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English
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Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
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Published:
2020-11-04
Completed:
2004-12-09
Words:
7,414
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7/7
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25
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3,637

Another Chance (Anniversary Fic for Inell)

Summary:

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy and the WB and basically everyone EXCEPT me own anything Buffy/Angel related. I'm just using the characters to play with.
Distribution: My site: Gunnin' Down Angel http://angel.wicked-raine.com , Red's Soulmates, Willow's Lil Secret, Near Her Always, Bite Me...Please, and everyone else that already has my fic. Otherwise, just ask and I'll say yes. I like seeing my fics on other peoples' sites.
Summary: AU Season 6 Buffy. After S5, Willow never brought Buffy back from the dead. Everyone left Sunnydale.
Spoilers: Up Through S5 Buffy and 'Dead End' in Angel S2.
Dedication: Inell, you are and will always be my favorite fic writer ever! You are also one of my best friends. I love you, girlie! Happy 5th Anniversary! Keep writing!

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: Prologue

Chapter Text

Another Chance (Anniversary Fic for Inell)
by Angel S.

 

Prologue

She looked at the bright green numbers on the alarm clock. Willow had been awake for about ten minutes and didn't have to get up for another ten. She was starting her new job today. She was in a new city. She blamed her sleeplessness on the anxiousness of starting her new job. The redhead compared it to when she was a teen. At the end of the summer, she'd always wake up really early looking forward to going back to school.

Of course, this was real life. She was earning an income. She was alone in a city over a thousand miles from Sunnydale, California. After Buffy died, Giles got custody of Dawn and brought her back to England with him. Xander and Anya got married and moved to New Jersey so he could accept a job as foreman at a big construction company. Tara decided to get far away from not only the Hellmouth, but Willow as well. She left the country to study in Italy.

Willow sighed. She knew it would happen before the other witch even told her. She could feel Tara pushing her away emotionally. And who could blame her? A god from another dimension had relatively sucked her brains out. So, Willow accepted a job designing computer software for a major corporation before Tara even told her she was leaving her.

The hacker had no idea what happened to Spike. He stayed long enough to make sure Dawn and Giles were on their way, and helped Willow patrol until she found a way to close the Hellmouth. Once she'd completed that, she packed up her things and said goodbye to Spike and the Hellmouth. It had been 4 months since the entire Scooby gang was on the Hellmouth. She sometimes worried about the chipped vampire. Okay, she OFTEN worried about the chipped vampire. All she knew was that he wasn't staying in Sunnydale either. And she definitely knew he wasn't going to LA. She had a pretty good idea that he and Angel would kill one another within a week.

Willow didn't realize how much she'd miss his smirk, or his leather duster, or his ice-blue eyes, or the little scar on his left eyebrow. But she did. She missed it all. She missed him. And she had no clue how to check on him.

The alarm finally went off and she got up to start her new day at work. She looked in the mirror and sighed. "Well, Phoenix, meet your newest witch."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike had traveled the country and mourned the loss of Buffy. He knew he wasn't in love with her. But, his brain always went for things he couldn't have, or some sort of facsimile of what he couldn't have. He couldn't kill her, so he decided he needed to possess her. He still respected her as an opponent, but that was about it. Once he got to New York, he doubled back and headed west.

In each town, he patrolled to make the world a safer place. He promised he'd take care of Dawn. What happened if some nasty he hadn't killed while he was on the road met up with the Niblet one day and killed her? He couldn't let that happen. He'd promised Buffy. And he kept his promises.

He was really proud of the redheaded witch, too. Willow. He wondered where she was and what she was doing. He hadn't realized how much power she had until she actually found a spell to close the Hellmouth. The chit definitely had fire in her. She was strong when the stuttering bint had broken it off with her. Willow had restored her brain, for crying out loud. He respected the witch more than anyone else in the group. She never judged him. Even before he had the chip, she was genuinely nice to him.

Somewhere in the middle of Colorado, he'd been out on a regular patrol when he'd heard fighting. Having had a rough day and wanting to get in a decent spot of violence, the blonde vampire made his way to an alley. Two vampires were advancing on a human, just as the man was staking the third one. Spike helped the dark haired guy stake the two evil vampires and decided to finish patrol together, since there was strength in numbers. The man, Spike found out, was also traveling the country, trying to find his place in life.

After patrol, they talked more and decided to make it nightly thing. The two males became friends and traveled the rest of the way back to California. Apparently, Lindsey McDonald had worked for an evil law firm in LA. And he hated Angel, too! What were the odds?

Then, rumor got around that a big evil was going to Arizona for some special ritual. Spike and Lindsey discussed their best bet since he didn't know where Red was. They needed a slayer. And Lindsey had the means to get her released from prison. He used his southern charms and extreme knowledge of the law to get her released into his custody. Okay, and a few charms helped, as well.

The three unusual warriors left California as soon as possible before anyone knew they'd been there, and headed to Phoenix. They found a place to live. Money was no object, because Lindsey knew how to invest and hide his money from Wolfram and Hart so it wouldn't be traced. They patrolled nightly and became a great team. They were ready for whatever lay ahead.

 

End Prologue