Betaed by Maria and Flight Of Fancy. The jokes made by Lorne is the product of Flight Of Fancy’s brain.


Two days later, Buffy was once again taking a solo bus ride to LA. It was ironic that both times she’d travelled on this bus, it was directly related to the loss of Angel’s soul. This time, rather than worrying her mother with her absence, Buffy knew that Joyce and Merrick would be industriously occupied with displays at the gallery, and with starting to move furniture and sundries into Buffy’s new home.

Thanks to her mother’s brilliant plan to shop earlier, and have the purchases delivered later, Buffy knew that she’d be returning to a home that would be ready for her to move in. Sure, Clem and his crew would still have some work to complete, and the house would be minimally furnished, but it would be ready for occupancy at long last.

Buffy smiled. It wasn’t that she hadn’t enjoyed living with her mother and Kendra, it was just that she was really looking forward to having a space she could call her own. Besides, it’s not like she wouldn’t be seeing her mother ever again. Joyce had made it very clear that she and Kendra expected to be invited over for dinner no less than once a week, and that her daughter would be expected in her mother’s home at least as often.

The bus ride to LA was just over three hours long. Not really enough time to get a serious introspective groove on, but definitely enough time to replay a recent memory or two. Trying to relax into her window seat, Buffy couldn’t shake the emotions caused by her recent run-in with Giles. She might have left the Watcher’s home silently but, inside, she had been fuming.

Fortunately, Merrick and Joyce had been sensitive to her mood, and the couple had worked extra hard to get Buffy laughing again. That night, instead of giving into her instinct to beat something to a dusty pulp, the Light found herself sitting on her mother’s couch, trying to play a game of charades that was unfairly stacked against Kendra and herself. I mean, seriously! How was anyone their age supposed to know that ‘Hot Stuff’ was a disco song? Buffy had thought it was something like a pizza pocket, to the never-ending amusement of the adults in the room. By the time the lights went out on Revello Drive, Buffy was smiling again.

The next night, after a quiet meal in the Summers’ kitchen, Buffy offered to take over Kendra’s patrol for the night. The Slayer had a big biology exam the next day, and really appreciated the extra study time. The poor girl had been planning to patrol, and then return and spend the rest of the night with her nose buried in a textbook.

Buffy’s patrol had barely started when she realized she had two Aurelian vampires on her tail. One of them, she was overjoyed to see again, while the other, she didn’t want anything to do with. Fortunately for her, both vampires seemed determined to keep their distance for the moment.

It was in her third cemetery of the evening that she came upon an eight foot tall monster, dressed in a robe with a large hood. The skin she could see was scabrous and an unhealthy shade of green, while his head was completely covered by his hood. The giant monster made the mistake of trying to sneak up on Buffy and grab her from behind. The Light had sensed his presence, and managed to duck and avoid the creature’s grasp without a lot of effort. Jumping out of the way, Buffy noticed that the monster moved slowly, and in a very ungainly fashion.

“So the rumours are true. I should have known better than to count on those useless humans to finish you off,” the demon spat.

“Do I know you?” Buffy asked, as she circled her attacker. His voice seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place him. Maybe she’d have better luck if she got his hood off?

“You should. You’ve ruined enough of my plans. Now it’s time that I ruin some of yours.” Buffy was pleased. The monster was slowly removing his hood, and she hadn’t even been forced to ask him nicely to do so.

Suddenly, Buffy started to giggle. “Carlos, alias the Immortal.” A few more giggles escaped. “What on Earth happened to you? Not only are you green as a shamrock shake, but you’re all splotchy. Where did the uber-suave Italian playboy I used to know go?”

The Immortal let out a shriek of rage. “It’s your fault, you bitch! Why didn’t you just keep your nose out of my business?” He could hardly speak, he was so filled with hatred for the powerful blonde.

Staying well out of his reach, Buffy watched as slimy green spittle continued to project from the Immortal’s mouth every time he started another rant about how she had ruined him. “Do you honestly think I could have looked the other way, while you sucked the life-force out of every woman you took to bed?” Surely, he wasn’t that stupid? “And what’s your plan of attack now? You figure I’m going to laugh so hard, I’ll run out of air and drop dead? Because, seriously, that’s probably your best bet, if you’re trying to actually beat me.”

