The Letting Go by the Rainbow Writers

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Willow, Tara, Faith, Giles, Dawn and all other characters who have appeared in the syndicated series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, together with the names, titles and back story are the sole copyright property of Joss Whedon, Fox and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the authors. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Please contact the authors for permission to reproduce this story on any other fanfiction site.
Distribution: The Rainbow Writer's Homepage: /members.tripod.com/rainbowwriters/
Mystic Muse: /mysticmuse.net
Feedback: All feedback is welcome.
Author's Note: This story is set a little over eight years from the current time place of the series in season five, (with the premise that Glory has been defeated, without the loss of any of the gang or any severe trauma to them i.e. Tough Love didn't happen in this storyline). It is a severely traumatic story, which has come about in an attempt to deal with the topic of loss and the variety of emotional responses that evolve from these life-changing experiences.
Pairing: Willow/Tara

Summary: Willow needs Tara's and Faith's help in defeating the thing that killed Buffy.

Giles sat for a moment watching the scene as the entire gang filed out one by one, leaving him and Faith alone in the living room.

"Faith." He called when the dark Slayer was about to follow. "I see your training with Jacqui has been effective." He noted look up the now empty stairs.

"Yeah, she's coming along nicely." Faith held onto the curtains, the material bunched in her hand tightly.

"Close the door, Faith." He continued, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. For some reason she went over and, without questioning him, did what he asked. Slowly she leaned back, letting her body mould into the couch. "I've found a way." He said simply, pulling off his glasses and wiping them.

"Quite simple, really." He put them back in place with a sad sort of sigh. She watched him, waiting for an explanation. "It's a sacrificial spell, and spells like that don't really care who it is that is being sacrificed. It's all about atonement and the life of someone living, in place of something undead."

"It means that as long as we interrupt Willow at the right moment, anyone of us could be taken in her place." He concluded, looking up.

"But Red has to start it?" Faith tried to get the facts right. "And then I can finish it?"

"Unfortunately yes, Willow is the only one who has 'the gift.' Ironically enough, Anezka gave it to her." The watcher filled in the information.

"Well, to reach a plane where a mortal can battle for an immortal's soul, the mortal must have been touched by the immortal. Otherwise there can be no battle." He watched the dark woman's reactions.

"So since Willow almost got killed by the bitch she's worthy to face her?" Faith couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Basically yes. By letting Willow live, Anezka made herself vulnerable. I think she knows that." He added, frowning.

"Think about it, Faith. You've been in existence since the dawn of time, then rejected by your creator and master, an abomination of what you were meant to be. Wouldn't you want to be beaten?" He questioned.

"Well I'm not sure Willow is well enough to do anything yet." He observed, thinking of the recent display.

"Well enough to walk." He barked back, angry that Faith seemed not to even be taking account her own planned death in this.

"So what's the plan?" Jack announced her sudden arrival as she moved into the room and closed the door behind her again.

"Oh come on, do I look that dense? You stay down here secluded with the knowledge guy and there's no plan? Yeah right." She leaned against the closed door.

"Perhaps, Faith, Jack could become a necessary asset." Giles interjected softly.

"The plan is you take care of Dawn first, and the others second." Faith glared at the watcher.

"Piss off Faith!" Jack snarled. "I always look after Dawn, but I won't just watch any more. You know I can fight." She met the dark Slayer's eyes. "Come on, what's the plan?"

"Don't poke me right now Jack." Faith snarled going back to look nervously out the window. "The plan is what the plan has always been... I'm going to kill Bitchface." She snarled.

"Little girl, I don't mean this in any condescending way..." Faith stood up and turned shaking her head with a sigh. "But this ain't your game, this is the big league, big slayer league."

"Faith, Faith wait. "Giles looked at the Slayer and then at Jack. Faith stopped and looked at him. "Jacqui, can I ask you something."

"Okay but what the hell is this going to prove?" She stood there. "That I can take orders?

"Now I'm going to move around the room and I want you to do your best to work out where I am." Giles instructed, his voice even and soft.

"Giles what is this, a parlor trick?" Jacqui laughed but she didn't open her eyes.

"And when Faith asks you I want you to tell me where you think I am." He nodded to the Slayer and she moved over by the window. "Do you mind?"

"No, please." Jacqui stood there waiting her eyes closed. "Whatever gets me in the game."

"Faith, if you ask her when I raise my hand to you." He looked at Faith for her consent.

The English man shook off his shoes and moved silently around the room, he took a brief rest by the tall CD rack and raised his hand to Faith.

"By the CD rack." Jacqui raised her arm and pointed at him. Giles moved again resting this time beside the Slayer. He nodded again to her.

"Please just continue to concentrate." Giles encouraged he moved to stand close by the kitchen door.

Giles moved to stand more or less opposite the young woman and slipped his hand into his coat, pulling from it a short dagger. Faith raised a worried eyebrow at him as he stepped backwards, his stare keeping Faith silent. He stood as far back from Jacqui as he could and then without warning he threw the dagger towards her.

Jacqui stood there feeling stupid, after all what was hard about waiting for Faith's voice and tracking Giles movements. As he moved back by the dark Slayer she relaxed a bit, until she felt something inside her stir.

"Hey!" Her hand snapped up catching the bone handle of the blade that went by her right ear. "That's not funny, Mr. Giles." She looked at him a little anger. As she pulled the blade down out of the air.

"No, it's not, Jacqui." He stepped forward holding his hand out for the small weapon.

"Whoa." Jack caught up to what had just happened as she handed it back to him. "How did I? Why did you? What the hell!"

"Tell me how Willow's breathing is, Jacqui." Giles looked at her calmly tucking away the blade.

"It's shallow, but they have the machine on." Jacqui looked at him, a little surprised as her mind tuned in and was filled by just the sound of Willow breathing upstairs.

"Faith?" He asked looking at the Slayer, when he had got the answer from the dusky blonde. "Is it?" He checked.

"Yeah, it's been worse just shallow now." Faith looked at him, trying to follow. "Hold on." She looked at him wide-eyed, and he met her look. "You trying to prove a point here Giles?"

"Jacqui, could you perhaps go and see if Tara, Willow or Dawn need anything." The Englishman requested gently.

"No, I want to know what this is about." Jacqui stood her ground. "Why are you throwing daggers at me and why am I hearing Willow breathe on a different floor? And why is this freaking her out?" She looked at Faith.

"Jack, upstairs. First rule is check on the others." Faith pointed with a glare.

"Fine, but someone's fucking telling me what's going on soon." Jacqui barked as she turned and left again.

