Afterlife

Part 1

Red Moon, Book 9

Author: Frau Hunter Ash

Feedback welcome!!
Homepage Addy: http://www.hunterash.com/

Disclaimers: The characters and show all belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, Mutant Enemy, Kuzui, and God only knows whom else. The storyline, however, is the sole property of the author. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.

F/F romance: the story assumes a loving and sexual relationship between people of the same gender and may even include 3 at the same time <G>. If this offends or is illegal for you, then please leave. Come back when you are older, have an open mind, moved, or changed your laws.

Spoilers: This series starts at Season 4 and branches off.

Summary: After Giles and Dawn’s death, Ethan Rayne shows up in Sunnydale with disturbing news. How will the gang handle it? What will they do with the information? Knowing Ethan, it’s going to be dangerous if they agree to it. (While it's not absolutely necessary, you might want to read Book 1: Red Moon Rising , Book 2: Wolves, Slayers and Cages , Book 3: Wanted – A Werewolf and a Superman , Book 4: In Thrall, Book 5: Welcome to My Nightmare, Book 6: Family Matters, Book 7: Ripper, Book 8: Dawn to find out where things are at in this story. <G>)

Rating: PG-13/12 UK/M Aust.

Pairing: B/W/T, G/J, X/An

Afterlife

Red Moon Series, Book 9

Frau Hunter Ash

hunterash@sti.net

www.hunterash.com

Part 1

# # #

Joyce felt Buffy’s hand on her shoulder and reached up to squeeze her daughter’s hand, trying to reassure her daughter that she was alright. The problem was that she wasn’t alright. She was sitting in an uncomfortable chair under a cheap awning next to two graves. The graves of her husband and step-daughter.

Anya tugged at Xander’s coat sleeve, trying to get him to move away from the grave as well. To move, to blink, to cry, to do something other than stare at the coffins while the gravediggers waited discretely out of sight behind a tree.

Willow reached out to Xander’s other arm and pulled, encouraging him to move away with them, leaving Buffy and Joyce alone for a moment.

“Mom?” Buffy asked softly.

“I was always afraid it’d be you there,” Joyce said after a moment, motioning towards the coffins. “It was better when Giles and I started dating again and became serious. I knew he’d be there for me if something happened to you. That he’d be hurting just as bad.”

“Now he’s gone and I’m still the Slayer,” Buffy said softly.

“Yes,” Joyce nodded. “Why did he go with her? Rupert knew we needed him.”

“I don’t know, Mom,” Buffy sighed, fighting back her own tears. “It stopped the dimension collapse thing.”

“So instead of my daughter and her wives saving the world again, my husband did,” Joyce sighed, standing up and leaning against Buffy’s shoulder. “Only, it cost him his life. His and Dawn’s.”

“Let’s go home, Mom,” Buffy said firmly.

# # #

Willow leaned back into Tara’s arm as they watched Buffy work out in the back of the Magic Box. The two witches had waited patiently as Buffy slept rarely, ate little and spent hours patrolling. Most of the time Buffy ended up staying at the Summers house instead of the apartment with her wives. Holding her mother as Joyce Summers-Giles cried herself to sleep night after night.

They had expected the grief and the anger but after two weeks it hadn’t seemed to improve.

Anya continued to run the shop with Willow and Tara and Joyce returned to her art gallery.

Life without Giles and Dawn wasn’t the same, however.

“Buffy,” Willow called and waited. Not receiving a response, she called again, louder this time.

The Slayer looked up with a puzzled expression. “Huh?”

“What d-do you think about moving back to your Mom’s house?” Tara asked holding out a towel to her Slayer wife.

Buffy frowned and walked over to the witches and nodded. “Yeah, the house is so big with… you know.”

“With Giles and Dawn dead,” Willow said softly. “We have to work through this Buffy.”

Buffy’s frown deepened. “I, uh, I’m dealing with it.”

Willow shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.

“You hold your mom, you’ve held all of us, including Xander while we cried but you haven’t let go,” Willow pointed out. “You’ve been taking care of everyone else but you won’t let us take care of you.”

Buffy started to protest and then visibly sagged.

“I don’t know how,” she said softly, sitting down on the arm of the sofa. “It’s… it’s Giles. He’s always been there for me. After Merrick died I didn’t want to get close to a Watcher. I didn’t want one, I didn’t want this. I didn’t have a choice though and…Giles, he…”

“Got in?” Tara offered and Buffy nodded.