Enraged beyond containment, the Immortal threw himself at the Light. Well prepared for his attack, Buffy jumped back to avoid the initial impact of his long arms while, at the same time, gracefully lifting her back leg and nailing him in the head with a spin kick. She should have landed gracefully on her feet, ready to follow up with a double-punch, but instead, something slammed into her side, sending her crashing head-first into a nearby headstone. Stunned, and slightly dizzy, Buffy turned to see Angel engaging her quarry in an attempt to ‘protect’ her. That’s it! If the Immortal doesn’t knock him stupid, then I’m definitely going to. Who does he think he is? Trying to steal my fun and fight my battles! Struggling to her feet, Buffy leaned back against a tombstone, watching the fight until the dizziness wore off. Conveniently, that just happened to be about the time that the Immortal knocked Angel out of the game.

Carlos had height and strength on his side, and Angel didn’t have Buffy’s speed and grace, so he was unable to dodge when the Immortal took a powerful swing at his head. The dark vampire went sailing through the air to land, crumpled, at the bottom of a tree.

Just like that, Buffy was back in the fight. They fought silently for a few minutes, but witty banter was Buffy’s trademark, and she didn’t hold back for long. “What’s with the creature feature look? Kind of a change from the last time I saw you, isn’t it?”

“That’s your fault, too. If you hadn’t revealed to the world how I stayed young, people would still be trying to curse me with no effect. I’m going to have my revenge though. If I kill you now, when you’re still weak, the future will be wiped clean of your presence and I will be free to hunt again.” The Immortal was so overcome with lust at the thought of the beautiful women he would seduce and murder, that he lost his focus for a moment.

A few seconds of distraction were all that Buffy needed, and it wasn’t long before she was standing beside the Immortal’s corpse, his severed head in her hands. Not for the first time, Buffy was thankful that she always carried a wickedly sharp knife in a sheath on her body. The weapon had saved her life more than once, and she never left home without it.

The hard work done, Buffy looked over at Angel. He was still out cold, slumped at the base of the tree.

She decided to take a bit of a risk, and turned to address the thick foliage to her left. “Spike, I know you’re there. Come out, please,” Buffy called out.

There was a brief rustling of dead leaves, and then Spike popped out from behind some bushes. “I don’t want to fight you, Luv. You’re probably a bit run down after that battle, and I wouldn’t want to take advantage.”

Buffy smiled. “Thanks, Spike. I’m not really in the mood, and I still need to take care of this guy. He’s put an enchantment on his body so, unless we burn his head, he’s just going to regenerate in a week. You wouldn’t happen to have a lighter, would you?”

In response, Spike pulled out a cigarette, and lit it with a shiny silver Zippo. He moved closer to Buffy, trying to get a good look at the head that was hanging from her fist. “Hey, isn’t that the bloody Immortal?”

“Sure is. Did you know him well?” Buffy kept the conversation polite, as if they were talking over dinner.

“Well enough. Didn’t want to know him any better. I hated the bugger.” The vampire looked around. “Shouldn’t be a problem to get enough dry wood for a fire.”

“Sounds like a plan. What do you want me to do?” Now that Spike understood what was needed, Buffy was happy to leave the process in his hands.

Spike tossed a smirk her way. “Once you’ve dropped the Immortally ugly one there, you could get busy picking up firewood. After all, it’s your party.” He laughed. “Not right that I have to do all the work.”

“Fair enough,” Buffy said, smiling back.

It wasn’t long before they had quite a respectable blaze going.

Spike was looking down at the head, and appeared to be thinking hard. “You know, it’s going to take a long time for his head to burn up, if we leave it like this. Do you mind if I try to speed the process along a bit?” When Buffy nodded her consent, Spike raised a foot and savagely stomped on the skull a few times. Bones broke, the nose was driven into the brain, and the head was left almost unrecognizable before it was tossed onto the fire.

Buffy and Spike stayed for some time after that, making a pretence of guarding against the spread of their little fire, and sneaking brief glances at each other.

“Is it true?” Spike suddenly asked, holding Buffy’s gaze. “Are you from the future?”

“You could say that. Yeah, I am.” Buffy didn’t see any point in lying to him.

“Tell me then, will she ever come back to me?” The pain in his eyes was difficult to look at, but there was an awareness there too. Spike knew what her answer would be, before she gave it.

“I’m sorry,” Buffy answered, refusing to drop her gaze.

