The Kitten, the Witches and the Bad Wardrobe - Willow & Tara Forever

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2017 2:37 am 
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9. Gay Now
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Joined: Sat Sep 24, 2011 8:45 pm
Posts: 985
Topics: 15
Location: Beyond the orbit of Mars and accelerating...
Here it is. At long last, the end.
There's still an Epilogue or two to go, but this is the main end of the story.

I feel very... odd. Happy? Sad? Some strange primal emotion i don't have words for?
Énouement? Ellipsism?
One of those.

Enjoy :kiss1


The End of the beginning


“Oh wow. Should I bow or curtsey? I mean I don’t have a dress on because of all the fighting, but maybe I could go and get one?” Willow said, panicked.

Tara simply knelt.


“Please, no,” she said in a warm contralto voice. “Don’t kneel. No one should kneel, least of all you,” she said as she helped Tara to her feet.
Her warm gaze swept the Scoobies. “You are all my children, and I am grateful, so very grateful for you all.”


“Uh, hey,” Xander said, scratching his head. “Um, welcome back, I guess. Um, not trying to be rude, but how come you look like Joyce?”


Joyce frowned. “Really? I was thinking she looked a lot like my mother.”


“Silly people,” Anya commented. “Nothing here is concrete. Everything is representative of something.”


“My brain hurts,” Xander grumbled. “Once more, for the hard of thinking please?”


Anya grinned evilly. “Xander, you don’t have a brain. You are literally brainless. So no, it doesn’t hurt.”


“Jeez, Harsh,” Faith said. “Pick on the poor guy why doncha?”


The Goddess watched with quiet amusement.


Anya rolled her eyes. “No, a brain is a piece of fatty tissue. He doesn’t have one. So he really can’t have a sore brain.”


“What?”


“He died, remember?”


“You’re dead!?” Buffy squeaked. “I thought you got teleported away or something? What happened?!”


Anya sighed and shot the Goddess a long-suffering look.
“This is what happens when too much happens at once.”

She turned back to the others. “Yes Buffy, Xander is dead. Same as me. Same as Joyce and Jesse. Yes, we should all be sitting around talking about how important this is, and how this changes things. Yes, this is the most important thing to ever happen to us. Except for Faith giving birth five minutes ago. And us winning a war against the powers that be. And Dawn. And the return of The Goddess.


“It didn’t hurt,” Xander said. “I just saw a real bright light, and I woke up with Anya helping me out of a pool.”


“Well it shouldn’t,” Anya said brightly. “You took a hit that would have killed a god. That has to be the quickest and cleanest death ever.”


“I must be one of the only people in the world who gets to say something like this, but thanks Xan-man. You really saved the day there,” Faith said, hitching Hope just a little higher.


Xander grinned, a little dazedly still. “No problem. I figured if I got back fast enough, I could make a dramatic entrance and really save the day.”


“Well, you got half way there,” Dawn said. “It was a hell of an entrance.”


“Yeah. Still a little dizzy and wigged out, but I’ll cope.”
He scratched his head and glanced at their guest. “Um, Your goddess-ness? Why the low key entrance? How come it’s not all trumpets and earthquakes? Not that I mind, it’s just not what I think of when I think of The Goddess showing up.”


“Please Xander, call me Gaia,” She said. “There will be drama soon enough, but this time is for you all.”
She looked at the battle-weary Scoobies warmly.
“There has been enough stress for ten lifetimes, and I just wanted to enjoy a moment with some of my favourite people. And perhaps give some explanations, if needed.”


“I would appreciate some information, if it’s not too much trouble,” Giles said politely.


She nodded. “Of course.”
She looked around the room. “Make yourselves as comfortable as you can. This room is lacking in amenities, but at least we will not be disturbed here.”


“You can’t just whip up some couches?” Faith grumbled.


Gaia shook her head. “No, sorry. Not here, for reasons I shall explain shortly.”


“I can,” said Anya. “Give me a second, and try not to think of your favourite couch, it’ll mess things up.”
She concentrated, and a ring of couches appeared. The Scoobies gratefully collapsed into them.


“This looks like the couch in my workshop,” Xander said.


“Yes. I used your thoughts as the pattern. Like ‘don’t think of pink elephants.’”


“Before we begin, let me welcome the newest member of the family,” Gaia said.
She moved over to Buffy and Faith. “Oh what a little cutie!”


“Yes she is,” Buffy said, loyally, brimming with all the pride of a brand new parent.


“Heh. I though she looked a bit prune-like myself,” Faith said.


“Well, she was born just five minutes ago,” Buffy said. “And we haven’t had a chance to clean her properly.”


Anya handed her a large glass pitcher of warm water, and a stack of the thickest fluffiest towels in the world.

“Wow,” Buffy said. “Have I told you you’re awesome, today?


“No, but I always like compliments,” Anya said.


“You’re awesome.”


“Yes I am. You are welcome.”


Hope made a strange mewling sound, and Faith took a look. “Hey the afterbirth is doing its thing. Think it’s time to cut it off.”


Buffy fingered the Scythe. “The first born-Slayer. I think it’s only appropriate that we use the Scythe to cut the cord. Also its super sharp.”


Faith held Hope while Buffy made sure all the blood had finished draining into Hope’s tummy, and tied the cord.

“Xander? Come here a sec.”


“You need me to hold her?”


“Nah. Just… there’s gonna be lots of birthdays and uncles and aunties and shit. But you, you’re special. You gave your damn life for her, man. For both of us.”


Xander looked away blushing. “Aww. Shucks. You’d have done the same.”


“Ya big doofus,” Faith said affectionately.
“Not the point. You actually did it. So you get to be her first uncle. And you get to cut the cord.”


“Yay?” he said uncertainly.


“Hey, it’s a big honour dealie,” Buffy said. “And only slightly gross.”
She held up the scythe and glared at it. “You. Behave.”
She handed it to Xander. “She’ll be good.”


He took the scythe and looked at it carefully. “She?”


“You were expecting a ‘he?’” Buffy said with raised eyebrows.


“Point.”


“Gimme a sec,” she said, as she held up the bit Xander was to cut.
“Cut this bit,” she said, holding out a bit of the slippery cord.


Xander carefully cut it with the Scythe. There was a little blood, but not much.


“There you go,” Buffy said reassuringly. “Hope, meet your favourite uncle Xander.”


“Favourite?”


Buffy smirked. “You or Andrew. I bet on you.”


“What about Giles?”


Faith snorted. “Good point. Hey Grandpa! Come meet your first granddaughter.”


“You too grandma,” Buffy said, smirking at her mother.


“See, you still get to be favourite uncle,” Faith said. “And Mrs S is favourite Grandma.”


Joyce gave her a look that promised retribution for the ‘grandma’ crack.

“I will point out that ‘favourite auntie’ is up for grabs,” Buffy said.


Dawn, Willow and Tara gave their best puppy eyes. Which looked decidedly odd on Dawn, what with her ‘stars and galaxies’ eyes.

“Whoa! Promise me you’ll never use that power for evil,” Buffy said.

They all grinned, which rather spoiled the effect.


“What about you, your Goddessness?” Faith said. “Did you want to meet your newest follower?”


Gaia smiled. “How about we let her make that choice, when she grows up, hmm?”
She looked down at Hope, nestled in her mother’s arms.
“Oh look at you,” she cooed.


“Wanna bless her?”


The Goddess shook her head. “Not that I don’t want to, but I can’t.”


“You can’t? How come?” Buffy asked.


The Goddess sighed. “This leads us to the next part of the discussion,” she said.

“The Goddess does not get involved,” she said. “Why is that?”


There was silence for a moment, before Tara spoke. “I’d always thought that it was a maturity and responsibility thing. How could we grow and stand on our own two feet, if The Goddess, if you are always fixing things?”


“Very wise,” She replied. “But no.”


“The sad truth is, I was trapped outside the universe, and could not get back in.”


“Wuh?!” Xander said. “Aren’t you all powerful? All knowing?”


Gaia shook her head. “No. I am very powerful indeed, but there is no such thing as infinite power. Neither am I all-knowing.”


“Wow. That puts a different spin on things.”


“Omniscience is no fun,” she said. “Trust me, I know.”


Willow frowned. “I thought you said-”


She smiled softly. “I’m not omniscient, but I was.


“But you’re not now?” Willow.


“No. I gave it up.”


“Um, if it’s not too personal, why?” Willow asked.


The Goddess smiled. “For wonder, and love.”


“Also knowing everything is really boring,” Anya added.


“That too,” Gaia replied. “When I was omniscient, I set all of us on the best path. And then I gave up my knowledge of the future. Like you, I know the present, and remember the past, and I can guess at the future.”


She sighed. “It would have been nice if it hadn’t left me stuck outside of creation for an astonishingly long period.”


“How long?” Tara asked.


“Time is inside the universe,” Dawn explained. “’How long’ is a meaningless concept, outside of it.”


“Even five minutes is too long,” The Goddess said. “But, because I am not omniscient, I was able to be tricked, by those I trusted the most.”


“The Powers That Be?” Xander asked.


She nodded. “Yes. They said, quite reasonably, that it was not possible to get a full appreciation for creation, from inside it. So I went outside for a look. They were right. Unfortunately, while I was out, they closed the door, and sealed it behind me, trapping me, and my companions outside the universe.”


“How come you couldn’t get back in?” Xander asked. “Aren’t you all Goddess-y and powerful?”


She nodded. “Yes. But, unfortunately, the universe is not.”


“Xander, it wasn’t that she couldn’t break open the door,” Dawn said softly. “It was that she couldn’t open the door without destroying creation.”


“So we live in a glass house?” Buffy said.


Dawn nodded. “It’s not a matter of force, but delicacy. It’s not possible to get in without a Key. Especially when someone seals it shut, using the skin of the universe, and seals the Key inside.”


“And that’s what you do?” Xander asked.


“No Xander,” The Goddess said. “The Key… Dawn, is so much more than that. I created her to help me do the delicate tasks that I could not do.”


Buffy snorted. “Delicate? Heh. This from the girl who cannot be trusted near anything white?”


Dawn rolled her eyes. “One time Buffy. That was one time.”


“My favourite pants!” Buffy shot back.


“And to this I say: cope.”

Buffy glared.

Dawn ignored her glare. “I’m the Key, Buffy.”


“To what?”


“Everything. We made the universe together. You should have seen it Buffy, it was so beautiful.”


“You made the world?”


Dawn shook her head. “We made all of them Buffy. All the worlds in all the dimensions.”
She looked sad.
“And look what they have done with them.”


“I did the big things,” Gaia said. “Shaped the overall design and the rules of the cosmos. But my first creation, my first child was The Key. Was Dawn.”

She smiled affectionately at her. “She helped me build the universe. Galaxies were her idea.”

Dawn beamed.


“You… wow. Galaxies?” Heather said.


“Yep! Only took a little tweaking. But this is the problem. It doesn’t matter how awesome Buffy is, she cannot do microsurgery with her bare hands. She’d just smash everything. I can’t do tiny things like make a couch appear. Gaia… Mom, couldn’t get back into creation, without smashing everything. And they knew it. They held all creation hostage.”


Dawn looked down sadly. “She needed me, and I was locked inside the box she needed me to get into.”


The Goddess squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “No more pain, dearest. No more pain.”
Joyce gathered her into her arms, and held her tight.


Dawn smiled radiantly. “I have both my moms now,” she said happily. “I’m happier than a puppy with two tails.”


“Don’t feel too bad Dawn,” Gaia said. “I was locked away from those closest to me, and could only watch. But I was not alone.”


“Really hoping this has nothing to do with tentacles,” Xander muttered.

Anya frowned. “But I thought you-”


Faith coughed. “Jesus.”
She grinned at the utterly mortified Xander and Anya. “Never change, you two.”


“No, no tentacles,” Gaia said, humour tingeing her voice. “But you may find some of my companions familiar.”


She looked back to the door. “They were kind enough to wait, to give me this time to meet you all, but I dare say they are eager to come home. Would you like to meet them?”


“Sure, I guess,” Buffy said. “As long as they’re nice.”


Gaia handed her a shining silver horn.
It was long and straight, like something out of a movie.

“Call them home Buffy. Bring them all home.”


Buffy took the horn. “Yay for grandpa Jensen and his random bugle lessons.”


She took a deep breath and blew the horn.
The note that rang out was as bright as the metal of the horn, and rang on for an impressive length of time.
Buffy could have sworn the ground shook, as if unfathomably mighty drums thundered in counterpoint.


After the shining tones faded away, for a moment, silence reigned.

And slowly a sound began to build.
Starting as a whisper that only the slayers could hear, the sound built.

At first, a whisper like the rush of wind or rain on a beach, heard at a distance.
The sound built into a roar, and the first shapes cried with joy as they burst from the mighty gate.

Winged forms poured through, each crying with joy and victory.
The door was vastly tall. And now the Scoobies could see why: everyone who came through the gateway was flying, and most of them simply kept on flying, out through the high balconies and archways, and into the emerald sky.


“Whoa!” Willow said. “Angels!”

She looked at Tara. “Looks like you have relatives.”


“I’m hoping these ones are nicer than the ones I grew up with.”


Out of the vast host, one figure spiralled down to where the amazed Scoobies stood.

