New BeginningsBy PSUBrat
Confession
The silence that hung in the air was so thick Willow could barely breathe. She had just confessed to everyone in the room that she had altered their reality, with the help of Anya. She was trying to understand how a few simple words said in pain could make such a huge impact on her life, and the lives of her friends. She tried to look around the room, to read each one's expression, but she found it hard to even look at Tara. She noticed that Xander looked like he had been punched in the stomach and the others were just stunned. Now she was going to have to explain to them what had happened in the other reality. Was she ready for this?
Tara was the first to speak. "I know that this is a lot to take in. I had the same reaction as all of you when Willow first told me, but you need to listen to how and why it happened before you pass any judgment on her. Including you Xander."
"You're quite right Tara," Giles said quietly, "Willow, please come sit down and explain what is that has happened."
Willow slowly shuffled her feet towards the empty chair at the table. This was the second time this week that she was going to have to go through all those terrible memories and pain.
"Why don't you start from the beginning, Will," Buffy stated calmly.
"Well…do you remember the day that I warned you about Warren coming with a gun? That's the day it happened. Well, we actually lived that particular day, twice."
"I only remember living it once," Dawn said speaking up.
"Yeah. You guys will only remember the one time, which is actually the second time, but I remember everything. I didn't at first, I was confused; but then, over time, I started remembering."
Buffy looked at her friend. This was obviously very hard on the girl. Buffy felt for her but she needed to know that Willow's wish hadn't put them in more danger than they had been in, in the other reality. "Will, why don't you tell us what happened before you made the wish?"
Willow wasn't sure she could handle telling everyone about Tara's death and her subsequent rampage but Tara took her hand and squeezed it. Tara gave her strength to go on. "It all started when Warren came with the gun," she said looking at Buffy, "he shot at Xander first, you second and then a third bullet hit Tara in our room." The memory of Tara's face and the blood all over the girl's shirt, made Willow's eyes cloud over with tears. Her voice wavered as she continued; "Warren had shot her in the back and killed her. Right in front of me. I tried to bring her back by summoning Osiris, but he refused my pleadings."
"It wasn't a mystical death," Giles muttered.
"Exactly. I was so distraught. I walked out of the house and met up with Xander who was going to the hospital with Buffy since she had been shot. That's when I found out it was Warren that had done this. I-I lost my mind. I came here…"
"And she put me in stasis," Anya added. "Because I tried to stop her. I could feel her pain. But she wanted to do the vengeance thing herself."
"Oh. Poor Anya. Couldn't do her job," Xander said sarcastically.
Anya scowled at him.
Giles growled at the young man, "Xander, please do shut up." He nodded at the red head to continue with her story.
"I came to the shop and absorbed all of the black majicks books that were here. And when I say absorbed, I mean it literally. My hair and eyes turned black. I-I think I kinda looked like my doppelganger."
"Much worse," Anya chimed in.
"Uh. Thanks Anya. Anyway, I saved Buffy's life at the hospital but then I went after Warren. I tortured him and I killed him in cold blood. Buffy…you and Xander and Anya tried to stop me, but you didn't get there in time, and then I went after Jonathan and Andrew. You managed to save them but not before you and I went a couple of rounds."
"Buffy she totally kicked your ass," Anya stated.
They all looked at the demon.
"What? Well she did," Anya shot back.
"I also threatened Dawn, and I tortured Giles too. Giles teleported here with borrowed magic, like he did when we were fighting Warren. I drained him of his powers. After that, I went to the top of the hill and called upon the dark powers to destroy the world. Xander stopped me, though." She looked at her friend and smiled.
"Imagine that," Xander said smiling, "I saved the world. I am the man!" After a few seconds, it sank in and he added, "Too bad I'm not that man in this reality."
"After Xander saved me, I cried out that I wished Tara had never died."
"And that's where I came in. I granted her wish," Anya said with a smile.
"Oh, that's something to be proud of," Xander hissed at her.
"I was just doing my job," Anya screamed back at him.
"Well if it wasn't for your job, we wouldn't be in this situation right now, would we?"
"Will the two of you just stop," Buffy yelled. She turned to her friend and asked, "Anything else Will?
"No. That's pretty much the condensed version. I swear I didn't make the wish on purpose. I didn't know that Anya had gotten her vengeance on again. And that's why we can't destroy her center of power. I'm sorry."
"It does explain quite a bit actually," Giles said cleaning his glasses, "It would explain why the coven said the situation had changed. Originally, they had told me that a powerful force based on pain was rising, but then when I went to them again after I couldn't reach any of you, they said that the force was now based on vengeance against Buffy. Really quite amazing."
