FF: Bargaining, Part 1 - Reset Season 6

["carrkjar" <carrkjar@xxxxxxxxx>]

Everyone, I'm hoping to post a chapter of this series every Tuesday.  
Like the subtitle says, I'm rewriting Season 6 of Buffy.  

Title: Bargaining, Part 1
Season 6 Reset Series

Author: Frau Hunter Ash 
Plot collaborated on by Hunter Ash and Dark Gremlin 
Suggestions from many people and many boards. A special "thank you" 
to them.

Author's Note: A Special "Thank You" to Joan the English Chick 
(pisces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) for her transcripts

Copyright © 2002 by Hunter Ash. All Rights Reserved.
Email: carrkjar@xxxxxxxxx Feedback welcome!!
Homepage Addy: http://www.hunterash.com/ 

Disclaimers: The characters and show all belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, 
Mutant Enemy, Kuzui, and God only knows who else. This story cannot 
be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be 
made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and 
copyright notices.

F/F romance: the story assumes a loving and sexual relationship 
between people of the same gender and opposite gender. If this 
offends or is illegal for you, then please leave. Come back when you 
are older, have an open mind, moved, or changed your laws. 

Spoilers: 
Bargaining, Parts 1 and 2 written by Marti Noxon and David Fury

This is the beginning of a series I'm subtitling "Season 6: Reset".  
I've noticed a lot of dissatisfaction with this season, especially as 
I'm writing this after seeing the episode 'Seeing Red'. I don't 
think I'm going to get much happier with the last two episodes either 
unless Tara comes back. Then again, it won't be the same. A line 
was crossed with Willow that I thought only vamp Willow could do, 
callous murder with casual indifference. Yes, she murdered Warren 
out of revenge but her coldness chilled and depressed me, even more 
so than Xena's death in another realm.

So, in my universe here, Season 6 is happening again! Starting with 
Bargaining and taking off from there. Things will be different in my 
world. Will characters die? Yes. Will people end up with the wrong 
characters? Probably. How will they be different? I hope my 
characters don't lose that special quality that held them together 
all these years: friendship and love. Spats and fights, yeah, but 
there was always love between them and I haven't seen that until last 
week and then only brief glimpses. I hope this series helps 
counteract the depression and dissatisfaction with the 'real' one. 

Rating: PG-13 (US, UK, Aus) Pairings: W/T, X/An 

Summary: This isn't the episode or transcript, though you'll find 
parts are taken right from the episode. Some things are rearranged 
and there are some major differences as well. 

* * *

The scream echoed throughout the large house, sending feet pounding 
down the hall in the middle of the night.

Dawn opened the door to the room that had once been her mother's and 
found exactly what she expected, Tara holding a crying Willow in her 
arms. The teenager quickly crossed the room to add her arms into the 
hug.  

It was becoming a nightly event. Either Willow or Dawn would wake up 
screaming with the nightmare of Buffy Summers' death. Willow's were 
worse, however, as thoughts of Buffy being trapped in a hellish realm 
and suffering unimaginable torture tormented Willow's thoughts and 
dreams. No one could explain why Willow's were worse and why she kept 
seeing Buffy's soul being tormented and they seemed unable to help, 
either. 

"Shhh, it's okay, baby," Tara was saying as she held Willow tightly.  

After a few minutes the crying was reduced to sniffles and then 
mumbles as Willow drifted back into sleep.

"It's been two months," Dawn whispered to Tara.

"I know, it's not getting any better," Tara agreed as she laid 
Willow's head back onto the pillow. The blonde witch looked at 
Dawn's taunt face and the dark circles under her eyes and sighed. 

"How can we help?" Dawn asked as they watched Willow sleeping 
restlessly.  

"I don't know, we're all hurting," Tara said softly.  

"She was so strong when Mom?when Mom?" Dawn whimpered and Tara 
reached over to gently stroke the teen's hair.

"I know," Tara said, keeping her voice low and soft as Dawn closed 
her eyes as well. "Shhh, just let it go."

"Hurts, should've been me," Dawn muttered.

