Acknowledgements: My most sincere and heartfelt thanks go out to my two betas. Abby and Tracy both helped me more than they'll ever know. This story would literally not be the same without their input. I'm very new to writing fanfic and they have been indispensable to me. Besides all the usual technical stuff, they gave me the courage to share what I wrote with you all. Thank you so much guys. You are the best. :)

Synopsis: The Box takes place only days after the gang has brought Buffy back from the dead. She is feeling out of place, and the one person she should be talking to, is the only person (well, vampire) she is avoiding. While Buffy tries to come to grips with that, Willow releases an ancient evil, and Tara leads the gang in the fight to save her. S/B shippy because I like it like that :)

***************

As the dark shadow seeped in through Willow's skin, her head dropped and hung for a moment, then slowly raised up. She walked gracefully to the dresser's mirror to look herself over. She leaned forward, placing her hands on the dresser. As her left hand brushed against the amulet lying there, suddenly she stood up straight, as light shot from her eyes into the amulet.

When it stopped, the old witch blinked several times, then frowned into the mirror. She recognized the black-void-eyes of her reflection. She stepped back and asked, with the slightest tremor in her voice, "What do you want?"

Her reflection replied, "You were given this body for a reason, old woman. If you wish to keep it, you will do as your Master bids."

"And what is that?" She never did like serving that master. He was the only one who had ever made her afraid. But now, after centuries trapped in the box, she was beginning to feel perhaps he wasn't as powerful as he appeared. Perhaps, it was time to stop being afraid.

Her reflection raised its chin slightly. "There is much untapped power in the child you possess. It will take time for you to gain complete control of that power. The Master bids you do so, as quickly as possible. We will contact you again soon. Be ready." With that, the eyes of the reflection returned to normal.

The old witch glared at the mirror. "So, the Master needs me again does he? Well, what about my needs?" She looked over her new body. "This girl may not have my statuesque beauty," Willow's eyes nearly sparkled with an evil mischief. "But, she will serve my needs, well enough." She walked to the door and left, without closing it behind her.

*******************

Xander suddenly spoke up from his place at the research table. "Here's something." He paused as he read some more. "Oh wait. Never mind. This won't help."

Giles looked annoyingly at him. "Xander, that's the fifth time you've found something that 'won't help'. I would appreciate your letting me know when you find something that will help."

"Will help. Gotcha." Xander tiredly picked up another book from the pile scattered on the table.

"You know, this might not be so bad." Anya said, trying to sound positive. As all eyes turned toward her, she continued, "If she's taken over Willow we just need to find the right incantation to separate them." Her cheerfulness quickly dissolved as another thought occurred to her. "Of course, getting the witches spirit out, without her taking over someone else, will be extremely difficult."

Giles looked up from his book and took off his glasses. As he cleaned them with a handkerchief, he explained, "Yes, it's not like an exorcism, that will work on any old possession. It needs to be a specific spell for this specific situation, a witch's spirit possessing a witch's body. The souls share too many characteristics for any other spell to work."

Dawn frowned at Anya. "What happens if we use the wrong one?"

"Well, she could die. But she's so strong it's much more likely she'd just go insane." Anya frowned. "I suppose that it is pretty bad after all."

Spike entered the shop just then. "What's pretty bad?"

Xander thankfully looked up from the book he was struggling through. "Long story short; Willow has a magic puzzle box that's home to the wicked witch of Old England. We figure being the smarty pants that is Willow, she's probably opened the box and is now possessed by said wicked witch. And we can't find the spell to get her out, without hurting Willow."

"Magic puzzle box?" Spike looked over Dawn's shoulder.

"Enoch's Enchanted Puzzle Box." Anya said absently.

"Oh, that's easy. Do a clarifying spell." Spike walked around to where Giles was sitting. He picked up a large book that had been placed to the side, and flipped through the pages. "Here it is." He handed it to Giles.

"'Soul clarifying'?" Giles frowned at Spike.

"Yup. Combine that with any of the soul separation spells, and Willow will be just fine."

