Fanfiction: There Is No Other Troy For Me To Burn (PG: Coarse Language)

[Altoz]

Summary: It's an alternate future. Buffy Summers stayed dead after sacrificing herself to close Glorificus' portal and the world has subsequently gone to hell.
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Willow Rosenberg looked up and blinked in the sudden sunlight. Finally, there was some chance of sanctuary and peace here as she stumbled down the ruined hillside toward the settlement. Then there was a moment of sheer terror as a dark form dropped from the sky - until she clearly saw it: "Tara. You startled me."
Her former lover swept back her blonde mane and fixed Willow in her gaze, evaluating whether she should acknowledge her presence, or even her existence. It had been years since they had last seen each other. She had moved on, but Willow hadn't. No matter. They had both changed since that day. But then, what she had to say cut Willow to the quick:
"I still haven't forgiven you for what happened."
"Tara, please. Can't we just even be friends?"
"It's not that simple, Willow, and you know it. Dawn is dead. She's dead because of your negligence."
"Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I tell myself that every living day?"
"If I'd stayed in Sunnydale, it might have been me. I'm well rid of you."
Tara stalked away, hands in her duster pocket. Willow stood there, tears streaming down her face.

Drusilla kept to the shadow of the alcove as Tara walked into the room. From the grimoire table, Lindsay MacDonald looked up. She nodded toward the hill as she reported:
"It's Rosenberg. She's back."
"Play nice, Tara. She's on our side."
"If it hadn't been for her miscalculation, her overweening pride and her vanity, none of us would be in this situation. The vampire apocalypse wouldn't have happened. Good people wouldn't have died, for the first or second time. All because she thought she could end the vampire situation once and for all. Instead of which, she destroyed our world."
Drusilla placed her hand over the angry wiccans:
"It wasn't just her. Spike wasn't the same after Buffy died. He encouraged her along that path. Well, he paid for it."
"I'm sorry, Dru. I didn't mean to rake up old, painful memories."
"Tara, I have an eternity of those to atone for. Ironic, isn't it? The world ends and I regain my soul."
Lindsay smiled sadly: "And don't forget Angel. He played his role in what happened. He has to take his share of the blame too."
"Yes, well, Willow was the one who cast the spell, regardless of the consequences. Don't make excuses for her. Spike and Angel aren't here to defend themselves or acknowledge their partial responsibility for what happened. All right. Let's hear what she has to say. But don't expect me to hang around for long after she finishes whatever she has to say."
"It's all right, Willow. You can come in." Lindsay called.

As she entered the door, Willow swallowed as she saw the others faces. This would not be easy for her. Too many years had elapsed, but she had to do this.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[Altoz]

PART TWO: WOLFTOWN

One of the consequences of the vampire apocalypse that had consumed the world after Willow Rosenberg's miscalculated abolitionist spellcast had been that werewolves were no longer willing to stand on the sidelines. In fact, given their fighting prowess, they were a strong strategic asset against vampire incursions. True, lupinogenic biochemistry meant that their blood was repulsive to vampires, but they did not avail themselves of this through concealing themselves anymore. Once, Daniel (Oz) Osborne had been a musician, but it had been many years since he'd picked up a guitar and played for any period of time. That world had ended when Chinese vampires descended on the Tibetan settlement where his family lived and slaughtered his wife and child. Oz knew what had happened, but he didn't blame Willow for any of it- she had just been trying to end the millennia-long human struggle against vampirism and prove that Buffy Summers hadn't sacrificed so much just to be a footnote in the chronicle of future generations.

His partner stirred behind him, opened his eyes and smiled up at him:
"You're up early."
"Willow's off visiting the MacDonald settlement, seeking an alliance with them."
"Perhaps not the best choice, Danny. Her ex, Tara MacLay, is there. If it comes to a consensus vote, she may stand in the way."
Oz sat on the bed: "Perhaps not, Larry, but she wanted to go. Drusilla's there to balance things out. Wow. So much has changed. You came out of that cave alive and then stopped Warren Meers and Andrew Wells from that attempt to destroy Sunnydale and you'd been bitten by a lyco on the way back. And then the world went to hell. And somehow, we found each other."
"I sure as hell wasn't goin' to say no when you got into my bed that night three years ago. Anything from the other settlements?"
"Giles is still missing. I hope he's okay, but there's almost no way of getting across the Atlantic without teleporting now. Wes and Fred want us over there, but the California sitch has to be our priority for the forseeable future."
"Well, they do have two lycos of their own- George and Nina."
"Ah, Willow's back. Let's see what her negotiations produced."
"Okay, but don't get your hopes up, Danny."

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[Altoz]

PART THREE: FRAGMENTS THAT WERE ONCE A WORLD:

As Willow descended in the midst of her whirlwind, she could see over much of the Californian mainland. There was nothing but a massive pit where Los Angeles had once been, with a mazeway of caves and shadow beneath it. She wished she could blast the gaping wound to ashes, but she would not go down that path again. It had cost her enough and it hurt her to think about those times. Nor were those the only ruins visible from the sky. Sunnydale was...gone. There was nothing but a void where it used to exist, protected by a force screen. The Hellmouth there was unable to exploit the situation and had no more access to the lost city. Nothing could enter, nothing could leave.

Much of the world was like this. In the lands of night, vampires hunted with impunity, with no-one left to stop them in their bloodlust and rapacious greed. The spell had cancelled out the existence of slayers and the consequence was that all potentials in the line of succession had died abruptly. Some communities had their own witches and werewolves present to defend them. Others... one Southern state had tried to weaponise a grimoire against them and now, its territory was fought over by humans and zombies.

She had done this. Touching down at Wolftown, she nodded to Nina, the sentry on duty:
"Hey, Red. Did the mission go well?"
"They'll come to our assistance if we're attacked by vampires, but nothing further beyond that."
"Willow, you don't deserve their scorn."
"Don't I? Look around you, Nina. All of this is my doing. Anything positive I do is nowhere near atonement for that."
"Hey, now. Don't give way to despair, Willow." Oz was there and she felt safe. Even if they were with other people now, there was still a bond there. He still believed in her and loved her, albeit as a friend, but that was enough. Larry waved from their house:
"It's good to be home."
"It didn't go well, I take it?"
"They want to keep me at arm's length. Lindsay and Dru were sympathetic enough, but Tara still hasn't forgiven me for what happened to Dawn."
"It was Dawn's decision. Never forget that."
"I keep telling myself that, Oz, but I'm not sure I believe it myself. Why do I feel we're only going through the motions and our world really ended some time ago?"

TO BE CONTINUED