Doorstep Deliveries

She knew that she really ought to be thankful. After all, it wasn’t everyday that one was able to close a powerful hellmouth and save the world from complete destruction. Of course, it really wasn’t her that did all of that but she was surely a part of it. She was alive, healthy, and the birds were still singing in the tree in all their glory and peace, squirrels were still scurrying about the lawn, children played in their yards. Life had gone back to normal, or some semblance of it and Willow was rational enough to know that this was supposed to be a good thing. Yet in her heart of hearts, she felt an emptiness within her that caught her breath even as she sat on the front porch of the house that she once shared with Buffy and Dawn but now solely to her. Her feet propped up on the white gate, blanket wrapped about her legs as she stared out into the darkness she tried to read but the book was long forgotten as she was lost in her thoughts. A little red-haired girl, no older than twelve ran giddily down the street, a blonde hair girl and brunette boy chasing after her in laughter. Willow smiled.


Buffy packed up Dawn a month after they closed the hellmouth, headed for the east coast to start anew far away from the remains of what used to be their home. Buffy said that she needed a new life, a new start that didn’t include the memories of burning high schools and Willow knew it had more to do with absences of certain vampires that caused her friend to leave. It wasn’t long before Xander followed after them, pleading for his best friend to come with to start that new adventure. Although she missed him tremendously, she couldn’t leave when she still had a life in Sunnydale with Kennedy and a family that consisted of Giles. In hindsight, Willow should have listened to Xander as Giles and the remaining slayers were called back to England for more training. To this day, Willow still couldn’t place why she felt as though she couldn’t leave while Giles and Kennedy asked her to join them. But that was of little importance, for Kennedy wrote her a “dear will” letter that ended every thought that possibly would have brought her with them. So now, thoroughly and utterly alone, Willow dragged herself into the new Sunnydale High, placed conveniently across town from the old spot, and took on a teaching position in computers and moved on. Or so she thought.


A single white owl suddenly swooped down and onto the fence in front of her, a letter tied with a red ribbon about its feathery neck. Willow was startled but not afraid as the owl stepped closer to her, eventually coming to land on her blanketed knee. Her green eyes focused on the bright blue eyes of the owl, she felt a peace flow through her that was inexplicable but welcome. Ducking its head, the owl’s letter slid into her lap and then promptly scuttled off into the night air leaving Willow quite confused as her fingers gingerly touched the smooth envelope with the scrawling cursive letters on the front.


“ Willow Rosenburg, Summers Residence, Sunnydale California,” she read as her narrowed eyes scanned the antique white envelope carefully. “ Interesting.”