Part XIX - Fusion

“What do you mean the magic is coming from-“ Xander cut his sentence short when a distant roaring sound was heard. “What is that?” He questioned when the noise became louder and the lights on the ceiling started to flicker.

“It sound like-“

Giles wasn’t able to finish as the entire room suddenly began to shake. The group wobbled, trying to find balance but the shuddering grew in intensity and eventually Anya tumbled to the floor.

“Anya!” Xander cried out coming to kneel next to her.

“I’m ok.” She replied over the roaring sound that engulfed them. Her hand came to rest on her distorted face. “What’s happening? I feel like… a vengeance demon.”

Instinctively, Willow leaned over Tara’s unconscious body, shielding her from the debris that started to fall from the ceiling as the building started to crack under the vibrations.

“Is it an earthquake?” Dawn shouted her question.

“I don’t know.” Giles replied holding onto the nearest wall for balance.

“We have to get out of here.” Buffy yelled.

“We can’t move Tara, and Sam is too weak to walk.” Willow replied just as the lights went out and they were left in total darkness.

“Buffy and I will carry them.” Spike spoke up kneeling down next to Sam; his heightened vampiric vision allowing him to see through the thick veil of blackness.

He was putting her arm around the back of his neck when suddenly the ceiling on the far end of the room collapsed. Instantly, the building was flooded in a mixture of shadows and glows of soft blue as the moonlight filtered through the large gap on the roof.

“Everyone move. Now!” Buffy ordered, kneeling next to Willow and Tara.

Anya stumbled onto her feet with Xander’s aid as the ground continued to shake.

“It’s happening. We can’t stop it.” Spike heard Sam whisper weakly into his ear while he leaned against her to scoop her up.

Everyone froze when, as quickly as it had started, the roaring noise and shaking stopped. They eyed each other; the frightening feeling that this was merely the calm before the storm creeping into their chests.

A small bright light floating in the middle of the room caught their attention. It soared a few inches off the ground for a few seconds before a sharp, high pitch sound was heard and they saw the white glow literally tear its way through the air like lightning. Everyone’s hands immediately went to cover their ears as the shrill became too loud to bear.

“Willow?” Buddy called out as she stepped away from Tara to tend to her best friend. Her black eyes were wide and filled with fear. “Willow what’s-“

She stopped when she saw the witch’s trembling finger lift to point at the middle of the room. She turned to look at whatever had caught the redhead’s attention and gasped at what she saw - Willow… another Willow was sitting Indian-style in the middle of the room. She was surrounded by the bright white light, her raven hair floating around her. She was chanting something, but whatever she was saying was impossible to hear as the sharp shrill continued to sound around them.

Buffy’s eyes drifted erratically from the Willow in the middle of the room to the one at her side. The latter was now clutching her chest, her mouth partially open, and her facial muscles contorted painfully as she continued to suffocate. The Slayer watched in terror as her best friend’s body started to lift off the ground and was left hanging in midair. Willow on the other hand seemed to be unaware of her airborne state. She continued to hold onto her chest and began to jerk spasmodically as if a powerful voltage was coursing through her. After a few excruciating seconds the witch’s body suddenly went limp, her lifeless arms fell to her sides, her legs dangled in the air while her head hung motionless; her hair cascading down her back.

“Oh, my God.” Dawn gasped.

“Willow!” Buffy screamed when the redhead’s body started to drift towards its counterpart, still sitting in the middle of the room, unaware of what was happening.

As the two drew closer, the one sitting on the floor began to have the same reactions as the first one. Her breath came in short pants and soon she was clutching at her chest and floating in midair. Hovering closer and closer together, their bodies finally touched. The group watched in awe as the light around them grew in intensity, pulsating, and the two witches began to merge. The conscious Willow let out an inhuman scream as her arm fused with her counterpart’s, one melting into the other. In a slow and excruciatingly painful process their hairs, eyes, mouths and noses melted into one another until there was only one entity left. As the ungodly sight came to an end there was complete silence and all that was left was an unconscious Willow suspended in midair, surrounded by light.

