// indicates flashback | <> indicates thought | ** indicates emphasis
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part 21- Imagination
She was floating. Everything around her was light, perfect, everything she'd ever wanted. Buffy looked up and saw the clear blue sky above her with just a hint of white fluffy clouds. This is what life was supposed to be like, no worries. But she wasn't alone.
"Buffy?"
The blonde turned around at the calling of her name, "Angel?"
"You did it," He smiled at her and then looked up into the sun. It was the first time in so long that he finally could face the sunshine without turning into a crisp. So what if it's only in a dream. He took what he could get.
"What did I do?"
"You changed everything."
Buffy shook her head at the cryptic response, "You and Drusilla keep on saying that. What the hell did I change?"
"That bolt was meant for Willow but you risked your life for her."
"She's my best friend. Of course, I would do that."
"They want to reward you."
"They?" Buffy asked warily. <What's with all the crypticness?>
Angel pointed to the sky above as if that was answer enough.
The blonde Slayer raised an eyebrow, "*How* would they reward me? I mean, aren't I just doing my `sacred duty'?"
Ignoring her sarcastic remark he continued on, "It's time for you to choose. You can stay here or you can leave."
"Leave? And go back to the real world?"
The dark haired vampire nodded affirmatively.
"What about you?"
"I'm leaving either way. I still have a long way to go before," Angel waved his hand around, signaling his surroundings, "this." He paused for a moment, "What are you going to do, Buffy?"
~^~**~^~
"Why isn't she waking up?" Willow asked for the sixth time in five minutes.
"Red, you need to calm yourself. Why don't you go into the bathroom and splash some cold water on your face?" Faith suggested, getting a bit worried about the blonde Slayer herself.
The redhead looked around their hotel room with a blank face. "I-I-I have to stay with here with her. I can't leave her."
The brunette walked up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard, "Listen to me! You need to snap out of this. Buffy is going to be *fine*."
"If anything happened to her," Willow burst out crying as images of what torment Buffy might be going through flashed through her mind. Faith held the weeping redhead as she cried, knowing that it was a good thing that the pent up tension was finally released.
~^~**~^~
"I need to think about this," Buffy said decidedly, "You can't just ask me to make this life altering decision without giving me a chance to put some thought into it."
Angel looked up at the sky smiling, "Alright, but think about it quick."
"Why are you smiling so much? In the few years that I've known you I don't think I've ever seen you smile as much as you have in the past 20 minutes, unless you count that whole Angelus time." Buffy shuddered and then looked up at Angel's amused face, "Yeah, ok, done rambling now."
"Things aren't always as bad as they seem."
"Stop with those damn cryptic responses!!"
"It's the truth."
"It's a confusing truth." Buffy pouted, still trying to figure out what Angel was getting at.
"This world is filled with masked truths but you have to see through them. Don't be fooled by the front that people give, there's always a side that is hidden below."
"Angel, you're not helping me here. In fact, I think I may be even more confused than when you began."
"The world isn't so bad, Buffy. Just give it a chance and let someone in."
"Give what a chance?"
"Love."
~^~**~^~
When Willow returned from the bathroom, she looked calmer and more resolute. "I'm sorry about that."
"No need to apologize, Red. I'm glad you got it out. I don't want you freaking out on me again."
She ran a hand through her red locks, "Yeah, we have enough to deal with."
"Speaking of which," Faith nodded towards the unmoving body of the man that Willow knew, "Who did you say that guy was again?"
Willow paused for a moment and then answered, "Ethan Rayne."
~^~**~^~
"What do you mean give love a chance?" She asked defensively, "I've given love a chance!"
"Buffy."
With that one word, Buffy dropped her defensive act and sighed, "I don't know. It's just.. hard."
"Understandable. Just the way life is."
"What did I tell you about those cryptic responses?"
A hint of a smile appeared on both faces as those words were said. Suddenly, it hit her, "You really do love her don't you?"
Angel was a bit thrown at the question but regained composure and answered, "Yeah, I really do."
"I didn't believe you. Well, I did but I didn't. Never mind." She paused, "She's good for you."
"How do you figure that?"
"She'll keep you on your toes. Maybe she'll even bring you out of cryptic mode."
The dark haired vampire let out a laugh, "You're never going to let that go are you?"
"No," She smiled, "Too much fun."
Angel stopped laughing and looked up at the sky again, "Time for you to make your choice."
Part 22- Selfish
Buffy looked down and sighed, "This is all too confusing." When she looked back up, Angel's chocolate eyes were staring intently at her, "Do you know what will happen if I go back?"
"If you stay, everything will be predictable and happy. Perfect, just like how you've always wanted it. If you go back, nothing is predictable. Everything will always be changing."
"Exactly what I hate," Buffy finished for him. She brought a hand up to rub her forehead, out of habit, rather then actually having a headache. After all, they were in her perfect land, headaches didn't exist.
"Well?"
"I can't make a decision like this in a couple of minutes, Angel. There's a lot to consider here."
Angel shrugged, "I'm sorry, Buffy, but you're gonna have to."
She looked up and said quietly, "Please let them forgive me for this."
~^~**~^~
Faith snapped her fingers, "Gotcha." She leaned her elbows on her knees, "So, what'd he do to get on the Scooby list of evil people?"
Willow let out a laugh, "A lot of things."
"Come on, Red. Enlighten me."
The redhead looked thoughtful for a moment, "He turned us into our costumes one time. That wasn't fun."
The brunette Slayer had a clueless look on her face when she asked, "What?"
"Buffy turned into this Victorian lady who was all helpless and kept on fainting." As the memory was brought forth, Willow mumbled under her breath, "That was a big pain in the ass."
"B, helpless? Fainting? And I missed this? Damn!"
"I turned into a ghost. It freaked me out like hell when I realized I could go through things." A big grin covered her face when the next words came out of her mouth, "I did scare the hell out of Giles though."
Faith raised an eyebrow, "And I'm sure that was payment enough."
Willow cleared her throat and shot a glare at her, "Anyhow," She turned her head and looked at Buffy again, "I'm worried about her. Should she really be unconscious for this long?"
"It's only been a couple hours. That bolt hit her pretty hard. I'm sure she's fine."
