Xander slowed in the hallway of an apartment building as he neared a door
he knew well.  In a way, it had become a sort of home to him.  If he
wasn't at home with Gray or in school, he was usually here.  It was a
place where he could come to discuss his interests, and even though Gray
was always good about listening, Xander knew that sometimes the
ex-soldier and him didn't share the same pastimes.  This was a place
where he could converse about his hobbies, a place where everyone shared
his love for physics.

Holding his hand out, he rapped on the door, waiting patiently for his
friend to answer.  Several seconds later, she opened it up and smiled,
mindlessly playing with the apple necklace she wore around her neck.
"Hey Xander.  What's up?  You said something on the phone about a
problem?"

Xander nodded as he followed her inside, sitting a few books down on her
already covered coffee table.  Sitting down on the floor in front of it,
he tried to explain as she cleaned up a space on her couch, sat down, and
pushed her wire-rimmed glasses up her nose.  "Okay, I have a scenario for
you.  Lets say, figuratively speaking, that someone is able to move from
one universe to another parallel universe using magick, and when they
start to do this, it somehow opens the lines between the universe, where
they and others from that universe can easily pass from one to another."

The woman wrapped her long brown hair into a bun, reached to the table
with one hand while the other held it up, and grabbed to pencils, which
she stuck into the bun to keep it up.  "So basically, your saying out
with the whole black hole and white hole theory?"

Xander nodded.  "Right.  Out with the whole Sliders conception that you
can travel to different universes using wormholes."

She seemed to stare into space as she started talking to herself, "Now,
Einstein predicted black holes in his theory of relativity.  Along with
Rosen, he came up with the idea of black holes being symmetrical in the
sense that there would be another hole to balance it - a white hole.
Now, some scientists say that what ever is swallowed by the black hole is
spit out into a different part of the universe by a white hole - or maybe
even into a alternate universe.  Some believe that universes split
actually inside the holes, when something occurs differently than what we
conceive, and these splits could take place every time any event occurs."

Xander shook his head, "But away from the black hole theory.  In this
instance, in magick that is, they are seeing lines between the universes,
lines that hold them together."

The woman laughed.  "Sounds like Star Trek."  Sitting for a while, she
added, "So every time an event occurs, there is a universe made for every
possible outcome.  All these universes are connected to the original
universe.  Now, if millions of events happen a second on one world, and
that is actually vastly underestimating, think of how many worlds are out
there and connected just because of one occurrence."

"Exactly, and what if someone wanted to shut down one of the lines
between two of these so-called parallel universes?"

"Then they would have to destroy the correct one, or millions, probably
more than trillions, of worlds could be destroyed."

Xander shook his head, "But Fred, that is the problem.  How could they
know that they are destroying the correct line?"

Sitting still for a few minutes, she seemed to be lost in thought.
Finally, she remarked, "If they're using magick, then if they could sense
someone on the other side, they could use that signature to find the
correct line.  Kind of like if you are sitting in a room and are
surrounded by string.  Lets say you have to pull on the string connected
to a friend in a different room and your not sure which string it is.  If
the friend was to tug on their string, then you could point it out of all
the others.  Does that make sense?"

"Sure, that makes perfect sense, actually."

Moving her legs so that she was sitting cross-legged on the couch, Fred
went on to ask, "I know this is a little more complicated, but if they
could find a way to block certain energies from going through, therefore
not entirely destroying it, then it may also help with the odds of
destroying other universes."

"And that means they could still communicate after the gates were
closed."

"Right - I guess."  Lifting an eyebrow, Fred asked, "May I ask what this
information is for?"

Xander thought for a few seconds.  "A book.  Yeah - a book.  Gray is
writing a story and wanted my opinion on this, but I thought if I talked
to you, then maybe I could get a more in depth look at it."

Rifling through magazines and books on her coffee table, she started,
"Well, I do have a lot of information here on quantum physics and
alternate realities - everything from Einstein's theories to Stephen
Hawking."

**

Riley sat alone in his room, staring out his window at William and Wills
in their backyard, even though he really wasn't looking at them.  He
watched them sitting underneath one of their large trees, holding each
other in their arms as they seemed to whisper sweet nothings.  However,
as he silently watched from afar, what reached his mind was not their
figures and situation, but her.  Buffy's image seemed to stare at him
through the window, cloudy but still there.

Angel was right that he had to be strong, that he had to continue, as if
only to be strong, because that was what she would want.  He had never
seen her break down, she was the slayer, she was supposed to be
unflappable.  Then again, he used to be a marine.  Didn't that fall into
the same category?  Hadn't he been taught to not let your emotions run
your life or even any given situation?

Sitting back, he shut the blinds, closing them to where no light would
escape inside.  Closing his eyes, Riley rubbed them a bit to alleviate
the headache he had forming behind them, sighing as he heard a knock at
the door.  Turning, he answered, "Doors unlocked."

Angel, wearing a light gray shirt - which gave away he was the Angel who
shared the house with Wills and William, stuck his head in the door.  "I
thought you might need to talk."  When Riley didn't say anything, Angel
walked farther into the room, shutting the door behind him.  Sitting on
the bed and leaning forward, he rested his chin on his hands as he
started talking to the seemingly uninterested Riley.  "Let me guess, all
you can think about is her.  When you close your eyes, all you see is
her.  She seems to be everywhere, even to the point of being in the air
you breath.  Her smell fills the air, and sometimes, you can feel her
arms wrapped around you, her voice whispering in your ear.    Your head
pounds, because the thought of her is overwhelming you, to the point that
even when you sleep, you're not getting any rest.  The pain of knowing
Buffy Summers, of loving her, has gone to the point that living seems
pointless without her."

Looking up at Angel, Riley asked, his red eyes questioning, "How?"

Angel frowned, "Because I lost her too, but the difference is your Buffy
is still out there."  Reaching out, Angel laid a hand on Riley's knee.
"Don't give up.  Be strong.  The reward is much better than the
nothingness of giving up.  Those arms you envision - they will surround
you again, and you will never forget again how special, how wonderful and
loving they are."

Riley shook his head.  "How did you do it - go on without her?"

Standing up, Angel answered, "I just lived day to day, constantly
reminding myself of all the other people out there that need me - that I
need."

As he started back to the door, he turned and remarked, "And Riley, when
we get her back, treasure her, because she is the slayer.  Her life may
run short, but the time you have with her, all those minutes you spend
with her, that is priceless."

Angel reached for the knob as Riley asked, "And when we get her back,
would you."

Turning and smiling, Angel interrupted him.  "MY Buffy is dead Riley.
Nothing will change that.  I loved her, I still do.  However, I've moved
on.  It may have taken several years, and even though she still has
residence in my heart, it has begun to share that place with someone
else."

**

Cordy stood back from the rest - Oz, Lindsey and Gray - as they typed
away at the computer.  Oz had been tutoring them all morning on how to
break into computer systems, especially those like the Initiatives.
Cordy and Lindsey had both had their run-throughs, and now it was Gray's
turn.  She intently watched the screen, not paying that much attention to
everything else around her as a large crash sounded behind her.

*

He typed away at the keyboard, his fingers belying a well, manicured hand
painted in what looked like dark purple.  The hands were familiar, hands
that he had held close to his heart for some time now.  Looking in the
screen, he could see a reflection of not himself, but her, his wife.
Smiling, he went back to typing.  Beside him, the whirl of the computer
sounded as information downloaded onto a disk.  Then, it all ended.
Blood.  Pain.  Blood ran down from a wound, not even seconds after a loud
firing sound.  Turning, he looked at the new occupant in the room.  A gun
was leveled, and then, after that, he felt no more as he felt her being
blown away.

*

Doyle looked up from the floor to see Cordy standing above him.  Opening
his mouth, he found he couldn't speak.  Suddenly, a lump of sadness
formed in his throat, working its way up as he started to cry.  Not
knowing what to do, Cordy just held him close as he also held onto her,
crying into her chest.   It wasn't until Lindsey tapped his arm that he
looked up in time to see a glass of water and two Tylenol being held out
for him.  Taking them, he swallowed and then looked at Cordy.  Eyeing
him, Cordy asked, "Do we need to go home?"

At first he just nodded.  Then, as Cordy tried to help him up, he pulled
her down to him again.  Barely, above a whisper, Doyle remarked only to
her, "Don't down load the information.  Please."

Cordy smiled, even though her smile seemed bittersweet, "Everything will
be fine.  I'll take care."
 

Part Seventeen

Spike shook his head as Gray pulled out what almost looked like a lap top
computer hooked to a key card.  "I can't believe someone in Sunnydale has
finally learned to lock their doors."

Typing at the keyboard as he tried to by-pass the security system while
still unlocking the door, Gray remarked, "The Initiative made sure to
lock everything down when they left.  If we're lucky, Wesley hasn't
considered this entrance yet."

Cordy shook her head as she watched over Gray's shoulder.  Oz had to
leave for a convention earlier that day, and he had shown a few of them
how to go about using the equipment.  "No.  We'll be lucky if we live."

Looking back at the group as he finished up, Gray remarked with a smile,
the door opening at his command, "And we're in."

In the back of the group, Graham turned as Tara gasped beside him and
squeezed his hand.  Her face had turned several shades paler and her eyes
grew wide. "Tara, what is wrong?"

Everyone turned as she answered, almost as if in a trance, listening to
some far off voice, "The laughter stopped.  She knows we're here, and she
wants me so she can be reborn."

Wills shook her head.  "Tara, you're not making any sense."

"We thought she was dead, but I'm not.  She's still here, and she wants
revenge."  Looking over at Graham, she added, "I can't go in.  I won't be
able to control her."

"Nice time to change your mind," commented Spike wryly.

Willow shook her head.  "No, Tara's right. I can feel something.  It
doesn't feel right, and if it is directed towards her."

Reaching out, Tara remarked frantically, "You can't go either, Willow.
She wants you to pay!"

Not understanding, Willow just laid her hands on Tara's shoulders.  "Hey,
I'll be okay.  I have Spike,"

Graham, squeezing Tara's hand, asked, "Do you want to wait here?"

