Willow gasped, Robin stepped forward and began asking questions, Spike stood and began issuing orders, and Faith was hurrying into the room as fast as she could. Buffy could hear them all talking, but the words didn't register in her head. Her clear vision slowly faded away to nothing, leaving her to face an eerie darkness. Black closing around her, smothering her, all the while whispering in her ear, You failed. She'll be dead again, all because you failed. You tried to fix things, and all you're doing is repeating the mistakes of before. You can't possibly hope to win.

“Buffy?”

Slowly the world came back into focus, and Buffy found herself gazing at Spike, who was crouched in front of her. “You back with me?” Spike asked quietly.

Buffy nodded numbly. She wasn't really, and from the look on his face, he could tell, but it didn't matter. She had to save Annabelle. That was what she was supposed to do.

Rising to her feet, she headed over to grab a sword from the weapons chest. “I'll go with you, B,” Faith offered.

“Me too,” Spike said, and Buffy could hear the worry in his voice.

Buffy gave a short nod as she headed to the door, sword gripped tightly in her right hand. She was better armed, she had two people behind her, and she knew how to get rid of the uber-vamp this time.

She would NOT fail. She couldn't. Annabelle would be fine.

“She okay?”

Nothing.

“I've never seen B like this. She just...snapped back there.”

Still nothing.

“B was right; you just don't shut up.”

Spike sighed at her sarcasm. “I'm aware of her not doin' anythin'. She did this before, back in that whole Glory mess. Went catatonic, and it took Willow to get her out. With magic. Buffy just...disappeared. She did nothin'. Scared the shit out of all of us.”

“Well, she's doin' something,” Faith said, nodding towards Buffy. The blonde Slayer was in front of them by a good five feet, a sword held in a bloodless fist. “Granted, she's not talkin' much, but she's movin' in a general direction. That's good, right?”

Spike made no reply. His eyes were on his Buffy, who was almost zombie-like in her movements. She hadn't said a word since Molly had brought everyone's attention to the missing girl, and Spike's panic was starting to soar again. Buffy, just say somethin'. ANYTHING, luv. Just...don't leave me again. Please.

“Apparently it's not good,” Faith muttered. She stopped at the same time Spike did to avoid crashing into Buffy, who had suddenly halted in front of them. Then Buffy was running, turning left down towards a construction site, and the two following her were trying to catch up.

Almost as soon as they turned the corner, they practically ran into Buffy again. “Would you stop with the short moves B? We gotta find the...” Faith slowed to a halt, her eyes glued to the ground in front of them. Spike was having a hard time looking anywhere else himself.

Blood. Blood everywhere, with a pretty girl in the middle of it all, looking for all the world as if she was floating in a pool. Her eyes were open and blank, and finally Spike looked away, unable to look at her empty gaze anymore. He turned his attention instead to Buffy, who looked even more pale than before. “Buffy? Pet? Gotta move to find the nasty, eh?”

No response.

Faith stared at Buffy, stunned at the silence. “This really isn't good, is it?” she whispered.

“No,” Spike agreed, gently touching Buffy's arm. “Buffy? Talk to me sweetheart, please?”

Thwack!

Spike pushed himself up from the ground, turning to see the Turok Han looming over him. “Bloody 'ell,” he muttered, grabbing the weapon from his belt. Faith was already up and landing punches, but none of them fazed the vamp.

“Would it kill you to help?” Faith yelled, landing with a thump on the ground from a strong right swing.

“Already dead,” Spike replied, swinging his axe at the uber-vamp. It dodged the attack, then easily side-stepped Faith when she came at it. The two took the vamp on, alternating between punching and kicking in the hopes that one hit would get through, but the uber-vamp wouldn't go down that easy.

It staggered backwards suddenly, and Spike and Faith both turned to see Buffy standing between them, right leg raised in what had obviously been a kick. Her eyes were cold and empty of any emotion, and Spike swallowed at how different she was compared to her normal self.

But there was three against one now. A little better odds, even if Buffy still wasn't speaking. The uber-vamp flexed its claws before pouncing on them, and the fight began.

Faith threw a right hook while Spike ducked down to knock its legs out from under it. Buffy attacked in the front, sword still tightly grasped in her hands.

The uber-vamp threw its left fist out, meeting Faith's right with a resounding crack. Faith cried out and stumbled backwards, clutching her injured hand to her chest.

It jumped to avoid Spike's sweep, then landed in a crouch, kicking out at Spike. Spike went flying along the pavement, landing against a metal beam. His head cracked against the steel, and he grunted, mentally counting the stitches he would have to have upon returning home.

If he ever returned home at all.

The uber-vamp, while he'd still been crouched down, had swiped at Buffy's knees. She'd jumped back, but the uber-vamp had made use of her being off-balance, and had swiped at her wrists, causing her to release the sword. It tucked its foot under the sword, then kicked it up so it could grab it. Spike watched as it raised the sword above its head, ready to strike down on the hunched over form of his love. “BUFFY!!” he shouted, desperately trying to stand. Faith was already on her way, but she wouldn't make it in time. The uber-vamp had taken care of all three of them in seconds, and was apparently still ready for more.

Buffy's hands shot up, grabbing the blade in mid-flight. Blood ran down her wrists from her previous injury, and soon blood from her hands joined it. But she didn't let go. Her hands continued to grasp the blade, her emotionless face meeting the snarling one of the Turok Han.

With a yell she pulled the blade down to the right, pushing forward at the same time. The blade sliced through the uber-vamp's neck, and with one last snarl it fell to the ground, dust before it touched the concrete.

Spike managed to make it to his feet just as Buffy fell to the ground. Her hands fell beside her, still bleeding heavily. He stumbled over to her, kneeling in front of her.

“Nice move,” Faith said, groaning as she took a seat. “Though I'm bettin' it hurt.”

“It did,” Buffy said quietly, startling them both with her sudden speech.

Spike leaned forward until she looked up at him. Tired green eyes met anxious blue, and he gave a small sigh of relief. She was back. “Ready to go home?” he asked.

Buffy glanced down at her hands, before turning to Faith, whose own hand was curled up against her chest. She glanced at Spike, before finally nodding. “Home would be good,” she whispered.

Shaking off his dizziness, he helped both women to their feet. As they collected weapons, he couldn't help but think that maybe Buffy wasn't as back as he'd hoped.

Cold. Wrapped in various sweaters and socks and blankets and still cold. A chill swept through her, causing her to shudder.

She could hear a voice outside the room. Spike. It seemed he was having a one-sided conversation with himself, or a two-sided conversation with someone that wasn't there. On the phone, then.

Still so cold. She shuddered again, eyes blankly taking in the room around her. Closet doors open slightly, blinds parted to let the moonlight in. Mom and Dawn in the picture frame beside the bed, and Mr. Gordo to her right. Spike's knick-knacks and hers meshed together on her vanity table, and over the back of the matching chair hung her jacket. The one she'd worn tonight when she'd...

Failed. You failed her. Dead now, six feet under dead. Not coming back.

Taken care of the uber-vamp. Her and Faith and Spike. The three of them had taken it down before...

It could kill again? It already killed someone. The person you went back through time to save. Her life snuffed out, because YOU failed.

Before it could do the First's evil deeds.

It already did. One down, pushed over like a domino brick, and the rest will fall right after.

“Buffy?”

Spike stepped into the room, phone clutched in his right hand. Obviously done talking. “Pet, can you hear me?” he asked quietly.

Have the ears. Hearing is an ability she still has.

Two hands able to slay. Two legs able to run. Why didn't you do either faster tonight? Failed her. Failed, failed, failed...

“Buffy?”

Failed, failed, failed...

“Failed what, luv?”

She realized she'd been talking out loud and stopped. Eyes raised up to look at Spike, who was now sitting next to her on the bed, giving her a small smile. A smile that looked more like a grimace to her.

You made him look like that. Failed him too. Failed, failed...

“Buffy, what did you fail?”

Buffy glanced at him, before saying quietly, “Everything.”

She watched as he sat up straighter, his face a mixture of confusion, horror, and grief. She'd put another sad looking look on his face. How could you do that to him? So sad, so broken...tearing his heart in two, how could you?

“Buffy, luv, look at me.”

Made him get a soul that burns him, causes him so much pain, puts him in the path of the First...

“Buffy, pet, please, just look...”

...Never be safe again. None of them will. Slayers are one, not five. Not ten. Not however many is in the house now...

Hands on her face, pulling her head up so her eyes can see pained, furious blue ones. “You listen to me: you didn't fail ANYONE. Annabelle was a fool, and she got herself killed. So don't go blamin' yourself for what the twit did to herself.”

...all be killed if you don't...what? What did he say?

She must've looked surprised, because Spike was now saying, “Don't be so damn shocked. You know it, I know it, and she probably knew it before it sliced her neck open or whatever the hell it did to her. I don't really bloody care. So stop broodin' and mopin' over her.”

Spike hadn't been this cruel, this callous, since the year he'd gotten his chip. And to be this way about a poor girl who had been murdered?! He had no right. They'd sworn to protect the girls, and if he didn't care about them, then who was to say he cared about Dawn, or Willow, or Buffy herself?

