Tested
Season 8, episode 18
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

 

“The blood sample belongs to a very sophisticated, highly intelligent demon named Cemtaur. He’s the last of his kind.” (from 8.03)

“I want the slayer.”

“Course,” Spike replied, trying to catch his breath. “Which one?”

“The Slayer,” Cemtaur replied. “The last true slayer.”

“Buffy,” Dawn said.

“No, Faith.” (8.12)

“To be honest I didn’t hold out much hope that you’d be The Slayer. But you will be my instrument,” Cemtaur said and leaned down to stroke Faith’s hair. “Whether you want to or not - you’ll be their undoing.” (8.16)

“There’s something else,” Buffy added. “Xander got the sense that he wasn’t the only one.”

“The only one what?” Giles asked.

“The only mole.” (8.17)

At night, while the rest of the house slept, Fred studied. Not physics, not magic- Buffy. By the end of her fourth month in London, Fred had read all of Giles’ diaries and had started to re-read her favorite parts – the time Buffy killed Angel, Buffy’s deaths, Buffy delivering the smack down to the Watcher’s Council.

Of course she could just ask Buffy to tell the stories. But truth be told, she was a little intimidated by Buffy. It would be like saying, “Hey, Buddha, tell me about that time you achieved enlightenment. That was so cool.”

Buffy was something else. Something so far beyond Fred that Fred had trouble conceptualizing what it would be like to be her.

Buffy died, and not in that gross walking corpse way that Angel and Spike had died. Buffy went to Heaven. She fought hell Gods and the source of all evil. Sure, there was that one time that Fred had ended world peace – but shooting Angel hardly compared to jumping to your death to save the universe.

You’d think Willow would be the one whose power Fred would be obsessed with. She controlled the forces of the universe. She raised the dead. Wasn’t that the dream of all scientists? Power over life and death. Still, given the choice, Fred wouldn’t have chosen to be Willow. She wanted to be the one with the power, not the one who channeled it.

“Good morning all,” Xander exclaimed as he walked into the kitchen. Everyone looked up at him, bleary eyed.

“It’s one in the afternoon,” Willow replied.

Dawn turned to Buffy. “Is he possessed again?”

Buffy shrugged. “Probably. Faith, drug him.”

“On it,” Faith said, but instead of getting up, she took another swig of coffee.

“I think we should plan our next attack for early afternoon,” Fred said.

“Do we really have to have a next attack?” Buffy said. “I’d prefer to nap.”

“Oh, I’m sure the war is over. We took his book, I’m sure he’s been crippled,” Giles said.

“If he loves musty old books as much as you do the grief will keep him down for a month,” Anya said.

“Why can’t all demons be like Giles?” Spike asked. “Then we could just offer them a spot of ovaltine, they’d take their afternoon nap and the war’d be over.”

Giles was about to reply, but Buffy jumped in. “Ok, ok,” Buffy said. “I suppose we’ll have to like plan or something.”

“What’s the point?” Spike said. “We haven’t actually gained any information since yesterday. I say we have a little holiday.”

“We still need to figure a way to help Dana,” Buffy replied.

“And we’ve still got the rather troubling problem of a mole in our midst,” Giles added.

“Oh, can we put a truth spell on everyone?” Dawn asked.

“I can try,” Willow said. “But I’ve never had much success.”

“Well as much as I’d love to stick around and watch the chaos ensue I think I’ll take field training today,” Faith said.

“Eh, skip it,” Buffy replied. “They got plenty of field training last night.”

“No, I’m ok,” Faith said, pushing up away from the table. “Nothing wakes you up like a fight to the death.”

“Um, Faith can we talk?” Xander asked as he followed her into the training room.

Faith turned to look at him and for a brief moment her eyes darted down to his hand. No weapon. Ok.

Xander caught her look, but kept going. “I’ll just be a minute. I know you have training.”

“Ok. Sure,” Faith said.

Xander leaned against the pommel horse and tried to gather his thoughts. “So, why do we have a pommel horse?” he finally asked.

Faith tried to think of some witty, sexy retort but all that came out was, “I’m confused.”

“Well, all I ever see you guys doing on it is hand stands and you can do those on the ground.”