"How do you know this?" Giles wasn't sure he liked the idea of a vampire giving spell-casting advice.

"Knew this guy once, heavy into this stuff. Kept a huge library on the subject, Bigger than yours even." He looked at a slightly defensive Giles. "One night Dru and I decided to have a little fun with him…" He paused at the looks of dread around the table. Bugger. Way to fit in Spike. "Well anyway, I got kinda bored after a while, and decided to read a bit of his selection." He pointed at the book he had given Giles. "That was one of 'em."

Giles read the spell a bit and smiled "I think this just might do it." He moved over to where Anya was sitting and together they engrossed themselves in figuring out the details.

Spike looked around for a moment before commenting under his breath "Gee, thanks Spike. No problem. My pleasure." He sat glumly at the table next to Dawn. They had been more and more civil lately but still had a long way to go before he actually felt welcome around them. Except for Dawn. She always made him feel like he belonged. He smiled at her. "So, what's new Nibblet?"

She returned his smile. "Buffy's letting me train with Giles after all."

"See, what'd I tell you? I knew you could convince her." He looked around. "Where is big sis anyway?"

*********

Buffy stepped out of Willow's bedroom. "Not here. Where is she?"

Tara turned around from the dresser with a worried look on her face. Ghostly was more like it. "Something's wrong… I feel…" She looked up at Buffy. "Willow's in trouble."

Buffy took a step towards her and accidentally kicked something. It clattered across the floor stopping at Tara's feet. She bent down and picked up the small wooden box. She held it up and the top swung open. Realization that their worst fears were about to come true sunk in, and Tara's face went from worried to terrified. "She opened it. She freed the old witch's spirit and now she's possessed." Tara could feel the tears rising and looked at Buffy in panic.

Buffy placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get her back." She tried to give her a reassuring smile. "Giles knows what he's doing. He'll figure out something and we'll get her back." Tara nodded at her, not sure she believed her but clinging to hope.

"You got that 'bout half right luv." Spike's voice from the doorway made them both jump. "Giles was clueless on this one, till yours truly clued him in." He flashed a smile at Buffy then turned seriously to Tara. "But she's right about one thing, we will get her back." Tara smiled in thanks.

Buffy got straight to business. "So what's the plan?"

"Well, it's not going to be easy. That box wasn't a prison for just any old witch. One that was in there, she was one of the most powerful witches of her day. Took some pretty strong magic to get her in there," he nodded toward the box. "Gonna take some even stronger magic to destroy her." He looked at Tara seriously. "That's where you come in, Tara. You need to do a soul clarifying spell."

"W, What? No way, I, I can't." Tara shook her head.

Buffy looked perplexed "What's a soul clarifying spell?"

"O, only the most d, difficult and, and dangerous kind of s, spell there is." Tara fear showed clearly in her voice. "Th, there's no way. I, I can't do it."

"Yes you can." Spike placed both hands on her shoulders. "I keep telling you, you're much stronger than you think. You have the power within you to work this magic, no one else does."

"I, I don't know." She looked fearfully up at Spike. "What if, what if something goes wr, wrong."

"It won't. And even if it does, we'll be there, all of us." He looked over at Buffy. He knew Tara could pull it off but she was going to need all the support they could give.

"Of course we will. But Spike's right, you can do this. For Will." Buffy smiled hopefully at Tara. It was all up to her. The shyest one of the bunch now had to be the strongest. She had to find some way to put aside her self-doubt and step up to the challenge.

Tara turned and stepped away from them. Head down, she thought hard about what she needed to do. The spell was dangerous, not only for Willow but for her as well. If things went too wrong, she could lose her mind in the process. The thought of returning to the state Glory had forced upon her sent a shiver down her spine. Course that might not happen at all. I could be possessed by the witch, or, I could end up dead. She realized none of that mattered as long as Willow was alright. She had never thought she would ever love someone as much as she loved Willow. She would do anything for her.

