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Disclaimer: All of the characters in this story, except for Droscult, belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, and Mutant Enemy. I don’t make any money off of them, so please don’t sue. The only other thing I own is the words to the song in part five or whatever part it is.
Author's Notes: The story takes place after Angel was sucked into Hell in Becoming. Some spoilers from Innocence and Becoming. The <> is remembering from past episodes.
Prologue
As she walked across a now empty street of Sunnydale, California, Buffy Summers recalled the last time she was here. It was about three months ago when she left, vowing she would and could never come back. She remembered when she had found Kendra on the floor of the library dead, and when she had run away from the police. She was still running, but now she could go around during the daytime. Where there were no cops that is.
Then, she saw him. Angel. The look on his face when she had thrust the sword into his stomach. The thought of him made tears fill her eyes. She couldn’t bear to think of it anymore, but her mind, soul, and heart wouldn’t let her forget. Somewhere in her heart she knew he wasn’t dead, she knew he was there; thinking of her. His Buffy. Her Angel.
“Stop!” She told herself, almost out loud. “You have to stop thinking about it!”
But she couldn’t. She had to go see Giles, and tell him she was back, so she started walking towards his home.
On her way there, Buffy thought of what she would say to him. “Hi! Giles, sorry I haven’t been around. I’ve been…well…oh I don’t know!” She knew what to say, but she couldn’t say it. She knew it was all her fault. If she hadn’t slept with Angel that night, Angelus wouldn’t have come back, Ms. Calendar would still be alive, and Buffy would still have Angel.
Buffy shoved the thoughts out of her head, and walked down the street alone and sad.
“Willow?” Xander asked as they sat on his sofa watching Planet of the Apes.
“Hmm?”
“Do think Buffy will come back? I mean what if she doesn’t? What if a whole vampire army comes and sucks all the blood out of the people in Sunnydale? What if….”
Willow cut him off. “Xander, please don’t start.”
“What?”
“You know, the What If Game. When someone starts playing the game, it only ends in the shedding of tears. It’s the game of Hell.”
“Okay, but I’m only saying that if we get attacked by the forces of evil, we have no way out with the Slayer gone.”
“I know, but it’ll all be okay,” Willow assured Xander. “Something inside me tells me that Buffy will be back, and when she is, she’ll need us.”