147

(Prologue)

 
 AUTHOR: Taramisu
 WRITTEN: 6/03
 E-MAIL: taramisu1@yahoo.com
 SUMMARY: Taramisu's Official Post-Chosen Fic
 RATING: R
AUTHOR NOTES: Thank you to my sterling beta, Jac.  Without her, I suck. 

147 minutes.  My God, it had been 147 minutes since her whole life blew apart.  Correction, got sucked into hell.  And that’s truly what it felt like.  She had lived her whole life in Sunnydale - at least the important parts of her life thus far.  Her first times meeting Giles, Willow and Xander.  Her first pun in front of the stuffy watcher.  Her first werewolf encounter.  Her first every-other-demon-under-the-sun encounter.  Her first vampire bite.  Her first meeting with Spike.  Her first Goddess.  Her first time being a true friend.  Her first leather jacket.  Her first pair of leather pants.  Her first time being thrown out of the house.  Her first love.  Her first time meeting Dawn, despite what the false monk-memories told her.  Her first sexual experience.  Her last kiss from her mother.  Her last time cuddling with Mr. Gordo.  Her last time saying “I love you” to her mom.  Her last dealings with the Council of Watchers.  Her last time being thrown out of the house.  Her last glimmer of innocence.  Her last meeting with Spike.  Her last time feeling unique and needed.

Her mother’s grave was in the bottom of that sinkhole.  Not to mention the dozens of albums filled with family photographs.  Would she be able to keep her mother’s face fresh in her mind?  Tara’s grave was there too.  Maybe Willow had kept a little photo with her.  She hoped so.  There certainly weren’t any of the poor, dead teenagers…or of Spike.  Buffy fought back a tear.  “No time to dwell on emotion now.  Have to keep moving.  Have to…” She stopped her thoughts.  Have to what?  There was no immediate threat to their lives.  There was nowhere to go.  Nothing to do but feel those emotions.  Isn’t that what Spike finally managed to teach her to do?  Rely and depend on those emotions.  But he was so good at the whole passion and emotions thing.  He was…he was.  Was?

At that, she allowed herself to cry, and to cry in earnest.  She did not even bother to cover her face.  Her emotions were tearing her apart, and damn it, no one around her needed to be sheltered from them.  She would not hide them anymore!

Xander heard her cries, and clumsily stood to come to her aide.  The bus rocked back and forth, causing the man to careen awkwardly against the leathery seats as he worked his way down the aisle, but he managed to make it to Buffy’s side.

“Buffy?”  She opened her eyes and silently pleaded with him for support.  He gave it.

Chapter 1