Fic : Homeward Bound (2/?)

[buffythebushkangaroo@xxxxxxxxxxx]

*hug*

Anne-Lise

--

I know hate. I can understand hate. Hatred is an old ally of mine. 
Worse than hatred though is disinterest. Like the Slayer and her 
pals. I wanted them to see the real me. I even cast a spell so that 
they could... And afterward? Nothing. No recognition of what I had 
once been, only the antipathy that had been there before. I wanted to 
show them. I wanted them to see that just once... I could be 
somebody. And now its too late. The Slayer... Buffy... gone.
Gone before I had my chance at revenge.
The newspapers have taken to calling me The Reaper. I kinda like 
the name. Much cooler than Jonathan. Who would be scared of a 
Jonathan? But fear... I'm beginning to learn all about fear. And 
soon, so shall Willow Rosenberg.
Time to write another letter.
Maybe this time... I'll enclose a finger.

*

"Hi." Quinn's to-die-for eyes met Buffy's as they opened.
"Hey," she greeted and pulled herself to a sitting position. "Where 
am I?"
"No idea." Quinn replied with a grimace.
"You don't know?" Buffy frowned. "You don't... live here?"
Quinn raised his eyebrows as he looked around the desolate 
landscape. "Nope."
Buffy raised her shoulders in an infinitesimal shrug. "Okay."
"I'm Quinn. The guy behind me is my brother Colin." Colin nodded a 
greeting. "My friends Rembrandt and Maggie are in a shelter over 
there. Maggie has trouble breathing the air here. She's gotten better 
at Earth-standard atmosphere but this place is oxygen-rich."
"I'm Buffy," Buffy replied. She felt the vortex of conversation 
forcing her to say something else. "I'm from Sunnydale."
Quinn grinned. "That narrows it down."

*

"Hello?" Tara's voice called tentatively through the door. "It's 
m... me."
I open the door to find Tara has brought some company. "Hey Dawn," 
I say through my embarrassment. "I'll just... get clothes on."
Dawn nodded as I span and grabbed my bra off the bed. So much for a 
romantic evening. Tonight, or ever.

*

"Are you sure you should be up and about so soon?" Quinn asked. "You 
didn't look so good earlier. Maybe you should rest some more."
"No," Buffy replied. "I'm good. I need to know what's happened, find 
out where I am and what I'm doing here. I want to know why I was 
attacked by an evil twin. I want to know what your deal is."
"Hey!" Quinn gave her another disarming smile. "Calm down. I'll tell 
you my story, but be warned, we've less than twelve hours before we 
have to leave."
Buffy's eyes grew wide. "Less than twelve hours? Jeez, can't you 
just give me the digest version?"

*

"Wow." Dawn's eyes widened. "Now I see why my sister was so totally 
into you."
I can see the muscles in my lover's back tense. I know she's taken 
Buffy's death hard. I've given her the space... But I don't think 
things will ever be the same between us again. She's built a wall to 
keep us apart.
Willow turned slowly, clad only in her midnight-black panties and 
hands over her breasts. Her demure smile burned its way into my heart.
"She was?" Willow asked, staring curiously at Dawn.
Dawn swallowed. "Please..." she pleaded. "Put some clothes on?"
"Okay." Willow seemed to move as if covered in treacle. Well, 
almost. I remember how she moved when smeared with yoghurt.
"Your face has gone all red," Dawn pointed out with the tact of 
youth as she stared at me. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you." Her 
apology extended to Willow who was rapidly fastening up her blouse. 
Dawn's mischievous smile resurfaced. "But you are beautiful, you 
know."
Willow squeaked and pelted into the bathroom. I couldn't help but 
join in Dawn's giggles.

*

"So you're jumping blind each time?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah, kind of." Quinn grimaced. "The Kromaggs' have a technology 
that can more accurately pinpoint the destination."
"Kromaggs?" Buffy giggled. "Sounds like something from The Time 
Machine."
Quinn sighed. "These things are no joke. They prey upon humans. 
They're demons."
"Demons?" Buffy's eyebrows rose. "Now we're talking shop."

*

Willow and Tara gazed at each other while I pretended not to stare.
"Hey Dawn..." I looked up. "You want to play with some of the cool 
things Giles would never let us touch?"
I gazed around the Magic Box and giggled. "Yeah, right. How about 
we summon another one of those cool troll guys?" I asked. Suddenly I 
couldn't help myself and the tears started to flood once more.
"Oh god, Dawn." Both Willow and Tara wrapped me in their arms as I 
cried. I don't know when it happened. I don't know when the hugs 
turned into kisses. I only knew... It was what I wanted. After all, 
wasn't I made from the Slayer? Summers blood... Look, we're the same.

*

"Its almost time to slide," Quinn reported. Buffy and Colin helped 
support Maggie. Rembrandt stood off to one side, tired from his 
ceaseless care for his charge.
"Kinda like Quantum Leap." Buffy mused. "Each leap... could be the 
leap back home."
"I loved that show." Quinn said.
"Me too," Buffy agreed. "Willow used to come over and watch it with 
me on Thursday nights. Good times had by all."
"Willow?" Quinn shared a glance with Rembrandt. "From Sunnydale? 
That would be Willow Rosenberg?"
"You know her?" Buffy's mouth dropped open.
Quinn nodded. "We met a Willow Rosenberg. She was a demon hunter on 
this weird vampire-infested alternate earth. She had this creepy 
librarian guy with her all the time... Really spooked us out. That, 
and she was really into leather. She got killed helping us fight the 
Kromaggs. That was a... long time ago. It couldn't have been your 
friend."
Buffy nodded, spooked.
"Its time!" Quinn pressed a button on the timer and the portal burst 
into existence. "Let's slide."

*

The Reaper watched them from across the street. His interest and 
libido piqued by the strange twist in events. In his twisted world he 
was punishing Willow by hurting redheads and cutting off their 
fingers... But here was a more pertinent happiness he could 
destroy... And one closer to his victim's heart.
Fear... he must engender more fear... She must feel afraid. Afraid 
for herself, and for her friends.
The Reaper smiled.

*

End Part 2.