MYSTIC FALLS, VIRGINIA
TIME SINCE BUFFY'S DISAPPEARANCE: ONE HOUR
After Buffy had rushed out of the Boarding House, Damon was in a state of panic. The second he had managed to get some blood in his system to garner his strength, he sped right to Alaric's apartment.
Kicking open the door, he rushed inside, his eyes desperately scanning the loft "Buffy?!" He screamed only to find the apartment empty.
No, Buffy.
No, Klaus.
The only other thing in the room was the figure crouched on the floor with a snapped neck.
A figure covered in blood who he very much recognized.
"Stefan!" Damon yelled as he rushed over to his brother who was laying in a pool of blood. Turning his brother over Damon couldn't help but wince.
Stefan had definitely gone off the wagon.
He was covered in blood, it was all over his mouth and neck. Plus, there were over 20 empty blood bags scattered around the floor.
"Stefan?" Damon tried again as he tapped his brother's face trying to wake him up.
Finally, Stefan groaned in pain as his eyes slowly fluttered open, only for panic to instantly fill him "Buffy!" He screamed as he jumped up, his eyes scanning the now-empty apartment "No."
"Stef..." Damon breathed shaking his brother and forcing Stefan to look at him "Where is she?"
"Klaus took her."
Damon froze at his words.
No, no, no!
This could not be happening right now!
Glancing back around the room, both brothers froze as they spotted Buffy's bag lying on the floor, as well as her necklace.
Which had clearly been torn from her neck given the broken clasp.
However, that wasn't the thing that horrified them. It was Buffy's sketchbook, which was lying open with a very specific drawing staring back at them.
The Tower.
There was no way that was a coincidence. Mary had been warning them all for months about Klaus's desire to reset what had been broken. Just the idea of that drawing had literally terrified the most powerful witch in the world.
Buffy was gone...and The Prophecy had been set into motion.
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA: FOUR MONTHS AGO
TIME SINCE BUFFY'S DISAPPEARANCE: ONE HOUR
Buffy groaned in annoyance as she followed Klaus out of the car and into the abandoned warehouse.
He had still yet to explain any of the other details regarding this deal they were making and it was beginning to make her seriously cranky.
"Are we finally gonna get to the point?" She pipped up as she moved to walk beside him, the two of them standing by side as Elijah's daggered form was locked into a box and sealed away with the rest of The Original family.
Buffy just stared at Elijah's coffin emotionless. She wasn't even surprised that Klaus had stabbed Elijah in the back, the fact that Elijah had seriously thought it would end any differently just proved that he had too much faith in his brother.
Hopefully, by the next time he got out of the box, he would finally get a serious reality check.
Klaus sucked.
Plain and simple.
Gesturing to the table in the center of the warehouse, Klaus silently gestured for Buffy to take a seat as he moved to take his own.
Buffy groaned, but forced herself to sit, watching intently as Klaus pulled out the vials of purple liquid that Mary had given him barely an hour ago.
This time he didn't stop her as she started examining the labels more closely.
Dread instantly filled her chest.
H.S. (HANK SUMMERS)
W.R. (WILLOW ROSENBERG)
A.H. (ALEXANDER HARRIS)
R.G. (RUPERT GILES)
D.O. (DANIEL OSBOURNE)
ANGELUS
C.C. (CORDELIA CHASE)
F.L. (FAITH LEHANE)
There were over thirty names of people she had interacted with people in Sunnydale alone.
What the actual hell?!
"What the hell did you do to my friends!" She growled jumping out of her seat, sending the stool crashing to the ground.
"Rest assured they are fine." Klaus promised as he simply waved his wrist signalling for one of his compelled minions to bring Buffy a new chair. Preferably one that wasn't easily broken.
Picking up Giles's vial, Klaus just grinned, as though preparing for some big dramatic monologue "These here, are memories of the past year, since the moment you killed Angelus." He explained as he waved the vial in front of her.
Buffy's eyes filled with confusion at his statement. She just couldn't understand why he would do this.
Why take away her friend's memories of the past year?
This was insane.
"You see, Marianna was able to remove every memory your little friends in Sunnydale have of you ever moving to Mystic Falls. She then created false memories, of you there with them the whole time."
Despite the explanation, Buffy was ever more confused "Why would you—"
"Because you were not meant to come here yet. That was supposed to be later. The Prophecy cannot be fulfilled until we get back on track."
Taking in a shaky breath, Buffy just watched him silently. This was all insane and beyond confusing, none of this was making sense to her.
What was so important about this Prophecy that she needed to be in Sunnydale for it to happen?
What needed to happen to set the Prophecy into motion?
Carefully, Klaus pulled out another vial from his pocket. This one was different, however.
It was white. Simmering with magic.
"This here will wipe your memories and once I rewrite in your mind what should have happened, all of your friend's mind will be linked to your new memories. Resetting everything that was broken. It will be as though you never left Sunnydale following the deaths of your mother and Angelus."
Buffy's eyes widened in disbelief as everything started to click together, he wanted to erase everything.
Every second of her life since she had moved back to Mystic Fall.
He was planning on taking away every memory with Elena, Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline, and the Salvatores.
Everything.
Her life would be completely reset.
"So I won't remember, anything?"
Klaus nodded in confirmation "Downside, I know. You will not remember the friends you have made here or your little boyfriend. That will all be gone. But I give you my word that I will leave them be."
"How can I trust you?" Buffy hissed "I don't exactly see Elijah around here jumping for joy cause he's been reunited with his family."
Nope, instead Elijah was rotting away in a box.
"Yes well, it's either this or I return to Mystic Falls and take your boyfriend...and well, I will make him worse than Angelus."
At his little threat, Buffy glared at him furiously but bit her tongue to keep from snapping.
She didn't have a choice here. This wasn't just about keeping Stefan out of Klaus's hands, this was about making sure that Klaus left town.
Making sure that Elena, Jeremy, and all of her friends were safe.
"Okay..." She whispered softly as she reached for one of the glasses of bourbon Klaus's compelled minion brought over.
The liquid was down her throat in a second "How do we do this?" She coughed out, trying not to groan in disgust at the vile taste rushing down her throat.
Klaus chuckled at her reaction and reached for his own glass, however, before he could start to explain the next step that had to be taken a pair of heels clicked loudly against the floor.
Marianna had returned.
"Buffy's car?" He questioned as he stirred the bourbon in his glass.
Mary sighed as she moved over to the pair and snatched the glass out of her brother's hands "I had it sent over, the house has been prepared. It will be as though she never left."