“Willow…” Buffy breathed in a weak voice after a short pause.

Her footsteps over the wreckage echoed in the silent room as she came closer to the redhead. Anya quickly took her place next to Tara’s still unconscious body.

“Willow…” She whispered again, her hand reaching up, but just as their fingers were about to touch Buffy jerked away letting out a cry.

“Buffy!”

In a flash, Spike was standing next to her.

“I-I’m fine. It shocked me. The light.” She tried to explain; a confused frown marring her forehead.

“What just happened here?” Dawn asked. “I-Is that Willow?”

Slowly, the woman floating in the air began to come around. Her eyelids blinked a couple of times before her eyes opened to reveal total darkness. She didn’t even bother to glance at the people in the room. Her unseeing gaze focused on a distant point in front of her as she began chanting once again. Her lips moved but no sound was coming out. It was as if someone had just pushed the mute button.

“Willow.” Buffy called out again, but received no answer. “Willow, can you hear me? Willow!”

Nothing.

Instinctively, Buffy reached up, but once again was forced to move back when a powerful jolt shocked her.

“It’s not Willow.”

Everyone turned to look at Sam who was now partially sitting on the mat.

“Not just yours, anyway.” She added.

“What do you mean, not just ours?” Xander questioned. “But she was right there. She can’t have just disappeared. She must be… inside of *her* somehow.” He pointed at the chanting woman.

“Oh, she’s in there somewhere. But she’s not the one in charge right now.” Sam explained.

“Who is?” Anya questioned, her fingers threading through Tara’s hair as she tried to push the rebellious locks away from the witch’s face.

“The other one.” Giles was the one to provide the answer this time. He took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose before his gaze met Sam’s. The redhead merely nodded as she got an image from the ex-librarian’s mind. “She’s the one causing the shifting.”

“What?” Dawn asked. “How?”

“She’s the one using the magic. That’s why it seemed like there was a barrier when Tara tried to track it down. There wasn’t any mystical barrier. Tara couldn’t pinpoint the origin of the magic because it wasn’t coming from our universe.” Giles finished explaining putting his glasses back on. “Kind of arrogant of us…” He paused watching Willow’s hovering form chant. “…to think that out of all the universes possible, the exact one where the disturbance was originated was ours.”

Everyone paused for a second. Everything seemed to be coming together. Who would have the power? Who would be strong enough to master such great magic that would cause the universes to bleed together? The answer now seemed clear - Willow.

Buffy was the first to react.

“We have to stop her.” Turning to look at Willow’s hovering form she shouted: “Willow!”

There was absolutely no reaction.

“She can’t hear you.” Spike realised.

“Why not?”

“She’s in between universes. That’s why we can’t hear her.” Giles explained.

“There has to be a way to make her stop and listen.” Buffy insisted. “Willow!”

Nothing.

“Willow! Listen to me. You gotta stop whatever you’re doing. Willow!”

“Buffy…” Spike’s voice was a mere whisper cutting through her shouting.

She turned to look at the vampire standing next to her.

“You’re bleeding.”

The Slayer’s hand instinctively reached up to touch her nose. When she looked down it was covered by a thick string of blood. Suddenly, she doubled over, as if she had just been punched in the stomach. A muffled cry escaped her parted lips and slowly a bleeding wound started to eat its way through her skin until a large gash was formed on her left cheek.

“Buffy!” Dawn screamed.

“It’s happening to you too.” Spike realised as he wrapped one arm around her waist when she stumbled back.

“Willow.” She called again.

Spike glanced around at the floor and picked up a rock.

“Better try throwing this.” He offered bringing his hand back and throwing the stone with all his strength. There was a collective gasp when the rock hit the light and instantly dissolved into dust.

Suddenly, the ground underneath them began to shake once again. This time the vibrations were twice as strong and soon everyone had tumbled to the ground. The ceiling began to cave in, falling all around Willow, creating a cloud of dust that filled the entire room, temporarily blinding its occupants.