Tara turned back with a determined look on her face. Her shoulders were back and head held high. The transformation from shy girl, to strong, determined woman was startling. Her voice was steady as she spoke. "Willow needs me, but she will need you all as well. The witch won't hurt her because she needs her body. Problem is, the more time that goes by, the harder it will be to get her out. Spike, I need you and Buffy to find Willow. Don't do or say anything to let her know what's going on. She needs to think we don't know she's possessed. That's vital. Just stay with her."

"What are you going to do while we're Willow-sitting?" Spike liked the new take-charge attitude Tara was showing.

She grabbed a charm bracelet off the dresser and held it tightly. Willow had given it to her last year as a good luck charm. "I'm going to gather the gang back at the Magic Box and go through what needs to be done. I'll need Anya, Giles…and Dawn to help perform the spell." Buffy frowned and Tara read her mind "Dawn will be safe, Buffy, don't worry. Willow and I are the only ones taking any risk. In two hours, bring Willow to me." She turned purposefully and strode out the door.

**************

From the minute Tara walked into the Magic Box, they could tell something was different. Her walk was purposeful, her posture straight, and the look in her eyes screamed 'I'm all business, so get the hell out of my way.' She went straight to the research table, where Anya and Giles were sitting. "Spike and Buffy are going to find Willow. Looks like you guys have been busy." A pentagram was drawn on the floor with a lit candle at each point. The table was littered with small vials and boxes of herbs. A large bowl, filled with herbs and stones sat next to a box of matches.

Xander had just finished lighting the incense on a nearby counter and returned to the table. "That spell looked pretty serious. We figured the sooner we were ready, the better."

Tara smiled sadly at him and sighed. "I'm afraid it won't be that simple. Willow has been taken over by an old and powerful witch," She placed the open box on the table in front of them. "A witch who has spent the last few hundred years trapped in a box. Now that she's found a body, she's gonna do everything in her power to keep it. A few herbs and some hocus-pocus won't work." She sighed and looked around the room. "Keep the circle, a pentagram is a powerful symbol. Lose the herbs and the incense, and one of the candles."

"But the spell says we need that stuff." Anya worriedly took the book from Giles and held it out to her. "See, it says we need all of it."

Tara took the book and closed it. "I know what it says. And I also know that herbs and oils only have as much power as you give them. The real power comes from within yourself. We're the ones who will save Willow, not some leaves and twigs." She placed the book down and looked around at them. "We can do this, but we're gonna have to do it my way, understand?" They all nodded. She frowned suddenly when she realized what was missing. "Where's Dawn?"

"She's got some big test at school tomorrow. She's studying in the training room." Anya took Xander's hand and smiled weakly at him. She was feeling suddenly small and frightened. Tara's new attitude was unsettling after seeing her timid for so long. Anya could feel something big was coming, big and scary. She squeezed Xander's hand tighter trying to draw comfort.

"Please go get her. We need her." Tara's voice left no room for argument and Xander immediately headed to the back room. They waited silently for Dawn and Xander to return, each lost in their own thoughts. The air was heavy with a sense of dread. When Xander and Dawn were seated at the table with the rest, Tara laid out her plan.

****************

Spike and Buffy walked down the street, glancing in the alleys as they passed. They had already been to most of the cemeteries, and all Willow's usual haunts. They were now headed to the Bronze. If she wasn't there, Buffy had no idea what she was going to do. She glanced at Spike, then turned her head around before he could catch her eye. She wanted to talk to him, but it felt so strange.

She decided it would be best to just get it over with. She took a breath and spoke at the same time as Spike.

"We need to talk." They both did a double take and tried again. "You first."

They stopped walking and stared at each other. Smiles crept over both their faces. Buffy shook her head and mumbled… again at the same time as Spike, "This is crazy."

She looked up at him in surprise and realized that time was on purpose. "Stop that!" He said at the same time as her. She glared at him as he matched her expression. Suddenly it was too much for her and she started laughing.

Spike smiled in relief and began walking again. After the first two in-sync replies, he realized how tense she was and decided to try to snap her out of it… at least for the moment. He figured she would either find his little game funny, or hit him. Luckily it had worked as he hoped.