Spike rolled his eyes. “And don't get pissy with me. Girl's probably better off dead than alive if she was so flighty anyways. Rather not have to bury the chit, but no one else can really haul the body around without breakin' their backs, so I suppose I'll have to do it.”

Thwack! Her palm connected with the side of his face, causing his head to whip to the side. He merely straightened himself and glanced at her again, raising an eyebrow at her.

He's mocking you. You're grieving for her and he's mocking you. Who had failed who now? She couldn't think straight. Between the voice in her head and the voice still lingering in her ears, nothing was making any sense.

“Used to hit harder then that. Then again, milk used to be a lot cheaper. Things change, I s'pose.”

He could sit there and talk so casually while she hurt so much, while a girl laid dead in a tarp behind their house? He wanted to see harder hits? He'd have them. She'd let him see them.

She hadn't realized she'd been hitting him until his hands touched her back, rubbing up and down as she beat at him with her fists. The voices were all around her, making everything difficult to see, to hear, to sense anything, and even though she was hitting him, Spike felt a million miles away. “I love you,” was whispered in her ear, reaching her above the other voices, and Buffy was falling against him, sobbing into his shirt.

His hands never faltered, running up and down her back, holding her close against him. He murmured nonsensical words as she cried, telling her how much he loved her and how sorry he was and please Buffy be here...

When her tears had stopped, Buffy lifted her head from his shoulder and gazed around the room once more. Everything was still the same, the closet still open, Mom and Dawn still smiling at her from the photo. But everything had changed.

“I'm so sorry,” he whispered. “Didn't mean it. But it was the only way I could think of for you to let it go.”

“It worked,” she said with a sniffle. “Thank you.”

“It wasn't your fault, though. That much is true.”

Buffy sighed. “I wish I could be as sure as you are about that.”

“Give me a few days, and you'll see,” was his response.

Buffy said nothing, laying her head back down on his shoulder. “Did I hurt you?” she asked quietly.

“No. Didn't even bruise. Think you were just poundin' more than anythin'. Don't mind. If it got you back, then I'd die for you.”

“But you won't, right?”

Spike shifted them on the bed so he could place a kiss on the top of her head. “No. I'm not goin' anywhere. Promise.”

“Love you.”

She could hear him smile as he said, “Love you too.”

(Whichever one's easier for you. ^_^)

I:9 – The First Stop: Coming Clean

It was almost nine at night when the cellphone rang. Rona, who was still in the front, answered for Xander. She listened for two seconds, before handing the phone to Xander. “It's Dawn, and she doesn't sound happy,” she said, turning back to her hotel searching.

Xander frowned, putting the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

“Xander?”

Rona was right: she didn't sound happy. “What's going on?”

“It's Annabelle. She just took off.”

“She took off? With that thing around?” Xander said. Why on earth...

“I don't know. B-Buffy just headed off to get her with Spike and Faith. But I...”

Xander's frown deepened. “But you what? Dawnie, what's going on?”

“Buffy looked really creepy. She didn't say anything at all. I'm worried about her,” Dawn admitted quietly. “She just...I don't know. Spike kept glancing at her, and he said she was like this when Glory took me?”

Xander swallowed. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “She went catatonic like that when you got snatched. But she wasn't moving or anything. We had to carry her to my place. If she's moving, then she's not really catatonic. At least, not completely. Have Willow and Tara take care of the warding spell. And just...be careful. All of you. Let me know how Buffy does?”

“Yeah, I will. I'll call you when they get back. And you guys be careful too, please? How far are you guys to the next girl?”

Xander glanced at Rona, who had already hauled the map out. “We're in Nebraska now, and we probably won't reach Colorado until tomorrow. I'm estimating towards dinner tomorrow, maybe sooner. But we'll let you know either way.”

“Okay. Anya sends her love.”

Xander smiled at that. “Tell her it's returned double. Take care Dawnie.”

“You too.”

There was a click as she hung up, but Xander stayed on the line, phone to his ear. Buffy going catatonic was NOT one of his favorite memories. Spike's concern was justified: it had taken Willow and a highly dangerous spell to pull their leader out.

And now, putting her up against a Turok Han in that state, even with Spike and Faith on her side?

“There's one,” Rona said, breaking through his thoughts. “The place looks pretty empty, and it's a corporate name. It fits the requirements, and from what I can read on the sign, there's a complimentary breakfast. We're stopping, right?”

“We're stopping,” Xander agreed, closing the phone and turning off onto the exit. Please let her pull through this. Please, please, please, let it be okay...

Xander flopped onto his bed, letting out a groan. The girls were in the next room, which he'd asked to be a suite. With three beds available, the girls had had to share, but he doubted they would mind. It was a practically a slumber party for all five of them.

Five down, two to go, he mentally counted. And the sooner he got home, the better. Things, it seemed, were starting to heat up back at home. A little too hot for his tastes, but since when did the Hellmouth listen to Xander Harris?

His cell rang, and Xander's hand shot out, snatching it from the bedside table and flipping it on. “I'm here.”

“And in one piece, hopefully.”

Xander let out a small sigh of relief. “Good to hear you, Spike.”

“You too, Xander. You too.”

Xander frowned. Spike sounded...tired. “Everything okay?”

“She's dead,” Spike said quietly. “Again.”

Annabelle. Xander sat up, rubbing at his eyes. “And Buffy?”

There was a bitter laugh on Spike's end of the line. “Spoke a lil' after she sliced the vamp's head off, but...nothin' more now.”

“Wait. It's dead already? It took a lot longer the first time around,” Xander said. That was good news, right?

“Yeah; took me, Faith, and Buffy to bring it down. All right, it was more Buffy than anythin', and Faith and I were punchin' bags for this thing, but we did a fair share of...”

“Buffy'll be okay,” Xander said softly, and Spike immediately stopped babbling.

There was a pause on the line, before Spike finally said, “She's like a zombie, Xan. She'll sit in an position we make her sit in, she'll walk if we tell her to, but bottom line, there's no one home. She's gone again, and I don't know what to do.”

Xander stood before Spike had finished, needing to move around. He remembered the first time Buffy had gone on a mental holiday, and it wasn't a great memory. Besides him arguing and trying to beat up Spike, he'd been worried about Dawn, Tara, and Giles, but Buffy had been...

Buffy had always been their pillar of strength. Whenever they needed someone with a plan, or even someone with just a lot of optimism and hope about the big bad of the week, she'd been there. She'd always been there.

But the one time with Glory, she hadn't been there at all. And if Willow hadn't done her spell, she would never have come back.

“We've tried talkin' to her, wavin' hands in front of her face, hell, we even had Dawn yell at her. Girls here are terrified, the gang's losin' it, and I can't help her. I'm useless.”

“No, you're NOT,” Xander ground out from clenched teeth. “Listen to me. Remember last year, with all the headaches and stuff? Who pulled Buffy out when she'd fallen into that pit? Who, Spike?”

“I did,” the vampire said quietly.

“That's right. YOU did. And you can pull her out again. Okay? Don't give up on her, Spike. Buffy's still in there somewhere. If anyone can do this, you can. All right?”

“All right.”

“Could your response be any more enthusiastic?” Xander asked, a small grin on his face.

He got a small chuckle for that. “All right,” Spike said again, this time with a more determined air. “Thanks, mate.”

“Take care, and call me when you get her back,” Xander said.

“Will do. Bring that knife home in one piece?”

Xander's grin broadened. “I will.” He hung up, then sighed, tossing the phone onto the bed. He'd told Spike to call him when he got Buffy back, not if. The vamp had needed to know that Xander had confidence in him.

Xander, unfortunately, needed to have confidence in himself at the moment. “Let him get to her,” he murmured.

“First time around?”

Xander's head whipped up. Jennifer stood in the doorway that connected the two rooms, looking bewildered and shocked at the same time.

Oh crap.

“How long have you been there?” he managed to squeak out.

Jennifer's gaze turned into a glare. “Long enough. What did you mean?”

Double crap.

“It's complicated,” Xander started, only to have Jennifer storm over to him.

“You listen to me! My entire life right now could be easily defined as 'complicated'. I'm carpooling across America with a bunch of other teenage girls and one guy that knows how to use a sword against vampires and other demons creepy-crawly things, and when I reach the end of the trip, I'm going to be fighting against the ultimate evil of all time!! So don't.” She poked him hard in the chest. “Tell.” Poke. “Me.” Poke. “It's.” Poke. “Complicated!” POKE.

“Ow!”

“Serves you right,” Jennifer growled. “Were you planning on telling any of us this 'first time around' sometime? Or were you never going to tell us the whole story?”

“Uh, Jenn?”

“What?!” Jennifer snapped.

“You don't even know what 'first time around' means,” Xander pointed out.

She sighed at that, backing up until her legs hit the bed. She flopped onto the covers, crossing her arms defiantly. “Yet,” she added. “I don't know yet. And I'm not leaving until you tell me.”

“Fine,” Xander said, heading over to close the door. The girls were laughing in the other room, unaware of the argument in Xander's room.

After closing it, he headed over to the bed, pulling a chair over for himself. “Long or short?” he asked.

Jennifer blinked, and the two exchanged small grins, thinking of when Xander had last asked her that. “You choose,” she replied once more.