"How long have you known?" Faith turned on him as soon as heard Jacqui reach upstairs.

"I've had my suspicions for a while. Have you seen her with her bike?" He asked, slipping on his shoes and sitting down heavily.

"We went for a few rides. She's like fucking Batgirl." Faith put her hands to her head, trying to think. "Does the council know?"

"You still have no reason." Faith fixed him with hard eyes. "I am the only living slayer. There shouldn't be another."

"My point, Faith, is this is Jacqui without being activated. All this latent power, energy and focus." He took a deep breath.

"And it's only gotten stronger since she's been training with me." Faith cursed herself. "I don't get it, how can she be this fucking strong? None of the rest of us were." She questioned the watcher.

"A new slayer for a new millennium?" Giles wondered aloud, it was a question he had been trying to answer for some time. "Or maybe someone was preparing us for Anezka."

"Or..." Faith looked at him with a sigh. "Both me and Buffy at the same time diluted the line."

"Faith don't, this is no time to doubt yourself." Giles shook his head. "Jack may be just what we need to buy time, to have a chance." He tried instant encouragement. "You and Buffy were always better than any Slayer on record, you know that." He added, saying the blonde's name softly.

"Perhaps if you were to focus your energies together, go after Anezka's minions?" Giles made the suggestion.

"See what she can do, eh?" Faith shook her head, knowing they had no other choice. "Giles..." The dark woman stopped. "It's not that Buffy and I were anything less – in fact we were more, I think." She thought for a moment, reflecting on his words. "But Jack…" She shook her head. "She's got something else. Find out what you can from the Council but don't let them know, okay?"

"Its good to have you here, Faith." He nodded and then moved closer to her, hesitantly placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I mean it, Faith – you've done the Council proud." He lowered his voice more. "Buffy would be proud."

"I don't give a fuck about the Council, you know that." Faith's harsh words were stilled as he continued. "I let her down, Giles. I can't ever make that up."

"You never let her down, Faith. Think of who is upstairs right now. You never let her down."

"So we hit hard and fast, right?" Jack pressed flat against the tall brick wall of the large warehouse. They had spent two nights tracking minions and had traced them here.

"We hit them any way we can." Faith listened carefully. "This isn't training anymore, Boxy, this is real hard time. You ready? Cause I can only watch your ass so much in here."

"Good." Faith sprang out turning the corner and Jack followed instantly. "Hey boys!" She called to the dozen or so shaven head minions. "The pain you ordered is here." She patted the bat she carried in her other hand.

"Not with the fucking Latin." Faith tapped the bat again taking a few more steps closer. "Come on boys." She waved for them to come closer.

"These ones don't drink blood Jack." Faith informed her, deciding to take a running start at them and clipping the first one firmly in the head with the bat. He fell down limply.

"Oh no, I forgot these ones just spout Latin, and die." Jack turned and grinned.

"Now you're on target." Faith high kicked another one and then double a third over with a sharp stab of the bat to his stomach.

"Oh I'm so psyched for this." Jacqui charged in slamming the bat so violently into one minion's back that he buckled and flew forward. Doing a tight twirl she caught another around the head, the bat breaking in half and splintering in her hands. "The bat sucks." She commented as she tucked her arms close to her body, boxing a few quick punches into the dazed creature.

"You have to keep the label up." Faith leaned back slamming hers into another of the enemy. "Remember behind you." She somersaulted backwards and with a spin kicked one away from the blonde.

"Gotcha, sorry." Jacqui apologized, dropping down into a roll as she swept three off their feet.

The fighting went on for a few tense moments. Their quick moved and brutal blows took the dozen men down again and again every time they were stupid enough to rise.

"You ready for the kill, Jack?" Faith asked seriously as she pinned a minion down and punctuated her words with the snap of his neck.

"Then do it!" Faith jumped off chasing down another. Pulling a dagger out of her waistband, she grabbed him and slit his throat.

For a fraction of a second Jack thought about it, though about what she was doing, the pain she was inflicting. Thought of the dark Slayer's question: was she really ready to kill? Hunt down creatures and kill them? When a minion on the floor to her left groaned loud and low, her thoughts stop and self-preservation kicked in. A tight breath catching in her chest the lithe blonde flicked him over onto his stomach and slammed her boot down across the back of his neck. Remembering how helpless she had felt as Tara and Willow lay possibly dying, she pushed down hard and twisted her foot sharply sideways.

"Heads up." Faith tore the knife back out of another and launched it towards her fighting partner. The blonde instinctively ducked and the blade and raced at the minion rising back to his feet behind her.

"Bastard." She hissed as she ducked a little and heard the knife sinking into him, twirling around she pulled the knife out. Lunging into a sideways roll, she slashed the knife up and across the chest of an enemy that ran towards her.

"That's the zone, baby." Faith flipped backwards, hitting two others with a variety of kicks before killing them both.

"You're never gonna hurt any of them." Jack growled as she forged a path through the minions leaving a wake of Anezka's slaves dead or dying behind her. "Never again."

As the blonde made her declaration, the large metal double loading doors at the back of the warehouse opened and another group of armed minions arrived.

"Giles, you were so right, man." Faith watched the blonde move with more speed and stealth then she'd ever seen as they fought side by side. She watched creature after creature fall dead or mortally injured. Jack's movements were exact and true, never wasting a motion or energy as she worked through the new comers. "Super slayer for the new millennium."

"Faith, down!" Jack called suddenly in mid movement as she turned back towards the Slayer suddenly. The dark Slayer hit the ground as asked, having gained enough trust in the younger girl's instinct.

Jack's arm came blurring out towards the Slayer, letting flying with what was in her hand. The projectile sailed through the air and floored the minion closing in on Faith. The severed arm Jack had chosen as a weapon hitting the floor with a sickening thud afterwards.

"Sorry, lost the knife!" She called in apology as she clued into what she'd thrown.

"No worries." Faith was up and running, throwing herself into another group and dragging the lot to the ground.

"Then bang, bang, bang." Jack made movements with her hands. "Faith and I did this tandem thing, I had her arms and we took down twelve of them in one shot."

"Yes." Giles listen to the animated description, while collecting the first aid kit. "So it was a successful evening?" The question was aimed more at Faith than anyone.

"Well thirty five dead minions and seven disappearing in pieces." Faith grinned at him and accepted the cloth for her bleeding lip.

"Do you need that hand binding?" Giles nodded towards Jacqui's swelling knuckles.

"What? Naw." She looked at her hand. "It hardly hurts." She flexed her fingers. "Yeah maybe." She smiled at her own enthusiasm. "Wow, I mean I couldn't believe how cool that was." She held the swelling hand out. "I mean Faith tore it up, but I held my own, didn't I?" She smiled at the dark Slayer.

