FIC: Coming home 1/?

["jend1205 <jend1205@xxxxxxxxx>" <jend1205@xxxxxxxxx>]

I kind of got stuck on my other story and this came to me, so here it 
is. Hope you like. I have to work six days this week and the kids 
have a x-mas play this week so who knows when I will get back to it 
but I will. Jen


Author: Jen D
Disclaimer: I don't own just like it. 
Rating: G-R and all points between mostly language and violence
Spoilers: I guess all of the shows this is A/U but some of it might 
come up.


Buffy sat on the grave marker and contemplated her life. She was 
going to turn twenty-five in a few days. She was now officially the 
oldest living slayer. She no longer patrolled on a nightly basis, 
usually leaving that up to Faith. She did help on occasion and that 
is how she found herself sitting in the cemetery tonight. She would 
rather be at home alone tonight, lost in her own world, wondering 
what her best friend was doing after all these years away. She 
thought back to the night she came back to her dorm room and found 
that all of Willow's stuff had been cleared out and a note sitting on 
her bed. Buffy pulled out the worn out piece of paper.
Buffy,
By the time you get this I will be gone. I don't expect you 
to understand. I have to   
go please forgive me for running away. Maybe someday I can 
come home to the 
only family that I have ever known. My parents will not know 
were I went and 
I don't want you to look for me. I don't think you will be 
able to find me anyway.
I have made sure to cover my track fairly well. Please find 
Tara and tell her that 
I am sorry and I wish that I could have stuck around and found 
out what was between
us. Yes Buffy I think that I am gay. That's not way I am 
running away. Please know
that I love you all. Xander is going to need you now more 
then ever. Tell him I love
him and take care of him. 
 
With all my love,
 
Willow

Buffy carefully folded up the letter and slipped it back into her 
pocket. That had been six years ago and she had not heard anything 
from her best friend since then, not even for her parent's funeral. 
They had tried to find her but it was useless. Willow had covered her 
tracks; it was like Willow didn't exist anymore. Life had moved on 
for the gang. Faith had come back three years ago and had worked hard 
to regain their trust after everything she had done to them in their 
senior year. Xander and Anya got married and settled down, buying a 
house not to far from where she lived now. Buffy did seek out Tara 
and found a wonderful new friend in the process. They now shared a 
house not to far from the new high school where they both taught. 
Tara was an English teacher and Buffy was the gym teacher. Giles had 
moved in with her mom shortly after she had graduated from college. 
They talked about getting married but just never seemed to want to 
complicate a good thing. Buffy sighed, got up and headed for home.