Xander nodded and began his tale.

Fifteen minutes later, Jennifer was staring at him with a dropped jaw. “You're going to start drooling,” Xander said, nodding towards her.

Her jaw snapped shut. “You...you went back in time?” she said. “I mean...that's...holy crap. YOU went BACK through TIME!”

“I think we've covered that,” Xander said sarcastically.

Jennifer gave him an annoyed look. “And next time you let me pick which version you're going to tell, remind me to pick the short.”

Xander grinned. “That was the short version.”

Groaning, Jennifer laid back on the bed, her eyes on the ceiling. Xander slumped down in his chair, closing his eyes wearily. It had been an easy story to tell, considering his audience hadn't said a word the entire time through. She'd made a few interesting noises, mostly high pitched, but nothing that sounded like words. But it was still a long story, and there was no news concerning Buffy yet.

“What did it feel like?”

The soft-spoken question caused Xander to look at her. Her eyes were still on the ceiling, studying the various swirls intently. “Different. I was there, but I wasn't. I could feel myself being pulled towards a closed gateway, and then the gates opened, but I was thrown backwards. I don't remember hitting the back of the seat until I landed in the Magic Box. That's the store my wife runs,” he added when she turned puzzled eyes on him.

“Pretty neat, though?”

He nodded, smiling. “Yeah. Pretty neat. I'd missed Anya so much, and then to have her back, it was...fantastic. More than fantastic. It's an odd feeling.”

She nodded, her eyes drifting back to the ceiling. Xander's gaze narrowed. He knew that look. It was the 'just-ignore-me-while-I-plot-and-plan' look. And he had a good idea why she was wearing it.

“If you went back, the chances are you couldn't save Mrs. Hartwood,” he said quietly.

Jennifer's head whipped to the left, eyes and mouth wide open. “I wasn't thinking...” she sputtered.

Xander gave her a look, and she deflated. “Yeah, okay, I was,” she admitted. “But it wasn't just her.”

“Your mom and dad?” he asked.

She nodded miserably. “Just to see them again, tell them I loved them. That sort of thing.” She began blinking rapidly, and she turned back to the ceiling, sniffling slightly.

Xander watched her try to fight back tears, and finally made the move over to the bed. Reaching over, he began to run his fingers through her hair, making sure to touch the top of her head as he did so. When Buffy had been gone that summer, Dawn had been a wreck, angry one moment then sobbing the next. He'd found out that by merely giving her that tiny touch, she could be comforted.

Jennifer leaned into the touch, giving him a grateful, albeit tearful, smile. “Do you have both of your parents still?” she asked a few moments later.

Xander snorted. “Unfortunately.” He paused, before saying, “Well, yes and no.”

Jennifer raised an eyebrow at that. “See, my biological parents are...words don't describe,” Xander said with a shudder. “Let's just say that they raised me, and leave it at that. But when Buffy came to town, she brought her mom with her. Joyce Summers was the mom I'd always heard about from the other kids. The one that took you everywhere, would take your friends home if they needed a ride, bought you all cheeseburgers and fries on the way if you were hungry, and always offered your friends rides whenever they needed them. Just call her, and she'd be there.

“Giles became my father through the years. Okay, he's pretty much EVERYONE'S dad, from Buffy to Spike. He's just good like that. Only yelled if there was danger, never raised a hand to us, always helped with homework, and constantly reminded us to NOT forget said homework on the bus.”

“The girls did that?” Jennifer asked, frowning slightly.

Xander gave her a sheepish grin. “Okay, constantly reminded me not to forget my homework on the bus.”

She giggled then sniffled, her tears already drying. “Joyce died two years ago, and that's the loss of one parent. We still have Giles, and we all intend to keep him around until Dawn graduates from college. At the very least.”

“Sounds pretty good,” Jennifer said quietly, but she was still smiling.

Xander returned the smile, thinking of Joyce and Giles. “Yeah, it really has been. What did you come in here for in the first place?”

Jennifer rolled her eyes. “Popcorn; they leave a free packet in the microwaves. The others said they needed more before they watched the movie.”

“Movie?”

“Chick flick. You don't want to know.”

“Right.”

Title: Step Forward

Author: Nebula

Chapter: 38 of ?

Rating: FRT overall, with an occasional FRM and FRAO (Fan Rated for Teens, Mature, and Adults Only)

Pairings: S/B, X/A, W/T, D/J, Ang/C

Time Period: Set after 'Back Track', which is a time travel story started in Season 7 and jumping back to Season 6. The time is now mid-Season 7, around 'Bring On The Night'.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Joss is owner of all EXCEPT my three original characters, Jennifer and Jillian and slightly Megan. (She was one of the final girls shown in Chosen.)

< --- >

Xander was called and told that Buffy was back. After he'd talked to Buffy for awhile (just to make sure), he told them HIS news. “Jennifer knows,” he said simply.

Spike frowned from his spot next to Buffy. The three Scoobies were once again in Buffy's room. “Knows what?”

There was a sigh on Xander's end of the line. “She knows about the time travel.”

Spike's eyes widened. “WHAT?!”

“I thought we'd decided not to tell them?” Willow said, looking shaken.

“It's only Jennifer, and I wouldn't have told her except she overheard from my last conversation with you, Spike. So...no choice there. But she's sworn to keep this to herself.”

“It's so complicated, I doubt I could repeat it anyways,” Jennifer called from the background. At her teasing tone the Scoobies relaxed.

“Where are you, exactly?” Willow asked, pulling the map out. Buffy and Spike exchanged smiles.

“A little over half way to Colorado. That's where Chloe is, right?”

Buffy sat up straighter. “Chloe? Chloe is his next Potential?”

Willow nodded. “She's the second to last one. We'll probably have a few more from other countries sent our way soon, and then Xander will be here in a few days, right?”

“Yeah, I'll be home in a little bit. Probably three, four days tops.”

“Really?”

All three Scoobies turned to the doorway, where Anya now stood. She smiled tentatively, her eyes on the phone. “Four days?” she said.

“Maybe even three,” Xander said softly.

Anya's smile grew. “Good. I want you home. I miss you.”

“Miss you too, sweetheart.”

There was a pause, before Spike stood. “Probably should head down and reassure the troops,” he said, offering his hand to Buffy. She pulled herself up, giving him a knowing smile. The three headed out, leaving Anya in the room with the phone.

“We probably really should reassure our troops,” Willow admitted. Buffy groaned.

Just then, Dawn came up the stairs. Her eyes widened at the sight of her sister, and before anyone could say anything, she'd hurried over and thrown her arms around her. “Hello to you too,” Buffy said, giving her sister a smile and a grimace. “And ow.”

“Oh, sorry,” Dawn said, pulling away. “But you're back! It's always good to know these things. Thanks so much for telling me.” She shot an annoyed look Spike's way. Spike gave her a sheepish shrug.

“How better are you feeling?” Tara said, coming up after Dawn.

Buffy shrugged. “Still hurts like hell, but nothing time and Slayer strength won't heal. Why?”

Tara bit her lip. “Then you might want to head downstairs and do that reassuring thing. It's a mad house down there.”

With a sigh Buffy trudged towards the stairs. She paused, however, and glanced back at Spike. “Back me up?” she asked, extending her hand towards him.

Spike gave her a wide smile at the remembered line and took her hand. “All the way,” he said.

Together the group headed down the stairs, Buffy's hand tightly grasping Spike's.

They reached the point where they could see what was going on, and Spike immediately wanted to pull them all back upstairs. Kennedy was arguing with Faith, who was being backed up by Robin. Molly was on the sofa with Amanda and Andrew, their eyes wide with shock and fear as they watched the goings on. Cassie sat on the floor near the fireplace, knees up to her chest, holding her head between her two palms. Jonathan leaned up against the wall near her, biting his lip as he watched them argue. Giles sat in a nearby chair, eyes trained on the floor.

Spike took one glance at what was going on, before bringing his attention back to Buffy. Her eyes were wide and looking a little glazed again, and her hand had started to shake in his. We're gonna lose her again. We just got her back, and we're gonna lose her...

He gave her hand a rough squeeze, causing her to glance up at him. “All the way,” he whispered again, keeping his eyes trained on her. He would NOT lose her again.

Buffy nodded, then nodded once more, the second time with more confidence. She then turned her attention to the group. “Enough!” she shouted.

All heads whipped to the stairwell, eyes wide with surprise. Kennedy's mouth dropped open as she stared. “Enough,” Buffy repeated in a quieter tone. Hand still in Spike's, she made her way down to the landing.

Spike glanced over at Giles and nodded slightly. Giles gave him a grateful look before turning his gaze back to Buffy.

Molly was the first to recover. “Y-You're all right! B-But you were so...so...”

“Beaten down? Bloody? Nothing that hasn't happened before,” Buffy said quietly, her gaze drifting over everyone before continuing. “And nothing that won't happen again.”

“You still look pretty beaten down and bloody,” Kennedy said, wincing as she looked at Buffy.

