Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to me. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement intended.
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Willow ran, a burning pain in her chest, but she had to keep going. She knew she was being followed, and she knew if she was caught.....she was dead. Willow ducked under some branches and ran blindly. Leaning against a tree to try to catch her breath, Willow debated where she could go. She knew Buffy and Riley had gone away for the weekend, as were Xander and Anya. Giles may be home, but she knew she couldn't make it that far. Returning to her dorm room was out of the question. There was no one else she could trust........or was there? There was one person, but could she really trust him? As Willow heard footsteps behind her, she knew she didn't have a choice.
Graham was walking back to his dorm, having just finished studying in the library. Living in the dorms was still taking some getting used to. But, he didn't have a choice. The destruction of the Initiative kind of threw his life into a tailspin. He was almost to the dorm when he heard a woman's voice. As he stopped to listen, he could swear he heard his name. Graham turned and caught sight of redhair flying through the air. It took him a moment to recognize her......the Slayer's friend. And then it hit him that she was running, almost as if she was being chased. His military training kicked in and he surveyed the surroundings as he moved towards her.
Graham grunted as Willow threw herself into his arms. He dropped his bag and hesitantly put his arms around her, his gaze still looking for whatever she was running from.
"Willow, what's wrong?"
"After me.....trying to kill me. I thought.......thought I could trust......"
"Willow, who's chasing you? Vampire or demon?"
Willow pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes. "Neither......a witch."
End Part 1
"A witch? Why?"
Willow turned to look behind her. "Not here. She's coming."
Graham knew the dorm wouldn't be safe, and he thought of one of the Initiative's hideouts. He knew not all of them had been destroyed. Picking up his bag, he grabbed Willow and pulled her in the opposite direction. They ran until he came to the hidden cave, pushing Willow inside then making sure they weren't followed.
Graham watched as Willow sat down, rocking back and forth. He walked over and wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. "We'll be safe here. No one knows about this place but those who were involved with the Initiative."
"Doesn't matter. Sooner or later, she'll find us.....she'll find me."
"Who?"
"Tara."
Graham knew he'd heard the name before. Since the demise of the Inititative, Riley had been trying to get him comfortable with Buffy's friends.
"The blonde gal? I thought she was your friend."
Willow looked up and Graham saw the tears in her eyes. "So did I. I thought I could trust her. It was a trap. She was trying to lure me to the other side, to turn on Buffy. When she realized I wouldn't, she tried to kill me. Graham, she's powerful, and she will find me here."
"Is there any way to stop her?"
Willow shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I need to talk to Giles and the others, but four of them are out of town somewhere. And I'm not even sure about Giles."
Graham tried to think of a plan. He had no idea where Buffy and Riley had gone, and it was obvious that Willow didn't know where her friends were either. "If we can't reach Giles, is there anyone else who can help? Even if they can't help stop her, at least help me protect you. I don't think I'm much good against a witch."
"There's only one other person we can trust."
"Who?"
"Angel."
Graham looked at Willow and took a deep breath. He knew from conversations with Riley that Angel was Buffy's ex-love.......a vampire. A part of him cringed at the thought of being around a vampire, but as he looked into Willow's tearstained face, he knew he didn't have a choice.
Walking over to a corner, Graham pushed on a rock. Willow watched as a panel opened on the wall, revealing a phone. "I thought everything was destroyed."
Graham smiled. "Not everything, just the Initiative itself. We still have a lot of hidden equipment around campus. Here, try Giles."
Willow walked over to the phone, and tried Giles' number. There was no answer. Debating what she said, but knowing she had to warn him, Willow left a message. She warned him about Tara's true nature, and told him that she was safe. After hanging up, she dialed Angel's number.
Graham listened as Willow spoke to the person on the phone. The more she spoke, the more relaxed she became. Obviously she trusted this Angel with her life. After she hung up, Willow looked up at him.
"Angel's on his way. He said he should be able to make it before dawn. He'll meet us here."
"Then we just have to stay hidden here until he comes. Does he have any idea how to handle the witch?"
"Angel has had a lot of experience with a lot of different kinds of people. He said that there is a spell to banish a witch, and I'd be able to perform it if I have all the ingredients. But, in order for it to work, I'd need him here anyway."
"Why?"
"The spell calls for the witch performing the spell to have a certain amount of strength. My magic isn't strong enough to stand on it's own, but Angel said he could provide the strength."
"How would it work?"
"I'm not exactly sure. But it'll require me to bond myself to Angel for the spell, and then I can draw on his strength. That should be enough to allow me to banish Tara."
Graham heard Willow's voice catch on the other woman's name, and he briefly wondered about their relationship. "Will she be expecting you to try this?"
"I don't think so. Tara knows I don't have the strength to do it, and she wouldn't suspect that I called Angel. I haven't really talked to her about him."
Hearing noises outside, Graham grabbed Willow, pulling her into a shadowed part of the cave. They remained perfectly still until they were sure they hadn't been found. Sliding down to sit on the floor, Graham caressed Willow's hair as she fell into a fitful sleep. He just hoped they were safe there until Angel got there.
End Part 2
Graham was instantly awake as he heard noises outside the cave. Pushing Willow behind him, he crouched to face the cave entrance. He watched as a tall man, dressed all in black entered. Before he could move, Willow patted his shoulder. "That's Angel."
Graham stood up as Willow rushed out to meet the vampire. He watched as Angel caught Willow up in his arms, hugging her tightly. Once he was sure he wasn't interuppting, he moved forward. Angel looked at him, then held out his hand. After only a slight hesitation, Graham reached out and shook hands.
"Gotten yourself into some trouble again, did you?" Angel teased.
Graham watched as Willow hit Angel on the shoulder. "Did you bring the spell?"
