A New Start
by Bwriter
Chapter fourteen: For Love
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Chapter fourteen: For Love
(Back in England)
Giles had been reading the book for almost three hours and nothing of importance was jumping out at him from the book of prophecies. Hearing a noise he looked up as Wesley entered the small office where he had taken the book to in order to read it in peace.
"Find anything of importance yet?" Asked the younger of the two Watchers.
"No but then we usually only know it's a prophecy when it has already been set in motion so I do not understand much. It reads like riddles if you know none of the interlining factors I'm afraid."
"Yes I agree." Off Giles look he stammered out "Well... see sometimes... oh bloody hell yes I've read it and all I got was a few references here and there. Well apart from the prophecy where a Slayer is turned. That left me with a feeling of unease. Imagine what a Vampire could do with the combined strengths of a Slayer and a demon. Unstoppable comes to mind."
"I haven't come across it yet. I really must get back to the others. I'll be taking the book with me." He bid his goodbyes to Wesley and turned to walk out. He was interrupted by a voice he hated.
"Rupert?" It was Travers. He wasn't the Head of the Council but he liked to think he was.
"Yes Quiten?"
Travers walked over to the soft leather seats and sat motioning for Giles to do the same.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news for you old chap. At approximately ten thirty our time last night a new slayer was called." All the blood drained from Giles face. His Slayer was dead.
(Back in L.A)
The Vampire stood among the dust that settled around her. Over fifty Vampires had been slain tonight by her hand. Hearing a Whimper coming from behind her she turned and walked over to her creator.
"So Angelus, my Sire, how do you like your new Childe?" She did a slow pivot for him before walking to him and drawing her trusty stake. He was practically broken in two by her last assault and he reeked of fear.
Mumbling out "y..y..you c..can't kill m...me. I'm y... y... you Sire" he tried scooting away from her but as she leaned even closer he knew it was over.
"You turned me into a demon and I came back to haunt you. Your dust." With that she plunged the stake into his unbeating heart and with a final "Buffy" Angelus, the scourge of Europe was dust.
The demon in her cried for her Sire but both the Slayer in her and the woman in her were crying out for their Mate.
Willow had been catatonic from the moment Giles had told her, Xander, Joyce and Karen that a new Slayer had been called meaning that Buffy was dead. Joyce lost a daughter, Xander lost a friend, Giles lost his Slayer, who he loved like a daughter, the world has lost a good warrior and Willow had lost her lover, her friend, her Mate. As silent tears started to slip from her eyes she thought of the girl she loved with her entire being and finally fell into a troubled sleep.
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Six months had passed. Life was slowly moving on for most. The new Slayer had been sent to Ireland where there were reports of an uprising among the demons.
Giles stayed on as Karen's official watcher while Karen stared to date Xander.
Joyce moved from Sunnydale as she said the memories were too bad for her to stay. The last Giles had heard from her she was in England, and had started dating a man named John.
All of them seemed to be moving on with their lives. All apart from Willow that is. She missed Buffy with everything in her. She sometimes thought she saw her when she and Xander patrolled with Karen. She would often see a glimpse of Blonde hair and her heart would speed up like it always did when she was around. Except every time the person had disappeared before she could see them clearly enough.
Tonight was Willow's birthday. After a quick patrol they planned to go to the Bronze for a while. The four were in Restfield cemetery when Karen motioned for them all to stop. Giles stayed close to Willow and Xander while Karen hunted her prey.
There was maybe a one second warning before a lot of Vampire's and demons appeared on the scene.
At once the four had their weapons at the ready and fought back. It wasn't helping, the demons kept coming. Giles was having a sword-fight with and seven-foot vampire while Xander was using his crossbow to dust vamps in all directions. Karen was fighting anything within her reach and Willow was using her super soaker on the Vampires.
Ten minutes into the fight Karen noticed that they had another fighter on their side but was too busy to find out who.
Willow had run out of Holy water and was fending off three over zealous Vamps with a cross when as one they closed in on her. She was trapped beneath them as the fight went on around her knowing that her friends couldn't help her. In what she thought were going to be her last minutes on earth she thought that she would hopefully be with her love again.
Suddenly the Vampires were gone replaced by what she thought was a dream. Buffy stood before her and she looked pissed!
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The last six months had been hell for Buffy. After becoming a Vampire she knew that she couldn't go back to her friends and family. She couldn't bear to see the look of disgust they would give her. She missed Willow and wanted her with her. Over time, her demon came to love her Mate as much as she did herself in its own way.
Just because she couldn't interact with her family didn't mean that she was going to abandon them. Every night as the sun set she began patrol, always staying one step ahead of the gang and limiting the amount of trouble they would face.
Tonight she had been late in starting because she had run out of Blood and had to go to the butchers to get more. By the time she had started she was over a hour late. Wondering where the gang was she hit Restfield first as that was were she had fought the most this week.
Entering the clearing she heard signs of fighting and took off. Reaching the fight she didn't think twice as she entered it killing demons left, right and centre. She knew that she couldn't let them see her but she couldn't have them fighting alone. When there were only a handful of demons left she melt fear then acceptance. She knew it was Willow. Turning she saw three Vampires about to make Willow their breakfast and she imploded. Jumping the ten feet in one leap that separated them she ripped the first vamps head off while staking the other two.