Defeated, Willow let out a sigh and said quietly, "Yeah."
~^~**~^~
"Are you sure?"
Buffy looked at him with nervous eyes, "Not when you say it like that."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just want to make sure that you're 100% positive before you make this decision."
"I have to do this, Angel. And," She looked down for a moment before lifting her head up again with a more resolved gaze, "my original choice stands true."
~^~**~^~
The redhead was pacing around the room again. She was getting uncomfortable with two unconscious bodies in the medium sized hotel room. After running a certain thought through her head, she looked up decidedly and snatched the phone.
"What are you doing?"
"Calling Giles."
"What for?"
"What for? What for? We have Ethan Rayne on one chair and we have Buffy on the other, both unconscious and you're asking me what for?" Willow asked incredulously.
"What good is it going to do? What can they possibly do for us an ocean away?"
"I don't know." The redhead sighed and sat on the bed, shoulders slumped, "I just know that I can't stay like this any longer. This is slowly driving me insane. I don't know if she's ok. I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do when Ethan wakes up. I don't know anything."
"Red, stop beating yourself up over this. You don't have to know everything. We'll take care of this. Besides, you have me here to help you. It's all gonna be ok."
After a few moments, Willow finally spoke up, "How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Always manage to surprise me. One moment you're this insane psycho killer, no offence, and the next, you're comforting me and helping out the Scoobies. I thought you hated us."
"I'm a complicated person, Red. You should know that much by now."
Willow gave her a small smile but, before she could say anything more, a noise from one of the chairs distracted her.
"Looks like someone's finally awake."
Faith moved off the bed and stood in front of the person who's eyes were still hazy and a bit dazed from everything, "Bout time you woke up."
~Part: 23~ Disconcerted
As Ethan’s eyes focused and became clear the first thing that he saw coming at him was a fist that was attached to a slim brunette. He yelled as the fist made contact with his nose and his head snapped back.
“What the bleeding hell?!”
“If you fuck *anything* up then you’re gonna *wish* that I was only giving you punches like the one I just gave you. Got it?” Faith barked out.
“Faith,” Willow said calmly from the bed. When the Slayer turned around, the redhead shook her head and she dropped the harsh act. Willow got up and walked towards Ethan who was still holding his injured nose. “You ok?”
“Fucking hell!” He groaned, “I think she broke my nose!”
“Quit whining,” Faith rolled her eyes, “I didn’t even hit you that damn hard.”
“Faith.” The redhead’s voice carried a warning tone, “Can you go get some ice? The bucket’s over there.”
“Can you handle him?” The brunette asked unsurely.
“I think I can deal with him for a few minutes.”
After Faith left, Willow got up from her kneeling position and grabbed the phone. “Hello Operator? I’d like to make an international call.”
~^~**~^~
When Faith returned, Willow was sitting on the edge of the bed, an irritated look on her pretty face. The brunette slayer ignored it, knowing that she was probably talking to Giles and obviously it wasn’t going particularly well. She looked at Ethan and saw how he was still holding his nose and was curled up in the chair. <What a wimp! I can’t believe the Scoobies were actually scared of this guy.>
She opened a drawer and took out a plastic baggy and put a few ice cubes in it and then threw it at him. He caught it and immediately put it on his nose, hoping to relieve some of the pain.
After a few more minutes, Willow hung up the phone with a frustrated ‘ok’. Faith looked at her expectantly and the redhead began to explain.
“Well, he’s not happy.”
“Kind of figured that one out already, Red.”
Willow began to massage her forehead, “What I needed was not a lecture. What I *needed* was some helpful advice. You’d think it’d be simple but no, it wasn’t.”
“Anything helpful at all?”
“Nothing. Giles said that they’d be researching some more on the subject
and that maybe they’d be able to find something, but he doubts it.” She
let out a big sigh, “Not really making me feel any better.”
Faith looked at her apologetically.
“And I didn’t get to talk to Spike either!” The redhead whined.
~^~**~^~
“Watcher! Why’d you hang up the damn phone? I didn’t even get to talk to my Red!”
“Spike,” Giles warned, “*Not* now!”
“Something wrong?”
The Watcher shot a glare at Spike but, seeing that the blonde demon actually wanted to help, he relaxed a bit. “It’s a long story. Get some scotch.”
~^~**~^~
“Dear strawberry is all mixed up. The thoughts in her pretty little head are all twisted.” Drusilla suddenly looked very worried, “Bad, bad, bad, bad. Wrong road to take.”
“What is she going on about now?” Anya asked in annoyance. “Honey, I didn’t get my orgasms tonight because *she* had to stay over. I settled for cuddling and maybe a little groping but somehow she’s managed to ruin *that* too.”
Xander turned on the light and looked at the vampiress who was gliding across their room to look out the window. He rubbed his eyes, “Drusilla, what are you doing?”
“The stars won’t share any secrets. They won’t speak to me. All alone.”
“You’re not all alone, Drusilla. I’m in the room and so is Anya.”
“Yeah, so can you leave?” Anya clamped her mouth shut at the glare she received from Xander.
“Not me, dear boy, the strawberry.”
~^~**~^~
It was cold. And dark. Something was off. This wasn’t her perfect place. This was her own perfect version of hell. She had already run from three demons and she was positive it had only been a few hours. The blonde’s brow furrowed in confusion. Why was she running? She was the slayer, she was supposed to fight. A few demons shouldn’t have scared her like they did. Before any more thought could be put on the subject, she was distracted by a piercing scream that echoed through the silent darkness. All the signals in her body were telling her to run and hide but she couldn’t. Someone was hurt or was in the process of getting hurt. She had to save them. She was the Slayer, she had to. She knew that now, and for the first time, she finally accepted it.
~^~**~^~
“So, what’d Giles say?” Faith asked while keeping a close eye on their captive.
“He said to wait for Buffy to wake up and then get back to Sunnydale as soon as possible.”
“Typical.”
Willow turned her worried eyes onto the still unconscious body of Buffy Summers, “She’s still not waking up.” She paused a few moments before adding, “I’m getting *really* worried, Faith.”
“I know.” The brunette ran a hand through her hair, “I am too, surprisingly enough.” She let out a sigh, “But we can’t do anything until she wakes up.”
