Chapter Text
Buffy held her sister by the shoulders, “Dawn, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you. But this is the work that I have to do. Tell Giles... tell Giles I figured it out. And, and I'm okay. And give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now. You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world... is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me.”
Then she turned and took a running jump from the tower. The portal swirled and, to Spike and Giles, she seemed suspended for a moment. Then the portal vanished and she fell, leaving her crumpled body on the ground.
~+~+~+~+~+~
Buffy walked through the tall grass of an alpine meadow. Her strides were long and she felt safe and peaceful. How long had she been here? She wasn’t sure. It didn’t seem important. The sun was setting over her left shoulder. A path led into the forest, where the trees were tall and well-spaced, so she followed it. The sound of lapping water grew nearer and she found herself on the shore of a vast lake, glinting blue in the setting sun. At the end of the path was a cabin, set back a little in a clearing.
She walked up the steps to the porch and knocked on the door. No one answered, but through the large front windows she could see a fire blazing merrily in the hearth and a tea tray laid out on the kitchen counter. She knocked again.
The sun had sunk behind the distant mountains and the air was growing cold. “Perhaps it would be ok if I just waited inside until they come back,” she said out loud as if trying to convince herself. The door was open, so Buffy went in.
Pausing on the threshold, she observed the tiny cabin’s perfect layout. Tucked into the simple A-frame design was a kitchen on the left and a long desk on the right. Straight ahead was the fireplace, with a strategically placed rocking chair. Deciding that would be a good place to wait, Buffy sat down.
Gazing into the flames and stifling a yawn, she wondered why she was so tired. Had it been a big day? She always seemed to be tired recently. Tired of slaying. Tired of responsibility. Tired of life. Taking one more glance around, she noted that the cabin seemed to be monster-free. It was also a long way from her other responsibilities. “Not much life here,” Buffy murmured to herself as she fell asleep.