“Watcha thinking about?” Dawn asked as she and Buffy walked home after leaving the theater on their Thursday movie night.
“Mmmm…nothing much.”
“Uh, ha.”
“What?” Buffy asked with a half smile as she now looked to her sister.
“You wouldn’t be thinking about the newly souled vampire in town are you?”
“What, no!” Buffy said shaking her head vigorously.
“Uh, ha.” Dawn said again.
“Ok, I’ll admit I am curious to learn how and when, but...but that’s all.”
“Good, cause I so don’t want a repeat of you and Angel.”
“I thought we’ve already established that Spike or William, whatever,” Buffy said rolling her eyes. “He’s ‘not’ Angel. And since when did you become the president of the ‘I hate Spike’ club?”
“Well, he attacked you, he tried to rape you.” Dawn answered.
“Dawnie, it’s really not as simple as Xander made it out to be. What Spike did was wrong, but it was no worst then what I had been doing to him. It took me a while to figure that out.”
“What are you saying, you raped him?”
“Having a sexual connection with him by forceful means,” The scene of Buffy throwing Spike against the wall in the abandoned house, and then throwing herself upon him, flashed inside Buffy’s head as she spoke. “Being violent and abusive towards him,” Another scene of Buffy attacking Spike in his crypt when she was invisible, and then beating him down outside the police station now plundered her mind. “Yeah I supposed in a way, I did rape him. I gave as good as I got, even worse, I used him. I knew how he felt about me and I used it to get what I wanted, not caring if it hurt him.” Buffy said as she looked down at her feet and both she and Dawn walked on in silence.
“So you’re saying that if I’m going to be mad with Spike for what he did, I have to be equally mad at you, more so even?” Dawn asked never looking up at her sister.
“Yup.” Buffy replied. “Now you’ll just have to settle for being mad at him because he left.” Buffy threw in and Dawn quickly looked up at her.
“I’m not mad because…” Dawn didn’t bother finishing once she saw the look on Buffy’s face. “It doesn’t matter now anyway, he’s back.”
“Yeah, and we don’t know for how long, or if he was ever gonna let us know, and that’s pissing you off even more isn’t it?” Buffy knowingly asked her sister, who in turned hung her head lower. Dawn then looked about hoping the subject would change and then she spotted her new topic.
“Sooo, you’re saying you’re not mad at Spike, that he’s now out of you system?” Dawn asked still eyeing the object that had caught her eyes.
“Absolutely. Soooo over it.” Buffy stated.
“So it wouldn’t bother you, if say Spike started seeing someone else.” Buffy burrowed her brow at the thought and then looked up at her sister.
“Huh?” her eyes then followed to where Dawn stood pointing. They landed on the window of Rene’s Bistro, one of the few pricey restaurants in town, and there sat and elegantly dressed Willow and Spike, eating and laughing as they held a conversation. Buffy stilled the tears that begged to fall from her eyes and willed herself not to go in and beat the crap out of both Spike and Willow.
“No, doesn’t bother me at all. Now let’s get you home so I can go patrol.” Buffy said as she turned and hurried down the street, feeling a sudden need to kill something.
~~~~
He had finally mustered the courage to step up on the porch, he had circled the street twelve times already, thinking on how he would go about seeing her and telling her what he needed her to know. Taking a deep unneeded breath, he knocked on the door.
“Coming!” A feminine voice called out, and he felt like turning and running away before she got to the door, but he had long since lost control over his legs, which stayed rooted to their spot. The door hurriedly swung open, and he sheepishly looked down into the woman’s face, which he noticed had instantly paled.
“Hello Buffy.” William said softly, with a nod.
“S…Spike, what are…” He cut her off, shoving a sheet of paper at her.
“Just came by to give you this.” Buffy warily took the paper and began reading over it. “It’s my address,” Buffy now looked up at him questioningly. “For Willow!” William went about explaining. “So you know where she is and if you need to see her, want to go see her, now you can. I sleep all day, and I work at the bank all evening into the night, so you don’t have to worry about me being around, and I’ll give a spare key with Joe, the doorman. Just give him your name and he’ll give you the key. You should stop by to see her. She really needs…Just stop by and see her sometime, just you. I don’t think she’s up for a re-match with Dawn just yet, and she still doesn’t want to see Xander, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t let them know where she is.”
