See disclaimer in part 1 and A/N at bottom

Part Sixteen

He didn't know exactly why he had come here; he just knew that he had to.

So many things had happened leading up to what was before him now – the coming of the Immortal Sorceress, the First Evil arriving in Sunnydale, the decision to close the Hellmouth however they could and the discovery of the amulet that would assist them. (He did not count the death of the blonde witch by the hands of her employers as important enough to be considered.)

Yet here he was once more looking down upon the area he had been formed and honed in.

The permanent closure of the Hellmouth had led to the completely unexpected total destruction of Sunnydale and he, with those closest to him, had only just managed to leave the town with their lives before moving away completely, determined never to return to what for him had been both home and hell – at times literally.

(He did on occasion still recall the former demon that he had loved but had been one of the few to lose her life in Sunnydale's fall but the brunette former slayer had long taken her place in his heart and he preferred not to look back in regret.)

But now after thirty years, something had drawn him back here, back to the place, although gone, he still thought of as home.

A home that was becoming almost as infamous as Area 52 from the way it was still fenced off from the outside world – not that the outside world really believed that it ever existed for SID (Sunnydale in denial) condition seemed to have spread to the rest of the continental northern Americas.

Yet here he stood once more, on the outer edge of the crater that had housed Sunnydale, the familiar black spot where the school that had housed the library that had guarded one of the literal mouths of Hell had once stood viewable in the distance.

He ran his hands into his pockets, startling when his fingers came into contact with the amulet that had been sent to him out of the blue the previous week. Pulling it out, he looked held it up to the sun as he had been directed but had forgotten until that precise moment in time.

It began to glow so brightly he let go of it, expecting it to fall to the ground as he stepped back. Instead the amulet began to swing around in a circle so fast he almost missed the doorway that it created and the two people that stepped through as if it was any everyday occurrence.

"I see you've finally learnt to make an entrance." He said wryly.

"Easier than flying," The smaller of the two replied as they clicked their fingers before holding their hand out to catch the amulet. "I'm a little surprised you allowed the compulsion to work on you."

"I must have wanted to come back more than I knew."

Pushing back her hood, Willow grinned at her oldest friend. "You can take the boy out of Sunnydale but not the supernatural bonds. Hello Xander, it's been a while."

Xander Harris grinned back at her and opened his arms to receive her hug, smirking at the man standing behind her, "Not-Dead boy."

"Harris." Angel replied as he returned the smirk with a smug grin as Willow returned to his side and leant against him as he put his arm around her waist. "How are Faith and the children?"

"Faith is wonderful and all the children are doing well, your god-daughter started college last week, something about ancient civilisations or some rot." Xander glared at him in mock anger before grinning. "She determined be the youngest Watcher ever."

"She already knows more than most of the organisation as it is." Willow murmured absently as she turned to look at the desolation that was their former home.

Before either of the two men with her could speak, the sound of squealing brakes could be heard behind them and Angel closed his eyes, growling. "That is either Delia or Spike driving, and if they ruin that..."

"Hush sweetheart," Willow lay her hand over his heart although her gaze remained fixed on the site before her. "They are merely doing as they are told – a little more enthusiastically than they need to do but they are doing as they were told."

"What the hell are we doing back here? I'd thought we blew it up!" Spike growled as he jumped out of the car followed closely by a laughing Dawn. Behind them, Cordelia followed with Wesley and Lorne. (Unfortunately Gunn had been killed ten years earlier by Wolfram and Hart assassin. The company had been made to regret it and was still recovering, much to their amusement).

"I thought it was time." Willow said simply, being one of the few that could silence the Englishman.

The eight now stood looking out over the desolated area, an almost comfortable silence falling over them before she started to speak again. "The Oracles spoke to me yesterday."

That statement immediately had them all looking at each other as it was rare for the PTBs to use the Oracles to directly interfere with mortal affairs without using their secondary intermediary in the form of their seer, Cordelia.

Angel tightened his arm around his immortal partner's waist and she looked up at him, smiling softly to reassure him.

"It's time for destiny that was diverted to begin again the cycle that was thrown off balance." She said in an almost sing-song voice. "For those born of magic grow stronger, and she that was chosen will return again to take up her sword. The Immortal Sorceress, with her immortal angelic soul by her side, the determined protector and the mystical key to aide them will once more stand warden at the mouth of Hell where the moon is placed upon a ridge."

Cordelia suddenly continued for her, her eyes going white as the PTBs spoke through her. "... For the guardians of the light side have thrown the wolf, ram and hart into chaos never before seen and the side of dark will charge forth to level the weights in their favour once more."

"Destiny diverted is no longer and the cycle is renewed."

And Willow finished. "As it was, so it shall be."

THE BEGINNING

And there we go, welcome to Moonridge where the chosen one will fight against evil under the guidance of the immortal Sorceress.

No, I won't be writing a sequel to this story, I think that I have taken it as far as I can or should be taken.

I will of course answer any question about what reviewers think I mean, but that means you have to REVIEW!

Not sure which Willow/Angel story I will pick up next but I promise they will all be finished one day.

However, I am currently travelling with Bilbo and Frodo Baggins so you are welcome to join me over at the Hobbit ;op