Another Life
By Felicity
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story with the exception of Brian, Victoria and other Sunnydale students. The rest belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, Fox, Mutant Enemy, etc. The half-vampires are my own invention.
Author's Note: This is the sequel to "A Chance Lost" and it corresponds
directly with my story "To See the Light Again". It happens at the same
time in the same place, but this is from Willow's PoV rather than Buffy's. There
will be a third story that comes after this, corresponding to "Healing Souls"
in my other trilogy. I suggest you read that trilogy first, and then "A Chance
Lost" before reading this. Okay, um...I love comments! E-mail
me!
Part 1
"Pop quiz," Willow announced as soon as the bell rang. There was a general
grown.
"But Ms. Rosenburg—" one of them began. She cut him off.
"No buts. This is an easy one. As soon as I’m finished explaining you can start.
Internet Search. Find the color of Oz’s hair when he graduated high school."
She held up a hand to forestall any comments. "And I don’t care if you already
know it. I want you to find it. First person’s time stands for 100%, down a pointed
every thirty seconds from then on. No talking or looking at other’s computers. Begin."
Willow hit the button on her watch and smiled as her strudents settled intently on
their work. The first year Willow had tried to ignore Oz’s annual June visit, but
it was impossible, especially since his celebrity grew every year. She’d learned
to go with the flow. Her more advanced atudents made programs about him—one girl
made a game where you picked his hair color, his clothes—from an extensive wardrobe—and
what song you wanted, and your choices would be put into the Dingoes Ate My Baby
music videos. It was very cute and Oz had been quite flattered. This was one of her
easiest classes—Internet use. They searched for factoids Online and created web pages
while Willow corrected homework.
Speaking of homework . . . Willow popped one student’s disk in and opened his sample
website. The title announced "We Hate Oz". Willow supressed a smile. Though
most of the student body adored him, there were a few—predominantly male—holdouts.
Willow didn’t mind. To the students, Oz wasn’t a real person, even if he had walked
where they walked and sat where they sat. He was a god—or distinctly not.
To Willow he was a human like any other . . . only sweeter.
"Found it!" Emily Withers announced proudly.
"How?" her best friend Samantha asked plaintively. Samantha was a good
student, but helpess when it came to computers . . . even after a semester of studying
them.
"Keep working," Willow reminded the rest of the class, then turned her
electronic chair to go look at Emily’s screen. She pushed a button and the chair
wheeled forward to where Emily was sitting. She checked the screen—one of the many
Oz websites—and nodded. It had been red.
"I think red hair is so sexy," Emily murmured. Justin overheard
and announced loudly to his friend,
"I’m going to dye my hair red." Emily giggled and Willow smiled, then clicked
her tongue and moved back to the front of the room.
"Keep working," she instructed them, looking at the sample website again.
It had frames and many links, including Top Ten Reasons—one would never guess—That
We Hate Oz, Oz’s Horrible Music, and Oz Jokes. Willow barely held back a giggle as
she clicked on the Top Ten list and awaited what they’d come up with. Her reading
was interupted by her desk phone ringing. Willow sighed and picked it up reluctantly.
"Sunnydale High Computer Lab, this is Ms. Rosenburg," she said quietly,
so as not to disturb the concentrating students.
"Hello, Ms. Rosenburg," a strangely accented voice said. Willow frowned,
noticing something strange about the voice. "I have a question." Willow
smiled, realizing who it was, then sighed.
"Xander, you can’t call me at work. You know that."
"Who’s Xander?" the voice asked, then there was an exclamation and Xander
(in his regular voice) exclaimed, "Cordy!" Willow’s smile broadened.
"You were saying?" she asked.
"Um, nothing," Xander replied in a more subdued voice.
"Right. Well, I was going to say that I could have been in the middle
of teaching. You can’t call me while I have a class."
"But you weren’t in the middle of teaching."
"No, but you have no way of knowing that."
"Don’t be so sure."
"Xander, what are you talking about?" Willow demanded.
"I have my sources."
"Xander, where are you? And why are you calling anyway?"
"For me to know and you to guess," Xander said in a childish tone. There
was another exclamation—of pain, Willow guessed. "We’re in the hall," he
said a moment later.
"Really?" Willow asked excitedly.
"Would I lie to you?" Xander asked.
"Do you want me to answer that?" Willow asked. Xander made an injured noise
and Willow continued. "I’ll be out as soon as I can. I do have a class Xander."
A student called out that they had it. "I have to go. Go to the library. I’ll
be there in a minute."
"Okay. Lov ya Will."
"You too. Bye now," Willow said, and hung up the phone. She smiled, took
a deep breath and turned to take care of her students.
********************
"Looking incredible as always," Xander said, leaning down to kiss Willow’s
cheek.
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Willow said serenely. Xander laughed and
stepped away, sitting on one of the library tables.
"Willow! Totally good to see you! Your hair . . . it almost looks cute!"
Cordelia exclaimed teasingly. Willow laughed and reached out. Cordelia leaned down
to kiss Willow’s cheek.
"Thank you so much Cordy. Where are Giles and Buffy?"
"What, we’re not good enough for you?" Xander asked in an injured tone.
"Of course not," Willow replied, as if it wasn’t even a question. "Actually,
I was just wondering, because, well, Giles is always here, plus this is Buffy’s
training time and she should be here."