Buffy snorted. “I still am,” she admitted. “I hurt all over, and I'm so incredibly tired, you wouldn't believe. Not just tired physically. Tired of all of it. The fights. The pain. The not knowing if you'll live past today, or if your friends will. The knowledge that if they DO fall, their blood is on your hands. And I'm tired of getting pounded into the ground by every single evil thing this world can throw at me.”

Spike squeezed her hand again, though it was more to reassure himself then anything. She sounded so emotionless, so...dead, and it was scaring him. He glanced at the group and saw he wasn't the only one freaked by her lack of emotion. Not the best way to rally the troops, luv.

“I'm so tired of waiting for them to move first, to be able to take whatever they want because we're. Not. Ready.”

“We're never ready,” Dawn murmured.

“Are they?” Buffy asked sharply.

All eyes on her now, and Spike watched as she stood straighter, blinked once and cleared away the glazed look. “They're probably just as prepared for the apocalypse as we are,” Buffy told them. “But we have an advantage. We have trust, and we have power to go with it. We'll make this through if we stand shoulder to shoulder, side by side. If you want to leave, then by all means, please do. Because ladies and gentlemen, we're going into war. And we're not only going into it: we're gonna start it.”

Spike slowly began to smile. Atta girl, he thought, glancing around the room once more. No more fear, no more anger, nothing from before. Just smiles and hope and dammit they would make it.

Buffy turned to him, giving him a small smile, then turned back to face the group. “How more ready do you guys feel now?”

Their grins were answer enough.

Chapter 38

It had started out as a simple statement. All Kennedy had said was, “You're lucky to have Willow. She's a really hot girl, and she picked you. Sometimes life just isn't fair, huh?”

Tara had quickly tried to cover her hurt, and had given Kennedy the benefit of the doubt, asking her what she'd meant. “Oh, you know,” Kennedy had said in the same casual tone, “I just wish I had a chance at her. Even now I think I've got one, but unfortunately, she seems to be loyal to her first girl.”

“F-First girl?” Tara had stammered, blinking rapidly.

Kennedy had given her a look. “Uh, yeah. You've got to consider the girls that she's gonna have after you and stuff.”

“Who said there was an 'after me'?” Tara'd said, standing.

“It's obvious!” Kennedy had said, glaring at Tara. “You're holding her back from what she could really be doing. She's so mousy, all because she doesn't want to offend you or something. And once she realizes what's really going on? She'll break off, go find another girl. She'll have plenty of choices, unlike...other girls I could think of,” she'd added, her eyes on the 'other girl' she'd mentioned.

Half an hour later, and Anya was getting a little tired of the noise. Everyone that could've calmed the two down was gone. Spike and Willow had left earlier that cloudy morning to check out the cavern of the First, along with the basement of the school. They'd been wondering where the Turok Han had come from, and had decided they'd really like to know.

Buffy and Dawn, along with Cassie and Amanda, had left an hour before them, their destination the school. And a little before the two had started arguing, Faith had headed out to the school as well, to pick up Buffy for lunch. Anya sighed and winced as Kennedy began to literally yell.

“How can you stand to live with yourself? Knowing that Willow will never really be Willow? You're blocking her from becoming...”

“Becoming what?” Tara retorted angrily. “A wonderful woman? A powerful wiccan? I hate to break it to you, but she's already both.”

“Not as powerful as she could be,” Kennedy argued. “She could probably wipe out the entire army of Turok Han AND the First if she reached the top of her power limit. But you're scared, aren't you? Scared of her reaching that top and looking down on you, because you're that far below her in talent and skill!”

Anya could almost feel the moment Tara's fury was unleashed. You tell her, Anya thought with a smile. If she'd still been a vengeance demon, she would've asked Tara to make a wish a thousand times over by now.

“That far below her? How dare you?! You know NOTHING of true power, or what magic really is and can be. It's not some great 'power' you keep talking about. It's connecting with a huge source of energy, channeling that energy through you...”

“You make it sound like an electricity show on the Discovery channel,” Kennedy sneered. “And you are below her. You could never hope to reach where she is.”

“Willow and I make a perfect balance, because our magic levels are almost or exactly the same.”

“Yeah, because you won't let her go forward! You're afraid you'll lose her when she goes up to the top and leaves you in the dust. And when she reaches the top, she will leave you, and good for her. I only hope that when she does make it, I'll be able to repair some of the damage you did to her.”

Anya was on her feet and heading for the kitchen at that. Damage? If Tara had done anything for Willow, it was helping her avoid the damage. Kennedy seriously believed...

Tara apparently had the same thoughts. “DAMAGE?! You...you...presumptuous, horrible, sadistic toad!!”

“Oh crap,” Anya muttered, seconds before the bright light flashed in front of her.

Slight tapping caused Buffy to look up from her desk. She gave Faith a grin. “You're early,” she noted.

Faith shrugged. “Got antsy in the house. Couldn't sit still. Figured I'd wait for my sister Slayer.”

“Have a seat, I'm just finishing paperwork,” Buffy told her, nodding towards the chair on the opposite side of her desk.

Faith's grin turned into a smirk. “That's such a sweet offer. You wanna listen to my problems, B?”

“I changed my mind, sit somewhere else,” Buffy said quickly. Faith laughed and glanced around at her office.

“Nice cubicle,” she said.

Buffy groaned and turned, glaring at her. “You couldn't have waited outside?”

“She can wait further inside, if she wants,” Robin said, opening the door to his office. “I actually wanted to talk to her, anyways.”

“Yes, go, please go,” Buffy said, pushing her foot out to nudge Faith towards Robin's office. Faith rolled her eyes but did as she was 'told', stepping into Robin's office and giving a low whistle.

“Nice place,” she said.

He grinned. “You like the word 'nice', I've noticed.”

“It covers most of the things I need to cover,” Faith told him.

“Including this?” Robin said, heading over to his white board behind his desk. He lifted it up, revealing two doors. He unlocked them and opened them, and Faith's eyes widened at the sudden array of weapons visible.

“Damn,” she said quietly, stepping forward. Her fingers lightly ran over one of the blades, and she smiled. “Very nice.”

“I got the updated 'nice',” he said, sitting in his chair. “I feel honored.”

“You should,” she said, grinning. “It's a sweet collection.”

“Thanks. Most of them were my mother's.”

Faith nodded, and the two fell into silence.

Robin finally cleared his throat. “The, uh, reason I asked you in here was to actually thank you. For the other night. I really appreciated that.”

She shrugged, looking around awkwardly. “It's no big,” she told him a few moments later.

“Ah. Just doing your good 'Slayer duty', I take it?” he asked.

“Not really,” she said, glancing up at him. “Just...I found someone that I could relate to. Been there, done that sort of thing. It felt nice.”

“Just 'nice'?” he asked.

Faith slowly began to smile. “Yeah. Nice.”

They stood there for a moment, both sharing smiles with the other. Then Buffy knocked on his door, beckoning for Faith. Faith said her goodbyes, before heading out after the blonde.

Robin stayed in his chair and watched her go. For the first time in a long time, he felt...happy. At peace. And the rough-and-tumble Slayer had given him that.

Plus, she was sexy as all hell. Killer smile, bright eyes...

His eyes stayed on the dark-haired woman, and his smile grew.

Buffy turned off the engine and stepped out of the car. “How long do you have for lunch?” Faith asked.

“I have to be back by one,” Buffy said, pouting. “I'll just snag something fast. He won't mind if I'm a few minutes late. He knew I was working on something before I left.”

“Sure you can't stay for a lil' bit longer?”

Buffy whipped her head around, before hurrying over into Spike's arms. “And just why would I want to stay for, as you put it, a 'lil' bit longer'?”

Spike gave her THE grin, his 'you-know-you-want-me' grin, and Buffy's knees began to feel weak. “I can't,” she protested, but it sounded whiny, even in her ears.

Spike raised his eyebrows, and Buffy groaned. Why did he have to be so damn hot? “Just a few minutes,” he whispered. “I'll make it worth your while.”

“Gonna make it worth our while too, or are you two gonna tell us what you found out?” Faith asked, smirking. “'Cause I'm all for an open show, but I doubt B is.”

Buffy pulled away, turning to see Willow with her arms crossed, tapping her foot. “Sorry,” she said meekly, giving the witch an apologetic smile.

Willow rolled her eyes. “The seal in the school was uncovered, so I think it's safe to say that our nasty got out that way.”

“And the cavern?” Buffy asked, serious once more.

Spike shook his head. “Just a few Bringers, nothin' we couldn't handle. No sign of any spells, seals, people hangin' from walls, big evil tryin' to imitate you...”

Buffy squeezed his hand, giving him a reassuring smile. “It's not going to happen,” she promised softly. “They won't take you again.”

“Take you again?” Faith asked, frowning. “What's that supposed to mean?”

Buffy's eyes widened. Oops. “We, uh, had a run in with them a little while back,” Willow stammered. “Spike got taken for a little bit. It's better off not asked about.”

Faith frowned slightly, but nodded. “Got it. No more questions.”

She turned and headed towards the house, leaving Spike and Willow to glare at Buffy. “Sorry,” she said again, biting her lip. “I keep forgetting people are around.”

“We've noticed,” Spike said dryly.

Buffy gave him a playful smack, before heading after Faith.

