"Any threes?"
"Go fish."
"Okay. Will, any eights?"
"Nope, sorry Faith. Go fish."
"Damn it!" Faith swore, throwing her cards on the
table. "I hate this game!"
Willow and her companion glanced at each other and
then at Faith in amusement.
"What?" Faith cried indignantly. "I always lose at
these damn games!"
Drusilla giggled. "You are such a poor loser."
Faith made a face at her friend. "Whatever, Nutsy."
Willow laughed at her two friend's antics. It had
been two weeks since Willow had almost been drained
dry. She had stayed at the mansion with Angelus, Dru,
and Spike, who helped her recooperate after her blood
loss. Willow and Spike had become good friends. Faith
had come by everyday, and she and Dru became fast
friends. According to Faith, Cordelia was concerned
about Willow, not having seen her in days. Faith had
brought Cordy to the mansion, and Cordelia almost had
a heart attack seeing Willow so chummy with their
undead foes.
However, after Faith and Willow had gotten Cordy to
stop screeching, she was remarkably understanding, for
her, meaning she didn't haul off and insult anybody.
She had stopped by occasionally, still wary of Spike
and Angelus. She was cautious of Drusilla, but didn't
find her as evil as Buffy claimed.
Faith stretched her arms over her head. "I'm gonna go
patrol. You wanna come, Red?"
Willow nodded. "Ah, sure. Okay."
Drusilla looked at Willow, concerned. "Willow-mine,
are you sure?"
Willow grinned at the vampire. "I'm sure, Mother." It
was a running joke about Drusilla's mothering
instincts.
Dru grinned. "I'll go too."
Faith gaped at Dru. "Uh, D. You realize you're a vamp
too, don't you?"
Dru pulled a face at Faith's nickname for her. "I'm
sure. The only vampires I like are myself, my Angel,
and Spike. I want to go too. Besides, my Angel and
Spike went hunting, and I'll be lonely here by myself.
Miss Edith is being punished, and I can't talk to
her." Dru pouted.
Faith rolled her eyes. "Fine, let's go."
With that, the Slayer, the witch, and the vampiress
left the mansion, and went out into the night.
**********
Buffy was pissed. Her friends were still ignoring
her. It had been about a month since she told Willow
about her and Oz. Willow only spoke to her if it was
absolutely important. Cordelia gave her cold glares
all the time. Xander was civil, but that was it. Giles
would talk to her, but she could tell he was still
upset.
Buffy heard Faith tell Giles that Willow had been
attacked, and was staying with friends. Buffy had
asked Faith who these friends were, but Faith wouldn't
tell her. Buffy thought she deserved to know. After
all, Willow was her best friend, when she wasn't
acting like a bitch. Buffy didn't know what Will's
problem was.
Buffy heard voices coming through the park. She
looked to see who it was, and was shocked. Faith and
Willow were patrolling, with Drusilla! Evil Drusilla.
Buffy was beyond angry, seeing her fellow Slayer and
her friend cavorting with the enemy. She stalked up to
them.
"Buffy." Faith greeted cooly.
Buffy gaped at Faith. "What the fuck is SHE," Buffy
pointed at Drusilla, "doing with you?!"
Faith rolled her eyes. "God, B. Were you born dumb,
or did you have to work at it? Who do you think Red
was with after she almost died?"
Buffy glared at Faith. She turned to Drusilla.
"Angelus' little whore. Did he get tired of fucking
you, and picked up a new slut?" Buffy sneered.
Drusilla's eyes flashed amber. Faith put her hand on
her friend's arm. "Chill out, D."
Buffy snorted. "Looney bitch."
Willow glared at her. "What do you want, Buffy?"
Buffy looked at her. "I want to know why you're still
mad at me. And why you turned all my friends against
me."
Willow stared at her incrediously. "You are
delusional, Buffy. I didn't turn anyone against you."
Then, an eight foot tall red eyed demon stormed out
of the bushes, followed by a dozen vampires.
**********
Willow looked up at the demon. "Faith! That's
Laveyn!" Willow yelled while dusting a vamp.
Faith nodded, dusting two vamps, and backhanding
another. Dru vamped out, and slashed throats. The
minions didn't dare attack Angelus' mate.
Buffy had a vampire in a headlock, and snapped his
neck.
Faith charged the demon, but Laveyn flung her to the
ground. Faith groaned as she heard the pop of her
shoulder being snapped out of joint. She charged the
demon again, and he shot a blue energy ball at her,
and Faith crumpled to the ground.
"FAITH!" Willow screamed at her fallen friend.
"Jesus!" Faith swore. "I can't move! I'm frozen!"
Buffy had dusted the last vampire, and headed towards
Drusilla, stake in hand.