He had suspected as much, and knew Buffy was telling the truth. There was something different about Dru’s infidelity this time. Hell, he’d known for weeks. This just confirmed it.

Hearing a noise from behind, and recognizing the sound of Angel, waking up, Buffy rose from the tombstone she had occupied, and brushed off the seat of her jeans. “I owe you one,” she said, a little smile on her lips. “I’m heading to LA for a couple of days, the day after tomorrow. When I get back, I’ll be moving into my new place. You know where it is, if you ever need me.”

Standing, Spike took a quick look at his Grandsire. “I’d best be going now.”

“Don’t be a stranger. We should get together when I get back.” Buffy’s smile was bigger now.

“Yeah, maybe I’ll take you up on that.” Unable to help himself, Spike licked his lips and gave her a heated look, before turning away. Black leather fluttered around his legs, as he disappeared between the trees.

Buffy had one last thing to do, before she left the graveyard. With a frown on her face, she turned towards Angel, who was attempting to get up. “What the Hell did you think you were doing, Angel?”

Sending his best puppy-dog look her way, the gloomy vampire responded, “I was just trying to help you. That guy was serious trouble, and I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Oh, I get it, you were protecting me.” Buffy watched Angel nod vigorously. “Protecting me by smashing my head into a tombstone?” It was funny, how quickly the nodding became shaking, as he tried to defend himself.

The vampire swallowed. “That was an accident. I was trying to help you. The Immortal is very cunning, and strong as well.”

“Oh, okay. So, what you’re saying is, you thought I was too stupid and too weak to be able to win. Thanks a lot.” Buffy marched right up to Angel, and poked him in the chest a few times. “Don’t ever interfere in my fights again. If I need help, I’ll ask for it.” With that, Buffy stomped on the ashes of the fire, just to make sure they were out and the Immortal’s head was destroyed, before turning away.

Angel continued to stand by the tree, at a loss for words.

Buffy refused to look at him again, and left the cemetery without further delay.

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The day after Buffy’s encounter with the Immortal, Joyce answered a call from Giles. The Watcher asked to speak with Buffy, but she refused to come to the phone. Instead, she asked her mother to let Giles know that she didn’t see any reason for them to speak at that time.

Not to be dismissed, Giles then asked to speak with Merrick. When the other Watcher came to the phone, Giles asked Merrick to let Buffy know he was genuinely sorry for his outburst the last time they were together. Giles had spoken with Cordelia, and though she appeared more interested in her nail polish than in what he had to say, the Watcher felt he had finally made the young woman understand the importance of keeping her legs crossed, at least for now.

Buffy sincerely hoped that Giles was right, and that the couple managed to keep their relationship platonic, at least until she came back from LA. The Light knew she wouldn’t have much time in LA, so she was going to have to make the most of the time she could get.

Looking back, it seemed like there was always trouble, whenever she tried to grab some enjoyment for herself. Almost like the gang just couldn’t accept that she might need something in her life other than her sacred calling.

When coercion and guilt trips stopped working on her, there were attempts to control her with spells. The horror of being trapped in her own body, a puppet with the Scoobies pulling the strings, wasn’t something she ever wanted to experience again. Fortunately, she’d managed to fight the spells long enough to seek out some protection charms from an old witch she knew. Once she was able to resist the group’s basic control spells, she sought out stronger magic that would protect her from ever being affected by a control spell again.

The Scoobies, and the Council, eventually learned that their spells were no longer effective, so they changed tactics. Soon after that, Buffy found herself being hunted by groups of Slayers, always with a Scooby in the group to supervise their capture efforts. Fortunately, Buffy managed to escape their traps without killing anyone. After three capture attempts in less than three months, Buffy knew she needed to find another spell. This time, one that would prevent people from locating or tracking her by magical means.

There was no way to describe the sense of relief Buffy felt, the day she managed to place the last of her protection spells. Finally, she could have some peace and quiet, and get through the day without constantly looking over her shoulder for an ambush. She remembered those times like they were yesterday, because it was then that she was finally able to mourn her losses and begin to move on with her life.

This was not the grief she cried out every night, when she finally lay her head to rest in her cold and lonely bed. The grief she experienced now, was that of a woman who had seen every single support stripped from her life. Her friends became her enemies, her sister became her jailer, her Watcher was unmoved by her pleas for mercy, and her mother was lost to her. The ones she once depended on still hunted her, but with the addition of Buffy’s latest protection spells, they had to do their searching the old-fashioned way. Now, instead of being constantly on the run, Buffy was able to make a home for herself, until they managed to track her down again, and sometimes that took years.