She was smiling as they continued on, now only a few blocks from their destination. "You always know exactly what I need, even when I don't want to admit it." She turned her head to smile sincerely at him. "Thank you." There. I said it. That wasn't so bad. I guess.

That's what friends are for, pet." Spike glanced down a side street, then crossed.

"Is that what we are?" Buffy suddenly felt the inexplicable need to know if he still loved her. "Are we really friends?"

"Buffy," He stopped walking and turned toward her. "That night at your house, when I said I knew you'd never love me, and was ok with that… I meant it. I'm not bloody happy about it mind you, but I accept it. What you need to realize, is that it won't change how I feel about you. Nothing will. If what you need is a friend, then that's what I'll be. If you need a patrolling partner, I'll be that too. Whatever you need… I'll be here for you, for as long as you need me. But you have to bloody well make up your mind. Decide what you want me to be and stick to it. Don't bloody use me, throw me away, then think I'll come running again when you call. I may have settled for that at one point, but not anymore."

"But that's just it Spike. I don't know what I need. Ever since I've come back everything feels so… off. Like…I, I…" She sighed and started walking again. "Never mind, we need to find Willow."

"No luv, you need to settle this now. At least, as well as you can. It's gonna take time for everything to feel right again, but right now you need to accept that things are different. Things never will be the same again."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Gee, thanks ever so much for that comforting thought… not!"

"It's the truth, Buffy, and you know it. Doesn't matter if you want to hear it or not." He took her hand and turned her to face him. "That off feelin'? It only feels like that 'cause you're trying to live in the past. Your brain's got with the program, but your heart doesn't want to believe it, because if it does, then the rules go right out the bloody window, and that scares you to death. Those comforting rules that were always so black and white before, are all grayed out now. That means you're gonna have to do some serious re-examinin' of what you believe in." Growing serious, he stared at her. "And that means change...an ocean of uncharted Buffy-water that you're afraid to bleedin' swim in. Might get something wrong, might make a mistake. Might drown in it." He let go of her hands and looked around briefly. Welcome to the real world luv. Humans make mistakes. You stop bein' scared of 'em, you'll start feelin' like things are gettin' back to normal. Not sayin' its easy, mind, but Buffy...you gotta want it bad enough. You have to stop bein' afraid."

She looked away, at first resisting what he was saying, as she always did when he was making her face the truth. She sighed and looked back into his eyes. He did know her, and he was right. She was afraid to make mistakes. "Mistakes get people killed. I'm the Slayer. I can't afford to make mistakes."

"You're forgetting one thing, luv… You're not alone." He smiled affectionately at her. She always had to be the strong one. But even strong ones need help sometimes. He watched the emotions play over her face as she realized what he was saying. He would always be there for her, whether she loved him or not.

Buffy suddenly threw her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. She cried hard and long. She cried for all the times she had needed someone like Spike in her life. She cried for all the times she had pushed him away. She cried for the normal life she would never have. She cried… just to cry.

Spike was shocked for only a moment. He had seen this breakdown coming. He put his arms around her gently and kissed the top of her head. His dead heart ached for her, for the loss she was finally letting herself feel. But he knew she needed to feel it. When you lose a loved one, you can't move on until you let yourself grieve. Buffy had lost herself, the girl she once was, and the woman she had begun to be. She was someone completely different now, and her life would forever be changed as a result. So Spike held her, letting her sob out her grief, being the friend she now knew he could be.

As the tears slowed, Buffy raised her head and took a step back. Pulling herself together, she looked into Spike's eyes and smiled a bittersweet smile. With a deep shuddering sigh she took both his hands in hers. "Thank you, for… well, for everything." She paused letting the importance of what she was about to say sink in. "Friend." She smiled. It felt good to say that.

Spike smiled back, amazed at the feelings flooding over him. Just before the tears could form, he let go of her hands and started walking again. "Speaking of friends, don't you think it's 'bout time we rescued Willow?"

Buffy quickly matched his stride and together they advanced on the Bronze, newfound strength in their eyes. They had each other now, and together they would help get their friend back. What ever it took.