Faith smiled. “Good point. This is what you wanted to talk about?”

“No,” Xander replied. “I just wanted to apologize for the- you know- head trauma.”

“You’ve done that, twelve times, twice with flowers. It’s ok. We‘re five.”

“Just five?”

“Yeah, well a bunch of the girls have started saying five by five; I had to change it up a bit.”

“Copy cats,” Xander replied. “So actually, I wanted to ask um- Well, we’ve been friends for a while now…”

Faith stood back and watched Xander babble for a few seconds. It was adorable. Not at all the ‘Hey baby, get on me.’ she was used to. But as much as she was enjoying it, Xander seemed to be absolutely miserable. She tried to think of something to say. Something that wasn’t too sappy. Something that wasn’t to smutty. In the end she gave up and leaned in to still his lips with hers.

“So,” Olivia said, walking out from behind her desk, “to what do I owe this surprise?”

Giles smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Just wanted to see you.”

“Excellent reason,“ she replied and kissed him. “How’s your little demon hunter’s club?”

“As well as can be expected.”

“Well, while you’re here can I interest you in these lovely Baroque etchings?” she said, gesturing toward the papers laid out on her desk.

Giles glanced at them. “Well they are hideous, but I think I‘ll pass.”

“You have no taste.”

“I’m awfully fond of you.”

“Except when it comes to women,” Olivia amended with a smile.

Giles felt his heart swell and literally skip a beat. It made him a bit nervous. He was too old to be falling head over heels like this. But he couldn’t help it. It was so amazing, the way she’d let him back in. It was the second chance he never dreamed he deserved. Against all logic she had forgiven him and he had forgiven her. They were together again, like before. And when the late night research and worrying became too much he went to her and found quiet and safety. But of course, there were things he still couldn’t tell her. Thoughts he still couldn’t share.

Soft lips. Hmm. Hands. Hands in fun places. Nice.

“Wreee Wree Wreee!”

Spike pulled back from Buffy. “What the hell is that?”

Buffy pulled him back to her and kissed him. “It’s nothing. Dawn’s probably burning dinner.”

“Nothing to you.”

“You and your flammability. Ignore it.”

“Buffy,” Dawn exclaimed as she burst into the room.

Buffy and Spike sprung apart and tried to look innocent.

Dawn rolled her eyes. “Yeah I really believe you two just sit up here and talk about current affairs.”

“So who do you like for the… democratic coupon?” Spike asked.

“Democratic ticket,” Dawn said. “And Faith’s missing.”

“What?” Buffy exclaimed. “You pause to hassle us and Faith is missing?”

“I got distracted. She’s probably just late.”

“I thought she was taking a bunch of the girls out for a lesson.”

“Yeah.”

“So the girls are missing too?” Buffy said as she pulled on her jacket and grabbed a sword.

“You know, when you put it that way pausing to mock you’re little teenage make out antics seems silly,” Dawn said as she turned to follow Buffy out the door.

“Willow, we need to block the crippling pain thing now,” Buffy said as she walked into the kitchen.

Willow briefly looked up from her magazine. “I’m waiting to hear back from the coven.”

“We can’t wait.”

“Why?”

“Faith and the girls are missing.”

“What?” Willow exclaimed.

“They were supposed to be back a half hour ago,” Dawn said.

“Did you try their cells?”

“Yeah. Out of service range.”

“Oh my God,” Willow said, standing up and staggering back from the table. “Oh my God.”

“Willow? It’s ok. We’ll find them and it’s not like they’re helpless. They‘re slayers.”

“Not all of them.”

“What?”

“Fred was with them. She wanted to tag along. I thought she’d be safe,” Willow said, breath becoming short. “I thought-”

“It’s ok,” Buffy said and reached out to clasp Willow’s hands. “We’ll find them. It’s ok.”

Fred became aware of the pain first. It was just a dull pain, but she knew it would get worse. She knew if she moved it would shoot through her body. Fred cautiously turned her head around. “Hello?” she called. “Faith?”

To her right she heard a moan, but she couldn’t turn her head around far enough to see who was there. Fred slowly slid her elbows under herself. Pain shot through her shoulders. She paused to let the brunt of the pain pass before continuing to sit up.