The minute she stepped in the house, she knew something was wrong. Anya was standing, biting her lower lip. Molly, Andrew and Jonathan sat on the floor, turning as one to see the others enter. Molly and Andrew looked scared. Jonathan looked tempted to laugh.

Tara sat on the sofa, eyes wide as she stared at a small box on the table. She looked...stunned. That was the best word to describe her, Buffy decided.

“What's going on?” she asked, frowning.

Anya sighed. “We have a small problem.”

“Is Tara okay?” Willow asked, watching her lover with worry in her eyes.

“She'll be fine,” Andrew said, grimacing. “It's, uh, something else we're worried about.”

“Somethin' else?” Spike asked, glancing around at them. “Anyone care to explain?”
Rrribbitt!

Willow shrieked and hastily took two steps backwards. “What's wrong?” Molly asked, puzzled.

“She doesn't like frogs,” Jonathan supplied. “She's hated them since she was a little girl.”

“We have a frog?” Buffy asked, glancing at her freaked out friend. “Um, can we get rid of it?”

Anya gave a tiny smile. “Not really.”

Another 'ribbit' was heard, and Willow cringed. “I'll get rid of it,” Spike told her.

“I wouldn't do that,” Jonathan finally said, unable to stop the small grin from showing on his face.

“Would somebody please explain what's going on?” Buffy demanded.

“Why can't we get rid of the frog?” Spike asked, giving Jonathan a pointed look.

“Because the frog is Kennedy,” Anya said simply.

I:10 – Perhaps She'll Die...Or Not.

“Are we...”

“NO!” Xander yelled, cutting Jillian off. “In no way, shape, or form, will you ask me that question again!”

Jillian blinked. “I was gonna ask if we was gonna stop for lunch soon.”

Jennifer snickered. Xander glared at her, before sighing. “Yeah, there's a Burger King in ten miles. Sound good?”

Agreements from the back were heard. “Burger King it is then,” Xander said, stealing a glance at Jennifer. Jennifer caught it from the edge of her eye, and turned to give him a small smile. She was still a little weirded out by the whole time thing, but she didn't dislike him for it.

“Can we listen to some music?” Vi suddenly asked. “I really don't mind what. I'll listen to any genre, really.”

“What about that CD?” Rona asked.

Megan frowned. “What CD?”

“Some CD he bought at a rest stop,” Jennifer told her. “Don't know what.”

Xander reached down towards the compartment again, then stopped when three hands shot forward to stop him. “Let us get it?” Jennifer asked.

Xander rolled his eyes but sat back in his seat. Jennifer pulled out the CD case, then froze at the title. “What's wrong?” Vi asked, puzzled.

“We are NOT listening to this,” Jennifer growled. “No way, no how.”

“Why not?” Xander asked. “It's a decent CD.”

“It's Peter, Paul, and Mommy,” Jennifer said, holding the disc up for everyone to see. “We're not listening to this!”

“Pease?”

Jennifer sighed. Of course her sister would want to listen to this. She turned to face the little one. “Jillian, can we listen to anything...”

Big puppy eyes greeted her vision first. “Else,” Jennifer finished with another sigh. “All right, fine. We'll listen to the CD. Happy now?”

She turned back to pull the CD from the case. “Pack the eyes in, Jilly. I'm putting the disc in.”

“Thank yew,” Jillian said in a high-toned, happy pitched voice.

Xander grinned and leaned forward as Jennifer put the disc in. “Pinky-wrapped much?”

Jennifer gave him a look. “Says the guy who bought this with her in mind in the first place.”

Xander's grin turned sheepish as he sat back. The disc began with soft applause and a guitar, and Jillian bounced forward in her seat, gleefully waiting for the words.

Jennifer clicked to the next song. “Hey!” Jillian protested indignantly. “You skippeded one!”

“I didn't want to listen to it,” Jennifer told her, skipping the second and third songs as well.

“But you dinnit even listen to 'em!”

“And I'm between them why?” Xander whimpered to the ceiling.

Jennifer and Jillian ignored him. “I just knew,” Jennifer insisted. She seriously didn't want to listen to any of them, but knew she had to find a song to listen to somewhere.

She hit twice more before they heard the applause for the previous song running over into the next track. “How about that one? It sounds like it got good ratings,” Megan joked.

Jennifer nodded reluctantly and went back. A little bit of applause, before a guitar started strumming quickly. Then, the song began.

“This is a good one,” Xander said. “This one we also all know the words to. Right?” he added, giving Jennifer a look. One that clearly said “Please just let this one play.”

Jennifer gave him a look but nodded again.

“Does she really die?” Jillian asked.

“Hush and you'll find out,” Jennifer said, glancing at the highway signs. Only a few more minutes to Burger King.

All the occupants of the vehicle turned to each other with odd glances. 'Wriggled' and 'jiggled' had come out as 'wreeguld' and 'jeeguld', with emphasis on the twisting of the words. The audience of kids from the CD giggled. Jillian began to grin.

“That was really weird sounding,” Rona commented, raising her eyebrows.

“This is Peter, Paul and Mary for kids,” Vi said, smiling.

“Is it gonna keep getting funnier?” Jillian asked, leaning forward.

Jillian giggled along with the kids from the CD as the singer began to spit out the 'feathers' from the bird. Jennifer smiled despite herself.

Vi surprised everyone by bursting out laughing at the singer's goofy voice. He began to 'swallow', or really, choke the 'cat' down, and Jennifer's grin broadened.

The singer trailed off, and all eyes turned to the stereo. “Did he mess up?” Jillian asked.

Everyone laughed at the singer's Elvis impersonation. Jennifer glanced back at her sister, only to see the little one sprawled in her seat, laughing hysterically. Okay, maybe the music wasn't too bad. It was better then the 'Are we there yet?' question.

Nobody heard the rest of the verse, because Jillian was laughing so hard, all they could hear was her squeals of delight. Even she wasn't laughing, Rona would've covered for her. The teen was also laughing, tears of joy pooling in her eyes.

A goat making its usual sounds was heard, seconds before lips smacked together, and the goat's sounds were now made from the bowels of the 'old lady'. The final smacking of lips was finished with a pop, ending the goat's plight.

“Do you want me to drive?” Jennifer asked between snickers. Xander snorted helplessly and shook his head, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

Elvis was back in the building, and Jennifer decided Xander was better off driving. She couldn't see anymore herself.

Sounds were heard, as if the singer was trying to swallow the cow down. Jillian cringed and covered her ears. “Is he gonna throw up?” she asked.

Jennifer shook her head. “No, Jilly. I promise. He won't throw up.” She highly doubted the singer would really throw up on his audience, but her sister didn't know that. Her sister was afraid of throwing up and all things related to it.

Jillian's hands were back down by her side, and all the passengers waited for the Elvis they knew was coming.

The rock out version caught them by surprise, but only for a few moments. The SUV filled with laughter again, and Jennifer told herself she was going to have Xander pull over soon. He couldn't possibly see anymore.

Cheers from the audience were echoed in the car. “'Bout time the old lady did something useful,” Rona joked. Megan giggled, and Vi nodded emphatically.

Before the others realized he was trying to think of something else to rhyme, someone in the audience shouted out, “A washing machine!”

Laughter filtered through the speakers. “I so have to hear this one,” Jennifer said, turning it up.

“That's if he thinks of something,” Megan added.

Somebody in the audience whispered something, but the singer heard it, and repeated enthusiastically:

“To keep herself clean, she swallowed a washing machine!”

The occupants of the vehicle clapped and hooted along with the audience. Another rhyme was made, but Jennifer didn't hear it, because Xander chose that moment to tell them that their exit was there.

He pulled off and into the parking lot, just as the audience listened to the final rhyme. Jennifer glanced back at the visibly happier girls. Okay, the song hadn't been so bad, after all.

Chapter 39

Four pairs of eyes slowly turned to the box on the table. “Ken...Kennedy?” Willow managed to gasp out.

Buffy tried to say something, then closed her mouth, opened it, and closed it once more. “How did this happen?” Spike asked for Buffy.

Anya fidgeted. “Well, see, the thing is...”

“We were arguing,” Tara said softly. Everyone jumped at the sound of her voice. “She said...some really hurtful things,” she continued, her eyes still on the box. “So I...I called her a...a...”

“A frog?” Buffy supplied.

“It was actually a toad, but Kennedy's definitely not one of those. Well, she might be in real life, but that's not a toad in there,” Anya told her. “We think because of Tara's usual 'wanting the best for everyone' nature messed with the actual spell, so instead of a toady, um, toad, she was turned into a nice green frog. It's a little strange, but it works.”

Buffy nodded, before turning to Tara. “Don't worry about it, Tara.”

“We'll fix it,” Willow said.

Spike grinned. “Way to go Glinda!”

“SPIKE!”

“What?” he asked, raising his eyebrows at their glares. “Best thing that could've happened to that annoyin' chit. She'll be a hopper for a bit, then we'll change her back.”

“I never meant to do this,” Tara said. Buffy turned back to her friend, and was surprised to see tears in her eyes. “I-I really didn't.”

“It's okay,” Buffy assured her, smiling. “No harm done. Well, nothing that can't be fixed, anyways. It'll be okay.”