~Part: 24~ Faze
Buffy looked at the scene before her with nervous eyes. There was a girl around the age of 16 and she was being attacked by two vampires. <2 vamps, that’s easy enough. Why are my feet not moving then?> She didn’t get it. She wanted to help but she couldn’t. It was as if her body just refused to listen to her. <I’m getting scared of vamps? What the hell?!> She pushed the pestering unsure thoughts to the back of her mind and began to walk toward the victim and the attackers.
“Don’t you idiots ever learn? It’s not nice to gang up on poor little girls.” Buffy shot the girl a look that sent her running off in the opposite direction.
The vampires looked at the blonde with hungry eyes. The brunette vamp leered at her and asked, “And I suppose you’re not a little girl yourself?”
“Well, you wouldn’t expect a little girl to do this,” Her fist shot out and hit the vampire straight in his face. She was about to finish her quip when she felt an extreme pain in her knuckles and her hand in general. She looked down confused and opened her fist. That was a mistake because as soon as she did the pain only managed to get worse. <What the hell?> She saw the other vampire come towards her and she reacted instinctively. She kneed him in the balls and pushed him off of her. Taking advantage of the moment, she ran off, her thoughts in a swirl of confusion.
~^~**~^~
Xander sat down on Giles’s couch with a frustrated groan. Drusilla’s ramblings and Anya’s constant whinings were getting to him. “Drusilla won’t stop talking about a strawberry and something about a wrong choice for some reason.” He shrugged, “Doesn’t really make much sense to me.”
“Oh, that’s a real shocker.” Spike said as he walked into the room with a mug of blood.
Giles shot Spike a warning glare and looked at Xander curiously, “Where are Anya and Drusilla?”
“Drusilla discovered some new things today, the TV. She’s been staring at the ‘pretty pictures’,” he used his hands to do air quotes, “for the past few hours. Anya went out to buy some groceries and she’s going to be coming here later when the sun sets with Drusilla.”
“Are you sure that’s wise? Having those two together, alone?” The watcher asked unsurely.
“They both know better than to hurt each other.” The brunette looked at Giles inquiringly, “You said something about some new info on the Buffster.”
“Oh yes,” Giles let out a sigh.
~^~**~^~
Ethan leaned back in his chair as the two girls began the interrogation.
“Do you still remember me?” Willow asked, deciding to start out with the easier questions.
“Yeah, you’re.. the smart one.”
Willow rolled her eyes, <Oh yeah, that just does wonders for the ego.> “I’m Willow. This is Faith. Not a good idea to piss either of us off.”
Ethan nodded, the confused look still on his face.
“Alright, mister, you have some major explaining to do. We’re not gonna get into details as of now, but we at least want the basics.”
“How’d you become a demon?” Faith asked, starting to get annoyed from all the small talk.
“I pissed the wrong bloke off and well, voila.”
“When’d it happen?”
“About half a year ago. I’m thankful that you did whatever you did to me by the way. I missed my human ways.”
“Right, now what the hell did you shoot at Buffy.”
“Shoot at her?”
“That bolt thingy.”
“I didn’t shoot anything at her.”
“Umm, yes, you did.” Faith moved forward with intentions that would leave the confused captive black and blue.
“All I know is that a few days before I met up with you three some type of power flowed through me and it was as if I had something else in me, controlling me. It’s gone now.”
“Controlling you?”
Ethan shrugged, “Hard to believe, I know. But then again, it’s also hard to believe I was turned into a bloody demon in the first place.”
Willow sat on the bed, a thoughtful look on her face.
“What do you think about this, Red?”
“I think I know what happened.”
A moan was heard from the previously unconscious body of Buffy. Three heads snapped in the direction of the blonde and Willow shot off the bed and was immediately by her side within a few seconds.
“Oh Goddess, Buffy? Are you ok?”
Hazel eyes met green and the still foggy brained blonde asked, “Willow? Is that you?”
Willow let out a happy sigh and hugged her friend furiously, “Goddess, Buffy, you’re finally awake. I was so worried. Are you ok? What happened? You scared me to death!”
“Buffy? What are you talking about?”
The redhead looked at the blonde confused, “What do you mean what am I talking about?”
“Willow, it’s me, Angel.”
~Part: 25~ Warped
“What?”
The blonde shook her head slightly and ran a hand through her tresses, “Headache. Haven’t had one of those in awhile.” She paused for a moment, “I’m warm and I have a heartbeat.” Hazel eyes looked down, “And breasts!”
Willow looked gobsmacked, “What?”
“I’m *Buffy*?!”
“Yeah, Buffy, you *are* Buffy. Why are you saying that you’re Angel?”
“Because I *am*!!!”
Faith pushed the confused redhead aside gently and knelt down in front of the bewildered blonde. She looked into the other’s eyes and said softly, “It’s Angel.”
“How can you tell?” Willow asked, rubbing her forehead.
“Talent.” The brunette Slayer replied simply.
“How? What? Why?” The redhead let out a sigh, “I don’t get this.”
“That’s never of the good.”
Willow nodded slightly before moving over to the phone, “I think I’m going to call Giles again.”
“Wanker.” Ethan grumbled.
The redhead started a bit from the sudden comment, “Oh yeah. You. Be good.” She began to dial into the phone, “And Giles is not a wanker.”
~^~**~^~
“Do you remember anything?” Faith asked quietly.
“It’s all hazy right now. Everything’s so confusing. I remember something else, a force, that was inside me, like it was controlling me. It’s all bits and pieces.” Angel held a hand up to support his head, “I think something about a choice. Other then that, my mind’s a blank.”
The brunette Slayer nodded, understanding, “Don’t force it. It’ll come when it’s supposed to.” After a few more moments she asked with a quivering voice, “Is Buffy in there with you or are you alone?”
“Alone.”
Faith clasped her hands together, her eyes showing worry, “I see.”
Angel put a reassuring hand on hers, “We’ll fix this.”
~^~**~^~
Buffy pushed the door open to a seemingly abandoned house. It was odd, there was only the demons, vampires, the occasional victim and her.. and no one else. Closing the door with her back, she slid down the wooden barrier and sat with her forehead against her kneecaps. <What is going on?>
Apparently, she had lost her Slayer power. It hurt to give a simple punch now and there was always that pesky voice inside her that kept on warning her about the dangers of protecting others. It was all too confusing and right now, the blonde wanted nothing more then to sleep and, maybe in the morning, she could figure everything out.
