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1. Chapter 1: Buffy by Willow25 - Likes: 18 Comments: 11 Word Count: 1,248 Hit Count: 2,067 Published: October 16, 2022

Chapter titles indicate Point of View/Narration.

2. Chapter 2 - Willow by Willow25 - Likes: 12 Comments: 9 Word Count: 3,881 Hit Count: 886 Published: October 21, 2022

Chapter titles denote narrator/POV.

I couldn't wait anymore to post! I'm so excited to expose this story to new audiences. I'm working on the sequel to this story as I post this, so hoping that I can go from one to the other seamlessly. Also, I feel like it might be a good time to reiterate that this 'verse is an Alternate Reality. This is a fully separate world, so some character names and backgrounds diverge from canon.

3. Chapter 3 - Meredith by Willow25 - Likes: 14 Comments: 9 Word Count: 5,254 Hit Count: 719 Published: October 23, 2022

Hi! This is the first chapter of this story written from the point of view of a non-canon character. I love her, and I hope readers will also.

4. Chapter 4 - Spike by Willow25 - Likes: 13 Comments: 7 Word Count: 3,660 Hit Count: 732 Published: October 26, 2022

It's a Spike Chapter! I'm sure you're all excited. 

5. Chapter 5 - Jezebel by Willow25 - Likes: 12 Comments: 8 Word Count: 5,196 Hit Count: 1,005 Published: October 29, 2022

I'm going to be busy Sunday, so here's you official weekly chapter one day early.

Another non-canon Slayer narrator. The timeline on this one overlaps with the previous chapter, so just be aware that we're doubling back to fill in some plot holes.

6. Chapter 6 - Wesley by Willow25 - Likes: 9 Comments: 5 Word Count: 2,423 Hit Count: 699 Published: November 03, 2022

My Wesley may very well be out of character, and if that bothers you I apologize. Just think of it as him reacting to different stimuli, k?

 

I guess I'm too eager to get this posted to stick to one day a week. I'll have to set a schedule aside from "Sunday and whatever day I get over-excited on".

7. Chapter 7 - Willow by Willow25 - Likes: 10 Comments: 6 Word Count: 8,379 Hit Count: 585 Published: November 06, 2022

Hi all! I know, Willow's already gotten a chapter, not fair. Then again, don't you want to hear more from canon characters? 

I wrote this a long time ago, there's really no excuse other than that Willow needed to do things and find out stuff before the battle.

Also, I didn't realize this until I was posting here, but this chapter is easily twice as long as the previous chapters. Whoops.

8. Interlude 1 - Dawn by Willow25 - Likes: 9 Comments: 5 Word Count: 2,568 Hit Count: 597 Published: November 09, 2022

So, Wednesday and Sunday are my posting days now, FYI. 

There are two interludes in this story, meant to add context/backstory to the regular chapters. They're meant to be shorter, although I don't think I actually accomplished that. Back when I wrote this story originally, I was kind of crap at figuring out how/when to break the chapters.

And in case you're new here or missed the warning in prior chapters, the title gives you the name of the narratoor, as this entire thing was written in first person narration. Never again...

9. Chapter 8 - Jezebel by Willow25 - Likes: 8 Comments: 5 Word Count: 4,441 Hit Count: 860 Published: November 13, 2022

Okay, here we go, back to the action. It's going to seem like I skipped over a whole bunch of stuff we saw happen in Not Fade Away, but just go with it. We'll get into fixing the episode when we get to a canon narrator.

Suddenly, there are a lot of Slayers in LA.

10. Chapter 9 - Angel by Willow25 - Likes: 8 Comments: 6 Word Count: 4,191 Hit Count: 563 Published: November 16, 2022

This chapter was literally one of the hardest things I ever wrote. I agonized over how to represent Angel's voice, how many quotes from 'Not Fade Away' to use, how much I should focus on the Apocalypse versus the interpersonal drama. I don't think I'm ever really going to be happy with it, despite like 4 revisions, but I think it does a better job of what it needs to do than when I started.

I hope you enjoy!

11. Chapter 10 by Willow25 - Likes: 7 Comments: 5 Word Count: 7,854 Hit Count: 623 Published: November 20, 2022

Lo these many years ago when I began this story originally, I thought writing each chapter in first person with a different narrator was 'fun' and 'an interesting challenge'. So, until now each chapter has had one narrator. This chapter is where the writer's block and the editorial decisions on how to move the story along clashed and I decided that this and future chapters would have multiple narrators. The narrator will be named at the head of each section, as per usual.

An additional disclaimer: I picked a name off the hospital website for a doctor in this chapter. I mean no infringement on his life; and as I have never met him, the character likely bears no resemblance to the real person, and it is not intended to. If you are him, or have met him, and feel that he is being represented unfavorably, I apologize.

12. Chapter 11 by Willow25 - Likes: 8 Comments: 4 Word Count: 5,040 Hit Count: 658 Published: November 23, 2022

Posting early today, since I'm working from home!

A/N: This is the point where the battle heat up, and we get to learn if I can actually write battle choreography. Once again, this chapter is divided into sections, each with a first person narrator. The narrator is indicated at the start of each section. More notes at the end.