Willow saw what the Slayer was about to do, and tried
to run and help Dru, but she was picked up by the
throat by a very angry demon. Willow screamed as she
felt the demon's firey eyes burn into her body.
Drusilla turned towards Willow, and saw Buffy rush
her, Drusilla darted out of the irate Slayer's way,
but still the stake impacted with her stomach. Dru
screamed, and fell to the ground.
**********
Angelus and Spike had gone hunting, leaving Dru and
Willow with Faith at the mansion. Spike stopped as he
heard Willow's scream of pain. He took off running,
Angelus right behind him.
**********
"Buffy!" Willow gasped, as the strong hand around her
throat cut off her oxygen, "Please, help me!"
Buffy sneered. "Oh, *now* you want my help. You
aren't even speaking to me."
"Buffy, please. Help me." Willow pleaded.
Faith, watched in terror as Buffy turned her back,
and walked away from Willow. "B! HELP HER!"
Drusilla also watched in horror as a red glow
surrounded her friend and the demon. "No!" she
whispered.
Spike ran through the clearing, stunned at what he
saw. Faith was on the ground, a blue glow surrounding
her. He heard Angelus roar, seeing Dru with a stake
protruding out of her stomach. He saw Angelus charge
Buffy, and pinned her against a tree. Spike snapped as
he saw the demon holding *his* Willow by the throat.
<Mine, mine, mine, mine!> he silently chanted. By the
time he reached Willow, the demon disappeared in a
puff of smoke, and Willow lay on the ground, eyes
open, and unseeing.
~Part 10~ Gone
Seeing the stake protruding from his lover's stomach,
Angelus lost control. He tackled Buffy, and pinned her
to a tree.
"You bitch." He hissed, in full game face. He heard
Faith cry, and Drusilla moan. He released Buffy's
throat. "This isn't over, Slayer. Not by a long shot."
He warned, before hurring over to his lover's side.
**********
As soon as the demon vanished, Faith found she could
move. She popped her shoulder back in place. She
rushed over to Drusilla, and yanked the stake out of
her stomach. The both ran over to Spike, who was
rocking Willow in his arms. Faith cried out, seeing
her friend's face. Drusilla began to wail.
"Willow, Willow! He took Willow away! She's here, but
she's not!" Dru sing-songed, spinning around in
circles.
Angelus pulled her into his embrace. "Kitten, are you
okay?"
Dru nodded, blood tears running down her face. "Oh,
Angel! He took Willow!"
Angelus looked around for Willow. "No, Dru. Spike has
her."
Drusilla stomped her foot. "Her body's here, but he
took her with him. I saw him do it. I did."
Angelus scooped up Drusilla. "Okay, I believe you.
Let's go get that wound taken care of.
Faith walked behind Dru and Angelus, with Spike, who
was carrying Willow. Faith reached over, and closed
her friend's eyes.
"What happened?" Spike asked quietly.
Faith sighed. "Will and I did a quick patrol. Dru
didn't want to be at the house alone, so she came too.
We ran into Buffy, who insulted us, and then demon
thing jumps out of the bushes. Damn thing did
something to me. Couldn't move. Bitchy staked Dru, and
that thing grabbed Willow, and B wouldn't help her,
just walked away. Red started glowing, then you guys
showed up. Damn bitch. She's fucking toast." Faith
fumed.
Spike snarled. "If anyone gets to kill the blonde
bitch, it's me."
**********
Willow was laid out on Dru's bed. Dru laid next to
the redhead, and placed her hand on Willow's forehead.
"She's not here." Dru announced. "He took her."
Spike slammed his fist against the door he was
leaning against. "Damnit, Dru! Make some sense!"
Drusilla growled. "He took her." She looked at her
doll shelf. "Miss Edith says the Watcher can help."
**********
Needless to say, Giles was a little more than shocked
to see Angelus, a blood covered Dru, a very pissed off
Faith, and Spike carrying Willow storm into his
library.
Giles took one look at Willow and became very
concerned. "What's wrong with her?"
"He took her!" Dru cried.
Giles regaurded her carefully. "What? Will someone
tell me what happened?"
Faith filled the Watcher in on everything, how Willow
and Dru became friends, about the vampire attack, and
about what happened with the demon.
"Rupert, I found the text you were-" Jenny started,
and stopped when she saw who was in the room. "Oh,
my."
Drusilla walked over to the teacher, and took her
hand. "Please, you must help her. Help my Willow?"
Dru led Jenny over to Willow. Jenny gasped. "My God.
The demon got her, didn't he?"
Faith told the technopagan what happened. "You mean,
Buffy just walked away?" Jenny asked incrediously.