With that, she downed his drink before slamming the glass back down on the table, glaring furiously at her brother "Our deal?" She pushed, wanting nothing more than to get this over with.
Klaus laughed loudly before glancing over at Buffy and pushing a new glass of bourbon toward her "Apologies love, this won't take but a moment."
As Buffy ignored the glass and simply grabbed the bottle of bourbon instead, drinking straight from it, Klaus stood from his chair.
The sooner he dealt with Marianna the sooner everything would be set back into motion.
"Miguel!" He yelled loudly cueing the door at the back of the warehouse to open as a very handsome Latin Warlock walked through the doors, and headed straight over to Klaus.
Buffy sputtered slightly at the sight of him, because damn!
Ignoring Buffy, Klaus rolled his eyes before turning to Miguel and gesturing to an awaiting Marianna "Do it."
With that, Mary and Miguel walked over to one of the crates where all the required vials of blood from the different bloodlines were waiting.
As Mary placed the parchment containing the spell on the crate she slowly spilled the blood over it, before grabbing a dagger and slicing it across her own palm.
The blood of the last living member Von Swartzchild clan mixed with the rest of the blood.
As candles started to flare around them, Miguel dipped his hands through the mix of blood before moving to cup Mary's face as his eyes fluttered shut.
"Revertere quod perierat. Revertere in missing piece, et ostende faciem tuam veram."
Buffy's eyes widened from beside Klaus as she watched Mary's face shift and move almost painfully. Burnt skin slowly pulled back together, until finally, the melted skin completely faded away.
Mary's face finally matched on both sides.
Not a burnt, melted, or chard piece of skin in sight.
It was official, the hex had been broken. Mary was herself again for the first time in 800 years.
After a few moments, Mary touched her face and gasped at the lack of rough texture.
Tears quickly filled her eyes at the feel of soft skin.
It had worked.
Glancing over at her brother she moved to thank him only to freeze as she spotted her amulet still in his grasp.
Klaus smirked as he watched Marianna try and teleport out of the room, but it was useless, she was trapped.
She may be his sister, but that didn't mean she was going to be spared from punishment for her multiple betrayals. First Katerina, and then whatever plan she and Kol had concocted together in 1914.
As the blood drained from Marianna's face, Klaus chuckled purposely twisting her amulet between his fingers "I believe you should join the rest of our siblings sister."
Knowing what was about to happen, Mary quickly glanced over at Buffy "Once the bound is true, you will become darker. This is just the start." She warned before her neck was snapped and her body collapsed to the ground as Klaus stood above her.
Buffy gulped in terror as she watched Mary's body melt away into nothing but a mixture of black and red mist before it rushed straight into the amulet causing it to glow.
Mary was once again trapped.
And Klaus was now the only person who could release her.
Tucking the glowing green amulet into his jacket pocket, Klaus walked back over to Buffy and purposely pushed over the white vial "You ready love?"
No.
Buffy was in no way ready...but she had no choice.
With a shaky hand, she reached out and raised the vial to her lips, she was about to say goodbye to her life in Mystic Falls.
Downing the liquid in one gulp, Buffy frowned at the lack of any change, only for her eyes to slam open before they rolled into the back of her head and her skin started glowing.
Then there was nothing but darkness.
**
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
TIME SINCE BUFFY'S DISAPPEARANCE: 24 HOURS
"It's you and it's me and we'll get through this."
"Take it slow, and if you are not ready... you're not ready. If he isn't willing to wait, then he isn't the guy for you."
"You disappeared for four months and left me panic driving across the country. You owe me a dinner."
"What about me? I love you so much and I hate it!"
"You will always be my Annie."
"I will always be here for you, Bon."
"Buffy, you kicked ass!"
"You're my friend."
"I just see you."
"I think my mom is about to make your boyfriend my new stepfather."
"In my whole life, I never felt like I could trust someone the way I trust you."
"Look at that Godsister, we both get a Salvatore."
"Sorry Damon, changed the locks."
"Buffy, please don't let her near me."
"You're my person."
"I could never hate you, Buffy. I love you... you're literally my favorite person, You're my sister."
"Think about the person in front of you. People are friends, not food."
"Stefan, your brother is trying to make me be his friend again. Make him stop."
"I hid some old headphones and an MP3 player in Cell 5. Just in case."
"If Bonnie dies...so do you."
"Little bear."
Buffy's eyes slammed open and she shot up in her bed gasping for air in an utter state of panic.
Clutching her pillow to her chest, Buffy sighed as the strange voices that had been haunting her dreams slowly faded away. Glancing around her still-unpacked bedroom, she let out a shaky breath and leaned her back against the headboard.
For some reason, her head was pounding like she had just been run over by a truck.
She had never had a headache this crazy, at least not since that whole demon aspect thing that had left her reading minds for a full 24 hours.
Running a shaky hand through her, Buffy couldn't help but jump as her bedroom door slammed open and Willow strolled in and jumped straight onto her bed.
Clearly, giving Willow a spare key to the house had been a mistake.
Willow faltered as she spotted Buffy rubbing her head "You okay?"
"Yeah...just a migraine." Buffy admitted waving off the concern before smiling at her best friend "So why are you so cheerful?"
She hadn't seen Willow this happy in weeks. It was honestly kind of wigging her out.
"Prom tomorrow...hellhounds attacking people in fancy clothes." Willow reminded her, only to frown as she spotted the brief moment of genuine confusion on Buffy's face "You and Angel are going hunting today remember?"
For a moment, Buffy truly didn't remember.
It was like it had never happened.
Honestly, for some strange reason, thinking about Angel...it almost felt wrong.
Slowly though, the memory shifted back into place and she smiled, allowing her eyes to momentarily drift to her pink prom dress that was hanging on the door of her closet.
"Right...hunting sewers. Got it." Throwing the covers off her legs, Buffy climbed out of bed only to freeze at Willow's next words "Ooh, those are new! So pretty!"
Buffy frowned in confusion before glancing down at the bracelet that had caught Willow's attempt.
The charm bracelet on Buffy's wrist. The one that had last belonged to her mother.
There were three extra charms on the bracelet.
Charms Buffy had no memory of buying or receiving.
A pencil charm, a small knife charm, and finally...a charm shaped like a book.
"New charms?"
Buffy just grumbled in confusion as she continued to stare down at the extra charms "Um...I guess so."
Where the hell had she gotten them? She honestly couldn't remember.
