Disclaimer:  These characters in no way belong to me.  They are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy Productions, and Twentieth Century Fox.  The story, however, is my creation.

Author’s Note:  I must apologize for the lengthy delay in updating my various WIPs – Kindred Series: Book Two, The Path Less Traveled, and The Circle Unbroken.  I received an unexpected but very welcome promotion at work the end of last year and my free time has not been my own since then.  I am completing a necessary licensing process in the next two weeks and will be resuming updates on all my WIPs at that time.  In the meantime, this was just a little one-shot that popped into my head today and would not be ignored.

Summary:  My take on another way Buffy could come back and the reactions of those involved in her resurrection.

Defining Me

She was at peace, and had been for some time…  Although time had no real concept to her in this place, come to think of it.  She only knew that she was safe and warm and loved, and most importantly – at peace.  There were vague memory flashes from her previous life, but they were more like brief glimpses of what had been and held no real draw for her.  If forced to describe them, she could have summed them up easily as being irrelevant to her current condition.  And that was not something she wished to change, for although the memories were vague and infrequent, they were also dark and foreboding.  When one occasionally resurfaced, she was relieved to be able to push it away again and focus on her peaceful state of existence instead.  Until it all changed.

On that occasion, the memories came hard and fast and were relentless, tearing at her and stripping away her sense of peace.  The warmth and light were violently wrenched from her and she was left shivering in the dark.  And she was suddenly reacquainted with physical pain – a sensation she had long forgotten – the sense of being torn in two…literally ripped in half.  Frantically she grabbed onto her peaceful realm and held on tightly, but she could feel her grip slipping and feared the darkness that was trying to swallow her whole.

Then something unexpected happened.  Another’s presence surrounded her.  She knew this presence.  It was familiar, but had long been absent.  It was all around her and it was comforting her.  She could understand what it was telling her and she knew that she had only split seconds to make a decision.  Choose to embrace this presence and receive the protection that was being offered.  Or deny it and face the darkness alone.  This was an intolerable option and there was no hesitation on her part.  She agreed and heard the presence whispering to her to let go.  So she did and was suddenly engulfed in a sensation unlike any other as she was made whole again.

*****

There was no one present to witness the rebirth of the warrior.  No one to assist her as she punched her way out of the earth.  But then again, she did not require anyone’s help as powerful hands released her body from its physical prison.  Standing upright in the moonlight, she took a moment to shake the dirt from her hair and to stretch her limbs gracefully.  The only sound was of her unused joints popping.

She closed her eyes to center herself and to focus.  Her awareness was magnified ten-fold as she picked up on what was happening in town.  She opened her eyes and carefully marked her location.  A quick lash of her left foot and the offending tombstone was no more.  Smiling grimly at the shattered bits of stone, she began to stride quickly toward Sunnydale.  The Slayer had returned and was on the hunt.

*****

She found them in an alley – the demon bikers who were creating havoc in her town and her so-called friends who had created havoc in her afterlife.  She dispatched the demons easily as her former friends looked on in amazement.

Buffy had never moved so fluidly or been as powerful as the being in front of them.  And, yes, it was definitely Buffy, but she was fighting like never before seen.  The four friends were speechless as they watched her defeat the demon bikers without breaking a sweat or allowing them to land a single blow.  The two oldest friends were overjoyed at what they perceived to be the return of their dear friend, but with upgraded skills.  The blonde witch was unsure of what she saw as the Slayer’s aura was off – magnified definitely, but also something she couldn’t quite determine.  Only the former demon had an inkling of what they were witnessing and she was more than a little scared to acknowledge the possible consequences.

The fight was over in no time at all and there were only the five of them in the alley.  The red witch and the carpenter started to run forward, words of welcome on their lips until the Slayer fixed them all with a level look.  Words died unspoken as they met the fierce glare of the warrior in front of them, each of them feeling the dismissal clearly as she turned and marched away.

With worried glances at each other, the four friends followed the Slayer as she walked steadily toward Revello Drive.  Murmured whispers were exchanged between them, but ignored by the subject of their conversation.  She moved unwaveringly toward her goal, neither faltering in her step nor lagging to wait for the others.

*****

The Slayer did not hesitate at the sight of her former home, but instead walked straight through the front door, not bothering to close it behind her.  As she paused in the entryway and closed her eyes to focus inward, the four following her bunched up in the doorway.  Only one of them had an inkling of what the Slayer was doing when her eyes snapped open and she proceeded into the kitchen.  And it only served to confirm the former demon’s guess, as she gathered her courage for the confrontation that she now knew was to come.

Once in the kitchen, the Slayer poured herself a glass of water and stood by the island staring at the back door…waiting.  Her oldest male friend tried to get her attention, but was annoyed when his girlfriend frantically hushed him and pointed toward the door that was the Slayer’s focus.  As the Slayer continued to ignore them and the tension built, the red witch felt her anger grow at what she determined to be a lack of gratitude on the part of the Slayer toward the very people who had brought her back.  She stepped forward and opened her mouth to speak, but found herself frozen in place by a glare from the Slayer.  After a moment she was released and was able to step back, but was shaken by the momentary lack of control and power to move or speak.  She stared at her old friend, realizing that something was different, but not sure yet what that might be.