Buffy coughed violently, her hand coming to cover her mouth as she tried hard to breathe. She was blinking wildly, trying to look through the thick cloud when, suddenly, between the shades of blue and black she saw a steel beam coming straight at her. The next thing she was aware of was a flash of black and then she was being rolled on the ground. She ended up trapped under a hard body that pressed against hers, effectively shielding her from falling debris.

The familiar scent of old, worn leather and cigarettes surrounded her. It took a few seconds for her to register the two strong hands cradling the sides of her head and the fact that her face was buried between skin and leather.

“Are you ok?” His voice was raspy and low; his concern evident.

Even though her mind seemed lost in a haze just as thick and as blinding as the one surrounding her, her body reacted automatically and she nodded numbly. That was when he moved. He lifted his head slightly, his hands still framing her face, as he looked down on her. His pupils were wide, leaving only a thin circle of blue in his iris. Even though the floor underneath them continued to shake she seemed unaware of it as she stared up at him.

“You sure?” He insisted as he let his index finger trace the gash on her cheek.

She nodded once again. Without another word he rolled off and crouched next to her. With his aid she stumbled to a standing position as the cloud of dust settled around them to reveal an open sky above them. There was no trace of the ceiling.

After the momentary numbness Buffy’s body reacted and her eyes immediately darted towards the rest of the group. She exhaled in relief when she found all of them huddled in a corner. Well, almost all of them.

“Where’s Sam?” she asked.

Their gaze fell over the spot on the mat where the redhead had been laying until now. Spike felt his stomach turn when he saw a large portion of the ceiling in its place.

“Sam…” He whispered.

Before he had time to mourn or even react a violent vibration that surpassed the intensity of all the ones that had preceded it, shook the entire building and what was left of it started to crumble. Out of nowhere a fracture on the floor started to form. Eating its way through the linoleum and splitting the room in half, it left behind a large fissure that separated Buffy, Spike and Willow from the rest of the group.

“Buffy!” Dawn shouted from the other side.

“Stay there!” Buffy ordered lifting up her hand, still marred with blood as the ground continued to shake underneath them; the crack becoming larger by the second. “Don’t move!”

“Tara!”

Anya’s voice cut through the noise.

“I think she’s coming around.” The vengeance demon announced, her wrinkled hand resting on the young woman’s neck. “But her pulse is getting weaker and she’s getting cold.” Turning her attention to the woman lying on her lap she whispered: “Tara…”

The witch blinked a couple of times, trying to focus her eyes on the face looking down on her. She gasped and jolted a bit at the sight of Anya’s demonic visage.

“It’s me Anya. Don’t move. You’re wounded. Just stand still and we’ll get you out of here.”

Closing her eyes for a second she nodded weakly.

“Buffy, we have to do something.” Dawn cried out.

The Slayer was about to reply when Spike’s voice sounded:

“Sam!”

Everyone turned to look in the same direction as the vampire, but there was nothing to see.

“Spike?” Buffy questioned.

He simply stared at a blank spot in midair. His wide eyes announcing that whatever he was seeing was drawing closer.

“Oh, my God!” Giles gasped when suddenly Sam’s body materialized in front of them.

She was hovering just a few inches off the fissure on the ground, her arms were spread out at her sides, her head bowed and her long auburn curls flowing down to completely cover her face. After a few seconds, what sounded like a soft and weak mumbling grew into loud chanting words.

They watched in silence as the light that surrounded Willow stretched through the air to reach Sam, coming closer and closer until the two floating women were immersed in it.

Slowly, Samara’s head lifted up, her curtain of hair parted to allow a glance at the pale complexion of her face. Her black eyes were narrowed, her lips moving fast as she voiced out a mantra of incomprehensible words in an otherworldly language.

“What is she doing?” Dawn asked to no one in particular.

“She’s bringing Willow into our universe.” Giles explained; his eyes fixed on the two women.

As the light began to pulsate, Sam’s effort to control it became evident. Her ghostly hands, which hand been firmly spread out began to shake violently and her voice, once sure and strong, was now weak and faltering.

