*~*~*~*
LA
*~*~*~*

*~ The two figures moved almost in unison as they fought back and forth on the roof of the building, the silver of their swords flashing in the moonlight. The
battle was almost over, the two opponents both sweating and breathing hard. The man swung his sword, and the woman ducked, taking the opportunity to rush him, tackling him to the ground, her sword barely touching his neck. "I won," she grinned, her small, white teeth glinting in the meager light. "I won!"

*~ "That you did, Wills," the man answered, his own smile flashing as she scrambled off him to pratically bounce on the heels of her feet.

*~ Applause sounded from a few feet away, and they both turned to look at the dark haired vampire watching from his perch on the edge of the building.
"Bravo, Little One," Angel grinned.

*~ "I can't believe I won!" Willow squealed, replacing her sword in the ever-present sheath down her back.

*~ "I can," Angel said, his deep voice showing his pride. "You were magnificient. And this isn't the first time since you've won against Duncan."

*~ "Thanks. It's just awesome every time I win! I mean, it's amazing that I'm getting to be this good... Hell, you guys know what I mean." Willow blushed, a
trait that hadn't disappeared even in the six and a half months since her 'death'.  She *had* changed, though. She'd become quieter, more reserved. She now had a haunted kind of air around her that had never been there before. Always before, she'd been undaunted... She'd had nightmares, yes, who wouldn't, living on a Hellmouth? But her nightmares came more often now, more vivid than she'd ever experienced.

*~ "We need to go down into the office," Angel said, hating to burst her bubble of happiness. "There was a call from Sunnydale. Spike's back, and the chip isn't working."

*~ The redhead paled considerably and wavered on her feet. Duncan rushed up behind her to steady her. "Goddess... Do we need to go back there?" she asked, her voice breathy. She looked like she was going to pass out any second. Angel frowned. He didn't think the mention of his childe's name would affect her like this. True, he'd expected shock, pain, and maybe tears, but not a reaction this severe.

*~ "It looks like it," Angel answered quietly, getting to his feet. "Cordelia also had a vision. Let's get you inside and we can discuss this more."

*~ Willow nodded and pulled away from Duncan. She brushed her hair away from her face with a sigh. Her color was still severely pale, but she was steadier.
 
 

*~ "What was your vision about, Cordy?" Willow asked the brunette as everyone gathered in Angel's office. She moved to perch on the side of Angel's desk,
crossing her legs at the ankles and her arms across her chest. Cordy smiled at her new friend.

*~ No one would ever guess in a million years that they were so close. Willow had changed so much over the years since high school, mostly because of the
last few months. Her outward appearance wasn't the most drastic, but Cordy thought it was the most important.

*~ Where the other girl used to wear fluffy sweaters and skirts in near-blinding colors, she now usually wore jeans and dark colored shirts. Her short red hair
had grown out and instead of brushing it out like she used to, she gelled and curled it into ringlets that framed her elfin face beautifully. While it wasn't as
glamorus as Cordelia's 'look', it suited her.

*~ "I saw you, Spike and this other guy," Cordy answered the redhead's question after taking a deep breath. "I've never seen him before. He's tall, short
dark hair, very broody... But it's not Angel. Angel was there, and so was Duncan and the gang, but everything was centered on you, Spike and this other
guy."

*~ "What else did you see, Cordy?" Angel asked softly, his eyes never leaving Willow's pale face. She seemed to be dealing with it, but it was slowly sinking in.

*~ "Xander and Anya... I see them leaving, then coming back. Xander..." the brunette's voice cracked and she closed her eyes. "If we don't get there, Xander's gonna die."

*~ "We have to go then," Willow said, her voice determined. "I'll go pack."

*~ After the redhead had left, the three remaining in the office looked at each other. "Do you think she's ready to face a real opponent," Angel asked Duncan, his dark eyes finding the other man's.

*~ "She can handle it physically," Duncan replied, nodding his head. "We'll keep up her training while we're there. What I'm worried about is how she's going
to handle it emotionally. Usually new immortals leave home and never see their mortal families or friends again. But this has been one big exception from the
very beginning."

*~ "She can handle it," Cordelia assured them, getting to her feet with a toss of her hair. "She's stronger than anyone gives her credit for. Now, if you will
excuse me, I have to go pack."
 

Part 7 - Home

*~*~*~*
Sunnydale
*~*~*~*

*~ Buffy Summers, Riley Finn, and Rupert Giles stood at the designated airline gate and waited for Angel and company. None of them knew anything beyond the bare facts. Angel, Cordelia, and two other people were coming to help them with the Spike situation. Wesley and another guy named Gunn were going to stay and keep the business running.