“He was always there,” Buffy said softly. “Even when I backed off, he was still there. Crisis comes up and he was there. Sometimes worried, doubtful or even scared but there. It was kinda perfect when he married Mom, you know? He was closer to me than my own dad ever was and then…”

“Then?” Willow prompted, watching Buffy’s hands twist the towel in her hands. The Slayer’s eyes really weren’t seeing them any longer, Willow knew. Since the night of the deaths, Buffy had been closed off to everyone, including her psychic wives.

“He… he died,” Buffy said softly, still frowning.

“That’s not all, is it?” Tara asked.

“No,” Buffy admitted. “He didn’t have to die, he choose it.”

“Like a Slayer?” Tara suggested and Buffy nodded.

“I’m supposed to be the one who dies to save the world, not Giles,” she protested.

“But Buffy, that’s Giles,” Willow said softly. “He tried to stop you from facing the Master and you two barely knew each other.”

“That’s not why Buffy’s upset, it is?” Tara prodded.

Willow nodded. “You would have fought to keep him from killing Dawn, even after the ritual started, wouldn’t you?”

Buffy looked up, surprised. “Yeah, there had to be another way but he… even if its like you guys think, that because Dawn was from his DNA that either of them could have stopped the gate… it didn’t…there had to be another way.”

“Another way so Giles wouldn’t choose Dawn over staying with you?” Willow suggested, her voice cracking. She and Tara had no idea if that was what was hurting Buffy or not but they had to find out before Buffy shut down even more on them.

Buffy’s head snapped up, tears falling down her cheeks. “He… she wasn’t…”

“Wasn’t really his d-daughter?” Tara ventured and Buffy looked away, a guilty look in her eyes.

“Buffy, if it had been you that had to go through that gate, Giles would have…” Willow started to speak but Buffy stood up abruptly.

“No, he would have stayed here for all of you,” Buffy snapped. “He would have given a nice speech how a Slayer falls in battle and how I saved the world and pull everyone together. He wouldn’t have gone with me.”

“But he did for Dawn, right?” Willow asked gently.

Buffy gripped the towel tightly and spun with an angry shout, kicking the practice dummy across the room. The Slayer’s jaw was clenched and she looked as if she could explode at any moment.

“Buffy!”

The Slayer spun and caught the sword Willow tossed at her and spun, slashing at the practice dummy. Buffy Summers kept slashing, tears streaming down her face and shouting in rage, anger and grief.

She had no idea how long she whacked at the dummy, she was only aware of her rage and the sword in her hand.

Buffy fell to her knees weeping and was instantly held by both Willow and Tara, all three crying.

# # #

Joyce had nodded and quickly turned away to hide her tears when Buffy had asked about moving back home.

Joyce Summers-Giles had been almost inconsolable after Giles and Dawn’s death but had started back to normal routines of getting up, going to work and going home. Buffy knew that having the three of them around helped. It gave her mother something to focus on and someone to cook for.

Tara had been a surprise to both Buffy and Willow, being able, somehow to reach Joyce when none of the others seemed to be able to. She spent long hours cooking with Joyce, sometimes not saying a word other than what was necessary for recipes.

Willow and Buffy ate what they could and shared the rest with Anya and Xander. When the young couple couldn’t eat all of it either, the Summers-Giles house donated food to the street kids that had taken Giles in and saved his life earlier that year.

Buffy and the two witches moved back in with Joyce.

# # #

Brad Santiago sat down in a lawn chair next to his wife, both watching the Slayer, friends and family enjoying the Santiago pool, teenage kids, and food from an outdoor grill.

“They seem to be bouncing back,” Brad said softly.

“They’re different though,” Theresa said thoughtfully. “Xander’s aged five years, those eyes now look experienced, like a New York cop.”

Brad nodded and sipped at his iced tea.

“The girls are still close,” he commented.

“Thank God,” Theresa nodded, observing Tara touch Buffy’s shoulder affectionately as she passed the Slayer at the edge of the pool. Buffy reached up, squeezing Tara’s hand without thinking about it.

“He was a surrogate father to them, wasn’t he?” Theresa asked after a few moments holding her husband’s hand.

“Yeah,” Brad sighed. “Xander’s father served less than six months for breaking his arm and I doubt they’ve reconciled. Willow’s parents are always out of town or out of the country.”

“Buffy still goes out at night?”

“Every night,” Brad nodded. “Maria! Don’t you dare push Xander in! The others go out with her, sometimes she goes solo.”

“Buffy will keep going out and killing vampires and demons until one of them kills her? She can’t stop?” Theresa asked once again. It was an old discussion among any who knew the Slayer and her calling.

Brad nodded with a frown. “Until she dies. The other Slayer, a rarity, is still in a coma and she was apparently a rogue before getting into that coma.”