She closed her eyes for a second, swallowing hard before she opened them again and began to chant once more.

Slowly, the glow that had been surrounding Willow started to dim as it abandoned her to engulf Samara completely. As the witch tumbled to the floor, Sam, who was still suspended in midair, stiffened. Her head was thrown back, her facial muscles contorted and her mouth fell open. It was clear that she was screaming in pain, but none of them could hear it. Not anymore. The light drew closer and closer to her. It seemed to penetrate every single pore in her body until it was gone.

There was a fraction of a second in which Samara was simply hovering in the air, suspended like she had been in the beginning when, suddenly, thin, black strings of light began to flow from under her clothes. The strings grew into thick lustrous ropes that twisted around her tightly; turning around her neck, her waist and limbs. Spike swallowed hard as he remembered the same thing happening to her in Buffy’s living room the day before. He watched frozen in place and silent as the black glow spread over her white skin, twining between the red locks of her hair until she was completely immersed in darkness. In the end, in her place all that was left was a large gaping hole of black light. It grew smaller and smaller until it was reduced to a simple dark dot in the air. And then it was gone.

All eyes in the room were now fixed on a blank spot in midair when:

“I should have guessed that little Buffy had something to do with this. So… you came back for more, huh?”

Everyone turned to look in the opposite direction and find a raven-haired Willow stumbling to her feet. Her darkened eyes focused over Spike and Buffy, her back turned to the rest of the group that was standing on the other side of the large precipice.

“Willow.” Buffy breathed as she turned to look at her. She suppressed a hiss when the movement sparked a dilacerating pain at her side. ‘Great. Apparently my other self also has a couple of broken ribs.’ She grumbled inwardly.

“And you brought Spike with you. Isn’t that just sweet? The two lovebirds together to fight the big, bad girl.”

“Willow?” Buffy questioned again, her head tilting to the side.

There was something completely different about the Willow that was now standing in front of her. Maybe it was the cold and scornful tone in her voice, or simply the frightening lack of whites in her eyes.

The witch mockingly mimicked Buffy’s motions with a head tilt.

“Buffy?”

“Willow, you have to stop this.” Buffy spoke.

“Really? And why is that?” She asked but never gave the Slayer a chance to reply. “Oh, no! Wait!” she lifted her hand up. “Let me guess. Because it’s… wrong?” Her eyebrows came together for a second and her lower lip jutted out for a pout. “Guess what?” Her childish expression turned into a cold, unfeeling one as she added: “I don’t care.”

“You don’t understand.” Buffy insisted, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. “I don’t know what you’re doing but you have to stop it or-”

“Or what? You’re going to get your ass kicked by me…” She paused and a creepy smile spread over her lips. “…again? It’s getting kind of pathetic, don’t you think?”

“You’re causing the entire universes to collapse.”

“Now that’s just a bit over-dramatic, don’t you think? It’s just a simple time skipping spell.” She continued to mock.

“A time- You’re trying to turn back time? Is that it?” Spike gasped.

“And the prize goes to the Slayer’s fanged lapdog.” Willow announced sarcastically.

Spike couldn’t help but growl.

“I thought you had decided to split after the nasty bathroom incident.” Willow’s eyes narrowed again and a satisfied smirk spread over her lips when she saw the horrified look on Spike’s face.

“Willow, listen to me. You can’t do that. The spell you’re using is causing-“

“Don’t you think that six years of listening to you is more than enough?” The raven-haired woman asked. “Oh, right… I forget. You’re the Slayer. Which means that you get to tell everyone what to do. Well, guess what… You are NOT going to stop me from getting *her* back.” The pain filtered through the rage in her faltering voice. “No one’s EVER going to take her away from me again.”

Buffy tried to stand up, her mind commanding her body not to feel the pain that was coursing through her, but as she moved towards her target Willow’s hand lifted and suddenly Buffy was projected across the room. Her body skittered over the ground, opening up a path free of debris in her wake.

“Buffy!” Dawn shouted as Spike ran to kneel next to the Slayer.

