The Seventh Slayer

By Kantayra

Epilogue

Ajaya watched the terminal as he plane pulled out onto the runway. She couldn’t see Isabelle, of course, but it helped to know that the other Slayer was somewhere in the building.

Her eyes actually misted up again at the thought of their goodbye. They’d shared one of those big, embarrassing hugs right at the gate, both promising to keep in touch over and over again until one of the stewardesses had had to break them apart and practically drag Ajaya onto to the plane.

The funny thing was that Ajaya wasn’t at all embarrassed by the uncharacteristic display of affection. Rather, she twisted her now unnecessary glasses around her fingers and burned into memory all the though she had of the friends she’d made in her brief stay here...

* * *

“I miss her already,” Isabelle sniffled into her Kleenex. She sat up on the bed and turned to where Alex was watching her impressive Kleenex consumption with something between awe and disgust. She felt obliged to give him a light whap in the arm. “Hello?” she demanded. “Need comforting here!”

“Uh, yeah,” he said with one raised eyebrow. “Well, she was a good fighter...”

Isabelle gave him a look like he was an absolute moron.

“What?!” he demanded. “You’re going to hear from her the instant she gets off the plane anyway.”

“Insensitive much?” Isabelle said sarcastically before bursting into tears once more.

Before Alex knew what had hit him, he had himself an armful of crying Slayer. “There, there,” he said, too shocked – and, yeah, aroused – to come up with anything more intelligent.

“What am I gonna do without her to annoy me?” Isabelle sniffled.

“I could always annoy you,” Alex offered with a wry grin.

Isabelle spared him an irritated look. “She was a great friend, and now she’s gone,” she huffed. “And you’re not helping.” She looked into the Kleenex box by Alex’ bed and discovered it was empty. She dangled it in front of him piteously, and he sighed.

“What do you want me to do about it?” he demanded. “I’m not allowed to leave the room, remember?”

“Fine,” Isabelle sulked, “I’ll just use your pillow instead...” She turned her head into it.

“Oh, for crying out...!” Alex exclaimed. “Nicky!” he yelled out the open door. “Monica? Does anybody have a Kleenex?!”

* * *

Buffy finally ventured to move, the aftereffects of her pleasure still pulsing through her body. With a little groan, she managed to roll over so that her head was pillowed on Spike’s bare chest. She played with the smooth skin there for a while, her fingertips drawing arcane symbols onto his chest.

“You’re worried ‘bout them,” Spike finally commented, reaching down with one shaky hand to stroke her hair.

She sighed. “They’ve all still got so many trials ahead of them...” she trailed off.

“Dunno,” Spike shrugged, “Harris did all right.”

“You call that ‘all right’?” Buffy raised one eyebrow.

“Made the right choice in the end, din’t he?” he countered.

“Mmm,” Buffy acknowledged, “but there are always more choices to make. How can we know that they’ll—”

He cut her off with a finger to her lips. “We don’t,” he said simply. “’S their lives to live. But they’ve all got good heart in ‘em...”

“Just like you did,” Buffy added softly.

“An’ you,” Spike agreed. “And we din’t turn out so badly, ‘ey pet?”

“I’d say we turned out wonderfully,” she said with a contented smile.

“An’ so with they,” he said softly. “They’ll jus’ have to take the same bumpy ride we did to get there.”

“Hmm,” Buffy murmured, “how do you always know just what to say?”

“’S a talent, my love,” he said seriously.

“And fortunately not your only one,” Buffy leaned in to kiss him, “my love...”

* * *

A little smile crossed Ajaya’s lips when the plane finally landed.

She’d never been to Tokyo before. She had no idea what to expect. She had no idea what people she’d be meeting, what new places she’d visit, what new things she’d experience...

She rose with the crowd to disembark, wondering what would await her when she got off. A little tingle of excitement went down her spine as she waited. All she knew was that her life was completely different now.

And, for some reason, that no longer scared her.

~Fin~

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