"Shhh."

Tara waited until she was sure both Willow and Dawn were asleep 
again, before getting up from the bed. She watched them sleeping 
with an intense frown, her eyes pained. The witch went over to the 
desk and glanced at the stack of books, papers and laptop computer.  

Willow's tireless research for an answer to their grief and the 
dilemma of Sunnydale left without a Slayer.

Tara grabbed her own notebook, headed down the stairs and curled up 
on the sofa with a small reading lamp on.  

<Journal: Day 40 since Buffy's sacrifice. Willow isn't getting 
better and Dawn still isn't sleeping either. Willow is holding 
everyone together just by sheer stubbornness, I think. Goddess, 
please, it hurts so bad and I don't know how to help her!

< We patrol nightly and let a couple of minor vampires slip away 
after mentioning Buffy and her return soon from vacation. We hope 
that word spreads that Buffy will be back soon so as to keep the 
vampires and demons in the dark that she's really gone. If word gets 
out that the Slayer has died, we're afraid that the residual energies 
from the Hellmouth will attract every demon and vampire in the 
Western region and Sunnydale would become even more of a nightmare.

< I'm so tired. I'm trying to keep Willow together and it's getting 
harder. She's so strong for everyone else but Dawn and I see her 
breakdown every night. I don't know who to turn to, Giles has 
retreated into his own grief in the bottom of a bottle. Xander and 
Anya try and pull Wills out of it but she just puts on that brave 
front and says she's okay.

< Spike ignores Willow and helps me take care of Dawn. I swear I 
don't know what to make of him most of the time. I'm not even sure 
why he's around except he promised Buffy he'd watch after Dawn.  

< It's been so hard. Wills has actually found a spell that might 
work. Goddess, I can't even write this down. She wants to bring 
Buffy back. How can we even think of this?  

Tara bit the end of her pen, lost in thought as she curled her legs 
under her, suddenly cold.

< Willow thinks that because Buffy's death wasn't natural and it was 
to save the world, the spell might work. I AM SO WORRIED!!! She gets 
all evasive when I ask where she got the spell and won't tell me the 
details. Willow is a terrible liar and I know it's dangerous. She 
says that she can handle it but I'm not sure.

< When things go wrong in Sunnydale, they REALLY go wrong! I'm not 
sure I can keep this up though. Everything happened so quickly, 
somehow Willow got my mind back from Glory and then Buffy was lying 
there, gone.  

< I don't think Willow is going to snap out of this. She hasn't slept 
more than four hours at a time since that night. Goddess, guide me, 
I think I need to help her with the spell. What do you do when none 
of the answers are good ones? >

Tara closed her journal and wrapped her arms around a sofa pillow and 
cried softly.

* * *

Willow looked up at the lightning flashing all around the town and 
around the tower where Buffy was struggling to reach Dawn and at the 
little guy apparently helping Glory do the spell.

The red-head clung to Tara, confident that Buffy would stop whatever 
was happening, Buffy always won. They would stop the spell, defeat 
Glory and go for pizza.  

Willow saw the little guy disappear and Buffy and Dawn hesitating on 
the platform. What were they doing?  

"Get down from there!" she screamed as Tara blinked in confusion.

No one seemed to hear her until Willow screamed. Everyone looked up 
as Buffy turned from Dawn and headed for the end of the platform, 
diving into the vortex.

"NO!" 

"Willow! Wills! It's okay!" 

Willow blinked and realized that Dawn and Tara were shaking her 
again.  

"Oh goddess," she muttered, wrapping her arms around Dawn. "I'm 
sorry, Dawnie."

"It's okay, honest," the teen sniffled, her face streaked with her 
own tears. "I have them too."

Willow felt Tara's arms around her and leaned back against her lover, 
wishing she could draw strength from the other witch. Willow knew she 
was bordering on exhaustion.

Taking care of Dawn, going to school, keeping the Scooby Gang 
together, leading the slaying and dealing with her own grief was 
wearing down what little energy the red-haired witch had left. It 
was also chipping away at her sanity. Willow was becoming jumpy, 
nervous and irritable from the nightmares and lack of sleep.