*~ The flight arrival was announced, and Buffy shifted nervously. As much as she liked to think otherwise, she was looking forward to seeing Angel again. She had Riley now, but there was *always* going to be a piece of herself that belonged to her first love.

*~ Riley was also nervous about meeting the infamous Angel. He wasn't watching the gate, he was watching Buffy. She was so beautiful, she made his heart hurt to look at her. She was always assuring him that she loved him, and that she was past her feelings toward the vampire. But he knew better. He never told her about the times she'd wake him up in the middle of the night, crying and calling out Angel's name. He never let on how much it hurt him to listen to her ask Giles about the vampire. He never let on about a lot of things, thinking it better to just enjoy things while they lasted. Now that he was going to meet Angel for the first time, he tried to keep the jealousy to a dull ebb. It was no use in fighting with something that was beyond his control. If Buffy didn't love him
enough, then he guessed she didn't love him enough.

*~ Giles was also nervous, but for an entirely different reason. He was rather happy to see Cordelia, and even Angel again. It was the other two he was
nervous about meeting. He trusted Angel, but the others... As his duty as a Watcher, he was supposed to be suspicious of outsiders. But if Angel trusted them they had to be all right... Didn't they?

*~ People started walking out of the tunnel and the group straightened, keeping an eye out for anything familiar. All three froze as a familiar head of red
hair was spotted first. It couldn't be. She was dead. Buffy latched onto Riley's arm, suddenly feeling almost faint for the first time in her short life. "Giles, are you seeing this too?" she whispered, not turning her wide blue eyes from the achingly familiar face.

*~ "I- I think so," the Watcher sounded just as shell-shocked as his Slayer.

*~ "Willow?" Riley's tone was hushed, almost reverent.
 
 

*~ The oncoming group never hesitated as they moved to greet the old gang. Willow purposely hung back behind the guys and maintained a death grip on Cordelia's hand. She was scared. What if they hated her for not telling them she was alive? What if someone else saw her and recognized her as that girl who died? What if they didn't want to see her? Where was Xander?

*~ All her questions faded away as the Slayer launched herself at her, enfolding her in a bone-crushing hug.

*~ "Oh, God, Wills," Buffy sobbed into the other girl's hair. "I missed you so much! I'm so sorry... So sorry. I should have been there!"

*~ "It's okay Buffy," Willow murmured soothingly, returning the hug. "It would have happened sooner or later."

*~ Buffy pulled away and wiped at her face with a shaking hand. "Why didn't you come to us and tell us what had happened? And what *did* happen? You *were* dead, Xander identified the body. You're not a vampire, I'd feel it if you were..."

*~ "Why don't we continue this somewere more private," Duncan suggested, moving up next to the girls. Willow smiled at him, and he returned it, winking at her.

*~ "That's a good idea," Giles seconded, and they moved to get their luggage. "Where are you four staying?"

*~ "Angel's old apartment," Cordelia answered for the group, who was busy claiming baggage. "He has five rooms."

*~ "And two bathrooms," Angel chimed in, reaching into the fray to pull a bright red suitcase out and handed it to Willow.

*~ "We might need three, with Cordelia here," Willow quipped and dodged a smack to her shoulder.

*~*~*~*
Sunnydale Heights  Cemetery
*~*~*~*

*~ Willow walked with Buffy as they went on a partol. The redhead kept her hands shoved into her thigh-length black leather coat, and her head down,
though she was keeping her eyes out for 'baddies'. They'd just come from Giles' apartment where they'd all explained what had happened over the past months, on both sides. Willow and Duncan had taken turns explaining what had happened to Willow, and Buffy had explained what had happened with Xander ... and Spike.
 

*~ There had been a series of attacks centered on the campus, mainly directed at people Buffy and Willow had known. The vamp activity had grown by leaps and bounds, most not showing up until after the Slayer had made her rounds. Buffy, after losing Xander and Anya as her backup, not to mention losing Willow, hadn't been performing at her best. They hadn't even guessed that it was Spike that was behind it all until he cornered Buffy one night and made his presence known.

*~ "So...," Buffy said quietly, breaking the uneasy silence between her and Willow.

*~ "So...," Willow repeated, smiling a little as she looked over at her friend.

*~ "Were you ever going to come back?" Buffy asked, her face completely serious as she looked over at the redhead.