"It looks like your training is paying off." Giles wrapped the hand carefully. "I have a feeling Dawn may be arriving any moment." He finished off the bandaging. "So you may want to slip out back and change?" He nodded at the young woman's stained attired.

"Was it like we expected?" Giles dropped his voice packing away the medical things.

"She was fast Giles, faster than Buffy and more accurate than even me." Faith nodded, dabbing at her lip. "She hesitated with the kill, but that comes with time right?" She looked at him as he nodded. "If this is her pre-activation Giles, she's going tear it up easy when she's full blown."

"I have some books on the way to me from a friend." He continued as he slipped the box under the counter.

"Hush hush though, right?" She underlined worried that if the Council got word of a new pre-activation slayer then trouble would ensue.

"Whoever, indeed whatever, Jack is, we're the only ones who know about it." He managed to add before the door swung open.

"Who knows about Willow's apparently amazing recuperative powers." Giles smiled warmly at the trio and moved a book off the chair closest to the door.

"Bit of an impossibility there." Jack appeared in the doorway grinning as she jogged out and over to Dawn, picking her up and twirling her around.

"God you look sexy." The blonde kissed her lover quickly. Dawn kissed her back softly.

"Jack, why don't you take Dawn in the back." Faith laughed, remembering to have another talk with Jack about post slayage residue.

"Great idea." Jack began carrying the other woman before realizing what she was doing. "Oh I guess you might want to walk." She lowered her carefully.

"I can, love." Dawn grinned and grabbed her hand, dragging her towards the back. "So I'm sexy, huh?" She closed the door to the training room and hugged her lover's hips.

"You are so much more than sexy." Jack picked the longhaired girl up again and lifted her onto the pommel horse as she kissed her again.

"Am I?" Jack queried as she began kissing Dawn's neck with hot fast kisses. She moved her hands to Dawn's button down shirt.

"Jack, they're out in the shop." Dawn ran her hands over her lover's back, reeling happily under the onslaught of kisses.

"God Dawn I can feel you, hear your heart beat, feel the rush of blood through you, smell you." She ran her tongue over Dawn's taut stomach.

"I can feel you too, baby." Dawn moaned again, trying to keep herself relatively quiet. "It feels like so long since we've made love."

"Too long, way too long." Jack pushed her hands up and over Dawn's body, pushing the shirt off her slim shoulders

"It was just this morning Jacqui." Dawn giggled and moaned again as hands roamed over her skin. Jack ravaged Dawn's newly naked shoulders with kisses her hands going to the buckle of the brunette's jeans. "Oh Jack." She groaned and leaned back.

"I need to touch you, need to feel you more, to taste you." Jack made one long movement of her tongue down Dawn's body between her breasts to her navel.

"Oh God, you are so amazing." Dawn looked down as her lover moved, unable to resist.

Jack unfastened her lover's denim, and then pulled Dawn's legs around her waist. Leaning forward she began to again ravish Dawn's neck with kisses as she picked the woman up off the pommel horse and carried her over to the thick crash mat further back in the room.

"Mmmm." Dawn buried her hands in Jack's hair. "Nice move." She growled as her back came to rest on the mats.

"I have so many." Jack winked her hands unhitching Dawn's legs before pulling her jeans down sharply all the while kissing her lover deeply.

"You do." Dawn kissed back. She let her lover undress her completely, helpless to even try to stop her, not that she wanted too.

"God I could worship you like some exotic goddess for the rest of my life." Moving her own legs out of the way, Jack threw her lover's jeans back and they hit the far wall just as Jack rained down hot kisses on Dawn's small black panties.

"I worship you too." Dawn pulled roughly at Jack's shirt. Moving her hands to help Dawn, Jack wriggled out of her tight gray T-shirt and tossed it aside. "I would ask..." Her voice was warm as she pulled off Jack's bra. "What got into you…" She pushed at the buckle at her lover's waist. "But I don't care." Jack laughed low and pulled open her jeans, skittering back only far enough to rid herself of them. "Come here you sex goddess you." The brunette leaned down, kissing her again.

"Oh I'm coming." Jack moved swiftly back into place sliding her knee tight between Dawn's, legs her hands full over warm full breasts.

"I want to make love to you till the sun comes up. Till you can't scream my name anymore." Jack pulled her mouth from Dawn's and pushed her hands flat on the crash mat so she could hold herself over the brunette.

"Oh Dawn, Dawn, Dawn." Jack massaged her hands into Dawn's breasts teasing and rubbing the hardening flesh.

"Shit Jacqui." Dawn's body arched into her lover's hand, being driven to high arousal by the blonde's devouring wants.

Jacqui's tongue mixed with her fingers on Dawn's chest making hot wet trails over the pale skin. All the while she pressed her knee tight against her lover.

"Jacqui... Goddess... Jack!" Dawn rocked against the knee that hit into her center.

"I want you, I want you so bad." Jack kept her hands busy with tight hard flesh as she dragged her tongue lower, pressing her forehead against Dawn's tight damp stomach, her light sweat mixing with that of her lover's.

With a low throaty growl Jack pressed her lips and tongue hard against Dawn's black cotton panties. She let her tongue press up tight burying her nose in closer, drawing in deeply everything that was in essence 'Dawn'.

Jack felt drunk and high and invincible, the blood pounding through her temple as she lapped her tongue over cotton again and again.

Not wanting to move her hands, but knowing she had little choice, Jack moved them in a flash to the seam at Dawn's hip, pulling sharply at the material and ripped it with ease.

"Jack!" Dawn yelped slightly at the bold aggressive move, though her body pressed back into her lover's mouth.

"What?" A growl came from between Dawn's legs as her hands moved to the other side and ripped again, pulling the flap of black material down. She pulled up a little for breath and in a flash her hands were back on Dawn's breasts.

"You owe me...." Dawn braced up in ecstasy on her shoulders as her lover was all over her at once. "A pair of panties."

"Yeah, yeah " Jack pressed her tongue and nose back in place. Dawn felt her body rising faster and harder than it ever had as Jack moved to pleasure her in every way at once.

"And so I was thinking if we corner her here..." Willow pointed to the diagram as Dawn's hoarse scream echoed through the shop. She stopped, silent with her hand pointed at the map.

"Yes Willow..." Giles coughed loudly after a moment. "If we corner her there..." He urged her to continue and everyone tried to politely ignore what they all knew was happening.

"Jack... Jack... Jack..." Dawn felt wave after wave of ecstasy roll through her body. "Baby..." She put her hand down into her lover's hair.