“I will…I mean I won’t tell anyone, and I will come see her, of course.” Buffy stammered over her words. “Thanks.” She added as she now gawked at him, which made him uncomfortable. “Your hair…” She began as he lifted his hand to his hair and raked his fingers through the soft brown curls. “It…you look nice as a brunette.” She finally said dropping her eyes as she did. “Never thought I ever see the day.” She said with a soft chuckle, which he matched with one of his own.
“Yeah, well it’s damned hard to find bleach in the middle of the desert, in Africa. And I was kind of crazy at the time, so wasn’t really caring much.” Buffy arched her brow to this news.
“Crazy?”
“Yeah but I guess the words more fitting would be ‘guilt ridden’. With this soul came a bloody conscience, and let me tell you it had a lot to say to me.” William said with a smile.
“Why did you do it?” She asked and William froze. There it was the question he had been preparing himself to answer for months. A question he had about a million replies to, yet none he could think of at the moment. So he settled for the usual reply.
“Long story, and I don’t want to bore you with the details. Beside I need to get back to Will, don’t like leaving her alone for too long.”
“Why, she’s not doing something like hurting her self, or…” Buffy asked with eyes filled with fear.
“No! No, nothing like that, she just starts alphabetizing and color coordinating everything. Yesterday it was my underwear drawer.” Buffy giggled at that, wondering when He had started wearing them. “Well, I better go. Good night Buffy.” William said as began to turn to leave.
“Good Night Spik..uh...William.” He shot her a look and nod over his shoulder before walking off the porch and to his black 2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, with the sunroof.
~~~~
“She’s alone, do you want me…”
“No, the time is not right, and it has to be just right. This time tomorrow the witch will pay for her rape of the craft.”
“Shall we strip her of her powers?”
“Yes and of her life.”
~~~~
“Will, you have to get up now, it’s too late to be sleeping.” A voice spoke to Willow and she lifted her head from her pillow and stared into the face of the woman she had dreamed of for months now.
“Tara?” Willow spoke as she sprang from the bed and advanced on the figure before her, only to be knocked back before she could get too close.
“I’m sorry Will, but I am as you’ve made me, and I came to tell you that you have to wake up.”
“But I don’t want to, I want to stay here with you.” Willow said now chocking on her tears. “Tara, please, why can’t I hold you?”
“Why?” Tara asked with a smile on her face, causing Willow to look at her confused.
“I don’t understand.”
“Then I can’t explain it.” Tara replied still smiling and staring lovingly. “Will, you know a storm is coming? You have to close the window.” Willow turned her gaze towards her bedroom window, only to find a clear blue sky that housed a blazing sun. “Close the window Will, before it’s too late.”
“I don’t understand.” Willow said as she turned back only to find the room empty. “Tara! Come back, Tara Please!” Willow wailed. “Tara!!” She cried as her body violently began to shake.
“Willow!” William yelled at the paled woman who was soaking wet from her own sweat, and screaming at the top of her lungs. He shook her fiercely. “Willow, wake up!” She slowly opened her eyes and looked wildly about the room.
“Tara?” She moaned still looking for the woman who haunted her dreams.
“No, Luv. Tara’s no here, she’s dead, remember?”
“But she was here, she was right there, but I couldn’t touch her. Why couldn’t I touch her?” Willow asked as she looked sown at her hands as if they had offended and betrayed her. “She told me a storm was coming and That I had to shut the window.” Willow frowned a bit, thinking.
“Do you know what she meant by it?” He asked sure that there was a meaning, Willow just shook her head and softly cried. William pulled her closer to him for comfort. “Shhh, it’s ok we’ll figure it out…shhhh.” He cooed as he gently rocked her.
~~~~
“So, do you have any idea what it means. I wouldn’t have called if I didn’t think there was something to it.”
“No, Spike I’m glad you called. Although I’m still not sure why it’s you calling me and not Buffy,”
“Well Willow’s been staying with me since she got back to town, still not ready to face her friends.” William explained.
“I see...uhm...well you were right to call. Willow’s dream does seem to fit the reports I’ve been getting about a small coven of witches and warlocks. I think they have a bounty out on Willow.”
“Why?”
“Retribution of sorts.” Giles said and William knowingly nodded his head.
“That’s the thing about magic, there are always consequences, always.”
“Yes, well this time it seems that it’s Willow’s life at stake. I’ll call Buffy and update her, since I’m assuming you haven’t done so.”
“No.”