"Where did you get them?"
As much as Buffy wanted to answer the question...she couldn't. She genuinely had no memory of getting them.
"I...I can't remember." She whispered trying to riffle through her memories but there was nothing.
Had her dad sent them and she had just forgotten?
Willow furrowed her brows in confusion as she watched Buffy continue to stare at the charms, she was getting seriously concerned now "Buffy, are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah." Buffy whispered before tearing her gaze off the charms and moving over to her desk "Just didn't sleep well."
She was probably just spacing out. With all the drama with the Mayor and Faith, everything was just so complicated. Of course, it would make sense that she would forget adding a few charms to her bracelet.
They had to be a gift from her dad.
Moving over to her desk, Buffy reached for her sketchbook only to freeze.
Where the hell was it?
"Will, have you seen my sketchbook?"
Willow frowned and quickly stood up, helping Buffy riffle through the still-unpacked boxes.
Buffy had only moved back into her house a few months ago. She had stayed in Giles's spare room prior to turning 18.
"Why don't we ask Giles? Most of your stuff is still there."
Buffy groaned at the memory. Living with Giles had not exactly been smooth sailing. She had learned things about her Watcher that had permanently scarred her brain "Ugh, remind me to get it all out before graduation."
**
MYSTIC FALLS: PRESENT DAY
TIME SINCE BUFFY'S DISAPPEARANCE: 4 MONTHS
Hearing her alarm clock go off, an already awake Elena Gilbert reluctantly turned to stare at the ringing clock.
As she watched the clock she couldn't help but think about the person who normally slept through all of her alarm clocks. Elena used to have to drag Buffy kicking and screaming out of bed before shoving her into the shower.
Forcing thoughts of the still missing Buffy to the bottom of her brain, Elena finally pulled herself out of bed.
Grabbing her clothes she quickly slipped on some shorts and a red vest before making her way down the hall.
Where sure enough, Jeremy had slept through his alarm clock.
It was like Buffy had never left.
Jeremy had basically become the boy version of Buffy over the past few months.
Moving over to the window, she yanked open the curtains causing light to flood the teenager's room.
"What the hell..." Jeremy moaned as he tried to hide his head under the pillow but the brunette merely pulled back the covers.
"You're late for work." Elena told him, "Matt just called."
At her words, Jeremy's eyes widened in a panic and he quickly sat up groaning as he spotted the time.
He was over an hour late for work.
"Maybe he'll fire me." He added, a little too cheerfully.
Elena merely smiled at him, however, the smile doesn't quite reach her eyes "Aim high." She teased before heading for the door only to pause when Jeremy asked her the question.
The same question he asked every morning since Buffy had vanished without a word, her room stripped clean with nothing but Mr.Gordo left behind, who had quickly taken up residence in Jeremy's room.
"Has Bonnie found anything yet?"
Elena shook her head, as a sad expression crossed her features. For the past four months, they hadn't been able to find anything, all they knew was Klaus had taken Buffy somewhere. Leaving no clues behind except for that sketch of The Tower.
A tower that had not shown up on any map they had searched.
"No. She tried every spell she knows, but she can't find Buffy."
At that moment Elena's phone started ringing. Looking down at the caller I.D. she quickly spotted Caroline's name. Instantly, a small glimmer of hope flared in her chest.
Caroline and Liz had been just as determined when it came to the search for Buffy.
"Maybe good old detective work is working better than magic."
Heading out of the room, Elena brought the phone to her ear as she started to walk down the stairs.
"My mom found something." Caroline said immediately, her own desperation to find Buffy, seeping through.
Elena's eyes widened as hope started to build up in her chest "What is it?"
"A blonde girl was seen fighting off several large men extremely easily and even tossed one across a bar, in Tennessee."
"And you're sure it was Buffy?" Elena asked as she entered the kitchen, where Alaric was currently trying to use the coffee maker.
And failing miserably at it.
"No. Just that she was stronger and faster than a normal human, but that doesn't mean that it's Buffy."
Elena couldn't help but sigh, she didn't care if it was a slim chance, Buffy had been gone for four months, and they had to try everything. They had to follow every small lead "That doesn't mean it's not. I'll call her." She told the blonde as she switched the coffee machine on for Ric "Tell her thank you for her help."
"All right. Well, I got to go get everything set up-I know you said no party, so just a couple of us having dinner at The Grill. Be there at 8! I'll see you there."
With that, Caroline hung up before Elena could argue.
"New's on Buffy?" Alaric asked as he moved into the living room with his very much-needed cup of coffee.
He had unofficially moved into the house following Buffy's disappearance, taking over as legal guardian.
But with Elena turning 18 today, that would likely change.
Elena nodded as she poured herself some coffee "Maybe. A girl, blonde, strong and fast was seen fighting off a bunch of guys in Tennessee."
"You sure it's her?" He asked hopefully.
"I hope." Elena breathed as horrible images of what Klaus could be doing to Buffy filled her mind "Better than imagining her locked up in some cage with Klaus watching her 24/7."
Alaric nodded in agreement before sighing as he spotted her heading for the door.
Buffy being missing wasn't the only issue they were dealing with.
There was also the case of...The Ripper.
"How's Stefan?"
Elena couldn't help but wince slightly. That was more of a difficult subject.
Stefan was...honestly, she wasn't even too sure. It was hard to describe other than pointing out that he had gone off the deep end following Buffy's disappearance.
"Damon says it's going to be a while. After he remembered that Buffy was gone and that Klaus had taken her, he lost it." Losing Buffy had been the final straw for Stefan who had already had so much human blood shoved into his system by Klaus, that he had snapped back into full Ripper mode as he desperately tried to pick up Klaus's trail.
But Richmond had been as far as Stefan had gotten before the trail ran cold.
After that, he had disappeared for about two months, with no proof that he was still alive, other than the bodies he had left scattered across Virginia.
"Damon only just managed to find him three weeks ago and he says it's...going to be a while before Stefan is able to be in control again."
**
Walking through the front door of the Boarding House, Elena headed straight into the living room, only to groan in disgust at the sight before her.
Walking around in a towel hanging low at his waist as he poured himself a glass of bourbon, was Damon.
Quickly covering her eyes Elena couldn't help but grumble 'Why me?' under her breath before sighing "Don't you ever wear clothes?"
Damon merely smirked as he glanced over at the brunette, he was hoping she would take this as a hint to stop coming over every morning.