"Sorry, guys," Willow said softly.

"We know, it'll be okay, Wills," Tara tried to smile. 

"I've got to get ready for school," Dawn announced and hugged the two 
women and bounded out of the room as Willow snuggled into Tara's arms.

"Tar?"

"I know, it's not getting easier," Tara said softly. "Can you get 
the ingredients for the spell?"

Willow sat up and looked down at Tara, her eyes wide in surprise.

"You agree?" Willow whispered.

"Not totally, but Buffy's death doesn't feel right either," Tara said 
slowly. "We can try."

"I think I can get everything, the only tricky part is the Urn of 
Osiris, it's not exactly something you can get over the Internet, you 
know," Willow said thoughtfully. "I've got Anya on it though."

"Are you sure that we should leave Giles out of this?" Tara asked, 
sitting up as well and reaching for her robe.

"Yes," Willow said firmly. "There is no way he would approve."

"Doesn't that mean we should slow down and really think about this?" 
Tara questioned.

"Yes and I have," Willow answered with a frown. "Giles doesn't trust 
us doing something this high level because of his own past. We're 
going to be careful and it's for the best reasons."

"Wills, you said it could be dangerous," Tara said softly. "I don't 
even think my Mom would have attempted something like this. This is 
really necromancy stuff."

"Only if we were raising Buffy as a zombie," Willow argued. "We're 
trying to set things right. We both know the world needs a Slayer and 
Buffy's death wasn't natural. With Faith in prison that only leaves 
bringing Buffy back."

"If Xander and Anya agree, okay?" Tara bargained.

"Okay," Willow nodded, her expression firm.

"Scooby meeting?" Tara suggested.

"Nah," Willow shrugged, looking through the closet for what clothes 
to wear for the day. "Usual slaying tonight and we wait to see if we 
can find an urn. If we can't then we'll have to switch plans."

"Willow, you said this spell was the best choice, that all the others 
had too high a cost and then you won't tell me what the price is!" 
Tara complained, her voice rising slightly.

Tara hadn't been with Willow long but she knew "resolve face" when 
she saw it and Willow was in full stubborn mode when she turned to 
face her lover.

"I need your support in this Tar," Willow said slowly. "I also know I 
have to do this and I will pay whatever price there is to bring Buffy 
back. This spell has some risks and there will be a testing."

"Testing? Willow, damnit! No secrets between us!" Tara snapped, 
listening as Dawn scampered down the hallway and down the stairs 
towards the kitchen.

"The Powers that Be will test me during the spell, to test our 
resolve, our worthiness and our need," Willow explained. "It could 
get a little rough but nothing I can't handle."

Tara frowned, not reassured by her lover at all.

"It's getting close," Willow mumbled, her eyes distant, as if 
listening to something else in the distance. "Almost time."

Tara continued to frown. 

* * *

Tara and Giles panted as they tried to keep up with Spike, dodging 
around tombstones and always keeping an eye out for open graves.  
Living in Sunnydale, they knew that funerals usually were a frequent 
weekly event.

The blonde vampire and Scooby members watched a huge vampire scurry 
over a retaining wall but when Spike reached it, the vampire was gone.

"Damnit! I'm never gonna get anything killed with you lot holding me 
back!" Spike growled as Giles leaned heavily on a gravestone.  

"I thought the big ones were supposed to tire more easily," Tara 
complained.

"No, that's over the hill shop keepers," the vampire smirked.

"I'm fine!" Giles panted. "I just need to . . . to die for a minute."

Spike turned to face Tara with a frown. "What was that powder you 
blew at him? Made him rabbit off like that."

Tara blushed and ducked her head. "It's sorbis root, it's supposed 
to confuse him, but it . . . just kinda made him peppy."

Giles looked puzzled as Spike rolled his eyes in frustration.

"You're not supposed to mix it with anything," Tara said 
thoughtfully. "You think he might be taking prescription medication?"

"Oh yeah, that must be it," Spike agreed sarcastically.