“And I’ll be on the next flight back to Sunnydale, you just keep Willow someplace safe.”
“She’s safe, I have a spell over my place no magic can be done within.”
“Good, good…ah...I had better start making plans, and thanks again for calling me Spike, I’ll be seeing you soon.”
“Right.” With that both men hung up the phone.
~~~~
“I just don’t get it how will killing Willow change anything. “ Xander asked from his spot of the couch in Buffy’s living room. He , Buffy, Dawn and Anya sat waiting for Willow, William, and Giles to arrive. William had volunteered to pick Giles up from the airport, since he lived the closest and had the better suited car. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
“It makes about as much sense as what Willow did that got her into this mess to begin with.” Anya stated. “An eye for an eye, they are going to do to her what she did when she abused magic.”
“And you know this how?” Buffy inquired.
“There’s been talk about it for months now in the demon world. Many are for this simply because they now know that Willow has great powers still within her. And they don’t think that one being should possess such power, I tend to agree. Simply because well the whole ending of the world part.” Anya continued.
“Wait you’ve known about this for months and you never said anything?” Buffy asked dumbfounded.
“You didn’t ask, and besides Willow’s known for months I figured if she didn’t tell you herself, it’s not my place to.”
“How did Willow find out?” Xander asked.
“Well his coven is a very politically fair type, they send out notices informing the tended victim of their plans.”
“Now that’s just twisted.” Dawn finally spoke.
“No, they think of it as giving the person time to get their affairs in order.” Anya said.
“Remind us again, just whose side you’re on An.” Xander said to her , and she threw back a glare.
“I am a Demon Xander, thanks to you…” She mumbled the last part, but everyone still heard her. “There are things in my world that are not meant to be known by mortals. My being here with you now is not agreeable to most of my demon friends but yet I’m here, trying to help you all once again.”
“And we appreciate it Anya.” Buffy quickly interjected, fearing Anya would leave. “Really.” Anya calmed down a bit, rolling her eyes from Xander to where Buffy now sat.
“Well, I’m doing for Willow, and that’s all.” Anya insisted.
“Since when have you and Willow been so close, you two have never really like each other, always having a tug-o-war over Xander.” Dawn said causing Buffy to give her a wide-eyed glare.
“And ii seems I lost. I realized how stupid I was, being jealous, Willow knew what was best for Xander, she was always trying to tell me, but I thought I knew what was best, I was wrong and she was right. I should have listened to her and then I wouldn’t be in this mess now.”
“What…you’re saying you wouldn’t have dumped me, became a vengeance demon again, and then slept with Spike.” Xander asked hopefully, and Anya burrowed her brow at him.
“No, I mean I would have done it all a lot sooner, instead of wasting my time with you for so long.” She said and Xander heart crumbled along with is spirit. Dawn noticed that Buffy too looked hurt by Anya’s word, and then it occurred to her that it was the statement about Spike that had done it. This angered Dawn to spoke out.
“So you’re saying you still would have slept with Spike, knowing he and Buffy were kind of together.” Buffy looked up, stunned, at her sister but she remained silent for she really wanted to know the answer herself, as did Xander as all their eyes now fell on Anya.
“Well of course not, if I had known which I didn’t. Although I should have since, as I now recall, the woman Spike spent that whole evening talking about, cursing at, and spouting words of love for, does sound a lot like you.” Anya directed to Buffy. “But I didn’t know at the time, God I never would have even thought it possible what with the way you treated him, putting him down all the time and beating him up viciously…”
“An!” Xander jumped in knowing that the topic wasn’t good for Buffy.
“What?” Anya yelled back at him.
“This is not helping the problem at hand.” Xander pointed out.
“Well she asked.” Anya stated pointing to where Dawn stood with her arms folded. At that moment th front door opened and Giles walked in carrying his luggage and an armful of bag, which Dawn who rushed to him, figured were presents.
“Giles!” Dawn exclaimed as she reached for the bags contains ‘her’ gifts.
“Ah, hello Dawn,” He then looked about the room at the sad faces that belonged to Xander, Anya, and Buffy. And he instinctively got scared. “What happened, did someone else die?” Buffy stood and smiled a bit at him.
“No, just a very intense Scooby meeting, as we have mature so has the topics.” Buffy assured as she gave Giles a hug and grabbed one of his luggage. She then looked around questioningly. “Ah, where’s Will, OI thought she was coming, and…and Spike…”
“Their outside, I think Spike’s trying to convince Willow to come in.” Giles said as he moved to put his luggage in the hall closet.
