He had seen little more of Buffy since their awkward meeting in the alley but he had heard about her from her friends and knew that she was struggling – with money, with bills, with a flooded basement. More than before though, he felt his central place in the group slipping away with every day that Buffy was back and it made him unsure of himself, of his position. He wanted to help, wanted to step in and do something to help Buffy but he had no idea what – and if she would appreciate the offer. She had always detested asking for help and he suspected this had not changed in the months of his absence and her death – that much, at least, remained the same.

Knowing couldn’t stop him from wishing he could do something though and he felt helpless. But he was determined to keep his distance – as much as possible – to give Buffy the space she likely needed and although he had spotted her at a distance on patrol a few times, he had not dared to approach her once more.

Truth be told, he was still afraid to face this Buffy who was so unlike the one he had known. It had given him a shock to the system, seeing the first signs of what this new Buffy would be like, and he was still reeling from the realisation that things really had changed.



Nonetheless, he couldn’t stop thinking about her, despite all of his self-made promises and declarations. Buffy being back amongst them once more threw everything that had become normal into relief, highlighting just how different things had been when she was gone. Even his own role had been cast in doubt: now that the Slayer was back, there was little need for superfluous demon hunters.

However, leaving town was no more an option now than it had been a few months ago – just for different reasons. He no longer needed to look out for Dawn, with her sister returned, nor for the town, with its protector back – but it was this exact thing that kept him from leaving. After all, Buffy had been the whole reason he had returned to this town, desperate to re-capture what he had lost. Thinking of this new Buffy though, he could not see the way ahead clearly. She was so unlike the girl he remembered and yet, he still felt a warmth deep in his stomach at the idea that Buffy was in the world once more.

He just wished there was something he could do, some way he could help her, ease her burden. He hadn’t even talked to her since that day in the alley but he wanted to be there somehow. He feared it would be difficult to get close to Buffy now though, after all she had been through, and he would almost be resigned to this, except for the dull murmur in his heart that told him not to give up so easily.



After a morning of being distracted by thoughts of Buffy, he finally escaped his office and strode through the halls of the university, his sights set on the sunlit campus grounds. He took a step out into the fresh air and let out a deep, calming breath, before strolling over to a table and sitting down.

He just needed a few minutes of fresh air to try to clear his muddled thoughts. He stretched out his legs and jumped when they made contact with something under the table. He quickly ducked his head down and his eyes went wide with surprise as he spotted Buffy.

“Buffy?!”

She whipped her head up to meet his puzzled gaze and with a sheepish smile, crawled out from under the table. Getting to his feet quickly, he held out a hand and helped her up, watching her in confusion.

“Okay, I know this looks weird,” she started, releasing his hand quickly and brushing herself down, “But time went all… wonky. And I think it was something on my sweater.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, “Maybe you should sit down.”

She moved to sit down but sent a frown his way as he joined her.

“Don’t look at me like I’m freak-o-girl. Something really weird is going on.”

He shook off his confusion and studied her, simply amazed by the change in her attitude in a matter of days.

“What did you mean something on your sweater?” he asked, forcing his attention back to the present.

“There was a buzzing noise and then I found this thing on my sweater,” she explained, placing the garment on the table between them, “Then it, erm, exploded.”

“Exploded?”

“Okay, again with the freak look.”

“Sorry,” he murmured, unable to stop a smile from tugging at his lips.



Buffy looked away and stared down at her sweater, letting out a sigh.

“Maybe I’m just going crazy.”

“I’m sure there’s a reason behind the, erm, exploding something,” he soothed.

She rolled her eyes and sent him a wry smile.

“Thanks for the attempt at pacifying the crazy girl.”

She pushed herself to her feet then and picked up her sweater.

“I better get going anyway. I completely lost Tara.”

“Okay, sure.”

She turned to go but paused, turning back to look at him.

“I didn’t get a chance to say this before… but it’s good to see you,” she said quietly

He was momentarily silent but then gave her a slight smile.

“Same.”

She smiled that half-smile once more and then turned, making her way back across the campus as he watched her go.



If his thoughts had been confused before, now they were even more so. The Buffy he had just encountered had been so different from just a few days ago – in fact, she was something like herself again. There had even been glimpses of that flirty, witty girl he had first met and it stunned him. Just a week ago, she had been a shadow of herself and he had been astonished by the change in her – and now here she was, acting just as she ever had done.

If it weren’t for the fact that he now knew the robot had been destroyed on the night of Buffy’s resurrection, he might have thought the fake Buffy had just been here. She had been cheerful almost, showing none of the blankness that had so unnerved him before. She was full of life once more and he was glad to see it – he just hoped it lasted and that she would not revert to that quiet, scared girl once more. His Buffy was back, and there was no way he wanted to lose her again.