Part 8 Go to the Next Part
It was near midnight when everyone gathered around Buffy's grave. Dawn was too distraught with grief to notice anyone else. All she did was cry with Tara and Willow. Xander held Anya, while Gunn did the same with Cordelia. Giles and Wesley stood side by side, while Spike was in the far back, drinking.
Angel stood the closes to Buffy's grave with little Anne holding onto his hand, her other arm holding her pig.
Tara and Willow had done a spell, Willow had set the picture of her, Xander, and Buffy next to her grave, said her words, before moving toward the cars.
Xander had joked around with Buffy, as if she was really there. He broke out into tears, before placing the stake that Buffy had left behind that first time they met onto her grave. He took Anya's hand and followed Willow and Tara.
Giles had talked to her of how great she was, and how much he would miss her, his daughter. He then set down his journal that he had written since he had first met Buffy, and placed it on the other side of her grave.
Spike had simply fell to his knees in front of her grave, traced her name, and wished her well before moving on, wobbling with his drink through the graveyard.
Wesley, Gunn, and Cordelia, a little uncomfortable with the situation, had said their goodbyes before joining the others.
Only Dawn, Angel, and Anne were left. Dawn was sniffing when she approached Buffy's grave. She talked quietly to it, before taking out a tattered piece of cloth. It was what she wore the first time she had come home from the hospital. Though Dawn knew she wasn't real,
she still felt like that was the turning point for her. The first time she ever met her sister.
Dawn held back sobs before moving to Angel. She gave him a hug and moved on to the others.
Angel stood before Buffy's graveyard. Slowly, he started speaking, "In all the time I've known you, Buffy... I never thought that you would be... like this... I always thought you'd live a
longer life." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a satin sack, "I'm not saying goodbye... I know I've said this before, but its true. It's too hard. So, until we meet again," He pulled out the claddagh ring, kissed it, "Where this ring pointing toward you... it means you belong to someone... I will always belong to you Buffy..." He placed the ring on the top of her grave, "Now and forever, love..."
Anne looked up at Angel, sniffing softly as she watched Angel's silent tears fall down his cheeks.
He looked down at her, and she shifted her pig in her arm before resting her tiny head against his arm. He took her small gesture of comfort, welcomed it as he stayed there for as long as he could.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Not too far away from the grave of Buffy Summers, the park was where Angel had escaped with little Anne. He watched her move slowly toward the swing set, and suddenly, he regretted showing Anne his feelings for Buffy. She was just a child. She didn't have to witness all that grief and sadness...
Anne sat on the swing, not moving at all as Angel leaned against one of the poles.
"Was Buffy nice?" Anne asked softly.
Angel smiled, "One of the nicest people you could ever meet."
Anne looked down at her feet, "Was she pretty?"
"Oh, yes. As pretty as the moon." He said.
"I wish I met her." Anne said.
"She would have loved you." Angel said, moving toward her. He knelt next to her on the swing, "You know... you sort of remind me of her..."
"Really?" Anne asked, a pretty shade of pink covering her cheeks.
"Yeah," Angel said, "Really."
Anne smiled.
Angel glanced at the sky, "It's gonna be dawn soon. I think we should get going."
Anne nodded, "Yeah."
Angel took her little hand and helped her off the swing. She moved into his arms for a moment and Angel froze as a flash of light appeared before his eyes...
~
"Aah!" Anne shouted as she fell from the cloud and landed on the ground with a thump.
"Oh!" She groaned, "Ow! That hurt! Are you okay piggy?" She looked down at her pink pig that did nothing in return.
"Good." Anne stood, glancing around. "Ooh, this place looks scary."
She glanced around the tall building with all the dust. Before she heard a loud shriek behind her.
~
"Angel?"
Angel shook his head and looked up at Cordelia. She had her arms crossed over her chest, "Are you all right? You're so pale... uh, paler..."
"I'ts nothing." Angel said, looking down at Anne, "I'm okay."
Part 9
Cordelia rolled her eyes as Anne hummed. Anne rode piggyback on Angel, her tiny hands holding onto his hair while his hands rested on her tiny legs to hold her up. She kept thinking about what had happened. They had said their goodbyes to Buffy, and what surprised
her was that Oz said he would visit her by himself. He felt like he was intruding on this, just as Gunn had.
But Oz wanted it that way. Confusing as it was, everyone respected his wishes. Oz had always been a loner. Cordy figured all that time he spent, searching for his inner werewolf or whatever, he got used to it too much.
Anne smiled as she hummed, "Mmm, mmm, mmm. Da, da, da. La, la, la, la, la, la, la. Mmm, mmm, mmm. Da, da, da, da. la, la, la, la, la, la, la."