“Oh,” Buffy said a she moved up along side Dawn, who now shamelessly peered out the window to the walkway where Willow and William now stood, talking intimately, or so it looked to Buffy.
~~~~
“I can’t,” She said trying to turn and walk back to the car, But he held her firmly.
“Yes you can, you have to, their trying to save your life, luv. Now if that doesn’t tell you that they still care then nothing will.”
“But I’ve hurt everyone in that house, I tried to kill them and…”
“And they still want to help you, they understand that you were hurting Willow. Losing Tara was unbearable for you, they know that. They themselves had to deal with losing her as well, remember.” Willow silently nodded as she looked up at him. “So you gonna be my brave girl and go inside, you knew this night was coming, it’s just happening sooner then you wanted it to, but it can’t be help. There is a coven of bad Wicca’s out there somewhere and they want your head, now we all have to come together to stop them.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t stop them.” Willow said in a whisper, knowing it was in vain being that Spike was a vampire.
“Don’t say that, don’t even think it, you hear me.” He said giving her a firm shake. “We all make mistake, trust me on this I know. Sometimes we do thing under normal circumstances we never would have dream possible. But grieve over losing someone we loved can make us go out of our head, make us think that death is the only way to end the hurt. I know that’s how I became a vampire.” Willow looked to him stunned for a moment and then she wiped at her eyes and sniffed back her tears, raising her chin a bit.
“Ok I’m ready.” She said and William smiled at her amorously.
“That’s my girl.” William said as he led Willow up the walkway and onto the porch, but before they could knocked the front door flew open and Buffy stood there.
“Hey Will and...uh…Will.” She said with a forced smile, which she hoped would cover up her tears of happiness at seeing her friend and her pangs of Jealously at seeing her friend in the comforting arms of her former lover.
“Hello Buffy,” Willow said and William simply threw her a nod of his head.
“Come in, everyone’s here, ready to hit the books and find out about this new big bad.” Buffy said cheerily as she stood aside to let them in. Willow moved forward, her hand firmed grasping William’s, but he stood still just outside the doorframe. When she felt his resistance, Willow turned back to face him, with questioning eyes.
“I’ll come back in a couple of hours, or better yet you can just call me when you’re ready.” William said with a supportive smile and Willow’s eyes widened with fear.
“You’re not staying, I thought you would be here,” She then turned to Buffy. “I thought it was ok that he would be here.” Buffy who herself was a little taken aback by Spike’s statement, stood silent a moment.
“It is…I mean If you want to stay Spik…William it’s ok. I’m sure we can use your expertise.” Buffy said.
“See it’s ok.” Willow said turning back to her new friend, the one person she had found her self totally dependent on for weeks now. William simply shook his head.
“No, you need this time with your friends…”
“You’re my friend.” Willow quickly added and the statement warmed William’s heart and he smiled warmly at her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
“You know what I mean, and besides I have to work. I couldn’t get out of it. So when you’re ready you just call me, you have the cell phone I bought you, right?” Willow nodded but never let go of his hand. “Ok, you go on then and let me know the second you guys find anything,’ He said looking up at Buffy who in turn nodded her head to him. Willow didn’t move and William leaned down a bit until they were eye to eye. “You know I have a lot of paper work that I have to type up, I’m kind of gonna need that.” He said with a smirk and Willow found herself giggle despite how she didn’t want to let his hand go, but she did. “That’s my girl.” William said with a wink, and Buffy felt her heart clench at his words, but she remain silent and waited until Willow turned to her and moved through the door, looking over her should once for another reassuring nudge, which William gave. “Just call me when you need me, and I’ll come running.” With that he turned and made his way back to his car. Buffy stared after him for a second before closing the door.
~~~~
“She is with her friends, they are planning a way to stop us.”
“Let them, for nothing will stop what is coming, nothing will appease it except the witch’s blood.”
“So we wait?”
“Yes, until she’s alone, I don’t want any innocents caught in the middle, only her.”
~~~~
“Well according to the card they were so nice to send to you, informing you of your impending death, they are going to summon a trigillian demon, and I can’t believe you didn’t tell us about the sooner Willow.” Giles said as he and the others sat around the living room researching.
“Honestly didn’t think you’d care.” She said in a childlike whisper.
