Author's Note: I wrote through part 4 of this series before seeing the season premieres of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dawson's Creek. Read the rest of the series before you read this.
Far from Home Part 4
"Come on," Pacey said. "You've been here for two weeks and you still won't talk to me?"
"I have to stay focused," Buffy said, picking up some dirty dishes.
"On what?" Pacey asked. "Not getting ketchup on your thumbs?"
"No, not breaking any more dishes."
"Look, I'm sorry I used a line on you when I first saw you, but I want to talk to you," Pacey said. "For instance, why don't you go to school?"
"Dropped out," Buffy replied.
"Where are you from?"
"Far away from here."
"Why don't I ever see you leave here?"
"No place to go."
"Can I take you to the Rialto tonight, then?" Pacey asked seriously.
"Pacey, I understand that you're not a bad guy and you're certainly persistant. I just got out of a really complicated relationship really suddenly. I'm sorry but I can't go out with you," Buffy took off her apron. "I've got to go."
"All right, Angel, I'll see you around?"
"Yeah," Buffy said a little nervously. She still wasn't quite used to her new name. "Especially if you keep coming by here to bother me," she added nicely. Maybe a new friend could help her move on. She walked to her room and sat down on her matress because that was still the only place to sit. "Another week's worth of wages and I think it's time for a shopping trip." She laid back. She stared at the ceiling and thought about how she missed her friends, her mother, Angel. She had already lost him once. She couldn't handle losing him again.
What about the vampires? Buffy suddenly thought. I haven't seen a vampire since I got here. Then again, I haven't left the Icehouse since I got here. She wondered how many innocent had died because she was once again denying her fate, but it had to stop. She couldn't do it anymore. Exhuasted, she closed her eyes.
************************************************
The glass shattered against ithe floor. Her mother just wouldn't understand. She was the Slayer, accept it.
"This stops now."
"No, it doesn't," Buffy insisted. "It never stops."
Buffy walked out of the house. If her mother didn't want her back, that was her choice. She thought Buffy was a crazed lunatic, anyway, capable of murder.
Buffy was suddenly on the beach in the short flowing dress. "Oh, no," she said. "Not again. Not Angel. I can't do this anymore." She watched silently as Angel approached her. He walked up to her and put his arms around his waist.
"Angel. Angel, what's going on? What can I do to bring you back?"
"I'll never leave," Angel said. "Not even if you kill me," he whispered into her ear.
Buffy closed her eyes and opened them to see Angel with a sword through his chest. He was making painful gasping noises as he looked down in shock at the sword potruding from his body. He looked back at Buffy though pleading eyes. She stumbled back and looked helplessly at him. Angel outstretched his arm in a silent plea for Buffy to save him from the fiery portal. "Buffy..."
"No!" Buffy screamed, suddenly running over to help him. She was too late. Angel disappeared into Acathala. Buffy sadly turned away and bumped into Angel. "Not even if you kill me," his voice echoed. She backed up.
"I loved you," Angel sneered. He clenched his fist around the still open wound he had made on his hand to free Acathala. Buffy watched as the blood dripped from Angel's hand. Her as widened as the bood dripping from the slash she made in his chest mirrored the blood dripping from his hand.
"No," Buffy slowly backed away. "Not loved, love. Love," she said deperately. "I tried to save you, I did. What can I do? Angel, I love you." Angel's form vanished right before her eyes. "I'll be back," she heard echo in her mind. "I will."
***************************************************
Buffy awoke, startled, the words "not even if you kill me" still in her ears. That was the third time she had that dream. Everything Angel did was the same. She wondered why the dream started with her mother kicking her out of the house, though. Buffy sat up and closed her eyes to the tears. "Angel may have been sucked into that portal," she whispered to no one, "but I'm the one who went to hell."
***************************************************
Xander was silent the whole walk to the library.
"It's okay," Willow reassured him. "It will be. Maybe this is just a fluke. I mean, why didn't we find her body?"
"Angel would have taken it," Xander said finally, "and buried her."
"Okay, will someone please tell me what's going on?" Jen whined.
"Giles!" Willow yelled. "We're here."
"Yes, yes, of course," Giles came out from behind a bookshelf. "Um... who's this."
"Jen," Willow introduced her.
"The vampire slayer," Xander added softly.
"But that can't be," Giles said, "Buffy's not--"
"How do you know she's not?" Xander demanded. "How else do you explain this? She's dead!"
"I'm going to call her mother," Willow said quietly.
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Jen begged.
"All right, Jen, that's it, isn't it?" Giles started. "First, I need to ask you a few questions. Why are you here?"
"My Grams said that there was an... Alcoid or something of great evil that needed destroying. I haven't been able to find anything on it, yet."
"Your Grams?"
"Yeah, she's my watcher person."
"I see."
"Willow and I think that Angel killed Buffy but was cursed before he could open Acathala," Xander said.
"No," Giles said puzzled, "that can't be right. If the curse worked and Acathala was never opened, Willow must have changed Angel right after he killed Buffy. If Jen became the new Slayer when Buffy died, she would never have known of Acathala because he wasn't a threat anymore."
"I have news!" Willow suddenly burst into the room shouting. "Buffy's mom asked if I've seen Buffy. I was about to tell her when she told me she hasn't heard from her since she got a note from her the day after her mom apparently found out what was going on and threw her out. Don't you see? That means Buffy's still alive! She just ran away!"
"Then how?" Xander pointed to Jen.
"Of course," Giles suddenly looked up from where he was staring at the floor.
"Enough!" Jen started to get really annoyed. "Will someone please tell me what's going on before I start kicking some serious butt?"
"But--" Xander still pointed to Jen.
"I said enough."
"Man, you and Cordelia sure wouldn't get along," Xander muttered.
"Well, the previous Slayer, actually, she still is... I was her Watcher. And these are her best friends," Giles explained. "She was in love with a vampire--"
"A good vampire," WIllow added.
"Yes, you see it's all very complicated," Giles responded to Jen's quizzical look. "You may have heard of him, um... does Angelus sound familiar?"
"He was only the most evil vampire ever!" Jen's eyes widened.
"Well, he was good," Giles said, "he got cursed with a soul by a Gypsy."
"He is good, you mean," Willow corrected him, "I know that I cursed him again. Oh no, I'm not a witch. Not yet, anyway. And I plan to be a very good witch," Willow told an amazed Jen.
"Yes, well, he loved Buffy very much as well."
"The previous Slayer?" Jen asked.
"Yes," Giles said," But I have reason to believe that she, too, is the current Slayer. A few months ago, she and Angel as we call him decided to do something about their love since they were together for a very long time. What we didn't know was that one moment of true, complete happiness would, uh, transform him back into Angelus."
"She must have been pretty good for him," Xander twitched.
"Xander!" Willow warned him.
"Angelus found Acathala and was going to use him to suck the world into hell," Giles continued. "They had captured me and, with some help from a vampire named Spike who is still evil, Buffy brought Xander to free me and we fled. She must have fought Angel, but since then they both disappeared and Acathala is no longer a threat."
"Wow," Jen said simply. "Wow. Where could she be? With Angel?"
"No, remember? Her mom said she ran away," Willow said.
"We still haven't explained that," Xander gestured towards Jen.
"I have a name," she said, annoyed. She was far from home and was very frustrated with this whole Slayer thing.
"Buffy's not dead," Giles said. He paused. "But Kendra is."
**************************************************
Feedback? Ideas? Send 'em on over! Stay tuned for the next part.