(Untitled)

[slayful_buffy]

"I shall carry a light in a dark place and it shall consume me."

"I have to be here, where it's dark. Yes. Where they come, my dead, and talk to me. Tell me what I deserve."

"From beneath you, it devours."Watching the sunlight fade as I walked back from Spike's crypt was a new thing Buffy-wise. I'd spent most of last year walking away from Spike

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[beccawhite]

"Um, h-hey," I said, smiling at the blonde girl nervously. So this was Buffy. She didn't look, well, that slayerish. Faith, now she looked like she could handle herself. This girl - she was just a girl, albeit a pretty, really slim one. She was looking at me a bit suspiciously. I got to my feet and held out my hand, then wondered if that was a dorkish thing to do. Probably. Damn Geoffrey, teaching me old school manners

[slayful_buffy]

The girl was completely nervous. She looked at me like she was sizing me up and I would have placed myself on high-slayage alert except it wasn't in the 'could I take you?' kind of way. It was in the 'you don't look as strong as you're made out to be' kind of way which set me on edge on a whole different level. Who was she?

"I'm Becca, I'm, um, not at school with Dawn. Well, I might be if I can get registered, but I've only just met her. About an hour ago anyway."

I looked at my sister wondering when we'd forgotten the rule about inviting strange people to sit on our doorstep. I mean the girl looked nice enough but had Dawn forgotten the entire Harmony disaster a couple of years ago? Eeeesh.

"Um... I'm Becca. Oh, I said that. Right. I'm a potential. Slayer, that is. You know, one who might be chosen if - Anyway, there were demons. They killed my watcher and tried to kill me. And I don't think I'm the only one who has been attacked by them. So I came here, because you're, you know, the chosen one, so I thought you might be able

[beccawhite]

Buffy was looking at me totally weirdly, and ok, I expected that, but it was sort of embarrassing. I know I didn't look very slayerish, even potentially, but still.

But it seems that Buffy was worried about more than that.
"From beneath you it devours."

My skin prickled. I'd heard that before. I didn't know where, but it made my skin feel cold and my heart race.

"Weird looking guys in robes? Lack of eyes?" "Um... yes," I said. This was clearly not the answer Buffy wanted, but it was the truth. God, it was. I felt sick thinking about it. Automatically I rubbed my eyes, as if I could get rid of the memories that way, of Geoffrey sprawled and

[lack_of_cool]

"Buffy, you're home!" I was tired, but had stayed, because Willow was back, and because I wanted to know what happened at the school. She just told me to watch Dawn, didn't give me any clue.

And, well, I felt I need at least a crumb. That's what I do, I watch. I listen. I stand behind Buffy, with only the strength I was born with. But what is it I have to fight this time.

"Well, what was it?"

[slayful_buffy]

Guys with no eyes and knives. I watched Becca for a moment, noticed the tears forming in her eyes and wondered, for one horribly cynical moment, who they were for.

Her Watcher? Or for herself and for the innocence that had died the minute she'd found out she was a potential.

"Yes. I tried... We ran away. My watcher and I. But they followed. I went out and... They killed him. I wasn't even there to help him. And then I ran. Here, in fact."

"I see that." I nodded, wondering what had made Becca different from the other potentials - the ones I'd seen die in my dreams. She was younger than a few of them, but not by much. Maybe it was the spark I saw dancing in her eyes. She was scared, sure, but determined, I guessed. Determined to survive.

"Buffy, you're home!"I glanced up as my front door opened, Xander appearing. Something niggled at me, something I should have done today, but he was already asking what was in the basement and I had to flick Dawn a look to tell her to not say anything, not yet, anyway. "Demon," I lied,

[lack_of_cool]

"Becca and I met, you know earlier..here, where you were suppoed to meet you." I smiled at Becca.

"Can anyone join this convo?" Doing think I missed the look Buffy, but I've been so used to it,bewtween and Willow, you and Dawn. Usually something too dangerous for Me to know.

[simply_a_witch]

I heard the voices floating through the door from outside as I walked back downstairs after depositing my bags in the room I had used before I went with Giles to England.

"Hey Buffy," I said in a soft voice, giving a light friendly smile while glancing over Xander's shoulder as I moved up behind him.

[slayful_buffy]

Here where I was supposed to meet-- What was he talking about? I glanced at Xander, puzzled for a moment. Between worrying about Dawn and finding out Spike was lurking in her high school basement I hadn't really had time to think about much else.

"Can anyone join this convo?"

"Sure," I nodded, "Though we should really carry it out inside 'cause I don't my neighbours to think--"

My sentence finished as the figure appeared behind Xander and suddenly, I remembered. Willow, airport, picking up-- Damnit!

"Hey Buffy."

"Willow!" When I'd thought about picking her up earlier? I'd been, well, nervous. I knew that things weren't the same between us, we'd both been in places that we'd rather not have been last year but-- This was Willow. Not black-haired and veiny. Not scary and threatening to end the world. This was Willow, my best friend, and I was overcome with a sudden rush of emotion, a lump rising in my throat.

I went towards her, neatly sidestepping Xander and drawing her into a fierce hug. "Hey, Will." I smiled.

[simply_a_witch]

"Hey Buffy." I repeated, feeling my smile brighten a bit finding myself being embraced by one of my two best friends. All the worry I had felt coming back just seemed to wash away, first with the welcomes I had received from Dawn and Xander and now from Buffy made me feel as if things could return to some sort of regularity, like the way they had been before I had gone bad.

[faithinherself]

I was content to stay kicked back on the couch. Who needs all the reunion drama anyway? The living room gradually emptied around me as everyone moved outside to greet Buffy. I glanced around, decided I was bored, and figured I should go meet my destiny, or some such crap, rather sooner than later.

I stood and sauntered slowly to the door, but my uncertainty of how to present myself didn't show on my face. My cocky mask is pretty damn immobile when I want it to be. Which is always.

Leaning on the doorframe, I surveyed Buffy's reception of her other friend-who-tried-to-kill-her. Somehow I didn't think her reaction to me would be nearly as warm.

When she and Willow pulled out of their hug, I stepped forward just enough to catch Buffy's eye.

"Hey B. Been a long time."

[beccawhite]

What with the emotional reunion between Buffy and Willow, and my sudden alarm when Faith stepped outside - would Buffy punch her? - I decided it might be better if I came back later.

"Um," I said. "There's a lot going on here. I-I'll need to talk to you all again, but I'll come back later." I told them the motel I was staying at. "Feel free to, you know, stop by if you want. I've got some great cockroaches," I smiled. "Or I'll come back tomorrow."

[slayful_buffy]

The whole little reunion on my porch wasn't exactly something I'd planned for Will's return home. I'd envisioned there being at least a sign or two. A 'welcome home, Willow'.

It turned out that after the events of the day all we had was a brief hug, a shared smile and then I was stepping back, ready to tell her I was glad she was home when movement behind her caught my eye.

"Hey B. Been a long time."Bristling the minute she opened her mouth, I shot a look at Xander, managing to keep my emotions in check for now. Why the hell was Faith here and what was she doing in my house