Angelus nodded. "Some Slayer."
Spike looked at Jenny. "What did he do to her?"
Jenny ran her hand through her dark hair. "Not a lot
is known about the demon. He's very good with Magick.
That's how he immobolized Faith. He also has the
ability to take a person's life force. He took
Willow's. She's not in her body. She's wherever the
demon is. We don't know how to kill him, or weaken
him, and until we do, we can't get Willow back."
"Find a way!" Spike snarled.
Jenny looked suprised for a moment. "I'll try."
Just then, Buffy walked into the library. "Hey,
what's going on?"
~Part 11~ Lashing Out
"Hey. What's going on?"
Faith glared murderously at Buffy, Angelus growled,
Drusilla vamped out, Jenny sighed, Spike snarled, and
Giles grimaced.
Buffy glared at her fellow Slayer, and turned
narrowed eyes to the three vampires.
"What the fuck are *they* doing here?" She asked
lowly, gesturing to the vampires.
Drusilla shrieked, and launched herself at Buffy.
Angelus caught her around the waist. Dru clawed at his
hands. "Let me kill her, Angel! It's her fault! I want
her blood!"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Shut the fuck up, psycho
slut."
"That's my friend, Bitchy. Watch your mouth." Faith
warned.
"And that's my mate, Slayer. She's more of a lay than
you ever where." Angelus taunted.
Buffy ignored him. "Sorry, Angel. Over you. Found
somebody else. I've moved on."
"Moved right in on Willow's boyfriend." Faith
muttered.
Buffy shot her a poisoned look. "Where is Willow,
anyway?"
Everyone moved to show Buffy the table Willow was
lying on.
Buffy gasped. "What's wrong with her?"
No one answered her.
"Dammit! Tell me! I have a right to know!" Buffy
exclaimed.
Faith laughed coldly. "No, you don't."
Buffy turned to her Watcher and Jenny. "What
happened? Please, tell me."
Drusilla spoke up. "You left her with the demon.
Wouldn't help her. She begged you. She glowed red, and
he took her."
"What?" Buffy looked confused. "I'm confused."
"No kidding." Angelus murmured, and Faith snorted.
Jenny gave Faith a look. "Buffy, the demon has the
ability to steal life forces. He took Willow's. Her
body's here, but she's not. She's with the demon."
Buffy opened her mouth to reply, but the doors
opened, and in came Cordelia. "W-what happened?" She
saw Willow, and ran over to her. "Why isn't she
moving?" She cried shrilly.
Drusilla walked over to the cheerleader, and pulled
her into a hug.
Buffy gaped. "What the fuck!"
Angelus smirked. "Oh yeah. Dru and Cordelia are hmm,
how to say this...chummy."
The doors swung open again, and Xander walked in.
"Hey G-man." He stopped when he saw the vampires.
"ACCCK! It's Deadboy, and Deadboy Jr., and Looney
Tunes!" Xander shrieked, then his eyes bugged out. "MY
GIRLFRIEND'S HUGGING THE NUTCASE!!"
Cordy rolled her eyes. "Xander, shut up."
Xander noticed Willow, and ran over to her. "NO!
Willow! What's wrong with her?" He asked, tears
running down his face.
Spike glared at Xander. "The demon was attacking Red,
and Slutty wouldn't help her."
Xander turned around, his face red with rage.
"You...left...her...there?" He addressed Buffy.
Buffy nodded. "Yeah. She wouldn't talk to me, so why
should I have helped her? That's Faith's job."
"I was FROZEN, you bitch!" Faith screamed. "After you
staked Dru, you ran off. Willow's gone, and we don't
know how to get her back!" Faith was shaking with
fury, tears running down her face.
Xander had his face in his hands. He looked up. "What
do you mean, back? Where is she?"
"The demon took her with him. Her body's here, but
she's not." Faith said softly.
Xander buried his face again, and Cordelia gave him a
hug. He asked the question everyone was thinking.
"What do we do?"
No one had an answer for him.
~Part 12~ Here, But Not
Spike tossed and turned. He could sleep. Hell, how
could he? Willow was gone, lost until they could find
a way to defeat the demon. He looked at the empty
space next to him on the bed. She should be there. In
his bed. In his arms. Damn! He was in love with the
chit. And it took having her taken away for him to
realize it. Figures. That was just his luck. He sighed
and turned over. He felt a cool breeze. But, the
window wasn't open. His eyes widened as the blue mist
formed a shape. A Willow-like shape.
"Willow?" He said, stunned.
The apparition giggled. She was light blue, and
transparent. "Hi, Spike!"
Spike sat, gaping.
Willow giggled again. "Say something!"
Spike found his voice. "Willow? Pet? Is that you?"