In response to what Buffy had said, Tara choked back a sob and hurried from the room, shocking everyone as she dashed up the stairs.

There was a few moments of silence, before Willow began to move towards the stairs. “I'm gonna go see if she's okay,” she said, pointing to the bookshelves. “Get out that red book, would you, Anya? The de-transformation spell is in there. We'll be...be right back down.” She headed upstairs, leaving the group in silence once more.

Rribbitt!

Well, almost silence.

“Tara? Honey?” Willow knocked on her door, waiting for Tara to answer.

She didn't. “You've got me really worried. Talk to me? Please?” she asked. When Tara still didn't answer, she tried the doorknob, and found it unlocked. Quietly she entered.

Tara sat on the edge of the bed, wiping her eyes with a tissue. “Tara?” Willow called softly. “Can we talk?”

“I-I really didn't...” Tara's breathing hitched. “...mean t-to turn her i-into a...a...a frog.”

“Oh sweetheart, I know,” Willow said, heading over to sit next to her. Her hand extended out to Tara, who accepted it with a watery smile. “It wasn't your fault,” Willow continued, and the watery smile disappeared. “Kennedy had no right to say...well, whatever she said. I know you: you only get upset if there's really a good enough reason to be.”

“I didn't put a spell on her,” Tara whispered miserably. “I-I just said...”

“Just said the words?” Willow asked. Tara nodded. “Then you had a lot of feelings behind it, like I thought. It's really ok...”

“No it's not,” Tara said, pulling away from Willow and standing. She shifted back and forth, rubbing her arms in an agitated manner. Willow's concern and worry shot through the roof. She'd never seen Tara like this. Ever.

“I lost complete control down there, Wills,” Tara said, shaking her head. “That was...that was an abuse of the magics. I had no right to do that. A-And the worst part is? Part of me enjoyed it. Because of what she'd said, I'm glad she got turned into a frog.”

Willow slowly rose to her feet and stepped in front of Tara. “Hey,” she said quietly, taking Tara's hands into hers, stopping the nervous motions. “Humans here, remember? We like the revenge deal sometimes. If we didn't, vengeance demons would be out of jobs. It's part of a whole economy situation.”

Tara sniffled. “Seriously, though. It's human nature to want her to suffer like she obviously made you suffer,” Willow said gently. “There's nothing wrong about that.”

“No, but there's something wrong if I exact that revenge for myself,” Tara argued quietly. “Abuse of the magics, remember?”

“Yeah, I know. Been there, done that, didn't get the T-shirt,” Willow said. “Tell me what she told you. Start there.”

Tara glanced down at the floor. “She said...she said I was holding you back from realizing your 'true potential,” she whispered. “She said that I was lucky to have you, as if you were with me because you felt badly for me. Since I-I couldn't obviously find anyone willing to be with me. She said I was holding back your true magical abilities because I didn't want you to leave me in...in the dust. Leave me alone.”

When Tara glanced up, Willow saw that her tear-stained face was red. Of course, everything seemed to be red, including Tara's hair, the walls, the furniture... “Willow?” Tara asked, frowning slightly.

“That bitch,” Willow seethed. “She had no right. Absolutely none. How could she...she just...she...”

“Baby, calm down,” Tara said, squeezing Willow's hands. “It's okay. It really is. And I think I got back at her enough.”

“You know none of that's true, right?” Willow said, and everything was the right color again, her red haze wiped out by her worry. “I couldn't think of a better person to be with. You balance me in so many ways. And because of you, I've reached a higher level of magics, and a higher level of love. So yeah, I stick my tongue out at her. She knows nothing.”

Tara's face turned slightly red, but it was from her blushing, not Willow's rage. She began to smile, and Willow couldn't help but return it. “Got all that?”

Tara nodded. “Yeah. Same goes, you know. Balance, higher levels of more than magic. All of it. I love you, Wills.”

“Love you too,” Willow said, leaning forward. Her forehead rested against Tara's, and the two sighed.

“I've got a question.”

“Sure, sweetie.”

“Did you and Kennedy...you know...the first time around?”

Willow sighed, but it wasn't as happy a sigh as before. “Yeah, we did,” she admitted. “Not one of my prouder moments. She got me out of the depressive slump I'd been in ever since that previous May.”

“When I died?” Tara asked quietly.

Willow only nodded. Even though it technically hadn't happened, she could still hear the gun shot as if it had just happened.

“I'm...glad she was there to get you through that. The...the damage.”

Willow frowned. What in the... “Damage?” she repeated incredulously. “Damage of what?”

Tara shrugged helplessly. “Is that something else Kennedy said?” Willow asked. Tara's eyes darted to the floor, and everything began to tinge red again. “How exactly did she phrase it?” Willow asked.

Tara turned to glance at her, blinking. “Remember that calming down we were gonna try?” Tara said, biting her lip. “You're not doing that.”

“How did she phrase it?”

With a sigh Tara mumbled, “She said after you'd reached the top, she wanted to be the one there for you. To...to help you through the 'damage' I'd done to you.”

“That little...”

“Yes, she is very little right now,” Tara said quickly, grabbing Willow's arm and herding her out of the room. “Which is something we need to fix. Like now, perhaps.” She led her out into the hallway, and it was there that Willow dug her heels into the carpet.

At Tara's frown, Willow gave her a suspiciously sweet smile. “Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow,” she said cheerfully, turning Tara around and heading back into the bedroom.

“What about the others?” Tara asked as Willow shut the door.

“They're a pretty smart bunch. They'll figure it out.”

Twenty minutes later, a determined Tara and a calmer Willow came downstairs, ready for the spell. Buffy took one look at Willow and immediately saw the fury in her eyes. At least she wasn't AS upset. Hopefully.

“You ready?” Tara asked, lighting a candle. The two now sat on the floor across from each other, a good six feet away. The box lay exactly half way between them, and the occasional 'ribbit' was heard.

Willow muttered something under her breath. “Wills...” Tara warned.

“Yes, I'm ready to turn her back into human shape,” Willow said.

“Willow!”

“Well, I'm sorry, but she IS a toady person, no matter what form she's in,” Willow told her girlfriend. “And don't give me that look, either. You know it's true.”

Tara merely shook her head and sighed. “But I'm ready,” Willow grumbled, lighting her candle.

“I can start?” Tara asked, and Buffy was faintly amused to see the blonde witch looking (and sounding) slightly exasperated.

Willow nodded grumpily. Tara looked sorely tempted to roll her eyes. Spike muffled a snicker from next to Buffy. “Are those two deciding to be two year olds today?” Anya whispered to Buffy.

Buffy shrugged. “Would appear so,” Spike answered for her. “I think it's bloody funny.”

“You would,” Dawn muttered, raising her eyebrows at him.

“When she comes out of the box, I'm sitting her down and talking to her,” Willow said, glaring at the box in question. “About how you're the only girl I'm going to have, or ever going to want, and that's final.”

Tara's cheeks turned a slight pink, and she managed to push down the small triumphant smile. “We're ready?”

“We're ready,” Willow agreed. Her eyes met Tara's, and the two began to chant in unison.

Their eyes flashed black briefly, and a glow surrounded them, before slowly fading out. Then there was a bright flash of light, and when she could see again, Buffy found Kennedy standing between the two witches, her shoe in the box.

She blinked, her gaze landing on Tara, before turning to view Willow. She blinked once more, before turning and facing the others on the sofa.

“Well, that was a hell of a thing,” she said.

Takes place between chapters 40 and 41 of Step Forward

< --- >

I:11 – The Second Stop: An Unusual Battle

“...what it meant, but she swallowed the elephant!”

Giggles. “That wasn't even all that funny,” Rona said, though she didn't stop giggling.

“I believe that's what you girls might call a sugar rush,” Xander muttered. All of them were tanked up on soda from Burger King, and ten minutes ago they'd decided to make up their own rhymes for the song. Joy.

“She was cold and it would...” Megan snickered. “Would roast her, so she swallowed the toaster.”

Vi snorted, loudly, then giggled even as her face turned red. The volume of the giddiness increased.

Xander was about to call out that maybe they should stop while they were, well, not going to say anything else that might hurt Xander's head, but just then the cell rang. “I've got it,” he said quickly, snatching the cell up before Jennifer could argue. “Whoever you are, I love you,” he said into the phone.

A giggle from the other end. “I, um, love you too, Xan.”

“Buffy! Long time no hear. What's the latest and greatest?”

“Your turn, Jillian,” Jennifer said.

Jillian pouted. “I can't think of nanything to rhyme!”

“Just a few twists and turns,” Buffy said. “The seal's been revealed, but no clue on who. We're still looking into it, but we've been a tad occupied with, uh, other things.”

Xander frowned. “Other things?”

“Tara turned Kennedy into the thing Willow hates the most,” Buffy said, and he could hear the wince in her voice.

Xander's eyes widened. “A toad?!”

“That's it!” Jillian squealed. “Pickeded it up from the road an' swallowed the toad!”

The girls applauded, and Xander choked back laughter. “It was a frog, actually, and what's going on over there?” Buffy asked.

Xander snickered. “I don't want to know, do I?” she asked.