"What?" Jack stopped mid tongue press and pulled back breathing hard, she pulled her hand back through her sodden hair.

"Breath... catching..." Dawn put her hand to her sweaty forehead, feeling rolls of pleasure thunder through her body.

"You don't need to breathe baby, you just need to feel." Jack leaned down licking and kissing her lover's body.

Jack trailed her hand over Dawn's hot skin and pressed it tight against her center. Her fingers instantly stroking through soaking curls, she swirled her tongue round and round the woman's shallow navel.

"Yeah, oh yeah." Jack growled parting Dawn's lips with her fingers, sliding one deep as she licked over every inch of skin on Dawn's hot torso. Jack's head swam as she pushed her finger in deep, feeling her whole body throb with heady pleasure.

Dawn's voice failed her as she felt her lover pushing into her wanting body. Her mind was so overwhelmed by pleasure she couldn't even think of the fact they were making loud and fast love in Giles' magic shop while he and the others were outside the door.

"Jacqui." Dawn whispered her lover's name her fingers curling in the blonde's hair. "Oh fuck Jacqui!" Her back arched again.

The tight wet that surrounded Jack drove her crazy, the beating of her beloved's heart filled her ears, the smell of her heat, the taste of her. All of her senses were alive. She pushed three fingers in, growling low and loud at the blissful feeling. Dawn took a deep hard breath in as her tightening muscles were pushed wider. Jack could feel Dawn's arousal like it was her own, she could feel the anticipation and build up within the brunette's nerves and muscles, feel the impending release.

"Jack... Jack..." Dawn repeated her lover's name as her insides swelled and flooded. She would have screamed again but she couldn't find the energy to waste in the effort. The blonde moved her hand hard and fast, each time diving deeper.

"Jacqui!" Dawn suddenly jumped her eyes flashing open as she reached down. "Not so hard, love..." She panted shifting her hips trying to move back a little.

Somewhere in her head Jacqui heard Dawn somewhere behind the blur of heat and rush as she continued exploring her lover's body.

"Jacqui, baby..." Dawn's voice changed completely as she reached down, her hand gripping Jack's shoulder as she pulled further away. "Jacqui that hurts!" She warned in a breathless whisper as she pushed away harder.

Finally her lover's voice rang sharp and clear in Jack's overloaded mind and she locked her hand and arm in place over riding the will that urged her to press on.

"Sorry baby, just a little too high." Hard breaths broke Dawn's words as she gave the blonde a satisfied smile.

"Christ sorry love." Jack panted hard resting her other hand on the plastic covered mat.

"It's okay.... shush." Dawn reached down and caressed her lover's cheek. "Come here." She opened her arms. Still panting hard Jack slid up beside Dawn resting her head on the spent woman's shoulder. "You maniac you." She whispered brushing her lover's hair behind her ear.

"Yeah." Jack focused on her breathing. "I didn't mean to hurt you baby." She apologized softly, cursing herself for not being more attentive.

"It's okay." Dawn kissed her forehead. "It was spectacular, baby." She kissed her forehead again.

"Oh God, the others are in the shop." Jack quickly glanced to the door as reality slotted into place.

"I didn't think you cared love." Dawn grinned. "And I'm sure they heard us already. Are you okay?" She asked softly hearing her lover's sudden worry.

"Here let me get your jeans." Jack moved to pick up the small pile of crumpled blue by her side. "No wait these aren't your jeans, they're mine." She blinked and nodded absently at the question.

"Jacqui, slow down." Dawn sat up gingerly and she reached out to her lover. "What's going on baby? It's okay you didn't hurt, hurt me." She reassured thinking it was that.

"No, I...." Jack could hear through the wall Giles and Willow discussing some thing to do with the next day, while Tara and Faith had a second discussion about what to do with Tara's apartment. Through the back wall she could hear the tiny feet of something scampering across the yard towards the dumpster, probably a rat while beside her she could her the fast regular beat of Dawn's heart and the controlled pattern of her own breathing. She was apart of everything.

Suddenly she wanted to run a marathon, climb a mountain, kill a few more minions, and make made passionate love to the woman beside her over and over.

"You?" Dawn prompted. "Jacqui?" She waved her hand in front of her lover's face. "Jacqui?"

"I don't know." Jack frowned she raised her hand out in front of her eyes and it trembled almost as if every muscle twitched and spasmed, ready to spring into action. She flexed all her fingers and then balled them into a fist before forcing them to relax flat against Dawn's back.

"Talk to me love." Dawn moved closer looping her arms around her lover's body. "It's okay angel, whatever it is." She held her tightly.

Faith watched from her meditation pose as Jacqui kept hitting the heavy bag again and again. She'd tried to center herself, tried to get a grasp on her own anger and rage but her mind kept being dragged out of it into the real world. Kept being dragged into the world of the younger girl's obvious worry and pain.

"Boxy, how about you not kill the bag and just talk to me?" Faith looked at her with a slight smile.

"You…" Thump went a fist into the bag. "Mean…" Thump, thump. "You'll actually talk…" Thump, thump. "To me?" Jack hit it one last time and sent it spinning away.

"Cut the shit, what is up with you?" Faith leaned back slightly out of her pose.

"Okay first it felt good, toning up and everything, but something weird is going on, Faith." Jack looked at the Slayer.

"Weird like yesterday, when Dawn and the others came to the shop, after our attack." Jack leaned hard on the punch bag.

"Lust rush?" Jack hated how casual Faith made it sound. "Faith," She snapped angrily. "I hurt Dawn." She thumped the bag squarely again sending it spinning away again.

"I don't know." She pulled at the strapping round her hands balling it up and throwing it with alarming accuracy into the bin by the door.

"Sorry, I should have warned you about the rush." Faith watched the tape hit the mark.

"Rush – I think I could have killed her. It was like, as soon as she opened the shop door…" She tried to explain but was soon cut off.

"I'm not, either." Faith shoved her harder. "You wouldn't fucking kill her, or really hurt her. You got excited. Get over it."

"I could smell her Faith, the instant she walked in, and I had to have her. I had to." Jack grabbed Faith's shoulder refusing to be dismissed.

"You're in love with her, Jack." Faith brought her hands up knocking them away. "That you want her is a given."

"You could fucking smell her." Faith took a deep breath. "Like she was a meal, and you were starved for days." She watched Jack's feet stop. "You could taste her, the idea of her, the remnants of her."

"What's happening to me?" Jack whispered as she pushed her arm against the doorframe

"You're focusing." Faith tried to explain. "You're getting ready for the fight of your life Boxy and for that you need total control over every one of your senses." She watched Jack's worry. "Where is she now?"