The young Summers’ voice caught Willow’s attention.

“Oh, look, the whole gang is here! Isn’t this just heart-warming?” She mocked coldly as she turned to look at the group huddled in a corner. “ Xander… Giles! You’re back! Good to see you.” She greeted with fake enthusiasm. Her expression turned into a disgusted one when she turned to look at Dawn. “And of course… hysterical mini-Buffy, as always, is whining her head off.”

A coughing sound coming from behind Giles caught the witch’s attention.

Without a word, they watched as the ex-redhead glided over the floor, coming closer to the precipice that separated them from her. Effortlessly, she hovered over the abyss.

“Let’s see who else is here.” She said tilting her head, trying to identify the two other forms lying on the floor behind Giles, Dawn and Xander.

“Stay away from-“

One swift move of her finger and Xander found himself voiceless.

“Shush, Xander. I’m done listening to you. I’m in the mood for some fun.” She lifted her head up, her nose sniffing the air a few times. “My guess for secret identity number one is…” Her gaze focussed on Xander and a leer took over her lips. “…Anya. You can never go wrong with that vengeance demon aroma.”

“That’s enough Willow.” Buffy’s angered voice echoed in the crumbling room.

Willow turned slowly to find the Slayer barely standing on the other side of the cliff.

“Ok, this is getting really old. Kicking your ass just isn’t fun anymore. But if you insist.”

Willow raised her hand and almost simultaneously Buffy was lifted off the floor. The blonde’s hands immediately went for her neck, struggling with the invisible force that was strangling her.

“Buffy!” Dawn screamed.

“That’s enough shrieking from you, little mouse.” Willow commanded.

Instantly, Dawn was silenced even though the witch’s her attention never drifted from Buffy. Her body convulsed, her face turned a frightening shade of blue and her eyes began to roll back in their socks. Her legs jerked and blindly kicked the air as she tried to find release from the witch’s unseeing grip. She was close to loosing consciousness when…

“Willow…” Tara’s weak voice was barely audibly but it was enough to make Willow’s entire body freeze.

Buffy’s tumbled limply to the floor as Willow turned to find her lover lying on Anya’s lap, blood still dripping from her torn shirt.

TBC

Part XX - Back Again

The weak threads of moonlight filtered through the collapsed ceiling to make it look almost black as it spilled onto the linoleum floor. Under the soft glow it was thick and dark, contrasting against the pale white fabric of her shirt. There was so much it … So much of *her* blood. Willow remained frozen in place, staring at the limp form lying in the corner. Her head was propped up on the vengeance demon’s lap; her face looked like it was made out of wax. It was ashen and pasty, gone was the soft light that seemed to constantly irradiate from her pale complexion.

“Tara…” Her voice echoed slightly in the silent, decaying room.

Willow watched as she tried to speak. Her lips parted only to bring on a violent coughing fit. In an instant, the raven-haired witch was kneeling beside her, holding her hand as Tara convulsed. It was so cold. Silently, Anya faded into the background along with the others until it seemed that all that was left in the world were the two of them.

“Tara, honey, you’re back.” They managed to hear Willow say between soothing words. “It’s gonna be ok now. I did it. Nothing’s going to hurt you anymore. I promise.” One trembling hand abandoned her lover’s to push back a few loose threads of blonde hair that insisted on tumbling down to cover her face. “You’re gonna be alright.”

Tara tried to speak again and once more she felt her airways spasm, contracting aggressively until a thick and dark string of liquid was flowing from the corner of her mouth and running down her neck to add to the great stain that marred her shirt.

“No… Don’t try to speak. You don’t have to say anything. I-“ Willow choked back the knot that was growing in her throat, swallowing hard as her raven eyes became glassy with tears. “You’re gonna be ok… I promise.” Her voice was weak and broken down. “J-Just stay still…”

Willow lifted her hand, letting it glide an inch over Tara’s wounded chest. Her eyes narrowed as she focussed on the small, circular tear on her shirt. She was snapped out of her deep concentration when Tara’s weak fingers meekly grasped her wrist. Willow’s gaze drifted to find hers.

