Title: A Slayers Holiday: There and Back Again
Author: Wildecate
Rating: G - for the moment
Notes: Since you were all so nice the first time round, here we go again.
Pairing: None as yet
Credits: Joss Whedon/JRR Tolkein - ya de ya de ya

*The last chapter which has, I know, been a long time coming. I'm sorry. Life has been difficult recently. Song by Martyn Joseph.*


Do not disturb me, We all have to dream
Sweet tender moments, With life in between
I keep my eyes open, But that's out of fear
Deep in my being, I'm simply not here
I'm finding a moment, That will be mine alone
And this is a journey, I'll make on my own
So do not disturb me, We all have to live
Inside what we long for, And not what we give
Your eyes tell of journeys, Quite painful enough
So do not disturb me, I'm looking for love
Do not disturb me, I'm looking for love


Buffy wandered slowly along the paths which wound their way through the fountains of Galadriel's garden, feeling the spray on her face. The moonlight was glinting off the water, turning the droplets to shining diamonds. She had been alone the entire day and although she was unsure what time it was, judging by the moon, it was late. The ground was soft beneath her feet which were still bare, her boots had been left down by the stream.

She found herself suddenly longing for Legolas but still enjoying the silence of her mind. Her thoughts which had been rushing around her head ceaselessly had finally stilled, she had achieved an order of sorts. Galadriel's calming presence had helped her face some difficult truths about herself. Buffy allowed her thoughts to dwell briefly on the elf woman but all she could recall about her was an overpowering sense of awe, of the knowledge that she had been in the presence of someone truly peaceful, and her eyes. She remembered the timeless blue eyes which had looked at her with such compassion and understanding.

Buffy tried to remember the last few days but everything still seemed blurry. She vaguely remembered something about a beach, the gritty feel of the sand beneath her fingers, the taste of the salt water on her tongue. The sun had been warm on her face and then voices, faces. When she had awoken it had been from a dream - but had it been a dream? It had seemed so real. With Galadriel by her side, holding her hand, she had re-lived the last moments of her life, the look on Dawn's face, the fear in Giles' eyes as he had seen the world around him break apart. She had known what she had to do, death was her gift and willingly she had given up her life to save, not the world, but to save Dawn, the little sister whom she had come love and protect. These memories had been constantly warring in her mind, her death at the hands of the Master, killing Angel, Faith, the Mayor, the funeral of her mother. All these thoughts had weighed heavily upon her and had she felt as though she was carrying them around with her all the time. When she was alive it had been different, she was constantly battling against demons, against evil, there was no time to think about what she had to do to survive, there was no real opportunity for her to deal with her mother's death, instead having to be brave for Dawn, to do her job as a Slayer.

There were no demands on her here, no sacred duty to perform, no demons to kill, no vampires to slay. Legolas, she knew, had waited a long time and had remained faithful. It was time for her to move on. Her life as Buffy the vampire slayer was well and truly over and now it was time to find herself. To find out what kind of woman she was.

A shadow fell across the manicured path before her and, as if in a dream, she saw him standing there. There was no expression on his elegant face, his eyes shadowed so she could not tell how he was feeling. Buffy remembered the first time she had seen Legolas, an untrusting face on the wrong end of his bow. Even after her return to Sunnydale she had vivid dreams about him. When he had taught her to use the bow and arrow correctly she had felt the warm press of his body behind her, the scent of him rising in her nostrils, leather and horses and something else, something unique only to him. The desire to touch him overcame her and Buffy could not help herself. She ran to him, flinging her arms around his neck. His embrace was warm and welcoming and he lifted her easily, raining loving kisses across her face. Her tears flowed as easily as the fountains in Galadriel's garden and he lowered her to the floor. Buffy's knees gave way beneath her and she sank to her knees, sobbing, clinging on to the one person who had kept her sane throughout all that had befallen her.

"A'mael" Legolas' old endearment for her came easily to his lips and he knelt beside her. She had never looked so beautiful to him, her face tear stained and streaked in moonlight, her bright eyes gazing up at him.

"My darling, you're here, you're safe" he whispered in her ear, starting in human but sliding into elvish. She gave a sudden sniff and a giggle as a thought occurred to her. Legolas pulled back and looked at her uncertainly, unsure what had prompted the change from intense sobbing to laughter.

"I don't understand a word you're saying" she laughed "you could be telling me that apples grow on orange trees and I wouldn't know."

He sat back on his heels and allowed a smile to break across his face and he felt the laughter bubble up in him.

This was the girl he had fallen in love with, the girl who had appeared out of the undergrowth looking grubby and dishevelled, but completely unconcerned at the thought that she was trapped in another world. She had hefted a sword as if she had been born to it and had been completely oblivious to the mess she had been in after she had fought alongside him . He had been jubilant when Galadriel had first told him of her vision and then heartbroken when he had found her again on the beach that day. He had to come to terms with the fact that the girl, the human he had fallen in love with, had fallen as low as she could, she was tired of life and she had died. Somehow, and he didn't care how, she had come back to him. He saw the sparkle come back to her eyes as she laughed at him.

Tenderly he touched her face and stroked away the tears which were still evident.

"I saw Galadriel" Buffy whispered covering his hand with hers "I've spoken with her."

Legolas found himself breathless and speechless all at once. "And?" was all he managed to say.

Buffy sat on the brick surround which edged one of the pools and dipped her hands in the cool crystal clear water. Suddenly faced with that simple question "And?" she was not sure how to answer.

"And everything is going to be OK."




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