A small women landed in front of them.
She was as delicately built as Buffy, and her hair was the kind of fiery red that would have made anyone a proud member of the Weasley family. Her wings were a beautiful hazel shade, tipped with black, and her gold-chased silver armour shone like a mirror.


She carried a long and glittering spear, which she cast aside with a clatter, and embraced Buffy with desperate strength.
“Oh sister, it is so good to be back!”


Buffy looked over the woman’s shoulder at Willow and mouthed the word ‘sister?’.

Willow held up her hands helplessly.
She mimed hugging.

Buffy awkwardly hugged the ecstatic angel.

She looked up. Her eyes were shining with joy, but her face was puzzled.
“Sister, where are your wings?”


Buffy’s eyes widened. She pointed at Willow. “Ha!”
And Dawn. “Ha!”

“I knew it!” she crowed.


Willow (rather redundantly) looked towards the heavens in exasperation.
“We are never going to hear the end of this,” she said.


Unnoticed in all the ongoing tumult, a non-winged person had stepped through the doorway. She walked up the long hallway, the sounds of her approach lost in the skirling cries of the thousands of angels still pouring through the door.

She was able to walk right up to the Scoobies before she stopped, losing her nerve.
Her eyes shone as she took in the odd little family.
A single hesitant sob escaped her.


Tara looked up, from the confused but happy reunion, and froze, all thought stopping.
Willow looked sharply sideways at the sudden blast of confusing emotion.

“Momma?” Tara whispered.


“Oh my sweet girl,” she said softly.


“Momma!” Tara said, and ran to her mother.


Rhiannon O’Liatháin opened her arms and gathered her long missed daughter into her arms.
If she had any issues with her winged and armour-clad daughter, they didn’t show, as the two women hugged each other just as hard as they could.

“Momma! Oh momma!” Tara whispered.


“My sweet girl,” Rhiannon murmured back. “You’ve grown so much.”


The reunited pair hugged and cried and murmured for a good couple of minutes before they even became aware of the rest of the smiling Scoobies.


Tara turned her shining eyes on her beloved. “Momma, this is Willow. Willow, meet my momma.”


“Rhiannon, please,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”


Willow glomped her in a hug. “Thank you for Tara. Thank you soooo much.”


She chuckled. “My pleasure.” She leaned back to look at Willow.
“Willow?” she quirked a twisted smile.
“I knew I had a good feeling about that tree.”


“How did you know?” Tara asked softly.


Rhiannon laughed. “I didn’t. I just had a hunch. The Sight works like that a lot of the time.”


“Is it ok to ask what happened?” Xander asked.


“It’s ok sweetie,” she said, reassuring Xander.
“I died, and after I died, I came here,” she said, gesturing around at the heavens.
“But something didn’t seem quite right, and so I explored. It was hard to put my finger on. It wasn’t that there was evil in heaven, so much as something missing.”


“I looked, and more importantly, I listened and eventually I heard her,” she said, her eyes shining as she looked across at the Goddess. “There in the Well of Souls. The Guf. Where new souls enter creation, I heard her.”

She smiled at Faith and Buffy. “She was singing to Hope.”

“I couldn’t understand her, but I could hear the sadness, and almost forlorn hope in her voice. There was so much sadness.”

She smiled a sad smile at her daughter. “I had to do something.”


“I heard her too,” Faith said softly.


Rhiannon nodded. “You would. You carry her blood. All Slayers and witches do.”


Xander made a Scooby-Doo noise. “Wuuhu?”


“Ooo! Let me handle this one!” Dawn said brightly.

The Goddess nodded graciously, though there was an amused twinkle in her eye.


“The First Slayer was Lilith,” Dawn explained. “She wasn’t supposed to be a ‘Slayer,’ just a person.”


“Oh hey, I remember this bit,” Faith said. “Also the first woman, first witch and first dyke.”


Dawn nodded brightly. “Yep. And all for the same reason. She was created by us,” she said, gesturing to herself, and the Goddess.


“Humanity was created by my servants,” The Goddess said. “You know them as The Powers That Be,”


“Wuuhu?!” Xander said.


“Wowie!” Willow squeaked. “That’s… Wow. So Slayers aren’t human?”


The Goddess shook her head. “No. And yes.”


“That narrows it down,” Buffy muttered.


“Slayers are my original design. Humans are the economy model,” Dawn explained. “Ever read the bible? Angels first, then humans.”


“This is… Why?” Xander said. “I don’t get why.”


“I’m sorry, Xander,” The Goddess said. “It’s my fault. I let myself get tricked. And if it hadn’t been for that, everyone would be Slayers.”


Brows furrowed all around.

“Giles? What’s the first part of the old Slayer handbook?” Dawn asked.


Giles recited easily from memory "This world is older than you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their Hell. But in time, they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for man. All that remains of the Old Ones are vestiges, certain magicks, certain creatures-"


“That’ll do,” Dawn interrupted.


“I never get to finish that,” Giles muttered.


Dawn poked her tongue out and turned back to the others. “Now, we have some idea of how powerful the old ones were. And they already ruled the earth. So how was it even possible for them to ‘lose their purchase’ on it?”


“What would it take?” Willow asked out loud.


“Slayers,” Buffy said. “An army of Slayers.”


“Cha-ching!” Dawn said. “Yep. In the beginning there were lots of Slayers. They brought down the Old Ones, the ones that didn’t flee this dimension, anyway.”


“You weren’t my firstborn,” Gaia said. “But you were my proudest creation,” She said with a touch of motherly pride.


“The Slayers killed or drove out the old ones. It was during that war that the Scythe was made,” Dawn said.
She held up a forestalling hand to Buffy. “Yes, I know it’s an axe. It was called the Scythe, because it cut down the last of the Old Ones. And for generally mowing down the badguys like grass. You might like to know, the last of the Old Ones was killed by it as it tried to flee. And it left a hell of a big hole in the world.”


“Sunnydale?” Xander asked.


“Yep. The world was a different shape then. Continental drift is a thing. But yeah, that’s where it happened. Minus the continental drift.”


“And the Scythe?” Anya prodded.


“Was left there,” Dawn said. “It was the only place it could be hidden from the Powers That Be. The whole place was awash with the energies of the Scythe and the dark powers of the last Old One. So they couldn’t detect it. They thought it was destroyed.”


“Wait, continental drift?” Willow said. “That’s not a few thousand years. That takes millions of years. Back then, there were no people, just monkeys and apes.”


“This is where it gets tricky,” Dawn said. She shot an uncertain look at the Goddess.


She just smiled back. “You are doing fine.”


“Right. Well, this would work better if I could just teach you Old High Gallifryan,” she muttered.


“Don’t let Reggie and Ethan hear you say that,” Giles said under his breath. “You’ll never hear the end of it.”


“Not a fan?” Xander said, smirking.


Giles raised an eyebrow. “It’s a fine show, and one that I’ve watched since I was a boy, but I have never tried to build a Tardis. Which is more than I can say for Reggie and Ethan,” Giles said with a sniff.
“Even back in my wild days, I still had to play mother hen to those two clowns.”


“Well, the reason the language is tricky is because the past and future have been re-written. More than once. And, as a result, history, the past, and what actually happened, are three different things,” Dawn explained.

That got some stunned silence.

“The Old Ones had many powers, including a limited ability to meddle with reality. The Powers That Be, have the same ability. As a result the past, present and future have a number of patches. And because no magic is perfect, there are leftovers. Relics, books and beings left over from previous pasts.”

She sighed. “It’s all a bit of a mess really.”

“There’s the plan The Goddess had. Some of that was overwritten by The Powers That Be. Some more was overwritten by The Old Ones. Which had the neat side effect of removing most of the evidence for a lot of things.”

“This’ll make the fundies laugh. People were designed. And then the past was rewritten so that they evolved. After The Old Ones tried to rewrite history so that there were no people.”

She smirked. “Bits of stuff are still around. Ever wonder why there’s so many buried horrors?”


Slow nods all around.


“That’s because a lot of the more powerful creatures are like Xander. Killing them barely slows them down. So the longest term solution is burying them.”

Xander preened a little.

“This is where it gets more awkward.”


“More? Is that even possible?” Xander said, goggling at Dawn.


“Yep.” She turned to Buffy and Faith. “Congrats on the bouncing baby girl you guys. But this was no miracle. This is the way it was always supposed to be.”


“Slayers can get other Slayers pregnant?” Faith said.


“Yep. That was the plan. No babies without love. The more love, the easier it is.”


“That doesn’t sound… bad?” Buffy essayed. “Where does the awkwardness come in?”


“Because it didn’t suit the Powers’ plans. So they copied the plan for the animals, and made humankind. Before that, it was only Slayers. And they only came in one type.”


“Oh now I feel redundant,” Xander grumbled.


“Don’t feel bad Xander. It might not have been planned that way, but lots of good came of it. We got you. And Giles!”


“Not every surprise is bad,” Faith said, hefting Hope a little.


“With only one Slayer at a time, there was no chance of a full Slayer being born to two of them.”


“So what does a ‘full’ Slayer look like?” Xander asked. “Sorry, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the reality editing. I think I’m focussing on simple stuff as a defence.”


The fiery-haired angel took a bow.

“Oh, does this mean our daughter is going to sprout wings?” Buffy said perking up.


Dawn nodded. “Yep.”


Buffy shot her a look. And then frowned as she looked at Willow and Tara. “I’m going to need you to chase our daughter.”


Willow blinked owlishly. “Us?”

“Yep. You can fly. You so just pulled baby-sitting duty.”


“I might be jumping to conclusions here,” Tara said. “But as someone who unexpectedly sprouted wings one day, I have a feeling you’ll be able to chase them yourselves.”


“Really?” Buffy said, sounding more hopeful than she had in a long time.


Tara nodded. “It seems reasonably likely, given all the changes you’re going through.” She gestured at the ecstatically beaming angel. “Plus your relatives seem to have them.”


Faith nudged her. “Our relatives, cuz. Plus hey, you’re most of the way there already.”


“Um. Despite the wings, I’m no Slayer,” Tara responded.
She paused for a moment, before turning to their flame-haired guest. “I’m sorry. I forgot to ask your name.”


The red-headed angel laughed musically. “It has been a very busy day. My name is Talia.”
“And while we are talking of names and introductions, there is someone else I want you to meet.”


She waved, and a figure glided gently down from the stream still exiting the gate.
She had short blonde hair, and a heart-shaped face, currently adorned with a soft smile.
Unlike most of the other angels, she was not wearing armour, but wore a flowing dress of yellow and white.
“Hello Tara. And thank you.”


Tara wracked her brain. There was something very slightly familiar about the white-winged angel, but it just would not come.

“Tara, meet Ariel. Ariel, meet Tara.”


“Ariel?” Tara said thoughtfully.
Her eyes widened. “Ariel?!”


“Hello my dear. And thank you for rescuing me from that place.”


“I’m confused,” Buffy said. “I’m guessing you’re not the littlest mermaid, what with the wings and all. But who are you?”


“Buffy, she gave me my wings,” Tara said. “She gave her life for me, and set me free.”


Willow hugged the woman. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”


“Wait, you’re alive?” Buffy asked.


“Yes?” Ariel said. She let go of Willow, and shrugged.
“Death is not the clear dividing line that many people think it is. And for us, that line is even more blurry.”


She took Tara by both hands. “Thank you for setting me free of that place. I could not return home from a place so deep and dark.”


“Oh wow. Um, you’re welcome?”


“Thank you.”


“Uh guys?” Buffy said. “I know there’s a lot we need to talk about, and soooo much catching up to do, but can we go home?”


“I really need a fucking shower,” Faith said. “Like, more than anyone has ever needed a shower.”
She looked uncomfortable for a moment. “I got stuff running down my leg that I don’t even know what it is.”


“Sleep would be good too,” Heather said, eying her girlfriend uncertainly.


“Relax baby. I promise, I’m still Dawn. And when we’re out of here, my eyes will go back to normal. Promise.”


“Let’s go home.”


“You sure?”


Dawn nodded brightly. “Yep. This is one thing I can do.”



+++

Some time later…


The Scoobies stared in amazement.


When they’d started planning out their new home, Xander had wanted a super-long dining table, that could seat everyone.
Nobody was convinced.

Until ‘Hogwarts’ was mentioned.
That sealed it.
And so, two tables of beautifully polished dark wood had been secured.

And up until now, they had been a convenient place to stack books, while the library was sorted out.
And despite Giles’ most heroic efforts, only a fraction of the books had been catalogued and stored.

Still, in the meantime, someone had cleared the tomes and scrolls away, polished the tables, and laid a spread worthy of anything Hogwarts could deliver.
Four types of roast beast, stew, dumplings, salads, roast vegetables, mashed potatoes and sauces galore.


Buffy eyed the vast array of food.
“I’m sensing a theme here,” she said. “Very… british?”


“Well, I did ask Mary to lay on a spread for when we got back. I rather thought that we might need one. And if we didn’t come back… well, I imagine we’d have other issues.”
He looked at the astonishing quantity of food. “Though she seems to have outdone herself.”


“Ohmigod!” Dawn said. “I am sooo hungry!”


“Me too!” Xander said brightly.
He frowned. “Can I eat?”


“Yes. You can,” Anya said. “You don’t have to, but you can if you want to.”
She patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. “You’re going to find that a lot of the things that you feel, aren’t real. They’re just habits from when you’re alive. Like being hungry. And tired. And sleeping.”


“This is a lot to take in,” he said. “Let’s eat.”