“Don’t…” Tara managed to whisper.

“But, if I don’t you’ll die…” Willow argued with a faltering voice. “I-I can’t lose you again, baby.” She mewled.

The wounded witch closed her eyelids for a second, trying to push back the blackness that was swimming in the corner of her eyes. It took all of her strength to stay conscious. It was so hard and she was getting so cold… So cold.

“You have to stop this…” She gasped before she coughed up some more blood.

Willow tried to speak again but the sight of Tara struggling to say something silenced her.

“You can’t undo… what has happened. You can’t.”

The movements of her chest were growing weaker and shallower by the minute.

“I miss you so much. I just want you back, Tara. Please.” Willow begged as the tears now flowed freely down the sides of her cheeks.

“I am not…” Her facial muscles contorted at the taste of her own blood crawling up into her mouth. She swallowed it and continued: “…not your Tara.”

“Of course you are.” Willow tried to deny what she knew to be true deep inside.

Tara shook her head lightly, her eyes closing for a second.

“If you don’t stop… we’ll all die.”

“I don’t care. I just want to be with you, please Tara. Let me help you.” Willow insisted, moving her hand back over the wound.

Tara’s grip on her wrist grew stronger.

“No.”

“Please, baby. Just let me do this for you and I promise everything’s going to be ok. Just let me make it ok.” Willow spoke quickly and irrationally, her lower lips jutting out painfully as she tried to control the onslaught of sobs.

Her heartbeat skipped a beat when she saw Tara’s eyelids fall closed and felt her frozen fingers slip from her wrist.

“Tara! Tara, baby. Talk to me! Tara! Don’t- Oh, God please don’t. Tara!” Willow cried out in agony and despair.

“Willow…” Giles’ voice filtered through her pain. “You have to stop this. You have to stop your spell from happening. If you don’t, we’ll die.”

Willow turned to look at him over her shoulder as he added: “She’ll die.”

The witch narrowed her eyes at him as the hurt seemed to be suffocating her.

“She’s not your Tara… and you know it. Your Tara is gone. You can’t bring her back or change your past.” Giles explained.

He seemed to be getting to her when suddenly her expression hardened once more. She ignored the ex-watcher and turned her attentions back to the partially conscious Tara. She focussed her gaze on the wound, raising her hand over it. They waited, but nothing happened.

“There is no bullet, Willow.” Giles explained.

The witch’s eyes grew wide.

“In your world Tara is already dead. She’s probably in a morgue or even… buried, isn’t she?” He asked.

She nodded meekly.

“They’ve already taken the bullet out. She’s already dead… and this Tara is merging with her. She’s going to die if you don’t stop this.” The shopkeeper explained in a low voice.

Her eyelids fell closed for a while, her eyebrows coming together for a painful frown. When she opened her eyes her gaze met Tara’s.

“I miss you so much…” Willow mumbled.

Slowly, the blackness of her hair seemed to start to fade away, gradually being replaced by the old reddish tone it usually had. The raven eyes grew paler until all that was left in her iris was the familiar green.

“I…” Tara coughed again and Willow’s hand was there to soothe her, her thumb drawing small circles on a cold and ashen cheek. “I love you.” Tara managed to gasp.

A fresh stream of tears coursed down the side of Willow’s face. She leaned down, her eyes closed as her lips brushed ever so lightly against Tara’s.

“I love you too, baby.” She whispered, letting her forehead rest on her lover’s.

The rest of the group stayed back, watching as the two said their last goodbyes.

With her hand still cupping Tara’s cheek, her eyes still closed, she began muttering:

‘Thoth, Djehuti, Tehuty,

A soft breeze started to blow in the crumbling building, sending a chill down Buffy’s spine. She lay still on the floor, her entire body sore and aching as Spike knelt next to her, his fingers discreetly drawing secret patterns over the back of her hand. The two of them watched from afar as a faint light appeared around the chanting witch.