Yet for the past four months, all she did was annoy him. If he wasn't already dead then he would die of annoyance "No. This is my house, I can walk around naked if I want. By the way, you should learn to knock I might be indecent."
Elena simply rolled her eyes and pulled out the paper from her pocket "Sheriff Forbes gave us another location to check. Memphis."
Damon's eyes widened momentarily before he clenched his jaw and walked over, snatching the paper off her "Another dead end you mean."
"You don't know that."
Damon couldn't help but sigh in annoyance "You're right Elena, this could be the one." He mumbled sarcastically "Not like the other million leads that Klaus has left for us. After almost four months, this could be the clue that tells us Buffy's not been locked up and forced into some supernatural marriage with a nut bag."
Elena groaned in frustration before moving to snatch the paper back. She didn't care if it was a dead-end, she would keep trying every lead possible to find Buffy.
No matter how long it took.
"Fine. I'll go by myself."
As she tried to reach for the paper, Damon merely pulled it out of her reach "And let Klaus know that you're tracking him? Buffy made sure that he would still believe you were dead, I'm not gonna be the one that pisses her off by letting him find out the truth."
Buffy had sacrificed everything to keep Elena safe and Damon was determined not to make her sacrifice meaningless.
"It's a new lead, Damon. We haven't had one in a while. Klaus is the only one that knows where she is."
Damon just nodded "Ok. I'll check it out. If I find anything, I'll call you."
Hoping to end the conversation, Damon started to walk away but Elena's next question made him pause "Are you going to tell Stefan?"
Damon hesitated as his mind drifted to his baby brother, who was still locked up in the cellar downstairs.
Like he had been for the past couple of weeks.
Honestly, he didn't know if telling Stefan was a good thing or a bad thing "He is still detoxing from human blood. Needs to focus on that. It's better I don't go down there and give him false hope that his girl might be coming back."
**
After sending Elena off on her way, Damon made his way straight to his room. Moving over to the wardrobe door he sighed as he glanced at the hundreds of newspaper clippings hanging there.
It was every lead, no matter how good or bad.
He had kept all of them.
Any hint of Buffy he had checked, every single one. But each time he got there too late and there was nothing but bodies left behind. "He moved on to Tennessee."
"Huh." Andie mumbled as she approached him, eyeing the clippings carefully "That Florida victim you had me look into had family in Tennessee. Do you think Buffy's still with Klaus?"
At her question, Damon allowed his eyes to shift to the sketch in the center of all the newspaper clickings.
Buffy's sketch of The Tower, which would apparently lead to her doom.
A tower none of them had been able to track down.
Mainly because... It didn't exist.
At least not yet.
Damon shook his head at Andie's query. There was something about the bodies that were left behind that didn't match up right. While most were demons...it wasn't Buffy's signature.
Plus after 800 years of looking for her, there was no way Klaus was dragging her across the country. He would have her somewhere where he could be sure she couldn't run.
Where he knew he could ensure that The Prophecy could be completed.
"No. He knows we're looking for her, he'll be keeping her somewhere. My guess is he knows he won't win her affection if he keeps killing people around her."
Andie raised an eyebrow "Then why continue to follow him?"
Damon just sighed "Because he's the only one who knows where she is. He's got someone going around beating up big guys to try and make us think that she's with him, but it's a distraction. He's trying to keep us busy. I just want to know why, what is he doing with her? I know it has to do with the Propechy but still...none of it clicks."
Damon had been trying for months to put the pieces together but nothing was making any sense yet.
"I can see if I can get you an address." Andie offered as she started to head out of the room.
Damon watched her go before turning his attention back to the new lead.
Maybe Memphis would be different... though he doubted it.
"Get me that address."
**
TENNESSEE
Standing in his lavish hotel room, the immortal hybrid Niklaus Mikelson pulled a green amulet out of his jacket pocket.
Eyeing his sister's necklace for a long moment, Klaus slowly bites into his wrist before allowing the blood to pour over his palm and onto the green stone in the center of the glowing amulet.
"Resurget ex favilla, liberare animum et iterum sumendi eam formam. Ruina carne." Klaus whispered as the blood continued to drip on the amulet.
Slowly, the crystal split open and a black and red mist started spinning out.
It was almost like summoning a genie from a bottle.
The mist made its way through the room like a small tornado, spinning widely before finally, it began to take form.
Slowly the mist faded back to the crystal, leaving only an exhausted Marianna Von Swartzschild in its wake.
The raven-haired beauty glared up at her brother from the floor "What now? Gonna have me dress up as the Slayer again so that you can throw the Salvatores off track?" She hissed angrily.
For months she had been forced to play Slayer for him, to do his bidding.
She felt like a damn wishing well, granting all of her brother's horrid dreams.
Klaus rolled his eyes at her words and simply handed her a glass of red wine which she eagerly took, downing in one gulp "Don't be so dramatic, Marianna."
Swallowing the last sip of wine, Marianna stumbled to her feet purposely holding out her glass for another refill as she ran a shaky hand through her tangled mane of black hair.
"What do you want?" She muttered as Klaus started to refill her glass.
Klaus simply shrugged and moved to sit on the couch "Need to check up on my girl. So..."
Mary sighed and with a roll of her eyes she waved her hand, performing the same spell that she did for him every week.
Slowly a crystal ball appeared in front of the Hybrid.
"Revelabit." She whispered, causing a bright glow of light to form inside the crystal.
Slowly the light faded away, replaced by an image of the one and only Buffy Anne Summers.
**
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
"Anything?" Buffy asked with a sigh as she paced back and forth in the graveyard, her mind spinning as she tried to figure out this whole college schedule thing.
To be honest, she was nervous.
College was a big step and she just couldn't shake this feeling that something was missing from this journey.
Like there was someone else meant to be with her planning all of this.
"Ah!" Willow exclaimed suddenly as she sat up on the picnic blanket, her eyes glued to the Freshman UC Sunnydale Handbook "Introduction to the modern novel. A survey study of 20th-century novelists."
At the announcement, Buffy turned back to her best friend, who was currently sitting in front of the soon-to-be vampire whom the two of them were currently waiting for.
Willow looked up at the Slayer with hope in her eyes "Open to freshman. You might like that."
Buffy looked down at her skeptically. She always struggled to read books unless they revolved around art. She couldn't have an actual class where she had to read probably more than a couple of books "Introduction to the modern novel? I'm guessing I'd probably have to read the modern novel."
Willow nodded "Maybe more than one."
Buffy groaned before she moved to sit by her friend, a loud exhale escaping her lips.