~^~**~^~
Before Giles could get into his explanation, the phone rang. The Watcher walked into the kitchen, leaving Xander alone with his thoughts, a box of donuts, and Spike. Fifteen minutes later, Giles returned to the living room, a surprised look on his face.
“Something wrong?”
“Yes, quite.”
“It’s not Red is it, Watcher?” Spike asked worriedly.
“No, it’s Buffy.” He paused for a moment, “And Angel.”
~^~**~^~
Drusilla snapped out of her fixation with the television screen and jumped up, holding a hand up against the side of her head. “Topsy turvy. What fun! Poor strawberry is in circles.” She looked up at the ceiling, “Dear stars? Why will you not speak to me? Princess has been kind and polite. She deserves a treat.” A small gleam of hope entered the vampiress’s eyes, “No more fear. Bad. Only the strawberry can make it go away.” The raven haired demon began to twirl around the room, “All away.”
~^~**~^~
After Angel explained the basics of what he remembered to Willow, she sat back with a calculating look in her eye. “You said that you felt like you were being controlled?”
“Yeah, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”
“Ethan said he felt the same thing.” Her body turned towards the man and she looked up at him, “I think there might be some kind of connection.”
“What are you getting at, Red?”
“Don’t you notice the similarities in their cases?” She began to pace around the room, “They both are suffering from slight memory loss.” The redhead added some hand movements in to further prove her point, “They both felt like something was controlling them.” Her voice rose a little as she got more excited, “There’s a common factor between the two though.”
At the clueless looks, Willow rolled her eyes and stated, “The original Bakape demon. Giles said that their powers divide among the surviving demons and when that did Ethan felt the power surge through him.”
“Like something was controlling me.” The ex-demon provided, hoping to prove to be *some* type of help. He didn’t fancy getting punched again.
“Exactly. And when the bolt shot at Buffy, it must’ve transferred not only the soul but the power of the demon too.”
“So you mean, this damn demon is *still* fucking with us? Even now?” Faith asked, catching on.
“Yeah, I think so.”
After a few more moments, Angel spoke up, “That means he’s messing with her right now.”
~Part: 26~ Figuring it out
“What are we going to do?” Willow asked, running her hands through her hair. “I mean, this demon thing is doing only Goddess knows what to her and we can’t do anything about it!”
“Keep a level head cuz freaking out isn’t gonna help any,” Faith suggested.
After a few moments, the redhead looked up and said firmly, “You’re right. I have to compose myself and just focus on helping Buffy.”
The Slayer gave her a soft, encouraging smile. Willow continued on, “Ok, first things first. How do we get her back into control of her body? And where the hell is she if she’s not in there with you, Angel? I’m assuming that she isn’t.”
She looked to him for confirmation and he nodded. The witch sighed, “This is so much more complicated then I thought.”
“Well, at least we’re getting somewhere.”
Ethan raised his hand, “Can I say something? I don’t want to get hit again.” He eyed Faith warily.
“What is it?”
“This demon, it seems to be feeding off the whole mind control thing. Maybe you should do more research on it.”
Willow smacked herself with the heel of her hand, “Research! Duh! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Well, just be grateful that we have Mr. State the Obvious here with us,” Faith quipped.
“The rest of the Scooby Gang hasn’t been researching?” Angel asked curiously.
“Probably not about the right thing. We’ve been focusing so much on the transportation of the spell and not the actual demon,” the redhead clarified.
Angel nodded his head in understanding and shifted in his seat uncomfortably when he realized Faith was staring at him. “What is it?”
“It’s just.. so weird.”
“Weird?”
“You in Buffy’s body. It just seems kind of, I don’t know. I’m sticking with weird.”
Not knowing how to reply to her answer, he turned toward Willow, “You can call Giles, and Faith and I can go out and see what we can find around here.”
The redhead nodded and headed towards the phone and as Angel and Faith were about to head out the door, Ethan spoke up. “What about me?”
Faith rolled her eyes, “We’re not taking him with us.” She stated bluntly.
“I’ll take care of him,” Willow offered.
“Be good,” Faith warned, “Or else I’m going to have to hurt you and not in a good way.”
~^~**~^~
“Yes, yes, yes, quite right.” Giles nodded profusely as he paced around the living room floor, Spike’s eyes on him at every moment. “Of course, I’ll get right on it, ok, take care, goodbye.”
“Ahhhh! Not so damn fast, Watcher!” The blonde demon jumped out of his chair and snatched the phone away, “Red?”
Xander looked amusedly at Spike’s back as the vampire walked into the other room, wanting privacy. “So, what’s new?”
“Willow brought up a very good point. We’ve been researching the wrong things. We should be focusing more on this demon. Complete and thorough research.” Giles said decidedly.
“You mean, that Bakape thingy?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Before Giles could launch into an explanation, Anya and Drusilla burst through the door, “Aghhh!! I brought her here, I didn’t kill her.” The blonde walked up to her boyfriend and threw her arms around him, “You should be very proud of me. I’m expecting a reward.” She then moved out of his arms and smacked him, “A big reward at that! Sticking me with the insane wonder over there!”
The focus of attention was reverted to Drusilla as she swayed back and forth, “The stars are so kind and they still love me.” She let out an evil grin, “They’ve been telling me all sorts of naughty things.”
Giles looked at her curiously, “What sorts of things?”
“Naughty! Dear strawberry is covered in dust, hidden in the shadows. Bad girly.”
“Who or what is this strawberry she keeps on talking about?” Xander asked.
“Buffy,” Everyone turned towards Spike as he walked back into the room. He threw the phone back at Giles.
“Buffy? How do you know it’s Buffy?” The young brunette questioned.
“I’ve always had a knack for guessing at Dru’s ramblings. Plus, it makes sense if you actually listen to her. Covered in dust, hidden in the shadows.” Spike looked at everyone expectantly, thinking that was explanation enough. He rolled his eyes at the lack of response, “She’s lost and she’s hiding. In other words, she needs our help.” He mumbled under his non-existent breath, “Idiots.”