“Well of course we care,” Giles stated looking to the others for support but only getting downcast eyes. “Uh…and if not us you should have at least told Spike.”
“No I could do that either.”
“Why you think he would have told us, I don’t think he would have if you asked him not to, but he probably could have…” Buffy began only to have Willow cut her off.
“He would have went out half cocked looking for it, trying to kill it to protect me, and probably would have gotten himself killed, and I wasn’t going to allow that.”
“Why not,” Xander asked from his spot on the floor, and then suddenly his eyes grew large. “Oh God don’t tell me you have a thing for Spike too.” Xander asked only to have the others in the room look at him in disgust.
“No, what William and I have is friendship, nothing else, but I don’t expect you to understand it, nor do I care if you do.” Willow said growing madder by the second. “You know he’s really been there for me for nearly a month now, and I don’t think…no I know I wouldn’t have made it without his support. He’s been a true friend.”
“We’re your friends too Will.” Buffy added.
“Well not lately,” Willow said and all eyes in the room fell to the spoken truth, they hadn’t really been there for Willow after what had happened the previous summer, after what she had done to them. “And I know that it’s my own fault, I’m not blaming any of you. I’m just trying to say that, William isn’t the same anymore he’s changed, and I’m not speaking about having a soul, this change occur a couple of years ago, I’m just now seeing it, since I’ve gotten to know him better. And I can’t let you sit here and put him down, not after all he’s done for me, I just can’t. So, I’m just going to go out back for some air, and give you time to get it all out of your system before I get back, ok.” She then stood and made her way to the kitchen and out the back door.
“What is it with you women and Spike?” Xander questioned not really wanting nor expecting and answer. “Is it the accent?” After a long pause Anya spoke.
“Well for me it was his striking good looks, tight, muscular body, also the mind blowing sex…Oh and he smells really good.” Anya announced as everyone stared at her in disbelief. Aware of the eyes on her she became uncomfortable. “That was one of those rhetorical question wasn’t it?” They all nodded their heads. “Well then never mind.”
“Back to this demon,” Giles interjected wanted to immediately change the subject, but Buffy and the others were just yet.
“The sex was…mind blowing?” Buffy asked with a sudden dry mouth.
“Yes, wasn’t it for you?” Anya now asked, but Buffy quickly avoided not wanting to admit it was, the best she had ever had in fact, and that she thought it was something special, just for her. It hurt having to share it with Anya.
“Ahhh…I better go check on Willow.” She said hurriedly standing and following Willow’s earlier trek. The remaining four sat silently. Anya regarded Xander and by the tight mask now on his face she could tell she had succeeded in hurting him with her words, which was her intent although every word she had said was the truth. Yet it just wasn’t as satisfying as she had thought and hoped it would be. Before she could think on it anymore Buffy rushed back into the room.
“Willow’s gone, and judging by all the footprints out back, I’d say she wasn’t alone.”
“They’ve grabbed her,” Giles said more as a statement then a question. “We better get Spike.”
“But we still don’t clearly know how to stop them, this demon they’ve called. We need to research some more.” Xander stated the obvious.
“Right, then I’ll go get Spike you guys stay and keep looking. I have my cell call if you find anything. Spike and I will hit the streets and try to locate Will.” Buffy said before rushing out the door.
~~~~
“You have nothing to say?” A voice in the darkness spoke.
“You were so eager to destroy us all not so long ago, and for what, because you lost someone you loved.” Another voice spoke. “We’ve all lost someone we loved, but we never abused the craft to change it. Death is apart of the natural order of life, and it shouldn’t be messed with, but you, you did it twice.” Willow looked confused for a moment before she realized they were referring to bringing back Buffy and then trying to bring back Tara, and then trying to destroy the world. “Now little Wicca you will have to pay for your actions.”
“I know,” Willow said in a near whimper. “And I accept my fate for what I have done.”
“Good, then it will be less painful for you.”
~~~~
“What did you lot say to upset her?” William asked as he and Buffy rushed down the streets, taking the back alleys mostly.
“Xander,” Buffy began and William rolled his eyes and huffed. “He was attacking you and Willow kind of got upset.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, she really thinks of you as a friend, says she couldn’t have made it without your support.” William smiled a little at this knowledge.
“Well, I can say the feeling is mutual. She was my pillar of support, she kept me sane.”