“Where did you hear that?” Theresa asked.

“Xander and Willow,” Brad smiled. “One night I ran into them at the Espresso Pump after they had been out with Buffy. I didn’t ask why Buffy was home after Slaying and Willow still out. I think sometimes one gives the other two some private time. Anyway, they told me about Faith, the rogue Slayer.”

“I thought there was only one Slayer at a time,” Theresa frowned, knowing she had kept up with the mythology and realities of their friends.

“Buffy died for a few minutes when she was sixteen,” Brad explained. “Xander saved her with CPR. Apparently it was long enough for the next Slayer to be called. Her name was Kendra and she was killed. That brought Faith along. She came to Sunnydale after her Watcher was killed only she went rogue. She and Buffy fought and Faith ended up in a coma.”

“Harsh life, husband,” Theresa said softly, squeezing Brad’s hand.

“And now they’ve lost Giles and Dawn,” he agreed.

# # #

Willow wiped away a stray tear as she scanned another one of Giles’ books into the computer. They had done that before but Giles had always kept a steady stream of books coming in, anything to keep his Slayer and friends alive, she knew.

Now the research job was left to her and Tara. Xander and Anya were coming around less frequently and Willow knew her best male friend was hurting more than he let on. Giles had been the one positive male figure in his life.

Tara looked up from the book she was cataloguing.

//Hey,// she called mentally to Willow.

Willow looked up and smiled, wiping away another tear.

//Missing Giles// Willow answered.

//Yeah, me too// Tara nodded, turning back to her books. //Love you, Willow//

//I love you, Tara//

# # #

Buffy was very surprised to find Ethan Rayne sitting on the sofa with her mother. The Slayer was coming in from patrol two months after moving back into the Summers-Giles home.

Joyce Summers-Giles looked up and smiled at her daughter. Buffy thought that might be a good sign, even if it was only a small and strained smile.

“Mom?”

“Ethan wanted to drop by some old photos of Rupert,” Joyce explained, looking down at a picture of her husband in his younger days.

One look in Ethan’s eyes and Buffy knew there was more to the sorcerer’s visit but merely nodded and glanced over the photos.

After a few moments, Ethan looked up to Buffy leaning over her mother’s shoulder.

“Want to accompany me outside, Buffy?” he asked. “I need a smoke and none better for security than the Slayer.”

“Sure, Ethan,” Buffy smiled and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Be right outside, Mom.”

Buffy waited patiently as Ethan began to pace on the back porch.

“What gives? You don’t smoke,” Buffy said calmly.

“Why the hell did he go through that Gate with Dawn?” Ethan demanded.

“Mom told you?” Buffy was surprised, she didn’t think that Joyce had talked to anyone about the actual event.

“No, I felt it and I see it every night in my nightmares,” he snapped, his voice sounding bitter. “I get that Dawn wasn’t… whatever. No matter what my memories say, she wasn’t his daughter. Why the hell did he jump with her?”

“I don’t know,” Buffy admitted. “He knew Dawn was The key but still thought of her as his daughter. Maybe because she was made from his DNA or maybe he couldn’t let her face death by herself.”

“You bloody idiots,” Ethan growled. “Two powerful witches and neither thought to do a scan?”

“Scan for what? Giles said humans couldn’t survive the Gate,” Buffy frowned as she tried to resist from hitting Ethan merely because he was annoying as usual.

“And did you get the bodies?” Ethan countered and laughed a bitter laugh when Buffy shook her head. “Dawn wasn’t human and he was holding her.”

“I saw them fall, the pain on his face was… bad and Dawn was screaming,” Buffy said softly.

“I did a scan and their souls aren’t separated from their bodies,” Ethan grumbled.

“What does that mean? Their souls are trapped in… in dead bodies?” Buffy asked softly.

“No, it means they’re alive but not in this realm,” Ethan sighed.

Buffy grabbed Ethan’s collar and slammed him against the wall. “If you’re messing with us, Ethan…”

“You know how I feel abut him,” Ethan said with a wince. “Why do you think I’m here? I need helping getting him back.”

“What kind of help?” Buffy asked, releasing Ethan and letting his feet touch the porch again.

“Your witches to help with a ritual, you to connect with him and fight any nasties that are attracted by the magic and I’ll pull him back,” the sorcerer explained.

“Me? What about Mom?”

“You’re the Slayer,” Ethan snapped, his voice bitter again. “You’ll always come first in his life. You have for years.”

“Not this time,” Buffy mumbled.

“Even this time. Ripper sacrificed himself of you having to take Dawn through that Gate,” Ethan said softly.

“They’re alive?” Buffy demanded and Ethan nodded.