By now, tears had started streaming down her face.  Nodding, she buried
her face into Graham's chest, the choked words, "Be careful," and "I love
you," hardly sounding.

Kissing her on the forehead and then the lips, Graham said goodbye before
following the group into the somewhat lit hallway.  Turning one more time
to her, he reached his hand across the threshold and took hers in his and
smiled.  "Shut the door behind us, and if anyone other than us comes out,
run and hide."

As the doorway sounded shut at Graham's instructions, Faith commented
from the front of the group, standing between her Angel and William, "How
far does this hallway go, Gray?  It seems to go on forever."

"Not as far as it looks."

Spike shook his head.  "When did being stealthy translate into having a
bloody conversation?"

Beside him, Willow stopped and reached out to him, "Shh.  I hear
something."

Lindsey whispered back, "I don't hear anything."

In the front, Faith held out her hand to quiet them.  Tilting her head,
she gave off a look of concentration.  After a few long seconds, she
looked over at her Angel and commented, "Footsteps?"

The other Angel answered from behind her instead, "About five men."

By now, Willow was holding her head and closing her eyes.  Trying to be
quiet, she whispered loudly, "No, the voice.  Don't you hear her?"

Wills turned to her, things starting to click in her mind, her eyes
growing wide as they did so.  Reaching out, she grabbed Willow and
slightly shook her.  "What voice, Willow?  What voice?"

Not answering, Willow fell to a heap in the floor.  Kneeling beside her,
Spike looked up at Wills, his voice carrying a deadly tone.  "Watch it,
red."

Willow started to shake while Spike wrapped his arms around her.  As he
tried to console and calm her, she begun to cry, still holding her head.
"It hurts.  It hurts.  Like fingers crushing down into my mind."

In the front, William turned, "Spike, get her out of here."

Shaking his head as he drew out his weapon, an axe, Angel remarked from
the other side of Faith, "Too late."

Faith raised her crossbow, firing as a small group seemed to appear out
of nowhere, emerging from a connecting hallway in front of them.
Stepping up, Wills yelled out to form a magical barrier as everyone drew
their weapons at the same time.  Only two shots were faster than Wills -
the arrow from Faith's crossbow and a bullet from what looked like
soldiers on the other side.  Both met targets, one being Angel, who
grunted in pain beside Faith as the bullet embedded itself into his
shoulder.

Weapons drawn on both sides, they stared at each other.  On the soldier's
side, one of them laughed and commented, "You might out number us, but
your weapons have no chance against ours."

Gray, Riley and Graham all looked at each other as they recognized the
voice.  Stepping forward, his large stun gun leveled, powerful enough to
drop a large horse, Gray smiled evilly at the man across from him.
"Forrest, what made you team up with the bad guys again?"

Shaking his head on the other side, Forrest remarked, "Ah, the turncoat."

"At least I don't turn and run at the first sight of danger."

"Oh, don't worry Gray, this time, I'm going to stay so I can see all of
you go down."

>From the back, a voice rang out, "Oh, Puh-lease!"  Everyone turned as
Willow stood up, pushing herself away from Spike.  Almost laughing, she
continued, "None of you really matter.  You're just pawns, made to
discard.  In all, you're actually very tiring."

Spike cocked one eyebrow, "Willow?"

Balling her fists at her side, she yelled, the walls shaking, "I'm not
Willow!  Willow's dead - that little tramp of a whore."

Everyone fought for balance as the ground trembled below, feeling very
much like a California earthquake.  Faith, turning, saw Wills' shield go
down in the confusion.  Grabbing William, she pulled him to the other
side before it reestablished itself.  Almost immediately, gunfire rang
out as William and Faith attacked, impervious to the guns and stakes
being used.  On the other side, however, as the tremors stopped, all eyes
turned to Willow, dread setting before they had even really started.

Moving away from Spike, not even paying attention to him, Willow stalked
over to Riley.  Reaching up, she rested her hand on his cheek.  "Dear
Riley, that Spike may have hurt you, but things can go back to the way
they were.  We can rule the Hellmouth, and none of this will even
matter."

Riley shook his head.  "I'm not your Riley."

Digging her fingernails into his cheek, leaving bloody scratches, she
hissed, "Fine.  Then die - all of you!  I don't care!"  With the simple
motion of her hand, everyone's bodies flew through the air, being rammed
into the walls.  As everyone fell limp to the floor, even those on the
other side of the barrier, she turned to one of the walls.  Just holding
out her hand, power seemed to seep from all around Willow, rising through
her body and then her hand as part of the wall blew away, leaving an
opening through dust filled air.  Smiling, Willow stepped into a room,
where a dark bloodstain was slowly disappearing.

Behind her, several minutes later, one by one, the group started to
stand.  No one knew what to say.  Finally, Wills spoke up.  "I'm staying
behind.  Someone has to deal with Willow."

Spike nodded, "I'm staying too."

>From where she stood, ahead of everyone, Faith nodded towards the
hallway, the now fallen soldiers had appeared from, "Looks like its time
to split up."  Looking at Gray and Graham, she added, "Are you boys
ready?"

**

Since the day before, when Lilah had brought her food, Buffy had existed
in a world between reality and dreams, at least that is what her mind
kept telling her.  At this moment she was being roused by a tugging at
her arm.  A voice sounded in the background, sounding like a child
chatting away.  Looking up, Buffy expected to see Drusilla, but instead
found herself looking at Lilah with a puzzled expression.  As if it would
explain things, Lilah stated, "Wesley asked that I lock you up."

Trying to see past her, Buffy focused on the other voice in the room.  A
fuzzy Dru rocked back and forth, commenting, "She isn't laughing.  They
made her mad, mad.  Mad! MAD!!  Found a home, yes, a home.  All nice and
warm with a heartbeat.  But she won't stop them all.  She doesn't care,
no.  No more laughter, only anger, anger and blood.  Halting in her
speech, she laughed and then stopped, making a choking sound.  The cell
was eerily quiet as she remarked, "Blood.  A red siren, screaming out,
and his blood, Spike's blood."

Lilah started towards Dru, about to speak, as Wesley walked in.  Leaving
the cell door open, being both Buffy and Drusilla were locked up, Wesley
walked straight to Lilah.  "Team four hasn't reported in."

Breath catching, Lilah's eyes grew wide.  Just earlier, an explosion had
been reported in the area group four was in charge of.  She had convinced
herself the cause had something to do from the earthquake mere seconds
before, but if it hadn't.?  "Could they be here?"

Wesley grabbed her shoulders and shook her a bit as she started to panic.
 "Lilah, Lilah!"  Finally looking up at him, Wesley reached up, gently
caressing her face.  "Don't worry love, it will be okay."

Shaking her head, her eyes wide, Lilah commented, "No, don't you see?
It's starting.  He's come for."

Quickly hushing her with his finger, Wesley stopped her onslaught.  "Shh,
Lilah, it will be okay, as long as we have the slayer.  That is all they
want."  He could see the doubt in her eyes, but he went on.  Leaning
forward, he started to kiss up to her jaw line, then followed it to her
lips, where she welcomed him.

Lilah melted into him, not minding as he pushed her to a wall, his hands
caressing her in front of the prisoners.  As one hand still petted her
cheek, the other worked its way under her skirt, eliciting tones of
pleasure.  All of her focus went to the feelings he was giving her, not
noticing the other hand had dropped to her breast and then worked its way
back up to her throat.  As ecstasy built up more inside her and she felt
like she was about to explode in it, his hand started to squeeze.  Pent
up desire washed through her, leaving her shaken as he stopped playing at
her, using that hand to join the other at her neck.  Her mind started to
comprehend as everything stayed out of focus.  Trying to breathe but not
being able to, she reached up to pry his hands away.  Raising her flush
face, her accusatory eyes looked into his.  The rage she saw there was
the last thing she looked upon as her world drifted away into nothing,
Then, Lilah fell at his feet into heap, a now life less shell.

**

Wills looked over at Spike as the others continued down the hall,
breaking into two different groups.  Running a hand through his short
blond hair, Spike asked, "How long do you think we were out?"

Nodding toward a hole in the wall, where the dust had settled before they
had even woke up, she answered, "Probably anywhere between five and ten
minutes."

Spike looked through the hole and frowned, remembering the room on the
other side from when they broke in the first time, except, then they had
taken the long way around.  She would go back there, wouldn't she - to
that place Willow still had nightmares of?  Spike wasn't as thick headed
as people thought.  He knew what was happening.  Tara's evil spirit -
probably left behind from her demon half - had taken over Willow, and
there was nothing he wouldn't do to get her back.

Stepping through the hole with Spike following, Wills glanced at the
faint bloodspot on the floor.  This had been where Tara died, and if she
remembered correctly, it was also adjoined by Tara and Riley's apartment.
 Had Wesley and Lilah moved to those rooms, or did they leave them be?
Whatever they had done, that would be where she would go.  Turning that
way, Wills headed to the apartment's door, where it stood slightly ajar.

Opening the door, Wills found herself staring into what had been the
personal quarters of Tara and Riley.  The front room was pretty sparse,
only housing a couch, coffee table and what looked to be a weapon's
closet with a mirror at the back of it, where Willow now stood to the
side with her back to them.  Time must have escaped, because Willow had
changed into a long, light yellow dress with slits on both sides,
traveling up to her hips.  At this time, Wills could see she was putting
on gloves, and even from angle she was at, being able to see very little,
she could surmise what they really were.  Giles had shown her a pair
once.  When worn, the wearer could block almost any blunt object, and the
pain of the contact would be absorbed into the gloves.  "I won't let you
do."

Willow turned, grabbing a staff as she did so.  "This universes Willow
Rosenberg: weapon of choice - staff."  Throwing at Wills and interrupting
her, Willow then added, "What?  Are you going to kill me? If you do, then
she dies too."

Wills shook her head as she stepped in the apartment to fully let Spike
in behind her.  Checking out the staff, she twirled it about and then
smiled as she decided it would work.  "No.  I won't kill her.  As long as
she's alive, there is a chance."