“Is everyone ok?” she called as she looked around the tunnel and caught sight of still bodies and trapped limbs. “Is anyone ok?”

“Ok,” Buffy said. “We’ve tracked Faith and the girls to a sewer not far from here. We’re going in in teams. Volunteers for the first team meet in the foyer. Second team will wait for a status report in case it’s a trap.”

“Who’s taking the second team?” Rona asked.

Buffy looked around the room. “Kennedy, you up for it?”

Kennedy grinned so hard Buffy worried she might rupture something. “Of course. Totally.”

“Great, let’s get going.” Buffy stood and watched as a few of the girls walked toward the exit.

Xander followed them.

“Hey,” Buffy hissed and pulled him aside. “Where are you going?”

“To join the first team.”

“No no no.”

“Buffy-”

“We have no idea what we’re dealing with. You are not going.”

“They can go,” Xander said and pointed at the line of girls heading out the door.

“They have super powers,” Buffy replied before she could stop herself.

Xander looked down momentarily, then backup at Buffy. “You know how I feel about her.”

“I know,” Buffy said quietly. “You want to help her? Figure out who our mole is.”

Buffy and Willow led the first team toward the sewer entrance. The situation was all too familiar. She was leading the girls into certain danger and probable death. Knowing Faith, she was probably lying unconscious somewhere. But Buffy’s mind wasn’t preoccupied by memories of the vineyard or the explosion in the sewer. Instead images of Tara’s body and memories of the smell of skinned flesh consumed her. What if Fred was dead? Was a smallish battalion of slayers enough to take out Dark Willow? Who would deliver the final blow? Would it come to that? Buffy cast a couple of anxious glances at Willow before speaking.

“Willow,” Buffy said without pausing. “This is going to get rough. Are you sure you can handle it?”

Willow didn’t take her eyes off the entrance. “Fred’s in there. I’ll handle it.”

Buffy reached the door two steps ahead and kicked the grate open.

Fred took a step and heard a sickening crunch. At first she thought it was her knee but there was no accompanying pain.

She quickly stepped back and lifted the slab of stone she’d stepped on. Underneath was a girl. One of the slayers. She couldn’t remember her name. Minnie? Margaret? Minerva? Yeah, Minerva. Fred knelt down and felt for a pulse.

“Minerva?” she said. There was no response. No movement. No moans, no responding throb answering the inquisitive pressure of her fingers. Fred drew her hand back quickly.

Ever since she could remember her mind had raced from topic to topic like a sugar addled toddler at a toy store. But at that moment there was nothing. No fear. No grief. No questions. Just quiet. She wrapped her arms around her knees remained very still.

“Bad news, good news,” Rona announced as she and Caridad rejoined the group.

“Let’s have some good news,” Buffy replied.

“We definitely heard voices.”

“And the bad probably has something to do with the hearing rather than seeing,” Willow surmised.

“About twenty feet down it’s totally blocked off.”

“Ok,” Buffy said, her mind racing. Voices were good, but voices could fade. “Will, how long can you stop a cave in?”

Willow’s eyes widened in alarm. “Like keep the entire tunnel up?”

“Yeah. We don’t have time to be careful with the excavation.”

Willow nodded. “I don’t think I have the strength, but if I can draw off several of you guys - I can probably keep it up long enough for you to reinforce the tunnel.”

“Ok, we have a plan.”

“Hey, watcha doin’?” Andrew said.

Xander looked up at Andrew. Could he be trusted? Andrew pulled out a juice box and started ineffectually stabbing at it with a straw. Maybe not the most conclusive evidence ever - but Xander couldn‘t quite bring himself to mistrust a guy with fruit punch ricocheting off his shirt.

“I’m researching truth spells.”

“Can I help?” Andrew asked brightly.

“Help with what?” Dawn asked as she entered.

“Culling the truth out of a sea of falsehoods. It’s a noble endeavor,” Andrew said with a self important air. “The work we do here will be pivotal to the war effort.”

“Has he been watching WWII propaganda films again?” Dawn asked.

Xander nodded. “The history channel is having WWII weekend.”

“Isn’t every weekend on the history channel WWII weekend?”

“Much to the delight of military geeks everywhere.”