“Oh dear,” The vampiress reached her hand out towards the ceiling, “I can feel you! You’re close, almost there!” Suddenly, she yelled out, “Come back!” Drusilla stomped her foot hard against the floor, “No! Come back!” She turned towards Spike, “Make her come back.”
“Make who come back, Dru?” He had an idea but he needed to be positive.
“The strawberry,” Drusilla stated, “I felt her, I did.”
“She felt her?” Anya said sarcastically, “Oh, that makes a lot of sense right there.”
“I think she means that Buffy might be close to recovery,” Giles said, catching on.
“Watcher’s getting it.”
Xander shook his head, “Explain please.”
Giles looked at Spike and almost laughed when the blonde vampire backed away, shaking his head, “I don’t think so, mate. I’m going to go check on Angelus.”
~^~**~^~
The sun was shining down warmly on the blonde’s face as she woke up. Buffy smiled softly at the light pouring in through the windows. She could do this. She had to find a way back and the solution to the problem. She faced problems before and this one was no different. Giving up was just not an option.
~Part: 27~ Taking Charge
“I think this Bakape demon put a spell on her.”
“A spell?” Anya asked as she leaned forward across the table and snatched the book from Giles’s grasps.
For a moment the Watcher considered yelling at the ex-demon but then decided against it. Instead, he began to explain. “From what Willow has told me, it seems that Angel was under the control of the demon though the exact details aren’t precisely clear. Simple mind control doesn’t seem powerful enough to overcome Buffy. She avoided it the last time she fought against it. A spell on the other hand is. It says on that page,” Giles pointed to the book that Anya was holding, “that Bakape demons are highly advanced in magic.”
“A spell,” Anya repeated, “doesn’t that seem kind of.. simple?”
“Well, simplicity is key.”
The blonde didn’t look convinced.
“Well, how do we reverse it? Can Will do it in Venice?” Xander asked, eager to help out.
“I’m not sure you *can* reverse it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, a spell of this complexity involves one who has a lot of power. To be able to cast or even write one of this sort is extremely challenging and complicated.”
“Well, then how do you plan to fix this problem?”
“It’s a simple solution actually.”
Anya rolled her eyes, “Oh yes, because simplicity is key!”
Giles shot a glare at her and ignored her mocking tone, “The spell needs to be broken.”
“And how exactly do you propose we do that?” The ex-demon questioned.
“It’s not a matter of us, Anya. It’s a matter of the castee.”
“You mean Buffy?” Xander asked.
Giles nodded his head, “She’s the only one that can save herself now.”
~^~**~^~
Faith and Angel walked hand in hand down the streets of Venice, receiving a few leers from some young men.
“You’d think I’d be freaked out about this,” Faith said amused.
“Always knew you were into girls,” Angel teased.
“Well, I’m not exactly a lesbian, per say,” She looked up at the sky, considering, “Maybe more of a relaxed straight.”
“How is that different?”
“Ummm… it isn’t?” Faith let out a small laugh and then turned toward Angel, “Honestly, I’m not attracted to girls, guys, whatever,” she waved her hand as she said this, “I’m more into the soul and to be really specific, you.”
The duo paused in their steps and were standing face to face.
“Even in this body?”
The Slayer smiled, “Even in that body, though I do admit it’s still kinda freaky. I mean, a few days ago, B was like my major enemy and now, I’m trying to save her and the world!” She said the last part in a mocking tone.
“About that, what changed your mind?”
“You want the long version or the Reader’s Digest version?”
“Reader’s Digest.”
“You.”
~^~**~^~
“We don’t even know what kind of state she’s in right now! How the hell can we just expect her to save herself?”
The Watcher looked at the young brunette with understanding eyes, “I know you’re worried, Xander. But there’s nothing we can do.”
“A spell, we can do a spell. We can fix this.”
“Xander, it won’t work.”
“You’re giving up too easily. You don’t even know how long she’ll be stuck in there! And what if she doesn’t save herself? She’s going to be stuck in wherever the hell she is for eternity with that damned demon messing with her head!”
Anya put a reassuring hand on his shoulder but he flinched and backed away. “I refuse to believe that we can just leave it at this. We can help her. I know we can.”
Drusilla chose this moment to wander into the room. “Dear boy, your words heal the wounds.”
“What?” Xander asked frustrated.
“She’s agreeing with you,” Spike explained and then turned to Giles, “Angelus is still all nice and locked up, perfectly peachy.”
“Drusilla, do you know what we can do?”
Anya looked at Giles confused, “You’re asking *her* for help?”
“Don’t underestimate her. She can be of a good lot of help when she wants to be. She really does see things.” Spike said defensively.
The insane vampiress looked at the Watcher and began in a soothing tone, “The little tree paints such pretty pictures in the strawberry’s mind.”
“Red?” The blonde demon asked when he heard Dru’s prediction. “What’s she got to do with it?”
“She’s the artist, Spikey. She paints so well.”
“Right, I’m certainly seeing the dramatic increase of helpfulness we’ve gotten from her.” The ex-demon commented sarcastically.
“I think she’s saying something about Willow going into Buffy’s mind.” Spike said after a few moments of thinking.
“A spell, I was right. Will can do a spell to get into Buffy’s head.”
“Don’t be rash about this, Xander. We need to know all the details first before rushing into things.”
“Well, we don’t exactly have that much time if you haven’t noticed. If we need details, then we need them quickly.” The brunette said decidedly.
Anya smiled saucily at her boyfriend, “You know, you’re so hot when you take charge.”
~Part: 28~ Into the Mind
"A spell? Are you sure that'll work?" Willow asked, worried.
"We'll never know until we try it."
The redhead nodded, "I guess you're right. How do you plan to get all the info to me, Giles?"
"The spell itself you can find in a spell book called, Migratu Defixus."
"Alright," Willow grabbed a pad of paper and a pen and scribbled down the name, "Anything else I need to know?"
"I've already told you everything that we've found, but if we discover anything new and of importance, I'll be sure to call and tell you."
"Ok, Giles, thanks."
"Oh yes, one more thing."
"What is it?"
"Spike wants to talk to you."