*************

The Bronze was packed. The band was cranking out some incredible dance tune, and everyone was having a great time. When the two blonds walked in and stood scanning the crowd, a scattered handful of people took one look, and tried to discreetly bolt for the back door. Buffy saw them leave, but they didn't have time to chase vampires right now. There was only one semi-supernatural being they wanted, "Willow."

Spike saw her at the same time as Buffy spoke. They began slowly walking to the bar where she was talking to a tall, dark haired guy. "What are we gonna say to her?"

Buffy looked at her watch. "Don't know, but whatever it is, we'd better come up with it quick." The two hours were just about up and Tara would be waiting. As they neared the bar, Willow leaned over to the guy she was talking to, and seductively ran her hand down his chest as she whispered in his ear.

As Spike and Buffy drew close, Willow turned her head and frowned. "What do you want? I'm busy here." She turned back to the guy and smiled. "Go fight evil without me tonight."

Buffy tried to sound as sincere as she could. "It's not about fighting evil, Willow. We, um, Dawn… she needs you."

Willow stepped back from the guy. "Dawn?"

Spike realized what Buffy was up to. 'fighting evil' would tip her off, and Tara obviously wasn't high on the old witch's list at the moment. Dawn, a harmless girl, now that would put the old witch at ease. "Yea. She needs your help with some studying."

Buffy followed Spike's train of thought. "She has this really important test tomorrow and she's kinda freakin' out. You know, smart Willow to the rescue."

Spike added. "Algebra can be such a bloody drag." He smiled at her hoping she would buy it.

Willow looked from Spike to Buffy and back. She turned and looked at the guy she was with. "Leave us. I am needed elsewhere." The guy looked pissed but to his credit said nothing as he turned and skulked away.

Buffy casually took one of Willow's arms and led her to the door. That was way too easy. She tried to be optimistic though, since they were headed in the right direction. She could only hope that Tara was ready for them when they got there.

*********

"I'm not ready yet!" Tara looked at the clock and began to panic. "T, they're gonna be here any m, minute and I, I'm not ready." Tara was sitting cross-legged in the center of the pentagram. Giles stood behind her, Anya to her right and Dawn to her left. They each held a candle and were facing the front door of the shop.

Giles spoke in his calmest watcher training voice. "You are ready. Remain calm. Focus." He noticed her posture straighten again. He was there to do what he did best, provide the rock. The rock of strength, support, and calm.

Anya was there as the link between the present and past. She was older than any of them, and had once held great power in her hands. "Do you mean just Tara or, or all of us?" She whispered.

Dawn whispered back "I think he means all of us, but especially her." Dawn was the Key. The ritual with Glory had drained most of her magical essence, but Tara could feel that there were residual traces that would remain with her always. Once the Key, always the Key.

Tara suddenly straightened, her senses heightened by the pentagram, and the dormant power of those around her. "They're here." Tara was the lens. The focal point through which the power would flow and be controlled to work her will.

As the door began to open, Tara sent out a mental tug to the barrier spell she had placed around the shop. It was down now, but once Willow entered, Tara would activate it and she would not be able to leave. None of them would. One way or another, it would be settled here, now.

*************

As the old witch turned the corner, she saw a sign ahead, "The Magic Box". She breathed a small sigh of relief. The walk from the bar had been tedious. The tall, blond boy was cute, but there was something about him that was just off. The witch could feel it. He was not human. The shorter blond girl was human, but she talked endlessly. Carrying on and on about things the witch did not care to understand. One feeling permeated both their minds, "Save Willow."

The old witch knew she was being led to a trap, from the minute she saw them at the bar. She laughed inside at the thought. Trap me? Never again. She was sure these children didn't have the strength or knowledge. She had decided to go along with them in order to teach them a lesson, and be rid of them. They certainly weren't powerful enough to block their minds from her, how could they ever have the strength to trap her. And the spell they were planning on using, though powerful in the right hands, would not work in this circumstance. The witch was prepared. Because of that, the spell would not work.