*~ "I don't know," Willow answered honestly after a small hesitation. She'd been expecting this. Buffy wasn't the type to just let the 'you let us think you
were dead' thing go without an explanation. "After it happened, I didn't know what to do. You and Giles wouldn't have understood what happened to me, and I knew if I showed up right out of the morgue, that you guys'd slay first, ask questions later. Don't lie, I've known you too long."

*~ Buffy closed her mouth on the objection she'd been about to voice. They didn't have enough time to get into that discussion before they were attacked from behind.

*~ Buffy immediately went into 'slayer mode' and started defending herself, quickly staking two of the five.

*~ Willow used her sword, moving with a quick grace that Buffy had never seen her friend use before. She quickly decapitated one and ran another through the heart before slicing his head off his shoulders as well.

*~ The last one, Buffy staked herself and the two friends were left staring at each other through the flying dust. "Well, that was fun," Buffy grinned,
looking more like herself than she had in months.

*~ "It was. A little too easy though," Willow said, returning the smile. "Let's continue and see if we find any more."
 

Part 8 - Revelations

*~*~*~*
In the trees inside the Sunnydale City Park
*~*~*~*

*~ He watched them move quickly and efficiently, his eyes riveted to one figure in particular. She wasn't dead. She was alive in all the senses of the word. She had a heartbeat, steady and strong in her chest. She was breathing... He could almost feel the sweetness of it as she breathed in and out.

*~ She wasn't dead. But she was back with the slayer. And he'd sworn off love as a weakness. So he pushed the emotions back into the far reaches of what used to be his soul. He couldn't face her right now, no matter what his demon screamed at him.

*~ He watched her silently, his starved eyes taking in the changes. She was leaner, stronger than she had been. She was more graceful, though she'd always been graceful to him. Her brilliant hair was curled, the ringlets flying through the air as she artfully ducked and sliced with the elegant silver sword she was weilding with a skill he'd had no idea she possessed.

*~ He bit back a growl as one of the minions backhanded her, sending her flying into the children's equipment. He wanted her for himself. She got to her
feet in a flash and decapitated the vampire. Visions of bloodshed and screams entered his mind as a wicked smile touched his lips. No, he would put the word out that she was not to be touched. He'd have her for himself when the time was right.

*~ He moved back through the darkness, a silver-haired shadow melting in with his brothers.

*~*~*~*
Angel's Apartment
*~*~*~*

*~ "Find anything?" Cordelia asked in greeting as Willow and Buffy came through the doors.

*~ "A few vamps," Willow shrugged, taking off her jacket and hanging it up in the closet by the door. She rolled her head on her neck, trying to ease some
of the tension.

*~ "A few vamps?" Buffy asked, incredulous. "Will sliced seven and I staked five."

*~ "Seven?" Angel asked, his eyebrows raised. "You must be losing your touch, Little One."

*~ "Woah," Buffy raised her hands. "You're telling me that Willow always kills vamps like that?"

*~ "Where do you think I get all my pratice?" Willow nearly fell onto the couch, reaching down to untie her boots. She'd unstrapped the sword from her back-sheath and had laid it down on the coffee table, well within her grasp. "When I'm not training with Duncan with the sword, I'm training with Angel on the hand-to-hand stuff."

*~ "She's good at both," Duncan said, entering the room from the kitchen, where he'd been pouring a soda for himself and the two girls. Cordelia was sipping tea in her new favorite chair, and Angel had already fed earlier. "She's beaten me a few times."

*~ "That's 'cause you let me," Willow grimaced, but smiled over at her teacher and took the glass of cold liquid. She drained it quickly and then went into the
kitchen to put it in the sink.

*~ "Not all the time, Wills," Duncan smiled back as she passed him. "Now, it's after four in the morning, and you have a long day, so I suggest you get to bed,
little girl."

*~ "Yes, Dad," Willow sighed, pushing past him again. She grabbed her boots in one hand, her sword in the other and moved toward the bedroom Angel had shown her earlier. She turned and blew a kiss to the occupants of the living room. "I'll see you tomorrow, Buffy."

*~ "And on that cue, I'm going to hit the sack," Cordelia finished off the cup of tea, and went into the kitchen to rinse it out and put it in the dishwasher.

*~ "I'll see you guys later, then," Buffy said, a little put out by the apparent dismissal. "Meet you at Giles's in the morning?"

*~ "Not too early though," Willow's voice floated out of the hallway. "Warning to everyone, I'm getting in the shower now."