“Attaboy,” Anya said, swinging her fist in what she obviously thought was a reassuring way.


“Y’know, I’m hungry too,” Willow said, looking longingly at the table. “But I’m not sure what I want to eat, I mean chicken is always good, and that beef looks nice, but there’s lamb! And pork! And I don’t wanna be some jewish rebel stereotype, but the pork looks yummy!”


“And she precut it for us,” Giles said. “Although I don’t mind carving, with a group this size, it’s doubtful I would get anything to eat today.”


“I think I’ll have the lamb,” Tara said, breaking the spell by making a beeline for the food.


With that, everyone piled in, and for the next few minutes there was nothing but the sounds of everyone figuring out where to sit, and the happy sounds of determined eating.

Many minutes of intense devouring later…


“Oh Goddess,” Willow said. “I am so spoiled.”
She patted her tummy. “Happy tummy.”


“Best thing you ever did Will. Hiring Mary,” Buffy said sleepily amid the demolished remains of her own meal.


“There’s no way you’re payin’ her enough, Red,” Faith said similarly sleepy.


“Indeed,” Giles said.


“I dunno,” Willow said. “She’s making more money than even a top flight chef. The only people making more are the TV-star chefs.”


“She should be here,” Faith said. “She made all this, and she doesn’t get to eat it? That ain’t right.”


“I understood that she had a romantic date planned,” Giles said. “I did ask her if she wanted to join us for dinner, you know.”


“Well, let’s get started,” Faith said. “We can all do the baby goo-goo stuff last, just in case we all need cheering up.”


She looked down, and her stern look melted to what could only be described as ‘pure adoration.’
Buffy likewise had a wondering look. “Holy shit, B,” she whispered. “Look what we did.”


Giles chuckled. “It looks like motherhood agrees with you.


“Fuck yeah. And no wriggling out, G. What was with that? Since when did you learn to catch lightning bolts.”


Giles sighed and looked down the enormous table. His whole family was present, even the extended ones.


Buffy and Faith were watching him when they could tear their eyes away from Hope, nestled in Buffy’s arms.

Tara and Willow we’re looking on in a way that could only be call ‘clucky’.

Fiona and Emmy looked at him curiously and sympathetically, respectively.

Xander kept poking himself in the stomach, and looking puzzled, clearly wondering where the food was going to go.

Anya was nibbling a crispy roast potato on a fork, and smirking at him.

Dawn was looking at him encouragingly, holding hands with Heather, as if needing the contact.

Jules fiddled with a napkin, while watching him with some interest.

Buffybot sat next to her, poking a vegetable curiously with a skewer.

Seated next to her was Oz. His usual mellow state was positively tranquil, and he simply waited.

And that left Bomber and Ethan, who were looking annoyed, and smirking respectively.

Joyce patted his hand reassuringly.


He cleared his throat. “Ah, how many of you have seen the Highlander movie?”
Oz, Xander, Willow, Ethan and Bomber nodded or waved.
“Blast. That would have made it a bit easier,” he muttered.


That got some confused looks. From everyone except Buffy and Brie, who just looked sympathetic.
Giles shook his head.
“The second law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created, nor destroyed. It can only be moved or transformed.”


That got more puzzled looks.

“Magic follows different rules overall, but in this it is similar.”


He took his glasses off. “I doubt you will have forgotten, but a few short years ago, we fought a Hellgod.”


Many sympathetic looks followed. Dawn especially shot him a look of silent understanding.

“And while we all fought side by side to defeat her, with Buffy taking the brunt of it, it was not Buffy who eventually killed her. That dubious honour fell to me.”

That got a few raised eyebrows.

“Power has to go somewhere. And her power went into me.”
He stood up straight. “I am a Hellgod.”


Stunned silence followed.

Silence (oddly enough) broken by Oz. “Huh.”


Willow stuck her hand up worriedly.

Giles quirked a small smile. “We are not in class, Willow. Just ask your question.”


“Um, ok. I’m glad your all god-y and powerful and could help with the fighting and lightning catching and poopy Powers beating-up but, how come you’re not all evil-y and dark?” she said nervously, her words spilling out in a rapid stream.

Giles took off his glasses and polished them with his tie.
He looked at them thoughtfully for a moment, and then put them aside.


“Because demons and gods can indeed be malevolent, but they have no idea of the dark depths of the human soul.”


He looked around at the assembled Scoobies and their extended family.
“Each of us carries a capacity for immense darkness. I will point out that the worst monsters in our history were fully human and had human souls. Even the worst of vampires pales in comparison to the horrors committed by well-meaning people, even in the 20th century.”

“It is our greatest source of strength. Humans have a capacity for darkness that would stun even the most terrifying demons, if only they knew. Our strength comes from resisting it.”


He looked around, getting nods from most. The most surprising was Xander, meeting his eye and nodding his understanding.

“Many of you are aware of my… my shadowed past. I don’t wish to dwell on it, but it was far deeper and darker than anyone was aware.”

“Suffice it to say, clawing my way back to a semblance of sanity and civility gave me the tools to deal with Glory’s darkness.”

He smirked slightly. “Hellgods are powerful. But when it comes to darkness, they are bloody amateurs.”


“That’s the real reason he left,” Buffy said softly.


Giles nodded. “Yes. Although I was eventually able to master the additional load of darkness on my soul, I still needed help, and time away from those I cared for most, so that I could focus exclusively on dealing with it.”


“Uh, so how come you didn’t unleash a giant can-o-whupass on the First?” Xander said, looking confused.


Giles raised an eyebrow. “The First Evil? Using the tools of darkness against the greatest known darkness in existence?”


“Ah. Good point,” Xander said. “It would have got to you huh? How come it didn’t get you anyway?”


“Glory’s greatest gift was stealth. She may have been powerful in many ways, but her undetectable nature and ability to warp reality was her greatest strength. Even limited as she was, locked inside a mortal body, she was still able to hide from The Powers That Be, any spells, and even the memories of the living. Eventually I was able to harness this power and hide my new nature.”


“So how come you didn’t just zap me when I went all dark?” Willow asked.


Giles sighed. “Because I didn’t want to hurt you. And I was barely holding myself together. I had to interrupt my training to come back, and it was likely that any ‘zapping’ as you put it would have left a crater. Please keep in mind it has been several years of constant work, and I’m still only barely aware of my capabilities. The coven’s entrapment spell was the best idea I could come up with.”


He gave her a level look. “In addition, using more dark magical powers on someone who is also drowning in darkness, well, that struck me as massively unwise.”


Willow nodded. “Um, thanks. I know I said it before, but I can never thank you enough for that.”
She looked around. “All of you guys. You especially,” she said, looking at Xander.


He blushed and looked away. “S’ok Will. Any time.”


Willow reached out. “Ugh. I can’t reach. And I’m too full to move. Can you hug him for me?” she said to Anya.


“Sure!” Anya said brightly. She hugged Xander close and kissed him passionately.


“That’s more tongue than I would have used,” Willow said.


“I don’t think he minds,” Dawn said with a smirk.


“Do please try to keep it above board,” Giles said with mild disapproval.


They parted with a pop.

“Just letting him know I still love him, even though he’s dead,” Anya said.
She looked around seriously. “You should all talk about that now. Process it and whatever.”


“What’s it like?” Willow asked.


“Uh, hard to say,” Xander said. “I don’t have Anya’s experience, and no-one gave me a boost. So I’m not a Whitelighter or anything, just a regular freshly dead person.”

He thought for a moment and scratched his head. “Mostly like being alive. I don’t seem to get tired though.”


“And you don’t need to sleep,” Anya said. “Which is going to take some time to get used to.”


He nodded. “Sometimes I get the feeling I sort of know stuff, but I don’t know it, y’know?”


“Those are your other senses unfolding. Everyone has them, and some even learn to use them while they’re still alive. Slayers and witches for example. You grow into it,” Anya explained.


“I’m just wondering where the food goes.”


“You don’t need it,” Anya said. “You can either get rid of it, or convert it into energy if you figure out how.”


“How do I do I do that?”


“Well, you’re still thinking like a human, so the human way,” She said. “Go poop it out.”


“It doesn’t hurt?” Willow said. “Not the pooping, the being dead.”


Xander smiled. “Nah. Didn’t even hurt getting here. Just a flash, bright lights, and Anya pulling me out of a pool.”


“It normally takes longer,” she said. “But he was very determined, and I was able to help. All of which means he’s going to be disorientated for a while.”


“It is a big change, my boy,” Giles said kindly.


“More than becoming a god?” he said with a smirk.


“Well, I did have practice, being naturally godlike” he replied urbanely. “And I had a little more time than you did,’ he said with a teasing smile


“How come you still have an eyepatch?” Willow asked.


“Because I want one,” said Xander. “I might wanna give it up one day. Maybe. But it’s part of who I am now.”


“And you no longer see with your eyes, so it really doesn’t matter,” Anya said simply.


“This is gonna take some getting used to,” Willow said.


“Well, I have time,” Xander said with a smirk.


Little Hope took that moment to cry and make a small fuss. “Aww, she wants her mommy,” Faith said, and promptly handed her over.
Buffy took her and cuddled her, but she continued to quietly complain and wave her arms around.
“Looks like she wants feeding,” and made to hand her back.


“Looks like,” Faith said, and started undoing Buffy’s top.


“What are you doing?”


“Feedin’ her. Ya got tits too you know. Plus, it’ll help with that,” Faith said, pointing at the two wet spots on Buffy’s chest.


“Ugh,” Buffy grunted. “It happened again.”


Faith smirked. “Ya need ta be milked, B.”
She rotated Buffy so she was facing away from the rest of the gang. “No sense giving everyone a free show.”
She twiddled Buffy’s nipple and got an outraged look, until the pink nipple formed a peak, and she deftly attached little Hope.


Buffy’s eyes went wide. “Oh. Wow.”


“Weird feeling, yeah?”


Buffy just nodded dumbly.

“Heh. The books said it was real important for the mother-daughter bond, all that breastfeeding and stuff. Plus hey, having it leak into your shirt is just a waste.”


“Holy cow!” Buffy squeaked breathlessly. “I’m breastfeeding our baby. This is real, and I’m not hallucinating?”


“Nope.”

She looked down at her daughter, sucking away determinedly.

“Really hoping it’s your turn when she starts teething,” Faith said.


“God-” Buffy said, breaking off. “Goddess, she’s beautiful.”


“Yeah, she is,” Faith said adoringly.

Buffy glanced up and saw most of her family grinning at her.
Willow and Tara both looked a little wistful.
She hid a smirk. ‘Won’t be long now,’ she sent silently to Faith.

Faith looked up and caught Tara’s eye, seeing the longing there.
‘Oh yeah. Little Hoppy is gonna have a cuz to play with, no doubt.’


‘Hoppy?’


‘Duh.’


‘Ok, I guess that was kinda obvious.’


‘Yep. And we need to give her a middle name, so she knows she’s in trouble.’


‘Pretty sure that’s not what they’re for. Any ideas?’


‘One. How about Joyce?’


“Joyce?” Buffy blurted.


“Yes?” Joyce said. “Though I also answer to ‘mom.’”


“Uh, what?” Buffy said, confused. “No, Faith was talking about middle names for the baby.”


“Hope… Joyce?” Dawn said. “Rounded up to the nearest dozen, how many fights did you want her to get into each day?”


“Hey, our girl can fight,” Faith said.


“While Joyce is indeed a lovely name, it may not be the best choice for someone whose first name is ‘Hope’,” Giles said placatingly.


“How many fights did your name cause Rupert?” Buffy asked.


“None, Buffy,” Giles said, stressing Buffy’s name tellingly. “In the British isles I’ll have you know, Rupert is a perfectly ordinary name.”


Ethan made disbelieving snorting noises in the background. “Liar,” he muttered.


“Which brings us to Dawn,” Giles said, attempting to divert attention from himself.


“Wow. Smooth,” Dawn said flatly.


Giles sniffed. “If it works, it works.”


“It tells you something about our lives that teasing you about your name is right up there with magic babies, dead people visiting, gods in the family and, oh yeah, a war in heaven,” Dawn said.


“Eh,” Xander said with a shrug. “We had to talk this stuff through at some point. It might as well be now.”


She looked around at her family, who were all looking at her expectantly.

“Ok. So, I’m Dawn, and I’m the Key,” she said, setting the stage.
“The Key was what the Goddess created to do small fiddly things like building galaxies and stuff, after she’d done the heavy lifting of creating the universe. Multiverse really.”


“Galaxies are small fiddly things?” Xander said. “Great googly moogly!”


“Try building a cosmos some time. Compared to that, galaxies and stars are child’s play.”


“Anyway. The Key had to be both powerful, and flexible. It was sort of intelligent, but not self-aware. Kinda like a really clever robot, before she became a real person.”

She nodded to Buffybot, who smiled brightly.

“Then, when the Powers That Be dorks made their move, they sealed me up, and dumped me on the mortal plane.”


“I’d have thought they’d have locked you in a vault or something,” Willow said.


Dawn shook her head. “Too close to the power. Too close to the door. There was a much better chance that I’d wake up or something if I was up there. That and I would have been a constant reminder of what they’d done to their own mother. Nope, they needed a nice quiet place to dump me, but somewhere they could keep an eye on me.” She held up a hand to forestall Willow’s next question. “Which is why they didn’t dump me in another galaxy or something.”