“Ok well I’m free to help you and Rosie the Riveter with this noble effort.”

“Great,” Xander answered and started passing out books. “You take the foreign languages, Andrew you take the demon language books and I’ll stick with what I know kinda adequately- English.”

Minerva still fresh in her mind, Fred cautiously walked toward the next body. As she drew near the girl opened her eyes and tried to speak.

“Shhh,” Fred whispered. “It’s ok. It’ll be ok.” This girl was a good deal better off. The debris had pinned her but hadn’t squished anything. Fred pushed the stones away and helped the girl sit up.

“Oh hey,” Dawn exclaimed, suddenly looking up from the books. “Why don’t we just ask Clem?”

“Ask Clem where to find a good kitten poker game?” Xander said, thrilled to have an excuse to look up from the tiny print and unpronounceable spell names.

“No, ask him to interrogate everyone.”

“Um, cause he’s about as scary as a puppy… with a limp… named cutie pie,” Xander replied.

“No cause of his power to-” Dawn began before she remembered that she and Buffy were the only ones who remembered the alternate world where she hadn’t existed. “Ok, he has this ability to see what people are trying not to say.”

“Why didn’t I know that?” Xander said.

“Cause you treat him like a kitten eating freak?” Dawn offered.

“He eats kittens?” Andrew exclaimed.

“Yeah, but he’s nice.”

“But kittens…”

“Anyway we should track him down.”

Fred stood in the middle of the tunnel. Faith was missing, probably unconscious, girl sure did love her comas. As for the rest of the slayers, even the best off were barely mobile. And there was no way out.

“Mom,” she whispered. “Willow, Buffy.” But invoking their names wouldn’t help. There was no one but Fred. She let out three quick sobs and took a breath. “Ok, we need a list of everyone who was here. Natali go around and collect a list of names. And I‘ll… start the triage.”

Buffy worked as quickly as she could, all the while casting nervous looks back at Willow. She was straining with the effort of anticipating and stopping the rock slides as the slayers frantically pushed through the rubble. More disconcertingly, she had started to get a little tetchy and Buffy could swear her eyes were darker.

“Ok, let’s pick up the pace,” Buffy shouted and hefted a large slab away, finally revealing the tunnel beyond.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. She couldn’t see the extent of the carnage but she could see that it was bad. Blood bad, limbs bad. Buffy pulled herself through the hole and stumbled down the ruble on the other side.

“Buffy!” Fred shouted.

Buffy whirled around. “Fred, how…” she began.

“I know,” Fred said breathlessly. “It’s a little overwhelming.”

“A little,” Buffy said as she looked around aimlessly.

“I’ve been triaging.”

Buffy looked at her, a little shocked. “Triaging?”

“The girls who are pretty ok are, well, walking around. The broken bones are over here,” she said gesturing to a group of girls laying down by the tunnel wall. “The more serious injuries are there.”

Buffy nodded. They were going to need stretchers. Lots of stretchers. “And them?” Buffy asked. “The girls over there. What triage group is that?” she said, growing quiet as she realized that they were entirely too still.

“That’s um,” Fred answered, “they’re…”

“It’s ok,” Buffy said. “I get it. I- They’re dead.”

Fred nodded.

“Faith?”

Fred looked down at her feet. “We haven’t found her,” she said quietly.

Buffy looked down for a moment. “Ok, let’s get the tunnel open and reinforced and…” she trailed off as she was momentarily overwhelmed by the task ahead of them.

“And?” Fred said.

“And get them out,” Buffy said decisively. “First we need to get them out.”

“Hey,” Xander said as he entered Faith’s apartment.

Giles looked up, a little startled. “I was just-”

“I know,” Xander said. He looked down at the knife Giles was turning over in his hands. “That one of hers?”

“No, well yes. It was going to be a birthday present.”

“She’ll love it,” Xander said. “Maybe you can give it to her when she gets back. It can be a happy not dying present.”

Giles nodded but he didn‘t really seem to have heard Xander. “I didn’t want to be a watcher again,” he said. “Not in the classic sense. Giving lectures was one thing, but training… And watching…”

“Watching them die,” Xander said.

