Brave New World: Part 1

Teaser

"Buffy come on!" Faith shouted as the cave began to collapse around them. She glanced up the steps towards the exit and then back down to where Buffy stood opposite Spike. Neither of them paid any attention to her. With one last pleading glance, Faith raced up the stairs, leaving Buffy to make her choice.

"Time to go love," Spike told her firmly. "I think it's fair to say school's out for bloody summer."

Ignoring his words, Buffy cautiously held out her hand and laced her fingers with the vampire's. He looked down at her, a look of wonder spreading over his face as their hands burst into flames. She stared up at him, her own eyes wide and brimming with tears as though she had just come to a startling conclusion.

"I love you," she told him softly; ready now to accept what was to come.
Spike stared at her for a long moment and then said gently, "No you don't. But thanks for saying it."

Buffy frowned at his words, ignoring the rocks and smoke behind her. She listened in disbelief as he again told her to leave. A shower of dirt rained down on her and she moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around him. His arms moved around her instinctively and she smiled at him, leaning up to shout over the roar behind them. "Trust you to pick now to get all noble."
"Buffy," he growled warningly but she shook her head.
"I'm not leaving without you. Now do you want to die arguing or do you want to shut the hell up and kiss me?"
He glared at her for another minute before his mouth crashed down on hers. They clung to each other as the light surrounded them, consuming them both.

****

Buffy Summers woke with a start, her breathing heavy, sweat pouring from her body. She closed her eyes as reality reasserted itself. Another dream. She didn't know how many more of them she could take.

She threw the bedcovers back, crawled wearily from the bed and shuffled across to the bathroom. She flicked the light switch and the harsh fluorescent light made her wince. Turning the cold tap on, she let the water run over her hands until they were almost numb, before splashing the water on her face several times. She pushed her hair back from her face and stared at herself in the mirror for several minutes.

With a sigh she turned and left the bathroom, moving across the small motel room to the window. She pulled one of the curtains aside and peered out into the darkness.
"Welcome home Buffy."

Act One

The bell above the door of the small roadside diner dinged, announcing the arrival of another customer. The group of around fifteen open-mouthed tourists listening to the owner's tale with rapt attention didn't even glance in her direction.

"…and then the whole town just disappeared into the ground."

The young blonde woman snorted with disgust as the other diners turned to stare out of the windows across the crater that had once been Sunnydale. Removing her sunglasses, the woman took a seat at the counter and fixed her attention on the owner.

"Ahem."

"Holy shit!"
"Willy! I'm shocked. Is that any way to greet an old friend?"
"B, B, Buffy. I thought, I mean, I'd heard…" he moved forward until he was facing her across the counter. "It's been a long time Slayer."
She glared at him for a moment before a slow smile spread across her face and she leaned forward to hug him. "Not dead. Lately anyway."
"You want coffee?"
"Uh-huh." She turned on her seat and looked around the diner. "You've gone all respectable. How did that happen?"

"Well it turns out that there are a lot of people who are interested in coming to see things like this," he told her, gesturing out the window with the coffee pot. "So I thought…"
"You'd make a profit out of it," Buffy sighed. "Not that respectable then."
"I am what I am."
"Still got your ear to the ground?"
"Sure. Demons stop by too. This was a hellmouth." He paused and she took a sip of her coffee. "Not enough action in Cleveland?"
"I didn't… Hey. I thought you thought I was dead."

"I did. Local legend has it that you brought down la boca del infernio with your honey and your Witchy friend swept your sister off to Cleveland with all the mini-Slayers. But since you're alive, I just assumed…"
Buffy shook her head. "Spike saved the world. I did go with the others but…"
"Couldn't settle?"
"I spent six years trying to get out of that town. Now I'd give anything just to see my house again. You know I only have one picture of my mom. And none of Riley or Oz or Cordelia. I don't even have a picture of Spike."

Willy watched her in silence for a moment, before reaching into his pocket and taking out a set of keys. "Come with me."

****

Buffy followed Willy into the back room of the diner and watched confused, as he started to clear the top of an old wooden chest. Kneeling in front of it he searched through the keys for a minute before pushing the right one into the lock.

"You remember when Spike first got that chip put in his head? Well a few of my regulars… ok, most of my regulars, decided that Spike should be, uh, removed from the bar. Forcibly. To make things a little easier on him I put a few pictures up on the wall, naming people who were barred and for how long. When things cooled off for Spike I took it down… It should be…Ah hah!"