“Nope,” he said, mentally picturing an old lady picking up a froggy Kennedy and swallowing her down. If only... “But you might want to know that we're about ten minutes off from Chloe's town, so we're all set to go.” He paused, then sighed. “She's not a frog anymore, is she?”

“No,” Buffy answered, and Xander thought she sounded a little regretful. He didn't blame her.

“She's not a what anymore?!” Jennifer said, his conversation finally permeating her caffeinated mind. The other stopped and turned to him.

“And you didn't get pictures, did you?” Xander asked. He was not going to pout.

Buffy sighed. “Spike wanted to. I didn't let him.”

“Why not?” Xander whined. “Spike had the right idea.”

“I know that now, but at the time I was doing the right thing.”

“It gets annoying sometimes, you know,” Xander mumbled.

Buffy sighed again. “That's what Spike said.”

“What happened?” Megan asked.

“Who's a what?” Jennifer repeated. “Because you so didn't say...”

“I'll call you once I've got Chloe,” Xander said, hanging up. He turned to the girls, who were waiting with wide eyes. He sighed and wished that they were making up horrid rhymes again.

“She turned Kennedy into a frog?!”

“This Tara person's on our side, right?”

Xander nodded. “Very much on our side. It's Kennedy you might want to be asking about. She's a tad annoying, and that's a gross understatement.”

“There's the sign!” Jillian said, bouncing in her chair. She still had some sugar to burn, then.

“She's probably in school,” Rona said. “But we can at least find the place and scope it out.”

Xander nodded, and with a sharp military salute, turned down a street to do just that. Jennifer gave his arm a thwack. “What'd I do?” Xander protested, rubbing his arm. “And ow.”

“You almost hit me with your salute,” Jennifer said.

“But you actually hit me just now!”

“It balances out, trust me,” Jennifer said. Oh good, a miniature Dawn and Anya, wrapped into one. Add in Buffy's sharp blows and Willow's smug look and he had almost all his girls in Jennifer.

Megan leaned forward and pointed at a newly constructed building. “That's the high school,” she told him.

“Wow,” was all Vi said.

“I second that. That's really nice. I wish my high school looked like that,” Rona said, pouting.

“I wish my high school let me out at one-thirty,” Jennifer said, nodding towards the kids coming out the doors. “It must be a half day.”

Xander slowed to a halt at the edge of the school boundaries, giving everyone in the vehicle a perfect view of the doors. “Which one is her?” Vi asked, biting her lip. “How will we know?”

“Don't worry, I've seen what she looks like,” Xander muttered. He'd gotten a very good look at the girl when he'd helped Spike carry her down to the hole in the ground.

No. It's not gonna happen. Things have changed. The First is gonna get its ass kicked.

They waited another six minutes before Xander sat up. “I take it you see her?” Rona asked.

“What's she look like?” Jillian asked. “I wanna see!”

Xander turned to the girls. “Stay here,” he instructed, pointing at the weapons under the seats. They nodded, not liking what he was implying. Xander stepped out of the vehicle and headed towards Chloe.

A small backpack was thrown over one shoulder, and her short bob of dark hair covered her face as she walked forward, head down towards the ground. Xander mentally groaned. He was going to screw this up. Maybe he should get Jennifer to come help him... “Chloe?” he called.

Chloe's head whipped upwards so fast, he was afraid of her having whiplash. She frowned at him, then glanced around, looking slightly afraid. “My name is Xander,” he said as gently as he could. “I've been sent to tell you something important.”

“I-Important?” she said, not looking very pleased with the idea of herself being singled out for something 'important'.

Xander nodded, before he gave a sheepish grin. “Okay, you're probably not going to believe what I'm about to say, but it's true. I'm from a group of people in Sunnydale, California. We fight supernatural forces.”

“Like earthquakes?” she asked.

I wish, he thought bitterly. “Uh, no. Like vampires. Werewolves. Demons. That sort of thing.”

Chloe's eyes widened. “What are you on? There's no such thing as...as any of those!”

“Yes there is,” Xander continued softly. “I know it's a lot to take in, but we're led by a girl with super abilities. She fights the forces of evil, and she's...”

Chloe backed away. “If you don't leave now, I'll report you to the s-school,” she said, gripping her backpack.

Xander mentally began swearing at himself. He seriously shouldn't be allowed to talk to these girls without Jennifer as a back-up. “It's true,” he said. “A Slayer is what she's called. There's a ton of other girls in the world that have the power to become Slayers, but there's only one at a time. The other girls are right now being hunted down by the ultimate evil, which I never thought could exist. You're one of those girls, Chloe. I'm here to keep you safe and alive. I...Chloe, wait!”

Chloe was already headed the opposite way. Xander headed forward after her, grateful that no one was around to see what probably looked like a girl being followed by a stalker. He had to think of another way to tell her. He knew she was scared, (and rightly so,) but if he couldn't get her to come with him, he knew she'd be dead.

He paused, thinking it over. The others had been as freaked out as Chloe, but Chloe wasn't even listening. Either she was very pig-headed and close-minded, or something else was going on. Xander's eyes widened. “Are you dreaming about the other girls?” he called out.

Chloe stopped in mid-step. Nice call for the Xan-man, Xander thought. Slowly she turned, staring at him with fear but curiosity as well. “You're not the only one,” he told her. “I've got several other girls in the car that are dreaming about other Potentials around the world. It's an interesting way to tour the streets of France or England, in my opinion,” he joked.

“Potentials?” she asked with a frown.

Xander nodded. “It's what we call girls like you. You have the potential to become a great warrior. Thus the whole 'Potential' thing.

“But I can help you, and the girls in the SUV back there can too. They're as scared as you are, and some of them have already been face to face with the evil they're going to be fighting. But in Sunnydale they'll be safe. They'll be shown how to defend themselves, how to protect not only themselves but the world.”

“And I have to come with you?” she asked.

Xander bit his lip. “Yeah. I know this probably sounds really bad in more than one way, but I'm here to help. All of us are. But it's your choice.”

She gazed at him for a moment, then turned and walked away. Xander closed his eyes and hung his head. Images of her corpse swinging from the ceiling flashed through his mind.

“How much am I allowed to bring?”

Xander glanced up to see her turned back to him again. How much...? “Just one bag filled with clothes and trinkets and whatever you think you might need or want. And don't bother with food; I'm sure I can get the girls to share their french fries from lunch, because I know Jillian still has some, I could smell them.”

For the first time since he'd met her, Chloe smiled. “I hope she's willing to share then,” she said, turning away once more. “I'll be here in half an hour.”

“I'll be waiting,” Xander told her, watching her go. Then he headed back to the SUV to wait.

Jennifer glared at him when he came in. “You almost botched that one,” she said.

“Almost being the operative word,” he said, grinning. “But I didn't. One down, one final girl to go. Make room back there guys, and Jillian, be prepared to share the fries.”

< --- >

Chapter 41:

Spike had barely heard the door open before Dawn rushed in and straight up to him. He staggered backward at her sudden appearance, and she gave him a sly grin. Oh no. “What will you be wearing?” she asked.

His eyes widened. “W-Wearing?” he stammered.

“Yes, wearing! It has to be something nice. Not, you know, wedding nice, but a suit or something. Better than this. No offense, 'cause I know my sister loves the look as much as you do, but the faded jeans and tee? Gotta go.”

“Hey, hey, whoa, wait a minute here,” Spike protested, holding his hands up. “First of all, my attire's just fine, thank you VERY much. Secondly, what exactly do I have to get jazzed up for?”

Dawn rolled her eyes. “Do I have to spell it out for you? The winter ball at the school!”

Spike blinked. It didn't help his confusion, so he blinked again. Nope, nothing. “Why exactly am I goin'?” he finally decided to ask. “Your high school thing.”

“Yeah, where my sister works,” Dawn said slowly, as if she were instructing a child. From the look of exasperation on her face, he was sure he WAS a child in her eyes at that moment. “She has to be there to chaperone. Duh much?”

“I didn't know Buffy was going to the ball,” Willow said, coming in from the kitchen.

There was a sigh at the door, and Spike looked up to see Buffy walk in, glowering at her sister. “I didn't either,” she said. “At least, I didn't until this afternoon. Seems somebody signed me up.”

“Don't look at me! It was Robin's orders. I just did it for you,” Dawn said.

“When is it?” Tara asked, leaning against the doorway to the kitchen.

Buffy sent her sister one last glare, then turned to Tara. “Two nights time. Two nights. The only reason I think Robin wanted me to be there was to insure the safety of the students. The ball's being held in the school, so there's a chance of hellmouthy activity.”

“And as the Slayer, you'd better be there and ready for it if it does show up,” Spike finished for her.

Buffy nodded miserably. “How come you don't wanna go, B?” Faith asked, heading out of the dining room and towards the stairs. She grinned as she ascended, saying, “Big dresses, the whole glamor princess bit; I'd say you'd be right at home. And besides, there's the safety of the children to consider. Slayer's duty and all.”

Buffy glared at the back of her head, before she smiled sweetly. “Then you won't object to coming along as well for the safety of the children. Slayer's duty and all.”