“Having that soul and with the memories of what you had done, it was hard?” Buffy asked as they continued down a dark alleyway, just as sprinkles of rain began to drop, and William silent cursed himself for not driving.
“Not so much the memories. At first I didn’t know where I was or how I had gotten there, but then they started coming around, some were kind but most were taunting.”
“Who?” Buffy asked curiously now looking and the vampire beside, who now stared off as if in a trance. The rain began falling with more force, and their hair was growing very wet.
“My victims, all the men and woman I killed. So many of them, so many.” Buffy dropped her eyes to the ground.
“I’m sorry.” She mumbled.
“Don’t be, I killed them, this demon inside me, had killed them and enjoyed it at the time, they had every right to want retribution.” William said looking to her, both now thoroughly soaked. “You were there as well.” He stated in a low voice, but Buffy heard it and looked to him with wide eyes. “You were there constantly, seeing you I think drove me mad. Than finally it stopped, they all went away, once I accepted what had been done to them with my hands, and I forgave myself for it. I knew I couldn’t bring them back, but I swore to them that I would change I would no longer allow my demon to harm anyone, and that I would help who I could. That seemed to please them and they all went away. All except you.” He stopped and looked down at her as she stood holding her coat tightly wrapped around her body. “I didn’t know how to get rid of you, you weren’t dead like the others, but yet in still you were my demon’s victim, the worst of all. See he hurt you, probably in the worst way you can hurt a person, and sure he had done it before, far worse then what he tried to do to you. Difference is he loved you, he did that to you even though he loved you,” He looked down at his hands with disgust, as if they were covered with something vile. Buffy watched him closely, her tears falling, and she was glad that is was raining so they would be covered up. William too cried though he didn’t really care to hide it, as he sniffled and his shoulders gently shook. “That’s when I realized it was him, my demon that was manifesting you. He wouldn’t let you go, he couldn’t. He hurt, he ached for you. This made me all the more miserable.”
“I’m sorry, you must hate me.” Buffy said looking down as the rain-washed away her fresh tears. William regarded her in wonderment. “This is kind of like Angel/Angelus, but in reverse,” She said with a chuckle. Her words truly intrigued William now. “Angel’s human soul loved me, but his demon hated me, with a passion.” William titled his head to the side as he looked at her.
“How exactly is this situation like that?” William asked, arching his brow. Buffy now looked up to him with curious and confused eyes. “I love you with my demon heart and my human soul, that’s why seeing you drove me mad. That why being near you now is so hard, because though I long to I can never touch you, not again. Thus the irony that is my life; my demon left you out of guilt for what he had done to you. He went to go get a soul, so he could give you what he thought you needed.”
“Which is.” Buffy asked.
“To be rid of him, and he figured with his human soul back he could forget you, and never come back here. He never counted on me loving you desperately.” William said with a sad chuckle, and Buffy’s heart skipped. “He couldn’t see that because of you I was created, because he loved you he had grown some what of a conscience and a soul, even before it was fully restored. That’s why he hadn’t been able to harm anyone for over two years now. And no it wasn’t the chip that stopped ‘him’ from killing, but not from getting his minions to do it for him. Spike could have been his same evil self, except he didn’t want you to hate him, I know because I was there, I was the reason it hurt so much when you rejected him, why he cried when you died. Now I’m the reason he will never touch you again, because I know that you are right, I can see that now.”
“Right about what?” Buffy asked through her own sniffles.
“You can’t love me.” At that moment a loud ring cut through the silence, causing both Buffy and William to jump a little. Buffy then pulled her sell phone from her pocket.
“Hello?” She slightly yelled over the now hard down pour of rain.
“Ah Buffy, good, we found more information on the demon that’s after Willow. It seems the demon itself it just a tool, that it’s not going to do any harm to Willow, but instead it will be Willow’s decision.” Buffy burrowed her brow and scrunched up her face to this news.
“What?”
“A Trigillian demon’s purpose is to cause hallucinations, but only to it’s intended victim. It will make Willow see the faces of all of her victims, us included, taunting her. Until they drive her insane, but she can end it with her blood, her life essences.”
“So what you’re saying is she’ll have a choice, she either goes crazy or dies?” William now looked to Buffy with concern. “And there’s no other way to stop is, beside her blood. Can you say Déjà vu?”
“Ah…yes, we too noticed the similarities, will you be ok?” Giles asked.
“Sure, this time me dying isn’t really an option.” Buffy said. Giles smiled despite himself.