"Let's hope he doesn't try to operate heavy machinery," Giles 
smirked.  

Tara blushed an even deeper red as Giles and Spike began laughing.  

"Yeah," Spike agreed, still laughing. "We could be in real . . ."

//Guys, heads up,// Willow's voice echoed telepathically in their 
heads.  

Spike grumbled as they looked up at their Captain, standing on top of 
a tomb, wind whipping through her red hair.

//The vampire's circling back towards you, six o'clock,// she 
informed them. //Try to drive him back towards the Van Elton crypt.//

"Van Elton?" Spike muttered.

"Is that the one with the cute little gargoyles?" Tara asked aloud.

"There!" Giles suddenly pointed as the vampire dashed across their 
vision. The ex-Watcher's shout drew his attention to them and they 
doubled back.

//Make him go left!// Willow mentally shouted.

Giles stepped past Spike and threw the battle axe he was carrying, 
embedding it into a tree right next to the vampire's head. The huge 
vampire stumbled and looked startled, moving back just the direction 
Willow wanted.

The vampire ran up against a dead end between two tombs and spun 
around with a growl. He never even saw the stake flying off the tomb 
and through his heart, levitated by Willow as Tara, Spike, and Giles 
ran up. Spike snarled at being denied the kill but Giles and Tara 
looked pleased.

Willow grinned and turned to glance around the rest of the graveyard 
and spotted Anya and Xander running towards them.

//Xander, Anya, stop!// Willow yelled mentally.

The young couple stopped and looked around, startled.

"Great googly-moogly, Willow! Would you quit doing that?" Xander 
snapped.

//I told you I was going to get the lay of the land.// Willow snapped 
back.

"But not the lay of my brain!" Xander protested.

Anya looked annoyed as well. //It is intrusive, you could knock 
first or something.// 

//Xander . . . // 

"I know, I know," he grumbled. "I don't have to talk when I answer 
you. But I saw 'The Fury,' and that way lies the carnival of death."

//Xander! Vampire! Other side of that tomb! You can get the jump on 
him if you go the other way!" Willow snapped.

"Why didn't you just say so?" Xander complained and it was probably 
good that he couldn't see Willow's frustrated expression.

The young couple began moving around the tomb, following Willow's 
instructions.

Willow turned to the rest of the gang.

//Guys, they need help.// 

Spike rounded the corner of the tomb in time to see the vampire 
holding Xander in a headlock as Anya jumped on his back, attempting 
to drive a stake through him. The vampire shrugged and shook the ex-
demon off. Xander yelled and dropped to one knee, pulling the 
vampire over.  

Just as Xander was about to stake the vampire, Spike jumped in the 
middle of them, throwing Xander aside. The vampire, taking advantage 
of the confusion between the two fighters, jumped up and backhanded 
Anya.

Giles and Tara caught up with the group and the vampire kicked Tara 
in the chest sending her flying.

"No!" Willow screamed and jumped down from the tomb.

Giles, swinging the retrieved battle axe, was surprised when the 
vampire ducked and grabbed the axe handle along with Giles, throwing 
him back against the tomb wall, choking him.

"Help!" Giles croaked.

Spike, untangling himself from Xander's arms and legs with curses on 
both sides, stood up and looked around.

"Spike!" Giles choked out.

Spike smirked and walked up to the vampire and then casually moved 
away.

//What are you doing? Help him or I'll fry you!// Willow shouted as 
she ran up to Tara.

"I did," Spike continued to smirk.  

Willow and Tara's eyes widened at the sight of the vampire's shirt 
beginning to burn as Spike flipped open his lighter, lighting a 
cigarette.

The vampire, feeling the heat, let go of Giles and staggered 
backwards before bursting into fire and then exploding into dust.

Giles dusted himself off with a snarl in Spike's direction.

"You might have let me in on your plan while he throttled me," the 
Watcher complained.

"Oh, poor Watcher! Did your life pass before your eyes? Cuppa tea, 
cuppa tea, almost shagged, cuppa tea?" Spike taunted. 

