AN: I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF THIS STORY FOR A LONG TIME. I FINALLY JUST SAT DOWN AND STARTED WRITING! THIS WAS HOW I THOUGHT SEASON 7 SHOULD HAVE GONE FROM "EMPTY PLACES" TO "CHOSEN." I HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!! ALSO THERE MIGHT BE SOME CHANGES IN ANGEL. UNLESS I PUT IT LATER THERE WILL BE NO BEAST, JASMINE, OR EVIL CORDY. AND ANGEL DOES NOT GO TO WOLFRAM AND HART UNLESS, AGAIN, I PUT IT LATER. SORRY IF THIS CONFUSES ANYBODY. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PM ME. AGAIN I HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!!

My Angel

There's a hastily made yellow banner painted with "WELCOME HOME" in big red letters hanging over the fireplace. Giles, Dawn and the potentials are gathered in the living room as Buffy and Willow escort Xander in the room. Faith and Robin Wood follow, closing the door behind them.

Buffy POV

"Oh, God." Xander said looking around.

"We didn't have time to do more. You have to pretend there's a big party here." Kennedy replied.

Dawn goes up to Xander and gives him a big, long, tight hug.

"That's fine. Parties in this house, I usually end up having to... rebuild something."

"Welcome home, Xander. I wanted you to be here for this. I think you'll be interested in what I found out." I said.

"W-what did you find out?" Willow asked.

"I-it's about the cellar. Look, I know that night wasn't fun for any of us... but I figured out some things about that place, and I realize now what we have to do. (Giles looks at her, concerned) We're going back in. Look, I know what you're thinking, but I had a visit at the school today from Caleb."

"Buffy, why didn't you-" Dawn asked worriedly

"I'm fine. I mean, it wasn't fun, but I'm fine. I'm better than fine. I—I figured something out. He kept making all this noise about the school."

"Is it that seal again?" Robin Wood the new Sunnydale high school principal asked.

"Do we need to try shutting it again?" It was Willow's turn to ask a question.

"No, that's just it. We've spent all this time worrying about the seal and the hellmouth. Why isn't Caleb guarding them? Why doesn't he have someone there protecting it? Why is he camped out at the vineyard? The bad guys always go where the power is. So if the seal was so important to Caleb and the First, they would be there right now. They're protecting the vineyard or something at the vineyard. I say it's their power, and I say it's time we go in and take it away from them." Buffy replied.

Xander shakes his head and looks down. Giles uncrosses his arms and sighs.

"Or, in the alternative, how 'bout...we don't? I mean, it's a neat theory, B, but I'm not going back in that place, not without proof, and neither should you and neither should they." Faith retorted standing beside Robin Wood with her arms crossed.

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy."

"I think Faith had the floor." Of course Wood took her side.

"Maybe it ends OK the way you want to play it, but maybe it doesn't. And right now, I don't think I want you playin' the odds."

"Did you come here to fight?" I asked.

"Listen, we're fighters, all of us, but you gotta give me something to fight, something real, not"

"Windmills." Giles said softly looking at me.

"There is something there."

"Maybe. But we can't be sure of that. This is a hell of a lot to ask."

"Too much." When is Wood ever going to get that no one wants to hear his voice.

I grin nervously, and look around, "I—I don't understand this. For 7 years, I've kept us safe by doing this— exactly this, making the hard decisions. And now, what— suddenly you're all acting like you can't trust me?"

"Didn't you say to me today you can't trust us? Maybe there's something there that should be addressed." Damn it Giles shut up for once.

"Is that why you sent Spike away, to ambush me?"

He rolls his eyes, and sighs "Oh, come on."

"You know what? I am sick of your deal with this Spike guy. This isn't about him. This is about you. You're being reckless." When did Rona ever come into this conversation? Wait a minute; did she say I was reckless?

I step back "What?"

"You are! I don't even know you, and I can tell! You are so obsessed with beating Caleb; you are willing to jump into any plan without thinking." Oh yeah she is definitely on my shit list now.

Through gritted teeth I say, "That's not what I'm doing."

Kennedy stands, and walks up to Buffy "Well, that's how it feels to us. People are dying."

Willow then stands, and walks up to Kennedy "Kennedy..."

Kennedy turns and snaps at Willow "Why are you always standing up for her?" Because I'm the best friend and you are the slut. Get it right.

She softly says, sadly "I'm not." Yeah what she says, wait what?

"What do you mean, you're not?"

"With everything that's happened, I— (shrugs) I'm worried about your judgment." What!?

