RATING: PG
CONTENT: Some mild language, nothing overdone
SPOILER WARNINGS: Becoming, obviously, but none else to our knowledge --
SUMMARY: A week or so after the events of Becoming, Willow remembers
something, Joyce Summers wants answers, and Spike finds Buffy on the
road with an ominous warning: Dru's headed back to Sunnydale . . .
DISCLAIMER: We don't own any of these characters, Joss Whedon and
friends do, but we would sorta kinda like to stake our claim on Wilhelm
as Snyder's first name --
Willow watched herself unmoving in bed. She focused in tightly on her head and shoulders. A hand held hers.
The voice attached to the hand was mumbling. She couldn't quite make out the words until she heard, "I love you."
She smiled and murmured, "Oz," while her body on the hospital bed did the same. Her gaze followed the arm lovingly clutching her hand back to the source . . .
She woke up, screaming, the same way she'd done every night for a week. Ever since . . . Buffy'd disappeared.
She concentrated, but no matter how hard she tried she could not figure out why she kept waking up and screaming.
* * * * *
For the seventh time in as many days, Joyce Summers waited in her car in front of the high school. Apart from having to come in to see Princiapl Snyder -- a repulsive, evil little TROLL of a man, saying all sorts of nasty things about her daughter -- about Buffy's expulsion, during which she'd screamed at the man and stormed out, she'd avoided everyone. Oh, she'd called Hank. His daughter had run away, it would have been the height of irresponsibility not to let him know. She hadn't mentioned the stuff about being a vampire Slayer because she wasn't sure she believed it herself. But otherwise no one.
She'd screamed at her daughter's friend Xander in her grief and rage, somehow blaming him for -- for everything (she HAD told him Buffy was still alive), but she'd ignored all other attempts by Buffy's friends to find out about her.
There they were. Gathering by the flagpole, as they'd done every morning for the past week. Including over the weekend. First Willow arrived, pushed by her boyfriend. Joyce knew of the boy, but didn't know his name. Shortly afterwards Mr. Giles walked up from the school building, followed immediately by Xander and Cordelia.
She took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. She had more than enough questions. Now it was time for some answers.
* * * * *
Buffy walked down the roadway at night. It had at one point been a major thoroughfare, but now was just another backroad. By varying her methods of travel, she'd so far avoided being caught or found by anyone. She thought she was still wanted for murder in California, and KNEW she was wanted for assaulting a police officer. She rounded a curve and stopped. Something was tripping her radar. Not exactly a vampire, but definitely demonic.
She sighed. Well, she'd known she couldn't be lucky forever. The demon was hiding behind a tree, about thirty feet off the road. In no mood for gameplay, she dropped her bag and sprinted towards the tree. Nothing! But -- she could have SWORN --
There was a short, sharp whistle from the branches of the tree. She looked upwards and cursed. Whistler. He swung down from the tree as she walked back to the road. Following her, he gazed upwards at a road sign.
"So, gettin' your kicks?" Buffy said nothing. Whistler pointed at the sign. "Route 66? Old TV show? Am I the only one who pays ANY attention to history?"
"What do you want, Whistler?" Buffy demanded.
"Nothing much. Just to chat. Weather, movies, how long you're going to run away from your problems. That sort of thing."
"That's none of your damn business."
"Not directly, no," Whistler answered. "But you're not done yet, you know."
"Says who?
"Fate. Destiny. Whoever always tells you these things. Look, you can't go running away from your sworn duty just because you feel sorry for yourself."
Buffy whirled, stake springing to her hand. He backed away. "Whoa, whoa. I don't do violence. I can see you're not in the mood for this discussion yet." He strolled towards the woods, but called back after him, "Eventually, time'll come when it doesn't matter what mood you're in, you'll have to be ready -- Slayer." It seemed like he was done, but then he added, "You know, it's funny when you lose things . . ." It took her a few seconds to realize he wasn't going to continue.
Buffy hefted her bag and walked on down the road.