Willow laughed.  "And do you really think you can face us?  I may have
shut her consciousness far away, but I have access to al her powers,
awakened and un-awakened.  Plus, combine those with my own, and we become
unstoppable."  Turning, she quickly grabbed two sai from the weapon's
closet, two blunt dagger like instruments, and then walked around the
couch to the two.  Stopping in front of Spike, she shook her head and
remarked, "and don't think having this harmless vampire here is going to
make a difference.  Whatever she felt for him is lost."  Turning to
Wills, she held out her arms, "Ready to play?"

"Ready to beat you senseless is more like it," and with a swing of her
staff, Wills caused Willow to step back, the staff connecting with
Willow's jaw.  Willow reached up and wiped a bit of blood away from the
corner of her mouth.   Licking the rest of it off, she kicked out at
Wills, connecting solidly with her bare foot in the same place.  Smiling
at the small trail now in the corner of Wills mouth, Willow remarked,
"Now, we're even."

With almost no warning, Wills attacked, swinging out with the staff.
Blocking with her palm, causing a loud clang as it hit the hilt of a sai,
Willow pushed it away and stepped back to a safer distance.  Spike moved
away in the opposite direction, watching the action and not wanting to
get involved in it at the moment.  He studied them as they seemed to
dance around the room, swinging and blocking in almost a perfect rhythm.
Then, suddenly they stopped.  Willow smiled as Wills wiped a bit of sweat
from her brow.  "Now, that was fun."

This time Willow attacked, striking with her sai while kicking at the
same time.  Falling onto the couch, Wills tumbled over it, somehow
keeping a resemblance of balance and regaining her footing.  Calling out
as she tried to hold her own, she found herself turning and being backed
into a wall.  "Spike, do something!"

Jumping into the situation, Spike tried to approach the two, running at
full speed as Willow turned to him quickly, holding out a hand.  Spike
found himself feeling like he had run into a solid wall.  Falling back,
onto the coffee table, he lifted himself out of the glass and broken
wood, calling out as the love of his life turned back to her mirror
image.  "Willow, I know you're in there.  Fight her, sweetie.  Be strong!
 You don't want to do this.  Please, Willow Love, stop her."

Turning to him again, Willow screamed as Wills took the opportunity to
hit her in the shoulder with the stff.  Grunting in pain, she yelled at
the same time, "Stop it!"

It was almost as if a hand batted him away to the side.  In one instant,
he had been standing mere feet from them, and then in the next, he was
being thrown through the air.  With a large clattering noise, Spike hit
the weapon's closet.  Above him, weapons swayed.  Watching in horror,
Spike looked up through his dazed mind as above him, a spear fell,
slicing right through his skull and pinning him to the base of the
closet.

Wills found herself lost for a second as she saw Spike laying on the
ground.  Screaming, she yelled, thinking of William as she did so,
"Spike!"  I was at this time she felt it rip though her.  Her screams
turned to that of pain as a it was pushed deeper into her.  Then as she
felt a pop at her back, she sank to the floor, looking down almost calmly
at the sai sticking out of her at an odd angle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cordy, nursing a sprained wrist already, asked Graham, "Are you sure this
is the right way?"

Rolling his eyes, he was about to answer, but stopped as he pressed her
against a hallway wall, William and Lindsey following suit.  Holding her
breath, wondering if Graham could feel her heart beating wildly against
the arm draped over her chest, pinning her to the wall, she watched as
two guards walked by the hallway they were in.  They kept on, not turning
to see them, so Cordy let out her breath.  Next to her, Graham pointed to
a room across from the hallway, mouthing as he pointed, "Computer."

Inching past them, William peaked quickly into the hallway, stealing
glances in each direction.  Stepping back into the hallway, he indicated
how many guards were in each direction.  Cordy's eyes grew wide as he
signed, "Four guards in all."

Lindsey tapped William and pointed across towards the room in question
and then followed it by shrugging his shoulders.  Holding up a hand,
Cordy whispered quietly, "Get ready to run."  Truth was she wanted to go
instead of Lindsey, but something kept nagging at the back of her mind,
something that Doyle had said.  Before anyone could react, she jumped
into the hallway.  Split seconds later, William joined her.  Looking over
at William as the guards started to approach, she walked a little further
from the hallway and commented as he scooted closer to her, "I told you
we took a wrong turn at Albuquerque."

A small smile played at William's lips as two of the guards approached,
both not even cracking a smile.  One of them commented as he aimed his
gun towards them, "This is a restricted area."

The other guard motioned to the other two to help and then spoke into a
device on his shoulder as he holstered his gun, stopping in front of
Cordy.  "Back up needed at 214."

Trying to look innocent, Cordy remarked, "We're not looking for trouble -
really.  It is just our first day on the job as lab techs, and we made a
wrong turn trying to find our lockers."

In that second, everything took place.  Moving so fast, it was almost
impossible to see, William reached out and pulled away the gun from the
soldier in front of him.  At the same time, Cordy kicked out at the man
in front of her.  Then, to add to the commotion, Graham stepped out and
shot a ray of fire across the two at the end of the hall.  Cordy yelled
out, "Now!" as more soldiers could be heard running in the distance.
Lindsey used that time to run across the hall to the computer room.

Stopping just a ways in the door, Lindsey looked around at the computers
lining the wall, massive machines that took up all the space available.
In the center of the bright white room, sat what looked like the main
computer.  Stepping to it, he inserted the disk he had been carrying with
him and then started at the keyboard, going through all the steps Oz had
shown him.  Concentrating, he blocked out the noises of fighting outside
the door, listening only to the whirl of the computers.

His fingers played at the keys, almost as if he was an expert.  Screen
after screen passed by him, piled up on the monitor, and then almost
magically, something clicked in the massive database.  Beside him, the
computer whirled even more, almost speaking to him as it started to
download files.  He had done it, without a hitch.

Bam.  Snap.  Lindsey's eyes grew wide as he stared ahead, not wanting to
turn in any way, a bullet slowly as it blew the screen.  For some reason,
he couldn't hear anything anymore from his right ear.  Could the noise
have deafened him?  Slowly raising his hand to his head, his eyes grew
even wider as his hand found a wet pool of nothing where his ear used to
be.  Shaking as he brought his blood covered hand into view, he stared at
it for a moment.  Then, resting it right above the disk drive, he turned
to find himself looking into the barrel of a gun.  His vision had already
started to blur from the prior miss when it sounded and Lindsey fell to
the floor.

At the sound of the second gunfire, Cordy looked up.  Grunting in pain,
she pushed a guard away from her as Graham stepped over and rammed him in
the head with the butt of his stun gun.  Reaching the door, she didn't
even slow as her foot kicked out before the guard could even turn,
knocking him to the ground.  Kicking him once more, she halted at the
site before her.

Graham pushed Cordy further into the room before seeing what had stopped
her.  Looking over at her, he noticed the paleness of her face, and knew
that his must mirror the same thing.  Then, as Cordy ran to a corner to
throw up, not able to stand looking at Lindsey, Graham calmly walked up
to the computer. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a second,
he reached out and popped the disk out of the drive, trying to ignore the
thick trails of blood streaking down it.

Turning, Graham reached Cordy.  Rubbing her on the back, he coaxed her
out of the room as William joined them, "What took.?"  Stopping as he
looked over at Lindsey, William took a deep unneeded breath in himself
and then jumped back into the situation.  "We need to get going before
another wave of soldiers shows.  Got the disk?"

Graham held it up before placing it in his pocket.  Then, silently,
Graham dragging Cordy when her legs just wouldn't work for a few seconds,
the three raced away from the scene.

**

Tara paced outside the door.  Something had happened.  She could feel it.
 The voice had gone away, but she knew that the presence was there,
stronger.  It shook her to the soul, because she feared what that could
mean.  Stopping in front of the door, she listened, searching beyond it
for an answer.  Eyes popping open, she choked as she realized what had
conspired.  Her body seemed to convulse for a second, and her hand shook
as it reached for the handle, opening it up.

Walking down the hallway, Tara pulled up as much courage as she could,
praying silently as she weaved in and out of rubble.  Stopping in front
of the large opening in the hall, she paused, running her hand over the
rough edges, almost as if she was focusing on every angle and bumps.
Then, once again saying a silent prayer, begging for the strength to
handle what was ahead of her, she stepped into a large room.  Ignoring a
faint bloodstain, she automatically walked over to an open door, halting
as she did so.

Her eyes quickly took in the room, and for some reason, she hardly felt
anything.  On her right, on one side of the room, Wills seemed to sit on
the floor.  Her eyes were squeezed in pain and her chest moved
rhythmically, showing that she seemed to still be strong enough to last a
little longer.  The eyes slowly opened and looked over at Tara. She
silently mouthed, "Help."

Turning her eyes to the opposite side of the room from her, Tara stared
at the next scene.  Moving closer, she stopped as she approached a couch.
 On the other side of the couch, at the bottom of a weapon's closet
against the wall, lay Spike, not moving.  Tara could see the spear
sticking out of his head, where a pool of blood was pooling.  Standing in
it, with her back to Tara, stood Willow.  The blood seemed to wash over
the red head's feet as she calmly remarked, "I killed them.  You'll be
even easier."

Tara looked down at Spike one more time, noticing that his eyes had
snapped open and were now staring at her.  Tearing her stare away, she
glared up at Willow, who had turned.  In a monotone voice, Tara remarked,
"You disgust me.  I could never have been you, and neither will Willow."

Willow stepped back as a light breeze seemed to pick up in the room.
Across from her, on the other side of the couch, Tara's hair started to
stand on end, and electricity seemed to run about her, small sparks of
light flashing.  Her eyes turned a very light blue, showing that she had
opened herself to powers, good powers and not that of dark powers - which
could be seen through black eyes.  The light blue seemed to glow, taking
up even the whites of her eyes. Then Tara spoke again, and this time, she
spoke with the voice of many people, ringing out, "You will not have this
innocent.  She is ours."

