RoundRobin - Chapter 2

["AmberBenson Fan" <AmberBensonFan@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Standard Disclaimers apply as stated in part 1.

Disclaimers
Joss, Marti, Mutant Enemy, UPN. The usual suspects.

Rating
PG-13

Note; This is the second chapter of the Round Robin. Much praise heaped upon
Jude for doing such a bang-up job on chapter one. Takes place in an AU
version of 'Gone'.

Summary
Buffy gets a rude awakening.


Round Robin
Rising from the Wreckage
Chapter two
By Kirayoshi


All in all, it was an interesting night at the Sunnydale Greyhound terminal.
Three different women had lined up at the security desk to complain that 
they
had been roughly goosed, and at least one out-of-town businessman blanched 
as
his tie seemed to untie by itself and fly out from around his neck.

And that wasn't counting the number of upswept dresses, belts being
unfastened and splashes of water that seemed to appear literally out of thin
air.

And during each occurrence, witnesses could swear that they heard a woman's
laughter.

For the first time in months, Buffy Summers smiled. Not that anyone could
see her smile, considering that at the time she was invisible. She hadn't
pieced together how it happened, but knew that it had to do with that geek
Warren. One of his inventions malfunctioned, and Buffy got caught in the
effect.

As a result of the malfunction, Buffy's body was now invisible. And she
enjoyed the freedom that came with her new condition. As far as the world at
large was concerned, Buffy Summers didn't exist. She was a phantom, a rumor,
an unseen prankster who delighted in discomfiting others. No thoughts of
losing custody of Dawn, or her increasingly distant friends, or her earlier
tryst with Spike invaded her pleasure. At one point, she considered visiting
Spike in his crypt, just to see if he enjoyed having someone else in control
for a change. She decided against that plan, however, as the thought of
allowing an undead hand to touch her body in any intimate fashion made her
nauseous.

She stopped in her ruminations at the sight of a short figure in a tan
deerskin jacket. The figure was sitting alone on one of the benches, waiting
for a bus. Hmm, Buffy mused, there's your next target, Inviso-Slayer! She
tiptoed gingerly toward her victim, leaned in behind her and tapped her left
shoulder lightly.

The figure jerked her head over her shoulder, asking "Tara?"

Buffy jumped back in shock at the sight of the haggard face of someone whom
she had once called her best friend. It had been just over a week since the
last time Buffy saw Willow. One week since Willow slapped her in the face,
accusing her of ignoring her friends since her return from the grave. One
week since Willow had moved out of Buffy's house, and out of her life. Now,
for the first time in a long time, Buffy took a good long look at her best
friend.

She almost didn't recognize her at first; her face was gaunt, thin and
paling, her red unkempt and matted, her eyes veined with thin red lines and
framed in black rings. Willow looked around expectantly for a moment, but
when she realized that her ex-girlfriend was nowhere to be seen, Willow
turned her head back around and stared ahead, not seeing anything.

Buffy wondered if Willow had been hitting the magic since she had moved out
last week. Xander had assured her two days ago that Willow had been clean,
and had left her magic supplies with Tara for safekeeping. Obviously the
withdrawal was proving to be difficult; Willow's shoulders sagged, and her
eyelids drooped heavily. From her appearance, Buffy guessed that Willow
hadn't had a good night's sleep since she moved out. Willow's head dropped
forward toward her lap, and Buffy thought she could see the faint trace of a
tear on Willow's cheek. A cursory check around the bench revealed two of
Willow's old suitcases. Buffy gasped, blinking back her tears at the
realization; Willow was leaving. Leaving Sunnydale. Leaving her.

This is my fault, Buffy thought as she looked at damaged girl before her. I
didn't see what was going on, I was too wrapped up in my own self-pity 
party,
my boink-fest with Spike, my quest to feel something, anything. And I missed
what was happening to Willow. I think I just flunked the Best Friend Test.

A squeaking wheel caused Buffy to glance to her left, just enough warning to
dodge a baggage cart that would have run her over otherwise. She was about
to shout down the overweight cart handler, before she remembered that she 
was
invisible. She found that she didn't enjoy being invisible anymore.