As they reached the doorway, Buffy was jabbering about how grateful she was for Willow's help. Spike elbowed her and she shut up quickly, flashing the witch an overly big smile. The witch frowned but reached out to open the door. She suddenly stopped and tilted her head as if listening to some whisper on the air. She smiled at Buffy and stepped back from the door. "Why don't you go first, Buffy?"

Buffy glanced at Spike, and in the instant their eyes met, she knew he was thinking of Tara's warning, 'Don't do or say anything to let her know what's going on. She needs to think we don't know she's possessed. That's vital.' She stepped past Willow and grabbed the doorknob. Trying to make her voice sound slightly confused, like Willow was the one acting strange, she replied, "OK, Will." She slowly turned the knob and opened the door.

As Buffy entered the shop, she felt a strange electricity crackle around her. She looked around the deserted store. The table was still scattered with books, and no one was around. "Dawn?" She turned with a confused look at Spike. Something's wrong.

"She must be in the training room. You know how lil' bit loves it in there." Spike tried to smile sincerely at Willow.

Willow smiled back "Yea, training room." She began to walk down the couple steps following Buffy. As Buffy neared the research table the witch noticed a slight shimmer in the air. She glared at the empty space directly in front of Buffy. Clever, but not clever enough. "You can't hide from me, witch!"

The door behind Spike suddenly slammed shut, causing the witch to spin in surprise. "No!" She turned around again to see Tara, Dawn, Anya and Giles arranged around a pentagram drawn on the floor. Tara was sitting cross-legged in the center, Dawn was standing on her left, Anya stood on her right. Directly behind Tara stood Giles, they each held an unlit black candle in front of them. The witch suddenly realized she'd been tricked. This wasn't the spell the vampire had held in his mind. She turned her head and watched him guide Buffy out of the way behind the foursome. She narrowed her eyes at them, and spoke in a low, dangerous voice. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

"Neither do you." Tara's eyes turned black, and when she spoke it was with such strength, even the witch looked surprised. But only for a moment.

"We'll see." The old witch began to turn back, then suddenly threw her arms out toward the group, fingers spread, as if throwing something. "Ditramey!"

Tara, Anya and Giles fell back as if punched hard in the face. Dawn looked over at them in shock. She hadn't moved. The threesome quickly picked themselves up. As they were repositioning themselves, the witch frowned at Dawn, then noticed the satchel strung around her neck. She began to laugh. "A protection satchet will not save you child." She took a step toward Dawn but ran into an invisible barrier.

"She's not the one who needs saving." Tara had regained her position and spoke a command, lighting the candles instantly. "Lumiere!" She then reached down in front of her placing her candle slightly away from her on the ground.

While Tara wasn't looking, the old witch raised her hands over her head and brought them down, as if carrying a sword into the invisible barrier. A flash of light appeared and the witch stepped forward. She was surprised to find Tara floating in front of her, eyes black as night.

The old witch was stronger than Tara thought, to be able to cross into the sacred circle. No time for second guessing, just believe and get it done, she thought firmly. "No!" Tara commanded. The old witch was suddenly grabbed by unseen hands and thrown three feet, landing hard on her back.

Tara held the box out towards the witch, who was slowly rising to her feet. "Rock and stone, made flesh and bone, I call the power of strength." A bright red light shot out from Giles, Through Tara, and into the box.

"Time and space, past and present in one place, I call the power of ages." A bright gold light traveled from Anya, through Tara, and into the box.

So far, things were going according to plan, but Tara was worried about the next link. She had tweaked the soul clarifying spell, working on pure instinct. She was sure the dormant power of The Key would be strong enough to hold the Old Witch. What she wasn't sure of, was her being strong enough to control that power once unleashed. As she looked into Willow's possessed eyes she could only hope.

"The Living Key, submit to me, I call the power of capture." A bright green light went from Dawn's candle, through Tara, and into the box.

At the mention of The Key, the Old witch glanced over at Dawn, fear registering for the first time on her face. "No." she barely whispered.