Xander helped Anya to her feet and glanced around.

"I've had enough for the night, how about you guys?" he asked 
wearily. "I've got work in the morning."

"What this time?" Spike asked. "Pizza delivery? Donut shop?"

"Construction," Xander snapped. "You know, building something and 
contributing to society. Nah, you wouldn't know anything about that 
would you?"

"Rack off, mate!" Spike growled.

"Go suck a sour blood bag, toothless," Xander snapped back.

"If it weren't for . . ."

"This sodding chip, I'd kill all of you," they all quoted wearily and 
Spike snarled.

"Well, I don't need this! You're welcome for the help tonight!" the 
vampire snapped and stalked off into the shadows.

"Were we a little hard on him?" Willow asked softly as Tara clung to 
her.

"He'll get over it," Xander muttered. "Scooby wind down at your 
place?"

"Yeah," Willow nodded. "Coming, Giles?"

"What? Oh, no thank you," the Watcher blinked as he rubbed his 
throat. "I need a shower after that dusting. I'll see you all 
tomorrow."

"Let's walk him to his car," Anya suggested.

* * *

"So Dawn is staying at Janice's place tonight?" Xander asked as he 
sat down with a coke and bag of cookies. Anya leaned over the coffee 
table to grab a handful of popcorn from the bowl that Willow and Tara 
were sharing.

"Yeah, we want her to get out more with friends but not after dark, 
it's hard in Sunnydale," Tara commented.

"Yeah, we don't want her spending all her time with Spike and the 
TV," Willow added.

"Good choice," Xander muttered. "I know he's helping us and 
everything but it's just so weird. If it wasn't for that damned chip, 
he'd be trying to kill us instead of helping us."

"He's good to Dawn," Tara protested.

"And can anyone explain that to me that makes sense?" Xander 
challenged. Willow frowned and Anya shrugged.

"He feels like he owes it to Buffy, Spike promised to look after 
Dawn," Tara said weakly. 

"Still doesn't make sense," Xander mumbled.

"Things that don't make sense, that reminds me," Anya muttered and 
grabbed Xander's backpack and rummaged through it as Xander looked at 
Willow, suddenly unhappy.

"What?" she demanded from her oldest friend as Anya unwrapped 
something in a well-packaged box.

Tara looked at the object Anya pulled out with a skip of her 
heartbeat.

"The urn of Osiris," she whispered.

"Yeah," Anya smiled. "It wasn't easy. I went through every supplier 
the Magic Box has and even tried to call in some old contacts."

"Magic Box suppliers?" Willow squeaked. "What if Giles finds out?"

Anya rolled her eyes at that suggestion. "He's too busy planning on 
leaving to pay attention to me," she complained. "Besides, I ended 
up getting it on EBay?."

Tara and Willow looked at the former vengeance demon, stunned.

"You found the last known urn of Osiris on EBay?"

Tara handed the urn to Willow who began inspecting it closely.

"Yeah, from a desert gnome in Cairo. He drove a really hard bargain 
but I even got him to throw in a limited edition Backstreet Boys 
lunchbox for . . ."

Xander suddenly coughed nervously and Tara smiled softly at him. 

". . . a friend," Anya finished.

"So, you've got your somber on, Will, is the urn not up to specs?" 
Xander asked quickly, wanting to change the subject.

Willow continued inspecting the urn, apparently not hearing Xander.  
Tara shifted uncomfortably at the intensity in her lover's eyes when 
Willow looked up at her.

"It's the one," Willow said softly, placing the urn carefully on the 
coffee table. "Which means it's time."

Xander's eyes widened in surprise. "Time?" he squeaked. "Like, TIME 
time? With the . . . " he waved his hand in vague gestures around in 
the air. "timeliness?"

Anya frowned along with Tara.

"Are you sure?" she asked softly.

Willow looked at them with "resolve face."

"I am sure," she said firmly.

"Mercury's in retrograde and we have. . . Do we have everything?" 
Tara asked her mate.

"Almost, just a couple of things I need to get," Willow nodded.