“And the Order of Dagon?” Giles asked.


“They and the Knights of Byzantium were descended from the men they set up as watchers over the Key. And no, that’s not a coincidence, the Watchers we all know descended from them too.”

She looked around and saw that everyone was following along.
“And that’s about it for the parts that make any logical sense to four dimensional beings.”


“Wuh?” Xander said.


“Time,” Willow explained.


“Yup,” Dawn said. “Reality has been re-written a few times. The Powers That Be tried to go back and rewrite things, but without my help, they couldn’t make it stick. The closest they could come to creating a new time line lead to the creation of the Old Ones. When they didn’t like what they’d created, they tried to erase it, and substitute a version of the original time line. But that didn’t stick either. So we have little leftover bits of stuff all over the place.”


“Jesus. What a mess,” Faith grumbled.


Dawn nodded. “Oh yeah. That’s the world we inherited, a patchwork job. They cleaned things up a bit, like creating the Deeper Well to put the dead old ones. But after that, they quit messing. But the damage was done. After the reality of the world was cracked, it wasn’t that hard to re-write bits of it.”


“Even moderately powerful demons could do it. Like D’hoffryn,” Anya interjected.


“Can you fix it?” Willow asked.


“Yes… and no,” Dawn said.
She looked sad. “Yes, I can fix it. Easily even. But, everything here, our lives, our friends, all the things we’ve done are all a product of that patchwork reality. If I fix it, all that goes.”


“Wowwie,” Willow said, wide eyed.


“Oh yeah. In essence, I can put the original timeline back in place, but only by killing every single person on earth, and building a new one. With different people on it.”


“That’s… a lotta dead people,” Xander said glumly.


“Worse,” Tara said softly. “All those people wouldn’t be dead. They would never have existed.”


Dawn nodded. “A lot of the stuff about the world we know was only possible because it was such a patch job.”


“Oh I don’t know,” Ethan said urbanely. “It left all sorts of possibilities open for chaos magic.”
He grinned. “That Halloween in Sunnydale would never have been do-able without it.”


“That was reality messing?” Xander said.


Ethan raised a haughty eyebrow. “Of course. Where do you think all those memories came from? Crafting a single memory is relatively easy, but crafted memories for hundreds of people? Whole lives?” he shook his head. “Not possible.”


“Eh. Wasn’t all bad. I got a load of firearms training out of it. Also pushups and how to stay alive in a jungle.”
“And only a little PTSD,” he muttered.


“Of course!’ Ethan said brightly. “It wouldn’t have been chaos if something good didn’t come out of it.”


“I got so much science stuff out of it,” Dawn said.


Willow blinked. “Oh yeah. Einstein.”


“Totally. Einstein, er mochte die Damen. Viel. Wow, die Dinge, die ich dir erzählen könnte, wenn du Pussy isst.“


Giles coughed, and flushed slightly. Faith looked thoughtful, and Dawn could see her working through the words before she grinned.

“I got ballroom dancing, embroidery, and turn of the century European politics,” Buffy said.


“You don’t look happy about that,“ Ethan said mildly.


“Yeah, i guess i passed history thanks to you. But the French and German didn’t stick.“


“Hardly my fault.“


“Moving right along,“ Dawn said. “It brings me to my next big thing. Which is this. Now that the Powers That Be have been overthrown, some of the changes they made to the world are coming undone.”


“Is this a good thingy, or a bad thingy?“ Willow asked.


“Good. Definitely good. Though it does mean the start of our next big adventure,” she said with a smile.


“We’re adventuring again?” Buffy said. “Already?”


“Yeah, but this is not the same. Much lower stakes. Sorta.”


“What are we doing?” Xander asked.


“Reclaiming our homeland,” Dawn said.


“We have a homeland now?” Buffy said in surprise. “When did that happen.”


“Since always,” Dawn said casually.


“I think we’ve seen it,” Tara said. “You were there.”


Dawn nodded. “Yep. Time is my bitch.”


Buffy looked up from Hope, the gooey expression fading away as she focussed. “Wait, what?”


Dawn made a face. “Ok, this involves time travel, so causality gets a bit… squiffy,” she said, her hands miming a tangled mess of some kind.
“The Key was used to create time, among other things. This means that it stands outside time, to a degree.”

She grinned. “Which means I have a unique relationship to time.”


“And for the non-brains in the audience?” Xander asked.


“Well, time isn’t really linear, at the best of times. For me, it means that I can be in more than one place in time.”


“So the wedding…?”


“I wasn’t there yet, but I will have been. Sooner or later. To both of them.”


Xander’s brow furrowed. “Uh.”


“Yeah. Tenses are fun.”


“Both of them?” Willow asked.


“Well yeah,” Dawn said. “You don’t think I’d miss yours do you?”


“Ours?” Tara asked mildly.


“Well duh. Like you guys getting married really comes as a surprise?”


“You’re gonna be there?” Faith asked. “Oh. Duh. Course you are.”


“Yours too.”


Buffy blinked. “Oh. Right.”


“Same wedding. It’s a double wedding, you guys.”


“Well, I had thought about that,” Buffy began.


“You have to now. Otherwise the whole spacetime continuum would collapse,” Dawn said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Clearly she’d been studying Anya.


“And here I was, worried about rain on the wedding day,” Buffy said dryly.


“Nope. Clear skies the whole day,” Dawn said.
She grinned. “Trust me.”


“Anyway, yes, I was back in the past, on our ancient homeland. And this is where Buffy gets a swelled head and is insufferable for a while.”


“What? Why?” Buffy said.
She made an incongruous picture, looking irked, while simultaneously breastfeeding.


“Because the missing land, a country even, is called ‘Summer.’ Also known as ‘The Sunlit Lands’ ‘The Shining Lands’ and in the language of the most common people at the time ‘Mu’.”


“Oh my,” Giles said.


“Yeah, Mu is real. The Powers That Be just folded reality over it. They couldn’t excise it completely, which is where all those lost kingdom and Atlantis legends come from.”


“And I’m assuming that the similarity between the name of the land, and the Summer’s surname is not a coincidence?” Giles asked.


“Nope. Given that mom is technically dead, that puts Buffy as the oldest living member of the Summers family. Which means, she’s the Princess of Summer.”


Buffy squealed. “Ha! Take that Kristi Hernandez!”


“Oh my god!” Dawn said. “That was like, ten years ago, and you’re still carrying it around?”


Buffy sniffed. “She was a real bitca about it. Kept going on about being descended from a Spanish infantas.”


“Bitca?” Xander said with a smirk.


“Tiny ears,” Buffy said. “Very tiny, perfectly formed ohmygodsocuteyoucoulddie ears,” Buffy gushed.


“Right. I’d better get this over with before Buffy melts down completely,” Dawn said.


“So yes, long ago, Slayers had their own country. When the Powers That Be tried to erase it from existence, it was evacuated.”


“We saw her,” Tara said softly.


Dawn nodded. “The Queen. I remember. And the last queen to reign over the land of Summer.”


“Wait, how does this fit in with Sineya?” Buffy asked.


“Badly. Remember I said that it got all squiffy?”

Nods all around.

“Well, Remember, The Powers tried to rewrite reality. And it didn’t take. So history is a little broken there.”


“I’m not sure if that makes it better, or worse,” Willow said.


“A little of each,” Dawn replied. “I’m going to have to try and fix it at some stage.”


“So what happened?”


“The history of Summer was overwritten with the new history. But like a toastie maker when you over fill it, bits leak out.”


Tara nodded and added softly, “Like all magic.”


“Yup. Metaphysical safety valve. So, the Powers gave a load of power to a bunch of African shamen, and got them to bind the strongest Slayer.”


“And from her, the others?” Willow asked.


“Yep. Principle of contagion. But, because of the inevitable loophole, Sineya herself was not bound. Though the whole process messed her up like, a lot.”


“Because demon?” Xander asked.


“Yep. Takes a lot of darkness to bind the light of a Slayer.”


She eyed Buffy and Faith. “You two are essentially fledgling angels.”


“Wicked.”


“I’ve been meaning to ask-”


“When you mature,” Dawn interrupted. “You were going to ask about wings, right?”

Buffy nodded brightly.

“I’m not sure exactly. You would have had them ages ago, but the Slayer essence has been diluted. It slowed your growth. Hope won’t have that issue.”


“It would be good if we got them before our daughter did. Chasing after toddlers is hard enough. If they are toddler slayers who can fly, it doesn’t bear thinking about.


Joyce hid her face, and silently laughed into Giles’ shoulder.

Faith spotted it. “B was a handful, huh?”


Joyce nodded into Giles’ shoulder.
When she looked up, she was nearly helpless with laughter.

“Oh, I’m so glad I got to see this,” she said, her voice almost luminous with barely suppressed laughter.
“If she takes after you at all, she is going to be a handful.”


“Ooo!” Willow said, lighting up. “Embarrassing baby stories. Spill!”


“No!” Buffy protested.


“Yes!” Faith retorted.


“Well, when she was younger, it was all we could do to keep clothes on her.”


“Mom!” Buffy protested.


“And when it came to bath time, she’d cover herself in shampoo, and try and escape.”


Dawn’s eyes went wide. “You rotten liar!” she said, pointing an accusing finger. “You said I did that!”

Buffy looked embarrassed.


“Like a slippery eel,” Joyce continued. “Hank was not impressed when a soapy-wet Buffy went sprinting through the house, buck naked, and slid across the lino.”


“Though his clients thought it was hilarious.”


If Buffy went any redder, she’d probably catch fire.


“So you have that to look forward to,” Joyce said with a smirk.


“Ohmigod. Just kill me now,” Buffy complained.


“Man, I miss all the good stuff,” Faith said.


“You won’t. Trust me,” Joyce added.
She grinned. “My parents were right. Being a grandparent is fun.”


“Guh,” Buffy grunted.


“Children are a blessing,” Joyce said. “But they are also hard work. Allow your mother a moment of well-earned Schadenfreude.”
Buffy glared.
“Oh I’m going to love this,” she said with a bright, cheerful smile.


“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m quite replete,” Giles said.


“You’ve got one of those word-a-day dictionaries, don’t you?” Willow said.


“Quite. Though I was suggesting that we retire to the lounge. Dining room chairs are not really designed for a relaxing chat.”


“I’m really tired,” Willow said, “But still way too wired to sleep.”

They all staggered to their feet, one by one, and drifted tiredly in the direction of the lounge.


“Last time you said that Will, the first Slayer tried to kill us in our dreams.”


“We came to an understanding about that,” Buffy said, still breastfeeding as demurely as possible. “I don’t think she’ll do that again.”

She looked down at the tiny life in her arms. “God, how much can you drink? I think I’ve lost 10 pounds already!”


“I thought that was Faith?” Tara said innocently.


“Hoho!” Faith crowed. “Nice one!”


“Tomorrow, we’ve got a big day,” Dawn said. “Lots of planning, a homeland to reclaim, and all sorts. But tonight is for us to relax and spend quality time with family.”
She dropped tiredly into the couch.


“Wow. I ate so much,” Xander said.


Five minutes later, the room was filled with soft snores.


Here ends the Story.

_________________
“All I feel is sunlight. All I hear is music.” Willow
How i Met Your Mother - By Ariel


My Story: Coming Home


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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2017 3:53 am 
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Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 12:51 pm
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Location: Kaskinen, Finland. Citizen of Kitopia
Dibs-y Goodness! :applause :banana :bounce

Yay for excellent update-y goodness! Big yay for meeting all the Slayer relatives... Yay for all the background info about the Gaia, Key and those Powers-Who-Used-To-Be and their role in creating the multiverse... Can't wait for Buffy to reclaim her rightful place as Queen of Summer, and getting wings...

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Posting while nude improves your mood...


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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2017 3:06 am 
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Topics: 15
Location: Beyond the orbit of Mars and accelerating...
So, here are a series of Vignettes or snapshots, all about W/T and the other Scoobies, at various points in the future.
A few of them might even count as epilogues.

I've put them in a rough order, and figure i'll post them one a week until they're done.

Crash testing

“I dunno,” Faith said dubiously.


"Have a little faith, Faith,” Willow said chirpily.

That got a raised eyebrow.


“I thought you might be sceptical, so I brought this,” she said, holding up a child’s booster seat.

“And this,” she said, holding up a large and fragile-looking cut crystal statue of a dragon, bought from their favourite local jeweller.


She dropped the statue into the carseat, and muttered a few words. The statue flickered with a faint light, and a couple of unobtrusive runes cut into the plastic glowed.


She handed it to Faith.

Faith frowned. “Now what so I do with it?”


Willow shrugged. “Football?”



+++


“What are they doing?” Giles asked mildly.


“Playing football?” Willow said.


“No, they aren’t. For starters, your lot don’t know how to play football, and there’s no ball.”


They looked out on what had started as an impromptu gridiron game, and had rapidly grown into unmanageable proportions.
Teams had organically settled out into Slayers vs Guardians, and they were working hard, egged on by spectators now numbering in the hundreds.


Though, no gridiron game Giles had ever seen featured an all female team of fifty vs fifty. With no armour. And with skimpy clothing.
And Slayers leaping twenty feet in the air.

It might have been an even more popular game, if they had. He mused.


Though the use of a child’s safety seat as a ball might have dampened enthusiasm slightly.