~^~**~^~
Faith and Angel entered the hotel room, arm in arm, with two sickeningly love struck smiles on their faces. The brunette Slayer looked at the redhead who was sitting on the bed, giggling into the phone. She turned to Angel, "I have a feeling she's not talking to Giles."
Ethan rolled his eyes, "She's not. She's talking to that boyfriend of hers. I've been sitting here for the past hour trying not to gag."
"Shut it, dumbass. Just because you can't get any doesn't mean you have to ruin the happiness of others."
The ex-demon cringed at the Slayer's tone, "If you had to sit here and listen to her, you'd probably be singing the same tune as me."
The Slayer turned to Willow and tapped her shoulder. The redhead gave her an, 'I'm sorry,' look and said, "Sorry, Spike, but I have to go. They're back and we have to get started on the spell. Alright, I love you too, okay, okay, bye."
"Did I hear the mentioning of a spell?" Angel asked.
"Yeah, you guys missed a few things while you were gone. Speaking of which, did you find anything out?"
"Nothing." Faith sighed as she jumped onto the bed.
"Well, the gang back in Sunnydale found some things out."
Faith gave her a 'go on' look and she continued, "They were thinking about doing a projection spell of sorts. They wanted me to transport myself into Buffy's mind and try to maybe get her out."
"How would you get her out though? I mean, just getting into her mind isn't exactly rescuing her." Faith stated.
"I know, but right now she has no clue what the hell she's even against. If I can at least tell her everything that I know, she'll have a better chance of defeating the demon."
"Is it actually going to transport *you* as in body wise?" Faith asked.
"No, it'll create a mind link. I'll still be *here* body wise, but not mentally."
"Isn't this going to be dangerous for you?"
The redhead glanced at Angel, "It's worth the risk."
~^~**~^~
The redhead stumbled into the hotel room with bags of supplies. "Some help here, please?"
Angel rushed over and helped her balance the toppling bags. When she was finally settled, Faith asked, "Why all the stuff?"
"It's a complicated spell."
"How complicated?"
"Why, Faith, I never knew you cared."
"Just answer the question, Red."
"It's actually not as bad as you think it is. It just involves a lot of ingredients. I'm creating a mind link and I don't even know what to expect in Buffy's, so I'm adding some safety precautions, you know, just in case."
"Better safe than sorry."
"One of my many mottos." The redhead chirped. "This could take awhile." She looked around at the bags full of spell materials.
~^~**~^~
Willow looked nervously at Faith, "We have everything ready, right?"
"It's all set, Red. Just relax, you can do this."
"You're getting really good at these pep talks, you know?" Angel commented.
Faith shot him a glare and nodded towards the witch.
The redhead took a deep breath and began the spell.
"Migro Ad Adhuc
Addo Abitio Clanculum
Addere Confirmatio
Adorno Incolumitas
Ablego Autem"
The power surged through the redhead's body and her previously green eyes turned black as her hands shot upwards, streams of red light flowing from her fingertips. The redhead brought her hands down and the streams began to combine together into a ball of light that was centered between her palms. Willow closed her eyes and sat cross-legged on the floor, the ball of light still in her hands.
"I think the spell worked." Ethan stated.
Faith shot a glare at him, "You think?"
~Part: 29~ Searching
Willow held a hand to her head as she slowly rose off the dirtied ground. “Buffy?” Green eyes searched the scenery but finding no Slayer or anybody for that matter. The redhead got to her feet and closed her eyes to find a center balance. She opened her eyes again and looked around. The deserted town did nothing to lift her spirits. She let out a sigh and walked towards the houses, hoping to find some sign of the lost Slayer.
~^~**~^~
“Do you know how long she’s gonna stay like that?” Ethan asked, backing away slowly from Willow’s unmoving body.
“Red didn’t mention how long it was gonna take for her to get into B’s mind.” Faith shrugged.
“Did you call Giles yet?” Angel asked curiously.
“Crap, I was supposed to do that wasn’t I?” She smiled innocently, “Do I have to do it?”
Angel grinned at her and grabbed the phone, “You owe me.”
~^~**~^~
“Did it work?” Xander asked eagerly as soon as Giles set down the phone.
“Yes, but no results so far. It’s apparent that Willow is still searching for her.”
“But it worked,” The brunette said confidently. “Alright, this is good. We have a start.”
“You’re doing good, honey.”
“I can’t lose them, An. I just can’t. I can’t go through that again, not after Jesse. They’re my best friends.” Xander let out a sigh and sat down on the couch.
Anya wrapped her arms around him and leaned on his shoulder. “Do you need to talk about it?”
“I’ll worry about all of this later. Right now, we have to help Will and Buffy.”
He started to get up but Anya pushed him back down and said firmly, “No, you sit and let me give you comfort. It’ll make you feel better.”
Xander gave her a weak smile and leaned against her.
~^~**~^~
After twenty minutes of pacing, Faith finally sat down on a sofa chair and exhaled loudly, catching Angel’s attention.
“I know you’re dying to say something, so just out with it.”
“This is driving me crazy.”
“I see that.”
The brunette Slayer ignored his tone and continued on, “I don’t even know how she’s doing. There’s nothing I can do to help. I can’t just sit here and wait, Angel. I have to do, I don’t know,” she opened her arms out, “just something.”
Her eyes traveled the room until they landed on Ethan. An evil smile began to form as she soon found a new project. “Hmmm… I almost forgot about you.”
Ethan shifted in his seat uncomfortably, not liking the look in the Slayer’s eyes, “What is it?”
“You never *did* explain the full details about how you got to be here. Now’s the perfect time.”
~^~**~^~
Willow continued to walk down the empty streets, searching to no avail. Too immersed in her thoughts and worries, she rounded the corner, bumping right into a hungry vampire.
“Hmm, food.”
The redhead rolled her eyes and brought her hands together, getting ready to form a simple energy ball to dust the vamp. She opened her eyes, expecting to see light, but felt no force coming from her fingertips. Confused at the lack of energy she closed her eyes again and refocused her powers but nothing came out.
The fledgling stared at her with a curious expression on his face. “Are you like, insane?”
“No, I’m not like, insane.” She mocked. “I’m trying to gather up an energy ball to dust you.” The redhead muttered to herself, “Why isn’t this working?”