"But why the rushy-rush?" Xander demanded. "I mean, its summer and 
Dawn's not in school. No one's noticed Buffy's gone."

"Tomorrow night we'll meet at Xander and Anya's place," Willow said 
calmly, ignoring Xander's nervous question.

Willow didn't look surprised when Xander jumped to his feet and began 
pacing.  

"Whoa!" he yelled. "Let's apply the brakes and check the rear, and 
side-view mirrors here!"

Willow watched him calmly and Tara felt something akin to fear making 
her heart speed up as she saw how resolved and calm Willow was.

"This is deep stuff, Willow," he continued, his voice a little 
softer. "We're talking about raising the dead.

"It's time we stop talking," Willow said firmly. "Tomorrow night 
we're bringing Buffy back."

"Tomorrow?" Xander squeaked again. "I don't know."

Anya stood up beside her boyfriend and touched his arm.

"Uh, Di-Discovery Channel? has monkeys and our tape machine is all 
wonky," she stammered.

"I need you on board here, guys," Willow said softly.

Xander fidgeted nervously. "It just?it just feels wrong."

"It is wrong," Tara said softly and almost flinched when Willow 
looked at her in shock. "It's against all the laws of nature, and 
practically impossible to do, but it's what we agreed to do. If-if 
you guys are changing your minds?"

"Nobody's changing their minds, period," Willow snapped.

"Excuse me?" Xander snapped. "Who made you the boss of the group?"

"You did," Anya chipped in.

"You said Willow should be the boss," Tara added.

"And then you said, 'let's vote,' and it was unanimous?" Anya 
continued.

"And then you made this little plaque that said 'Boss of Us,' and you 
put little sparkles on it," Tara finished.

"Okay, okay, valid points," Xander threw up his hands. "I mean?"

Xander moved around the coffee table to sit next to Willow.

"It was just talking then," he whispered.

"Xander," Willow said softly, her face softening a little. "I can do 
this, I promise, but not without you."

"Should we tell Giles?" Anya asked. "You know, now that we're really 
ready? It's not like he's going anywhere."

"No!" Willow said sharply. "No one else can know. Not Giles, not 
Spike, not Dawn. They wouldn't understand."

"What if something goes wrong?" Tara asked again.

"I'm telling you all that it won't!" Willow said firmly.

"Scenario ? we raise Buffy from the grave," Xander mumbled. "She 
tries to eat our brains. Do we, a) congratulate ourselves on a job 
well done, or?"

"Xander, this isn't about zombies," Willow protested.

"Zombies don't eat brains anyway unless instructed by their zombie 
masters. A lot of people get that wrong," Anya corrected, not 
noticing Willow's impatient glare.

"This isn't like Dawn trying to bring Mrs. Summers back, or anything 
we've dealt with before. Buffy didn't die a natural death, she was 
killed by mystical energy," Willow explained.

"Which means we have a shot at this," Tara finished with a small 
smile for her lover.

"It also means more than that," Willow said, turning to Xander. "It 
means we don't know where she is."

"We saw her body, Will," he protested. "We buried it."

"Her body yes, but not her soul," Willow corrected. "Her essence, I 
mean, that could be somewhere else. She could be trapped in?in some 
sort of hell dimension like Angel was."

Tara reached out and held Willow's hand as her lover's voice cracked 
slightly.

"She could be suffering eternal torment just because she saved us and 
I'm not gonna let?I'm not going to leave her there. It's Buffy!"

Xander looked at his friend for several moments, seeing the deep dark 
circles under her eyes and almost manic look in them and then nodded.

"When do we meet?" he asked softly.

* * *

Xander looked over at Anya dusting the various shelves of merchandise 
as he carried a large box towards the back. Giles sat at the general 
table, a pile of papers, ledgers and print outs in front of him.

A rainy day had canceled his construction job for the day so Xander 
had decided to hang around the Magic Box and help out.

"Anya, this register for April looks a bit off," Giles said absently 
as Anya turned to look at him. "Pull the files again."