The apparition nodded. "Yup."
Spike sat up. "We're trying to find a way to bring
you back."
Willow raised her eyebrows. "We?"
Spike nodded. "Yes. Me, Angelus, Dru, the Watcher,
the other Slayer, the idiot, the werewolf, the
computer teacher, and the cheerleader."
"Bet you never thought you'd side with the good guys,
huh?" She asked.
Spike reguarded her seriously. "I'd do anything to
get you back, pet."
Willow smiled. "I believe you." She stopped. "I have
to go. Laveyn doesn't know that I know how to astrial
project." She started to fade.
"Willow!" Spike called. "I love you." He said softly.
Willow smiled. "I love you too, Spike."
And with that Willow vanished into thin air.
~Part 13~ Feelings in the Open
Buffy pulled away from Oz's kiss. They were in the
library. She sighed and turned to her boyfriend. "I
mean, they blame me for what happened to Willow. I
don't think that's fair."
Oz nodded, agreeing with the blonde. Buffy continued
her tirade. "Willow should of known better. Willow
should of saved herself, instead of trying to make me
do it. I swear, she doesn't think of anyone but
herself. She's such a selfish little bitch. How can
anyone stand her?"
The doors opened, and three brunettes walked in.
They stopped, seeing Buffy and Oz.
"Great. Look who's here. Just who I wanted to see."
Cordy said, obviously being sarcastic.
Faith snorted. Xander glared at the couple. "What are
you doing here?"
Buffy glared back at Xander. "I don't have to tell
you anything."
Faith straightened, sensing vampires nearby. "B, I
suggest you leave."
Buffy sneered at the other Slayer. "I don't take
orders from you, bitch."
Drusilla and Angelus came in, followed by Spike,
carrying Willow. "Oops. Too late." Faith smirked.
Drusilla growled, seeing the girl who caused her
friends so much pain.
Angelus glared at the Buffy and Oz. "If it isn't the
two dogs. A werewolf, and a bitch."
To everyone's shock, Xander busted out laughing. He
turned to Angelus. "That was a good one!"
Cordelia glared at Xander, but then grinned.
Giles and Jenny entered the library and stopped,
seeing the blonde Slayer, and the werewolf.
"Buffy. Oz." He said coldly.
Buffy nodded at her Watcher. "Giles. Why are we
here?"
Spike looked at her distastefully. "*We're* here to
help Willow. God knows why you're here."
Spike sent Willow's body gently on a table, and went
and sat with the group at another table. Buffy and Oz
sat away from the vampires and the others.
Giles looked at Spike. "Something happened last
night? With Willow?"
Spike nodded. "Yeah. She came to me last night."
"Huh?" Xander asked.
"Astrial projection, I assume." Giles told the
dark-haired teen.
"Yeah. That's what she said." Spike told them. "She
seemed okay. She kept smiling and laughing. I don't
think that demon's hurt her."
"Aside from taking her from her body." Faith pointed
out.
"What did she say to you last night?" Giles asked the
blond vampire.
Spike shifted in his seat. "Uh, that she was okay."
"Anything else?" Giles prodded.
"That, uh, she loved me." Spike said quietly.
Buffy stood up. "Gods, what a slut! First, she's with
Oz, then she moves on to Spike? What a whore!"
Spike snarled, eyes amber. "You talk about my Willow
like that again, I'll remove your liver through your
nose."
The occupants of the library were struck dumb with
the realization that Willow's feelings were
reciprocated.
Buffy walked over to Willow's body. She looked down
at the redhead. "I bet she's just faking." Buffy shook
the redhead, yelling at her to wake up.
She was flung across the room, not by Spike, or by
Drusilla, but by Angelus. He growled at her. "Keep
your hands off my childe's redhead."
Buffy stood up. "Ooh, Angel is protecting the whore.
No wonder Willow and Dru are such good friends.
They're both sluts. Tell me, Angel, did Willow do you
too? After she finished with Spike?"
Spike got up to confront the Slayer, but was stopped
by someone totally unexpected. Cordelia. She smacked
Buffy across the face. "You bitch!" She hissed. "How
dare you! Willow was saving herself for someone who
loved her. She *thought* it was Oz. I'm just glad she
never slept with him." She turned to look at Oz. "Do
you know how much pain she was in? After she found you
with her?" She said, pointing at Buffy. "You, Buffy
Summers, are the slut, not Willow. I tell you this
once, and that's it. Stay away from us. All of us.
Spike, Angel and Dru included."
Buffy snorted. "Pretty words, from the Queen slut no
less. I do what I want, when I want. You gonna stop
me, Cordy?"
"Yes." She said simply.