The vampire, tired of waiting, rushed towards her, and she held up her hands thanks to instinct and said, “Adsideo.”
A clear wall was immediately put up, blocking the vampire from the witch. “Ok, so I can block but I can’t attack.” She sighed frustrated and began to back away from the vampire. Willow let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the fledgling turned the other way, losing interest.
Not noticing where she was going, Willow ran right into another form. She whipped around, strengthening her protection barrier, readying herself for whatever was to come.
“Buffy?”
~Part: 30~ New Discoveries
Willow’s jaw dropped when she saw her best friend in front of her, “Oh Goddess, Buffy!” The redhead rushed up towards the blonde and gave her a tight hug. She was more then surprised when the Slayer pushed her away forcefully.
“I’m not falling for it!”
“Falling for what?” Willow asked confused.
“I’m onto you! I know something out there is playing with my head.” Buffy turned around and looked up at the sky, “If you think putting my best friend here is gonna distract me, you’re dead wrong, buddy!”
Buffy turned around and glared at Willow, “Cuz right now, she’s just another demon or vampire that I have to defeat.” The blonde moved forward, ready to attack and pounced on Willow.
The redhead quickly brought her hands up in front of her and reestablished the shield that she had taken down only moments before. “Buffy! Buffy, you have to listen to me. I’m not a figment of your imagination. It’s really me.”
The fierce look in the blonde’s hazel eyes faltered for a moment.
“The Scoobies, Faith, Angel, everybody, we’re all *so* worried about you.. and.. and they told me to do a spell.. to get into your head to help you. I’m here to help you, Buffy. Please, just listen to me.”
Buffy stopped pushing against the barrier and stood there, completely still, looking more vulnerable then Willow had ever seen her before, “Will?”
“Yeah, sweetie, it’s me.”
“Oh god, Will.”
Willow dropped the barrier in time for Buffy to rush up to her, enveloping the redhead in a hug.
The blonde choked out in between sobs, “I was so scared, Will. I don’t have any more powers here. I wanted to give in so bad. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I made the wrong choice. I’m selfish, I know. But it was so tempting and I just wanted to give in. Please don’t be mad. God, I don’t know if I could take it. But I promised myself to be strong. I have to be strong. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
The redhead rubbed Buffy’s back comfortingly and asked softly, “What do you mean sorry?”
“Angel, or something, some evil power, offered me a choice. To stay here, well, not here, but it was like a perfect world or to go back there, and continue my duties as a Slayer.”
“And, you chose to here?”
“Yeah,” Buffy hung her head down in shame, “And then it turned into a version of my own personal hell.” She let out a sigh, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay Buffy. The demon knew how to tempt you with exactly what you wanted. What you wanted the most at the time. Don’t be sorry.”
“Wait, demon?”
“The Bakape demon. It’s what’s causing all of this. It’s messing with your head, Buffy. Kinda like a last revenge type of thing.”
Before Buffy could reply to that, a thundering voice rang through the streets, “So, you finally figured it out?”
Buffy looked around watching for the demon.
“I’m surprised it took you so long.”
“Why don’t you come out here so we can play? I owe you a few things.” Buffy growled out.
“Oh, come on, that’s just not fair. Two against one. Why, doing that, poor lil’ ol’ me is gonna lose for sure.” The voice mocked. A snap was heard and suddenly, a restricting dome was surrounding Willow.
The redhead pounded against the barrier, but it wasn’t budging.
“Buffy!” Willow yelled, but the Slayer couldn’t hear a thing. The dome was sound proofed.
“Come out here. I want to see your face.”
“Well, if you insist.”
A sudden swirl of high winds surrounded the Slayer and she held her hands up over her face for protection. When they finally settled, hazel eyes opened to something completely unexpected.
“You’re.. you’re.. me.”
~^~**~^~
“The poor strawberry is all confused. Pretty pictures in her head are all mixed up. The colors bleed together.” Drusilla turned towards Spike, “She’ll bleed.”
“What are you talking about, pet?” The blonde demon asked cautiously.
The whole room grew silent as they waited for Drusilla’s answer. The mentionings of blood was a real attention grabber.
“It wants to make her bleed.” Her lips turned up into an evil smile, “And she bleeds such pretty colors.”
“Do you mean the strawberry, luv?”
“No, dearest, I mean the little tree.”
~Part: 31~ Doubles
“You can’t be me,” Buffy whispered as she stared at a spitting image of herself.
“Oh, but I am. And don’t worry, babe, I’m not just in your head. I’m those naughty thoughts that you think about when something pisses you off. I’m what gets you to do all those evil things you know you’ve done and tried to hide. And to put it simply, I’m you, except better.”
Buffy shook her head in refusal, “You can’t be me.”
“Oh, I think someone’s in denial.” The Evil Buffy sing-songed.
“Where did you come from?” The blonde Slayer looked around, “You’re that demon aren’t you? You’re messing with me again.”
“Don’t try to hide it, hun, cuz it ain’t gonna work. You know, somewhere deep inside of you, in that dark corner where you hide all your little secrets, that I’m real and I’m here.”
“Go away,” Buffy said through gritted teeth.
“Oh, you’ll never get rid of me.” Evil Buffy replied with a smirk, “I’m a part of you.”
“No,” Buffy denied.
“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Evil Buffy reprimanded, “It’s not good to lie.”
“I said *no*,” Buffy yelled before lashing out at her.
Evil Buffy smiled evilly and delivered a kick into Buffy’s abdomen, sending the blonde flying backwards.
Buffy groaned in pain and said weakly, “You have powers?”
“I told you I was you. And with that nice little package comes these nifty Slayer powers. Does come in handy, like now.” Evil Buffy looked down at the blonde’s cowering body.
“What are you doing?”
Evil Buffy grinned and said simply, “Trying to figure out the best way to kill you.”
~^~**~^~
Willow looked through teary eyes at Buffy and.. another Buffy. <What’s going on?> She pounded against the barrier, wanting nothing more then to break free and help her best friend. Suddenly, the dome began to sink further and further into the ground, pushing her along with.