He pulled a framed picture from the chest and turned back to her grinning. "See." He held it out for her and she hesitantly reached out to take it. "It's not wonderful," Willy continued, watching for her reaction, "but it's…"

"Perfect," Buffy murmured as she gently stroked her fingers over the small photograph.
Willy shrugged. "Well it's yours. Least I can do."
Buffy smiled gently, her eyes still fixed on the photograph. For the first time in three months she willingly allowed her thoughts to stray to her former lover.

Then for the first time in three months, Buffy Summers began to cry.

****

London, England

"Why is it so cold?"

Xander sighed and hung his head as Andrew stood in front of the open window rubbing his arms. "It's not cold," he tried to explain patiently as he did every day. "It's just cooler than you're used to. And if it's that bad, close the window and help me with his."

Andrew frowned and tilted his head thinking about it, before closing the window and joining Xander at the table. "This is stupid," he said grabbing a sheet from the pile of papers next to the map. Picking up a brightly coloured pin he found the first location on the list and stuck the pin in the map in the corresponding place.

"It's not stupid," Xander protested. "We need to know where the Slayers are. They need us."
"We're never going to find them all," Andrew continued, stabbing a succession of pins into the map. "It's a waste of time. We can't re-build the Watcher's council. There's only four of us."
"And there can only be three of us really easily if you don't shut up. You wanted to be a part of this."

Andrew looked down and began to work determinedly at his task. Xander watched the other man for a few moments and then laid down his own list and walked quickly to a door on the far side of the room. He raised his hand to knock and then pushed open the door slightly.

Giles was sitting behind an old wooden desk, arguing with someone over the telephone. He looked up as the door opened and waved Xander inside.
"I understand of course," he murmured, his tone informing Xander that he was very close to breaking point. "But unless she can be taught by people who understand what she's going to face, these accidents will continue to occur. We're not… You may see her as often as you wish… Of course we don't want to take her away from you. Once she has been initiated, once she has been through basic training, she will return home. It shouldn't take more than a few months. Please, talk to Robson further about this… Yes. Ring any time. Thank you. Goodbye."

He put the handset of the phone back in the cradle and closed his eyes, running a hand over his face wearily. Xander remained quiet and watched his friend and teacher, waiting for Giles to compose himself.
"She's five years old," the older man said at length and Xander started, surprised not only by the sudden sound, but also by the statement itself.
"Accident?" he asked, leaning forward slightly.
Giles raised his eyes to Xander's. "Teacher's wrist."
"A five year old girl broke her teacher's wrist? And her parents are still arguing the point?"

"People don't want to see the truth Xander. You've lived with the knowledge long enough to understand." Xander nodded but didn't comment. "Did you need anything in particular?"
"I just… How long are we going to be here?"
"As long as it takes."
"But here?" the younger man exclaimed. "Couldn't we have tried setting up the Watcher's Council in Cleveland?"
"Xander…"
"Andrew's getting restless. And while I know this is important…"
"Go on."
"I miss Willow. I miss Buffy. I miss Dawn. I even miss Faith. I want to see my friends."

Giles smiled and stood up, moving round the desk to perch on the edge directly opposite Xander. "The Watcher's Council needs to be removed from the Hellmouth. It has to be a place apart from those mystical energies, for everyone's safety. The council needs to be based here." He paused and Xander looked away, nodding his head resignedly. "But you don't."

Xander raised his head to Giles', a look of shock mixed with determination on his face. "Giles, this is important work. I want to help. I'm not trying to…"
The older man smiled again and shook his head, stopping Xander in the middle of his sentence. "I know you're not. But while the Hellmouth doesn't need the Watcher's Council it does need a Watcher."
"What? I… I… What?"

"Xander, you have grown up into an incredible young man. You've faced everything that's been thrown at you with strength and determination. Good and bad things have happened to all of us and I've been able to let Buffy and Willow know constantly how much I love them, what they mean to me. It's been harder with you. I don't think I've always let you know what… What I mean is, no father could be prouder than I am of you."

It took a moment for Xander to fully register what Giles meant. Unable to think of anything to say, he simply stood and embraced the older man. "So?" he asked with a smile, stepping back a minute later.
"So, Alexander Lavelle Harris, I do nearby appoint you official Watcher of the Cleveland Hellmouth."
"Thank you Giles. I won't let you down."

