The Fallen Slayer {1}

Save My Soul

Buffy flinched at the words, she didn't want to hear that.

She didn't want to be forgiven or loved.


She didn't deserve it.

"Now I am the monster." She forced the words out through gritted teeth only for tears to finally start breaking through at Jeremy's next statement. Something he had told her so long ago that had resorted her to tears even at 17.

"I could never hate you, Buffy. I love you. You're literally my favorite person. You're my sister. No matter what anyone else says, that's how I've always seen you."

With Joy perched on her hip and the baby bag in her spare hand, Rebekah pushed her way into the Salvatore Boarding House wanting nothing more than to get this over with. Marianna had finally fled to avoid Silas; Klaus and Elijah were in New Orleans and as much as she loved Joy, a baby only did so many things.

She couldn't actually have a conversation with her.

Plus, Rebekah missed Buffy and wanted to help her.

"Where is my favorite Slayer?" She questioned as she stepped into the parlor room, eyeing the trio who had been waiting for her closely with an amused expression "Given that none of you are powerful enough and you need me to save her arse, let's get to it shall we?"


Caroline rolled her eyes before standing, intent on getting some Auntie and Niece time while Rebekah dived into Buffy's subconscious only for her heart to crack slightly. The second she stepped into Joy's eyeline the little girl whimpered, quickly burying her head in Rebekah's shoulder.

"Shh lovely, it's okay." Rebekah soothed as she stroked the two-month-old's back before shooting a sneer in Caroline's direction "If you are making her cry, in no way am I letting you watch her."

Caroline just blinked sadly as she watched the whimpering baby girl, clearly, Joyce Mikaelson was already able to hold a grudge, just like her father. Ever since that one throwaway comment about Buffy being crazy, it was like Joy had a personal grudge against her.

"Does she still not like me?"

"You did call her mama crazy." Damon pointed out with a chuckle as he raised his bourbon to his lips, finding Caroline's misery all the more entertaining given that she had been just stomping around their house all morning like she owned the place. Plus, she was here all the time using their showers because of the vervain in the town water system, and given how loudly she sang in the shower, he was being woken up every morning by them.

"She is two and a half months old, she can't retain memories!" Caroline snapped, stubbornly placing her hands on her hips as she shot him a glare.

Rebekah simply chuckled "We Mikaelsons hold grudges from the day we enter this plane of existence." She argued, all of the different grudges running through her head on a loop.

Henrik had always held a grudge against Finn for not entertaining him as a baby, Kol had hated all things to do with any form of art after Klaus had accidentally spilled berries he had ground to draw with on him as a toddler.

Even if the memories were not there, holding a grudge was just in the Mikaelson's blood.

"Plus, she may be a baby but she did cause all of the lights in our house to flicker when she screamed." Stefan reminded Caroline as he stepped forward his eyes lighting up as Joy focused on him and started grinning, clapping her hands together.

As Joy started trying to reach for Stefan, Rebekah couldn't help but scoff in disbelief as she handed her niece over to Stefan who happily took her, already bouncing her up and down as she giggled, tapping her tiny hands against his cheeks before staring at his hair in fascination.


"That is not fair!" Caroline grumbled out as she watched Joy happily babble at Stefan who just smiled as she touched his hair with her fingers only to let out adorable little squeals and giggles at the sensation.


For once, Rebekah was actually in agreement with the younger blonde vampire. She was the one bathing, feeding, and sacrificing her sleep for Joy, yet she hadn't once gotten that many happy giggles from her. She had only been able to make Joy laugh once, yet around Stefan, Joy just wouldn't stop smiling and giggling.


With Stefan too besotted with the baby girl who was babbling away at him to notice the two girls staring in disbelief at him, Damon just rolled his eyes as he made his way over to the bar "Stefan is supernanny the baby whisperer." He explained mockingly as he refilled his glass before shooting his baby brother a smirk "Always been good with kids. It's annoying."

Stefan just rolled his eyes as he adjusted Joy in his arms, letting her play with his daylight ring, twisting it around his index finger "It's not hard to be good with them, all you have to do is not look at them like bombs and run in the other direction."

Instantly Damon raised his hand pointedly, his harsh glare levelled at his brother "One time Stef. I was 15 and the thing threw up on me!"

"You dropped Mrs Fell's one-year-old son and took off like the wind."

As both girls tried to stifle their snickering, Damon just grumbled in annoyance. He hated it when Stefan brought up embracing stories from their human days. That was supposed to be his joy! He was the older brother, and bringing up embarrassing childhood memories to embarrass his younger brother was the main appeal of having a younger brother.

Ignoring the very smug grin on Stefan's face, Damon purposely focused on Rebekah who looked thoroughly amused by his misery "Barbie Klaus, don't you have a supernatural caged-up brain to go free from torment?"

Before Rebekah could even utter a word though, a blood-curdling scream echoed from the basement.


Buffy was screaming.




**



"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!"


Yet no matter how many times Buffy screamed, threatened torture, or even begged, the dead just kept staring at her from just outside the cage. She was starting to feel like a lost bird, trapped in a cage constantly being watched like an exhibit. Trapped in a zoo of the dead who were just whispering their final words over and over again at her.

As she tried to curl herself into a tighter ball, hoping to vanish into the darkness to escape the hollow lifeless eyes around her, familiar brown eyes focused on her. Eyes filled with so much life despite the fact he was still nothing but another member of the dead.

Tilting his head, Jeremy pushed the hair out of her face before trying to pry her hands from her face but Buffy wouldn't let him, she just buried her face into the floor, trying desperately to drown it all out.

Clenching his jaw as he spotted those familiar dark vine-like veins moving under her skin and the way the black in her hair was starting to spread strand by strand, Jeremy focused on the younger version of Buffy who was now perched on top of the bench opposite him.

She was really starting to look like a corpse now.

Her entire right arm was nothing but bone which was slowly being eaten away, and the flesh around her chest was pealing off as those same veins moved along her skin. As she got weaker and her body continued to decay, the demon side of Buffy got stronger, further taking root in her soul until soon enough, her soul would be ripped into a million pieces.

Time was running out.

"How long?"


"Few hours at most." Young Buffy whispered before once again vanishing from sight.


A small bubble of laughter had Jeremy focusing back on Buffy who was now laughing manically as she rolled onto her back.

Staring up at the ceiling; slowly her laughter faded, a small smirk crossing her lips as her fingers lightly thumped against the concrete "A few hours huh? Then you all go poof. You know, you're right Jer, I am tough. I can get through a few more hours of mental torture then I am free."

She was twisting his words, using them in the exact opposite way he had intended.

Letting out a frustrated huff, Jeremy stepped back and leaned himself against the bars of the cell "I was being nice...." Stepping around her, there was a slight shift in the air until once again, one person from her life vanished and another old face stepped forward.


"I won't be Slay-Runt." Glory hissed causing Buffy to momentarily tense up as she was met with the familiar face and voice.

Even if theoretically, given her upgrade she could probably wipe the floor with Glory, Buffy's entire body still tensed up at the sight of her. Memories of trauma desperate to resurface. The tower that had haunted her drawings for years, never knowing when it would appear or why it would lead to her doom. The loss of memories, the fights with demons desperate to get their hands on Elena, having to send Jeremy away to protect Elena, the constant feeling of numbness.

Not being able to love.

Then the peace.

The peace she had been awarded upon her death, only for it all to be ripped away again as she was dragged back to Hell.

A cold, bone-like hand grasping onto her ankle, caused Buffy to let out a horrified scream as she looked down. Crawling through the bars of the cages were decaying bodies.