Angel smiled listening to her hum. He was pretty sure that it was to the tune to some children's song, but he couldn't put his finger on it. She was so tiny, he could barely feel her weight on him.
Cordelia groaned, "Would you please be quiet! You`re breaking my ear drums!"
Anne frowned, looking down at Cordelia, "So? I can sing as much as I want! Can't I, Angel?"
Angel smiled, "Of course."
Cordelia exclaimed, "You're taking her side?"
"Of course he is." Anne said, "He's my angel." Anne giggled, "Right, Angel?"
Angel laughed, "Right, teeny one."
Anne giggled, "What a silly willy name." She hugged him with her arms, her face next to his as they laughed.
Angel stopped then looked forward to see Cordelia walking ahead, "Cordelia..."
"I'm bored with you two!" Cordy said, "You two are so silly! Go ahead and have your fun! And while your at it, why don't you get married?!"
"Cordelia..." Angel started as he ran to catch up with her. What was wrong with her? It was almost as if she was...
"Cordelia, are you jealous?" Angel said.
"Jealous?!" Cordy scoffed, "Of her? You've got to be kidding me!"
"I'm serious, Cordy." Angel said, "Are you jealous of all the attention Anne's been getting from everyone?"
"What?!" Cordelia shouted, "You listen here Angel. Just because that little brat has done nothing but caused trouble, not to mention, driven all of us crazy, and nearly took me out last night, why the hell would I be jealous of her?! She's just a child!"
"Much more than a mere child..." A voice cackled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Crystal looked at the couple and the child on the vampire's back. She sneered, her arms crossed over her chest, "Give me the child."
"Never." Angel said, already setting Anne down so he could get ready to fight.
"Very well," Crystal snapped before sending dark magick toward him. Angel was knocked into the nearest tree, his head hitting the tree. He groaned, "Cordelia, get Anne back to the mansion..."
"Right," Cordelia said, grabbing Anne who shouted, "No! I've gotta help Angel!" Cordelia ignored her, running away, "Shut up!"
"Oh no you don't." Crystal said, disappearing, then reappearing in front of Cordelia. "Stop right there, you're not going anywhere."
Anne gasped, dropping her piggy. She watched Crystal approach her and Cordelia, before she cried out, "Help!"
Crystal was sent spiraling into the nearby jungle gym, her body bruised when she finally collapsed against it.
Anne's eyes widened, as she gazed at the small boy. He must have been an inch or so taller than her. He wore a blue suit that sort of looked like fancy pajamas. He carried a small flute, and had sharp, pointed ears. His face was elfish, sparkles covering his skin with large red eyes. His hair was short and curly, painted like the color of a dark white with a streak of red in his bangs.
"Who are you?" Anne asked.
The boy turned to Anne and smiled, "Don't you recognize me, Anne? It's me, Leo."
"Leo?" Anne said, "I... I thought you were a dream!"
The boy, Leo, smiled, "I'm very real."
"And very dead!" Crystal shouted, preparing to attack.
Leo dodged, and played his flute. Anne watched, eyes wide as the enchanting music made fallen leaves from trees whirl around her, and slam her back into the jungle gym.
Leo moved toward Anne, and Anne was right. Standing in front of him, her vision met his shirt. "We must go." He took her hand, but she stopped, "Wait! We can't leave Angel!"
Leo looked at the vampire, than back to Anne, then sighed, "All right." And hurried to the vampire's side.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Oh my God!" Willow shouted, "Are you guys all right?"
The whole gang rushed to Angel's and Cordelia's side, checking if they were okay. Anne and Leo stood off to the side, watching everyone run around in a strange chaotic frenzy.
Angel grunted as he sat onto the couch, then, finally, Leo got everyone's attention.
"Uh... who's the elf?" Xander asked.
Anne smiled, "This is Leo! He's the only other person I've ever played with! He's a dream elf and he protects me when no one can."
"Oh--oh..." Tara stuttered, "That's what you met by `never played with people before.' I was wondering what you meant."
"As long as I can remember, Leo's always been there for me." Anne smiled, holding her pig tightly.
Leo smiled, "Hey Anne, do you wanna play?"
"Oh, yeah!" Anne shouted, hopping up and down, "Can you make piggy dance again?"
"Sure!" Leo smiled, taking his oddly shaped flute and playing it. Slowly, her pig flew out of her hands and started to dance in the air. Anne giggled, "Wee! Go piggy!"
"Uh, just out of curiosity, is anyone else confused?" Oz asked.
Everyone rose their hands.