Selecting her classes seemed almost impossible.
"I like books...I just don't want to take on too much. Do they have an introduction to the modern blurb?"
Willow glanced back down at the college guide before glee filled her eyes as she found a compromise "Oh! Short story."
"Well, that's good."
"Oh, no. It conflicts with psych."
Buffy shrugged, this whole college thing still wasn't clicking for her. She wasn't like Willow, she wasn't exactly jumping for excitement at the prospect of the whole UC Sunnydale experience "Maybe I shouldn't take psych."
Willow quickly shook her head in a panic "You gotta." She told the blonde "I-it's fun, a-and you can use it as your science requirement. Anyway, Professor Walsh is supposed to be great. She's like world-renowned."
"How do you get to be renowned?" Buffy asked, "I mean, like, do you have to be nowned first?"
"Yes, first there's the painful nowning process."
Buffy sighed and flopped back leaning against the grave of the soon-to-be vampire. She just couldn't shake away this weird feeling in her gut. It had been there for months, she just didn't know why she was feeling like this.
"I'm sorry guess I'm just feeling a bit off today."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know." Buffy admitted running a hand through her hair nervously "I mean.. I just...I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something, all the time."
Willow looked at her friend sympathetically, hating that her best friend had lost so many people in such a short time.
Buffy had been weird ever since the news about her Aunt Jenna in Mystic Falls, just four months ago.
"Well, maybe it's because you're not close to your mom's family. I mean both your aunts passed right? Is there any more family on her side?"
Buffy nodded as she thought back to the two brunette kids she spent so much of her childhood with "Yeah, um...I have two cousins. Elena and Jeremy. But, I didn't see either of them at my mom's funeral and I found out about Jenna through a letter."
Willow flinched slightly at the reminder.
For some reason, Elena and Jeremy had gone no-contact with Buffy and she could see the toll it had taken on Buffy. Especially, after realizing that she hadn't even been invited to Jenna's funeral.
"They clearly want nothing to do with me." Buffy muttered, she had to admit it hurt more than she had expected. Especially with Jeremy of all people going silent on her.
She had thought they were closer than that.
Clearly, she had been wrong.
"Anyway, it's probably a good thing. I don't wanna drag them into this world."
As far as Buffy was aware, Elena was about to start her senior year of High School and Jeremy was moving into his junior year.
Spotting Willow's concerned expression, Buffy just smiled in an effort to reassure her that everything was good. Nudging her shoulder playfully, Buffy grinned as she spotted a small smile forming on Willow's face.
Mission successful!
"So Miss I've had my major since playgroup, what should I do about this course stuff?"
Willow chuckled "That's an exaggeration. I just, you know, think it's good to be prepared. Don't want to be caught unaware."
Buffy tried to defend herself, not noticing the vampire rising from his grave behind them "I've been busy. It's been a very slay-heavy summer. It's like all the vamps thought I was on vacation or something and decided to come and out and play more. Just haven't had a whole lot of time to think about life at UC Sunnydale."
"College is exciting though, isn't it."
Buffy nodded "Yeah. It's just gonna be an adjustment."
Willow snorted sarcastically "Yeah, it's, like, 5 miles away. Heh. Uncharted territory. Oh wait..."
Knowing Willow was about to bring up the whole dorm situation again, Buffy groaned and rubbed her palms against her eyes "We talked about this."
"I know, but are you sure you don't want to move into the dorms? It's a major college experience! And come on, isn't living in your house kind of lonely? The money your mom left would totally cover it for a year."
"The money mom left went on tuition and I don't want to waste what I did make renting the place out. Plus, after living with Giles for almost a year...I am beyond ready to live alone."
"I have never seen you pack so fast." Willow teased with a loud laugh, however, the worry didn't fade from her eyes as she continued to stare at Buffy, still a little hesitant.
Buffy just waved off Willow's worries.
Yes, the drive every morning to school would be a pain, but she kind of liked living alone, plus it wasn't like she would never have over guests.
"Given I expect Xander to sleep on my couch whenever he gets back from his trip in an effort to avoid his family, I'll be fine."
There was a very high chance that once Xander got back from his road trip, he would spend more time on her couch than at his own house. So Buffy wasn't too worried about getting lonely.
Willow snorted, Buffy certainly made a fair argument "You may have to stock up your fridge."
"For sure, plus all of that weekly demon fight damage, I have no idea how Mom managed to keep us going. Demon damage tends to cost a lot"
It had been terrifying seeing the cost of damages she had caused due to demon and vampire attacks.
While it would technically be easier to sell the house, Buffy wasn't ready to let go of it yet.
The reminder about Buffy's financial situation caused Willow to falter "So you are really gonna get a job?"
"Kind of have to. The house may be paid for, but I still have, bills, utilities, taxes blah- blah. The monthly cost of fixing the damage I do to that place is well...ugh it was a scary number."
It was a major reason that she had chosen to live at home. She had only moved back into the hour five months ago, the day after she turned 18 and all of the demon damages were already draining her mom's life insurance.
She would prefer to have some money still in her bank account once she graduated, so living in the dorms was not an expense she could spare.
"So what's the job?" Willow asked curiously as she pulled out a bag of Cheetos from her backpack, making sure to hand some over to Buffy.
Buffy couldn't help but smile at the thought of the job she had managed to get as she tossed some Cheetos into her mouth "Got a phone call from a guy who used to work at my mom's gallery in L.A. He offered me a part-time job at his gallery in Bakersfield. It's only an hour's drive. Super random but weirdly perfect."
Willow couldn't help but grin at Buffy's excitement "Sounds perfect for you."
"Even living at home, I'm psyched about college. Definitely." Buffy added, not noticing that the vampire they were waiting for slowly started to sneak off after spotting the bag of weapons next to the two girls"I just need to figure out how school and the new job, are gonna work with my extracurricular activities. I just can't let it take the edge off my slaying. I gotta stay sharp."
Just as the vampire rushed off, Buffy finally turned around and glanced at the grave, a groan of annoyance escaping her lips.
This guy was taking forever to rise from the dead.
"Is this guy ever gonna wake up?"
**
TENNESSEE
As the image of Buffy and her friend Willow faded away, Mary couldn't help but stare at the suddenly remarkably quiet Klaus.
Spotting the look on his face, Mary groaned in frustration "Tell me you did not get her a job Niklaus!"
Nothing but silence.
Klaus purposely stared down at his phone, ignoring her penetrating gaze.