“No I suppose not, but be careful, Spike’s with you?”
“Yes, William’s here with me, and we’ll be safe. You guys keep looking for any loopholes, Willow’s sanity and or death are not options either.”
“Right, bye.”
“Bye.” Buffy said closing her phone and focusing back on William. “You hear all that?”
“Yeah,”
“So any ideas?”
“Right now, just one, we need to find Willow.”
“Any ideas how we…”
“AHHHHHHHH!” A scream interrupted Buffy’s comment and both instantly recognized the voice.
“Willow!” They both took off in a bolt, towards the sound.
~~~~
“That’s not true!” Willow yelled at the form before her.
“Yes it is, Will, it’s because of you I’m dead. You and your magic, you killed me.”
“Nooooo! Tara baby no, I loved you, so much.” Willow now cried. The form standing within the circle of light then changed now appearing with a huge bloody hole through her chest.
“This is what you call love Will?” Willow squeezed her eyes shut, and wailed.
“You can end this, just step into the light and it will all be over quickly.” A voice called from the surrounding darkness. Willow slowly lifted her head and looked into the face of Dawn.
“How could you Willow, How could you do this to me?” Dawn asked as her feet suddenly began to dematerialize into a glowing energy bubble, which slowly moved up her body.
“Dawnie, oh God I’m sorry…”
“Willow how could you do this to me?”
“I’m so sorry, please forgive me…Dawnie!” Willow cried as she curled up into a ball. “God help me, please someone help me.”
“Only you can help yourself, step into the light, and end it all.” Buffy and William rushed into the abandoned warehouse, once in they were surrounded by complete darkness, except the spot in the middle of the warehouse, where Willow lay in front of a bright blinding circle of light.
“Willow!” Buffy yelled as she and William then moved towards Willow’s limp form. Sudden several cloaked forms emerged from the darkness and grabbed at them. Buffy and William both swung and kicked, knocking them off easily. At that Moment Willow slowly stood directly in front of the light. “Willow, no!” Buffy called out.
“Yes step into the light.” A voice cried out.
“Yes end it all.” Another one said.
“Spike,” Buffy called to the vampire fighting beside her. “You get to her, you’re faster, I’ll hold them off.” He nodded and then ran to where Willow stood.
“Willow?” William moved in front of her grasping her arms and shaking her gently. She looked up at him with Tear filled eyes with were red and puffy as was her nose from all her crying.
“I have to go, it’s the only way to stop it.” Willow said. William could feel his dead heart breaking for her.
“This doesn’t concern you Vampire.” The hidden voices said from the darkness. William sent the a glare and a growl before he looked back to Willow.
“Make it stop, please just make it stop.” She looked up at him with pleading eyes.
“Do you trust me?” William asked her and she slowly nodded her head. “God forgive me.” He said and then in a flash he sunk in fangs into Willow’ neck and drank hardily. Buffy could only watch in horror as William fed from her friend, and then looked on as Willow’s limp form slipped from his hands and crumbled to the floor. William glared into the darkness, Willow’s blood still around his mouth and now coursing through his body. “This ends now.” He hissed, and then turned to the light.
“No!” The voices in the darkness cried out in unison as they realized what he was doing. Before they could stop him William stepped into the light.
“Ahhhhh!” He yelped in pain and fell to his knees as the light washed over and through his body. After a moment of this the light dispersed, leaving the room in complete darkness. Suddenly the lights within the warehouse came on, illuminating the room. Buffy looked around at what looked to be hundreds of cloaked forms though out the building. She then ran to where Willow and William now lay, she kneeled over Willow who slowly opened her eyes and smiled, and then turned her head to where William lay beside her. Willow reached out her hand and laced them with William’s as she smiled at him and in a weak voice said, ‘Thank you.’ And Buffy realized that he hadn’t been trying to harm her but save her, and in that moment her heart broke.
“You have interfered in matters that don’t concern you.” One of the cloaked figured said as they stepped forward. “This witch has broken the laws of our craft, she has played God with her actions and now must pay for it.” Buffy stood and faced the figure.
“And what the hell do you think you were doing here?” She spat at them. “You were playing God by Judging her and then sentencing her to death through magic. So you’re just as guilty as she is.” Many gasped and mumbling could be heard throughout the building as the many forms began to discuss what Buffy had said. “This ends here. You leave Willow alone, if you must them strip her of her powers.”
