A New Future.

Galadriel, Celeborn and Buffy spent the rest of the night talking and planning about what all had to be done to avoid the horrid visions Buffy had experienced in Galadriel's mirror.

The next morning found Buffy much calmer but still concerned about how she might face her friends and explain why she would inevitably act different around them. Galadriel offered to explain things to them. Buffy tried to warn her about how such an explanation would be taken by the insular Scoobies. Galadriel insisted stating, "Doing this will not absolve me of what I have done against you but it will be a start in the right direction."

So once everyone was awake they were invited up to the Lady of Light's talan for an explanation of what happened while they slept.

Reactions were about what Buffy warned Galadriel they would be. At first Giles polished his glasses fascinated at the thought of being able to see possible futures through a magical mirror of water. However, when she explained that when Buffy touched the water she actually experienced said future, he became livid. Xander, denied such a future could possibly exist and accused the elleth of trying to force Buffy to stay under false pretenses. Willow at first was fascinated at the thought that she could actually possess magic, then slowly became ill at the thought when they got to her particular chapter in the future. Joyce sat with tears in her eyes that slowly started to truly fall when they got to Buffy being ripped from Heaven. She clutched desperately at her daughter not wanting to let go for even an instant she was desperate that her daughter not have such a dismal and bleak future. Silently she decided in that moment that coming here would be better for Buffy. She only prayed she was right.

Once the various reactions were taken in Buffy took charge at demanded that they make sure such a future could never happen. Joyce agreed that as soon as she returned she would look into the problem of her tumor. Perhaps if caught early she wouldn't have to have the same results.

"Galadriel, Celeborn and I have been up all night putting our heads together. We have come up with a plan for a few of the future problems, but there are a few things we need to decide together. For instance we know Glory is inside of Ben. But at the moment Ben is an innocent. We need to decide together how we are going to deal with the problem. I was thinking about if we could magically separate them but then we would be left with a hell god without a weakness and a human. We haven't been able to come up with a solution, that doesn't involve killing an innocent. If that is what we all decide together then I am afraid that is what we will have to do."

"Buffy, I can't believe you would be willing to talk about killing an innocent like that!" Xander objected loudly. "What have they done to you?" He asked shaking his head.

"I have been through a lot since last night Xander. I have been through a small scale war, sometimes the greater good requires a sacrifice. I learned that when I had to send Angel to hell. Can you think of something else to do so we don't have to kill Ben," Buffy asked?

Xander stood for a moment thinking. "Not at the moment but there has to be a way." He said.

"If any of you can think of something I would be glad to hear what it is." Buffy stated looking at all her friends and family.

"I don't see why we have to decide right now. After all you will be there with us we can deal with things together the way we always have." Xander stated causing Buffy's eyes to widen.

"Xander I can't go through all that again, I refuse to wait and see," Buffy explained.

"So you have decided to stay here and abandon us," He asked?

"I haven't made a decision one way or the other yet," Buffy narrowed her eyes at Xander thinking his words were asking for a fight. "Either way there is no abandoning going on. Hence this meeting to work on making sure that you not only have a future; but a better one than you would have otherwise have had no matter what I decide. "

And so the meeting continued and plans were made.

Buffy her mother and Giles would go see Faith and try to save her from her bad situation and give her a home with Buffy and her mother. Hoping against hope that giving her a place to belong would help keep her on the straight and narrow.

Willow agreed to decide to either learn the proper way to use magic or have her powers bound. Giles agreed to find her a teacher when she decided that she would rather learn the right way than have her powers bound.

Buffy decided to tell Angel about the clause to the curse; to find the gem of Amarra and destroy it; and to do a hundred other little things to help her friends not to have to face as much. She even had a list that she and Celeborn had worked on the night before.

What is more, she had Galadriels promise that she would face none of it alone. She would have her Marchwarden Haldir go with her along with some of his best elfs.

Once everything had been hashed over and planned as much as conceivably possible. The group called it quits and decided to spend the rest of the weekend enjoying the peace and serenity of Caras Galadhon as well as Lothlorien as well.

Buffy was concerned that if she stayed in Lothlorien she would have no way to vent her inner slayer so Galadriel sent her with Haldir to patrol the borders. Once there she sensed some evil not far and lead Haldir and his elves on a raid to kill her first orcs and goblins.

It was the first time Haldir truly witnessed The Slayer in action. To say he was flabbergasted would be an understatement. She truly was Dagnir. He couldn't help wondering how Glorfindel would find this tiny elleth when he finally met her.

And so Buffy found her first title among the elfs of her home world. Dagnir. The title and respect was won and Buffy decided she could vent her inner Dagnir if she decided to stay.

Next Haldir insisted she learn to listen to the trees. For it was beyond the pale that she had never listened to trees before. Granted the trees in her world were very quiet; as if sleeping or, more likely, in Haldirs opinion, slowly dying in the toxic air of the world she was from.

He took her walking alone under the golden leaves of Lorien and translated for her what she was hearing from the trees. Buffy discovered an inner peace that left her feeling that she could easily see herself walking the woods of Lorien in the future. The trees seemed to embrace her and she felt a peace inside that was akin to a piece of home. She felt like she truly belonged somewhere for the first time in her life.

Buffy could no longer deny to herself that she wanted to return to Lorien. She just didn't want to give up all she would have to, in order to find herself in the peace of home. She didn't know how she could ever choose between her family, friends, Chocolate and coffee; and her true home world of Middle Earth.

At last the time to return to Sunnydale had crept up on her. Buffy couldn't say whether she had been there for a weekend or a month. The peace and timelessness of Lorien had embraced her. She felt rejuvenated and didn't really want to leave to return to Sunnydale.

These thoughts she kept to herself. She still had the most important decision of her life before her; and for the life of her she didn't know what she would choose. She also realized that if she stayed in Sunnydale and somehow managed to survive everything that was thrown at her she would outlive everyone she knew except perhaps Angel and Spike. Then what?

Buffy knew that things would not work between herself and the brooding Vampire. She remembered the day that the powers turned back. The time when Angel had everything he could have wanted and chose to turn back without talking to her. He would never see her as an equal, a partner to face the storm with. He would forever see her as the child he fell in love with. That was not something she could face.

There was Spike, if he still fell in love with her after she changed so many things. That was a big if. But, she couldn't make her decision on a maybe. She wished with all her heart that Spike would still find the good within himself again. She just couldn't count on it.

So where did that leave her? The more she thought about it the more she felt she really should choose to return to Middle Earth. But how could she leave her friends and family not to mention the modern conveniences she was accustomed to?

She was thinking long and hard about this as she watched the magic coalesce into a portal back to Sunnydale and her mother's backyard.

"Buffy, dear it is time to go." Galadriel pointed out waking her from her inner conflict. So Buffy walked through the portal. Magic cloaked her again changing her back to the appearance of a human girl. She felt the darkness and burdens of a hell dimension suddenly descend upon her shoulders and she knew. She wanted to return to Middle Earth. She couldn't keep living like this. She needed to accept herself and embrace her future. Now how to tell her family that she wanted to go back? That was the new question that forced it's way into her mind.

A.N. Well I wasn't going to have her decide so soon. Now I have to rethink things a bit. Don't worry I have many more plans for the future of this story. It's not over yet folks. Please review and let me know what you think so far. It means so much to me to hear from you.

: )