"Oh, please. You don't have the powers of the Slayer.
I'll crush you like a bug."
Faith stood next to Cordy. "I *am* the Slayer, B, and
I *will* stop you."
Spike was cradling Willow's body in his arms. He
looked to Buffy. "You go near Willow again, I will
kill you."
"Why haven't you already?" Buffy taunted.
Spike looked her straight in the eye. "Because that
would make Willow unhappy, and I don't want that." He
stood up, and left, carrying the redhead.
Drusilla glanced at Buffy. "Same with me. I don't
want to make Willow-mine sad." She also left, followed
by Faith, Cordelia, and Xander.
Angelus turned to Giles and Jenny. " Watcher,we're
going to the mansion to try the locator spell."
Giles nodded, and took Jenny's hand, and followed
Angelus out of the library. Leaving Buffy and Oz
alone.
~Part 14~ No Regrets
Buffy glared as she watched her friends leave with
her ex-best friend. Willow was faking, she was sure of
that. Willow knew the others would take Buffy's side,
so she'd faked this to get them to feel sorry for her.
She'd show them all Willow was a lying bitch, and they
would hate her too. Willow was a lying no good whore.
She was certain Willow was doing both Spike and Angel.
Hell, she wouldn't be suprised if Willow was doing
Dru, too. Buffy would hate to have to hurt Willow, but
she would if she had to. She hoped Willow would admit
Buffy was right, soon, instead of playing this stupid
charade. Buffy was the Slayer, the Chosen One, and
Willow was an insignificant little nobody. Buffy was
important, and Willow wasn't. Buffy was the center of
the group, while Willow could be replaced easily.
Buffy always got what she wanted, and what she wanted
was Willow out of the Scooby Gang. Buffy figured
everyone may be upset at first, but she knew they
would be okay with it eventually. They were around to
help her and keep her happy anyway. If they disagreed
with her, fine. They could go, too. They were all
expendable anyway. The same thing went for Oz. Buffy
liked him alot, and he was good in bed, but if he
didn't love her enough to do what she said, she'd
leave him, too. She thought about everything that had
happened over the last month. She didn't regret
anything she said or did. She had no regrets. And she
had a plan to show her friends what a self-centered
bitch Willow really was.
~Part 15~ The Light at the End of the Tunnel
Giles looked around at the assembled faces gathered
in the living room of Angelus' mansion. The three
vampires were looking at him expectantly, the
brown-haired Slayer looked curious, Jenny was
researching on her laptop, Xander and Cordelia looked
hopeful, Buffy was sitting in a corner sulking, and Oz
was sitting next to her, listening to her asinine
comments.
Giles rolled his eyes at the selfish blonde, and
cleared his throat. "I believe I found what we're
looking for."
"A way to kill the demon?" Spike asked.
Giles nodded. "Yes. And I've found a spell that
should release Willow from the demon."
"So, we do the spell, slay, and party?" Faith
inquired.
Giles shook his head. "I'm afraid it isn't that
simple,
How? With what?" Xander asked.
"With a special sword. That's all it says. Until we
can find out *what* sword, we can't bring Willow
back."
"Well, Watcher, you had bloody well find it!" Spike
growled, his eyes blazing yellow.
Drusilla giggled. "Ask the other Watcher. He knows."
Buffy sneered. "Giles, can I stake her? That stupid
bitch has been nothing but trouble to me-"
Giles cut her off. "That's it! Buffy, shut the fuck
up, or I'll let Angelus rip your tounge out of your
empty head!" Giles yelled, completely fed up with his
clueless Slayer.
Buffy blinked, then tossed her long hair over her
shoulder. "Fine. Whatever." She scowled, turning to
Oz,whispering in his ear. She glared at the group.
"We're leaving." The blonde grabbed Oz's hand, and
dragged him out of the mansion.
"Good riddance." Giles muttered under his breath.
"Wesley?" Xander scoffed. "Wesley knows where the
sword is?"
Drusilla chuckled. "No, kitten. He *has* the sword."
Giles stood up. "I'll give him a call."
***
About a half-hour later, the younger British Watcher
walked into the mansion carrying a sword with a long,
deadly-looking blade.
Drusilla ran over to Wesley, who began shaking the
second he saw the insane vampiress. "This is the
sword!" She exclaimed.
Wesley composed himself, and cleared his throat. "I
assume this is needed to kill the demon that is
holding Miss Rosenberg captive?"
Giles nodded. "Quite right. Jenny, have you found
anything on that idiot box yet?"
The technopagan gave him a half-smile. "Rupert, for
the last time the 'idiot box' is a television. This is
a laptop, and yes, I have found something on the
demon. We have to release Willow from his hold before
we can kill him."