****

"Dawn!" Willow called lifting the last of the pancakes from the pan to the plate. "Dawnie, breakfast!"
"Shh! It's too early."
The redhead looked up and smiled as her girlfriend appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, still wearing her pyjamas and to all intents and purposes, still half asleep.
"Good morning," Willow sang out brightly, as Kennedy shuffled towards the table in the centre of the kitchen and sank quickly down into one the chairs.
"What's good about it?"

The phone rang once and Willow started towards it before it stopped suddenly and Dawn yelled "I've got it!" With a sigh the redhead placed a plate of pancakes and a pot of coffee on the table in front of her girlfriend and ran a hand gently over Kennedy's hair as she walked from the room.

Dawn was pacing back and forwards in front of the couch. "That's great. When? That's so cool… Boring… Nothing. Summer vacation syndrome I guess… Yeah… Yes she's here." The young girl stopped and turned to Willow, covering the mouthpiece of the phone. "It's Xander."
The redhead stepped forward with a grin as Dawn said goodbye.

"Hey Xand."
"Willow! How's my best girl?"
"Not bad. You?"
"Coming home… Well not home, but there. To Cleveland. We'll be there late tomorrow."
"Giles tired of you already?"
"You're funny."
"Seriously, I thought you were doing important Watcher stuff."
"I am. He made me a Watcher. I'm a Watcher."

There was silence on the phone for a moment.

"Willow?"
"Uh huh?"
"Willow come on, you're freaking me out. Don't you have anything to say about that?"
"I'm sorry," the young Witch said with a sniff. "Just give me a minute."
"Are you crying?"
"I'm just so happy for you Xander. So proud of you. I wish Anya were here to see…"
"So do I."

Another pause, as both composed themselves.
"Everything'll be ok, you'll see. When Buffy gets back, it's just be like old times."
"Maybe," Xander said softly, knowing that it could never truly be like old times. "Have you heard from Buffy recently?"
"Not for a while. I think she tells Dawn where she is when she calls, but I'm never allowed to know."
"Will, she's not…"
"I know," Willow said quickly. "I know and I'm not trying to be anything other than supportive. I just worry about her."
"She'll come back when she's ready."
"Like you?"
"Yeah. Just like me."

****

Buffy cried out as a pile of rocks gave way beneath her feet, sending her sliding down another twenty feet or so towards the bottom of the crater.

"Slayer?" she heard Willy call down to her from where he stood at the top. "You ok?"
"I'm fine," she shouted back, pushing herself to her feet and dusting off her jeans. "Just stay there ok." He didn't answer. "Willy?"

"Buffy?"

The Slayer froze.

"Buffy?"

That wasn't Willy. It sounded like… It couldn't be who it sounded like. It wasn't possible.

"Buffy. Help me."

"Spike?" she breathed, her heart pounding violently in her chest. "Spike? Is that you?"

"Buffy…"

She needed to move, to go to him but she couldn't feel his presence. She could only hear the sound of his voice. Silent tears ran unheeded down her face as she called out to her lover.

"Spike… Baby, you have to keep talking or I won't be able to find you."
"Buffy, I'm here. Please, I can't get out. You have to help me."

She stumbled over rocks, pushing debris out of her path as she moved determinedly towards his voice.

"I'm coming. Just hold on, ok. I'm coming."
"Don't leave me. Don't leave me alone again. It's dark here. I'm so cold."
Fear washed over her and the tears continued to fall, but her pace never faltered as she moved towards Spike's voice.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll never leave you again. I promise."
"Come for me Buffy please. I can't last much longer."
"Don't say that. You're going to be fine. I'm almost there. And then we can be together."

There was no answer. No more sound. Buffy stopped. "Spike?"

She took another step forward and the ground gave way beneath her. And then she was falling, down further and further, dragged into the very heart of hell, fire and smoke swirling around her.

"Spike!" she cried out, the name echoing all around her as she realised she had lost him again. "Spike! No!"

****

Buffy stared up at the ceiling of her motel room, her breathing laboured as she relived the latest dream. It was different from the others. It hadn't been that last day played out in any number of ways.

"One hundred and forty-seven days yesterday…"

She curled up on her side and pulled the covers up over her head.

"Every night I save you…"

"Spike," she whispered.