"Buffy has a training time now? Like a dog?" Cordelia asked. Willow and
Xander laughed softly, exchanging glances.
"Not exactly," Willow said. "And I really wouldn’t say that
around Buffy."
"Wouldn’t say what around Buffy? Secrets aren’t nice," the Slayer admonished,
entering the library.
"Secrets—big no no," Willow agreed.
"Um, Will, hate to break it to you, but you were the one with the secret
in the first place," Xander pointed out.
"Oh, right," Willow said, frowning, then trying to cover up quickly. "It’s
not a bad secret though. Not at all!"
"Big no no, remember?" Buffy pointed out, laughing. Willow was going to
reply, but Buffy cut her off with a shake of her head.
"Actually, we have something more important to discuss." She looked behind
her, then forwned. Willow and Cordelia exchanged confused looks as Buffy stepped
back towards the door.
"Brian? You out there?" Buffy asked. The door opened and a large blond
man sheepishly entered. Willow like him immediately. He seemed . . . nice, dependable
and . . . human. Well, of course he was human, but there was just something
trustworthy about him. Not that she’d known him for pver ten seconds . . . or that
they’d even met.
"I just thought I’d wait until you were ready," he said in answer to Buffy’s
questioning look.
"Okay . . . Well I’m all ready! For whatever . . ."
"Introductions would seem to be in order," Xander put in, eyeing the newcomer
suspiciously. Xander was always suspicious. Of everyone. Willow sighed, remembering
a time when he hadn’t been.
"Right! Willow, Xander, Cordy, this is Brian Westing. Brian, these are my friends
and Slayerettes, Willow Rosenburg, Xander Harris and Cordelia Chase—though she’ll
soon be Harris too." Cordelia smiled charmingly, her engagement not stopping
her from flirting. Xander eyed her for a second before realizing what Buffy had said.
"Um, Buffy, you’re not supposed to tell about the—" he began in a whisper,
but Buffy cut him off.
"It’s okay. He already knows. He helped me Slay some vampires . . . or something.
Um, where’s Giles?"
"He said something about—" Xander began, but was once again cut off, this
time by the library door opening and Giles coming in bearing a mug of something.
"Tea," Giles finished. "You’re late Buffy," he admonished, seeing
the Slayer.
"I was held up," Buffy said. He frowned, but she nodded adamantly. "Very
important. Big bad vampire guys. Well, not that large, technically, and one
was a girl, but—"
"Buffy, it’s day time," Xander pointed out.
"You know, with the sunlight and the-the not vampires?" Willow put in,
nodding and exchanging looks with Xander, Cordelia and Giles.
"They weren’t vampires," Brian, the stranger said. Willow looked over at
him. He was grinning, his blue eyes glinting as if in on some private joke.
"Wh-what were they?" Giles asked.
"Not vampires," Buffy said adamantly.
"We got that part Buffy," Xander said.
"They were half-vampires," Brian said. Willow and Giles exchanged suprised
looks.
"What he said," Buffy agreed.
"Half-vampires?" Willow asked. "Are there such things?"
"I’ve never heard of them," Giles said.
"I’m going with Giles there," Xander put in, being Xander and therefore
having to say something.
"They’re the children of vampires and humans. Vampires can’t have children .
. . among themselves . . . but they can with humans. The children can walk in the
sunlight, and they age, if slowly, but they drink blood and morph into vampire visages
and don’t tan much."
"Tanning is so passé anyway!" Cordelia put in.
"Thanks for the fashion note Cordy," Xander said, patting his fiancée’s
arm. She hit his arm, then smiled brilliantly at the rest of them.
"It could be . . . could be possible," Giles mused. Willow bit her lip
and her brow furrowed. If vampires were dead, how could they have children? And why
would they have their parent’s characteristics?
"It more than could Giles. It’s happening. Or has happened. Or something.
Three of them attacked me today on my way here. In bright sunlight," Buffy said.
Giles frowned. Willow looked from Buffy to the man with her.
"Is that how you met? And how do you know about these half-vampires anyway?"
"Brian’s been looking for me. Or something. He’s researched half-vampires before,"
Buffy said quickly. Willow really looked at her for the first time since she’d come
in. She looked nice of course, like always, though a strand of blond hair had fallen
down during her fight. But she seemed almost nervous . . . a little bit on edge.
It was probably the Anniversary. Almost five years had passed since Buffy had killed
Angel. Since Willow has restored his soul too late. Almost four since Graduation,
that horrible Graduation when everything had changed . . .
"Perhaps you could tell me of your experience with vampires and . . . um . .
. half-vampires," Giles suggested.
"I’d be happy to," Brian replied. "I have some contacts on the Internet
that know about it too."
"Do you have their email addresses?" Willow asked. She knew a lot of experts
on the Internet, and if she didn’t know these then she at least knew someone who’d
be able to vouch for them . . . or against them. Brian took a piece of paper from
his pocket. Willow handed him a pen quickly and he jotted a few things down for her.
She glanced at the paper when he handed it back. She didn’t recognize the names,
but that shouldn’t be a problem.
"I put my full name on there too, so you can check me out," he said. Willow
glanced up and met his eyes, smiling at the amusement there.
"Thank you," she said.
"No problem," he replied. Yes, she would check him out—Xander would never
accept him otherwise—but Willow Rosenburg already liked him and already trusted him,
and both were rarer than they’d been four years ago.
********************