“they’re actually testing a spell,” Willow explained. “Tara and I worked on protection spells for the baby seat. And now they’re testing them.”


“Not with an actual baby, I trust?”


“Because that’s totally gonna happen,” Willow grumbled at him. “No. I got one of those super fragile crystal statue thingies from the jewellers in town. If that can survive the abuse, I’m pretty sure Faith and Buffy will trust it with Hope.”

“The actual game is sort of spontaneous.”

Willow checked her Scooby doo watch. “Well, that’s 15 minutes. That should be enough.” She pulled out a whistle, and blew it to stop the game.


Faith jogged over, triumphantly holding the seat high. “Better luck next time ladies.”


Willow unwrapped the plastic cover and took out the fragile statue.
After a brief examination she handed it to Faith. “It worked,” She said simply.


Faith looked over the statue and the rune carved seat.
She nodded. “Yep. Looks good. Well done Red and Blondie!”

She put the crystal dragon statuette back in the seat and closed up the mud covered plastic cover.

“On to round two.”


“Round two?” Willow said, puzzled.


Faith nodded. “Yep. Explosives.”


“Explosives?!”


Faith frowned. “Well yeah. Not much point making a seat that can handle a bit of rough and tumble. We need a seat that can survive a huge fucking car crash.”

She leaned over and spoke quietly. “You did say it was indestructible, right?”


“Um, yes?”


“I’ll get the C4,” Giles said.

Faith raised an eyebrow.

“Not to doubt your cleverness Faith, but explosives require training to use safely. I have that training, and you do not.”


“And this is not you just wanting to blow stuff up?” Faith said with a smirk.


“Not at all,” Giles said with as much dignity as he could muster. He smirked a little. “I assure you my interest is purely scientific. And safety conscious.”


“Sure sure. I believe ya big guy.”


“I submit for your inspection, the total demolition of the Sunnydale Highschool. I assure you, it was quite a challenge packing enough homemade explosives into one single room to destroy the entire school. And all without blowing ourselves up, even once.”


“A’right. Get the boom stuff.”


+++


“Is that enough?” Faith asked.


Giles raised an eyebrow. “That’s two, one kilo bricks of C4. Or a little over four pounds to you. I assure you that it is enough to simulate the violence of the worst possible crash. Any more than that, would be testing if the seat could stand up to an airliner crashing into it, not a car crash.”


Faith nodded. “Sure we wanna do this out in the open? Wouldn’t the trees muffle the blast?”


Giles nodded. “Yes. And add a good deal of deadly wooden shrapnel.”
He paused for a moment.
“You know, we might be able to use that.”
“But not today. No, out in the open is safest.”


They were in what were generally called the ‘far fields’, the older, disused fields, formerly part of some agricultural enterprise.

Giles had hunted around until he’d found a natural depression, free of any clutter.

Faith watched as he placed the booster seat in the depression, and laid out the explosives on top, connecting them to the wires he’d already run out.

He carefully connected and checked all the wires.


“I highly recommend that you lie down,” he said to Faith, sand a worried looking Willow.


They quickly lay down. “It helps if you cover your ears, and open your mouth as wide as you can,” he said.


“Aren’t you gonna yell fire in the hole?”


“To whom? And no, that’s an American thing.”

He waited until they’d covered their ears and opened their mouths.
“Charging!” he said loudly, and wound the handle.

“Firing!” He pushed the button and a loud and surprisingly sharp bang washed over them, along with a spray of dirt.


They got up and looked.


“Um, where is it?” Willow said.


“Ah.”


+++

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2017 6:58 am 
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Dibs-y Goodness! :applause :bounce

Big yay for seat testing...

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2017 7:44 am 
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And in the beginning there was darkness, and the Goddess said "Let there be light!"

And there was light, and with the light formed base matter within the vastness of the void.

Then the Goddess turned to the Key and said "Alright then, I'm gonna go take a nap. You can bang out the rest of this can't you? Don't take all week. We still have to decide if all the cute little critters we make will reproduce by deep emotional and spiritual bonding, or just by shooting gooey clumps of DNA into each other."

Great "ending." I gotta say I've been a little skeptical each time you've said they were gonna give the UN a stern talking to. But now you've established that eventually a new continent is going to pop up overnight. A continent populated by Slayers that may or may not start to sprout giant white angel wings.

Yeah, that's something that can get your covert, mildly domestic terrorist seeming, organization a good chunk of podium time in front of the UN General Assembly. I'm wondering if Buffy will outright call herself Empress of the Summer Isles and demand the UN name them a member state.

Also, did the Slayers just invent a new sport called murderball? Deathrugby? Concussion Blitz? Sounds fun.

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 2:18 am 
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I meant to post a bit last week, but there was Rearranging the shed, eyestrain headaches from out of prescription glasses, eyestrain headaches from new replacement lasses, and eyestrain from a new monitor/TV/lighting set up. Kinda slowed things down a bit. :(

New little bits today.
Angel pays a visit. It doesn't go that well for him. :P



“Eyes,” they both said at the same time.

Buffy and Willow both blinked in surprize.

“Jinx!” they both said.

They sighed.

“Oh Buffy. She has so many things I love. But her eyes, Buffy. Dear Goddess, her eyes are so deep, so quiet. You could fall into them and drift for days.”

Buffy sighed. “Warm. Deep, and filled with fire. And understanding. God I don’t think there’s anything she hasn’t seen, and yet she’s still here, still fighting, and still loving me.”

Buffy quirked a slightly naughty smile. “Boobs are good too.”

Willow giggled. “Oh yeah.”






+++


Angel had been looking since sunset, but he had been unable to find the slayer academy anywhere.

Something weird was going on. It shouldn’t be possible to hide a training campus for slayers, especially in a town this size.
In the end, he’d settled for trailing a group of girls in the hopes that they might lead him to Buffy.
And he’d lost them.

In the end he’d simply asked a small girl with pink hair if she knew anything.

She’d smiled happily as he approached, and then she spun, and her foot slammed into his head with enough force to send him flying.
Had he still been alive, it would certainly have killed him.
As it was, it still really hurt.


++


“Hey, you seen Angel?” Faith asked one of the girls on the gates.


They shook their heads. “Nope. And yes, we know what to look for.”


“Uh, that can’t be a coincidence,” one of the other girls said.
She pointed to a person in a long coat.

He was sprinting at superhuman speeds through some of the trees that surrounded the borders of Slayer central.
Pursued by a handful of determined young girls.


“Ah crap.”



+++



“There. That should do it. You can put your shirt on, big guy,” Faith said, pinning the last bandage in place.


Angel stood up and carefully put on the clean shirt he’d been given, over the bandages.
“Thanks.”


“Eh. Sorry you got mugged. And stabbed a lot. Just be glad you ran into Buffy’s Stars. They usually have low profile weapons. My girls are armed for bear.”


He smirked. “Why am I not surprised.”


She grinned back. “Well duh.”
“Seriously though, ‘s good ta see ya. Maybe next time, come to the front gate?”


“I tried.”


Faith rolled her eyes. “Ya can thank Red for some of that. She tied the wards into three Hellmouths, so they are crazy powerful. I think you got it worse, on account of being a vamp.”


She frowned. “How come you’re still a vampire? Didn’t the Powers That Be, fix you up?”


He shook his head. “I asked them not to. So instead they gave me a blessing.”


“Why the fuck did you say no?” Faith said, incensed.


“Because I’m not ready, Faith.”


“The fuck you ain’t! How long ya gonna do the ‘woe is me’ bit?”


Angel gave her an annoyed look. “Give me some credit. I don’t just hang around brooding over nothing, you know. I’ve had a lot of time, lifetimes, to do a lot of thinking. You know me, Angel. And you might even have met Angelus. But you never knew Liam.”


“That’s you ya dork.”


“No. He. Isn’t," He said forcefully. "Not any more than you are the same person that you were, when you were eight."

He carefully put on his slightly perforated long coat.
"I was only ever Liam for a few years. I spent centuries as Angelus. And Decades as Angel."
He sighed.
"I am who I am, in part because of the demon inside me. Fighting that demon gives me direction. Tells me who I am. I might hate it sometimes, but I never have to ask if I’m a good man, If I’m doing the right thing. Because the demon reminds me all the time what the bad thing is. All I have to do is fight that, and I’m right.”
He smirked very slightly, “That, and brood a little.”


“Well, it’s that or playstation.”


“We have one.”


He glanced around. “No Buffy?”


Faith shook her head. “She took Hope to play in the local park, with Red and Blondie. Also she’s avoiding the hell out of you.”


“Really? Why?”


Faith raised an eyebrow. “Ya have to ask?”


“Well, it’s sure to be awkward. But why the avoiding?”


“You might have noticed, B doesn’t handle this sort of thing well. Add ‘baby’ to the mix of new ‘fiancé,’ ‘gay’ and all the rest, and you’ve got a big ol’ buffy mess.”


“Well, I did want to talk to her,” Angel said. “But if she’s that worried, maybe I should just leave it.”


“Nah. She knows. She’s just working up to it.”
“Relax. She’s gotta come home some time.”

He looked around awkwardly.

“Eh. C’mon, I’ll show ya around. Just don’t get too far away. We got Slayers, warrior chicks and Angels for miles. And not all of them know who you are.”


“I feel like I’m in a den of wolves,” he said dryly.


Faith smirked. There was a good measure of pride in that look.
“Sure. If the wolves had flamethrowers.”


+++

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 2:50 am 
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Yay for nice little snippet of the future... Angel definitely got his ass kicked...

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 2:47 am 
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So, a big chunk of this just appeared out of nowhere.
Here you go :)

The Crusade.


“I’ve had enough of seeing good people die Faith. So I want every evil thing to know, that if they step out of line ever, that an army of Slayers will destroy them. No mercy, no witty banter, just death.”


“Kinda dark B.”


“I have had enough of things threatening my family, my friends. It’s not fun anymore Faith. I’ve seen too much pain and death happening to people, and I just want it to stop.”

“And I will stop it. I will kill every vampire and demon in the entire world with my bare hands if that’s what it takes.”


“Jesus B.”


“Time to stop playing. It’s a war. Time we realized that, and fight to win. I want my world clean Faith, I want the evil burned from the face of the earth.”


“That ain’t a war B. That’s a fucking crusade.”


“Then it’s a crusade. Join me?”


Faith took her hand. “B you never have to ask ok? I’m with ya to the end, whatever it takes.”


Faith blinked and sniffled a little, she looked down. “I’d walk into hell for you Buffy.”


Buffy lifted Faith’s chin. “I know.”


She squeezed Faith’s gloved hand in her own. “How about we wade into hell together?”


“Fuck yeah.”



“Um hey Buffy?” Heather said hesitantly. “Not meaning to get in the middle of a private moment here, but we kinda heard you guys talking and…”


“We want in,” Jules said simply.


Dawn nodded slowly.


“Are you sure?” Buffy asked.


The girls all nodded.


“All-out war. Extermination. Rivers of blood and ash. Killing until there’s nothing left to threaten or hurt anyone ever again. The complete extermination of all evil demonic life. That’s what a crusade is. Are you sure you’re up for it?”


“No more balance of light and dark? Just the light, burning the darkness out of existence? Yeah, I can get behind that.”



I Lived

Music that inspired this bit.


“Life is pain,” Buffy said. “Embrace the pain.”

Her girls looked a little lost, sitting crosslegged in a semicircle around her.
The


“I’m serious you guys. If something isn’t hurting, it means you don’t care. It means you’re not alive.”

She turned and looked over her girls. Her Stars, her points of light.

“Learn from my mistakes. Live so hard, and so deeply that you can barely stand it.”
She gestured them closer. “I don’t know if this will work. But I wanna try. Because you’re my girls, and you deserve to know. To feel. To understand. If I can give you that.”


’I’m trying something deep here, Beloved. Hold onto something.’


’Beloved?’ came the surprised reply. ’That’s a new one.’


’Not a cute name. Just who you are.’


Faith chuckled. ’I’m braced. Do ya thing.’


She took the hand of each girl on the end of the close semi circle.
Instinctively they all joined hands.

“Look into my eyes,” she said, pinning each of them with her darkened gaze.


She reached inside, something that her psychological adventures with Faith had made much easier.
She let herself dwell on all the memories of pain and darkness.
Of fighting Faith. On her memories of avoiding it all after coming back.
And she willed it all into her eyes.


The girls gasped as they saw the ocean of pain in her dark eyes.

And then Buffy let her thoughts drift to Faith. Faith and their child.
And the feelings of love were so rich, so poignant, so shockingly intense they were nearly unbearable.
And this too she willed into her eyes.

Gasps, and even whimpers echoed around the grove.


“Understand. Feel. Know,” she said.
“This is what awaits you. This is your gift, and my gift to you.”

“Take life by the throat and make it give you what you want.”

“We are all going to die one day. And while that is no longer what it used to be, it is the end of a chapter, and the beginning of another.”

“I want each and every one of you to enter that new chapter with no regrets. Not one. I want each of you to look back and say ‘I lived every second, and more.’”


The girls whimpered. Buffy willed them her all her strength, her pain, her friendship, her love.

And they took it. Like a thirsty desert soaking up every drop of new rain, they took it all.


’Jesus B, what are you doing?’ came the thought.


’The right thing, I think.’


’Heavy shit.’


‘Just paying it forward.’