The box grew brighter and brighter as Tara continued chanting. "Three powers I control, three powers I combine, to work my will in space and time."

The witch realized she had underestimated them and turned to run out of the shop. She ran into another invisible barrier and whirled back toward the group. Looking trapped, she shouted at them, "You can't do this to me! I was going to be merciful, but not now." She raised her right hand, palm facing out, toward Tara.

Tara suddenly shouted, "Contain!" The light that had been building in the box suddenly shot straight at the old witch, going straight through her palm and into her eyes. She began to scream, placing both hands on her head, as if to hold it together.

The blinding light slowly dimmed, becoming a faded trail of three braided colors. It connected the box in Tara's hand with the eyes of the witch. Tara began chanting, "Separate. Soul incarnate. One become two." The witch doubled over, then bent nearly backwards, screaming the whole time. Tara continued, "Hecatae. Reclaim. One soul belongs to you."

The witch stopped screaming and became still, "Tara please, stop. You're hurting me."

The look on Willow's face nearly broke Tara's heart but she knew it was a trick. "Separate. Soul incarnate. One become two." Willow began screaming again, but Tara continued, "Hecatae. Reclaim. One soul belongs to you." A black shadowy form drew out of Willow's eyes, and slowly flowed along the multi colored braid. Willow's body collapsed, exhausted, to the floor.

The shadow took human form, looking as if it was trying to back away from the box to which it was headed. "No! No please! You can't. You have no idea what it's like in there. Please no!"

Willow struggled to look up at the figure pulling away from her. A woman's face appeared. It looked at Willow with the most heartbreakingly terrified face she had ever seen. "Help me," it whispered.

Willow stood slowly, regaining some of her strength. She walked over to stand just outside the pentagram. "Tara stop!" Tara halted her chant but continued looking straight ahead. "You can't do this. You can't send her back to that prison."

"What other choice is there?" Tara's voice sounded far away. Her strength was draining fast. "If we let her go she'll possess someone else."

"No she won't. Break the connection now and she'll be free to find peace. She won't harm anyone." Willow saw Tara frown uncertainly. "Tara, trust me."

Tara's features relaxed. "Dissipate!" Tara floated back to the floor, the candles blew out, and the cord connecting box and witch, faded away and disappeared. For a few seconds nothing happened.

The shadow turned to face Willow. "Thank you." The old witch whispered to her. Suddenly the black form expanded outward three feet in all directions, contracted to a pinpoint, then exploded with a thunderclap. Black bits of dust flew every which way, like dark fireflies, only to disappear before they touched anything.

Tara jumped up, and ran to Willow's arms, hugging her tightly. "Oh Willow, I was so scared."

"You did great Tara, Better than great. You kicked some major wiccan butt." Willow smiled fondly at her, impressed by the strength and confidence she had shown.

Tara was trembling. She couldn't believe she had won. Willow was always the one who took charge, not her. But here she was, the battle was over and everyone had gathered around her, offering congratulations and expressing their relief. It was over and Tara was the hero this time. She smiled bigger than ever as she hugged everybody. Things are going to be different from now on. She realized that she would always be shy and quiet, but now, she knew for a fact what everyone had been telling her for so long; she was much stronger than she seemed.

***********

Tara and Willow were both exhausted from their ordeal and decided to go home and call it a night. Tara was in the living room, straightening up a bit, when she noticed something glitter from under the dresser. She bent down and picked up a gold amulet. It was heavy and beautiful. She frowned at it, trying to remember where she'd seen it before. It had an elongated diamond shape and in the center was a square emerald. The gold backing and gold chain shone brightly in the dim light, almost as if they had an inner glow. Must be Willow's. She turned toward the bathroom to ask her about it.

Willow was standing at the sink finishing up brushing her teeth. As Tara entered the bathroom, Willow jumped.

Tara stopped and frowned at her. "Are you ok?"

"Yea. Just a bit of left over wiggins from tonight. Being possessed kinda does that to you, I guess." She smiled then noticed the amulet in Tara's hand. She frowned at it. "What are you doing with that?"