“Yes,” Giles said. “Buffy twice and all the potentials… I didn’t want that again. But Faith…”

“I know. She doesn’t try. She doesn’t want to be likable but somehow she gets in and…”

Giles turned to look at Xander. “You and Faith?”

Xander nodded. “Me and Faith, assuming we can stop trying to kill each other long enough to date.”

“I didn’t know. I feel rather silly. I mean, I’m her watcher. I ought to have- And you always did have that slayer fetish.”

“Hey, it’s not a fetish. It’s… “

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

“It’s ok,” Xander said, taking a seat beside Giles. “It was a bit of a fetish. Seems like such a great fantasy from the outside. Then you realize…. With great power comes great responsibility. She‘ll always be in danger. And I’ll always be unable to protect her. And one day I’ll watch as they cart in her corpse.”

“Welcome to the life of a watcher.”

“It blows.”

“Yes,” Giles replied, his face etched with grief and guilt. “I believe it does.”

Buffy crouched down beside Willow who was propped against the wall, completely exhausted.

“How’d we do?” she asked.

“Seven,” Buffy replied.

“Seven?”

“Casualties.”

Willow was quiet for a moment. “That’s- that’s seven.”

“Yeah. And it actually gets worse.”

“Worse?”

“Faith’s gone.”

“Dead gone?”

“No. I mean- I don’t think so. We haven’t found a body.”

“So Cemtaur has Faith,” Willow said quietly. “Could be worse,” she said, watching Fred move confidently around the tunnel, organizing the rescue.

Buffy nodded. “Could be eight.”

Several hours later the injured girls were back at the house being tended to by the other slayers and coven members. Several hours after that, when everyone had been seen to, Buffy finally trudged up the stairs.

“You ok?” Spike asked as Buffy walked into her room.

For a moment she was too startled to answer. He was sitting on the edge of her bed, taking his boots off. She hadn’t led him in. He hadn’t been invited, he was just there like he belonged there. Like a boyfriend. She was a girl with a boyfriend and a sister and friends. She remembered these things. She knew they were true, knew they were important. But they didn’t fit. They were the wrong shape and texture. Too round and soft. They didn’t make sense in the sharp, unnatural angles of broken arms and the dull thud of bodies dropped into graves.

Spike watched her, concern growing. He knew that look. But he had no idea what to do about it. He stared at her like a kitten in Clem lights. Offer her sex? That used to work. But that had had some bad outcomes in the past. He couldn’t do nothing. He couldn’t just let her drown.

“Buffy,” he whispered.

She gave no indication of having heard him. All she could hear was, ‘Seven, seven dead.’ The wounded didn’t matter. Slayers healed fast. But the dead… ‘Seven. Seven. Seven. Minerva, Jen, Jaing, Izzy, Laura, Sophie, Kate. Seven.’ They couldn’t even have funerals. No one could know about the cave in. Too many questions. Seven more graves in the forest.

Spike looked on while her face contorted in grief, then suddenly the sorrow was gone and there was nothing. “No,” he said forcefully. She was not going to do this. Not again.

Buffy looked at him, a little startled but otherwise passive. “What?” she said.

“They’re dead,” he replied.

“I know,” Buffy said, voice void of emotion. “I’m going to take a nap and go find a place for the graves. I kinda wanna be alone so if you don’t mind-”

“I mind. They’re dead,” he repeated.

“I know that,” Buffy said, but if she cared it didn’t show.

“You weren’t there to help them.”

“What?”

“You abandoned them. You never should have let Faith take them out alone. You knew she was the target.”

Buffy stepped back, but remained impassive. “I know,” she replied.

Spike stepped closer and leaned in. “They needed you,” he said. “They thought you’d come. They died believing you’d come to save them. They believed in you. And you betrayed them…”

Buffy listened as Spike spoke words taken directly from her own mind. She heard them, but worse, she felt them. The grief that had been growing at the edge of her mind since her first glimpse of the tunnel finally rose up and overwhelmed her. She collapsed forward and convulsed. For a few seconds there was no sound, just helpless shaking. Spike knelt down beside her, worry knit his brow. Had he gone to far? Then she cried out and reached for him. He pulled her close and held her while she sobbed.

When her cries quieted and her body grew still Spike picked her up and laid her in the bed.