"Oh! Oh--oh--oh!" Anne shouted, "Leo, you've gotta play with Xander! He's so much fun!"
"Ah, not now, Anne." Xander said, "We've gotta try and find out what exactly you are and who that freaky lady is."
Leo stopped playing, and looked at the people, "I already know who she is."
"You do?" They all asked.
"You do?" Anne asked, "Leo, why didn't you tell me?"
Leo looked down, then back at Anne, "I wasn't aloud. The Powers that Be wouldn't let me until I got you to the warriors that they said would help me protect you."
"Warriors?" Anne said, "They're not warriors, their just people."
"No, no." Leo said, "Their not. They can protect you so much."
"Who is she, really?" Cordelia asked, tired of waiting for answers that everyone needed.
Leo turned away, "You might not believe me, but... it's better to show you,"
"Show us? What--"
But before any other word could be spoken, Leo had created a strong light and encircled all of their minds. He started to show them the pictures as he told them the story...
Part 10
"What on Earth..." Giles stopped as the scene around them changed and shifted. He was shocked to see the last scenes of the fight with Glory play before him.
Dawn gasped, watching her sister and she speak. She cried out for Buffy to stop, but it was no use. In a matter of minutes, her sister died in front of her all over again.
"Why are we looking at this?!" Dawn cried, "Why?"
Anne sniffed, tugging at Leo's hand, "Leo, make it stop!"
"I can't." Leo said, "I'm showing you all this because it will answer all of your questions." Leo sighed, taking his flute and bringing it up to his lips and playing another tune.
Gasps and shouts sounded as the scene changed and Leo's words was the only sound, "When she sacrificed herself, all the power of the key and the power of the portal were sucked into her. You weren't able to see it, with your mortal eyes, but I can. Look through my eyes. Look
at what happened again."
It appeared, the energy that they had never seen before showing now. The energy that built around the portal crashed into Buffy's limp body, as did the energy from Dawn.
"The key is no longer that energy. But a normal human being." Leo turned to him, "You're a living being now, Dawn. You're no longer the key, no longer a ball of energy."
Dawn's eyes widened, and she swore she was about to faint when Spike hurried to catch her. He was too damned confused to say a word, from the first moment he entered the mansion and saw that weird boy.
Leo brought his flute back up to his lips, then gazed at them, "In turn, her soul couldn't handle that overload." The others watched as they gathered Buffy's dead body, "So, she did the only thing her spirit could do. Using the powers that she earned in that moment before her death, she created a clone of her body, and that clone died."
"Wait, are you saying that we buried a clone of Buffy?" Xander asked.
"Yes," Leo said, "Her spirit then managed to reach the sky, but the power worked against her. You see, the power that Buffy consumed was too much for her state, and it took a different affect. It changed her body."
Leo sighed as the next scene unfolded before their eyes.
A small cloud formed near the building they had occupied not too long ago, growing larger and larger until finally...
"Ah!" Anne shouted as she fell and landed on her bottom, "Oh, Ow! That hurt! Are you okay piggy?" She looked down at her pink pig that did nothing in return.
"Good." Anne stood, glancing around. "Ooh, this place looks scary."
She glanced around the tall building with all the dust. Before she heard a loud shriek behind her.
The group gasped, but then sighed as Anne turned to see a fleeing old woman run away.
Leo played his flute, "She was made into Anne. A tiny child who knew nothing of who she was or what her purpose was. The Powers sent me to her, since I have spent my whole life protecting children that would affect the future. I have protected Joan of Arc, Cleopatra, and almost every woman who has effected our time."
The others watched as Anne wondered down streets of Sunnydale, trying to figure out where she was, and where her mama was when Leo appeared in front of her. Anne shrieked, "Who are you?! What do you want?"
"My names Leo." He said, "I'm a dream elf. I'm here to protect you."
Anne frowned, "Are you serious?"
Leo smiled, "Very serious," Before he played his flute and made her
pig dance. Anne shouted, "Wow!"
Bringing the flute up to his lips, he went on, "I told her that I was a dream at first, unsure of what to do, but I knew I had to get her to you guys. That women you saw, her name is Crystal. She's a warlord in another dimension and needs to get there by using Anne. Anne is now the key, she has the magickal energy within her, and Crystal will do anything to get home."
Anne frowned, "Wait, I'm not real?"
Leo looked at Anne, "Of course you are, Anne. You're just not
yourself right now. You're suppose to be a lady, grown up with great powers, greater than mine."
Anne started, "But I don't wanna have great powers! I wanna be a kid!"
"I know, but that's not who you are." Leo said, "You're a Slayer. You fight the bad guys and protect people and children just like me."