Then came the day when the last of the Scoobies died, and she could stop looking over her shoulder for good. It was then that she thought of Sunnydale, and how her life there had begun on such a positive note. There was always a twist of sadness, when she thought of those days, but Buffy’s regret was saved for one man only, and he wasn’t a Scoobie. In fact, he was about as far from one as it was possible to get.

Things could have been different, if only her friends had accepted her destiny. They didn’t realize it, but their relentless persecution of Buffy condemned them to a life without their true mates as well. And to think, in that timeline, Spike had even retrieved his soul, just to try to be a better man and prove to the group that he was what Buffy needed. Well, that was a sacrifice she was determined he would not be making this time around. This time, when they were together, she would...

It was at that point that Buffy made a conscious effort to stop thinking about her future. For now, she would work on her home, support Kendra, celebrate the time with her mother, and do her best to create some boundaries with the Scoobies. When the time was right, that’s when she’d let herself dream about Spike. Things had been going her way, and she wanted to make sure her lucky streak continued.

Buffy gave her head a shake. She needed to throw off this introspective and blue mood she’d fallen into on the bus ride to LA. Soon she’d be connecting with Lorne, and the next few days were going to be a whirlwind of shopping, spa treatments, and the best girl-talk Buffy had ever experienced. Buffy snickered. She was going to have to watch it, or Lorne was going to out-Diva her.

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Lorne was waiting for her at the bus station, dressed in an eye-catching suit of canary yellow, with a brilliant fuchsia shirt and a startling tangerine tie. As soon as she got off the bus, he enveloped her in a tight hug. “How long do we have to shop, girlfriend of my heart?”

Feeling her spirits rise dramatically, Buffy returned the green-skinned demon’s hug with gusto. “Not as long as I’d like. There’s some stuff happening in Sunnydale that could blow up on us.” Buffy smiled sadly. “The problem is, I can’t seem to get anyone to take me seriously.”

“It’s your ravishing beauty, my little lollipop. Everyone is so overwhelmed that they forget to listen to whatever you’re saying.” Lorne was determined to tease her out of the funk she seemed to be in.

Unable to resist, Buffy gave Lorne another quick hug. “You’re the best. I need to bring you home with me. You always make me feel better. Now, there’s something critical that I need to know. Will you help me shop while I’m here? I need to get stuff for my house, pick up my new car, and definitely have a spa day while I’m here. Oh, and I have a list of books to find as well.” The pair stopped at Lorne’s car while he fished in his pockets for his keys.

“Absolutely, my little delight. Get it? The Light?” The Host giggled at his own joke, while Buffy responded with a groan. “Ah well, they can’t all be winners. What kind of books are you looking for?” He placed Buffy’s bag in the trunk.

“Copies of books I left behind when I returned here with Merrick. Generally, they’re about magic, demons, and occult history.”

Lorne pulled his door shut, before he spoke. “Watcher books.” He nodded. “I know a shop where we should be able to find most of what you’re looking for. Anything they don’t have in stock, they can usually special-order in.”

“Sounds great.” Buffy replied. “What about a good magic supply store? Do you know one in town?”

“Sure thing. You know I’d do anything for my favourite little cupcake.” Lorne steered the car onto the road. “Plus, as an added bonus, all of the shops we need are closed at night!” He pronounced with glee.

“What? How is that a good thing?” Buffy asked him.

“Oh, it just means that your boring old shopping won’t interfere with the relaxing and partying I have planned for this weekend,” Lorne grinned.

“Hey.” Buffy slapped his arm lightly. “I know I’ve got a long list of boring things to do, but I’m hoping I’ll get through them quickly with your help. Some of the places, like the bookstore, I plan to just give them a list of what I want, and then have them ship my purchases to Sunnydale. I want to put as little as possible in my car, so I’ll have lots of room for the fun shopping you and I are going to get to.” Buffy sent a wide smile Lorne’s way.

“Ah, now I see the method to your madness and, I must say, I’m impressed. Well, I’m not one to disappoint a lady. Let’s get this party started,” Lorne exclaimed as he pulled up outside of Caritas.