The girls just sat in silence, breathing hard.
They sounded like they’d just run a marathon.
And Buffy felt oddly light, having just shared something so utterly deep with her girls.

“Never hold back.”


And tiny, pink haired Chrissy screamed and bolted, seeming to go from sitting cross legged to running with no intervening movements.


‘uh-oh.’


‘Chill. I got this,’ came the reply.


‘Are you sure.’


‘Sure, B. I been Buffy’d before. I know how it feels.’



+++

Faith followed the sounds of violence. She entered the heavily reinforced Slayer gym and found one of the reinforced bags they used to workout, utterly shredded. And that took some doing.

She found Chrissy hammering the shit out of another bag. Her blows were landing hard, and she was hitting like a machinegun.
The bag wasn’t long for this world.

“Hey.”


Chrissy spun like lightning, breathing hard. Every corded muscle stood out under her skin. Which was a surprise for someone who usually looked to be about twelve.
And the blue of her eyes was a thin rim around her huge pupils.


And like lightning, she attacked.


Faith would have been caught completely flatfooted, if she hadn’t been expecting it. That and training with Buffy was a big help when it came to dealing with crazy-fast people.
And so when Chrissy stepped into range, she countered by doing the same, and hugged the struggling girl to her.


She screamed and struggled.
But Faith was stronger by far, and was the acknowledged mistress of close-in dirty fighting.

After another scream of rage, the tiny form collapsed in her arms, sobbing.



Eventually, after a couple of minutes, she stopped and sniffled.
And looked up with watery blue eyes.
“Hey.”


Faith smirked. “Hey back. Feeling better?”

Chrissie nodded.

“Wanna talk about it?”


She shook her head. “Still processing.”
She snuggled in closer. “And this is nice.”


Faith chuckled. “Don’t get used to it. Special high drama circumstances.”


“I know. You’re not mine. She’s still out there. And I have to find her.”


Faith frown. “Jesus, what did Buffy do to you?”


“She gave me… gave all of us, her strength. Her pain. Her lessons. It was very powerful.”


“No shit?”


“No shit,” came the reply.


“I just had to… do something.”


“Hey, I get that.”


“It’s still settling in. But I feel… Strong. At peace. Like the still part in the eye of a hurricane.”


Faith looked at her. She was sweaty, snotty, and her hair was all over the place. But her eyes held a quiet strength.


“Yeah. I’m getting that. You need a shower.”


Chrissie smiled a little. “Yeah.”



+++



And it showed.
They never did figure out what exactly had happened, but the Stars, or ‘Buffy’s girls’ carried themselves differently from that night onward.


They had their own strengths to be sure. But somehow, Buffy had given her girls something of herself. Some of her hard won lessons. Some of her steel.
And it wasn’t just calm. They embraced all that life had to offer. They learned from her gift.

Whatever was happening, there was always one of Buffy’s girls front and center. From battles, to parties. Even weddings.
When they weren’t working as a team, they naturally gravitated to leadership positions.
Calm and confidence had that effect.


And whenever Buffy and Chrissy were alone, they would sometimes share a look.
Buffy would raise an eyebrow.
“Still looking,” was the response.

And eventually the tiny pink-haired Slayer did find her girl.
But that is another story.
For another time.


+++



Willow gets a headache
“Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow,” Willow said from her place in Tara’s lap.
She had her arm slung over her eyes, shielding her eyes from the sun as she rested her head in Tara’s lap.


Tara stroked her head soothingly and hummed a gentle tune.

“Are you sure you can’t fix this with magic,” Willow muttered.


“Sorry sweetie, but no,” Tara said in a sympathetic tone.
“The headache is cause by strain from overdoing the magic slightly. It’s not a good idea to add more magic to the mix.”

Willow whimpered unhappily.


“Think of it as building muscle. But for your brain.”

More vaguely unhappy noises followed.


“I do have painkillers and juice though,”


“Yay!” Willow said softly.


“Open wide.”


Obediently, Willow did so, poking out her pink tongue.

Tara dropped two tablets onto her tongue, and gave her a cold sipper bottle to drink from.

Willow looked so cute, slurping on the bottle.
She was struck by the image of a cute little redhead sitting in her lap, slurping away.
She hoped that any children they had, would have Willow’s hair.

Luckily Willow’s over taxed mental state left unlikely to pick up on what she was thinking.


“Heya Witch chicks. How goes it?”

Tara looked up and saw Faith approaching. Buffy dawdled behind her, fussing with Hope’s cute little bonnet.



In the background, Oz lead Xander, Giles and a few of their newest watchers in a Tai Chi exercise.

Given the heat of the day, they were stripped down to shorts, and working on their tans, to the admiration of a number of passers by.


“Not goin’ straight on me are ya?”


Tara chuckled. “Hardly.”


“Tara says I’m getting better, but my aching brain says otherwise,” Willow said indistinctly.


“I thought you could full-on fly? What’s with the jumping and levitating we saw you doing?”


“It’s drill,” Tara explained.


“I normally hear that for cheerleading,” Buffy cut in.


“Or martial arts,” Faith added.


“Check it,” she said, pulling up her shirt. Smooth skin showed, along with gently defined abdominal muscles.


“Are you checking if I’m still gay? Just because I looked at boys?” Tara said.
“I’m cured. I want the girls,” She said, deadpan.


Willow giggled.


Faith rolled her eyes. “No doofus. I’m showing off my abs.
She pointed at her stomach.
“See. Abs. I got ‘em back.”


“And all it took was like, a million crunches, a healing spell, and being a Slayer,” Buffy drawled.


“Yeah, but still. Abs. Haven’t seen them in like, forever.”


“You ok Wills?” Buffy asked, sitting down next to the pair.


“Headache,” she mumbled.


“We’ve been drilling spells,” Tara explained. “Same as with cheerleading moves, or basic fighting techniques. Doing them over and over to make them instinctive almost. It really helps with the casting in a hurry.”


“Which is why the hover,” Willow mumbled. “I needed practice casting the spells. Maintaining concentration on them is the easy part.”


“Is it working?” Faith asked.


“She’s doing very well,” Tara said proudly. “She’s got her casting time down to less than a minute, in only a few days. And it’s not a simple spell.”


“And I still have my clothes on,” Willow said indistinctly.


“For now,” Tara whispered.


“You know we can hear you, right?” Buffy said.


Willow blew a faint raspberry, and Tara poked her tongue out cheekily.


Faith shook her head. “Chuckle heads.”

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 3:21 am 
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Yay for excellent update-y goodness... I really like these small snippets of their life...

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 2:17 am 
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Hooray!

I don't have pneumonia!
And i'm out of the hospital.

Uh, which is why no update.
More coming this weekend.

Here is a tiny teaser:
Spoiler:
Music
‘Goodbye Sunnydale. Goodbye earth. We will remember you.’

And with that, the last two people left earth, one last time.

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2017 9:28 pm 
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WOW!! This is SO good. I am only half way through, but I will continue reading and I know it is only going to get better from here. I just HAD to let you know how great this fic is and that I hope it just keeps going, and going, and,....well you get it!!
Great job,
Blessings,

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 9:41 pm 
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MotherD wrote:
WOW!! This is SO good. I am only half way through, but I will continue reading and I know it is only going to get better from here. I just HAD to let you know how great this fic is and that I hope it just keeps going, and going, and,....well you get it!!
Great job,
Blessings,


Wow. High Praise!

I'd better get off my bum and do the vignettes.
Got a wedding, a birth and a cute baby scene to do yet.
Small, but so hard :P

I've written quite a bit, but it's after the last vignette chronologically, so i have nothing to post until i do the next bit.
Which is hard. See baby etc.

But i'll do it, i promise :P

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 6:08 pm 
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Uhh, yeah, some of us are waiting on those, you know.... :eyebrow

I'm surprised you didn't hear me yell "He can't end it there!"

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:27 pm 
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vampyregurl73 wrote:
Uhh, yeah, some of us are waiting on those, you know.... :eyebrow

I'm surprised you didn't hear me yell "He can't end it there!"

:flower :flower :flower :flirt :flower :flower


Don't Stress!

I've actually been doing a fair bit of writing, just in the wrong places :P

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:21 am 
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And here's a little more.
Just fun stuff in the theme of 'Willow gets some spells slightly wrong.'


Willow gets a new Do.


“Well, not blonde… exactly,” Tara said. The side of her mouth twitched as she bravely tried not to grin. And almost succeeded.


“You’re smirking,” Willow accused. “It didn’t work. Don’t tell me I have pink hair?”


The smirk broke out in full force. “Sweetie, I promise you, your hair isn’t pink.”


“Lemme see,” Willow said.


Tara stepped out of the way of the mirror. “Actually, pink might be the only colour it isn’t.”


Willow looked in the mirror, and let out a small ‘eep!’ noise. “Oh Goddess, what happened?”


Tara held up Willow’s favourite rainbow scarf. She had been wearing it while Willow practiced. “I think you got distracted.”


Willow gazed at her works and despaired.
“But, I have rainbow hair!”


“I think it looks nice,” Tara said.


“I think I know where I went wrong. I can probably fix this.”


“Sweetie, no,” Tara said. “It will fade in a few hours, a few days at most. But this was a miscast spell. If you try to use magic to deal with it, you risk other unexpected effects. Like it becomes permanent. Or falls out.”


“Eeep!”


Tara nodded. “This is just one of those occasions where it’s better to live with it, for a little while.”


Willow huffed.


++


“Wow,” Xander said. He sounded impressed.


“Uh-huh,” Willow responded.


“So… Is it supposed to be naked?”


“Eeep!”


Tara dropped her pose, and delicately lifting the chiton she had worn for the occasion, she climbed off the pedestal to inspect the statue. From her side, all she could really see were marble wings.

“Wow,” she said.


“Venus on the halfshell has nothing on this,” Xander said.


Tara gazed at the statue. Although it was beyond strange seeing a naked version of herself, there was true beauty here.
“Sweetie, is this how you see me?”


Willow nodded silently.


The statue was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Willow’s spell had shaped the marble flawlessly. And her love and desire of her had coloured that shaping.
Beautiful. And sexy.
Willow’s tastes were clear.


“That is… Wow. Um, sorry Tara, but you’re beautiful,” Xander said awkwardly.


“Th-thanks,” she stuttered. “But I think this statue is more beautiful than I am.”


That broke willow out of her lost gaze.
“Oh hey missy! That’s a total nope-nope. You are way more beautiful that a lump of marble.”


“By beautiful, you mean bigger-” Xander began.


“Xander!” Willow cut him off, blushing furiously.


“Also, cold,” He said with a smirk.


Indeed, the statue was positively… perky.
And the statue’s expression was filled with compassion and care.
Willow’s momentary inattention had captured the essence of how she saw Tara. All the love, all the caring, the kindess and compassion she saw. And the sexuality. Yep. That was there, no doubt.


“Well, what are we going to do with it,” Willow said. “She’s got no clothes!”


She cast around the workshop for a hammer.


“No breaking her!” Xander said. “That would be wrong on so many levels. I don’t even want to think what the therapy bill for that is gonna be.”


Tara looked vaguely horrified. “Please no sweetie. I-I can’t imagine destroying her. That would just be wrong.”


“Her?” Xander said. “Did you create a new form of life? Again?”


Willow’s eyes widened. “No? I don’t think so? I didn’t. Did i?”


The statue remained immobile. Though still nubile and curvaceous.

“Whew! No, but look, female, see?”


“Very,” Xander said dryly.


“Um,” Tara said. “I was a little nervous about a statue of me in this,” she said, gesturing to the classical flowing chiton she was wearing. “I’m not sure how I feel about everyone seeing me in my birthday suit.”


“Well, this was really just a test,” Willow said. “I just wanted to see if the stone-shaping spell could do fine details. It’s not like I had an order for marble statues to fill.”


“Will, you can’t hide this. This is like, beauty in solid form. This makes Michelangelo’s David look cheap and amateurish.”

Willow glared at him.

He held up his hands defensively. “Hey, I’m not just saying that because this is a girl and David is a guy!”
He looked over the statue again. “Really doesn’t hurt though.”


“Hey, quit perving, you perv!”


“Well you’re doing it too!”


Willow furtively tore her eyes from her instinctive appraisal of the statue’s… torso area. Her perky torso area.

“Am not!” Willow retorted. “Also, my fiancé, I have permission to look,” she said, poking her tongue out.


“Heh. Caught you,” Xander crowed.


“Maybe a column?” Tara suggested.


“Wait, what?”


“Maybe if we put her on a really tall column? Like Nelson’s column maybe?”


“Uh, why?” Willow said, confused.


“Well. Um, that way, everyone can see her, without seeing too much. Um.”


Willow and Xander stared at each other.
They looked at the statue.


“That… could work,” Xander said thoughtfully. “Though if you want a fifty meter column, you’re gonna have to magic one. That’s a couple thousand tons of marble or whatever.”


Willow sighed. “You know this started out as something fun to do. Now look at all the drama.”


“I bet Michalangelo never had this problem,” Xander said.


“Well, back then, true beauty was considered to be the male form,” Tara said. “Things have changed I guess?”


Xander gave her a puzzled look.
“Classical arts paper,” Tara explained.


“Clearly they were gayer back then,” Willow said. “Oh the irony.”


“So where are we putting your mighty column?” Xander said with a smirk.


“Xander!”


++


“Whoa,” Jules said. “Where did that come from?”