"I love you."
"No you don't…"

"I do."

"I was happy… At peace… Time… didn't mean anything… And I was warm… and I was loved…I think I was in heaven."

Buffy sat up with a start, her eyes closed, her hands clenched in fists as a thought took hold and refused to leave. "Oh God no. Oh please, no."

"…I was in hell…I can't think too much about what it was like. But it felt like the world abandoned me there…"

"Spike."

Act Two

"Xander?"
"Shh!"
"But Xander..."
"Shh!!"
"Do you feel more wise now you're a Watcher? Like Yoda?"

Xander cracked open one eye to look at his companion. Andrew was sat up in his staring at him like he was expecting him to glow in the dark now that Giles had made him a Watcher.
"No, I feel exactly the same. Now go to sleep."

Andrew nodded and sat back for about thirty seconds before moving forward again.
"Hey! Maybe there'll be a cool fight between you and a Sith Lord. Yoda kicked butt in Episode 2."

Xander sighed and closed his eyes. It was going to be a long flight back to Cleveland.

* * *

"Duck!"

Wood dropped to the ground just in time to see a vampire go sailing over his head and crash into a gravestone a few feet away from him. He reacted instantly, jumping to his feet and staking the vampire before it had time to move. He then turned and leaned against the gravestone as he watched Faith finish up. He got just as much of a thrill watching her fight as he did fighting himself.

He watched as she finished off two final vampires and bounded over to him, a grin on her face. He smiled, knowing what was coming next.
"All done." She panted as she brushed some hair away fron her face. "Want to go another round? I'm wired."
Wood smiled and leant forward to kiss her. "We'd better do something about that then, hadn't we?"

With a sly smile Faith deepened the kiss and wrapped one leg around the back of Wood's knees. With a quick sweeping motion she knocked his legs out from under him and he tumbled to the floor, pulling her with him. They began to pull at each others clothes, not caring who saw or heard them.
"You know," Faith panted as she tugged his shirt off. "I'm still liking this surprise."
"Me too."

* * *

Although it was only about a two-hour drive from Sunnydale to LA it felt like an eternity. Every time Buffy blinked she had had a split second flash of Spike suffering some sort of unbearable torment. It felt like her car was crawling along at zero speed but whenever she felt tempted to put her foot down she reminded herself that being stopped by the cops would only waste more time. Instead she drove at exactly the speed limit and tried not to think about Spike suffering in hell.

The sooner she put her plan into action the better.

* * *

"Do you see them?"
Willow craned her neck and attempted to peer over the crowd in the airport-waiting lounge. "No," she sighed, "I don't see them."

A few more minutes passed and Willow's face suddenly lit up.
"There they are!"
She weaved her way through the crowd and threw her arms around Xander, nearly knocking him to the floor in the process.
"Woah!" He laughed as she hugged him tight. "I missed you too, Wills."
She merely hugged him tighter.

"I don't suppose anyone missed me?" Andrew piped up.
Willow pulled back from Xander and gave Andrew a tender smile and a quick hug. He had sort of grown on her since the incident in Sunnydale and she found herself with a bit of a soft spot for him.
"Shall we get out of here?" Kennedy suggested, speaking up for the first time. "Dawn will be getting antsy."
With nods of agreement all round they headed out to where the car was waiting.

* * *

After what seemed like a lifetime Buffy finally found herself at her destination.

Despite the rush she was in, however, she found herself sat immobile in her car. What she was about to do was going to be one of the most difficult things she'd ever done and her heart was pounding at the mere thought of it. Still, she had no choice. She couldn't waste any more time. Spike was counting on her.

With a deep breath she opened the car door and walked into the large building that loomed before her. A young receptionist smiled at her, her eyes betraying the slightest hint of fear and suspicion, which she was trying to conceal.

"Welcome to Wolfram and Hart. May I help you?"

Buffy gave an equally false smile.

"My name is Buffy Summers. I need to see Angel."

Act Three

Buffy sat opposite the receptionist's desk, glaring at the top of the woman's head intently. She'd been waiting there for twenty minutes and more time that passed, the more angry she became. After fidgeting in her seat for what felt like the hundredth time, the Slayer stood and marched back to the main desk.

"Look, I'm sorry if I didn't make myself clear earlier but my name is Buffy Summers and I'm here to see Angel. You know? The boss? So why don't you try helping me out here and letting me up to see him."