Panicked and confused, Willow did the only thing that she could think of, she screamed. But her desperate screams did nothing to prevent what was happening. Regaining control of her senses, she tried to stop the dome from sinking but even with the strongest physical strength, she couldn’t have paused the dome in moving downwards. But still, she kept on pushing against it. The dome sunk down even further and Willow found herself going through and into the ground. She looked down at the floor below her, puzzled. She was actually sinking into the ground. And no one was around to help her.
~^~**~^~
“She’s shaking,” Faith said worriedly, as she moved towards Willow’s body. “Why is she shaking?”
“You’re asking me?”
The brunette Slayer rolled her eyes at Angel’s response and said, “This isn’t good. Something’s wrong. I can feel it. God, I never should’ve let her go through with this. We could’ve figured out some other way.” Faith began to pace around the hotel room.
“Faith, relax. She’ll be okay.”
“How can you be so sure about that?” She demanded, her voice rising.
“Because someone in this room has to be sensible.”
She breathed in and out deeply and said calmly, “You’re right. I can’t start freaking out now. She’ll be okay. *They’ll* be okay.” Faith looked down and then back up at Ethan, “Right, now where was I?”
~^~**~^~
“Does she mean Willow?” Xander asked in a panicked voice. “Please don’t tell me she means Willow.”
“What do you mean by bleeding such pretty colors? What’s that damn demon gonna do to her?” Anya questioned. She liked Willow. The witch was always there for her when she needed help and if Willow was in danger, then it was time to return the favor and help out a friend in need.
Drusilla backed away slowly, “I’m not supposed to tell,” She placed a slim finger on her lips, “Shhhhh!”
“Dru, luv,” Spike bit out, “What’s going on?”
The insane vampiress began to whimper, “Spikey’s mad.”
“No, pet.” He reassured, “Not if you tell me what the stars have been whispering to you.”
“But, they told me not to tell.” She pouted, “I have to be a good girl.”
“Dru,” he said desperately, “Please.”
Drusilla looked at him with soft eyes and said gently, “It will all work out, dear boy.”
“But why will she bleed?”
The vampiress looked away, not wanting to share her secret. Spike got up and held onto her shoulders and shook her, “Dru, I need to know.”
Hazy eyes turned towards him and she whispered, “To make you hurt.”
~Part: 32~ Power
“Start from the beginning.”
Ethan looked at Faith and said simply, “Look, it’s quite an undetailed story. I pissed the wrong demon off. Little did I know it was skilled in magic. So, in order to teach me a lesson, it turned me into a demon.”
“Well, aren’t you skilled in magic yourself? I mean, why didn’t you just try to turn yourself back into a human?” The Slayer asked curiously.
“You don’t think I’ve tried? I looked everywhere and came up with nothing.”
“Well, how come Willow managed to do it?”
“For starters, she has a lot more power then I have.”
Faith nodded and leaned back against the chair.
“That’s it?” Ethan asked.
“Why, do you *want* me to interrogate you further?”
“No, I just expected a lot more..” He paused, “Never mind.”
Faith smirked at him and turned her worried brown eyes onto Willow. “God, Red, please be okay.”
~^~**~^~
“What are you talking about, pet?” Spike asked, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt. He couldn’t be the reason why.. could he?
“The nasty old demon, it’s dirty. It wants you to hurt. It wants everyone to hurt.”
He walked away, shaking his head, “It’s my fault.”
“No, dearie.” Drusilla paused, “Can you feel it?”
“Feel what, Dru?” He asked, annoyed and frustrated.
“She’s strong.”
“Luv, who are you talking about?”
“She’ll fix it.”
Spike turned back to her and saw the flash of clarity in her eyes. “Are you sure?”
Drusilla smiled warmly, “The moon promised.”
~^~**~^~
“Help!” Willow yelled again as she pounded against the dome.
<It’s useless.>
The redhead turned around and her green eyes searched for a presence.
“Who’s there?”
<So, you all think you can ruin everything for me? Don’t you know that our kind always gets our revenge?>
“Who are you?”
<You’ve forgotten me already?>
Willow held onto the sides of her head, “Get out of my mind!”
<So, you’re William the Bloody’s new love? I would have expected you to be stronger.>
The redhead fumed and she gathered her powers for an attacking spell but when she looked down, she saw no light.
<You can’t attack here. You can block, but you can’t attack.>
“You can’t hurt me.”
<Oh, yes, I can.>
“You just said it yourself, you can’t attack, you can only block!”
<Would you care to test out that theory?>
Before Willow could reply she felt something tugging at her skin, as if slowly ripping her apart. She clamped her eyes shut and centered her powers. After a few moments, she let out a scream and a ball of light appeared before her. “Get out of my mind!!!!” She threw the light against the dome and as the two met, the dome shattered to pieces, leaving the witch standing in the middle, surprised and proud.
~^~**~^~
“No, you can’t hurt me.” Buffy said adamantly.
“Oh, sweetie, stop lying to yourself. I just hurt you a few seconds ago. I can always do it again if you want me to.”
The blonde got back up and said forcefully, “You *can’t* hurt me. You’re *not* real.”
“Hmm,” Evil Buffy replied, “Denial sure is a happy place, isn’t it?”
“This is all a dream. You’re messing with me again. You’re not me, you’re that demon.”
The look in Evil Buffy’s eyes faltered for a moment before it spoke again, “Stop lying to yourself.”
“You think you can trick me again?” Buffy asked with a stronger tone, “No, I’m not falling for it.”
Evil Buffy began to back away and the real Buffy moved forward, “I’m the Chosen One. I’m the one that has to fight the evils of this world. I’m the one that will keep this world safe. And I’m *not* going to let some little, weak, pathetic demon like you beat me. I’m the Slayer and I’m *not* giving up.”
Evil Buffy’s skin began to crack, bit by bit. And in the background, so did the sky and everything else that was surrounding the two. Buffy punched her in the stomach and the shirt that Evil Buffy was wearing cracked and fell to the ground. In it’s place was the skin of the demon. Smiling at her correct assumption, Buffy began to throw punches at the demon. The demon stumbled to the ground, beaten and bloody. The Slayer stood over the body of the demon. The added attacks of both girls had weakened it to state where he was only hanging on by a thread.
Buffy smirked as she grabbed the demon’s head, “I’m not lying now, am I?” With that said she punched it one last time on the forehead, destroying it’s power source.
And then, everything turned black.
The END