"She's..." Jack closed her eyes taking a deep breath, "She's at home, having an apple and cinnamon tea with Tara." She flicked her eyes open and stared straight at Faith.

"You have a connection with her, Jack." Faith tried to explain something. "Be happy about that." She went over and kicked the bag. "You walk into a room and smell her. I smell fucking no one who loves me."

"When you two walked out of here yesterday, Dawn was walking around like you were the best thing since sliced bread." Faith grinned softly. "Even if you hurt a bit Boxy, you didn't HURT, HURT her."

"It's normal." Faith shook her head laughing. "Enjoy it. I mean, think of how fucking good that was yesterday." She winked at the younger woman.

"Phew!" Jack blew her front bangs up and suddenly ran at Faith scooping her up and pitching her on her back on the crash mat. She sprang up and laughed hard.

"You starting something?" Faith flipped up back on her feet, trying to hide her surprise.

"You think I'm wasting time here? Apple and cinnamon is my favorite." Jack winked.

"Go on then." Faith threw a towel at her. "I'll see you back here at dusk, we got work."

Faith laughed and followed her back into the store. She watched Giles finish up with a customer.

"Problems?" Giles glanced as the elderly woman left. "Shall I?" He motioned to the door inquiring if he should lock up.

"I'm gonna put this in the nicest frame I can in order to keep you in the loop okay?" Faith looked at him and wiped the sweat off her face.

"Jack's senses are getting overwhelming." Faith tried to put things in a quantity. "I made her feel like it was normal, but come on watcher man, what slayer can know her girlfriend's having a cup of tea ten miles away?"

"Giles, when you put your life on the line with a bunch of undead bastards." Faith stood up. "You get riled up, you get excited." She rubbed her head in the towel again. "You know what I'm talking about? I doubt Buffy got into this with you."

"If you're referring to the heightened sexual appetite, I am aware." Giles spoke slowly and accurately.

"Nice way of taking the excitement out of it." Faith laughed to herself. "That's just part of it, you know, the whole sensory overload thing. I think Jack's is on super spike in the heightened arena."

"Look Giles, whether this is about hot monkey sex or her being kept up at night by the cats outside. We have a duty here to make her feel at ease about this shit and have the answers for her." Faith underlined. "She's afraid of getting out of control and hurting Dawn. Now I don't think she knows what out of control really is, and this is me talking, so let's remember I have some authority here. But she's scared, and scared leads to stupid things."

"We don't have answers, Faith." Giles replied, understanding the dark Slayer's point but knowing they weren't really in a position to help. "Has she talked to you about this? Did you manage to calm her?"

"I'm not going to drop her into the shit alone, I would never do that." Faith pointed at him angry. "I will be here for her." She tapped her chest.

"No of course not, Faith." He shook his head. "You will, I know that. Are you readying for this evenings strike?" He added looking down again.

"But why can't I come?" Dawn stood with her hands on her hips staring at Jack, her eyes blazing angrily.

"Cause its patrol, it's killing undead things." Jack slipped the shirt over her head.

"I know. I used to do them." Dawn pointed out. "Will you be going to the magic shop again when you're done?"

"Yeah well now Faith and I do." Jack outlined. "Where you going to be?" She slipped on the tight riding jacket she usually wore on her bike.

"Here, with Tara and Willow. We have the video from Xander to watch." She raised her eyebrows.

"Well then, I'll come back here of course." Jack sat down on the bed tightening her bootlaces. "Unless you'd rather go to the shop?"

"And get in the way of you and Faith training?" She folded her arms across her chest.

"I never see you, you're either patrolling or training, or just hanging out with Faith. I know you want to protect me…" She paused. "Well all of us, but I miss you."

"I miss you too Sunny." She stood up and wrapped her arms around her lover. Dawn closed her eyes and leaned against her chest.

"You feel different, Jack." Dawn admitted in a quiet whisper as she nestled closer.

"How about I come home as soon as we finish the patrol and I you and I have a nice long bath?" Jack whispered. "I'm the same me, just focused."

"Focused on keeping you safe, and making her pay." Jack rubbed her girlfriend's back.

"That sounds like Faith talk." Dawn whispered, not sure if she was happy about the accurate comparison.

"Yes, I didn't mean to scare you, it's just – it was you know, a little harder than…" Dawn began, blushing slightly.

"No baby, I'm the one who's sorry." Jack rubbed her back. "You are just so yummy but..."She kissed Dawn's head. "But I won't get overexcited again I promise."

"When you give the word." Jack grinned back. "Now kisses, then I'm off to save the world."

"Willow, love." Tara hovered near the door looking at the red head that was propped up on the sofa.

"We need to talk." The blonde closed the door to the kitchen that she stood in front of, and then slowly crossed to close the one that led into the hall.

"Willow." Tara knew it would be so easy to do this, to go off on a tangent and ever come back to it. "This isn't what we have to talk about."

"What do we have to talk about, love?" Willow questioned, patting the couch next to her.

"You know." Tara looked up through suddenly sad blue eyes, she stayed seated where she was.

"I don't know." The blonde admitted. "I don't know." She repeated letting her head drop again.

"Please, baby." Willow got up slowly and moved over kneeling in front of the blonde. "I so wish I didn't have to do this, but I have to destroy her."

"She has to die, yes." Tara agreed she pushed long fingers thought red hair "I just don't know what I'm supposed to do." She frowned.

"You're going to help me kick her butt." Willow kissed the blonde's hand. "And maybe, just maybe, we'll find a way out of this by then."

"I'm still going to be with you." Willow cupped her lover's cheek. "Every second, for the rest of time."

"I don't know if I can carry on without you." Tara's voice grew flat. "I love you."

"I want you to do all the great things you're meant to do." Willow kissed her. "I want to watch you from my cloud in heaven..." The hacker's voice broke. "And be so happy. Stay here with Dawn."

"No, baby. No." Tara pressed her finger against Willow's lips "I can't be happy without you." The blonde sobbed. "I need you." She stressed, her finger shaking on Willow's lips.

"I need you too, Tarebear." Willow felt tears well up and cascade over her cheeks.

"Oh you can do it, Willow, you can do it for me." There was a bright white flash as a figure shimmered into form beside the closed door to the hall.

"Buffy?" Willow looked over her mouth dropping open when she heard the familiar voice.

Tara frowned softly as her lover's face dropped in shock, she followed her gaze to nothing just the closed door.

"Buffy? How?" Willow whispered holding Tara's hand tightly as the blonde frowned.