The other woman watched Buffy implacably. "As I said Miss Summers, Angel is in a meeting all morning. I'll let him know that you're here the minute it's finished. If you don't want to wait you can always leave a message. I'll be sure he gets it."

Buffy's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Fine. Can I borrow a pen and some paper please?" She wrote a quick note to Angel telling him that she had stopped by and including a few choice words about his choice of staff. As a PS she added that she would be 'at the hotel', folded the paper twice, wrote Angel on the front and handed it to the woman, with a thin smile.

Half way to the door she stopped and turned back to face the receptionist. "Is Mr Wyndham-Price available?

****

Faith yawned as she entered her apartment and kicked the door closed behind her. She pulled off her jacket and dropped it on the floor, smiling as she thought of how pissed off Robin would be at the mess she made when he got back with dinner.

As she made her way to the bathroom where a long hot shower awaited her, she noticed the light blinking in the answer-phone and casually pressed the button as she passed.

You have three new messages.

Beep

Faith it's Buffy. Are you there? If you're there pick up. Faith? It's important. I swear I'll hurt you if you're ignoring me. Faith? Fine. I'll call back.

Beep

Hi Faith, it's Dawn. Just ringing to see how you are. Ring me back ok?

Beep

Hi. It's me… Sorry, I mean it's me Willow… Uh… God I hate these machines. Ok, uh, Xander's on his way back to Cleveland, so if Boston's getting boring you can always fly on over here and say hi. Speak to you soon. Bye

Beep

****

Emma Elliott had not been working for Wolfram & Hart very long. She had been hired just over a month ago to work on the main reception desk, which she had been doing perfectly well for the last ten years in her previous job. This job paid substantially more. The drawbacks however were not things that had been made clear to her at the interview.

The fact that her employer was a vampire and that vampires in general actually existed had been a stumbling block. The fact that she had almost been killed on numerous occasions by an assortment of vampires, demons and warlocks who all seemed to bear grudges against her employer was more of a challenge.

But Emma was a professional. And so when faced with a tiny blonde girl at least ten years younger than her, demanding to see the boss, she knew exactly how to handle the situation.

She had been genuinely surprised when Mr Wyndham-Price had told her that he was on his way down and that he should have been informed at once of Miss Summers' arrival. She pulled the list of authorised visitors towards her and blushed in embarrassment as she read the first name on the list.

Miss Buffy Summers - VIP - Notify management immediately

****

Buffy waited nervously for Wesley to arrive. She paced in front of the elevator, watching as the lights went out signalling that he was getting closer. At floor two, Buffy straightened her skirt. At floor one she smoothed her hair.

The lights went out, the doors opened and Buffy inhaled sharply.

The man standing before her was not the man she was expecting.

He looked older than he had the last time she had seen him. His eyes, no longer hidden behind the wire rim spectacles, were more jaded. This wasn't the innocent, straight-laced Wesley she had known. This was an altogether more powerful man. He stood differently too, more knowing now, more guarded. His hair was longer and his clothes were casual, better suited to the task of fighting demons than to writing Council reports. He looked good.

"Wes?" Buffy asked as he stepped closer.
"Hello Buffy."
She stared for another moment and then flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Oh my God! I can't believe it! You look great! What happened?"
Wesley laughed and hugged her back. "You don't look so bad yourself. Death's done wonders for you."
Buffy smiled and punched him lightly on the shoulder. Taking her hand he led her back inside the elevator and pushed the button for the management floor.

"Did you come to see Angel?"
"Sort of. I mean, I need some help."
"That's what we're here for."
"Helping the helpless?"
"Absolutely."

The doors opened and Wesley ushered Buffy along the corridor to his office. "Well Angel's not here this morning. He had something important to take care of. But I'm happy to help you."
"Would you mind if I wait until Angel gets back. I really don't want to have more than one argument about this today."
Wesley frowned but nodded and gestured that she should take a seat. "Coffee?"
"Please," Buffy said, dropping down into one of the leather armchairs opposite Wesley's desk. "And then you can tell me exactly when it was you got sexy."

****

Angel watched the monitor and concentrated on the rhythmic beeping that proved Cordelia was still alive. He berated himself for his cowardice at not being able to look at her directly, but it wasn't something he could bring himself to do easily.

