good life, B. Take that fine man of yours and little D back to N'Orleans where you belong." She gave her a sassy salute then turned and walked away without looking back, leaving her with the Scoobies.
They stepped closer together, looking at the small blonde who had held their group together so much so that they couldn't leave her in peace even after death. Their entire life for the last seven years had in one way or another revolved around Buffy Summers. Yes, each had forged their own life, yet it always led back to the powerful blonde standing before them. Her gaze settled on her former watcher, wondering not for the first time how their relationship had come to this. Giles took off his glasses, cleaning them in the age-old habit. He did it more to hide his rampant emotions at Buffy's heartfelt words and the tears threatening to fall, than anything else. Gathering his English fortitude, he raised his head and faced his own demons. Willow held Xander's hand while Anya seemed rather bored by the whole situation.
"A smart person told me it was rare for childhood friends to remain close throughout their entire lives. I wondered about what he meant at the time. I think I understand it having come to this place in my life. The people we grow up with have to grow with us or we have to leave them behind. It doesn't mean we stop caring for them, or don't cherish the time we had with them. There just comes a time when we need friends who see us for who we've become, not who we used to be. I've grown into an adult, granted it was a long and painful journey. I finally got my act together, with no help from you, I might add. It's okay. Nowhere does it say, family whether real or adopted owe you anything, other than love, and sometime even that is more than some can handle."
She saw them ready to deny her words and held her hand up, stopping their protests on their lips. Buffy remembered her words to them at the mansion and knew they hadn't taken them to heart.
"Giles, generals don't train the troops; they lead them. Somewhere along the way, you forgot your own responsibilities. I'm the Slayer as you're so quick to remind me, but what are you? What are you, Giles? You're the Watcher who ran from his own duties, his own Slayer, leaving her when she needed you most right after they had pulled me from heaven back into the hell of guarding the Hellmouth, then you return long enough only to drop off untrained girls needing protection, training and shelter without leaving means to provide any of those things. Slayers slay and Watchers watch, research and train. They ensure their Slayers have what they need to succeed. Where in that formula did you train me or even see the time for me learn to handle everything else 'You' decided I should somehow know? You were the father of my heart, who ultimately abandoned me like my real father. I'm sorry I couldn't be the Slayer you thought I should be; I'm not sorry for the Slayer I've become. I love you, Giles, but I've learned to live my life without you. Our time together as Watcher and Slayer is over; perhaps, we can try to repair the damage, just not today or any time soon."
It hurt to see the deep pain in his eyes. She had to say the words if their relationship had any hope for reconciliation. Buffy was no longer willing to hold her emotions inside until they consumed her and she had nothing left. She caught and held Willow and Xander's gaze.
"When I came to Sunnydale, I wanted to become a better person than I was at Hemery High. I wanted real friends, who didn't want anything from me except my friendship. We had that at the beginning. You two helped me to become the person I wanted to be. Somewhere along the way, we lost that and you decided I was the Slayer with a side of Buffy. You treated us as two separate people and blamed us for whatever went wrong in your lives. Partly it's my fault; I fought against accepting my Slayer side. I wanted a normal life so much and it took me a long time to realize that normal just wasn't in the cards for me. The funny part about this entire thing was that I accepted you from first time we met. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy and safe. I didn't care if you dated a werewolf or a girl, or wanted to be a witch." She looked at Willow. "It didn't matter to me whether you could fight, dated Cordelia or every female demon from here to Timbuktu." She ignored the loud 'Hey' from Cordy as she glanced from Xander to Anya and back again. "I'm taking my sister, my man, my friends, and I'm going home."
Buffy started walking away without another word. Willow called out and she turned back.
"I'm sorry."
"Me too, Willow, me too."
Willow crumbled to the floor in tears, pulling Xander along with her. Anya watched them for several long moments before turning away. She had listened to Buffy and learned more about being human this day than in the past four years. The former vengeance demon admitted she too had fallen into the same pattern as the others, but that didn't mean she had to continue. Anya vowed to become the type person someone like Buffy would want as her friend.
Buffy walked away that day, leaving behind her childhood. She found the life she had always wanted. She found love, friendship and a home. She found a normal life. Did it still have demons, vampires and things that go bump in the night? Of course, normal didn't mean she stopped being who she was. It simply meant finding someone to accept and share all she was, so she could become all she wanted to.