“Around this place? Who knows?” Heather replied. “Is that Tara?”


“You know any other winged chicks?”


“Yeah. Loads. Talia, Ariel… uh, those are the only ones I know the names of,” Heather said.


“Point. Well, I’ve never seen Tara in the buff, but that’s her.”
She cast an admiring glance across the lush form, that appeared to be gazing at the campus.
It was mounted on a small marble plinth.


“Wow,” Heather said.


“I know. Now I know what Willow sees in her.”


Heather raised an eyebrow. “You mean other than being a gay witch, and one of the nicest people you know?”


“Yeah.”


“Why is this here?”


“Dunno. Let’s find out.”

+++

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:31 am 
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Lol!!!!!!!!!!! I wonder why they didn't thought about putting clothes made of cloth on the statue, slightly less embarrassing for Tara than a naked Tara statue....

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:25 pm 
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zampsa19752001 wrote:
Lol!!!!!!!!!!! I wonder why they didn't thought about putting clothes made of cloth on the statue, slightly less embarrassing for Tara than a naked Tara statue....


I thought it was obvious?

what are you going to do, when you come across a marble statue of a beautiful woman, which is wearing a fabric dress?

And no-one is looking?

Peek!

ergo, no point putting a dress on her :P

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 9:39 am 
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So they ended up putting her on a "small plinth"? Like, how small? Because they'd been talking about a massively tall column...

I'm just trying to figure out how much of an eyeful the recruits are getting - LOL.

Thanks for the fun update!

Cheers
DW

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 4:37 pm 
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The plinth?
About 6 inches high, and about 2 feet across.

Yep, the girls are getting an eyeful :)

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 8:03 pm 
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"what are you going to do, when you come across a marble statue of a beautiful woman, which is wearing a fabric dress?" You KNOW it,.....definitely peekage!!!
But I might have gone with a little bit of magic "overlay",...say of a darker or shinier marble? I am amazed Willow let Xander ogle,..I mean LOOK at it as long as she did!!!!!
Once again, props to you on this story, Azirahael.

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 6:01 am 
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I loved how Xander's reaction to naked marble Tara was basically, "Okay, I get it now. I am a Lesbian." Though I'm wondering about Slayer eyesight. Even if the final column lifts the statue fifty yards straight up Most of the thousand or so young women on the campus should have way better then 20/20 vision. Tara's bits may be more visible than she or Willow imagine. Especially for any girls with dorm rooms on the second through fourth floors of any of the campus buildings or whatnot. Gotta imagine that rooms with windows that face Tara's rack will fill up quicker than the ones that face Oz's van's parking spot / litter box. Does Oz use a litter box? I don't think I slept last night...

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 2:22 am 
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Quote:
Even if the final column lifts the statue fifty yards straight up Most of the thousand or so young women on the campus should have way better then 20/20 vision.


And that's why they didn't bother. :P

As to tinkering with the statue, you might as well touch up Michelangelo's David, or make the mona Lisa, blonde.
Good subject matter, plus absolute love, plus a good deal of lust, and appreciation for the female form... Critical hit!

One of those rare occasions where it just goes perfect, the first time. :)

New update below.
Several small bits :bigkiss

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 2:23 am 
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Old friends


Dawn frowned.
That felt like it should have worked.
Her first attempt to use magic to guide her ‘Key’ power, and achieve something on a less-than-planetary scale.

She read through her notes worriedly.
Something should have happened.


++


“I don’t know where we are,” a slender redheaded woman said. “But I can tell you, it’s not where we are supposed to be.”


“What gave it away?” said an annoyed looking dark haired woman.
“Was it the fact that we are no longer standing on the deck of a ship?”


“Actually, the trees are very strange.”


The woman chuckled. “Figures.”


With a groan and a grinding sound, a massive shape picked itself off the floor and spread its wings.
“I will find out,” a deep voice rumbled.


++


Deep in the dimly lit Command hub, Willow was in command.
And given that she couldn’t practice her spells, she was working on a slightly more polished (and sneaky) version of her search engine, Woogle.
Or at least she was until the alert light lit up yellow, and her earpiece crackled.


“A dragon!?” she squeaked a moment later.

All eyes in the command centre turned to her.


“That’s what they said,” came the voice over the radio. “Not a lot of night life around at the moment. So we were practicing silent running.”


“And you ran into a dragon?”


The eyeroll was almost audible in the pause. “No. we ran into a group of people fleeing something, something that they said was a dragon. We haven’t seen squat. But it’s procedure, so we called it in. This ain't Florida, so it ain’t tripping kids and a ‘gator. And if there is a big firebreathing lizard roaming around… somehow, we are probably gonna need some big guns.”


“Oh poo. That’s actually one of my titles. Buffy gave it to me.”


“Yep. It's written on your door.”


“Um, do some recon. Find out if there is a big lizard somewhere, and we’ll send backup anyways.”


“On it,” came the clipped reply.


‘Baby? I need you to get down to the armoury, right now,’ Willow sent urgently.


‘I’m on my way,’ Tara sent back, wasting no time.


++


“Um, so. Dragon then?” Willow said. She fiddled nervously with one of the buckles on her armour.


The girl nodded. “Still haven’t seen squat. But, yeah, had a few folks tell us stuff.”


Willow still hadn’t learned all the girls yet, or even all the squads.
And these weren’t the Stars, weren’t the Valkyries, and weren’t the Witch squad.

Did that make her a bad person? Not knowing who these girls were?


Tara laid a reassuring hand over Willow’s fidgeting. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”


Willow quirked a tremulous mile. “Is it sad that I miss Sunnydale? He might have been evil, but at least the mayor did a great job of covering up all this stuff.”


“Yeah. I heard about that,” said the squad leader, a tough looking girl. “Sure would be convenient, right about now.”


Willow put her fears away, and brought out her resolve face. “Well, job one is stay alive. Job two, is deal with the baddie. Dragon or otherwise. Dealing with the fallout is job three. So don’t worry about that one, until later.”


“Yep. Gotta be alive to get in crap.”


“I heard that,” muttered one of the other girls


“Hey!” One of the other girls hissed. “look!”

And they saw a seedy looking vampire swagger down the allyway, and vanish from sight.


“Um, do you think that means-” Willow started.
Before she could say more, she was cut off by a flare of light and a mighty roar.


Tara frowned. That seemed familiar somehow.
“I think I’ve run into something like this before, but it’s not coming to me.”


“Well, I have this vibe that the vamp isn’t coming back,” one of the girls said.


“I would have expected more fire,” said one of the girls.


“Whoa. Check out the butch chick.”


“Nice,” came the comment. “Michelle Rodriguez in leather. Doesn’t get much better than that.”
Willow frowned. Something was familiar about the way the leather and chain clad woman moved.


“Wait. Is… is that?”

A massive shape blotted out the light in the allyway.

And Tara felt almost buoyant.
“Stand down,” she said with a radiant smile.


“Er, you sure? ‘cos that looks… not safe. Really really not safe.”


“I’m sure. These are friends.”

And she stood, and self-consciously brushed herself off.

“Takarn! Catherine! Over here!” she called, and waved.


Willow saw the tough-looking woman elbow her massive winged friend, and point.


“Tara?! Holy fuck girl! Tara!” Catherine said, clearly delighted.


The dragon-man sheathed his massive blade, and bounded over, seeming surprisingly puppy-like, despite his massive, mail-clad bulk, and wingspan. His huge wingspan.

“Hahaha! It is you! It IS you!”

He crushed her in a hug and spun her around and around, as though she were a child’s doll, and not a full-grown woman wearing plate mail.


“Now all we need to do, is figure out where the others went,” Catherine said. “Then we can party!”



+++


Some hours later:

“I was just terrified. Terrified of fighting,” Willow said.


“I think I understand,” Tara said. “Can you explain a little?”


Willow quirked a smile. Tara had subconsciously fallen into her ‘counsellor’ voice.
She anticipated a little bit of ‘counsellor Troi’ roleplaying later.


“Baby, I still haven’t worked it all out. But my parents never fought. Or if they did, they were very very good about doing it where I couldn’t see it. And Xander’s parents fought. All. The. Time.”
She slumped back into the really comfy couch.
“The best parent-type we ever had as a role model, was Joyce. And she was mostly single.”


Willow looked up at Tara’s completely open expression. Care, without judgement.
“I never had any kind of instinctive model for having an argument. I didn’t know that you could have and argument, and not have it be the end.”


Willow paused for a moment, working through her ideas.
“On some level, I knew, I knew that if we had a fight, you’d just leave. You’d leave me.”


“Oh sweetie-”


“And the magic… that was the only thing that made me special.”


“Oh Willow-“”


“So I held on tight, just as tight as could be, to the magic. And made the fights go away. So we could be safe.”


Tara gave her a sad look. “Sweetie, Xander had no magic, and wasn’t the Slayer either. Did it make you feel anything less about him?”


“What? No! of course not!”


“We feel the same,” Tara said reassuringly. “Not just about Xander, but about you too.”


Willow nodded. “I know. Just takes a while to sink in, y’know?”


Tara smiled. “I do know.”


“It’s going to be a while before I can just look at being a witch as just a job, y’know.”


“Not just a job, an adventure,” Tara teased.


“Around here? Oh yeah.”


Tara smirked a little. Willow could feel the wheels turning behind her eyes.
“Actually, there was an adventure I wanted to talk over with you?”


“An adventure? The sort where Xander gets to come too? Or like, where we go get a kitty from Mommy Miss Kitty Fantastico?”


Tara blushed slightly. “Well, in the old days, we might have needed Xander’s help. Or someone like him. But I think this adventure can be just you and me.”


“Oh! Another secret adventure? Is it a road trip?”


Tara shook her head, and smiled mysteriously.



+++



The new guests were a big hit.

Everywhere they went, a small crowd of Slayers, and sometimes watchers followed them.
This may have had something to do with rumours of ‘elven greetings’ having gotten out.

And Slayers who were curious, liked red hair, or just liked beautiful women, were more than happy to say ‘hello.’


“So… how are you guys finding the place?” Jules said.


“Friendly,” Melchior said. “You know, I did offer to take some of the kissing duties. Somehow no one seems interested.”


“Eh. It’s a hormonal thing,” Jules said with a shrug. “Can’t have hormones without squishy parts.”


“Don’t you go getting any funny ideas,” Catherine said, to Takarn.

Jules looked disbelievingly at the pair, who were acting a lot like Anya and Xander.


“You two huh?” she asked. “I thought you were with her?” Jules said, gesturing with a thumb at the stunning redhead, surrounded by adoring girls.


“Yeah. Was good for a while. But not meant to be. This guy on the other hand,” she smirked.


“She’s good. For a mammal,” he said in response.


Jules blinked. “Wow. How does that work?”


“Really well,” Catherine said with a smirk. “Takes a while to stretch into… a new relationship, but once you’ve gotten into it, it’s great.”


Jules just stared goggle-eyed. “Ohmigod. You and Anya are going to get on great. Or murder each other.”


“I must admit, I’m interested in meeting this ‘Anya’. Tara told me she was her best friend. So I wanna meet her. Be nice to put faces to names.”


At about that point, Willow and Tara scurried past, giggling madly.
They ignored everyone, and soon vanished up the hill to their home.


“Pretty sure they had other things on their mind,” Catherine said. “Never saw Tara get her play on, even once. But I think that was it.”


“Er,” Jules said uncertainly. “I have no idea what that was about.”


“Hi!” said Buffybot brightly. “There are new people?”


“Gah!” Jules said, jumping slightly. “Don’t do that!”


“I am working on my stealth techniques,” Buffybot said with earnest enthusiasm. “Why is the pretty woman kissing people?”


“Eh,” Jules said with a shrug. “It’s an elven thing.”


“I would like a kiss too,” said brightly, and bounced into the crowd surrounding Lenore.


“So. She’s… interesting,” Catherine said diplomatically.


“You can say that again.” Jules shook the cobwebs from her head. “Her twin sister is kinda the boss around here. So don’t get them mixed up.”


“How twin?”


“Very. BeeBee here always wears purple, somewhere. To avoid confusion. Buffy looks exactly the same, but is really different. Honestly, you’d only mix them up in a photo. BeeBee moves much more… uh, bouncy I guess.”


Catherine nudged her and pointed to the throng. Buffybot had (with surprising grace) worked her way through the crowd to meet Lenore.

“Hi! I’m Anne Summers, But most people call me Buffybot or BeeBee!” Buffybot said brightly.


Lenore got a strange look on her face. “Hello there. Who are you exactly?”


“That’s very complicated,” Buffybot said. “I was made to be a copy of Buffy Anne Summers. But I am my own person, and have my own soul!” she said proudly.


“Well you are very cute. Sorry, I’m all kissed out. Normally only one or two people are interested in the greeting ritual. But here, it’s like being home again. Everyone wants a kiss.”


Buffybot pouted terribly. “But I came over for a kiss. And-and you’re really pretty!”


“I suppose I can survive another kiss,” She said with a little smile.


“Why do you kiss?”


“Among my people, there is an ancient tale, that we shall know our soul-mate with a kiss. And for immortal elves, that is a very great thing.”


“And if you find them?”


“Then my people will sing songs, far into the night. And we shall live, happily ever after.”
She smirked. “It has led to any number of salacious tales and misunderstandings over the years.”


“So, how does it go?”