Mary sighed at the lack of response. His unwillingness to admit it just answered the question for her.
Klaus had gotten Buffy a job.
It was almost ironic, given that he was so set on leaving Buffy to her own devices to avoid risking any more issues with The Prophecy, yet he had purposely gone out of his way to find her a job he knew she would love.
"You compelled her a job. Why?"
Klaus clenched his jaw tightly before abruptly standing from his seat, moving straight over to the windows, his back turned toward her as he focused on the view from their suite "That is not for you to know Marianna."
"You're going to see her." Mary guessed and given the way he tensed she was clearly right "Klaus bad idea."
"It is not your business Mari. Go back to drinking yourself to death."
Mary scoffed at the obvious deflection "Love you too, brother."
Klaus rolled his eyes before finally turning back to face her "Don't think that annoying me will get me to tell you where your favorite brother is."
"But Kol is so much more fun than you!" Mary stressed a small pout forming on her lips.
"With everything reset... let's focus on my hybrids." He wanted to avoid Marianna's constant moans that Kol was in a box as well as her continued pestering about his decision to help Buffy get a job.
He was simply using it as a way to check in with her and make sure there were no issues interfering with their fate.
Nothing more than that!
"Where is the werewolf?"
Mary grumbled as she took a sip of wine before glancing down to where her crystal had landed on the map while she had been scrying for their mysterious wolf.
"A bar. The one you passed on your way into town. His name is Ray Sutton."
Klaus nodded "Good. Thank you...Marianna." He said politely before quickly speeding over and snapping her neck.
As she collapsed to the ground the amulet once again opened, the familiar black and red mist rushing inside of it.
Once again, Marianna was trapped.
**
MYSTIC FALLS, VIRGINIA
"Damon! Don't do this! I swear to god! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
Hearing the sound of his brother's yelling through the cellar door, Damon couldn't help but roll his eyes. It was the same thing every day.
Stefan would beg for blood and then threaten to rip him to shreds.
Ripper Stefan was such a repetitive dick.
"Melodramatic much?" Damon questioned as he entered the room where Stefan was currently chained to a chair.
At the sound of his elder brother's voice, Stefan glanced up at him, his eyes filled with nothing but hatred and anger, but most of all hunger.
"I'm fine. This is unnecessary."
Leaning against the doorway, Damon couldn't help but groan before arching a brow skeptically. Ripper Stefan always was a pain in the ass plus the world's biggest liar "You've just spent to past two months reliving your glory ripper days after Klaus pumped you full of human blood. You're the one that told me to do this."
Spotting Stefan merely glare down at the floor refusing to speak another word, Damon sighed before rubbing his jaw.
He had promised Buffy he would try and fix his relationship with his brother.
It was another promise he intended to keep.
"You don't wanna talk okay then." He huffed before tilting his head "I just thought you would want to know that I may have a lead on Buffy. But it's not like you care."
There it was...a little bit of humanity and hope creeping through the bloodlust.
He could see Stefan's eyes change at the mention of a certain blonde Slayer.
Walking out of the cellar, he clamped the door shut and bolted it up tight while a small smirk formed on his face.
Maybe there was hope for Stefan after all.
**
TENNESSEE
Pulling up his car next to the bar Liz had found, Damon groaned as he spotted yet another incoming call from Elena.
He preferred life a lot more when she hated his guts and never called him.
How she got his number he still had no idea.
Climbing out of the car he switched off his phone, shoving it into his back pocket.
"Elena?" Alaric questioned as he circled around the car to stand beside Damon as the two of them began making their way toward the bar "I don't know why you just don't come clean and tell her where we are."
Damon shrugged slightly, he didn't have a real reason. Well, he did, but it wasn't one he would admit out loud "Cause Andie said this was a half-lead and I don't wanna get her hopes up."
Alaric couldn't help but raise an eyebrow "Her hopes? Or yours?"
Spotting the glare Damon threw his way the hunter merely sighed before pointing out the obvious "They're all half leads and I'm your accomplice. What do you want me to say to her? I'm practically living there."
"Still sleeping on the couch?"
"You know, I keep waiting for them to kick me out, but they don't. I don't know why. I'm no Vampire Slayer, it's not like I'm helping or anything." Alaric mumbled before frowning as they approached the bar.
There was no sound coming from inside.
No music, no loud chatter.
Just silence.
"It's quiet."
Damon nodded in agreement "Yeah. Too quiet." He mumbled before pushing open the doors only to sigh as he took in the gruesome sight.
Covering all the walls was a mixture of red and green blood. The floors were littered with demon parts. Tables were smashed in two and glass was covering the floor, as well as several piles of dust.
Moving over to the wall, Damon ran his finger through the green thick liquid covering the wallpaper before shivering in disgust at the smell.
"Demon blood."
Alaric's eyes widened before groaning as he spotted three demon heads laid out on the floor "What the hell are those?"
"Demons." Damon explained as he stepped over the dusty remains of at least 5 vampires before picking up one of the demonic heads "Brachen and Kaliff demons from the looks of it." He mumbled before tossing the head to the side without care "But I'm not exactly all-knowing when it comes to half breeds."
That was more of a Stefan thing.
Alaric nodded before scanning the room. It was the remains of a battlefield. The fight had clearly been rough, to say the least.
"Seems like a Slayer. Buffy?"
Damon scoffed as he stared at the barbaric state of the bar, this wasn't Buffy, not a chance.
"No."
"How do you know?"
"Buff likes to avoid slicing and dicing. Plus she's not lazy, she doesn't just leave bodies lying around, she'd bury them or burn them, make sure some innocent doesn't find them."
"You still think Klaus is sending us on a wild goose chase?"
Damon nodded as he kicked a clawed red hand out of his way "Definitely. That and my guess he's got bigger things going on and he does not want us involved."
**
MYSTIC FALLS
Walking into the TV station where he was supposed to meet Andie, Damon frowned in slight confusion, it looked nearly abandoned, not another member of the crew in sight.
It was like everyone had run off.
"Andie?" He called moving further into the studio only for his eyes to widen as he spotted a single spotlight from one of the LED lights filling the room.
"Damon?" A shaky voice called from above.
Looking up Damon froze as he spotted Andie standing on the edge of the lighting platform on the upper level. Her feet dangling off the edge as her whole body shook violently.
One step and she was dead.
"Hello, Damon."
The voice caused Damon to falter.
Mary.