As the words were spoken the glow grew stronger, until Willow was completely engulfed in it; her features barely visible under the intense blaze.

‘Thoth, Djehuti, Tehuty,

Willow paused, giving Tara one last kiss before she uttered the rest of the spell:

‘And tomorrow still to come.’

With that a blinding flash inundated the entire room, like a silent shockwave spreading instantly around them.

Buffy blinked wildly; everything was white. Her heart raced in her chest as the sudden fear of being sightless hit her. The feel of a strong hand gripping hers gave her a comforting sense of calm.

“Buffy…”

The sound of his voice soothed her.

Slowly, but surely, her eyes started to react to the stimulus around her. The frightening whiteness started to turn bluer and darker; soon shadows and outlining began to filter in and eventually she was able to see again.

She blinked a couple more times until her eyes focussed on a spot in the distance. Instinctively, her gaze wandered over to the man kneeling at her side, holding her hand.

“You ok?” She heard his ask.

She stared into his eyes and nodded. When he ran his hand along the side of her face she couldn’t help but close her eyes for a second, but a rustling sound snapped her out of it.

“Dawn?” She called out.

“I’m ok, Buffy. I’m over here.”

Buffy hissed when she tried to move. Her body still ached. Her hand instantly went to nurse the side of her ribcage. Her eyes widened and she gasped when she felt the bones move into place under her skin.

Anya was having a similar reaction. Her fingers hovered over the marred tissue of her face. The deep gashes grew shallow until they were completely gone and the purplish tone of her skin had vanished and her usual pale complexion was restored.

Giles adjusted his glasses as his sight returned. He scanned his surrounding and was relieved to find that everyone was still there. His attentions drifted to the spot were Willow and Tara had been. There he found the two of them lying in similar positions.

The redhead witch lay unconscious with her head resting on Tara’s shoulder. Gone was the black outfit he had just seen her in to be replaced by old blue denims and a simple white shirt. It was Willow; their Willow.

He watched as Tara stirred into consciousness. Her face twisted painfully when she became aware of her surroundings. She gasped a bit as she felt the healing changes take over her body. Suddenly, breathing wasn’t such an unbearable task, her sight wasn’t murky and soon the pain that made her mind tremble between wakefulness and total blackness was gone.

A soft smile spread over her lips when she saw the woman leaning on her shoulder. Slowly, she wrapped her arm around her and began whispering:

“Willow, honey… Wake up.”

Gradually, the redhead started to stir. She nuzzled her face on the smooth fabric when suddenly the scent of blood assaulted her nose.

“Tara!” She gasped, jumping up. “Tara, sweetie! Are you ok? Oh, my goddess we have to take you to a hospital.” Her irrational rambling was cut short by Tara’s smile.

She shook her head:

“We don’t have to. I’m ok.” She grasped her lover’s hand and brought it over her previously wounded chest. “See.”

“How? What happened?” Willow asked confused.

“It’s over, Willow.” Giles announced. “The shifting… it’s over.”

Willow turned in the direction his voice was coming from; her mouth falling open when she took in the destruction around her. The entire building had collapsed, leaving only two walls partially standing.

A few feet away from her and Tara were Giles and Dawn. A bit further Anya and Xander stood with their arms wrapped around each other and, in the distance, separated from the rest of the group by a deep crack in the floor, were Buffy and Spike.

Willow frowned a bit as she breathed:

“Where’s Sam?”

The distraught look on everyone’s faces told her the news weren’t good. They eyed each other in silence. Buffy dared to cast a glimpse in Spike’s direction. She watched him swallow hard and stand up straight.

“She’s gone.” Spike’s voice cut through the stillness.

Author’s Note: I know the chapter is very small but since I’m pretty sure that I’m not gonna have much time to work on the story for the rest of the week, I thought it would be very nasty to let you guys hanging on the last chapter for the next three more days. So, decided to post this small chapter, just to resolve the cliff-hanger.

As for the chapter… I decided to make Tara the hero of the day. She deserved it, after what they did to her character in season 6.

TBC

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