Looking down she saw Willow looking up at her with a dazed expression.
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Willow and Buffy just stared at each other not noticing that their friends had gathered round them. Buffy was the first to find her voice.
"I told you guys that nothing had better happen to Will and yet here she was nearly joining the ranks of the dead! Who am I going to kill first?"
Buffy could feel her demon close to the surface as well as her Slayer. Now that the threat of Willow's life was gone the Vampire Slayer was angry. Trying to control herself and trying not to vamp out she looked again at Willow.
"Are you okay?" Despite her anger, her voice was very soft when talking to her Mate.
Willow could only stare before opening and closing her mouth like a fish would. Giles was the first to react. Raising his crossbow he aimed at the girl he considered a daughter and fired. Only Buffy's speed stopped her from being staked and the demon sprang forth with the pain of the arrow entering her lung. Falling to her knees and gasping for the breath she no longer needed she waited for the killing blow. Even though she knew they would never accept her there was a small part of her that hoped that her family would see through the demonic issue and see that she was still Buffy underneath it all.
Raising her head she looked at the stars one last time. Since becoming a vampire she could see them a lot more clearly and they helped her find a little peace in her life. Turning her head to look at Willow she mouthed, "I love you" before facing her executioner aware that she was in game face. Giles shuddered and tightened his grip on his weapon when suddenly Buffy was attacked by Willow.
Willow had finally come out of her daze and saw Giles ready to kill Buffy. Not even wondering why Giles was trying to kill Buffy she dove for her love and sent them rolling down the small hill with her lying on top of Buffy. Looking down she realised why Giles was going to kill the girl they all belied to be dead.
Buffy purposely didn't revert back to her human form. She needed to see Willow's reaction. Green eyes locked into the yellow eyes of a vampire. Buffy knew the gang were on their way down the hill and she just wanted more time with Willow before she died...again. And she would die because she could never fight back and risk hurting a member of her family.
Willow studied her love below and was confronted with missed feelings. On one hand she was more than happy Buffy was alive, er undead, but on the other she was sad for her lover who she knew had always feared becoming one of the things she killed nightly.
Buffy saw the sad look and took it to mean that Willow couldn't accept her. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she opened them again to see Willow's hand coming down to trace her ridges. Dimly reregistering Giles call for Willow to run she watched transfixed as Willow studied her face. A lone tear slipped from her eye and Willow leaned down to lick it off whispering, "I'm so sorry."
Buffy nodded thinking she understood and let her human face replace her demon one. "Its okay Will, I'm just sorry you had to see me like this. I just want to tell you that I never stopp-" Willow was suddenly gone replace by Karen's stake.
Buffy let out a low growl at the loss of her Mates weight on top of her. Easily moving Karen off of her without hurting her she stood. Picking up Karen's stake she walked over to her Watcher.
/Ex Watcher?/ Everyone started moving backwards as she came towards them though Willow stayed put. She was favouring her right side as her left lung had a gaping hole in it and was kinda painful. Stopping beside Willow she flinched when Xander shot out his hand thinking he was going to hit her. When her moved to drag Willow back she growled and vamped out. Willow stayed Xander by raising her hand. Walking the few steps to Buffy she again stroked her ridges with her fingertips.
Under the soothing stoke Buffy lost her fangs and started purring rubbing her face along Willow's palm. Willow smiled and leaned into kiss her. As their lips met they got lost in the feel of one another. They had been so long with each other that it felt like their first kiss.
As their lips, teeth and tongues caressed each other's Buffy kept her senses open for potential threats. A polite cough reminded them that there were others with them and they broke lip contact but rested their foreheads against each other's.
"Y...you don't —" Buffy's question was cut short as a dart embedded itself in her neck. Looking Willow in the eye the Slayer mistook shock for approval and thought herself stupid for ever believing Willow could love a thing like her.
"Why?" As the darkness claimed her she just hoped that they would eventually kill her because she couldn't cope with their hatred.
As soon as the dart hit Buffy Giles and Karen circled her, waiting for her to fall. Willow looked on in shock as her lover fell to her knees asking "why?" Willow instinctively knew that Buffy thought that she had knew they were going to shoot her. Willow was wondering just how Buffy had been feeling theses past six months, because knowing Buffy she had convinced herself not to go near any of them for fear that they wouldn't accept her in her altered state. There was never any question in Willow's mind if Buffy was evil or good. She just knew she was still the same Buffy.
The trip back to the Library was filled with dead silence until Willow finally broke it and spoke in a voice filled with remorse.
"Six months. She's been like this for six months ands she's been alone. Two minutes with the people who are supposed to be her family and you — who she thinks of as a dad — tries to stake her then knocks her out with a dart! Anyone think there's something wrong with this picture?"
Giles refused to meet her eyes but he spoke calmly and directly to her.
"Willow, she is not our Buffy. She's a demon. There has never been any record of a turned Slayer but to have one on the loose could bring about Armageddon. She needs to be dealt with."
Willow was about to interrupt but Xander beat her to it. "Giles, she saved Willow's life, hell all our lives tonight. Do you really think a soulless creature would do that?"
No one spoke for the rest of the journey.