Chapter 7
Elizabeth walked to the Summers residence and looked around. No one was home, not even Willow or Tara.
*They’re raising Mom.* Elizabeth realized and ran.
When she got to the cemetery, no one was there. All traces of the Scooby Gang were gone, save one. Buffy Summers’ grave.
Elizabeth was drawn to it instantly. She knelt down and touched the headstone, tears forming in her eyes.
“I know I’m doing the right thing, Mom.” She cried. “I know you’ll be proud of me.”
She looked down at the grass. There was a big hole that she never noticed before.
“She’s alive. Where would she go?” Elizabeth asked aloud. “Think Elizabeth, think!”
“…But you came back, Mom.” Elizabeth smiled. “How did you?”
“I had to crawl out of my grave.” Buffy told her. “Someone no one wanted me to experience, not your father, not Aunt Willow, or Uncle Xander.”
“But you did.” Elizabeth said. “And you survived.”
“Barely. I wanted to die that night.” Buffy continued. “I went up to Glory’s tower and almost killed myself. If it wasn’t for Xander, I would have…”
“Glory’s tower.” Elizabeth said, running.
She found her mother climbing to the top when she got there. She followed, climbing to the top and looking to see if Xander was going to surface after all. No signs confirmed her conclusion and she continued to climb.
“Buffy?” Elizabeth choked out as Buffy replayed the events of her death in her mind. “What are you doing?”
“Is this Hell?” Buffy asked.
“What?” Elizabeth asked, thrown off by the question.
“Is this Hell?” Buffy turned around and faced her.
“No! Mo--Buffy, no!” Elizabeth took a step closer. “You’re here…with me. Whatever happened to you, whatever you’ve been through, it’s…it’s over now. You’re…”
The tower shakes again and Elizabeth continues, “We have to get off this tower, Buffy. Now.”
Buffy turns away from her and looks down again.
“It was so…clear…on this spot. I remember…how…shiny…and clear everything was.” Buffy murmured and shook her head. “But…now…now…”
“Buffy, please. Listen to me.” Elizabeth begged her and Buffy doesn’t move. “You told Angel he had to be strong…and believe me, he’s tried. And it’s been so hard without you.”
“Everyone’s tried, and we can’t survive.” Elizabeth cried. “Just don’t jump, please. I’m sorry, okay? Everyone will do better, try harder! If you’re with us. Stay, please. I need you to live, Buffy. Live! Live for—“
Elizabeth is cut off by the tower shaking once more. The tower is starting to crash, piece by piece.
“Buffy!” Elizabeth is shocked when Buffy turns around.
“I know you.” She told her. “I’ve seen you before. In my dreams.”
“I believe that.” Elizabeth nodded. “And I’ll tell you everything as soon as we get off this tower, I promise. Deal?”
Buffy doesn’t answer her. Instead she grabs Elizabeth, leaps off of the tower and grabs the rope. They fall from the rope and land on some cardboard.
Both girls are gasping for air now and Buffy watches as the towel crashes. She grabs Elizabeth, and they both run before the platform falls on the cardboard.
They go around the corner and collapse on the ground once more, gasping for air. Elizabeth looks up at Buffy’s face.
“Buffy?” Elizabeth asked.
Buffy looks at her, confused. Elizabeth smiled happily.
“Buffy!” Elizabeth hugged her tightly. “You…You…You’re really here. You’re alive, and you’re home. You’re back home.”
Buffy continues to look confused and doesn’t look very happy that she’s back home.
~Two days Later~
“So, who exactly are you?” Buffy asked Elizabeth.
The whole Scooby Gang, including Giles and Joyce were gathered around in the Summers’ living room, looking at Elizabeth.
“My name is Elizabeth.” She told them. “I’m from the future.”
“The future?” Xander laughed.
“Time travel isn’t possible.” Willow countered.
“Neither is cursing vampire’s with souls, but you managed that just fine.” Elizabeth looked to Willow.
“I’ve come back here to change things.” Elizabeth continued. “I don’t have time for petty questions.”
“Got a mouth on her.” Anya stated.
“Thank you, Anyanka.” Elizabeth nodded. “If you don’t believe me, I can tell you. In three days, Angel is going to call this house, looking for Buffy.”
“Angel?” Buffy looked to Willow. “Did you--?”
“Not yet.” Willow shook her head. “I wanted to wait a couple days. Make sure you were okay.”
“Don’t wait, Willow.” Buffy shook her head. “I don’t want him to think I’ve gone to Slayer Hell for another minute.”
“All right.” Willow agreed. “I’ll call him now.”
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles…
“Fred, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.” Angel sits down next to her. Fred sets her book down and smiled at him.
“Okay.” She nodded and waited for him to speak. When no answer came, she continued, “Is this about how you’re not like other men- what with that curse and all…and how you’re really fond of me, but that’s as far as it goes?”
“Uhm…yeah.” He shook his head.
“Cordelia already explained it to me.” She chuckled. “She said you’d probably just screw it up.”
“Oh, she did, did she?” Angel sighed. “And she’s probably right.”
He watches her sigh and look down.
“What?” he asked.
“It’s like something out of Fitzgerald.” She explained. “The man who can have everything but love…Well, maybe in some ways you’re better off, because love is…Well, in a way it’s everything…but, it’s also heartache and disappointment. Ande those are good things to avoid.”
Cordelia comes hurrying out with a shocked look on her face. Angel and Fred turn their heads to look at her.
“Angel, Willow’s on the phone…She’s alive! Buffy’s alive!” Cordelia said breathlessly and hurried back inside.
Angel and Fred stared at each other for a second.
*Elizabeth was right.* He thought and jumped up and ran into the hotel after Cordelia.
“Buffy? Who’s Buffy?” Fred asked aloud.