"Are you okay?" The hacker asked scared. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I didn't figure out the spell."

"I'm dead Willow, how should I feel?" The apparition paced slowly over to the window.

"I'm not mad, Will." The words were accompanied by Buffy shaking her head. "You know maybe Tara's right, you should give up on Anezka. After all, she'll probably give up soon right?"

"No, she won't." Willow shook her head. "She wants us all dead. I won't let her hurt Dawn."

"But perhaps you could all just you know, run away." Buffy made a running feet motion with her fingers.

"No, she'd just hunt us down." Willow shook her head. "Tara, tell her." She looked at the blonde.

"Willow?" Tara frowned. "Tell who?" She wondered what could possibly be causing Willow such pain.

"She can't see me, Will. She doesn't want to." The ghost shook her head and frowned.

"Buffy's here." She tried to explain. "Just concentrate, you can see her." She looked back to the Slayer at the window. "She's right there, just concentrate." She looked back teary eyed at Tara, who looked blank.

"She's always just wanted you, she wants to keep you Will, not let you die." Buffy quirked her eyebrow high. "Cause you will die. You know that."

"But maybe Tara's right, she needs you more than I do now, doesn't she, Will? I mean I don't need you any more, do I, Will?" Buffy shrugged.

"Oh, oh yes, the fake sister. Must keep her safe." Buffy fixed Willow with her cold eyes.

"Buffy!" Willow snapped at the words. "She is your sister, she's always been your sister."

"Willow? Willow please, Buffy's not here." Tara pleaded softly unable to take anymore.

"Tara, she is here." Willow looked back to the blonde. "Right there by the window."

"Tara? What's wrong?" Dawn arrived in a hurry into the doorway her toothbrush in her mouth. She lowered her hand her mouth dropping.

"Oh fake sister right on cue." Buffy clapped slowly her hands, strangely not making a sound. Dawn pointed at the ghost with her toothbrush her eyes going wild.

"Dawnie?" Tara frowned wondering if it were her going mad and not everyone else.

"Run, Anezka!" Dawn out of desperation picked up the lamp next to her and threw it at the large glowing apparition.

"Damn that little bitch!" Buffy cursed sharply and in a swirl of color she disappeared letting the lamp smash into the windowsill.

"Why were you just sitting here?" Dawnie moved over to them. "We have to get out of here."

"Dawn what are you talking about? What's going on?" Tara rubbed her brow forcibly.

"She was there." Dawn pointed to the broken lamp. "Anezka, she was just standing there. Big wings, and crooked halo... big sword." She held her hands out. "We have to get out of here, she breached the house."

"Buffy was there?" Tara frowned, her fingers digging deeper now even more worried that she was losing her mind.

"NO!" Dawnie looked between them. "ANEZKA the fallen angel." She saw their unfocused eyes. "She put a spell on you."

Tara hurried through to the kitchen. She listened carefully to the clamor of Dawn moving Willow into the hall and getting their coats and everything on. She pulled a small rucksack from off the hooks near the door and lifted the compact but heavy unit into it along with a few bottles of pills from off the windowsill.

"Where you going, Tara honey?" It was all Tara could do not to drop the rucksack.

"Well, know you know who I am really, I just know you're not ready to see me yet." The female voice continued as Tara ever so slowly turned round.

The redhead Tara once knew leaned up against the now closed kitchen door, though this wasn't Sophie as Tara knew her. Dressed in dirty gray jogging pants and a green long sleeved shirt stained with blood and vomit, her red hair hang hung limply around her shoulders.

"You're looking good for a witch who's supposed to be dead." The ghost appraised.

"How... How can you know Sophie, you can't have hurt Sophie?" Tara's blue eyes flooded with tears as the apparition chuckled.

"All that power and no brain." Sophie shook her head. "This body, this person, she's dead honey, very dead. In hell, eternal damnation kind of dead, which kinda makes her one of mine." 'Sophie' grinned and pushed off from the wall taking steps towards the blonde.

"Why would I do that? Here, wanna see the needle mark?" Sophie's hand went to pull her the dark green sleeve.

"W-W-Why are you doing this? If you're here to kill me, just do it." Tara felt the tears flood onto her face.

"Why would I want to kill you?" Sophie stopped her progress. "What could I possibly have to fear from a freaked out, emotionally crippled little witch like you? No, I don't want to kill you Tara Maclay." She paused. "I like how that sounds by the way, as it rolls off the tongue, Tara Maaaaaclay. Nice and neat."

"I'm going to let your little girlfriend think she can kill me, and then kill her." Sophie grinned. "I find breaking true love's heart is often so much more effective than mindless violence. Though suddenly I get this urge to not let you just walk away from our little chat. Oh, how about I break your legs…" She paused giving Tara a long slow look over.

"Oh no wait, been there, done that." She chuckled. "I could rip your insides out, if you had many left." She tapped her finger on her lips in apparent thought. "Oh, how about I scramble your brain a bit? Damn, and double damn, someone already did that too." She clicked her fingers.

"You and your pathetic friends have done nothing but entertain me." The angel hissed back finally.

"This ends today." Tara growled flicking her hand towards the figure of her old lover. "Absentis infra." She hissed, her eyes turning from blue to navy. The angel came to true form for a moment and cast her a look of complete surprise before disappearing from the room.

"Tara, we have to go." Dawn opened the door and looked at her. "Do you need me to carry the tank?"

"No, no ghosts." Tara shook her head, her eyes fading back to pale summer blue. "I'll be right there."

Willow held the heavy cup of tea in her shaky hands. She looked around the shop, glad to have Tara so close beside her.

"So come on, she was in the house." Dawn walked back and forth before the gathered group. "She was in the house and she put a spell on them. I say we go kill her now." She summed up simply.

"Ah yes, but much as I understand your feelings on this Dawn, its not that simple." Giles gave his best sympathetic look.

"Sunny, we have to think." Jack tried to soothe her as she slipped up onto the counter to sit.

"She's not going to keep thinking, she was in the house." Dawn snapped at her lover.

"Then it's time." Faith stood up and smoothed out the cuffs of her long sleeve shirt. She looked at the watcher.

"She's pointed out that she can take us anytime she wants." Faith put her hands on her hips.

"I think it's time we stopped working on her timetable. It's time to give her one of our own. Her minions always go back to the woods when we injure them." Jack looked at the watcher. "It has to be where she has her home base."

"I think everyone's on the go list, Giles." Jack stood up. "What we're going to decide is whose on the front line and who's in back."

"Wrong." Faith shook her head. "I am front line, Willow and Giles are behind me. Jack is here at the box with Tara and Dawn."

