Aftermath and College
by Bwriter
chapter nine
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Chapter nine
"If she wasn't going to patrol, where would she go?" Tom wasn't about to tell Willow, or the others, what was going on with Buffy. That was up to the Slayer.
Willow looked at Xander, then Faith and nodded her head. If the three English guys were going to look for Buffy, they were going too.
"You don't know your way around town. We'll take you, it'll be quicker." She added that last part because it looked like they were going to argue with her.
The other two looked towards Tom to see what he thought. Sighing he nodded his head yes and gestured for Willow and Xander, who had moved over to stand beside Willow, to led the way.
"Just you three though."
Turning towards Anya, Tom asked her to let Giles know what was happening.
The six set off, leaving two disgruntled girlfriends behind.
Once they got outside, Willow led them in the direction Buffy had taken off in.
"She went this way, so really, she could be in any number of places. We'll try the ones she liked best first."
Willow led them to the park first. There was a tree there that Buffy used to love to sit under, especially if Willow was with her.
That proved a waste of time, because there was no sign of the Slayer.
For three hours Willow led them around every place she could think of, but they couldn't find Buffy.
Xander and Faith each suggested places they thought she might be, but each time, there was no Buffy to be found.
Willow stopped walking. It took a while for everyone to notice, and when they did they doubled back to her.
"I think I know where she is."
Willow led them to the very edge of town. Xander looked up and Angel's place, not sure why Willow had brought them here.
"Will? Why would she be at Angel's? He was supposed to be meeting us later."
Willow never answered him and led them around back. From the garden, she led them up stone steps until they reached the top.
At the top, everyone but Willow was surprised to see that it led out onto a hill.
Sitting at the top, was none other than Buffy.
Buffy was sitting, thinking of the time she had brough Willow here with her.
/"Why didn't you tell me?"
Buffy looked over at the girl sitting beside her.
"Come on Will, I thought I made it plain enough, what with the hand holding and the spontaneous hugs. I figured that you already knew."
Buffy inched closer, giving Willow plenty of time to back away, before letting their lips brush.
She was the first to end the kiss.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Buffy used Willow's own words against her.
Willow never answered with words. She moved forward and caught Buffy's lips in a kiss that soon had each gasping for breath./
"Buffy!"
"Will." It was whispered so softly, so lovingly.
Buffy was lost in her memory and didn't realised that Willow was near her.
"Buffy."
Buffy started at the sound of Willow's voice, and before turning around, she wiped her face dry.
Hoping her voice was steady, Buffy faced the gang.
"What are you guys doing up here?"
Faith, now that Buffy was safe and she didn't have to worry, dropped down onto the grass and made herself comfortable.
"Seems you doing a runner from the Bronze worried the guys here."
Buffy looked over at her bodyguards.
"Why?"
"We were worried, you aren't up to patrolling yet, and we didn't know if that's what you were doing or not so we thought we'd come find you but here you are, not hurt."
Tom stopped and closed his eyes. He never rambled. Not once. But, he had to make something up fast, or Buffy's friends, not to mention the other Slayer, would start asking questions. Again.
Buffy realised what he was doing and smiled at him.
"You don't need to worry. I'm fine. Feeling a lot better. Besides, Angel is down there somewhere."
"What are you doing up here? Did Angel show you this place?"
Buffy looked over to Xander before shaking her head no.
"Found it when I first moved here. Always liked it."
"Why?"
"Lots of reasons."
Buffy motioned Faith to come closer to the edge of the hill.
"Take a look."
Below Faith, was the entire town, laid out like one of those hand made American Quilts.
"Wow B."
"Exactly. I get to think up here. Its quiet."
"Everything looks so small."
Buffy looked out over the town and smiled.
"Nothing matters. Not up here. All of it disappears. No more demons, no more destiny, no more pain. You can forget it all, with the town lit up below, and the sky lit up above. Even if just for a little while. This is one of the places I missed most when I was away."
Faith detected the sadness in her sister Slayer's voice, and she knew the cause of it.
Leaning in, she whispered so no-one else could hear.
"Don't worry. Things will work out. If it comes to it, I'll scare Kim off."
Buffy laughed and gave Faith a quick hug.
"I appreciate the sentiment. But just leave it. Is she happy?"
Faith knew that Willow wasn't entirely happy, but even she had to admit, Kim had been good for her redheaded friend.
"I guess she is, in a way."
Buffy's eyebrows creased.
"Then that's all that matters."
They had been talking in whispers the entire time so their conversation couldn't be over heard.
"Now that we have found her, want to fill us all in on why you three were so worried?"
Willow knew something was going on, she just didn't know what it was.
Buffy looked over to Tom.
"It's not really that big a deal, these guys just blow it out of proportion."
Tom's eyes widened.
"We blow it out of proportion!? Mike please remind her how she reacted the first time it happened."
"Lets see "oh god I hit like a girl" comes to mind, wait so does "what the hell is happening?" and I know there are more but Tom, she looks a little, wait make that a lot mad at me."
Mike darted away from Buffy and stood beside Tom.
Buffy sighed, then copied what Faith h done earlier and plunked herself down onto the soft grass.
"Okay. So I freaked the first time it happened, who wouldn't? Faith would, wouldn't you?"
Faith held her hands up.
"You have to tell me what you were freaking about before I agree to anything."
Buffy sighed and gestured for them all to sit.
"What I did last night has consequences. I drained myself with that spell. This is part of the fallout. Until tomorrow night, I won't have any strength. At all. I'm a normal girl 'til sunset tomorrow."
Faith gulped.
"Yeah, I would freak at that."
Buffy sent her a grateful smile.
"So you see, this was why these three were freaked tonight. But I know better than to patrol when I'm like this."
"Wait, you're the Slayer, how can you not have any strength?"
"Xand, what I did last night, it took all the power I had in me. I can't remember everything after I blacked out, just pain, then calmness," Buffy left out the cause of her calmness but nearly everyone there could guess, "it will take a while for me to be 100 per cent again."
"But your okay? Right?"
Buffy smiled at Willow.
"Yeah, I'm still me."
Buffy's stomach rumbled, breaking the moment between the too.
"I never got to eat. What say we head back to the Bronze?"
Xander perked up at the mention of food.
"Sure, and they are still serving so we can still eat."
They all headed off, away from the hill, not noticing the lone soldier that hadn't noticed them either.
tbc