Chapter Six

Buffy stared openmouthed at the scene in front of her. Willow looked as beautiful as she did two years ago. She did change though. The red-head had cut her hair to her shoulders. She didn't look that much older. Why should she? She's immortal now. But she was very different from the mousy looking girl she had known two years ago. Her friend was wearing a long white dress. Small pastel flowers covered the dress. Was this the same Willow?

Giles stared at the girl he had failed. She didn't notice them yet, but Giles and the rest of the group sure noticed her. She looked so different, but still remained the girl he called friend. The same girl, that he had hoped to be a Watcher. That was impossible now. He filed those thoughts away. <I can't think about lost hopes. All I can think about, is the friend I found.>

Cordelia stared at Willow. Was this the same girl she tormented? The one she ridiculed? Cordelia felt horrible about that, but look at Willow now. She was beautiful, but then again Willow was always beautiful. In mind, body, and soul. She turned to her friends. They all looked shocked as hell. <Who can blame them? They found someone who they had thought that they lost forever.>

Xander stared at the girl he had known since he was a small boy. Sure she looked different, but she was Willow. She was his friend. Xander felt tears stream down his cheeks. After two years of pain and sorrow, he had found Willow. What can he say? Could he even speak?

"Willow?" Xander managed to croak out.

Willow looked up at the group at the mention of her name, still smiling from gardening earlier. Her smile faded as she recognized the people in front of her. She hadn't noticed them before, most probably because she wasn't used to people much. She lead such and isolated life over the past two years. Two years since...

She was attacked?
She was hurt?
She was changed?
She lost her family?
She lost her friends?
She lost everything?

Now they came back to haunt her. Willow felt the group of roses in her hands slip onto the ground. She brought her hands up to her mouth, not believing the sight in front of her. Since the day she left Sunnydale, she had imagined their faces. When she was in a crowd, she would see her family and friends' faces among them. But they never spoke before.

"Willow?" Xander asked again.

After two years, what can she say? What can she do?

She screamed.

She screamed and ran towards the group. Into Xander's arms. She felt his warm arms wrap around her, squeezing her tightly as if to reassure himself she was real. She felt his tears fall on her neck.

She slowly separated from him and asked, "What are you doing here? How did you find me? How did you know I was staying here?"

"Whoa, question girl." Buffy commented behind her.

Willow screamed again and leapt from Xander's arms. She pulled Buffy into a hug.

"Oh god. I missed you guys." Willow said with tears streaming down her cheeks.

They all turned as they heard someone thrashing through the garden and jump in front of them. It was Angel. In his hand was a large sword which he wielded defensively.

"Angel," Buffy said softly.

Angel looked at her curiously, then recognized her. The sword fell from his hands as he looked at the group.

"Oh, wow." He managed to mutter.

Buffy released Willow and ran into Angel's arms. Her arms wrapped around his neck. She started to sob happily as he wrapped his strong arms around her.

"I... I can't believe it," Angel stammered.

"Don't you just love a class reunion?"

The group turned at the sound of the new voice. Just in time too. It was at that moment that a dark figure jumped down from a nearby tree. He was around six feet tall, and handsome in a dark way. His black hair was cut short. He gave the group a toothy smile.

"Falen," Willow murmured in a tone that caused both Buffy and Xander tense up.

"Give the red-head a prize," Falen replied in a nasty tone. "Tell her what she's won, Johnny. Well, Falen. The half-breed vampire has won... a bloody death at the hands of a nasty group of demons."

Suddenly, from behind Falen came a chorus of snarls. A large horde of vampires came into the moonlight, grinning evilly.

"Run," Willow said.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"Run, to the house. Now!" Willow screamed.

Angel picked up the sword laying at his feet and said, "I'll hold them off. Go!"

The horde snarled in unison and attacked...