"Why?" Xander asked.
"Because it could put Willow in mortal danger if she
is still under the demon's hold. He has her mortality.
If he dies..." Jenny trailed off.
"Bloody hell." Spike whispered.
Faith jumped to her feet. "Don't worry, Blondie. We
won't let that happen." The brunette turned to her
Watcher. "Super Wes saves the day!" She cried. "So, G.
Time to kill the demon yet?"
Giles smiled slightly at the energetic brunette. "We
have to find his lair first."
Jenny's computer beeped as she made a few quick
keystrokes. "Done."
Cordelia raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Wow, that
was quick."
Jenny grinned. "A member of my coven just contacted
me. The demon has set up shop in the factory ruins."
Xander turned to look at Angelus, Drusilla, and
Spike. "Man, what is it with you bad guys and that
factory? First, Angelus sets up shop there, tries to
end the world, then some ugly demon steals my best
friend's life force and decides to make said factory
his cozy home."
"Maybe it just has bad guy appeal." Cordelia offered.
Giles rolled his eyes. "Children, as fascinating as
this conversation is, I would much rather release the
demon's hold on Willow, and restore her to her body."
Drusilla clapped her hands. "Yes! Time to bring
Little Tree back! We shall have tea parties again!"
Giles ignored the vampire's ramblings. "Alright. The
first thing we need to do is cast the circle for the
spell. Drusilla, Jenny, and I will cast the circle.
Wesley, Cordelia, and Xander. I'll need you three to
help us complete the circle. Angelus, Spike, and
Faith. I'll need you to fight the demon after we've
rid Willow of his hold."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Kay, troops, let's move out." Faith said, loading a
crossbow.
***
Buffy sent Oz home, and waited in the shadows outside
the school. She watched as the group left. Angelus and
Drusilla walking ahead, Xander, Cordelia, and Faith
weilding stakes, Wesley holding a deadly looking
sword, Spike carrying the unconious redhead, and Giles
and Jenny bringing up the rear. She followed the group
silently.
***
The group had little trouble dusting the vampires
that were with the demon. Angelus, Spike, and Faith
were busy distracting the eight foot tall demon while
Giles, Wesley, and Jenny hurriedly cast the circle.
Drusilla set Willow down in the middle of the circle.
Xander and Cordelia joined the vampire, two Watchers,
and technopagan in the circle. They all sat down, and
began the chant. Willow started to glow.
The demon roared when he figured out what was going
on. He threw Faith into Angelus, knocking them both
over. "Hurry the hell up over there, guys!" She called
to the chanting Watchers, while she ducked a punch
from the demon, and waved the sword around.
Faith watched horrified as Buffy came from out of the
shadows, and tackled the demon. She pulled a crossbow
out of her coat. She raised it, and aimed it at the
demon's chest.
Faith realized too late what Buffy was going to do.
"BUFFY! NO!"
Buffy ignored the brunette, and plunged the stake
into the demon's heart. The demon made a gurgling
noise, then dissolved into a greenish slime.
Giles turned at the sound of Faith's scream, and
watched as Buffy killed the demon. He watched
helplessly as the glow that surrounded the redhead
faded away.
Faith ran over to Buffy, punching the other girl in
the face. "Bitch! You fucking bitch!" She kicked her
fellow Slayer in the stomach. "It wasn't time! They
weren't finished!" She picked Buffy up by the throat,
and slammed her on the ground. "Damn you!"
Everyone crowded around the pale redhead, hoping for
some sign of life besides her soft shallow breathing.
Spike pushed his way past Giles, and saw Willow.
"No...." He sunk down to the floor and cradled her
onto his lap. "Willow? Luv, please open your eyes.
Come back to me, love." Spike pleaded with her softly,
stroking her cheek and petting her hair. "Come back to
me."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief when the redhead
opened her green eyes. "Luv," Spike breathed,
relieved, "are you okay?"
Willow whimpered softly. "Spike? Is that you?"
Spike rocked her gently in his arms. He kissed her
forehead softly. "Yeah, baby. I'm here. It's all over.
It's all right now."
Willow looked up at him, gaze unfocused. "Spike." She
whimpered. "I can't see you."
The blonde vampire's relief immediately gave way to
alarm. "What?"
"I...can't see you." She breathed, her voice becoming
weaker.
His intense alarm gave way to panic as her breathing
shallowed, and her heart beat slowed. "Willow? Willow!
No!"
Drusilla whimpered behind him. She turned to Angel.
"She's leaving him, Angel."
"What?!" Xander gasped. "No! No!"
