Absolute Destiny (Book 5) (girlxgirl)

Exit Strategy

I can't believe we're doing this.

I take a deep breath and look around the room at the people I love so much around me.

I can't believe we're going to try and reboot the universe to save everyone. Despite everything we've been through and done together, we're actually thinking of doing this. All the pain and suffering that we faced to get here. The Master, losing Angel to Angelus, getting him back and then losing him again. The Mayor, Faith's falling apart after killing Finch, making me put her in a coma, her waking up and eventually finding redemption. Adam and The Initiative and nearly turning on each other because of what happened.

Glory and Dawn and losing my mom,forcing me to give my life to save the world. Coming back, learning to live with that, everything that happened with Spike. Losing Tara and Willow's downward spiral that nearly ended everything. Not to mention everything with The First and the Potentials and making them slayers to save the world. And that's not even thinking about everything with Dawn and her relationship with Faith.

Can I really give all that up? Can I make the choice to destroy the world in order to save it? Even if I could end up making all the same mistakes over again? What if I end up making worse decisions? What if I get one of these people killed?They mean so much to me. This could get them killed. It might even get me killed.

What if I never leave Los Angeles because I never meet Pike? Or if I die in the battle with Lothos? Or Xander and Angel don't come to save me from The Master? What if Dawn never becomes my sister or my daughter or just never exists? There are so many things that could go wrong and destroy so many people. Can I live with that?

I guess the upside if this works out, I won't have to live with it. From the way Cordy talks I won't remember anything about this life or any of the decisions I made, or even the life she revealed to me where I screwed things up. Assuming things don't turn out just as badly in this new world we're apparently creating.

But I still have to be willing to actually go through with it in this reality or world or whatever it is. And even though it felt like the right thing after everything Cordy revealed to us, I'm still not sure if everyone else will go along with it.

Xander decides to break the silence.

"So... are we really going to do this? Remake the world?"

Willow responds to that.

"Well, I mean... we kinda have to don't we? I don't want to go out of existence. But also..."

She stops short of continuing.

I feel like I should ask.

"What is it Will?"

She and Kennedy look at each other.

They don't look very happy. What happened?

"I don't really want to talk about it. But... let's just say... I can't live with what Cordy showed me."

Kennedy adds to things.

"Neither of us can."

What the hell happened? What did Dawn do?

Willow continues.

"Even if the world wasn't going to end, I don't think either of us can goon like this."

Giles speaks up with that.

"I am not certain to what extent I can continue, given what was revealed by Ms Chase."

Giles? Giles can't deal with it?

"Giles?"

There's a few moments where he doesn't respond.