"Fuck that noise, what shit are you spouting?" Jack whirled round sounding every bit like the dark Slayer herself.

"I'm spouting the shit that gonna keep your ass alive." Faith growled back. "This is the only reason I trained you. You keep Dawn and Tara safe. The three of us go after Bitchface, and Giles is only there to carry herbs and shit."

"That's not how it works, Faith. Not this time." Tara shook her head, flicking her hair back over her shoulder.

"Hello, has everyone suddenly grown brass balls since the last time we discussed this?' Faith looked at the blonde. "Cause you can all have them chopped off real quick."

"If anyone stays here, it should be Willow, Dawn and Jack." Tara looked, back her stare unflinching.

"No, I have to go." Willow turned to her. "I'm the only one who can do spell, Tara." She added sadly.

"I mean Willow was the only one. She's not anymore." The blonde pulled a hair tie from around her wrist and gathered her hair into a pony tail, securing it up and off her face.

"Willow was the only one who could cast the spell for two reasons." Tara couldn't afford to look at Willow. She knew if she did the resolve would go. She pulled the spell book from the bag at her feet. "The first because she was the only one who could properly inflect the ancient Hebrew. Even though all this time she thought she could hide the fact that the spell was written in the ancient old text, she should have known I would know the original wasn't in Latin. But practice brings familiarity, even with a language like Hebrew." She held the book tight.

"And the second…" She looked up at Faith. "Was the connection Anezka has to Willow. Anezka met her but didn't kill her, forging a link a necessary link, though of course it's not enough just to meet each other and say hi." Tara went on. "There has to be an imparting an imbuing of spirit one to the other, Anezka touched Willow's spirit in the forest fire."

"No!" Willow's voice was sharp and loud as she stood up. "She's not hurting you, she's not hurting anyone else."

"Willow, sit down." Tara kept her voice calm and kept looking at Faith. The hacker wasn't sure why she did so and Faith held the blonde's eye.

"That is a strong link, but a stronger one is formed if the link is made willingly, from mortal to immortal." Tara forced her drying throat to swallow. "If, for example…" She swallowed again for the first time darling to look at her beloved. "If the mortal, a spellcaster, temporarily binds the immortal. Imprinting their soul with that of the immortal, and the other way round."

"Ten minutes ago." Tara whispered a tear leaking from the corner of her right eye.

"Why does this matter?" Dawn looked around her voice soft. "Who cares who does the spell? Hell, I'll do it. Let's just kill her."

"If we do this tonight, we have to do it soon." Tara urged hardly hearing the young woman's voice.

"Dawn's right, let's just do this." Tara nodded taking a breath and looking back at Faith.

"Then we do it together." Willow reached out taking her lover's hand. Tara's breath stopped in her throat as Willow's words registered. "We can speed up the cadence of the incantation." Her voice was slow and serious. "Faith won't have to keep her amused for more than a few minutes."

"Maybe..." The hacker tried to think. "It can take from both of us, so no one dies."

"A…" Dawn's voice was tiny. She looked at her lover for support and explanations.

"A what?" Jack looked both confused and horrified. "Faith, what is she talking about?"

"A sacrifice spell." The watcher decided he could deliver this information in the most clear and informative way. "A spell that requires something from the caster."

"Sometimes blood, sometimes money or possession, sometimes an oath of allegiance, or sometimes, a life." He said quietly looking down.

"The life is not for Anezka, it's not a gift to her or anything like that, it is a…" Giles hunted for the right phrase. "A fee." He decided upon the word, hoping it made it clear.

"You..." Dawn's angry eye turned on Willow. "You were going to die and not tell me?"

"Couldn't tell me?" Dawn barked out through her tears. "I love you Dawn, I'll be with you always Dawn, I'll take care of you Dawn, I'll sacrifice myself to a fucking angel and leave you alone again, Dawn." The young woman slammed her hand onto the glass-topped table.

"Since she killed Buffy you have barely talked to me." Willow watched her anger.

"Buffy told you, told all of us, we were a family, no secrets, no lies." Dawn shook her head, not listening to Willow's reply.

"I have never ever said that." Dawn's wild red rimmed eyes narrowed as she stared at the redhead.

"You didn't have to say it Dawn." Willow turned away. "But it's okay, you were right."

"And so what, this was supposed to make up for that?" Dawn cast the matter aside and forced herself to ignore the hot tears falling down her cheeks and onto the table below. "I let Buffy die so I give my life to stop the evil that started this? That's a fair trade?"

"Make up for letting her die." Willow turned back. "What else do you want me to do? Let her kill you, let her hurt you?"

"I can't believe you all knew." Dawn suddenly flicked her head up looking around the group. "Faith, Giles." She looked at each of them. "Tara, how could you do this to me?" She stared at the blonde.

"We weren't hiding Ja..." Tara began when suddenly she staggered back a little grasping her side.

"I... Can't hold her much longer…" Tara flicked her eyes up to meet with Willow's thick black seeped into her blue pupils as she reached back to grip the closest chair or table leg.

The watcher nodded and slipped behind the counter to the safe hurriedly opening the combination lock and pulling out a pre organized collection of things.

"We can't do it in the store, we need open space." Faith pointed out. "Jack keep Dawn safe, we don't know what the fallout here will be."

"Hurry." Tara hissed, though in all honesty the blonde's voice was barely recognizable.

"Jack move shit now." Faith grabbed the edge of the table backing it up and then put her shoulder into a bookcase to push it back further. Giles scampered around the room laying out totems and magical symbols.

"I…" Tara began but then fell to the ground, only to have her back arch high off the ground. "You…"

"BITCH!" The voice that ended the sentence was most certainly not Tara's as a large gray shadow seemed to rise from the blonde witch's body. Its massive opaque wings unfurled as it rose, blazing red eyes formed first followed by the rest of the haunting features as 'Anezka The Pure' took form in the magic shop.

"Giles." Willow's voice was eerie and static as she held her hands out. "Anoint me."

"Tara, back." Faith launched forward making a grab at Tara, pulling her back and casting her into Dawn's direction. "Time to die Bitchface." She reached over on the wall pulling a large axe as she charged at the angel.

"Giles, anoint me." Willow saw the Watcher hesitated but her words spurred him on as he poured the thick black oil into her outstretched hands. She took a deep breath in, her form rising up off the ground.

Hurriedly blinking her way back to some semblance of consciousness, Tara reached unto the pocket of her sweater and pulled out a small oil bottle pulling out the tiny cork stopper she emptied the contents into her hands before looking up straight at Willow.