“I swear by Janus that they’re alive as of last night,” Ethan nodded. “We have to hurry though. It’s a realm where vampires, zombies and demons rule.”

“Why aren’t you telling Mom this?” Buffy asked thoughtfully.

“Because the ritual is dangerous for all of us,” Ethan said with a shrug. “Think she’d let all three of you take that risk? Possibly losing all three of you at once after losing Rupert and Dawn?”

“No,” Buffy said, shaking her head. “She wouldn’t.”

The Slayer pondered for several moments and looked up at the sorcerer.

“I want him back,” she said firmly. “If the others agree, we do this.”

# # #

The next two days consisted of heated debates, discussions, What Ifs, and lots and lots of questions for Ethan and then Tara and Willow once they researched the ritual.

“We’ve never trusted Ethan,” Xander said, protesting.

“We did when he helped us get Giles’ mind back,” Willow countered.

“Exactly how dangerous is this ritual thing?” he asked once again.

“Kinda,” Willow said slowly.

Anya nodded. “Willow would be tested by the gods allowing the ritual and demons will be drawn to the energy. Buffy won’t be able to fight if she’s the focus of the ritual.”

The Slayer frowned.

“What about Ethan being the focus?” she suggested. “He has memories of raising Dawn and his relationship with Giles…”

“Let’s not go there!” Xander said quickly. “So we get Ethan to be the focus so Buffy can fight any demons.”

Everyone nodded, looking at each other cautiously.

“Okay, we’ll get with Ethan and do this.” Buffy said, her voice firm.

# # #

“Well?” Buffy demanded when she entered the Magic Box, three days after the Scoobies made the decision to get their Watcher and step sister back.

Anya looked up and rolled her eyes. “Barking at me isn’t going to make an Urn of Osiris magically appear.”

Xander appeared from the back room and hugged the Slayer.

“Slayers aren’t known for their patience, Mrs. Harris,” Xander quipped at his wife.

“Ethan and Tara say that scan thing they do is getting way scary,” Buffy sighed. “Tara says she can’t see clearly but just that Giles and Dawn are fighting all the time.”

“We’ll get it all together, Buff,” Xander said softly. “How are Tara and Willow holding up?”

“Tara is having horrible nightmares and Willow is trying to keep it together for both of us,” Buffy sighed. “I’m sorry, Anya. I shouldn’t have snapped.”

“It’s alright, you didn’t scare any customers off,” Anya said cheerfully. “I do wish Giles would come back. He actually finds keeping the books relaxing, I find it tedious and maddening. I once cursed a man to double checking spreadsheets for eternity, fixing it so they would never balance.”

Buffy stared at Anya for a moment and shook her head.

“I just want them back,” Buffy said.

# # #

Tara sat down on a tombstone later that night, watching Buffy brush vampire dust from her clothes. The Slayer looked up with a sad smile and walked over to her wife, kissing her gently and holding her.

“You okay, Tare?”

“No,” Tara admitted. “K-knowing they’re alive but in danger all t-the time is really hard.”

Buffy leaned her head against Tara’s as the witch began to cry, the Slayer’s eyes filling with tears as well.

“It’s harder knowing they’re alive, isn’t it?” she asked softly and Buffy nodded, again kissing her gently.

“If something goes wrong, I don’t want to lose you or Willow,” Tara said after a few moments in Buffy’s arms.

“You won’t, baby,” Buffy said gently. “We’ll make it turn out right this time.”

Later that night Tara and Buffy found Willow and Ethan cleaning up the den after doing another scrying spell.

“Anything different?” Tara asked anxiously and sighed when Willow shook her head.

“About the same,” Ethan responded. “Any word on those last item? The urn?”

“Not yet,” Buffy mumbled, hugging Willow tightly.

“I’m tired. See you in the morning, Ethan?” Willow asked, her voice weary.

“Sure thing,” Ethan nodded, pulling out the bedding he used to sleep on the sofa. “Getting damned used to the routine around here.”

Once upstairs the witches hugged and moved to include Buffy after a moment.

“You okay working w-with Ethan?” Tara asked as they got ready for bed.

“Yeah,” Willow nodded, handing Buffy a pyjama top without being asked, the three moving almost like a coordinated military unit without being aware of it. “His energy is kinda slimy but I can handle it. Doing a lot of grounding and stuff. The Council will freak when they find out we’re working with Ethan.”

“They won’t find out until we’re done,” Buffy said firmly. “We’re still meeting with the Council teacher for the Watcher training stuff and the Council witch type thinks you guys are doing great.”

“Now we get Giles back and we’ll be set,” Willow agreed.

# # #

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