From the cursing that came from the direction of the stairwell, Spike decided she objected. “I don't do the girly-girl bit!” Faith yelled from the top of the stairs. “Especially the dresses!”

“Robin asked if you were going to be there,” Dawn called up to her.

There was a pause. “He did?” Faith asked, coming down the stairs with a puzzled look on her face.

“He did?” Buffy repeated, looking just as puzzled.

Dawn nodded. “He said something about feeling more comfortable with two Slayers. We're all invited, actually, since he thinks Buffy would feel better with the Potentials in sight. But he did ask for Faith by name.”

Spike glanced up towards Faith and was slightly amused to see the stunned look on her face. “You'd look good in a green,” he offered. “Red too.”

That snapped her from her temporary paralysis. She raised her eyebrows at him. “I don't need fashion advice from the male black on black advocate,” she said, but her tiny grin belied any animosity Spike might've heard.

Spike grinned and shrugged. “What can I say? It's a favorite.”

“Wait, we're all invited?” Kennedy asked, coming up from the basement. Spike blinked and wondered where else the girls could pop up from. “Can we go then?”

Buffy exchanged glances with Spike. Spike gave her a smile, and that was all Buffy needed to know. “Why not? Besides, you guys could probably do with a break from the house.”

Kennedy gave a genuine smile and a look of relief and thanks. Spike gave Tara a mental 'thank you' once again. Ever since the frog incident, Kennedy had been very laid back and almost sweet. Spike wondered how long it was going to last for.

“Ooh, will there be snacks?” Molly asked, coming in with a box of biscuits in one hand.

“Not for long, once Molly gets in there,” Willow muttered. Spike gave her a grin.

Dawn beamed. “Good! Now,” she said, turning to Spike with a determined look on her face, “what size are you?”

“No.”

“But I haven't even...”

“I said no!”

“Seen it yet,” Dawn finished with a sigh. “Would you just come out?”

“NO!”

Dawn rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat. One day off from the dance, and Spike STILL hadn't decided on something. They'd been in the store for four hours, and as much as Dawn loved shopping, even she had her limits. Spike deserved something nice, though, so she would just stick with it. And her sister deserved a night with her man. Her handsomely dressed man, no demons (except him) in sight.

So if she couldn't promise the no demons part, she could do something about the attire of Spike.

“All right, I'm out. Opinions, besides me runnin' back into that room and ditchin' these clothes as fast as possible?”

Dawn looked up, then continued to look and stare at the completely changed man in front of her. Spike was regarding her with a look of annoyance, his hands on his hips.

The rest of him looked ready for a very romantic night. If his shirt was opened to show his muscles, Dawn thought he'd probably look like one of the men from the cover of a romance novel. Hair slicked back, black silk shirt giving teasing glimpses of well-honed muscles underneath, black slacks that fit just so, and black shoes that were classy and elegant.

“What?” he asked when she didn't respond right away.

Slowly Dawn began to smile. “You look awesome,” she said.

“I feel like a bleedin' idiot in this,” he mumbled.

“You're not!” she argued. “Trust me. You look really nice. You'll be wanted by all the girls there.”

Spike shook his head, glancing down at the ensemble. “I don't know,” he said, but it didn't sound very certain. The right words, and she'd have him.

And she knew just what the right words were. “Buffy'll love it,” she said quietly. And her sister would.

Spike glanced up at that, and a small smile crept onto his face. “She would, wouldn't she?” he said, casting his eyes onto his outfit once more. “She can have her night be a perfect one. Beautiful dress, dancing...”

“Handsome you by her side,” Dawn added.

Spike grinned. “Handsome me by her side. She'll have a good day. At least one more, before everything falls to ruins.” Their smiles fell at that, thinking of what was surely to come.

He shook himself, looking up at her uncertainly. “Does it really look all right?” he asked.

“More than all right. You look fantastic,” she said, putting up both thumbs with a smile.

“Then this is what I'll get,” he said, turning and heading back into the room. Dawn allowed her grin to widen. Not only had she convinced him to get the outfit, but she'd gotten a William speech for her effort. Damn she was good. Buffy would love it when she told her.

“Tell anyone 'bout the William thing and I'll hide your teeny-crap CDs,” he yelled through the door, and she sighed. At least they'd found an outfit.

“BUFFY!!”

“I'm coming! You have NO patience, Dawn!”

Dawn and Spike exchanged glances. “Everyone's already left,” Dawn whined towards the upstairs.

“They better not have!” Buffy shouted down from her bedroom. “I'm supposed to escort them!”

The night of the ball, and Spike felt even more ridiculous in his outfit than before. Buffy hadn't seen it yet, and Dawn said she wasn't going to until she came downstairs. Until then, he had plenty of time to fidget with his shirt. Every time he did so, Dawn would reach over and smack his hand.

Molly scurried down the stairs, closely followed by Amanda. “You two look lovely,” Spike said, giving them a short bow. The girls giggled and blushed, their faces turning scarlet red.

“You two really do look awesome,” Cassie said, peeking in from the kitchen. “You'll have every guy asking you to dance tonight, Amanda.”

Amanda's blush deepened even as she shook her head. “I highly doubt it. Unless, of course, you saw that in one of your visions?”

“Nope, but I do have a handy intuition,” she said, glancing towards the front door. “You might want to let the boys in, Dawn. Oh, and be careful, or Andrew'll step on your dress.”

Dawn, who had been in the process of opening the door, jerked away from the handle as if it were burning hot. “I'll get it,” Amanda said, giving her friend a look. “Good grief.”

Jonathan and Andrew were indeed behind the front door, in dress shirts and pants. “You guys look nice,” Amanda said, opening the door further to let them in. Jonathan nodded and complimented on her dress, before turning his eyes on Dawn. Spike rolled his eyes. Bloody love-sick, both of 'em.

“You look like Princess Leia,” Andrew breathed, causing everyone to turn to him. His eyes were wide with awe as he said, “Your hair. It's like what she did in The Empire Strikes Back.”

Amanda beamed. “You think so? I didn't pull the rest of it up, I just did the braid across the top for a headband, but...”

“It looks beautiful like that,” Andrew said, before he stopped. The two exchanged glances, their faces reddening.

Spike turned to Dawn with an incredulous stare. She looked just as stunned as he did. Was Andrew actually crushing on Amanda?

Tara cleared her throat from the top of the stairs. “You all look very nice,” she said, smiling.

Willow nodded, standing next to her. “Nice, yes, all of you. Does anyone else need their hair curled? Anya, what about you?”

Anya shook her head. “Already curled mine, thanks.” She glanced down at her left hand, her smile disappearing at the sight of the ring on her finger.

“Xan'll be home soon, pet,” Spike said softly. “Bet he's even sorrier than you are that he couldn't be here for tonight.”

Anya contemplated this, before giving him a smile. “I'll have plenty more dances with him once he gets back. That'd be better.”

“There you go,” Spike said approvingly. He heard Dawn mutter a tiny praise of thanks, and Spike turned to smirk at his own girl. The smirk quickly turned into a dropped jaw.

She looked like a fairytale princess. A pale blue dress that clung to her form was held up by two spaghetti straps. Hanging off of her shoulders was a silky cloth, designed to give the dress a medieval feel to it. The skirt came up off the floor by a few inches, giving him a perfect view of her tiny ankles and white heels.

Buffy glanced at him, her eyes wide as she took him in. She unconsciously wet her sparkling pink lips, and Spike barely restrained a groan. No licking of moist lips. No wearing a dress that clung to every curve and promised to tease him for the rest of the evening. And especially no...

“You had to put your hair up,” Spike mumbled. Pulled back into a twist, and then two curling tendrils hanging down in the front, her hair was done up in a way she knew would drive him crazy. He loved her hair down, so he could run his fingers through it. But with hair that was up? He couldn't do that. Not without taking out her hair first, and she wouldn't let him do that. He was going to go mad.

Buffy must've heard him, because her smile turned into a broad grin. He glared at her. The brat knew all right.

She descended the stairs, and everyone gathered around the bottom moved out of the way. When Andrew moved backwards, however, he bumped into Dawn and almost stepped on her dress. Would've, if Dawn hadn't remembered Cassie's warning. The dress was hiked up in time, and the shoe that would've torn it did no damage.

“Sorry,” Andrew said, cringing. Dawn just rolled her eyes.

“This is nuts,” Faith muttered. Spike glanced up and was surprised to see the dark-haired Slayer in an evening gown, curly hair pulled back and away from her face. Her lips were a dark red to go with the dark red color she'd picked for a dress. The straps wrapped around the criss-cross in the back, and the result emphasized her chest.

Faith stepped down into the foyer, rolling her eyes. “I look like a goon,” she mumbled.

“You look fine,” Buffy said, sounding exasperated. Spike grinned and assumed she'd been saying this for quite some time. “Are we ready?” Buffy asked the group.

The girls (and guys) all nodded their consent. Buffy opened the door to lead everyone out, but Spike caught her by the arm. “Let Faith lead 'em out?” he asked softly.

Buffy nodded, smiling as she stepped away to one side, wrapping her arm around his. Faith just shook her head and led the group out.

“Better?” Buffy asked, once everyone had gone out.

“Much,” Spike said, stepping out the door with his princess on his arm.