*~ "We can go shopping or something before we meet over there," Cordelia suggested. "How 'bout we all meet here tomorrow at two?"

*~ "Sounds good to me," Willow's voice found them again right before the sound of water running drowned her out.

*~ Buffy nodded her agreement and slowly headed for the door. She was half-expecting Angel to call her back or offer to walk her home, but he didn't and she felt more than a little depressed as she left to walk all the way back to her own apartment.

*~ Angel watched the door close behind his former love and tried to find anything even resembling the feelings he used to feel about her. Nothing. He
smiled, sitting back in his own leather armchair. He was finally over her.

*~ "What're you smiling about," Duncan asked, moving to sit on the couch and watch his new friend.

*~ "I don't love her anymore," Angel answered frankly. "I've been hung up on that girl for years, and now I'm not."

*~ "That's something to be happy about," Duncan agreed. "Aren't you glad that Wills gave you that permanent soul?"

*~ Angel nodded, his face growing serious. "She's my savior in more than one way," he said quietly. "Even before we were more than casual acquaintances,
she accepted me more than any of the others, even Buffy."

*~ "Do you love her?" Duncan asked, his dark eyes narrowed in on the vampire's face.

*~ "I don't know," Angel replied honestly. "She still loves Spike, and I don't really care to be his replacement. But the more I'm around her, the deeper my feelings get." He hesitated. "She's my best friend, and I don't want to ruin that."

*~ Duncan nodded, then got to his feet. "Whatever you decide you want to do, don't hurt her. If you do, you'll wake up one day missing your head, friend or
not."

*~ "I'll keep that in mind," Angel said with a nod.

*~ "Good," Duncan nodded back. "I'll see you in the morning."

*~ "Good-night."

*~ Angel was the last one to go to bed, sitting up until he felt the first rays of the sun breaking through the barrier of the dark night. He sighed, moving back into the darkness of his own room. He fell asleep thinking about the redheaded girl he called his best friend. Did he love her? Did he?
 

Part 9 - Friends

*~*~*~
Sunnydale
Angel's Apartment
*~*~*~

*~ "So what are we doing today, other than waiting for the girls to come home?" Duncan asked the dark haired vampire as he quickly made himself a sandwich and sat down next to him at the table. Angel glanced up from the mug of warmed blood and shrugged.

*~ "Do you know anyone who fits the description of the man Cordelia saw in her vision? Because I can't think of anyone."

*~ "I might know a few," Duncan replied. "But only one fits it completely. I'll have to ask her more, but I've got a feeling. Why?"

*~ "Because when Cordelia has a vision, it's not always what will happen, but some of it could be what *needs* to happen. Like maybe we need this man here to help us with whatever's going to happen with Spike, or maybe a future event. Maybe it's up to us to bring him in."

*~ Duncan nodded. "I'll have to talk to Cordelia more, but I have a nagging feeling that I know who I'm going to have to call."

*~*~*~
Sunnydale Mall
*~*~*~

*~ "Hey, Wills," Cordelia shouted from across the parking lot, waving her arms at the small redhead, who was currently crossing the drive to get to the
entrance of the mall. "Wait up!"

*~ Willow shook her head and stopped when she reached the sidewalk. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the two girls to catch up with her. "I told you I'd wait once I got over here," Willow said, her smile counteracting the snappish tone. "What happened, lose your mascara?"

*~ "Eyeliner," Cordelia grinned back. "Anyway, you girls ready to shop?"

*~ "Absolutely," Buffy chimed in, excited to go on an outing with her friends, even though she hadn't seen either of them in a long time. She was glad that they still considered her a friend, especially Willow.

*~ "At least you have some decent clothes now, Will," Cordelia said conversationally as she drug the other girls into one of the various clothing stores.

*~ "Thanks, I think," Willow responded, starting to sort through a rack of jeans. "I don't really need anything in the clothing department though. I need
some new jeans, all of mine keep getting torn and ratty from, you know."

*~ "God, I know," Cordy groaned. "I still haven't got the... mud out of my favorite blouse."

*~ "You have no idea how many outfits have been ruined for the sake of the wor-," Buffy stopped, her blue eyes cutting to the hovering salesperson. "-orld wide neighborhood clean up that our school is participating in."

*~ "Nice save, Buffy," Willow giggled, speaking to where only Cordelia and Buffy could hear her.

*~ "I thought so," Buffy grinned. The ice was broke, and they spent the rest of the afternoon giggling and having more fun together than they had in a long time, their minds off the chaos the darkness would surely bring to their lives.