Then, Tara held out her hands.  Electric looking fingers stretched out
from her, wrapping around Willow as if they were rope.  Struggling,
Willow tried to break free, her own eyes turning black as she did so.
Items started to fly from the walls at Tara, but magickally, they all
fell to the floor at her feet, never touching her.  Screaming, Willow
thrashed back and forth.  Then, in a flash Willow's mouth snapped shut as
the screaming continued in a haze before her.  Tara's head tilted to the
side as she looked at the haze above the now unconscious Willow.  Closing
her hands into fists, Willow fell to the floor, landing in Spike's blood.

Lifting her hand in the air, Tara made a swiping motion, and the haze
slammed into a wall, falling to the floor in what looked like ash beside
Wills.  It seemed to scream once again and then fell silent.  Moving to
it, Tara waved her hand above it, commenting in strange voices quietly,
"Never again."

Turning to Wills, she kneeled on the floor. Reaching out her hand, she
pulled the sai out of Wills' side.  Dropping the sai, she let her hand
hover above the wound.  Wills looked down as the flesh seemed to knit
itself together.  Glancing up, she caught a tear running down Tara's
cheek.  The shy witch, still taken over, remarked, "We can't mend bone."

Pushing herself up, Tara then walked over to Spike, whose fingers had
somehow stretched out and were playing at the unconscious Willow's hair.
At least he still had control over part of his body, even with a spear
slicing through his head.  His sad eyes looked up as Tara kneeled beside
him, belying the fact that blood loss was slowly taking over.  Grabbing a
stake from the closet, she handed it to him.  Spike tried to nod, not
being able to speak at the moment, but then stopped as the spear tore at
his head.  Blinking in pain, he placed the stake in his mouth and then
looked up at her, his eyes never leaving Tara's as she reached out and
swiftly pulled it out.  As she had with Wills, she then placed her hand
above his head, healing him, knowing that his own healing process
wouldn't be fast enough.

Spike moved a bit, trying to sit up and then faltered.  Falling back down
to the floor.  His head was swimming, and it was then he realized exactly
how weak he was.  Tara still hovered above him, moving her wrist above
his mouth.  "Drink."

Shaking his head actually at the voices falling from her lips, he
remarked, "You know I can't bite."

Tara closed her eyes for a second, almost as if she was thinking.
Opening the bright blue eyes and looking at him again, she countered,
"No.  You can.  Drink.  We want you to live, to be strong."

Spike felt himself change.  Waiting for the pain, he bit into her wrist,
halting as he realized there was no pain.  Then, biting down harder, he
drew more blood and drank, knowing that he couldn't take to much.  Above
him, Tara pulled her wrist away.  Blinking, her normal stormy eyes seemed
to appear above him.  "Spike?"

Changing back to his human visage, Spike sat up and looked at her, "Tara,
are you okay?"

Her mouth opened, about to say something when voices could be heard.
Turning instead of answering, she watched with Spike as William, Graham
and Cordy walked in.  Not wasting time, not even to ask about Lindsey,
Tara commanded,  "William, get Wills.  She can't stand."  As he rushed to
Wills, she then remarked to the other two, "Graham, take Willow and
Cordy, could you help me with Spike here?"  Graham didn't hesitate
either.  Picking up Willow, he followed William out the door as Cordy and
Tara helped Spike up and led him through the door.  As they left the room
for the final time, Spike asked, "Tara, how did you know?"

"How could I not, Spike?  She was me, in some twisted way.  No matter how
much I don't want to admit it, a part of her was the same as me, human,
and that side spoke to me.  Maybe it was magick, maybe not, but whatever
it was, it had to be because of that relation."

**

Gray shook his head as they all stepped into a testing room.  They had
made it all this way and seen no one.  Could it be that he was leading
them in the wrong direction, that Buffy was being housed somewhere else?
Then, as he made one more step, everything became a blur.  A shot rang
out and he felt like he was being blown into a wall.  As his head hit up
against a metal cabinet on the wall, everything became blurry, even the
pain in his chest, near his shoulder.  The last thing he saw was Riley
staring at him, fear seeming to set in, only to be replaced by the rage
of seeing his friend fall.

Riley had felt the bullet as it flew by him, turning only in time to see
Gray get hit.  Watching the double of his friend go down, Riley felt
anger build up inside of him.  Everything seemed to slow in his mind as
soldiers seemed to appear from the walls.  Dropping his crossbow, he
reached down and grabbed Gray's large stun gun, and started shooting
every one he could see, hoping against odds that a stray bullet wouldn't
reach him like one did his friend.  He was here to find Buffy, and didn't
want anything to stop him.

At the same time, Faith went into action, shooting with her cross bow as
behind her, Angel did the same thing, picking up the crossbow Riley had
discarded.  Back to back, their motions seemed to be mirrored.  Working
as a finally tuned team, they shot out, turning and shooting anything
that moved and wasn't on their side, making sure only to wound and not
kill,

The other Angel watched the change in Riley and felt it himself.  He had
never liked the guy, ever since that day he met up with him in the alley,
but at this moment, he understood Riley like he never had before.
Reaching over, he picked up what looked like a metal tray used to hold
medical instruments and then rushed towards the soldiers, hitting them
solidly with the tray and knocking them down.

As the fighting continued on, Riley noticed for the first time an open
door at the side.  Gaining Faith's attention, he pointed towards it and
then ran through it, Faith and her Angel following as the other Angel
thinned out the rest of the soldiers.  As he stepped into the room, the
first thing he saw was Buffy in one of the corners, her hazed eyes
looking at him in fear.  Then, he felt a fist connect with his jaw.
Actually stepping to the side from the blow, he looked up as Faith and
Angel walked in, finding a gun trained on him.

Fatih looked over to the man on the other side of the gun and then looked
past him to see Lilah's body lying prone on the ground.  "You don't have
to do this Wesley.  The rest of the council doesn't have to know the true
nature of your little group."

Wesley laughed.  "Right, Faith.  Like I should believe a being like you."

"Don't make me attack."

"One of your humans is already laying outside there in a pool of blood.
Don't think I won't waste my shot on your other one."  Cocking the gun to
make his point as Riley stood still, watching, Wesley added, "The time of
purification is nearing, and I won't allow scum such as you and your
lover to lay to waste what we have built up."

>From the side, Angel looked over at Faith with a strange look in his
eyes.  How had Wesley known?  "Wesley."

Not moving his aim, Wesley's other hand fished into his pocket and
removed a stake.  Moving quickly, he threw it at Angel and then placed
his hand back with his other one.  "That could have been your heart."

Angel doubled over in pain for the second time that day as the stake
landed in his stomach.  Faith looked over at him and then switched back
to Wesley.  Her human visage melted away into the demons as she asked,
"Why not?  Don't you want him dead?"

"Because I want to see him suffer first."

At the side, a soft voice emerged, "I can feel the blood flowing, flowing
into my mouth as my daddy watches."

Wesley yelled, "Shut up!" as he swung the gun over, shooting towards the
voice.  A shot rang out as Riley used the time to move, propelling across
the room to where Buffy screamed out a blood curdling "NO!"

Faith turned quickly, seeing the being in the darkness, a faint woman who
had haunted her dreams since the day she had seen her double vanquish
into a pile of dust.  Her heart screamed, just as Buffy had done vocally.
 Without hesitation, she struck out at Wesley.  Her hands grabbed his
arm, twisting it until she heard the popping of bone.  Pushing him into a
wall with one hand at his neck, her other hand grabbed a remaining stake
from him and then moved it to his throat.  "Tell me why I shouldn't kill
you right now," she spat.

Angel, still hunkered over, moved to Drusilla as she whimpered.  His eyes
swelled as he saw her there, in such a terrible condition.  Part of him
thought it would have been better if she was dead, as they had thought.
At least that way, she wouldn't have been driven to the point she was
now.  Moving to her as she whispered to him, calling him 'Daddy,' he
yanked at her chains, using vampire strength to break them.

Drusilla placed a hand at her side, pressing against the gunshot wound.
With the help of Angel, she stood up, walking to Wesley and Faith as the
watcher remarked to Faith, "Go to hell, Faith."

Turning to Dru, she asked, "Do you want him?"

Dru stared for a second, smiling softly at the dark beauty before her.
Rocking back and forth, she answered, "Can't eat.  Can't bite.  Can't
hurt."

>From the door, a groggy Gray remarked, being held up by Angel, "The
Initiative did it to her when they first started designing the chip.
With the chip she has, she can eat and even kill him, as long as she
doesn't initially hurt him."

Faith turned back to Wesley, her fangs close to his neck as the other
Angel remarked from beside Gray, "If you do this, do you know what you
may become?"

Pausing, Faith hovered above his neck.  She could feel all eyes on her.
Slightly turning to where she could see the other slayer, she smiled
softly as Buffy's voice said calmly, a voice of someone who had never
been able to kill another human, no matter how bad they had been, "His
soul can't be human to have done all this."

With that, Faith bit harshly into his neck, breaking the skin and then
tearing at it. Pulling away as she wiped blood from her face, she turned
to Drusilla, "He's all yours."  Smiling evilly, Drusilla  bit into the
spots Faith had torn open for her, not being the initial one to hurt him.
 Everyone watched silently as she fed on him, not able to move or say
anything.  It was over.  That could be seen as his body fell to the
floor, his blood drained and a starving vampire hovering above him.
 

Part Eighteen

Charles Gunn stood at the front desk of Sunnydale Memorial's ER.  It had
been a quiet evening so far, and he was beginning to believe that he was
going to have a slow shift, something that was quite welcomed in his
life.  Across from him a fellow resident, Ben, was conversing with one of
the doctors, something about the latest flub up on NBC's ER.  It was at
this time the whirl of an ambulance siren caught his attention.  The
doors flew open, and that was when all hell broke loose in the ER,
figuratively speaking of course.

**

Cordelia sat still, staring at the wall across from her, looking past the
figure seated there.  Doyle's stare was the same way, only wavering when
Giles would walk between them.  On the side, Xander had taken off his
glasses, watching them closely as he rocked them back and forth in front
of his face, almost like he was trying to hypnotize himself with them.
The clocked ticked on the wall, the only sound in the room, until a
shrill ringing broke the silence.