All eyes were on Buffy as she entered the room. There was rarely a council meeting that all of the girls attended. They had school and jobs and lives. But today every active slayer had driven, flown, or walked into the nearest portal to be there.

“Everyone who was around last year knows I‘m no good at speeches,” Buffy said. “So I won’t bore you by telling you we are the greatest army the world has ever known. And I won’t promise to avenge the girls who died. If you’re not coming you’re smart and if you are it’s not because of anything I could say. It’s because Faith is ours.”

Fred watched the girls file out of the room. She wanted to follow them, but this was a slayer thing. A super hero thing.

“Hey,” Buffy said, startling her out of her reverie. “How’s your arm?”

Fred shrugged, then winced at the sharp throb of pain. “I’ll be alright.”

“Good,” Buffy said. “Cause I need someone to run the infirmary while we’re out.”

“Oh,” Fred said. “A bunch of the witches are still here. I’m sure it’s fine.”

“I need someone to run it,” Buffy replied, “not squabble over which is better, Cambi gum or Peepal.”

“Well I don’t know how much more effective I’d be.”

“What do you mean? You were awesome in the tunnel. You totally stepped up. I know you’re probably not, but I’m really glad you were there to help them.”

Fred looked down, trying to hide the huge, dopey smile that consumed her face. “Thanks. I’ll, um, go arbitrate the herb debates.”

“So what’s the plan?” Dawn asked. “Do I have a part?”

“You have a very important part,” Buffy replied as she shoved a bunch of arrows into her bag.

“Sitting quietly at home?”

“Hey, that’s a stellar idea. You could get to work deciphering your book.”

“Sure,“ Dawn replied. “And we’re on the mole thing.”

“Great, but this time tomorrow Cemtaur will be over.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah,” Buffy replied unconvincingly.

“Crippling pain?”

“Willow will take care of it.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah,” she said in the same unconvincing tone.

“And if he has mercenaries?”

“We’re hoping for the element of surprise.”

“Hoping?”

“You aren’t being very supportive.”

“I just wonder if your concern for Faith is-”

“We don’t have any options. We have to get Faith back and all we’ve got going for us is overwhelming force.”

“Ok,” Dawn said. “Good luck.”

“See, supportive. Not so hard.”

“I’m exhausted,” Willow said, looking up from the couch.

“I know,” Buffy replied, setting the bag of weapons down beside her.

“What I’m saying is-”

“You can’t block him.”

“Not effectively. Not for long.”

“’Salright.”

Willow looked at her quizzically. “I like the crazy eyed optimism, but it’s going to take more than your sunny disposition to defeat him.”

“No, I know what it’ll take.”

Buffy stepped forward into the clearing before Cemtaur’s cave. He was already waiting at the mouth.

“I see you brought your little army of abominations,” he said as he peered into the woods.

“And you have yours at the ready,” Buffy replied as she glanced at the dark figures moving around the rock outcroppings. “Gee, wonder how you knew we were coming.”

Cemtaur smiled. “I’m not the only one who hates you.”

Buffy smiled back and walked up to the mouth of the cave. “Sticks and stones.”

“Don’t need either,” Cemtaur replied as he let loose a bolt of pain.

Buffy arched back and Cemtaur’s army surged into the clearing. The slayers pushed forward to meet them in an angry clash of metal and flesh.

Slightly above them Cemtaur smiled down at Buffy’s prone body. “You’re too late anyway. It’s done,” he said and slid backward into the cave.

“Then undo it,” Willow said as she followed him inside.

Cemtaur turned to face her. “It’s not something you undo.”

Willow shot her own bolt of pain at him. Cemtaur quickly deflected it and tried to shoot back at her. But nothing happened.

Willow smiled. “You can’t do your little trick on more than one person at a time.”

Cemtaur looked over at Buffy who was still writhing at the mouth of the cave.

“And she’ll hold the spell as long as she keeps a grip on that charm.”

Cemtaur’s eyes darted between Buffy and Willow. “She can’t keep it up for long and when she fails you’ll wish you were never born.”

“You underestimate her capacity for enduring pain,” Willow replied. “And without your little pain trick I’m stronger than you.”