Spike kissed her lips gently, bloody tears prickling
in his eyes. "No, baby, don't leave me. Please baby. I
love you. Don't leave me. Love, please. Not when I
just found you..." He pulled her closer, resting his
cheek against hers. He placed soft kisses on the side
of her face.
Willow smiled and touched his cheek.
"Spike...love...you." She said softly, before letting
out a long breath, closing her eyes and going limp.
The group surrounding the vampire and his love held
on to one another, watching as Spike lowered his head
and began to cry silently as the little redhead in his
arms died.
~Part 16~ Hell to Pay
Buffy stood up and glared at the assembled group,
unaware of the destruction she had caused. "You could
at least thank me." She spat to the group.
Cordelia stepped away from the circle and turned to
Buffy. "Thank you?!" Cordelia whispered incrediously.
"Why in the hell should we thank you?!"
Buffy rolled her eyes at the cheerleader. "Duh. I
just saved your sorry asses!"
Faith wiped her eyes, and glared hatefully at the
blonde. "They didn't finish the chant."
Buffy flipped her hair. "So?"
"Willow *died* because of you!" Faith screamed.
Buffy's eyes widened. "Willow's dead?"
Giles stepped up next to the brunette Slayer. "Yes,
Buffy. Willow died because you killed the demon before
it was time. When he died, he took her with him. I
hope you're happy." Giles spat, disgusted with the
selfish blonde.
"Of course I'm not happy!" Buffy retorted. "But,
Willow should of tried to get away from the demon when
he grabbed her."
"Are you dense or just a fucking moron?!" Xander
swore. "YOU didn't help her when the demon got her.
YOU walked away! It is YOUR FAULT!"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Xander. I'm sorry
she's dead, but we all know it would of happened
sooner or later."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Faith
asked.
"Come on, Faith. She was a weak little mouse who was
lucky to have survived on the Hellmouth as long as she
did." Buffy replied coldly.
Giles looked stunned at the cold-hearted girl before
him. "What happened to you, Buffy?"
"Nothing happened to me." Buffy replied.
"Maybe we're finally seeing her for what she really
is." Xander suggested. "A selfish, black-hearted
bitch!"
"Go to hell, Xander!" Buffy retorted. "What do you
want me to say? That I'm sorry that she died? She was
a liability to me. I couldn't protect her forever!"
"She was your best friend." Jenny said quietly.
"She was a miserable little whore!" Buffy replied.
Everyone turned at the sound of a low growl. Spike
stood in full game face, enraged that the Slayer dared
to talk about his mate like that. "I said I'd kill
you..." He snarled as he advanced on her.
Buffy snorted. "Whatever. You can't touch me.
Besides, I'm sure you'll find another whore in no
time."
Spike grabbed the girl's blond hair and wrenched her
head back.
"Let go! Help me!" Buffy cried to her friends. No one
made a move to help her. "Help me! Now, dammit!
Please, help me!"
"Sounds familiar." Faith said coldly. "Willow asked
you to help her, and you turned your back on her."
"My best friend died because of you. I'm turning my
back on you, Buffy." Xander told her, stepping away
from the blonde, helpless in the vampire's grip.
Drusilla came up behind Spike. "No, Spike. We can't
kill her yet. Let's take her back to the mansion."
Angelus stood in front of Buffy. "Sounds good to me."
He grinned, slamming his fist into Buffy's face as the
Slayer's vision went dark.
~Part 17~ A Different Kind of Dark
"I've already contacted the consul, Jenny. They've
been made aware of the...situation."
"Well? Rupert? What did they say?"
"They said that a rogue Slayer needs to be... dealt
with. She's already killed Willow. She's dangerous."
"Hey, I say give the bitch to the vamps."
"Xander!"
"What? Giles, she's *evil*. She's crazy. Hell,
*Spike* has more of a soul than she does!"
Buffy heard the voices, but they sounded far away.
She opened her eyes. "What's going on?" She realized
she was chained up, and glared at her watcher.
"Unchain me, now!"
Xander shook his head, standing next to Cordelia. "No
way, Buff."
Buffy began to struggle, a manic look in her eyes.
"Unchain me now, or I swear I will kill every last one
of you!"
"Shut up!" Faith told her.
Giles looked at his Slayer with pity. "What happened
to you, Buffy? When did you become so heartless?"
"Shut the fuck up and unchain me, you bastard!" Buffy
hissed.
Giles shook his head sadly. "I can't. Buffy, the
counsil is considering you a rogue Slayer."
"So?" Buffy snapped. "What is this, a damned
intervention?!"
"Buffy, you killed an innocent person. Do you even
care?" Cordelia asked her softly.
"Innocent? Willow was a worthless little whore who
deserved worse than she got!"
Giles shook his head. "The counsil wants you
eliminated. You're a danger now. A foe."