Jumping up, Cordelia answered the phone.  Everyone watched as she stood,
her face growing pale.  "Hello?  Angel.  Yes.  Oh my.  No.  Okay.  We're
coming."  Slowly hanging up the phone, she stared at it for a second.
Not moving, she remarked matter-of-factly in an emotionless voice.
"Lindsey's dead."  Turning to Xander, she added, "We need to get to the
hospital now."

Then, looking over at Giles, she added, "Oh, and Angel and Faith are
bringing some of the gang back here.  They asked that you stay behind."

**

Doyle pushed his way into one of the rooms, stopping as he watched a
doctor finish up placing a brace on his wife's wrist.  "No strenuous
activity with this wrist, okay?  You could end up doing more damage than
just a sprain."

Cordy nodded.  "Ok."

The doctor acknowledged Doyle and then got up and left as Cordy stared
down at her wrist.  Not looking up at Doyle, she remarked, "We killed
him, you know."

"If you had gone in there."

"Then Lindsey would be alive."

Doyle sat down in front of her.  Wiping a tear away, he remarked, "And I
would have lost the most important thing in my life."

Breaking into tears, Cordy felt Doyle wrap his arms around her, and she
cried as she hadn't cried since Buffy.

**

Cordelia fell into Angel's arms as she entered the waiting area with
Xander.  Kissing her lightly on top of the head, he remarked quietly,
"See, I said I would make it out okay.  The other Angel got shot and
staked, but I hardly got a scratch."

Pulling away, she looked at Xander and then William, who was sitting on
one of the waiting room couches.  "What about the others?  How bad is it
really?"

Looking over at Xander, Angel answered, "Gray got shot and then banged up
his head pretty bad.  He lost consciousness at least three times before
we got him here.  However, the doctors are hopeful."

Still glancing at William, she asked, "And Wills?"

William looked up at her with his bright blue eyes.  Running a hand
through his brown hair, he went to answer as tears started to stream down
his face.  Questioning, Cordelia went to him as she stared up at Angel.
As she rubbed William on the back and tried to calm him, Angel answered,
"Willow hurt Wills' back pretty bad."

Beside her, in her arms, William cried out, "They don't know if she will
walk again."

Angel nodded, "One of her disks was misplaced and chipped."

Xander sat down across from Cordelia and William.  His voice was cold as
he asked while removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes.  "Why were
Willow and Wills fighting?"

Angel answered, "We think Willow was taken over by Tara's spirit after we
entered the compound.  Wills tried to fight her, and Tara, using Willow's
body, injured Will and Spike pretty bad."

Looking up at Angel, she asked, "Spike?  How bad was he hurt?"

Angel looked over at William and then answered, "He was speared through
the head.   Tara somehow fixed it, and now we fear his chip may be
deactivated."

Xander sat up.  "If Tara could fix Spike, then why not Gray?"

William stated, not looking up, "We think something had taken over her
body too, something powerful and good.  Spike and Wills said her eyes
were glowing and that she somehow got rid of Tara, but whatever inhabited
her body had left by the time we got there, by the time she could have
helped with Gray."

Suddenly, without warning, Xander dropped his glasses.  He cried out, and
tears flowed down his face.  Pushing away from Cordelia, William kneeled
in front of him.  His own red, swollen eyes met Xander's.  Placing a hand
on the young man's face, a man he had never given much thought of until
now, William remarked, "They will be okay.  We can't give up hope."

**

At the house, Giles stood in the doorway with Graham, watching as Faith
and Angel doted over the newest member of the family, a crazed vampire
known only by legends of bloodshed.  The vampire was sitting in bed with
Faith behind her, brushing the vampires' hair.  In front of her, Angel
sat, telling some story of the past.  Drusilla's eyes held an interest
that Giles could only envision in the look of a child.  "I didn't even
know they were together, or that they would ever be crazy enough to take
on such a dangerous task."

Graham nodded.  "I think it happened last night, and as for Drusilla,
she's like Spike.  She can't hurt humans.  Plus, with all she's gone
through, they don't think she would be that bad anyway."

As they started down the hall, Giles asked, "But what about Wesley?
Angel told me what happened there."

"I don't know what to say.  I wasn't there."

Stopping in front of Riley's room, Giles stated, "He said that Faith let
Drusilla eat Wesley.  Doesn't that tell you that she still has a blood
thirst in her."

"And what does that say about Faith?" asked Riley from inside his room.

Giles entered the room a little, looking over at the slayer lying still
on the bed, her arm covering her eyes.  "I will not question my slayer."

Uncovering her eyes, Buffy surprised him by speaking, "Then don't
question her about this.  Drusilla may be crazy, but she was the one
thing that kept me sane the time I was there.  She is different than my
Drusilla, and I don't think you will have problem with her, especially
now that she has her daddy back and a new mommy."

Graham frowned, "Buffy, we didn't know you were coherent."

"The drugs are fading away enough that the room is now spinning slowly.
As for my hearing, it is working just fine."

"Sorry then."

"No need to be sorry, Giles."  Smiling a bit as she looked over in his
direction, but not at him directly, she added, "I should be the one sorry
- sorry that I caused such terrible things."

Riley shook his head and played with her hair as he smiled down at her,
"Don't be sorry Buffy.  We had to do this."

Pushing up his glasses and walking out of the room, Giles then asked
Graham, "And what about the other guests?"

Graham led him into Spike and Willow's room, where Spike was laying with
Willow in his arms.  Tara looked up at the two from beside the bed as
Graham asked, "How are they?"

"I think Willow will be fine.  If anything, she may have been drained by
the experience, that's all."

"And Spike?  What about the chip?" asked Giles.

Opening his eyes and looking over at the watcher, Spike remarked simply,
"I've made a promise."
 

Part Nineteen

Spike woke up to find their room lit up by a small stream of light on the
other side.  Willow stood in front of the window, dressed, peeking out of
it.  Not moving, she stated, "I talked to Tara this morning.  She told me
about Dru and the chip.  Do you want to go to her?"

Moving from the bed, he answered, "I don't want Drusilla, Willow.  I want
you."

Willow let the curtain fall into place, bathing the room in darkness.
"Everything is so vivid.  It was like I was in a cage, watching as I did
all those things, not able to break through, to stop her.  All I feel is
pain Spike, pain of knowing that I hurt Wills and you, that I freed you
and now have lost everything."

Spike turned her around, meeting her dead gaze with his own.  "You
haven't lost everything."

"Really, Spike?  Tell me you don't want to go back to the way things
were, to the violence you crave so much."

"I want you, Willow."

Tilting and exposing her neck, she remarked quietly.  "Fine.  Take my
life.  I don't deserve to live after what I did."

Looking down at her, mouth gaping open, he shook his head.  Spike took
her hand and led her to the bed.  Sitting her down, he sat down beside
her.  "I won't, Willow.  Believe it or not, I enjoy your heartbeat and
the warmth of a live human."

Willow shook her head.  "But after what I did.?"

"You didn't do anything.  Tara did.  We all know that, even Wills.  No
one blames you."

"And you don't want to eat me?"

Spike chuckled, "Bloody hell, sweets, of course not, at least not in the
literal sense.  Believe it or not, you really have done something to the
demon in me.  All we want is to be with you right now."

"Are you sure?"

"Once, you asked me if I truly loved a girl, if I could change my ways,
if only to be with her.  The answer is still the same.  I will do
anything to be with you, to keep the promise I made."

Willow went to reach up to him, when suddenly she winced in pain.
Looking over at her shoulder, she whimpered, "I hurt."

Leaning forward, Spike raised her sleeve and then grimaced at the large
bruise there.  Lightly kissing it, he dropped the sleeve.  "Come on love,
let's get something on there to help with the pain."

As he helped her up, Willow stated softly, "I love you."

"And I love you, Willow."

**

Wills opened her eyes to find William's head resting on her chest.  Her
hand slowly snaked up to his head, stopping as she pulled the IV taunt.
Hissing, she woke up William.  Lifting his head, he looked up at her,
"How is my sweet red siren?"

Wills coughed a bit and then answered weakly, "In a bit of pain, but I'll
be doing cart wheels soon."

"Wills."

Shaking her head, she cut him off.  "You don't have to tell me.  I know
by the look in your eyes."  A tear slowly started to form at her eye,
trailing down her cheek, "I'm suppose to be the strong one, the fighter."

"You still can be that."

"What?  From a wheelchair?"

"Yes, from a wheelchair.  You're the heart of the group.  Everyone knows
that, and a chair isn't going to change that."

"And what about you, Will, can you love someone like me, an invalid?"

William shook his head.  "You are not an invalid, you are my wife.
Nothing is going to change the way I love you or look at you."

Wills nodded.  Yawning and starting to lose her grip on reality again,
she remarked, "Tell Willow that I don't blame her, that this isn't her."
Then, Wills fell back into sleep.

Leaning above her, William kissed her on the cheek where her tear was
falling.  Moving hair from her forehead, he whispered to her, "We'll get
through this, learn to live with it, together.  Everything will be okay."

**

Everything was blurry, and he could hear voices.  One of them was talking
about Lindsey and something about a funeral being put on hold for family
members to arrive from Oklahoma.  The other one seemed a little closer to
him, saying something about circumstances.  Blinking some, his eyes
focused more to show Xander leaning over him, "It all depends on how
we're doing, or Gray that is."

"Xander?"

Xander backed away and looked down at Gray, who was staring at him,
blinking.  The man finally smiled as Xander reached down with a free
hand, the one that wasn't holding Gray's, and caressed Gray's cheek, "How
are you feeling?"

"Groggy?"

Xander laughed and seemed to cry at the same time. Sniffling, he shook
his head, "You scared me, you know that?"

Gray started to laugh but then stopped as he felt pain in his upper
chest.  Xander looked at him with a worried expression as Gray tried to
soothe his boyfriend's concern, "Just a flesh wound.  No big deal."

From the side, Tara remarked, "The bullet went in so far to the side that
it didn't hit any major organs.  Plus, they said Angel bandaged you up a
bit, and that helped with blood loss.  Without him, you may not have made
it."