“We can not, she’s too powerful for that.”
“Then bind her.” William said from his spot on the floor where he now sat up, cradling Willow in his arms. “You can bind her from doing harm with magic.” There was a brief silence before the form spoke.
“It will be done, but if this witch ever uses magic to harm another mortal, she will die.” With that the forms back off and filed out of the building.
“Will she be…” Buffy began before William interjected.
“She’ll be fine, weak for a few days. I wasn’t trying to hurt her, I just took enough to fill my body, hoping it would fool the demon.” Buffy nodded her understandings, and then she looked to him thoughtfully.
“Will you be ok?”
“Yeah, I’ll be sore for bit, and I’ve now got one hell of a tan.” He said with a smile, which Buffy matched.
“No I meant…”
“I know what you meant, and yeah I’m good. Willow’s save and that’s all that matters right?” Buffy just gave him a sad look. “Come on give us a hand, let’s get sleeping beauty here home.”
~~~~
“”You guys are back!” Dawn said happily as she greeted Buffy and William as they entered the house. “Oh God what happened is she…” Dawn asked in a panicked voice, betraying her earlier declarations of hate and uncaring towards Willow.
“She’s fine Dawnie.” Buffy assured.
“Her neck.” Giles stated.
“Yeah, William bit her…” Buffy began to explain only to cut off by a now irate Xander.
“He bit her? You son- of- a-…”
Punch!
“Owww, what did you do that for, he bit her.” Xander said pinching his nose, which Buffy had just smacked, with one hand and pointing accusingly at William with the other hand.
“He saved her Xander, her blood was the only way to appease the demon, so…”
“You drank her blood, filling your body with it and thus fooling the demon.” Giles finished and both William and Buffy nodded. “Incredible, that could have very well have worked for Buffy when…” He instantly ended that train of thought, it was a mute point now, and he could see it pained both Buffy and William who he could tell had already thought about it. “The important thing is that you’re all safe.”
“Right, where should I…” William asked.
“You can put her in my room.” Dawn quickly offered with a smile, which William returned before moving to the stairs with Buffy and Dawn close behind him.
“Did that hurt?” Anya asked Xander with what he thought to be concern.
“Yes, is it bleeding?” Xander asked as he lifted his nose to her.
“Profusely.” She said now beaming at him. “Finally you got what you deserved and had coming, and it’s all the more sweeter that Buffy did it.” She sighed as she sat back comfortably in her chair as Giles and Xander stared at her in disbelief.
~~~~
“It’s ok, I’ll stay with her.” Dawn said to William who stood over Willow’s now sleeping form. He nodded and then made his way to the door where Buffy stood watching. They left the room, closing the door behind them. William had to brace himself against the wall to keep from falling.
“You should lie down too.” Buffy said to him as she moved to help him stand up right, but William quickly jumped from her grasped, as if he had been burnt by her touch.
“I will, soon as I get home.”
“You won’t make it. Come on let’s get you cleaned up and you can rest in my mom’s room.” Buffy said as she moved to the bathroom, William followed stopping abruptly at the door. Buffy turned back to him not understanding for a second before it struck her. She moved and sat on the seat of the toilet as he remained leaning on the doorframe. “That night after it happened,” Buffy spoke softly just enough where she knew he could hear her. “I had a bad nightmare, very bad and it scared me so much,” William clamped his eyes shut at the knowledge that he had caused her so much pain. “It was in that dream that I realized that you were the victim that night, not me.” He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her in a daze by what she was saying. “I was the monster who had been hurting you, using you, raping you, and you had gotten to the point where you couldn’t take it anymore, so you fought back. I know that you didn’t come here intent on hurting me, you simply wanted solace and forgiveness, and I spat on you AGAIN.” Buffy said as a tear trickled down her cheek. “Well, now I’m asking for solace and forgiveness. Please forgive me Spike.” She said as she stood and looked directly at him with tear filled eyes. He stood frozen in the doorway, watching her skeptically. “Please, please forgive me.” She repeated and she moved to him laying her head against his chest and wrapping her arms around him. He didn’t respond at first, couldn’t, but nor could he stand to see her, the woman that he loved more then his own life, begging him for forgiveness. He slowly enveloped her into his embraced and she let out a relieved cry and tightened her grip. They stood there simply holding on to each other and crying, both happy that their past was now behind them, and frightened at the possible future that lay ahead.
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