“Well, between elves, one is formally introduced by ones family members, there is a formal visit, a tour of the beauty spots of the area, dinner, then one kisses. Among outsiders, a simple exchange of names is considered to be enough.”


“Does it happen often?” Buffybot asked.


Lenore shook her head. “Less than a hundred times in all our history. Their names are all written in the book of love, and many of us can recite them all.”


Buffybot smiled up at Lenore. “Well, I am Buffybot. Anne Summers. And I have my own soul. So I would like to see if I have a soulmate.”


“I give you greetings, Buffybot Anne Summers. I am Lenoreal I’nshar Firesong, and I am very pleased to meet you.”


With that she enfolded the significantly shorter Buffybot in an embrace, and a kiss.

The kiss started out tender and gentle, but rapidly picked up heat.
Lenore broke away, her eyes so vastly dilated as to seem almost black.
Her legs gave out and she fell on her butt, gasping for breath.


“Thaat’s some kiss,” Catherine murmured.


“Uh huh,” Jules said.


“There you are,” Lenore said breathlessly.


“Yes. I am!” Buffybot said brightly. She held her hand out and pulled Lenore to her feet, and swept her into another enthusiastic kissing session.

“Jesus. That girl does not mess around.”

They kissed for several more minutes. Long enough at any rate, to let most of the curious Slayers know that there would be no more free kisses.
Several of them looked rather disappointed.


When they finally broke for air, Lenore spoke.
“Are you the older sister?”


Buffybot looked puzzled, but shook her head.

“Then I am Lenoreal D’zear Summers.”


“D’zear?” Buffy bot asked.


“Not available for marriage or dalliance,” Lenore said. “And not bonded to the head of house.”


“Did you just-” Catherine asked.


“Yes,” Lenore said, still staring longingly into Buffybot’s eyes.


“Jesus.”


“Updating files,” Buffybot murmured. “Deleting friend file. Adding new category: Soulmate. One entry.”
She blinked. “Does this mean you’re my girlfriend now?”


Lenore nodded. “I’m not sure I understand the intricacies of your language, but yes, we are. If you consent.”


Buffybot looked thoughtful. “I consent!” she said in her usual mirror bright tones.
She looked around at the few remaining Slayers. “Pass the word around. Lenore is mine. I am hers. Or I might have to hurt someone.”


“Jesus, Beebee. Why not just put it on the notice board?” Jules said.


“Good idea!” Buffybot said. ‘Updating the alert board… done!”


Jules sighed. “Everyone’s pairing up, but me.”


“So, what happens now?” Buffybot asked.


“Well, by ancient custom, our houses are now joined. Or they would be if you were elvish. Also there’s a ceremony,” Lenore said in a slightly dreamy tone.


“Among my people, a ring is customary,” Buffybot said thoughtfully. “I have people now! We can go ring shopping!”


++


“Hi! I’m not at my phone right now!” Willow’s voice said out of Buffy’s handset. “I am probably off doing magic, or maybe getting smoochies. So leave me a message! Beep!”


Buffy closed her phone with a snap, not bothering to leave a message.
She flopped back on the picnic blanket next to Faith and Hope.

“Where are those two?” she asked the air.


“They looked pretty… giggly when I saw them last,” Faith said.
Currently she was dangling a brightly coloured fabric object in front of Hope. Hope for her part, was lying on her back excitedly waving all her limbs. It wasn’t clear if she was trying to catch the coloured thing, eat it or run away from it. But she seemed fascinated by it.


“What is that?” Buffy asked.
She sniffed “What is that smell? Sort of… herby?”


Faith mumbled something.

“What?”


“It’s catnip.”


“Catnip! You’re feeding our daughter catnip?”


“No. There’s some catnip in the little toy. And she seems to like it.”


“Why?” Buffy asked, confused.


“Red said catnip is good for kids, and it was really… cute,” Faith mumbled.
She dangled the brightly coloured thing in front of the ecstatic Hope.
Buffy saw that it was a knitted rainbow coloured mouse, on a string.


Buffy just stared blankly for a moment, before bursting out laughing.
“Oh you are just adorable!”


“Hey!”


“No I’m serious!” Buffy said. she rolled over and cuddled Faith from behind.
“It’s one of the things I love about you. How you think. A toy is just a toy. Doesn’t matter if it’s meant for a cute kitty, or a cuter baby. And you took the time to check out the catnip thing.”


“Well yeah. I dunno squat about kids. So I checked in with Red. She reckons that catnip tea is all good, and she checked some books about babies and herbs. And Tara’s big bumper fun book o’ magic said it was cool.”


Buffy just looked in amazement, her head shaking slowly.
“You don’t see it do you?”


Faith frowned. “What?”


“You are such a good mom.”


Faith blushed and looked away. “Just tryin’ my best, y’know?”


Buffy used one finger on Faith’s chin and turned her back, meeting her gaze. “So many people, even new moms, wouldn’t have said ‘I don’t know. Let me ask someone who does.’ That’s just one of the reasons you make a great mom.”


Faith smirked a little. “Yeah? Well I had a great teacher.”


“Who? My mom? Because I thought she was pretty cool, but I wouldn’t have put her down for mom of the year.”


“Nah. Mrs S was cool, and I sure got some tips from her. Nah, I just think what my ma did, and then do the exact opposite.”


Buffy blinked. “Wasn’t expecting that.”


“Gotta get some good out of the situation.”


Willow and Tara wandered past. They looked to be somewhat dazed.
But smiling.
Definitely smiling.

They drifted over and joined the small family on the blanket.
It was a big blanket, but even still, everyone ended up having to use someone else as a footrest in order to get on.


“You know, it’s not wet. You can sit on the grass,” Faith grumbled.


“Hmm?” Tara said.


Buffy smirked at Willow. “No need to ask what you two were up to. But four hours? Willow!”


Willow smirked back. “Nope. Spells like that take at least an hour to set up.”


“So a spell and three hours of sex?” Faith asked.

Willow blushed.


“Sorry Red. No amount of showering can hide that. That an’ the way you two were almost floating when you showed up.”


“We… we started our next big adventure,” Tara said.


“And somehow I’m guessing this doesn’t mean running off with your old friends?”


Willow shook her head. “Nope. They are talking with Dawn, and trying to figure out where the rest of the gang are. There’s Rorik, Govakri and a ship to find.”


“Our next big adventure is… well, you beat us to it,” Tara said with a smile, gesturing to Hope.


“We beat- Ohmigod!” Buffy squealed. “Congrats you two!”


“Who’s having the baby?” Faith asked.


Willow and Tara shared a look. “We don’t know. We did the ritual both ways, and decided to let the Goddess choose.”


“Which has a whole new meaning when you can just go ask her,” Faith said.


Willow nodded. “Oh yeah. I mean, she’s super nice! But she’s like your mom. Or your best friends cool mom.”


“Not what you expect from THE Goddess,” Tara said. “Which is silly when you think about it. I mean, she’s mom to the whole universe.”


“How did you expect her to be?” Buffy asked, curiously.


“Different, definitely. I guess I always thought of her as… distant. Kind, but sort of removed from earthly concerns.”


“Hey! We’re talking about babies here!” Buffy complained. “So one of you is probably having a baby?”


Willow nodded. “One of us. Or both of us. Or neither.”


“You didn’t have to wait for the phases of the moon or something?” Faith asked, curious about the magic.


Tara shook her head. “No. Triggering ovulation is very simple. So we don’t have to wait.”
She cleared her throat. “And I don’t seem to get periods, so we might have needed a spell anyway, even if Willow was a boy.”


“No periods?” Buffy said.


“Me either,” Faith said. “I just figured it was a pregnancy thing.”
Faith eyed Buffy. “And you are about due.”


Buffy looked introspective for a bit. “Huh. I normally feel a bit cranky and a bit icky, just before. And I don’t. I hadn’t really thought about it. Mind you, I’m also breastfeeding, and I knocked up my girlfriend-”

“Fiancé” Faith interrupted.

“Fiancé,” Buffy carried on, “so I just lumped it all in with the general craziness, and forgot about it. Seriously, periods just don’t rate.”


“Well, lots of other mammals don’t do the whole period thing,” Willow said. “So maybe it’s another Slayer… thing?”


Buffy sighed. “Well, we better put this in the ‘Hello: Slayer’ briefing, or we are going to have some freaked out Slayers who think they’re pregnant.”


Faith coughed lightly and mumbled, “An’ some actually pregnant ones, if they get frisky.”


Buffy groaned. “Will? Can you add that to the list of stuff to research? I’m pretty sure Dawn had her hand in that one, but if Slayers were never intended to need the boys, it could happen again.”


Willow tapped the side of her head. “It’s on the list.”


“In different coloured pens, even,” Tara added.

Buffy gave her a look.

Tara tapped her head. “I can see it. It’s in pink.”


Faith snorted.


Tara smiled. “I never need a diary when I’ve got my Willow.”


“No need to rub my insanity in,” Willow muttered.


“Quirky, remember?” Tara said with a smirk.


Willow smiled.


Buffy opened her mouth to talk, when she was interrupted by two girls walking past, hand in hand.
They were smiling. Happy. Carefree.

Willow followed her gaze and smirked. “You owe Faith ten bucks.”


“It’s fifty. Also a long massage session, a foot rub, and dinner,” Buffy responded. “I can’t believe it was as simple as getting Zahra laid.”

“Heh,” Faith said.


“Buffy, I’m disappointed,” Willow said. “It’s not just sex. It’s about having a connection. A companion. Love. AND sex.”


“She has friends now,” Tara said happily. “And a life path, if she wants it. Choices. AND love. That will pick anyone up.”


“So, she found someone?” Buffy said.


Tara nodded. “One of the librarians. Not a Slayer, not a Guardian. Just a woman she made a connection with.”


Buffy smiled. “Well, congrats for her I guess. No more psycho slayer. And congrats for you two,” she said warmly.


“Thanks!” Willow said brightly. Tara bobbed her head in agreement.


“We don’t yet know how long it’s going to take,” Tara said. “Neither of us are Slayers, but I’m… me. So we don’t know if it’ll be quicker. Or even, quicker for me, but not Willow.”


“Did anyone give you any clues?” Faith asked, taking her eyes off little hope for a moment.
Hope squawked indignantly at not being the centre of attention.
Faith responded by ticking her tummy.


Tara shook her head. “No. well, sort of. I have some Slayer essence, because I was a potential. But my body was made, not born. And that involved someone from another dimension, not a Slayer.”


“You’re unique,” Willow said supportively.

“I guess.”


+++

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Last edited by Azirahael on Fri Aug 18, 2017 10:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 3:50 am 
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Yay for excellent update-y goodness... Yay for Tara's friends comming over... Big yay for Buffybot finding her soulmate... Extra big yay for possible Willow/Tara pregnancy thing-y...

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 2:57 pm 
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So Tara's, buddy's, immortal ex went and hooked up with Buffy's enchanted ageless robotic doppelganger. Good thing Lenore is an engineer that specializes in enchanted machinery. That might come in handy down the road.

I'm wondering if we'll see Willow spending time getting to know Tara's old dungeon crawling party. Also wondering if their visit is temporary, permanent, or if Dawn and the Goddess can magic up a wooden door frame or stone henge that will connect the courtyard of Slayer Central to the courtyard of Takarn's Silver Flame guild house/temple in Sharn. Or possibly connect Willow's tree in the Slayer grove to Tara's tree in The floating city's version of central park.

Having Dawn "key" up things was a fun little twist.

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Fri Aug 18, 2017 10:57 pm 
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So, this weekend's update includes a bit i forgot to copy last time, so scroll up and read the page that was supposed to be there.

It picks up after 'quirky.'

:P

More, very shortly.

Like, and hour or two.


P.S: After reading another fic where a pregnant T/W run into Willow's parents, i'm going to do a similar scene.
Not very long, but a way of tidying up.

But, i'm not sure if it should be a reconciliation, or a fight.
If you comment below, and quickly enough, you get the scene you want. :)

Otherwise i'm going to roll a dice.
There may be a table. :P
Table are cool. :kgeek

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How i Met Your Mother - By Ariel


My Story: Coming Home


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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 12:07 am 
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Can I do pre-emptive dibs?

My night owl habits are showing themselves, lol.

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 4:02 am 
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Go nuts!

Feeling ick-er, so the update is coming tomorrow.
Feel free to tell be if you want a reconciliation with the Rosen-parents, a huge fight, a cold shoulder or whatever.

I like drama, but i don't want to be a one theme pony.
So i'll probably be a bit more middle of the road.

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How i Met Your Mother - By Ariel


My Story: Coming Home


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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 4:35 am 
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Hi, Richard!

Well, maybe I'm reading too much into things, but one of the main themes I've picked up on is transformation; in many various forms, so why can't Willow's parentals transform as well? Plus, it would give you more options if they do imho.

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 Post subject: Re: Coming home part 2 - And The Stars Shall Fall
PostPosted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 12:37 pm 
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The idea that Willow's parents would be complete homophobes that disown her for being gay never made sense to me. The show paints them as west coast intellectuals. If anything they would have just as much of a hands off approach to her sexuality and dating life as they had with her childhood.

And in season 7 there was even a scene at the bronze with you know who where Willow said her parents were supportive, but distant and clueless.

Why not make a reconciliation scene with the Rosenbergs. It fits better that two blue state college psych professors would accept or at least ignore her relationship with Tara than try to shame her for it.

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