Cemtaur looked nervous for a moment. His eyes darted around the room and rested on a small glass ball in the corner. He smiled. “No, you have no idea how weak you are, how weak you can be.”

“Cut the bag guy-ese. You know nothing about me,” Willow said, advancing into the cave and scanning for any sign of Faith.

“I know what you lost. I know why you killed those people.”

“What?” Willow said, stopping in her tracks.

“Why do you think you stripped a man’s skin off?”

“He shot Buffy, he nearly killed her,” Willow said. But her words lacked conviction.

“No, Cemtaur replied. He held up his hand and the ball flew to him. He casually tossed it into the air and stepped back.

The ball hovered midair and the surface shimmered and cleared to reveal D’Hoffryn.

“What the hell?” Willow whispered.

“Hello Willow,” the image said. “So good to see you again. But enough chit chat. You took everything from me. Did you honestly think that I of all beings would fail to seek vengeance? I want you to have something. Something I took from you.”

“You know what? Keep it,” Willow said, apprehension growing at the back of her skull.

“No, I could never be that selfish,” D’Hoffryn said. Suddenly, his face was replaced by a rapid series of images. But they weren’t just images. They were memories and as she watched they inserted themselves into her mind. The Wicca group. Hiding from the Gentlemen. The floating rose. Spike punching her. “She’s my girl.” “I’ll always find you.” “I don’t think this is going to work.” “Can we just be kissing?”

“Your shirt.”

“Oh my God,” Willow whispered. She backed away from the sphere and collapsed onto the floor. She held her arms out in front of her as if cradling a body.

Cemtaur smiled and reached out to pull the sphere back into his cloak.

Willow looked up at him, eyes red with rage. “You did this,” she said.

“No,” Cemtaur replied. “I didn’t take her from you. And Warren didn’t take her. Buffy did.”

Willow looked at him, confused.

Cemtaur replied by taking out another orb and tossing it into the air.

Again the orb cleared to reveal an image. This time it was a group of people. A group of people and a glowing green blob.

“This isn’t real,” Willow said. “That didn’t happen.”

“It did. She destroyed the world where your love survived and then she took your memories.”

Willow turned to look at Buffy and slowly stood up. She reached out her hand and called the charm back to her. Buffy slowly stopped convulsing and looked up at Willow.

“Hey, did we win?” Buffy said groggily. She sat still for a moment, willing her muscles to stop convulsing, then looked up at Willow. “Hey,” she sad cheerfully, trying to convince herself that things were ok. But the black eyes and gave her pause.

“Buffy,” Willow said. “Anything you want to tell me?”

“Um, the bad guy’s right there?” Buffy said and gestured toward the back end of the cave where Cemtaur was sliding into the shadows.

“He’s not the bad guy,” Willow said as she stepped closer to Buffy.

“Ok, Will, what’s going on?” Buffy said, slowly standing up.

“You took her away. You made that world go away,” Cemtaur whispered.

Buffy watched in horror as the roots of Willow’s hair went inky black. In an instant the ink spread and veins began to form on her skin.

“Willow he’s playing you. You know that right?”

“I notice you aren’t denying it.”

“No,” Buffy said. “It is true. I wanted this world back.”

“Selfish Bitch,” Willow spat.

Buffy stepped backward and said, “But Tara wanted it too. It was her choice.”

“It’s not right,” Cemtaur called softly. “Someone has to pay.”

“How bout Cemtaur?” Buffy said hopefully.

“No,” Cemtaur said. “You did this and you violated her mind.”

“Yeah, if I killed her every time she messed with my mind…”

“You killed her love,” Cemtaur said.

“What part of it was Tara’s choice do you not get?” Buffy hollered back.

Willow’s face crumpled for a moment but she recovered quickly. “You could have stopped her - if you’d wanted to,” she said quietly.

“Will don’t listen to him - you know this isn’t right.”

“Drop the Polly Anna. She doesn’t care about right.”

Willow’s face fell again. She wanted vengeance. She wanted someone to pay. Someone had to pay. It wasn’t right. There was a ball of rage in her stomach. It was going to tear her apart. And there was Buffy, standing before her. Buffy who had made her feel so worthless because she couldn‘t put her fists through walls. Buffy whose love had come back from the dead. Buffy who had taken away her perfect world. Buffy who had held her and stroked her hair when Oz left. Buffy who saved her from being undead dominatrix girl.