Gray turned to her.  "I remember him rummaging through cabinets while the
rest of the group had left for Buffy, and then I seem to recall seeing
Princess and Faith."  Moving his gaze back to Xander, he begged, "Please,
tell me I wasn't hearing you right, tell me I was the only one."

Xander looked down.  Talking in a low tone, he answered, "Wills is hurt
real bad.  Something happened to her back and they don't know if she'll
walk again.  Our Angel was shot and staked in the stomach.  Spike got
speared in the head.  Cordy sprained her wrist and Lindsey, well,
Lindsey's dead."

Gray closed his eyes for a second, taking everything in.  Opening them,
he shook his head.  In a weak voice, he asked, "How?  How did he die?"

Shaking his head, Xander answered, "No one will say exactly.  Cordy said
something about a gunshot and having to throw up.  William said Graham
and him both saw it too, but didn't want to discuss it."

"And the body?"

Tara spoke up, barely able to keep from crying, "Graham called to take
care of it.  The family asked that he be cremated because of the, uhm,
circumstances.  The service will be later in the week, when all of them
can arrive.  He had asked to be laid to rest here, in a town that had
finally welcomed him."

"Circumstances?"

"That was all Graham would say, even to me."

Gray turned to Xander, "We have to be there."

Xander took a deep breath.  "You have to get well, then we will discuss
whether we go or not.  Ok."

"Ok."

Smiling, Xander leaned down and kissed Gray on the forehead.  "Good, I'm
glad you're not in an arguing mood.  Now, get some sleep."

Gray grinned, "How did I get such a bossy boyfriend?"

Kissing him one more time, Xander answered softly, "With your enchanting
music."
 

Part Twenty - One week and a half later

It wasn't until a week and a half later that the gang once again grouped
together.  Everyone had returned home, to their own universes, as Wills
and Gray stayed in the hospital until they were released just days ago.
Now, they had come back together, to mourn and to say goodbye not only to
Lindsey, but to each other.  In the middle of the room sat Lindsey's
ashes.  His family had him cremated, and left his ashes with Angel.  This
is where Lindsey wanted to be laid to rest, in Sunnydale, where he was
accepted.

Wills watched from the top of the stairs as everyone spoke in groups,
acting as if they didn't want to face the real reason that they were all
there, like if they talked or did something else, it would take all of it
away.  William looked down at her, softly smiling as he asked, snuggling
her closer to him in his arms, "Are you ready?"

Sighing, she nodded as she wiped a tear away.  Her eyes lingered for a
second at the container housing Lindsey's ashes and then moved back to
the warm blue eyes of her husband.  "I have to do this, William.  I have
to say goodbye."

William nodded back, understanding what she was feeling.  Wills had
missed the actual funeral, and part of her, the part that was the true
heart and leader of her group, felt that Lindsey's death was partly her
fault even though she only spoke of it being his decision.  She knew he
wasn't a fighter, and shouldn't have let him go.  Seeing this pass in her
eyes, he kissed her gently on the cheek and then carried her down the
stairwell, trying not to jostle her, especially her condition.

Willow, sitting alone on the couch, looked up as they made their way to
her.  Moving, she made a place for William to lay Wills.  Helping him
situate pillows for Wills to lean against, now that the doctors said it
would be okay for her to be in a sitting position, Willow remarked, not
meeting Wills gaze, "I am so sorry."

Smiling at her as William helped her get into a comfortable position,
Wills shook her head, "You have nothing to be sorry for."

Wiping a tear away and trying to hold back the ones that wanted to
follow, Willow answered, not meeting the eyes of Wills, "They told me
what they doctors said.  It is all my fault.  If I hadn't have gone in
there."

"Then I would have been next."  Wills reached out and moved Willow's gaze
to her own. "If you hadn't of gone in there, I would have been the next
best target for her to take over.  I still could have gotten hurt and
many others could have too.  None of this is your fault."

"But your legs."

Wills looked down to the other end of the couch, where William was
habitually rubbing her feet even though she couldn't feel it.  "Nothing
is forever, Willow.  The doctors said there is a small chance I may walk
again, and even if the odds are against it, you know how stubborn I am."
Willow nodded and wiped away another tear as Wills added, "we are."

"Yes, but if I hadn't have asked for help, if I hadn't of wanted to save
Buffy.?"

William answered for Wills.  "We already knew about Buffy, and if you
weren't here, we would have gone anyway."

Wills agreed, "We loved our Buffy, and there was so much pain when we
lost her.  We couldn't let you go through that, not when we knew we could
help."

"But people died, people got hurt."

Wills grimaced.  She knew exactly what Willow was talking about.  It was
evident in the prone legs stretched out before her.  "Willow, Lindsey
made that choice and so did Gray and I.  You didn't."

"I know.  Spike tells me that all the time."

William nodded towards the vampire in question.  "With or without that
chip, Spike is learning what he is meant to be, and if you ask me, he is
also becoming very knowledgeable on the way.  You should listen to him."

Willow looked back at the one in question, seeing him at play with his
sire and smiled, "Yes, Spike is not the vampire I first met in Sunnydale
years ago."

Across the room at a card table, which was still set up from the last few
weeks, Spike reached out and studied a piece of a puzzle.  On the other
side of the table sat Angel, studying the box of the puzzle and then what
they had finished so far.  Behind Angel, Cordelia asked, "How long have
you guys been at work on this?"

Graham laughed from where he was standing behind Spike.  "They were
working on this last week."

Cordelia rolled her eyes, "I can't believe that it is taking you so long
to put together a 250 piece puzzle."

Angel looked up at her and frowned, "Hey, this is hard."

Across from him, Spike said quietly, "Hey, I think I know where this
goes."

Rolling his eyes as Spike tried to make the piece fit, Angel commented,
"Spike, the edges are all wrong.  It doesn't go there."

"You wanna bet.  If I press the bloody piece a little harder, it will fit
just fine."

"Spike, stop being childish."

"Who are you calling childish, you bloody poof of a sire?"

Cordelia shook her head as she remarked, "All of this over a Bugs Bunny
kids puzzle?  Maybe I should leave you kiddies alone and go join the
other Angel."

Graham laughed.  "Actually, I saw some goodies in the kitchen.  You want
to leave the kiddy table and go hunt up some food with me?"

"Lead the way, soldier boy."

Angel frowned as he watched them.  "I think they were making fun of us."

Spike laughed as he tried to force another piece into the puzzle, "Come
now, why would anyone make fun of you, or especially me?"

Angel looked over at his double, who seemed at ease in his new situation
as he talked to Riley.  "Right, why would anyone make fun of us?  Just
look at me, I think I'm a pretty handsome guy."

"Yeah, whatever your poofiness."

Across the room, sitting in a corner, Drusilla played with a new doll of
hers, speaking to Buffy as she did so.  "Mother and Daddy got me this new
dolly with lots of dresses.  Isn't she pretty?  Her soft blond hair and
childish looks reminds me of a girl I used to see, a girl without the
burdens of being a slayer on her shoulders.  The stars used to sing to me
of her, they used to shine brightly like her in my daddy's heart, but
then, then they dimmed away.  I would see her and it would all be sad,
until she came to me.  A distant star, seen on a different planet, but
the same person."

"Is that why you picked out that doll?" Buffy asked.

Drusilla nodded.  "I almost got one like Mommy, but then I saw her.  The
gates are going to close.  I can hear them clanging, preparing now as
whispers.  With a bang, I will never see the girl again.  She won't come
and take care of me in the darkness anymore.  This way, she will always
be with me, away from her own stars."

Buffy smiled as she felt a tear forming in her eye.  How had she let this
enemy of hers into her heart?  Reaching out and letting her fingers
slowly caress Drusilla's face, Buffy commented quietly, "She will miss
you too, you know?  A star she had never noticed until now."

Above her, Riley looked down at the two.  He had always thought that
Buffy was too soft when it came to vampires.  She had dated one and then
seemed to protect Spike, but, watching her interact with this Drusilla,
he realized it was because of her heart.  Buffy was special, and the fact
she could forgive and let anyone into her heart made her seem even more
so to him.

Beside him, Angel asked, "You do remember what I told you, don't you?"

"I wake up every morning since getting her back, and your words echo in
my mind."

Faith nodded beside Angel, strangely knowing what they were talking
about, as if she had become Angel's other half and knew him intimately
enough to read him.  "She won't be like me, you know.  As all the others,
her time is limited."

Buffy looked up, her eyes meeting each of theirs.  "I'm right here, you
know."

Riley glanced across the room, his gaze lighting on Lindsey's ashes, "I
guess this last week has just reminded me of how close I am to losing you
each day, how none of us are indestructible."

Reaching up and taking his hand in hers, she nodded, "I understand."  Her
eyes moved to where Gray and Doyle sat in deep conversation with Amy.
Things were changing, and people were realizing how short life could be,
how it is good to deal with your differences and get along.

Not meeting Buffy's gaze, or even knowing that they were the subject of a
slayer's thoughts, the three in sight went on with their conversation,
unaware of Buffy's thoughts, but voicing them all together.

Doyle looked over at Amy and commented as he sipped his drink, being
sincere as he commented, "I can't believe you are just going to pack up
everything and leave this life behind."

"My mother left in High School and my father doesn't even know I'm alive,
even when I'm sitting right across from him.  Plus, I never have truly
been a part of this gang.  I just fell into it."

Gray shook his head from where he sat beside her, frowning.  "This isn't
about me, is it?  I know I have been the cause of most of your pain
lately, but to leave everyone behind."

Amy sighed.  "Gray, I should have never judged you the way I did.  In
all, you have been very good for Xander, probably more than I.  It just
took me a while to see it.  I was blinded until I could get away and find
out there is more out there for me, just not here.  I have always felt
alone, even with I was with Xander, like I just didn't fit.  I bended
even to his ways at time, and now I wonder why, now that I have found
someone who loves me for me and not my popularity."

"I'm still sorry for what I have put you through."

Laughing as she looked over at Xander, she remarked, "It is strange to
think that over a week ago I was so upset about him, and now, when I look
at him, I wonder why."  Looking back over at Gray, she added, "Take care
of him though, Gray.  I always believed that there was more to Xander
than meets the eye, and if anyone can figure out what it is, I am sure
that person would be you."