I look around "Look, I wish this could be a democracy. I really do. Democracies don't win battles. (Xander looks away) It's a hard truth, but there has to be a single voice. You need someone to issue orders and be reckless sometimes and not take your feelings into account. You need someone to lead you."

Calmly "And it's automatically you. (looks at me) You really do think you're better than we are." Duh, no wait I cant say that.

"No, I"

"But we don't know. We don't know if you're actually better. I mean, you came into the world with certain advantages, sure. I mean, that's the legacy." Okay then let's take a vote to see who would win in a fight bitch. Oh yeah that would be me.

"I"

"But you didn't earn it. You didn't work for it. You've never had anybody come up to you and say you deserve these things more than anyone else. They were just handed to you. So that doesn't make you better than us. It makes you luckier than us."

"I've gotten us this far."

"But not without a price."

"Xander-"

"I'm trying to see your point here, Buff... but I guess it must be a little bit to my left... (shakes his head) 'cause I just don't." Don't you dare joke about this one eyed Jack.

"Look, I'm willing to talk strategy, OK, I'll hear suggestions on how to break this down, but this is the plan. We have to be together on this or we will fail again."

"We are clearly demonstrating that we are not together on this!" Then start Demonstrating!

"Which is why you have to fall in line! I'm still in charge here." I say in a commanding voice.

"Why is that, exactly?" Here we go again. Why cant Rona just shut the fuck up.

"Because I'm the slayer." Beat that bitch.

"And isn't Faith a slayer, too?" You did so not go there.

(caught off guard) "What? Whoa, whoa, whoa. So not what I meant. I'm not in charge chick. I think B here needs to just...chill out for a little bit, take a siesta or something. But I'm not the one you want" Yeah she'll just lead your asses to jail.

"Maybe we need a vote... to see who wants Faith to have a turn in charge." Kennedy so needs her ass kicked here.

"No." I reply with a stern voice.

"No, what?"

"No. You don't get to vote until I've had my chance to pal around, you know, get everybody drunk. See, I didn't get this was a popularity contest. I should have equal time to bake them cookies, braid their hair"

"Learn their names?" You are so not helping Faith.

I laugh "You're just lovin' this, aren't you?"

"You have no idea what I'm feeling."

"Come in here, take everything that I have... You did it before. Did you tell them that? Did you tell them how you used to kill people for fun? Hey, you guys think that's nifty?" I say in a low mean voice.

"Buffy, that's enough!" No it's not! Who let you decide when it was enough!

"I didn't come here to take anything away from you, but I'm not gonna be your little lapdog, either. I came here to beat the other guy, to do right, however it works. I don't know if I can lead. But the real question is...can you follow?"

"So we vote." Yeah let the boyfriend decide, not!

"Wait. Guys"

I look around—Anya's crossed her arms and stares back with pursed lips; Willow looks away-and I search their faces.

"I can't watch you just throw away everything that— (looks at Xander and at Dawn, who's not meeting her glance; I hold my head up high) I know I'm right about this. I just need a little— I can't stay here and watch her lead you into some disaster."

Dawn stands, walks up to me, and says softly "Then you can't stay here. Buffy, I love you, but you were right. We have to be together on this. You can't be a part of it. (I blink my eyes in disbelief) So I need you to leave. I'm sorry, but this is my house, too." Well isn't that ironic. I sacrificed my life for her and she doesn't even back me up when I need it. Bitch!

I look around and walk out the door

"Ding dong, the witch is dead." I can hear you, you stupid bitch! You look more like a witch then me, no scratch that you look more like a man then me. Really you look like a freakin man. Holy Crap!

Dawn says in a low, and angry voice, "Shut your mouth." Yeah now she sticks up for me. That's just great.

Faith follows me outside.

"Hey. Look, I swear I didn't want it to go this way" She says in a concerned voice. Yeah Right!

"Don't."

"I mean it, I" let me talk bitch!

"Don't...be afraid to lead them. (My face is wet with tears) Whether you wanted it or not, their lives are yours. It's only gonna get harder. Protect them, (looks at Faith) but lead them."

Faith walks back inside the house. My face tear-streaked, I walk down the front walk alone to the bus stop. I waited for less than an hour for the bus to come. When it reached the bus stop I made sure that it was the right destination. I got on the bus, paid the fare, and sat down. Here I go, on my way to the one person I thought I would never have to rely on. My Angel.

AN: HEY GUYS I HOPE YOU LIKED THE FIRST CHAPTER!!! WHO ELSE HATES THE SCOOBY GANG NOW!! ESPECIALLY DAWN!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!