*~*~*~
London
*~*~*~

*~ "Adam Pierson," the oldest immortal answered his cell phone with an annoyed huff. He didn't know why he'd even bought one of the annoying pieces of
plastic. Oh yeah, some idiot in the Watcher's Council decided he needed one because he was too hard to get a hold of in an emergency. It didn't mean he liked having the annoying thing ringing at him at all hours of the night and day.

*~ "Well, hello to you too, Buttercup," a familiar, Scottish voice replied playfully from the other line.

*~ "That's Mr. Buttercup to you," Methos smiled in spite of the foul mood he'd been in. "What do you need, McLeaod?"

*~ "I'm in Sunnydale," the other immortal answered quietly, looking over at Angel, who was listening with half an ear as he watched Willow and Cordelia laugh
and talk with Buffy. Well, the dark haired vampire was watching *one* of the two. Duncan smiled crookedly.

*~ "And that's supposed to mean what to me?" Methos asked when Duncan hesitated. He scowled and kicked at a loose rock on the sidewalk. He was on his way home where he could, hopefully eat something before he caught a few hours of sleep. But since it was McLeaod calling, he'd probably be packing his luggage and ordering a plane ticket to wherever the hell Sunnydale was.

*~ "Sorry," Duncan apologized quickly. "We have a situation here. The situation's complicated, but I'll give you the bare facts." He then proceeded to tell
Methos about Cordelia's vision, the situation with Spike, and last but not least, the newest redheaded immortal.

*~ "So, you're telling me that I have to get on a plane, go half-way across the world to Sunydale, California, to help with a situation involving vampires, the vampire slayer, and a new immortal, all based on a vision a teenage girl had with me in it?" Methos asked, summing it up in his own words.

*~ "Yes," Duncan answered, his smile fading a bit. He hated it when he couldn't tell if Methos was joking or not.

*~ "Okay, I thought so," Methos sighed, smiling a little at Duncan's breath of relief. He didn't really *want* to go, but it sounded like fun. It'd be a hell of a lot more exciting than his life right now. He was on 'vacation' from the Watcher's Council, well, which was just a nice name for suspension. "I'll be there
tomorrow. I'll call with my flight number and arrival time. Anything else I need to know?"

*~ "No," Duncan answered. "We'll explain everything in more detail when you get here."

*~ "Okay. Talk to you later, then." Methos was about to hang up when Duncan stopped him.

*~ "Thank you, Adam."

*~ "You're welcome, Highlander," Methos grinned, then shut the phone off with a couple of beeps and a click. He shook his head ruefully, shoving the plastic phone into one of his jacket pockets. He quickened his pace, heading for his flat. He just hoped McLeod knew what he was doing this time around.
 

Part 10 - Challenge

*~*~*~
Sunnydale
The Bronze
*~*~*~

*~ "Wow, some things haven't changed since I was gone," Willow muttered, her green gaze skimming over the crowd of teenagers and college students.

*~ "I know," Cordelia agreed, smoothing her short black skirt down. She felt so... old... looking at the people milling around her, having fun. She'd bet her
new Italian sandals that over half of the kids didn't have any idea what was lurking in the shadows. It hadn't been that long ago that she'd been one of them,
one of their leaders, in fact. She'd been a total bitch. And she had the grace to realize it now.

*~ "It just seems weird to sit here, in the same place we did when we were teenagers, and be so... changed. We've all gone through so much, so soon, and most of them still haven't even left home yet," Buffy added, her blue eyes sad as they surveyed the crowd.

*~ "Hey, *we* hadn't left home when it all started, Buff," Willow replied quietly, taking a sip from her steaming cappichino. Angel and Duncan were on their
way to the airport to pick up the guy that was supposed to help them... The other guy in Cordy's vision... Adam Pierson, whoever he was.

*~ "Oh, God, Willow, here comes that one girl... the one who had a crush on you there for a while," Buffy whispered, her eyes wide as the blonde girl came
towards their table. "Remember? Oh, shit! What're we going to tell her?"

*~ "Goddess, I hadn't thought about that," Willow paled, her eyes finding the other girl... What was her name? Tara. Shit! What was she going to do?

*~ "W-Willow?" the other girl asked, her voice quietly amazed as she looked at Willow with wide eyes. "I- I thought you were d-dead..."

*~ "You must be talking about my..." Willow floundered, looking over at Cordy.