Ignoring the conversation behind him, Xander found himself in his own,
trying to explain to Giles how parallel universes come into being, or at
least a simple theory behind them.  "Okay, it's like the Schrodinger's
Cat Theory.  You have a cat in a box.  Then you fire a gun at the box.
Now, at this point of time, there can be two different outcomes, which
would mean two universes would be created - One with the cat being dead
and the other where you missed the cat."

Giles pushed up his glasses as he asked, "How could anybody come up with
such a violent explanation to explain parallel universes?"

Tara interrupted the conversation by adding, "But the problem isn't
proving there are parallel universes."

Cordy nodded.  "That's right.  We all know that there are doubles in this
room, pulled from the other universe."

Tara went on, not wanting to broach that subject.  "The thing is, that
since man started to try to explain things, many different religions and
theories have been born.  Look at religions from thousands of years ago,
or even those of some tribes today who are a step away from culture.
Many of them believe in different planes and some in different universes.
 It is in beliefs that have been here through time, even in the scope of
magick.  Now, normally trying to find one universe in a grand multiverse
is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but here, we have an
advantage."

Xander looked at the girl, shocked not only to have heard so much come
out of her mouth but also to find it very sure of its self.  "Right, here
we have connections, people that we can connect to each other on a magic
level.  Now, if we wanted to destroy the string that holds us together,
as seen in the magical sense, then we would need to know what string to
manipulate.  Having people on both sides of the string helps with this."

Cordy shook her head.  "That sounds great and all, but how are we going
to link to each other?"

Smiling, Tara answered as she pushed some of her hair behind her ear and
explained, "Easy, we're going to use the Amulets of Theresa, like we used
when we transferred Wills power to Willow."

Giles took off his glasses and started cleaning them in a nervous motion,
"But we don't need to transfer anyone's powers."

Tara smiled.  "The Witch Theresa, who had the amulets made had them for
her followers so they could use her powers at times, but because they
were made of the same magick, they also have the power to detect each
other, and hopefully that means across dimensional lines also.  We asked
Anya about it, and she said that the amulets have a lot of the same type
of magic in them that her amulet had, which allowed her to manipulate
universes and such."

"So, if one person on one side holds it and another person on the other
side does, then they can connect?" asked Cordy.

"Right," answered Xander.

"And then we can shut the gates and end all this," added Tara.

From the side, where she had been listening in for the last few seconds,
Buffy asked rather loudly, "And other than random kidnappings, why do we
want to do that?"

The room seemed to fall silent as Cordy started, "Because of what we
found in the files.  See, all of this was a big set up to begin with.
The off shoot from the watchers that Wesley belonged to wanted to get rid
of the slayer."

As she tapered off, not wanting to voice that it was actually Buffy they
wanted to get rid of, William picked up, "See, there was a prophecy here,
about a slayer above the Hellmouth that would become immortal.  We knew
that half of the prophecy, but what we didn't know was when this
happened, this slayer would partner up with one of the Power's best known
warriors, the vampire with the face of an angel and a soul to match.
They wanted the slayer dead, before she could become what was foretold.
To stop this, they sent their legions out to take care of Sunnydale's
slayer, a slayer who had set records."

Buffy paled.  "They sent them out for me, didn't they?  The watchers were
the ones behind this Buffy's death."

Cordy nodded.  "Then, Faith came along.  She didn't have the same type of
potential that Buffy did, so they set their sights on someone else,
Angel.   They hired Tara - who they had met through the Initiative - to
take him out, which she decided to do by taking over the Hellmouth.  If
she did that, then she could have easily had the power to take not only
Angel out, but also the newest slayer."

Xander picked up the story, "Except she made an error in judgment, she
opened the gate to another world, and in doing so, doubled the stakes.
With two Angel's available, there was no way that the prophecy could be
stopped, unless they found a way to dispose of one of the Angel's, so why
not join in on the other universes plan to turn Angel back to Angelus -
which would mean a warrior on their dark path now - and would also make
up for Tara's downfall."

Faith, who had heard part of the explanation before finished up, "Except
that fell through too.  Plus, all of a sudden, the slayer that they
didn't think would fulfill the prophecy did.  This marked the beginning
of the prophecy, and being Angel was their target, they decided to take
both of them out, to destroy any connections to the prophecy that could
be their end."  Taking his hand in hers, she added, "See, the prophecy
says that once we join, Angel will lead a plight with me by his side to
destroy all those that stand in the way of the Powers, even those who
hide with malice behind sincere walls.  The watchers that Wesley was a
part of, they worked for the dark side, hindering the watchers from
within, and after reading this, what they call the time of purification,
they knew that they would be sought out and we would destroy them."

Wills looked down, finishing the story as if she was hanging her head in
shame.  "Wesley isn't the only one out there, though.  This group goes
farther than just a few renegade watchers, and how far we don't know.
That information wasn't on the disk. What we do know though is that as
long as these universes are connected, none of us are safe.  In the end,
we all work for the Powers, and because of that, they will try to bring
us down.  We can't bring that to your Universe.  You have your own
battles to fight, not ours."

The room fell silent, no one speaking.  Finally, Willow's small voice
remarked as she eyed the remains of the other universe's Lindsey.  "There
is no other way.  The price would be too high."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Faith looked up from her seat, her face full of surprise as she saw her
guests.  Sitting down in front of her, a pane of glass separating them,
Cordelia shifted uneasily as Angel stood above her.  Placing a letter on
the desk, Cordelia took a deep breath before commenting, "Look, Faith, I
have been really thinking hard about this.  We haven't really ever gotten
along and the last time I saw you, you gave me a black eye and then
tortured one of my friends.  For some reason, going out and buying
friendship charms was the last thing on my mind.  I disliked you.  No, I
hated you.  You hurt me and my friends."

"Cordelia, I."

Holding up a finger and interrupting Faith, she finished, "Give me time
here - this takes a lot.  Life is short Faith, and something made me
realize that I needed to tell you this.  It might not make a difference
to you, but it does to me.  I forgive you."

Glancing up at Angel in disbelieving, Faith shook her head.  She didn't
know what to say.  For the last year or so, after Angel had pulled her
from her downfall, she had dreamed of hearing those words, of knowing
that someone else had forgiven her.  Placing her hand on the glass, as a
tear fell down her face and she smiled, she commented, "Thank you."

Cordelia placed her own hand on the glass above the slayers.  "You're
welcome."  Sitting still for a few more seconds, she then moved her hand
back down to the letter.  Sliding a letter that had been approved in a
small space under the glass, she commented, "Someone asked that I give
you this.  She wants you to know that it is okay, that it will work out."

Taking the letter, Faith smiled to herself as she read the words of one
of the only other people that really knew her.

Dear Faith,

I always have feared that the darkness in me would take over, that I
would drown.  It is a part of my nature, a side that we both have tried
to deal with.  For years, I have pushed it aside, where as you embraced
it fully.  We both know the consequences of your way, the way I have
shunned.  That is evident by the bars and walls that hold you,
imprisoning you for that choice.

Right and wrong, black and white, good and evil.  I, along with society,
have spent too much time building walls, separating one from the other,
never allowing or considering what comes in between.  The old Buffy and I
would have stood behind these beliefs.  Then, as you know, my life
changed.  I couldn't see the light through the darkness, and as I fought
it, I found Lilah at me feet.  How could anybody be good when they could
fall to such a level?  Suddenly, nothing made sense as I felt like there
was no way for me to crawl out of that pit of evil.  Is that how you felt
- like you had to push away others so it wouldn't pull them in too?

Do you remember when I came to see you, when you told me to keep my
friends close, that they would help me through this?  You said Angel was
basically was your anchor and I should try discussing it with mine.
Well, I did.  Angel and William - my Spike - helped me through so much,
but even they can't contain the demon within me.

Now, before you worry, I want to put you at ease.  For the first time I
have felt at peace, and it came at the strangest time.  I was so angry
and for the first time since Lilah, I felt like I once again was
drowning.  Instead of fighting it, I opened myself up to the darkness and
almost found myself lost.  I let another vampire kill the bad guy and I
thought there was no turning back from what I chose.  Then, slowly, as I
realized what I had become, I found myself pulled away in what you would
call an epiphany.  Maybe it was through Drusilla's childlike view of
things or the love and acceptance Angel shows me.  Whatever it was, after
I had decided to give in, suddenly everything was clear.  For years I
embraced my good side and only toyed with my darkness.  You did the
opposite - embracing your dark side.  What we needed to do, should have
done, was follow both sides.  It makes us what we are, the slayer,
something primal, something special.

This may be nothing new to you, but I just wanted you to know.  We are
good.  It is in our nature.  The world isn't black or white.  It is gray.
 The gate is going to be closed, and if something goes wrong, then I will
never be able to write you again, so I just wanted you to know this in
case I won't have another chance.  Embrace your good side and remember,
sometimes, you gotta have faith in yourself.

Five by five,
Faith

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lindsey sat quietly, watching in fascination as the gang that called
themselves 'Scoobies' went about preparing for a spell of great
magnitude.  Beside him, a guy that he had been introduced to as Graham
asked, "So, you and Amy have decided to go to Oklahoma after this?"

Nodding as his hand played nervously with his prosthetic, Lindsey
answered, "I have family there.  Plus, we're hoping that Wolfram and Hart
will decide that chasing me all the way there is a waste of their time."

"Well, I wish you luck on that.  I know how it is to feel like you wish
you could just get away and be with the one you love."  When Lindsey
looked at him blankly, he added, "Military.  It was like pulling teeth
trying to get leave to go to your double's funeral.  Not only that, but
the last thing they care about is my relationship.  For some reason,
leaving every weekend to go see your girlfriend when you're in a position
as I am isn't good enough."

Lindsey looked over at the girl in question, who was in deep conversation
with Amy on how to set up their spell.  Nodding towards her, Lindsey
commented, "She sure seems sweet.  I hope that you two can work things
out."

Graham nodded.  "I think we'll do fine.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get
transferred here."

"I thought the Initiative was disbanded."