"I found it under the dresser. Is it yours?" Tara held it out for Willow to take.

"Yea. I was trying to levitate it but nothing happened." At Tara's concerned look she continued hastily, "I know, I know. I was probably just tired. Distracted too." She looked down at the amulet in her hand. There was something weird about it, she just couldn't figure out what.

"Well, you should be careful. I feel a lot of dormant power in it." Tara gave Willow a quick kiss and turned to leave. "Hurry up will you, I'm tired."

Willow placed the amulet on the counter next to the sink and watched Tara go. She picked up a washcloth and began lathering it up. She paused and looked at the amulet as a glitter caught her eye. She reached out, and as she touched it, the light shot into her eyes, followed by the dark mist. She looked in the mirror. The eyes of her reflection clouded over, and soon two black voids were staring back at her. "What went wrong?" The reflection asked.

"She is more powerful than we anticipated." Willow's body replied.

The reflection agreed, "Soon she will be too powerful."

Willow shook her head. "No, we will find a way."

"Perhaps an indirect approach would work better." The reflection nodded towards the door.

Willow looked out towards the bedroom, "There is a great bond between." She turned back to her reflection. "Tell them to make preparations. I will remain here, and watch for our next opportunity. Next time, we will succeed." The reflection nodded once and the eyes returned to normal.

Willow blinked, and looked down at her washcloth. She suddenly felt so sleepy. She quickly washed up and went to bed, placing the amulet in the bottom of her jewelry box.

************

The next night, Spike and Dawn are in the training room, slowly circling each other. "So Little Bit, you think you're tough enough to take on the Big Bad?" He grinned at her.

"I think I can handle myself." Dawn knew he wouldn't really hurt her, but if she was going to prove herself, she was going to have to take it seriously. Deadly seriously. She forced herself not to smile as he strutted around her. She turned with him, her senses on alert, waiting for him to make the first move.

"You've only been training a couple weeks. Buffy's had years and she still couldn't take me. What makes you so sure you're up to it?" When Buffy died, Spike had taken to watching Dawn. He had seen her grow stronger. He knew what she was capable of, but she was still young. Spike was sure she could take care of herself at school, but he was beginning to think she had other plans for her newly-formed fighting skills.

"Let's just say, you should know by now, never underestimate a Summers." She stopped turning and raised her hands, some sixth sense telling her it was time.

"I never have… Nibblet." He lunged toward her, sending out a punch, quick as lightning. She blocked it easily and struck back hard. They went at it just as hard as she had with Buffy. Some of Dawn's hits landed, some didn't, but neither one had a clear advantage. It was beginning to look like a stalemate.

Spike suddenly saw what he had been waiting for. He ducked under her swing and slipped in behind her trapping her in a headlock. He grabbed her left arm and pulled it behind her exposing her neck. He looked down at the pulsing veins and smiled. He could feel her sudden fear, could smell it on her skin. He decided if she had any crazy thoughts of fighting vampires, this was the moment he would clear such thoughts out of her head for good. He whispered evilly at her. "Whatcha gonna do now?"

Buffy walked in just in time to see Spike grab her. She was about to attack when she realized he didn't have his game face on. She was standing close enough to help if it was needed but she decided to hang back for a minute. Besides as long as he had the chip, he couldn't hurt her.

Dawn was struggling, terrified for a minute, till she saw Buffy leaning against the door jam, out of the corner of her eye. She realized that there was no real danger or Buffy would have already gotten Spike off her. She smiled as her confidence came back. She just needed a distraction. She strained to turn enough for Spike to realize Buffy was standing there.

Spike saw her and his eyes went wide. "Buffy."

Dawn took that moment to twist. Facing Spike, she dropped and kicked, sending him over her head to land on his back. She jumped up and straddled him, placing the point of a stake to his chest triumphantly. "You're dust."

Buffy laughed at Spike's expense. He rolled his eyes at her then looked up at Dawn. "Well, well. I guess you were right. It's best not to underestimate you after all, huh Nibblet?"

The End.