She was so still, that was the problem. Cordelia was never still. She was always moving or talking or driving him mad… He missed her.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened them he looked down at his hands enclosing one of hers.

"The doctor said you're doing fine. 'Perfectly healthy' I think is what he said. Except that you're in a coma. I can't… This is so hard Cor. I can't do it without you. I can't live day to day with you here like this. You have to come back to me. You have to fight your way back. Because this is something I can't fix. Though I wish I could. So you come back and everything'll be ok. It's all forgotten. Everything's ok."

He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it, then gently lowered it back to the bed. He stood and wiped a hand over his face before finally turning his head to look at her. "I miss you Cordy," he said leaning forward to brush a kiss on her forehead. "Come home soon."

Angel closed the door gently and leaned back against the wall to compose himself. His cell phone trilled piercingly and several people turned to glare at him. With an apologetic smile he turned away from them and answered the phone.

"What?"
"Always so gracious."
"Wes…"
"Buffy's here."
Angel paused. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

Act Four

"So you see, I have to bring him back."

Angel and Wesley looked at her, their faces blank and revealing nothing about how they felt.

"Buffy," Wesley began carefully.

"I don't want to hear it Wes," she said, cutting him off before he could continue. "Spike is in hell and I'm bringing him back."

"How?" Angel asked, the slightest hint of anger in his voice. "Buffy, you have to admit that what you're saying is craziness. There is no way you can know that Spike is in hell. And even if he is, how do you expect to get him out?"

Buffy didn't even falter. "That's why I came to you. You've got this massive law firm at your disposal. I figure getting one vampire out of hell shouldn't be too hard. From what you tell me, these guys do that sort of thing all the time."

"Angel is right." Wesley said gently. "To release a vampire from hell could have catastrophic consequences for the rest of the world. Are you willing to risk that?"

"Would Spike want you to risk the world for him?" Angel added before Buffy could answer. "Look, I know you care about him, but you need to let him go."

"I can't!" She replied, tears in her eyes. "Don't you understand? I can't let him go. Yes, I care about him. More than I realised. And I want him back. Now either you help me or I'll find someone that will."

"There is one thing…" Wesley began cautiously.

Angel shot him a warning glare.

"What?" Buffy pressed, "Please. Tell me!"

"When Angel found out Darla was terminally ill he undertook The Trials to try and save her. He passed the trials, but they were unable to grant his request because of what Wolfram and Hart had done to her. I suppose you might be able to bring Spike back that way. If you pass the tests."

"Where?" Buffy demanded.

"Buffy, The Trials are a fake. Even if you succeed, they'll just come up with an excuse to not help you. I don't want you getting your hopes up." Angel said. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

The look on his face told her he wasn't going to back down on this. She turned to Wesley. "I'm sorry, Buffy. Angel and Darla went alone. I have no idea where they're located."

Seeing the determination in Buffy's eyes, Angel relented a little. "Look, I'll talk to my people here and see what we can find out about Spike. I can't promise we'll be able to do anything, but I'll look into it."

"Thanks," Buffy replied with a smile. She caught sight of the clock on the wall and was surprised by how much time had passed since her arrival. "Do you have a phone I can use? I should really call Dawn and let her know I'm ok."

"Sure," Wesley said pushing the phone on his desk towards her, as he and Angel made their way from the room to allow her some privacy.

****

"I'm bored." Faith sighed as she beat her pillows into a comfortable pulp. "Why don't we go someplace? Plenty of Slayers here to keep an eye on things for us."

Wood knew what was coming, but he asked anyway. "Did you have someplace in mind?"

"Just thought it might be nice to visit the gang in Cleveland, you know? See how they're doing," Faith said casually.

Wood smiled and reached into the drawer beside his bed. He handed an envelope to the Slayer.

"What's this?" she asked with a frown.

"Just open it."

Faith ripped the envelope open and pulled out two plane tickets to Cleveland.

"You're awesome, you know that."

She leaned over to kiss him and Wood smiled.

"I know."

****

"Hey Dawn." Buffy smiled into the phone. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm in LA."

She frowned. "No, I'm not getting back together with Angel." She giggled. "Don't ever call him that to his face. Listen, something's going on and I need you here. All of you. I don't want to go into it over the phone. Can you come? Great, I'll see you soon. Bye."

She hung up the phone and pulled her jacket on.

"Time to find these trials."

Brave New World: Part 2