She glanced back at Willow, who was now curled up on the bench in a light
sleep. Buffy slowly made her way around the bench, and leaned over Willow's
head, her lips close to her ear. "Willow?" she whispered, "you okay?"

"Buffy," the redhead whispered, lost in a dream state, "I'm sorry. I'm so
sorry-you saved me so many times, I thought I was saving youâ?¦" Each word
stabbed at Buffy's heart like a sharpened icicle. She was why Willow was
suffering. All she went through, all the magic, all the darkness, all for
Buffy.

"No, Willow," Buffy whispered into her friend's ear. "I'm the one who's
sorry. I didn't see what you were going through. Please, Willow, don't
leave me. I need you."

"And I need you," the sleeping girl answered in her dream. "But I need some
time away, too. Forgive me, Buffyâ?¦" She curled tighter, drifting further
into her dream-state.

"Greyhound Coach number 17 now boarding for Los Angeles," the voice from the
public address system enunciated. Willow stirred from her restless sleep,
shook her head slightly and looked around. She sighed heavily as she
realized that Buffy wasn't there. "Just a dream," she muttered to herself.

Buffy wanted to shout at her, to stand in her way, to keep her from leaving
her. But she hesitated. Willow had said in her dream that she needed to get
away, and the more Buffy thought about it, the more she realized that Willow
was right. As much as it pained her to realize the truth, Willow would
probably be happier away from here. Away from the Hellmouth, the constant
vampire threat, the magic and mojo that made up a typical day in Sunnydale.

"Second call for Coach number 17 to Los Angeles," the PA voice announced.
Willow bent down to collect her bags, and headed for the bus terminal. Buffy
watched in silence, unseen and unheard, as Willow boarded the L.A. bus.

As the bus finally pulled away, Buffy whispered, "Be well, Willow. And
please come back to me soon."

As she turned around, she noticed a pay phone near the lobby entrance. She
headed for the phone, fished some loose change from her pockets to pay for
the call, picked up the handset and dialed.

Two rings, then, "Angel Investigations, we help the helpless."

"Angel?"

"Buffy," the familiar voice answered. "This is a surprise. How are you?"

"Average," Buffy answered, not willing to volunteer any more information.
"Hey, I'm on a pay phone, so I'll make this quick. I gotta favor to ask
you."

"Name it," Angel said.

"Willow just took a Greyhound to L.A. Could you do me a favor and look after
her while she's in town?"

"You got it."

"Thanks, Angel."

A pause, then, "You need anything else, Buffy?"

Buffy sighed, the weight of the last few months crushing on the small of her
back. "Nothing you can give me, Angel. What I need, I have to take care of
myself."

"If anyone can," Angel assured his former love, "it's you. But if you need
anything from me, you call. Okay?"

"Okay," Buffy answered. "G'Bye." Buffy hung up the phone, not noticing a
small child who stared intently at the sight of a telephone handset seeming
levitating in front of him. The child's mother dragged him away, leaving
Buffy alone with her thoughts.

So, she thought, like we were all singing last month, Where Do We Go from
Here?

She knew the first place she needed to go. She had to go visit Warren, and
'persuade' him to reverse the effects of the invisibility ray. Then-

She had no idea. But she knew that she had to change herself. For now, that
was enough.

As she walked out of the bus depot, the first stirrings of a new resolve
growing in her heart, she passed by a non-descript elderly gentleman, 
wearing
a grey overcoat and a tweed hat and carrying a folded umbrella.

If she had examined the old man more closely, she would have noticed
something in his eyes, shaded though they were under his hat. Something
sharp and knowing, something hungry. Something bestial.

The old man glanced around, seeing the bus to L.A. driving off. He knew that
the Slayer's friend was on that bus. He knew that the Slayer's support
structure was collapsing from under her. And this pleased him.

He walked out of the depot, noticed the dark clouds hanging on the horizon,
and opened his umbrella before the first drops of rain could hit him.
"Beastly weather tonight, wha?" he chuckled. And he was right.

There was a storm coming. And those who opposed it would be swept away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Jude
AmberBensonFan
Mega Witches Site:
www.megawitches.net
Fragile Member #308
BHS Member #70
Enlightened #243


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