Spinning around he couldn't help but find himself unable to breathe for a moment as she walked out of the darkness, the blonde hair acting almost like a halo through the shadows.
Instead of walking around looking like herself...it was like looking straight at Buffy.
For the first time in four months, Damon found himself glancing at the face of the woman who had vanished into the night without a word. The last time he had seen that face, he had been on his literal deathbed.
Mary was once again wearing her glamour, yet this time had gone all out, with golden curls falling past her silk-covered shoulders.
Slowly, the shock of seeing an image of Buffy faded and Damon clenched his jaw tightly "Mary."
He had been hoping never to see her again.
Mary merely smiled as she walked toward him "I'm guessing you have gotten a lot better at telling the difference."
In no mood for her manipulations or twisted truths, Damon just grumbled in annoyance "English accent was a dead giveaway. What are you doing here?"
Mary rolled her eyes as she thought back to the message Klaus had sent her to deliver before he had jumped onto a private plane, granting her momentary peace from his presence.
"I'm here to give you a message from Klaus. Stop looking for her. You're not going to find her."
Damon couldn't help but scoff, centuries of trying to kill Klaus yet here she was acting like his little messenger.
Her relationship with her brother, made his own relationship with Stefan seem healthy!
"You've been running around dressed up as her and massacring demons, to keep me distracted." He stated bluntly, his eyes darkening with rage as he glared at her.
"Yes." Mary admitted as she stroked her finger along the dusty railing "But you're becoming a nuisance. You'll never find her, so I suggest you stop looking."
Damon chuckled slightly before rushing at the witch, slamming her against the wall by her throat "Where is she? I know you know where. You made sure that page in Buffy's book was open, didn't you?"
There was no way that sketchbook had been opened to the drawing of The Tower by accident, and Buffy would have been too focused on Klaus to risk it.
Mary, on the other hand, had been an avid anti-prophecy speaker for months. She did not want Buffy and Klaus to achieve their destiny together, it made sense that she would leave a warning behind. Especially, given she was stuck traveling with Klaus so couldn't be caught going anywhere near anything Prophecy related.
Mary sighed "I did." She admitted before shoving out of Damon's hold.
"Then just tell me where she is."
If only it was that simple.
"No. I put myself at risk doing that, Damon. I tell you where she is? I get locked up and never find my siblings and never see Katerina again. I have granted you a clue. Use it!"
She couldn't just spell it out for him. If they found her, she could not risk in any way being linked to the discovery.
Damon growled in annoyance. Why was everything with this woman always like a crossword puzzle being left unfinished?!
"Fine, where is the tower?"
"The question should be focused on...is when."
Her vague answer caused Damon to frown, what the hell was she talking about?
"What?"
Ignoring him, Mary simply sighed before glancing up at the upper level where Andie was still dangling by the end "Andie, darling!"
Instantly, Damon rushed at her again only for Mary to twist her wrist sending him flying across the studio. Damon's arrogance would always be his downfall. If he seriously thought he would win a game against one of the most powerful dark magic users in the world, he was overestimating his own abilities tenfold.
"You can move now."
Realizing what was about to happen, Damon leaped back up to his feet only to let out a howl of pain as a large piece of metal was shoved through his chest.
Pinning him to the floor.
Now completely helpless, Damon was forced to watch as Andie crashed to the ground, dying on impact.
"Stay away from Buffy." Mary whispered as she walked over and twisted the metal pipe in his chest causing him to groan in agony as blood spilled from his lips "This is your last warning or next time, I will be ordered to kill you."
**
The nice dinner at The Grill had turned out to actually be a surprise Birthday party at the Boarding House, much to Elena's displease.
While she had tried to have fun, she had frozen as a horrifying truth was revealed to her.
Damon had lied to her.
Every time she brought him an article or any form of a link to Buffy, he had blown her off. Yet, staring into his wardrobe she could see now that he hadn't let it go.
He had just cut her out of the search.
Hearing him enter the room, Elena yanked some of the clippings off the door and stormed to him furiously.
Damon just sighed at the sight of her pissed off, after his confrontation with Mary, he was in no mood "What? What are you doing here?"
"Why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep it a secret?" She demanded shoving the clippings in his face. She was beyond furious right now, she felt like she was ready to explode.
"Can we not do this right now? I'm having a really bad night."
Despite the request, Elena continued on, her voice growing angrier and more ferocious with every passing second "All summer, every single time I came to you with a lead, you made me feel like an idiot for having hope. And considering you're in love with my cousin I figured of all the people who would have hope, it would be you."
Clenching his jaw tightly as he drifted back to what happened tonight with Mary, Damon exhaled in exhaustion.
He was just beyond done with everything today
"I was an idiot. And so were you."
With that, he moved to walk past her, intent on getting a drink but the doppelganger wouldn't let it go.
She roughly grabbed his arm turning him back to her "Tell me what you know, Damon."
"I know you need to go back downstairs and enjoy your party, Elena."
"We're supposed to be in this together. Why didn't you tell me you've been tracking the demons Buffy's been killing?"
The mention of Buffy's name finally pushed Damon over the edge and he snapped.
"Because it's not Buffy, Elena, it's Mary!" He screamed in her face causing her to flinch back as she watched him with a confused gaze "What?"
"Klaus has had his little witch bitch run around killing demons to throw us off track! He's not an idiot, Elena. He knows we're looking for Buffy, he's making sure we can't find her. But she is not with him, at least not anymore."
Elena just shook her head, she refused to believe this. Klaus had to have Buffy with him because if he wasn't watching her, she would have escaped by now.
She would have come back to them the second she could.
"No. You're wrong. If Klaus didn't have Buffy with him, she would have found a way back, or contacted us...she wouldn't just disappear."
Damon just gritted his teeth as he listened to her continue to try and ignore what was right in front of them.
If Buffy had escaped, no way in hell would she risk coming back to Mystic Falls. Not while Klaus still thought Elena was dead.
Klaus had trapped her somewhere or Buffy was on the run.
Just the thought of the two options, Damon could feel his anger growing by the second, he just needed to hit something or eat someone right now.
This whole thing was destroying him.
"I don't know where she is, Elena. The only two people in existence that know where she is will kill us all before we can get to her. Buffy is gone. And she isn't coming back."
**
BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA
Buffy loved her new job.
Her boss Mitch had been nothing but amazing since she had started, pretty much taking her under his wing to show up how the art world worked. Teaching her how art was curated in the States, just like her mother had done.
He had even dived into a few stories about when he had been her Mom's assistant back in L.A.