“Yes I do,” Willow whispered and turned to Cemtaur. “I care. And I am going to end you.”

“That’s more like it,” Buffy said. “Go Willow.”

Willow reached out to strike Cemtaur but her head collapsed under the sudden pain. Her arms went limp as she fell onto the floor and with her last bit of consciousness she clasped the charm more firmly in her hand.

Before he had time to react Buffy lunged at Cemtaur. She whipped out her knife and shoved it into his stomach. He stumbled back but back handed her as he did, sending her flying across the room.

Buffy hit the wall hard and had to struggle to maintain consciousness. She opened her eyes and focused on Cemtaur. He wasn’t making his way toward her. He was going for the charm in Willow’s hand.

Buffy ran across the cave, leapt onto his back and grabbed him across the throat. Cemtaur fell back, crushing her under the weight of his body.

Buffy pushed up with all her strength and shoved him off. She was up, delivering a kick to his stomach before he could recover. She grabbed the knife off the floor and drove the blade into his chest, hoping for some vital heart like organ.

Cemtaur just laughed. “I don’t die easy,” he said, knocked her backward and stood up. “You on the other hand can die in so many ways.”

Buffy whipped around and delivered a kick to his stomach and followed up with two punches that knocked him to the ground. She straddled him and knelt down, holding the knife up to his face. “I know one sure way of killing you,” she said and pressed the knife into his throat.

Cemtaur flailed and grasped at her arms, but she held fast, quickly sawing through the tendons of his neck.

“You’re nothing,” Cemtaur rasped. “You are just an instrument.”

Buffy pressed through the last of Cemtaur’s neck before the words registered. Her face went ashen as she watched the last bit of life leave Cemtaur’s body.

Beside her Willow’s body went slack and she slowly opened her eyes.

“Hey,” she said. “Is it over?”

“Yeah,” Buffy replied as she helped Willow stand up.

Both girls looked around the cave, avoiding each other’s gaze.

“Over here,” Willow said, gesturing to a shoulder high pile of shadows. “I think there’s a passage.”

Buffy crouched down and walked into the cave. “Faith?” she called.

Behind her Willow whispered, “Lumos.’ and the cave brightened.

Faith was lying on her side on a large stone slab. She was completely still. Buffy halted and watched anxiously for a few seconds, terrified at the thought of having to lead the girls alone. Then Faith moved, just the slightest twitch and Buffy heaved a sigh of relief. She rushed forward and started working on Faith’s bindings.

Faith blinked open her eyes and looked groggily upward. “Smurfs in the shoes.”

Buffy nodded and started feeling for head wounds.

“What the hell?” Faith said, jerking awake.

Buffy held up her hands innocently. “Just checking for brain damage.”

“You’re the one who’s damaged. What’s with the kinky bondage not so much fun?” she asked. “You and cheek bones trying to spice it up?”

“There’s one somewhat implausible explanation. Or-”

“I was abducted by aliens?”

“I should be so lucky.”

“Cemtaur,” Faith said. “Can I kill him?”

“Too late.”

“Why do you get all the fun?” Faith said, jumping off the slab.

“Cause I remain conscious?”

“I’m never gonna live down the coma girl thing am I?”

“Tell you what- I won’t mock you about your coma predilections if you let up on my vampire fetish.”

“No deal,” Faith replied and exited the cave.

Buffy was about to follow when a piece of paper caught her eye. She grabbed it, stuffed it in her pocket and followed Faith.

Shouts of joy erupted in the clearing as Faith, Willow and Buffy walked out of the cave. The girls smiled weakly and continued toward the group. Xander rush forward to embrace Faith. Willow collapsed into Fred’s arms and Buffy looked to Spike

“What is it?” he asked as he walked toward her.

Buffy looked around slowly and the cheering died.

“We beat the big bad,” Rona said. “Be happy.”

“That wasn’t the big bad,” Buffy replied. “Cemtaur was the muscle. And his death won’t stop them.”

“Who?” Willow asked.

“The Watchers.”