Xander was pacing now. He apparently had been the hero in the other reality, the true reality. Now he was a nothing again. His anger got the best of him. "Willow, you do realize that it was your fault that I almost died, don't you?"
"Xander," most everyone screamed at him.
"How could you say that to her, Xander?" Dawn asked in shock.
"Xander, I almost died too," Willow whispered.
"So now we're all stuck in your little world. Now I'll never have my girlfriend back and it's all your fault. That's just great." His bitterness dripped off every word.
Willow began crying as Tara put her arms around her. She knew this was going to be hard, but she didn't think Xander would be the one to turn against her. Not like this.
"Xander I think you need to shut up now before I have to hit you," Buffy threatened, "From what I can understand, this is a much better reality to be in. Everyone is safe and sound and Willow was able to learn from her mistakes. I think that counts for something."
"Yes. I believe it does," Giles agreed.
"Xander, it's like I said before," Anya said turning to her ex-fiancé, "You'll have to love me for who I am, right now. Not who you want me to be."
"She's right Xander," Tara agreed, "You can't just pick and choose how you want things to be."
"Oh, but Willow can," he seethed. He walked over to Anya and ripped her pendant from her neck. "I say we all take a vote. Who here votes to go back to the other reality by crushing Anya's pendant?"
"I don't believe you have that choice mortal," said a rough voice to their left.
***
The creature standing to their left was a gray, four-horned demon with some type of moustache. Anya and Willow recognized him right away. The others weren't exactly sure who it was at first. Dawn thought that maybe she recognized him from the bison lodge at Anya and Xander's non-wedding. The demon glided into the middle of the room to stare into Xander's eyes. What did this mortal know of right and wrong? He should have sent one of his demons to take care of the boy when he had left Anya at the altar. How dare he make one of his best vengeance demons suffer like this? And she did suffer. They could all feel her pain.
"Tell me why," the demon demanded as his hand shot out and grabbed Xander by the neck, "I shouldn't just crush you instead? This is the thanks you give to the one that never left your bedside while you were dying? You don't deserve her love."
They all stared at the scene. Finally when Xander's face began to turn blue, Anya blurted out, "D'Hoffryn! No!"
He dropped the mortal to the floor and turned to his demon. "Anyanka, you and I need to have a chat."
"Whatever you have to say to her you can say in front of us," Buffy stated coldly.
"Very well," the demon said. "But first, we need to summon the second offender."
Anya turned pale. She looked as if she was going to faint right there on the spot. "D'Hoffryn," she pleaded, "I promise I'll be a better demon for you!"
He ignored her pleas. Lifting his arms to the ceiling he yelled, "Halfrek appear!"
To their right, the second vengeance demon materialized in the shop.
***
Halfrek looked around the shop in a daze. She wasn't certain how she had gotten there, but she knew it couldn't be good. Then her eyes fell on D'Hoffryn. She too became pale and lowered her eyes to the ground. "Forgive me master," she cried, "I won't help the mortals again."
D'Hoffryn studied both of his best vengeance demons. He was going to miss them. "You have both broken the first law of vengeance. You have disclosed vengeance information to mortals thus helping them against those from which the vengeance was to come. I'm very disappointed in both of you. Do you have any last words before I exact my punishment upon you?"
Anya and Halfrek looked at one another and then down at the floor. "No," Anya whispered. Halfrek shook her head.
"Wait a minute here," Buffy growled, "there will be no punishment exacting of any kind while I'm here."
"This is none of your concern mortal."
"Anya is my friend, this is my concern!" Buffy lunged at D'Hoffryn but Giles held her back.
"Buffy, please…we shouldn't interfere."
"You should listen to your watcher Slayer. Now. Back to the punishment."
Xander got to his feet quickly and stepped in between D'Hoffryn and the girls. "Don't do anything to them. If you want to punish someone, punish me."
D'Hoffryn laughed. "Silly mortal, as much as I would enjoy smiting you down, this punishment can only be delivered to those who did the offenses. Now get out of my way before I throw you out of the way."
Xander refused to budge and continued to glare at the demon. There was no way he was going to let anyone hurt Anya. Not this time. For once he was going to stand up and be a man. "Then do your best horn man."
D'Hoffryn made a sweeping motion with his hand, which sent Xander flying into the counter. Anya ran to help him up but before she could get there, she was told to stop. "Anyanka, you will leave the mortal alone. He is fine. Now go back next to Halfrek."
She did as he said and slowly took her place next to her friend.
"I have explained your transgressions and you have pleaded guilty. Therefore, you two will be punished accordingly." He chanted a few words and the two demons disappeared within a wall of white smoke.