Surprised that Lindsey knew about the Initiative, Graham shook his head
and blinked.  "It was, but that wasn't the only branch here."

Before Lindsey could reply, Tara walked over at the two.  Smiling shyly
at Lindsey, she looked over at Graham.  Pointing to one of the top
shelves, she asked, "I need that blue butterfly dust there.  Could you
get it for me?  I'm too short."

Getting up and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, he whispered in her
ear, "You're just using me for my body."

Pinching his bicep, she laughed as her face turned red, "Maybe, but I
might change my mind if you don't help."

Hurrying over to the shelf, he reached up and grinned, "One jar of blue
butterfly powder coming right up."

Walking past the helping hand, carrying candles, Willow studied the scene
before her where Amy had started drawing a design on the floor.  When
they had used the amulet the first time across the dimensional lines,
Tara had become a sensitive conduit.  After drinking a potion to enhance
her magickal stamina, she had collected the power from Wills and sent
that power across lines to Willow, who wore a magickal amulet of Theresa.
 This time, both Wills and Willow were going to connect with each other,
using the familiarity of the amulets across lines.  When the amulets
connected, as doubles, they were going to use magick to close the lines -
stopping them from being manipulated in ways that a human could travel
from universe to universe.  Because of the magnitude of the magick
needed, both Tara and Amy would help Willow, feeding her power, whereas
Wills would only need her own vast power.

Beside her, Giles stopped to clean his glasses, commenting as he did so,
"Are you sure you are going to be able to do this?  Such serious magicks
shouldn't be played with if you aren't ready."

Buffy, who had been practicing in the training room with Riley, stepped
into the area.  "We have to do this, Giles."

Willow nodded.  "It is a risk I must take."  Turning towards Lindsey,
eyeing him as he talked to Amy, she remarked, "We can't risk any others.
To many lives are at stake."

Not wanting to comment on the pain he saw in her eyes, he asked, "And
Miss Amy?"

Smiling at the witch and her new companion, Buffy stated, "This is what
she wants, Giles - where she is happy."

"Yes. Well."

Tara interrupted from where she was standing, watching as Graham took
some of the candles from Willow and then started to place them around the
circle with the red headed witch's help.  "It is almost time."

When the candles were placed and Graham and Willow stepped away, Amy
moved to where she was beside Tara.  Handing Tara the blue dust that
Graham had retrieved, she then smiled at everyone, waving her arm over
the circle and lighting all the candles.  Pouring some of the dust into
her hand, Tara chanted quietly to herself.  Leaning forward, she closed
her eyes and murmured one more prayer as she blew the dust over the
circle.  The candles flames blared, reaching high as the dust seemed to
settle only on them, somehow activating the lines Amy had drawn earlier,
causing them to glow a slight blue.

Turning to Willow, Tara handed her the amulet that Wesley had once again
fetched for them.  "Only the one who wears the amulet can enter the
circle.  However, since Amy and were the ones that constructed it, we
will be able to feed you power from the outside.  If you need help, we're
only a thought away."  Nodding, Willow placed the amulet over her head
and stepped into a circle.  Almost as soon as she had passed into it, a
wavy translucent wall seemed to surround her.  Moving to opposite sides
of the circle as Willow sat down in the middle, her eyes starting to glow
a strange white hue, Tara and Amy reached out, touching the strange wall
and opening their power to it, letting it be absorbed and then
transferred to Willow.

**

Wills looked up from her wheel chair, where William had placed her in the
circle.  Smiling down at his wife, William couldn't hide the worry in his
eyes.  Leaning down and giving her a kiss, he asked quietly, "Are you
going to be fine?"

Nodding and kissing him back, she reached up and squeezed the amulet
Wesley had sent over from where it dangled around her neck.  "Everything
will be time."

Stepping out of the circle, William stepped back to where Giles, Faith
and Angel watched carefully.  Faith silently reached out and found that
Angel had done the same.  Gathering each other in their arms, they looked
on in fear and hope as the new member of their family lit the candles and
then poured blue butterfly dust in her hand.  Rocking back and forth as
she seemed to speak to the stars, Drusilla then leaned forward, blowing
the dust on the circle and activating it.  As the candles flared and the
lines glowed, a translucent wall snapping into place, Dru groaned, a
single blood red tear falling for the friend she was losing.  "It is
starting."

Dru's words never reached Wills in the circle.  Instead, as her eyes took
on a white sparkle, she found a voice echoing in her ears, her own voice
but not, "Wills?"

Letting go of her amulet, she answered back, "I'm here, Willow."

**

Willow's voice seemed to ring in the room, but the strange thing was that
it wasn't just her voice - it was both hers and Wills.  "The same as one,
also joined as one across the dimensional plane, a line we hold, please
hear our voice, our plea.  Two universes have become intertwined, the
fates of both in peril, even over the vast spiritual sea.  Close it down,
shut the gate so that no more souls may cross into their ports."

Suddenly, both Amy and Tara gasped as Willow fell back in the circle.
Graham went to rush to Tara but Lindsey grabbed onto him, shaking his
head even though fear was apparent in his eyes.  In the middle of the
circle, Willow's body arched up and her mouth opened in a hollow scream.

**

Willow found herself in a darkened space that seemed to go forever.
Beside her stood Wills, her hand in Willow's.  Looking down, Willow
smiled as she saw that Wills was standing, all on her own.  Behind them,
Amy seemed to answer her unspoken glee, "Here you are free of that which
inhibits you on your linear planes."

Turning, their hands never becoming untwined, they both asked their
friend, "Where are we?"

Behind them, Tara answered.  Turning again, they watched her at a loom.
"This is our place of being, where we play at our craft."  Tilting her
head to the side, she added, "You called us.  Do you know what you ask?"

Amy walked up to the loom and played at some of what had been woven, the
largest and strangest looking fabric they had ever seen.  Normally, there
would be one outcome - one blanket.  This one seemed to branch out in all
directions, the branches also splitting in places, and it went on as far
as they could see.  Motioning to where two branches of closely matching
color had been connected by a string, even though they seemed to be ages
apart, Amy commented, "In one way or another, you will always be
connected."  Reaching down, she played at the string, "But this, it is
what has been strengthened through magic, through travel."

Tara joined her, kneeling down to the string, playing with a blade,
watching it shine in front of her eyes.  As if mesmerized with it, she
continued Amy's explanation, "When you realized your doubles, the other
world, it not only changed the make up here, it changed you, your
futures."

Playing at the string, in a sad voice, Amy added, "We weep for what we
have seen ahead, we understand your reluctance for the pain and
withering, yet, you must realize that your futures still may not come to
a good end."

"Are you saying it is better that we don't separate the universes?" asked
Wills.

Tara shook her head.  "No."

"Then you're saying we should close the gate?" asked Willow.

"No," answered Amy.

"You have become close and a bond has formed.  You are one right now.
Can you take the pain of being ripped apart?" asked Tara, licking the
knife.

"Who are you?" asked Willow.

"We are representative of those who watch and weave," answered Amy.

"We are also a reflection of the two who are adding their power so you
may see us," added Tara.

Looking at Wills, Willow found herself looking in her own eyes.  Joined,
they said as one, "Cut it."

Brandishing the blade, Tara did as instructed, cutting the fine thread of
reality.

**

Pain seared through Wills' body, for she was feeling the connection of
Willow being ripped from her and also all the others who had doubles,
taking their pain so that they did not realize it.  Her head leaned back
and she screamed silently, and then, suddenly, it was all over.
Breathing deep, she found herself falling into unconsciousness, and the
only thing keeping her from it was William's voice.  "Wills, Love, are
you okay?"

Opening her eyes, tears started to fall as she said, "I could feel being
cut off from them.  It was so painful.  I can feel it through all of my
body, except, except."

Lifting her from the chair and snuggling her in his arms, he commented
softly in her ear, bringing tears to the eyes of the vampires in the room
who could hear him, "I love you Wills, and right now, at this moment, you
are the strongest and most important thing in my life."

**

As Willow screamed out, seconds after Tara and Amy gasped, the wall fell
and all three fell to the ground.  Tara was the first to get up, Amy
following.  Wiping a stream of blood from her nose as Graham kneeled down
beside him, she looked up at him.  Letting him take her in his arms for
just a second, she whispered, "It's done."  Then, pulling away, knowing
that he was reassured that she was okay as Lindsey was checking on Amy
across from them, Tara crawled to the middle of the circle.  Weakly,
Willow opened her eyes and looked up at her friend.  Reaching up, she
found Tara's hand in hers, squeezing lightly.  "You did it."

Nodding, Willow closed her eyes and whispered, "We all did it."

**

Spike took in an unneeded breath and sighed happily at the red headed
bundle in his arms.  Running his hands through her red hair, he
commented, "I wish you would have let me come today."

Willow smiled against his chest.  "You wouldn't have liked it - just a
lot of magick stuff."

"I was worried about you."

Looking up at him, she shook her head, "And that is why you couldn't be
there."

"Red."

Reaching up, she placed her finger on his lips.  "Shhh.  I'm tired after
all this mess.  I just want to feel your arms around me."

Wrapping his arms tight around her, he commented, "You know if it wasn't
for this mess, we wouldn't have gotten together."

"Right, and you would still have a chip," she countered brightly.

Pulling her up, to where her face was level with his, Spike countered,
"You know, there are some good things about me having my bite back, some
of them very pleasurable."

Moving to where she was straddling him, Willow moved against him and then
whispered in his ear, "Maybe I'm not that tired."

Smiling as he went to take her lips with his, he remarked quickly, "Just
promise me you won't be zapped out of here again."
 

Epilogue

Cordelia patted the bed beside her, reaching out to where Angel should be
laying.  She had fallen asleep beside him the night before, enjoying the
comfort of his arms.  It had been the first time she had been able to
since the other universe.  For some reason, when she closed her eyes, she
had always seen Buffy, but last night, last night she had just felt peace
in a world of dreams full of just her and Angel.  Opening her eyes,
smiling that she was going to see him, she found only the pillow beside
her.  Sitting up, she blinked her eyes and looked around at a room she
did not recognize.  "Angel?"
 

THE END
 

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