Anne sniffed, "I don't care," And ran away, out of Leo's reach. The magick illusion shattered and they were all back in Angel's mansion.
"Whoa! Freaky!" Gunn said.
"I'll say!" Cordy huffed.
Angel glanced around, "Where did Anne go?"
"Don't worry," Leo said, "I'll find her."
"Are you sure?" Willow asked.
Leo smiled, "It's my job." Before he disappeared, leaving the others to let what he showed them sink in.
Part 11
Anne ran as fast as her tiny legs could take her. It was daylight now, so she was certain she would be safe. All she really did know was that she hated it now.
< I hate this place! > Anne thought, holding her piggy so it held up her chin as she ran, < I want my mommy! >
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dawn sat on the floor next to Spike, still trying to cope with what had just happened, "I don't believe it..."
"But it makes sense, doesn't it?" Tara said, "Leo showed us what happened and explained it to us."
"I knew Anne looked familiar," Willow said, "In that dream state I was in with Buffy, I met her younger self. Of course she was a lot older, like eight, but still, the only difference is that she's smaller."
"It's not your fault," Tara said, putting her hand into hers, "We couldn't have known."
"Angel, are you okay?" Cordelia asked after a while of watching him sulk in the corner. Something was definitely on his mind.
"No." Angel said honestly, thinking about Anne. She was Buffy... his love... and she had disappeared almost five hours ago, "I know this sounds strange, but I felt... I felt a strong bond with her, and something inside of me screamed not to let anyone hurt her..."
"Don't worry," Gunn said, "That elf dude is gonna bring her back safe and sound, you'll see."
Angel gazed at the entranceway that Anne had used moments before, "I hope so."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Anne sniffed as she sat on the swing, watching all the other children play in the sunshine. She yawned, she was really tired and hungry. She got off of the swing and paddled over to the large tree.
She sat below it and watched the children with their happy families again.
Anne sniffed again, and cried into her piggy. She glanced up at the sky at the fell of small droplets on her skin. She looked up to see it raining, and curiously watched as the sky became black. The children all ran to their parents who rushed them into their cars and vans.
She was alone now.
Thunder sounded, and Anne winced, tightening her hold on her pig even as the rain came pouring down. She cried as she ran from the park, searching for some kind of shelter.
"Ahh!" Anne screamed as she heard the angry storm rage on behind her.
Part 12
"Mommy!" Anne shrieked running through the graveyard in the pouring ran. Her piggy was all wet now, and she was soaked to the bone. She felts so lost and alone, so scared and frightened.
Anne cried as she ran over graves, until she finally lost her balance and fell to the ground. She groaned, crying so loudly that she couldn't even hear the storm anymore.
She crawled on her tiny hands and knees towards one of the graves, and touched it to help get herself up when she saw the name on the grave.
< No... >
J.O.Y.C.E. S.U.M.M.E.R.S....
"No!" Anne shouted, stumbling away from the grave. Her piggy lost and forgotten, she grabbed at the fresh grass that covered her mother's grave and tore at it. She dug with her tiny hands, sobbing as she clawed at the dirt and stones that quickly turned into mud as the storm went on.
"Mommy... mommy... mommy, no, no!" Anne cried as her face landed in her dirty hands. Her tears falling as harshly as the rain above. She was shaking, cold, scared, alone....
And then the light came.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Anne!" Leo shouted, glancing around the park.
Using his powers, Leo disappeared from the parks swings, and appeared again in a tree that protected him from the rain.
He glanced down at the tiny ribbon that lay wrapped around his shirt. He touched that red ribbon, and the memory came...
~
"Wow, Leo!" Anne giggled, "I'm so glad you saved us!"
Leo smiled, blushing slightly, "It was nothing."
"But you're a hero now!" Anne went on, reaching up into her ponytail.
"Anne, what are you doing?" Leo asked.
Anne smiled as she pulled out one of her ribbons. She kissed it, then tied it to one of the small hole-loops at the hem of his shirt, "There! It's a present. Like how the knight is suppose to wear his princesses colors, you can wear my ribbon! So when you fight, I'm always with you!"
Leo smiled, "Thanks Anne..."
~
A stray tear fell onto that ribbon. Leo took it into his hand, undoing the ribbon from his shirt. He brought it up to his face, and he swore he could have seen Anne's face in it.
He wiped his cheek, then tied the ribbon around his pipe. For he knew that if he wanted the best of luck, it would have to be with the only other thing that held sentimental value to him.
"Don't worry Anne. I'm coming..." Leo whispered, just before the flash of light struck up.
"Oh no!" Leo shouted, "The beam! Anne's in trouble!"