*~ "Cousin," Cordy supplied with a sympathetic smile. "This is Willow's cousin, Abbigail. She's a few years older than Willow. She lives in LA with me, and we
just came down for a visit, you know, for Abbie to visit Willow's grave and meet some of her old friends."

*~ "Yeah," Willow agreed quietly. "My mom was Willow's dad's sister. We were kinda close growing up, and it was a shock when I heard about it."

*~ "She just heard about it a few weeks ago. Abbie lives in LA, away from her parents, who don't really keep in touch all that often," Buffy added at the
confused look on Tara's face, anticipating the next question. "I guess neglecting your children runs in the family."

*~ Willow smiled sadly over at her friend and felt genuine tears welling up. "Yeah... I wonder if they even miss m-... Willow," she whispered, thinking of the often cold and distanced home she'd grown up in.  She smiled over at Cordelia as the other girl squeezed her hand reassuringly.

*~ "W-well, I'm glad to of met you," Tara stammered, blushing as she realized her mistake. "My name's Tara, by the way. I was in Willow's wiccan group. I'm sorry a-about your loss." With those words, the shy girl turned and pratically disappeared into the crowd.

*~ "I feel so bad," Willow whispered. "I mean, she's so sweet. And I didn't even remember her name."

*~ A familliar buzzing current flew through Willow and she automatically searched the dance floor again, with a new purpose. Her heart pounded wildly as her eyes found the source. An unfamilliar immortal. A tall woman dressed in black leather pants and a silver button-down blouse under an ankle-length black leather duster. The woman nodded, tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder, raising a black gloved hand to beckon Willow closer.

*~ "I've got to go, guys. If I don't come back, tell Duncan... Tell him I was challenged," Willow said, barely able to speak past the fear in her throat. Here it was. She was about to engage in the first real fight of her immortal lifetime. Goddess, she wasn't ready!

*~ "Wait, Wills, you don't have to fight," Buffy said in a whispered shout, shooting to her feet. "I'll come with you... Help, somehow."

*~ "No, Buff, I've gotta do this on my own. It's in the rules, no interference," Willow replied quietly, not taking her eyes off the woman standing impatiently
across the dance floor.

*~ "What about holy ground?" Cordelia whispered frantically, grabbing Willow's hand, squeezing almost painfully. "We can go out the back way and get you to a church."

*~ "I can't do that either," Willow replied. "Now I've got to go. I love you guys." After disentangling her hand from Cordelia, Willow stalked across the dance
floor, trying desperately to hide her nervousness.

*~ The other immortal smiled, her blood-red lips pulling back to show straight, white teeth. "Come along little girl. I can't wait to take your pretty head."

*~*~*~*
Sunnydale City Park
*~*~*~*

*~ Why is it that all of the awful events of her life took place in a park or a cemetery? Well, it was mostly cemeteries, but the park held a few dark memories. Willow pushed all of the fear and anger away as she faced the other immortal, completely clearing all the thoughts from her mind but one. Survival.

*~ "Cassidy Williams," the tall woman introduced herself formally, her tone regal as she took up a defensive stance.

*~ "Willow Rosenburg," Willow responded, her tone cold. *Ice. Think of ice. No emotion. No fear. Cold. Feel the cold. Feel no fear. No fear. No emotion.
Ice.* Willow widened her stance and waited for the woman to attack. She didn't have to wait long.

*~ The fight was long and tiring, and there were times when Willow thought for sure she was going to lose it. But at the last second, she pushed back with a
strength she never thought she possessed. All of her training had come to this instant.

*~ Cassidy's sword breached Willow's defence and entered the redhead's side, crunching through her fragile ribs and puncturing a lung. Willow screamed
out at the pain, falling to her feet. Cassidy laughed, raising her sword for the killing blow. "Good-bye pretty."

*~ Willow gritted her teeth, not willing to give up that easily. The other woman's sword was on its way downward when Willow rolled sideways, dodging the
swinging blade. The little redhead got to her feet with a strength and speed borne of desperation. A whispered prayer to her Goddess, and Willow swung her sword- a decidedly wild swing - and connected with the other immortal's head, cleaving it from her shoulders. The body fell with a sickening thud and Willow fell to her knees for the second time.

*~ She closed her eyes, feeling the quickening Duncan had told her about building in power and intensity. She screamed as the world errupted in a blaze of
elecriticity and sound, the power striking her repeatedly, images from the woman's long life flashing through her mind. Somewhere along the line, she lost
consciousness.
 

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