"Darling." She whispered her hand outstretched, knowing she needed Willow's help to levitate.

"My love." Willow looked down her pupils dark as she took the blonde's hand. Tara's form immediately lifted up with Willow's. Small sparks like electricity danced between the two of them and on the ground where the thick dark oil dropped from their clasped hands.

"Oh go away Slayer, I've already done the killing your kind thing." Anezka backhanded Faith squarely, sending her and the axe flying backwards. Faith felt the bookcase land hard into her back.

"Yeah, but you didn't count on me." Jack was in the angel's face and backhanded her, landing a quick series of punches.

"And what, pray tell are you?" Anezka bit out quickly before having her face beaten by the tawny haired girl.

Bringing one hand up Anezka placed it on Jack's chest and pushed her firmly away, sending her literally flying back into the training room door, going through two glass display cases on the way.

"You killed my sister." Dawn ducked back up from behind the counter throwing a series of knives at the angel when Faith was once again knocked away.

Giles moved silently to a spot down by a bookcase and dropped into a crossed-legged stance pulling a magic gourd from the collection of things and laying it out in front of him.

"Dawn stay down." Jack did a series of flips, throwing herself off the wall and hitting the angel in the chest crashing her into the metal stairs to the upper shop. The steel creaked and bent around the angel's slightly.

"Bitchface." Faith was on her again in a second as Jack rolled off, a large cudgel hitting the angel square in the chest.

The duo got the upper hand for a moment before they were thrown back. Willow and Tara silently looked at each other a gentle smile on their faces.

"That was starting to get annoying." Anezka rose brushing herself off. She ducked away from a spear that flew from Dawn's direction. "Now, is everyone ready to die." She glared at the two floating witches.

"Jack, high and low now." Faith signaled the move as she jumped up to land across the demon's chest as Jack swept out her legs.

"Calling to the forces from beyond all time, lend to me the power that is thine. Focusing wills and hearts as tools, casting away all mortal fools." Willow and Tara's voices spoke in perfect union the ancient Hebrew text.

"Jack watch out for the…" Dawn grimaced as her lover was pitched up to the upper level of the store by a sharp kick.

"Oh now I'm gonna really kick your ass." Jack flung off her jacket and dove back down as Faith skidded across the floor through debris under the witch's feet.

"I seek to end this reign of terror, begun by the unholy error, with blood of mortal, and bone of life, shed and shown with this unearthly knife." In synchronization two deep gashes flared up Willow and Tara's arms as blood mixed with the black oil on the floor.

"Giles..." Faith pushed up onto her hands slightly looking at the watcher. The watcher held his hand up and shook his head. "Don't wait too long." She pushed herself forward, ignoring the flares of pain in her body.

"My life for your life." Tara's head turned to Willow's as Willow's turned to Tara. "My death, for…" Black seeped from sad loving eyes to be replaced by blue and green as everything seemed to slow down.

"I demand silence and stillness the power of time." A low deep voice filled the room and everything simply froze.

Jack flew by the Slayer and her body stopped mid air, her arms flailed out around her body. Though infinitely slowly she continued her flight, as did everything else, apart from Giles, who moved at normal speed.

The watcher stood up from his place on the floor and hurried forward to Willow and Tara, pressing his fingers against the open wounds on their forearms he marked his cheeks and hands with their blood before approaching the angel that second by second seemed to be moving faster. He pressed his hand against the bloodstain on one of her wings as he crossed it over the marks already on his body.

"Maybe." He said in bright brilliant English. "But you had to die." His language switched to the ancient Hebrew. "My life for your life." Everything began to speed up again. She looked at him, as her eyes widened and flares of flame began to rise beneath their feet. "My death, for your death, my purity, for your purity"

'NOOOOOOOOOOOOO Giles!' Faith tried to scream as she realized the Watcher was in front of her. The crash of Jack's body going through the front counter behind them filled the room with the sound of breaking glass.

A noise that literally sounded like the heavens themselves opening followed Jack's landing and the whole room began to shake. A force of light pushed both Tara and Willow down from their lofty heights onto their knees. Out of the light in the ceiling, another form floated down as Anezka's hand closed around Giles' throat.

"NOOOOOO! You're just a pathetic little worm." Anezka rampaged tightening her grip but knowing that it was over. Suddenly she released the watcher and spun.

"Round two." Buffy's voice was calm but held a hint of anger, bright glowing white wings spread out around her body.

"But you're dead, I killed you." Anezka snarled, staring at the bright raiments covering the Slayer.

"God's wrath comes in many forms." Buffy smiled as she reached out and punched her hand into the angel's chest. "And I am by far the prettiest." She pulled her hand back without blood or gore, just pure light breaking out of the angel's body.

"Whatever." Buffy smiled as the flames came up higher and engulfed her. With another loud resounding crackle the rings of fire and the angel were gone.

"Okay my time is short." Buffy looked at them all with a soft smile. "So first off Willow..." She caught eyes with the hacker on her knees. "You didn't let me die." She shook her head. "Let's say I got a bit of information that told me this was the only way and I love you." She smiled at Willow as the hacker blinked away the dark in her eyes. "Tara, take good care of her." She winked at the blonde. "And I love you too, but I'm not happy with you being gone so long."

"Faith..." She looked at the dark Slayer. "Thank you." She nodded and took a slow breath in. "She's going to need you to teach her what it's all about. I know you can do the best job. Jacqui..." She switched her focus to the blonde was crawling out of wreckage.

"I'm trusting you with the most precious thing... don't make me come to earth again!" She warned warmly. "Dawnie." Buffy slowly turned to her sister.

"Buffy!" Dawn ran through the broken glass and wreckage without stopping until she wrapped her arms tight around her sister's angelic form. Buffy's face broke into a perfect smile as she held tightly onto her sister. "Don't, go, you can't go, don't leave me again." She sobbed her whole body shaking.

"Dawnie, I have to go." Buffy ran her hands over silky brown hair. "But it's going to be okay now. You have Jack and Faith to protect you, and Willow and Tara to be here for you."

"I'm right here with you." Buffy held the young woman back a bit wiping a tear off her cheek. "I never left you, but you have to be brave for me, you have to hold this bunch together when they get crazy." She smiled softly.

Taking a few slightly shallow breaths the young woman finally looked up into her sister's eyes and nodded bravely.

"You have your whole life ahead of you, Dawn. Live it. Live every minute of it, and I'll be right there with you." Buffy kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you too." Buffy held her tightly. "Remember Dawnie, live." The Slayer's form melted away slowly.

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The Letting Go

by The Rainbow Writers

Copyright © 2003

rainbowwriters@hotmail.com