Bitter Homecomings...
by hexx
Bitter Homecomings...
[reviews]
BITTER HOMECOMINGS AND BLISSFULL FAREWELLS
all characters belong to Joss
part one; reunion
Standing here, at the outermost edge of the crater that used to be Sunnydale California, it all seemed so far away to the young woman who found herself in tears for what seemed the hundredth time in the last week. The town itself, her home, everything gone now, nothing remained but a huge crater, mirrored by the vast emptiness she felt in her life. She grew up here, made friends here, and more than friends. She fell in love here, found the first real passions of her young life, and in the end, she lost everything here. Memories came unbidden, playing with Xander as children, a birthday party in grade school, her first dance, and the turning point in her life, meeting Buffy Summers for the first time. With that thought came a flash of emotional pain so strong it was almost physical, causing her to wrap her arms around her middle and cry out in agony. In a rush, the last nine years burst to the fore, every detail played back at high speed, pounding willow's spirit until finally she lay in the dust, great sobs wracking her body 'til she could hold it in no longer and screamed Buffy's name into the wind. The sky, in reply to the power of the young witch, echoed that cry with a great thunderclap of it's own. As the echoes faded away she thought, just for a moment, that she had heard her name in return. So much pain, so many sacrifices, so much death. It felt as though it had gone on forever. In truth, it had been only a few short years. The losses of loved ones brought fresh tears, so much loss. First had been Miss Calendar; then Joyce Summers, Buffy's mom, and a second mother to her; then Buffy herself until a spell brought her back. Again came the stab of pain eliciting a fresh sob from Willow.
The memories kept coming; the loss of the first real love of her life, Oz, finding love again with Tara only to have that love torn from her in an instant, a shot, a spray of blood, and she was gone. The days that followed were a time she carefully kept filed away in a part of her mind reserved for only the worst of nightmares.
Then came The First, the Great Evil, and so very many died, Anya, Spike, and so many young slayers, and finally the town itself, and with it the Hellmouth, God willing.
There was the parting of ways. Buffy and Dawn leading the slayers to find others like them, Xander moved to San Diego, Willow and her new lover, another slayer named Kennedy, left for England so that Willow could continue to learn about her powers and how to control them from the great coven there and from the council.
A few months ago came the call from Angel, Cordellia had finally succumbed to her coma and died. So much loss! Why? They had fought evil so hard and for so long, Why must they continue to suffer the loss of loved ones.? Finally just three weeks ago a letter from Oz in L.A., Angel, a resurrected Spike, Wesley, Fred and Gunn, all lost in a final all out battle with the Senior Partners of Wolfram and Heart to stop Armageddon itself. They were victorious, but the cost, as always was so terribly high. She could barely believe it, Angel, gone forever !!
That was when every thing came to a head in England, and in tears again Willow departed, alone, for America. She stopped first in SanDiego to see Xander. His company was doing well but in his one remaining eye she could see the pain, the toll the endless battles and losses had reaped from his spirit. And the truth was he, had never got over Anya, and her death had left him so torn up. It had aged him, and though he tried to be the old Xander for her she could tell that her presence was causing him pain. She bid him farewell, knowing that she would likely never see him again and left for L.A. .She had met with Oz there, he had put up a small monument to their fallen in one of the smaller cemeteries. Of course there had been nothing of Angel and Spike to bury but ashes and little of the others, so he'd had them interred together. Willow found that somewhat comforting, nothing could ever separate them again.
Oz was doing well, his band had a single out that had a real shot at becoming a hit, and his recent marriage had left him both happy and content. She found that when she wished them the best she truly meant it.
Now, here she was, back at the place where it had begun. Once more the tears came, and again she thought of Buffy, wondering if she had heard of Angel's death and of Spike's.Two vampires who had loved her, and who she had loved in their turn and in her way.
BUFFY !! Somehow her thoughts could not wonder far from the slayer, where was she now? She hadn't heard from the slayer since she left for England with Kennedy. Buffy had looked at her so oddly, and she had been distant and cool when they said their goodbyes. Willow chalked it up to being spent, physically and emotionally. Dawn had called every few weeks though to keep her updated. The last she had heard from Dawn, they were in Italy, still tracking down slayers awakened by a spell cast in their final battle for Sunnydale. And for the thousandth time she found herself weeping for the friend who found herself cast in the role of savoir of the world when all she had ever wanted was a normal life as a normal girl. Sitting back in the dust she placed her hands over her face and fell to sobbing once again.
Violently shaking she looked to the sky and again the cry burst from her lips. "BUUUFFYYY !!!" The timber of her voice changing, climbing until it reverberated from the crater's walls, and when it finally died the sky again crackled and thunder boomed and she thought for the second time that she heard the slayer's voice calling her name in return. This only caused her to cry harder, kneeling till her head rested on the ground.
Willow was startled from her sorrow at the whisper of her name; she dared not look up as it came again, so low it was almost lost in the breeze. "Willow?", the young witch slowly uncovered her eyes and when she finally saw the speaker a low gasp of disbelief escaped her. Before her stood the slayer herself, tears leaving trails on her cheeks. " Buffy...?" "Willow, it's me, I came, you called and I came."
In an instant she had willow in her arms and the tears continued, for themselves, for those they had lost and for each other. Willow felt the grief pouring from her friend and realizes that, perhaps for the first time, it wasn't Buffy who supported her, but she who held up Buffy.
Their shadows had grown longer when Buffy's sobs started to quiet and they drew a little apart, kneeling on the ground, studying each other's faces as if for the first time. Willow was the first to speak. "Buffy, how did you get here? How long? Did you fly from Italy? Do you know what's happened?" Buffy waited patently for the dearest friend she had ever known to finish, then looking into her eyes she answered calmly but with conviction. " I told you, you called and I came Willow. I was in Spain, sitting under a tree wishing I could be with you when I heard you call my name, you cried out for me and I heard you, like you were right beside me I heard you, and I called back to you. You did it Will, your will, your power, you called and I came. I'll always come, always be where you need me, ALWAYS! "
Willow thought there was no end to the tears as she fell into the slayer's arms once again. She was here! Her heart pounded and clarity came over her as she realized that this was the void in her life, nothing had been right, no love strong enough, no light bright enough till this moment and in this she found the realization of everything. Here was her love, here was her light! How she had never known she couldn't understand but now it was so clear it took her breath away
She pulled back from Buffy and in her eyes she could see something, a certainty that had never been there before . Buffy's blue eyes pierced Willow's green and as tears welled she spoke just two words," Me too." Willow was struck dumb and for a moment she couldn't believe what she so dearly longed to be true. She could only look at Buffy in bemusement, hope crashing onto her heart like a wave. Buffy simply took her face gently into both of her hands and placed a feathered kiss on Willow's lips.
After a few seconds she broke the kiss and moved her lips to Willow's ear. Whispering so low it was barely audible," I love you Willow, I have not lived, not one second, since I left, and I swear here, now, on the lives of all of those that we lost, I will never leave you again. Only, please tell me that I'm not crazy. Please Willow, tell me that you love me!" At once laughing and weeping Willow began to smother Buffy with gentle kisses, her cheeks, her forehead, and finally her lips. " I do Buffy! I DO! I always have, always will, always, always!"
They held each other a long time, feeling the love received and returned and when they finally stood the sun was setting. Without another word they walked to Willow's rented car and began the drive back to L.A. Neither looked back to the place that had once been home.
not the end. . .