This job had surprisingly pushed away all of the dread of her upcoming Freshman year of college, if anything she felt lighter than she had in months.
Carrying around the catalog he had given her so she could start repricing all of their new pieces for the upcoming show, Buffy made her way into the back only to pause as she spotted one of the studio lights on.
As far as she was aware they weren't supposed to have anyone using the space until next week.
Adjusting the catalog in her arms, she pushed open the door to switch off all the lights only to falter as she caught sight of a muscled back.
A man was standing with his back to her, his focus completely on the canvas in front of him. Stepping further into the room, Buffy watched as the man with paint covering his hands continued to slide his brush across the canvas with oil paint.
Scanning the dark blonde hair and built form, Buffy smiled as she clicked exactly who this was.
The Mysterious artist that would woosh out of nowhere and just take over the studio for days at a time. Mitch had warned her he might make an appearance just to make sure that she never kicked him out.
The guy apparently had donated a bunch of pieces here over the years.
It had made the gallery quite the fortune.
Eyeing the piece he was working on closely, Buffy couldn't help but chuckle causing his back to tense up "The layers are too heavy, it won't set and will get all icky and gross."
An English accent piped through the air followed by a light chuckle "It is a base sketch." He argued with a playful note to his voice, clearly amused by her statement.
"You're using oil, it's gonna be yuck, Though, might be an improvement."
That teasing tone had the man finally turning away from the canvas, his ocean-blue eyes quickly meeting her forest green.
He was hot, that was obvious enough. But after her break up with Angel, Buffy had no desire to start checking other guys out.
Not even, an instantly hot artist with an amazing accent.
He grinned as he walked over to her, using a rag to wipe the wet paint from his hands "Mitch warned me to be wary of you. He was right, you so mean to me, at least be nice to the art."
"You think this is art?"
He laughed.
Buffy grinned before holding out her hand toward him "I'm Buffy. The new assistant. You must be the annoying artist that wooshes out of nowhere and takes over the studio that Mitch has been talking about."
She had pretty much quoted Mitch's exact words.
The artist grinned down at her before taking her hand, surprising her by bringing it to his lips and placing a soft kiss on her knuckles "Pleasure to meet you, Buffy, even if you are insulting my work."
Buffy gulped nervously before quickly pulling her hand back, more than a little flustered. Since when did guys still do the whole kissing the hand thing?!
"Think of it as constructive criticism" She teased before clicking that she still didn't know his name "Mr?"
"Nik. You can call me Nik."
**
MYSTIC FALLS, VIRGINIA
Elena needed to hear Buffy's voice.
After her argument with Damon, her hope was starting to dwindle and she just needed something, anything to remind her that one day they would find Buffy.
Otherwise, she would completely fall apart.
Glancing down at the photo resting on her side table, Elena blinked back tears.
It was a photo of her, Jeremy, and Buffy on her 10th Birthday when they had all been together at the Lake House with their parents.
Elena needed Buffy.
She needed her big sister right now or she was going to break.
Knowing that Buffy's phone which had been left abandoned in Alaric's loft was in a box in Jeremy's room, Elena picked up her own phone.
Despite the fact she knew Buffy would never answer, she hadn't been able to stop calling. She hadn't canceled Buffy's phone contract because that voice message was the only time she ever got to hear Buffy's voice.
Just like it did every time she called, Buffy's phone went straight to voicemail.
'Hey, It's Buffy. If it's the end of the world beep me.'
Elena loved hearing that message.
It always put a smile on her face.
Feeling slightly better, Elena hung up the phone before yanking her hair up into a messy bun. However, just as she started to head to the bathroom in order to get ready for bed she froze.
There lying by her feet was a crumbled-up piece of paper.
Paper that had appeared completely out of thin air.
"What the hell?" Elena whispered as she picked up the paper only for her heart to start pounding against her chest at a rapid pace.
Proof she is alive. Keep her away from the tower.
- Mary
Just below the message was a phone number Elena didn't recognize. Though she was almost positive it was a landline.
She couldn't even remember the last time she had dialed a landline number.
Gulping nervously, Elena quickly grabbed her phone and dialed the number.
All she could do was wait...
**
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
After work followed by the hour drive home, Buffy walked into the house and dumped her bag on the floor.
She was exhausted that was for sure.
Her schedule was pretty intense at the moment, between the new job which required a total of two hours on the road back and forth, training, preparing for school and her nightly patrols, she was completely wiped out.
It was only going to get worse once Freshman Year finally started next week.
Running a shaky hand through her long blonde hair, Buffy sighed before pulling it up into a tight ponytail.
She had to start getting ready for patrol.
Moving into the living room, she headed straight for the falling-apart weapons chest in the corner only to freeze.
The landline in the kitchen was ringing.
Buffy frowned in confusion.
Who the hell called a landline anymore?
Grumbling in annoyance, Buffy headed into the kitchen and answered the phone.
"Hello?"
Instead of a response, Buffy was met with nothing but silence, frowning slightly she glanced at the phone before bringing it back to her ear.
"Hello?"
Just a voice started to pipe up, clearly shaken out of momentary shock, Buffy growled in annoyance as the line went dead.
"Crap...note to self, pay the phone bill. Urg! I hate being an adult!"
**
"Hello?"
Elena almost collapsed at the sound of Buffy's voice echoing through the phone. And not just a voicemail message, it was really her.
The real Buffy Summers, alive and in person.
Mary had given her Buffy's phone number. At this moment, Elena had never been more grateful for Mary. This was just what they all needed, actual proof that Buffy was alive and not trapped in some cell, starving and wasting away.
Tears started to brim in her eyes, her lip quivering as she let the soothing tone of Buffy's voice wash over her.
After four months of nothing, finally she had something.
It almost seemed impossible to believe but it was really happening.
She was on the phone with Buffy.
"Hello?" Buffy repeated causing Elena to panic as she realized that she had completely frozen up the second she heard Buffy's voice.
"Buffy?" She whispered her voice quivering slightly, she just couldn't believe it.
Buffy was alive, she was okay.
Her hope quickly vanished however as the line cut off.
NO.
No, no, no!
This was not happening!
She had just managed to get some semblance of hope only for it to vanish in less than 5 seconds!
Elena couldn't help but scream in panic as she frantically shook her phone. Even though she knew it would do nothing, she was beyond reasonable thinking right now.
Her heart just plummeted as she was left with nothing but the echo of a disconnected dial tone.
"BUFFY!"