"Naturally. And the ingredients you'll need. It's all here."
Willow took the bag from Angel and began setting everything up. Angel turned to face Graham. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For looking out for her. She's a special young lady."
Graham nodded. He was beginning to see that. Several moments later, Willow had everything arranged. "I'm set."
"Ok, then let's get this witch out of your life." Angel said.
"I'm scared, Angel. She was my friend."
Angel gripped Willow's hands. "You can't think about that, Willow. She's trying to destroy you."
Willow's head bent, but she nodded. "I know."
Angel took off his jacket and sat down on Willow's left side. "Do you know how strong she is?"
Willow shook her head. "I thought she was a beginner like me, but she's not. Before I ran from her, I saw her do things.....things that scared me."
"Then you need to be stronger."
"How?"
Angel looked up at Graham. "Will you help?"
Graham looked between the two people and nodded. "What do I have to do?"
"Sit down next to Willow. First, she'll do a spell that'll bind the three of us together. It's a simple spell, but that'll give her the power to use our strengths. Then, she'll do the spell to banish Tara. If she can do it before Tara realizes what's happening, it won't take long. If not, Willow will have to call on our strength to fight Tara. Then, after Tara's been banished, the bonding spell will be undone. And we're all back to normal."
"Piece of cake." Graham muttered.
He smiled as he saw the looks on Angel and Willow's faces. "I'm fine. Let's do this."
Willow reached out for Graham and Angel's hands, and the three of them held hands. Graham watched, stunned, as a white light circled through them. He tilted his head back as he became aware of varying emotions, and he realized he was feeling what the other two were feeling. "Weird."
Several moments later, Willow began chanting and Graham knew she'd begun the banishment spell. And he suddenly felt as though he'd run into a brick wall.
"Tara's fighting it. Graham, relax your body, let Willow seize your strength." Angel called out.
Graham did as he was told, and he could feel the spell working. He could feel Willow getting stronger, feeding from him and Angel. Graham leaned his head forward as he felt the attack Tara was waging, and the counter Willow was throwing back.
Finally, all three of them collapsed backwards. Angel was the first to sit up. "Are you both okay?"
Willow moved her hands up to her eyes, pressing them closed. "She's gone, Angel. I.....I killed her."
Angel pulled her up into his arms, as his eyes sought Graham. "How do you feel?"
"Like I just got hit by a train. Other then that, I'm fine."
Graham slid closer, and caressed Willow's back. "You did what you had to do, Willow. Tara didn't leave you a choice."
"I know. But, it still hurts."
Graham and Angel exchanged looks and nodded. No words were spoken as Graham collected everything, and followed as Angel carried Willow out. Not wanting Willow to be alone, they headed to Giles'.
After putting her to bed and explaining everything to Giles, Angel and Graham left. They both needed to get some rest. "Angel, what about the bonding spell? I can still feel you and Willow."
"I know, she didn't have a chance to reverse the spell. She's too exhausted, Graham. Both physically and emotionally. Tomorrow, we'll come back and she can undo it. Do you think you can handle it until then?"
Graham nodded. Strangely, it didn't bother him that much.
End Part 3
The next day, Willow reversed the bonding spell and said goodbye to Angel. She thanked him for helping her, and he let her know he was there if she ever needed him. Graham also saw Angel off, knowing he'd met someone he could trust with his life.
Later, after Buffy and the others returned, Graham made his way back to his dorm room. The adventure had put him seriously behind his studying. But, as he sat trying to read his book, he couldn't get over the feeling that something was wrong.......that he wasn't complete.
After trying unsuccessfully to sleep, Graham sat up and started reading a book. He glanced at the clock as he heard a soft knock on the door. And he didn't know how, but he knew it was Willow. Graham opened the door and saw the redhead.
"It didn't work, Graham. Why didn't it work?"
Graham reached out and pulled Willow into his arms. He knew what she was talking about. For whatever reason, the spell to reverse their bonding hadn't worked. And although they felt better being together, they both knew they were still missing a piece of their puzzle. Willow walked over to the phone and called Angel.
"Giles, what happened? I don't understand." Willow asked.
Willow sat on the couch between Graham and Angel, looking at the Watcher for answers. They had gone to him privately, not ready for the others to know. "I don't know either, Willow. You did everything right. There's only one thing I can think of."
"What?"
"That there was some sort of time limit on reversing the spell. By not doing it till almost 24 hours later, it may have made it permanent." Giles said.
"So, I've ruined their lives!"
Willow jumped up and ran out of the room, but Giles stopped Angel and Graham from following. "She needs to be alone. At least for a few minutes."
"What happens now?" Graham asked.
He watched as Giles looked at Angel then back at him. "Basically, it means that for as long as you live, you must stay close to both Angel and Willow. What you experienced last night was only the beginning. Prolonged absence from them will eventually drive you insane."
"So what you're telling me is that the three of us always have to be together? 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?"
Giles ran his hands through his hair. "It's complicated, Graham. The feelings you had last night were made worse because Angel was so far away from you. It won't be that bad if you're away from each other, say in different buildings, for periods of time. But, it won't work for you and Willow to be here, and Angel in L.A. The three of you are going to have to make some difficult decisions."
Graham walked into the office, smiling as he saw Willow and Cordelia at the computer. After long discussions, they'd decided moving to L.A. would be better for everyone. Graham found that helping Angel and Doyle with their investigations put his military training to good use. And Willow found a new friendship with Cordelia.
Although things were still strange, and they were all still getting used to the different quirks of the spell. But, after convincing Willow that it wasn't her fault, they were able to take it day by day. They all knew that their emotions were getting confused, but they talked honestly about what they were feeling. And if romance bloomed between one or more of them, then they would deal with it......together.
The End