Buffy's eyes widened as she understood. "So, you kill
me? Another Slayer will be called."
Giles again shook his head. "No. When you drowned,
that's when another Slayer was called. Since you
already died once, another Slayer will not be called.
Faith will be the only Slayer. "
Buffy smirked. "You won't do it, Giles. I know you.
You think of me like a daughter. I come before your
duties. You know that."
Giles turned away. "No, you don't. I'm sorry, Buffy.
May God have mercy on your soul." Buffy watched
stunned as Giles and Jenny walked up the stairs and
out of the mansion.
Cordelia gave one final look at Buffy. "I learned
something today. Good and evil are separated by a thin
line. I used to think since you were a Slayer, that
made you a good guy. But, when I saw how Spike treated
Willow, I realized, that somewhere along the line,
that *he* was the good guy. He has more of a soul than
you do. I pity you, Buffy." Cordelia told her, before
leaving.
"Go to hell!" Buffy retorted.
Xander watched Cordelia leave. He turned to Buffy.
"You killed my best friend. I hope you die slowly and
painfully." Xander followed his girlfriend, and never
looked back.
Faith walked over to the blonde, who tried to lash
out at her. Faith punched her hard in the stomach.
"For Willow." She turned to Spike. "Make her bleed,
Fang."
It occured to Buffy that she was in real trouble.
"Look, I'm sorry."
Angelus laughed sharply. "You're sorry?"
Buffy nodded. "If you let me go, I'll leave town.
You'll never see me again."
"Bargaining for your life, Buffy?" Angelus asked.
"That doesn't make my Red breathe again, does it?"
Spike snarled. "You should just better hope I decide
to kill you quickly."
Drusilla came down the stairs. "Spike?"
Spike turned to look at Angelus. "I'll be back."
Angelus nodded as Spike ran up the stairs. The dark
vampire smiled evilly at the blonde. "Now that we're
alone, lover, let's sort out some past grivences. You
used Soulboy, killed Red, and hurt my childer. I can't
let you get away with that." He walked to a nearby
shelf and picked up a dagger. "Scream if this
hurts..." He requested as he cut her, delighting in
her screams as he cut her.
***
Buffy hung limp and bloody from the wall. She had
been tortred for hours on end. After Angelus had spent
some "quality time" with her, Drusilla came down to
her with a whip, and proceeded to "punish" Buffy for
staking her, and for hurting Willow. After two hours
of brutal beating, Drusilla left. After that, Spike
had come down and literally beaten the shit out of
her. After that, he had delighted in breaking all of
her fingers. Then he had gone upstairs. She hadn't
seen any of the vampires for over an hour. She
wondered if they were just going to leave her down
there to die.
Then, Angelus was walking down the steps, followed by
Drusilla. They both stood in front of her, eyes full
of hatred. Angelus turned to look at Spike desending
down the stairs, blocking the view of the staircase
from Buffy.
Spike walked over to where the broken Slayer was
chained. "We were trying to decide who gets to kill
you."
"And you didn't decide, so you'll let me go." Buffy
said, confident she would be fine.
Angelus snorted. "Not quite, Slutty."
Buffy noticed a flash of red on the corner of her
field of vision, and gaped when Willow walked over to
her.
"You're...you're..." Buffy stammered.
"Dead?" Willow supplied. "Yeah, thanks to you,
Buffy."
"But, you're here..." Buffy trailed off.
Willow turned to look at her mate. "Spike saved me."
Buffy gasped when she realized how Spike "saved"
Willow. "You're a vampire! How? You died!"
Willow rolled her eyes. "Duh. When everyone was
distracted by *you*, Spike changed me. That was the
second time you killed me."
Buffy was confused. "Second time?"
Willow nodded. "Yes. The first time was when you left
me with the damned demon, the second time was when you
killed the demon, taking me along with it!"
Buffy narrowed her eyes. "The others will stake you."
Willow shook her head. "No, they wouldn't. They
didn't stake Spike, Dru, or Angel, did they? Besides,
after I kill you, we're leaving. For good. Spike told
them he'd take care of the burial, so they don't
suspect anything. It's for the best they think I'm
dead, and that they don't know I'm a vampire."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Will. Undead or
not, you won't kill me. I'm your best friend."
"Was." Willow corrected. "You were my best friend, in
a different lifetime. I want my new life to start,
with my mate." She vamped out, and turned to her sire.
"Daddy?" She purred. Spike nodded. "Go ahead, baby."
Buffy screamed as Willow lunged at her, and felt her
draw out the blood from her veins. The last thing she
saw was Willow pulling back and kissing Spike, then
Buffy descended into a new kind of darkness.