The Slayer tensed as the back door opened, but relaxed immediately as young Dawn Summers entered the house.  The two sisters stared at each other, one in shock and elation and one in recognition and acceptance of the truth.  A whispered “Buffy?” was met with open arms and a soft smile.  As the two girls embraced, their friends relaxed thinking that everything was going to be okay after all.  This concept was quickly shattered when the Slayer spoke for the first time that evening.  “Sister/daughter, where is your father?”

*****

Dawn stared at her sister in surprise at that question – both for the odd wording and the request itself.  But the answer formed in her mind even as she considered the matter and she knew without a doubt who Buffy was referring to even as she smiled and answered that he was outside and would be in shortly.  Spike had sensed the Scoobies inside the house and sent her inside for safety, but had picked up on something else and wanted to check it out first.

As she stared at her sister, basking in the joy of unexpected reunion, Dawn knew that Buffy was different, but that it was as it should be.  She felt such a sense of rightness being beside her that her young soul was calm – not anxious – for the first time she could remember.  Even the worried glances and hushed whispers of the Scoobies from the other side of the kitchen could not disrupt the harmony that she felt flowing between herself and her sister.  It was as if a connection had been opened between them that had always been there, but never been tapped before now.  Looking into Buffy’s eyes, Dawn could see that she felt it also and she smiled, feeling secure.  As one the sisters turned toward the back door as it opened and the vampire in question appeared.

Spike had never felt as he did at the moment the door opened and he laid eyes on his Slayer and her sister.  Every hair on his body stood on end and there was a whispering in his head that was growing louder and louder till he thought he must make out what it was saying or go insane for trying.  Then she smiled gently at him and held out her hand and the world stopped.  He was lost in her eyes and what he saw there.  The Scoobies and their wide eyes and disapproving stares didn’t exist.  There was only the Slayer in all her glory.

The scared tired girl from before was gone.  The girl was still there alright…he could still catch a glimpse of her.  But before him stood the woman and the warrior she was destined to become.  She was his future and she was beckoning him forward.  He could do naught but respond.  And as their hands clasped, his little bit grabbed his other hand and the circle was complete.  All three of them felt the shift as the connection locked into place.  Spike and Dawn looked at each other and in unison deferred to the Slayer who nodded and released their hands, breaking the spell, but not the union.  Spike wrapped his arm around Dawn’s waist and they waited to see what she would do next.

The Slayer stood in front of them and turned toward the other four who had remained forgotten by the living room entrance.  She stared at them until, one by one, they looked away.  Only then did she step toward them and speak.  “What justification do you give for your impudent actions this night, mortals?”

Three of the four friends exchanged shocked glances as the former demon slipped listlessly to the floor and hid her face in her hands.  Her boyfriend glanced down at her in surprise, but was quickly distracted by the angry response from his oldest friend as she touted their rescue from a hellish dimension and the lack of gratitude.  The resounding command of “SILENCE!” and the inability to talk allowed the young man to notice and wonder at his girlfriend’s tears as she finally lifted her head to look at the Slayer.  Following her line of vision, he was surprised that the Slayer was standing directly in front of them.  She met each of their eyes with a searching look, but he did not know what she was searching for until she spoke again.

“Foolish mortals, you presume much.  Heaven’s Chosen One was at rest until you ripped her away from her just reward.  Had she not been of the Slayer line and entitled to our strength, she would have been devastated by the return to her former body.  It was only by our intervention that she was spared this fate.  It is by our designation that she will be able to fulfill the destiny of the True Slayer.  And it is by our decree that each of you shall answer for your sins this night.”  Tear-stained faces lifted, expressions ranging from shock to grief to anger.

“You know well what I am, former demon, do you not?  And do you not also know better than to allow what happened tonight?  Yet you acted only to please this mortal man with whom you are joined.  Because of this you shall always be striving to please men, but never be successful, living out an unfulfilling existence as a mortal yourself.”

Turning to the next, “You followed your friend without questioning her motives or methods.  Your weakness is your dependence on others for leadership.  Your destiny was to have been a successful businessman, but you are now bound to always work for others but never to rise above them regardless of your efforts.”  Blanching at the thought, but feeling that he got off lightly, Xander did nothing but nod.

“Little witch, you have become dark indeed.  You acted out of arrogance using power that was not yours to borrow and engaging in dark acts.  Pride and control are your undoing.  Your abilities are stripped from you and you shall never again have the power you seek.”  Willow gasped in pain as she felt the power leave her and crumbled to the floor, fingers grasping at air.

Turning to the last member of their group, the Slayer’s gaze softened slightly.  “And you, gentle witch, you know better than any not to disrupt the balance of nature.  Yet you allowed this to happen and even supported the efforts of your lover.  Your punishment is incongruent to your crimes, but it is thusly, that your own lifespan has been shortened considerably.  You do not deserve so harsh a sentence as you were not the prime offender in this matter.  However, the knowledge of what this has cost you will be the greatest retribution for your partner’s own crimes as she must live with this always.”  Tara’s eyes filled with tears but she did not deny the sentence even as Willow screamed out in pain and denial against such a fate.

The four friends huddled together in shock and grief, none of them quite able to comprehend what had passed this night.  Even as the Slayer ordered them to leave her presence and they obeyed, remorse gripped them all and tightened its hold on their souls.  As breath seemed to choke in their lungs, and they despaired of ever resting easy again, they walked away from the house on Revello Drive, and the life and friend they thought they had known.

*****

The End