Xander glanced up as he put the box down and frowned as Anya put the 
duster down and stormed over to Giles.

"Are you mad at me?" she demanded.

Giles looked up, obviously confused. "What? Mad? No, of course not."

"Then why are you torturing me?" Anya snapped. "You know I used to 
punish people like this when I was a demon."

Giles sighed heavily and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"I made them double check spreadsheets for all eternity!" Anya 
finished.

"I'm sorry if you resent my authority, but I won't feel comfortable 
leaving here until I know that absolutely everything. . ." Giles said 
slowly.

Xander shook his head as Anya looked over behind the counter and 
spotted something, her face flushing with anger.

"You're taking the Ramadan effigy?" she demanded, moving over and 
grabbing up the statute in question.

"That's not part of the inventory," Giles snapped, rolling his eyes 
again. "It's part of my personal collection," he clarified as he 
stood up and took the statute from her hands.

Anya crossed her arms over her chest in obvious indignation.

"Well, aren't you Mr. Dicey Sematics!" she snapped. "So what? You 
think you can just take anything you want?"  

Xander sighed heavily as Anya snatched the statute out of Giles' 
hands. The Watcher looked angry and tried to snatch it back, both 
pulling on it in a weird tug-of-war.

"Give it!" Anya yelled.

"No, you give it!" Giles snapped back.

Xander stepped forward when Anya began smacking Giles' hand.

"Ow! Ow! Stop that!" Giles snapped.

"Okay!" Xander said loudly as they both looked at him. "When I'm 
marveling at the immaturity, be scared."

He smirked as they both stopped fighting over the statute.

"Anya, my love, Giles is leaving the store to you when he goes, what 
more do you want?"

"I am not 'leaving' the store to anyone," Giles corrected. "I'm 
going to England. I'm not dead, I'm still a partner!"

Xander continued to smirk as Giles yanked the statute back.

"Silent partner!" Anya said in a sullen voice.

"Who you should be nice to unless you want to try working at Video 
Hut!" Xander pointed out.

Giles gave Anya a small and tentative smile as Anya scowled. She 
gave Giles a large and obviously fake smile before turning away. As 
soon as she had turned, Giles dropped the smile and scowled as well, 
stalking into the back room.

Xander walked over to stand in front of his girlfriend.

"Anya, what kind of gratitude is that?" he demanded.

Anya's face softened and she leaned into Xander's chest.

"I know, I know," she said softly. "It's just that he keeps saying 
he's going, and then he doesn't. He puts me in charge but then I'm 
not. And maybe he shouldn't be going at all but we can't talk about 
why!"

Xander drew her into his arms as she became agitated.

"And it all just leaves me with this stress and bossiness stored up 
and-and it just . . . leaks out."

"Just give it time, Anya," Xander advised. "It's hard for all of 
us. Just be patient and it'll be decided soon."

"It's been so hard!" she complained. "I mean, I-I miss Buffy, I 
really do! I'm sick of waiting!"

* * *

Giles sat down in the training room and glanced around, noting that 
things in here were getting dusty. He had been teaching the gang 
self-defense moves since they had assumed Slayer duties but not the 
intense workouts he had once done with Buffy in this room.

"I'm sorry, Buffy," he muttered. "I wonder if you would have been 
better off without me. Everyone says I was helpful but I'm not 
sure. I helped you like any good Watcher would, got you killed in 
the line of duty. That's how all Slayer/Watcher relationships end, 
isn't it?"

The ex-Watcher stood up and looked around again.

"You're gone," he muttered sadly. "I did my job, so why am I still 
here?"

* * *

Several citizens scampered out of the way as ten motorcycles pulled 
up into the center of the street. Most of them ignoring the fact 
that these bikers seemed to be not quite human.  

The demons looked around with snarls.

"You sure that little blood sucking weasel said that the Slayer was 
out of town?" the lead demon growled.

"Yeah, just before I took his head off, Razor," one of the demon 
bikers answered.

"Then let's go tear Sunnydale up before she gets back!" Razor shouted 
as the demons cheered.


To be continued