Willow pulled her car into the familiar driveway and shut the 
engine off. She looked at the sleeping figure in the front seat and 
the two in the backseat. She tapped the girl who was asleep beside 
her, "Hey hon, we're here and I'm going to go in for a minute. I'll 
stay on the front porch so that I can see you but I have to do this."
"Ok", the teenage girl mumbled. Willow smiled at her and patted her 
on the arm and got out. She stopped on the front porch and looked 
around, not much had changed in the six years she had been gone. She 
only hoped that the occupants hadn't changed. She knocked on the door 
and was relieved to see the familiar woman open it.
"Mrs. Summers", she sighed in relieve.
"Willow, my god where have you been. Buffy has been trying to find 
you for years. Xander damn near worried himself to death. You didn't 
get turned did you?"
"No watch", Willow said and stepped into the house and then stepped 
back out, "I wouldn't have been able to do that if I was a vamp. I 
have a pulse to. Do you want to check"? Joyce laughed, "Only in 
Sunnydale would my daughters best friend ask for me to check her 
pulse. Please come in, Willow. Giles will be thrilled to see you."
"I wish that I could but I have people asleep in the car and I don't 
want to leave them out here alone. Does Buffy still live here."
"No, I'm sorry she has here own place now", Joyce said.
"Oh ok, when you see her will you tell her that I will be at my old 
house. I'm going to be living there now that my parents are gone, I 
figure it ought to be of some use."
"Willow I was sorry to hear about your parents death", Joyce said 
softly and put her hand on Willow shoulder.
"Thank you. It was hard but then again they were never there for me 
anyway. Well I'd better get going. It was nice to see you again."
"Glad your back Willow. Come by soon so that we can catch up", Joyce 
said and watch the red head get into the car and pull away. Joyce 
closed the door and headed straight for the phone. She dialed the 
number and waited for the other person to pick up the phone.
"Tara, is Buffy back from patrol yet. She is?good, will you two come 
over here. I have something you might both be interested in. Ok see 
you in a minute. Bye." Joyce sat down and waited for the girls to 
show up. Fifteen minutes later both girls came barreling through the 
door. Buffy skidded to a halt when she saw her mom sitting peacefully 
on the couch.
"Ok what is it and do I have to kill it", Buffy asked. Joyce seeing 
that her daughter was in slayer mode raised her hands, "Nothing to 
kill, honest. I had a visitor just a little bit ago that I thought 
you might both be curious about."
"Um, ok, I'll bite, who was it", Buffy asked.
"Willow", Joyce said and watched as her daughters and the girl that 
she had come to think of as a daughter mouths dropped open.
"Mom, there for a second I thought you said Willow was here."
"She is. She came by here looking for you. She said to tell you that 
she was staying at her parent's old house. Tara and Joyce watched as 
Buffy began to pace back and forth.
"Buffy, you're going to wear a whole in your mom carpet if you keep 
this up", Tara said.
"How can you be so calm Tara? I mean she shows up six later and your 
not upset?"
"A little but then again I didn't know her as well as you did. Yes it 
hurt to lose her, I think I could have loved her if given the chance 
but she didn't strike me as the type to just leave for no good 
reason." Buffy looked at Tara and could see the hurt in her eyes and 
knew that the same hurt was in her own. Tara and Buffy had spent more 
then one night sharing there feelings for the red head and it had 
been Tara that had made Buffy realize that she had been in love with 
her best friend. Buffy always regretted not being able to tell her 
before she had ran away.
"I know, come on Tara we have a certain red head to go interrogate", 
Buffy said and grabbed her hand.


   
Buffy and Tara found themselves standing at the front door to 
Willow's house. Neither made a move to ring the doorbell.
"Um Buffy I think we might have to ring the bell to get anyone to 
answer."
"I know, I'm just nervous. Ok here it goes", Buffy touched the 
doorbell and they both waited for Willow to answer. Buffy could 
hardly believe that it was her best friend who answered the door. 
Willow seemed so much older and gone were the fuzzy sweater, in their 
place were jeans and a white t-shirt. Her hair was short and curly. 
To Buffy and Tara she looked perfect. Willow leaned in the doorway 
and looked at the two women in front of her, she was not expecting to 
see Tara, and honestly she was surprised to see Buffy here so soon.
"Hey guys, I'm glad you could stop by. Come in", Willow told them. 
Willow led them into the living room and was about to say something 
when she heard a voice behind her, "Damnit mom, those basement steps 
are a pain", the blonde said. 
"Yeah mom, damnit", the smaller child said. Willow turned around and 
glared at the kids, "Beth Anne Rosenberg, I cannot believe that came 
out of your mouth. I think you ought to go to your room and think 
about things." Willow watched the little girl slink away and turned 
to the older girl who was trying to slip away, "Freeze, Angela Marie 
Frazier" Angie raised her hand knowing her mom was about to let lose 
on her, "I know, sorry mom. I think I have homework to do." Angie 
came over and kissed Willow on the cheek and bounded up the steps. 
Willow turned to see the shocked faces of her old friends and was 
getting ready to say something again when another girl came in from 
the kitchen, "Hey ma, oh we have company. Hi I'm Jen." Buffy and Tara 
looked at the girl and waved to stunned to say anything.
"Jen, why don't you go bug your sister's. I need to talk to Buffy and 
Tara." Jen waved and headed up the stairs.
"MOM", Buffy and Tara yelled at the same time.