13. Chapter 12 by Willow25 - Likes: 8 Comments: 5 Word Count: 3,880 Hit Count: 980 Published: November 27, 2022

So, this is one of my favorite chapters in the whole damn story, and it finally uses up Not Fade Away. From here on out, it's not just fix-the-episode, it's straight up Alternate Universe, different reality, if something from the comics comes up it won't work out the same. And I'm really proud of the voices/narration in this chapter, especially the Illyria narration. Hope you enjoy.

14. Chapter 13 by Willow25 - Likes: 7 Comments: 4 Word Count: 5,106 Hit Count: 543 Published: November 30, 2022

Another multi-narrator chapter, with a bunch of quick changes so we can see different aspects of the battle.

15. Chapter 14 by Willow25 - Likes: 7 Comments: 5 Word Count: 3,847 Hit Count: 610 Published: December 04, 2022

Happy Posting Sunday! Just one more battle chapter after this one, so I decided to post them both today. If you're reading as this posts, please note that Chapters 14 and 15 are posting on the same day. And, away we go...

16. Chapter 15 by Willow25 - Likes: 6 Comments: 4 Word Count: 3,875 Hit Count: 481 Published: December 04, 2022

And, this one wraps up the battle chapters. If you are reading as I post, please make sure you haven't missed a chapter, Chapters 14 and 15 posted on the same day.

17. Chapter 16 by Willow25 - Likes: 7 Comments: 4 Word Count: 5,689 Hit Count: 499 Published: December 07, 2022

And now we get into Battle Aftermath, with a side of What Does it All Mean. This chapter still has multiple narrators, 

18. Interlude 2: Giles by Willow25 - Likes: 8 Comments: 6 Word Count: 4,776 Hit Count: 491 Published: December 10, 2022

Hello all! I realized I have a ton of stuff going on tomorrow so my choices for posting were either this afternoon or 11 PM tomorrow, so enjoy your chapter a day early.

A few actual text notes on this chapter. I started this story on LiveJournal in 2005, and was posting semi-regularly as I wrote. Not that I was ever a consistent writer, but I do try to keep on a schedule. This chapter was one of the last ones I posted there before I dropped out of Fandom for a long time. It's also the start of where I had to seriously retcon the older chapters when I started writing again, to make them fit changes to my outline. So, if you were around back in the day and this one seems different, that's why. 

Single-narrator chapters only from this point on.

19. Chapter 17 - Jezebel by Willow25 - Likes: 8 Comments: 6 Word Count: 4,354 Hit Count: 482 Published: December 16, 2022

Hi, sorry I missed Wednesday, this week was a rough one. So, this week I'm posting Friday and Sunday.

Single narrator chapters from here on out. I should be done posting by the end of 2022, and I'll start posting the sequel in January 2023!

20. Chapter 18 - Penny by Willow25 - Likes: 8 Comments: 6 Word Count: 5,799 Hit Count: 449 Published: December 18, 2022

Hey, at least this Sunday I managed to stick to my normal posting date. If you missed Chapter 17 since I was off from my normal day, please go back and read that first. I know there's a clamor to get Buffy back into the action, and she's coming, I swear. I just have one more chapter of necessary other-stuff to get through. I swear there is a method to the madness. Or, please enjoy me stringing you along, LOL.

Chapter title is the name of the first-person narrator, as a reminder.

21. Chapter 19 - Buffy by Willow25 - Likes: 6 Comments: 4 Word Count: 3,303 Hit Count: 463 Published: December 20, 2022

When I was touching up the last few chapters to post here, I realized that in my eagerness to just be done I'd written two very long chapters, and it would probably make more sense for them to be three somewhat shorter chapters. So I fiddled around with it to figure out where to split it. Then I realized I'm busy on both of my posting days this week with holiday stuff. So instead of Wednesday evening when I usually post, I'm posting a chapter late Tuesday. If I get time Wednesday (probably late again) I'll post the next one then. If Wednesday doesn't work, I'll post Thursday. Then, just so the whole thing is posted before Christmas/the end of Hanukkah, I'll post Saturday instead of Sunday.

22. Chapter 20 - Buffy by Willow25 - Likes: 7 Comments: 5 Word Count: 4,679 Hit Count: 538 Published: December 21, 2022

Here we go, the last few chapters. There are some references to sexual situations in this chapter, as well as non-canon relationships between canon characters, and some outdated terminology (our characters are in 2004, I know I said things in 2004 I wouldn't say now). Enjoy!

23. Chapter 21 - Buffy by Willow25 - Likes: 7 Comments: 5 Word Count: 2,706 Hit Count: 477 Published: December 22, 2022

Hey, remember me saying there were only 21 chapters to this story, and I'd be done posting on Saturday? There are actually 22 chapters, and I'm busy Saturday now. So, you get a chapter today and one tomorrow. It breaks up the action some, but it keeps the last chapter from being more than twice the average length.

It's all Buffy from here on out.

24. Chapter 22 - Buffy by Willow25 - Likes: 17 Comments: 9 Word Count: 3,393 Hit Count: 464 Published: December 23, 2022

And so it ends, our final chapter. Thanks so much to everyone who's been reading and commenting, the reactions really mean a lot. I love that people are enjoying this work.

So far I'm only 12 chapters of an estimated 30 into the sequel, which promises to be another long ensemble piece. I will begin posting here in January and hopefully can continue writing quickly enough that you won't have to wait more than a week for new chapters.