Here's chapter 8. The same disclaimers apply. Thanks to EVERYONE for the feedback. I hope you are enjoying this story.
Chapter 8
Buffy stood at the back doorway watching the hue of purple and orange splay against the clouds in the sky as the sun was beginning to shine over the horizon.
“Breathtaking isn’t it?” She asked when she heard Giles walk into the kitchen.
“Yes, quite.” He replied getting a cup of coffee. Taking a drink from his cup, he cringed at the taste.
Buffy turned around. She gave a tiny smile. “There is tea in the cabinet. Never brought it to myself to throw it away.”
Giles smiled and nodded his gratitude and poured the coffee into the sink and proceeded to make his favorite ‘Earl Grey Tea’.”
Buffy closed the door and leaned against the counter in the middle of the kitchen. “How’s Tara?”
“In a fitful rest but otherwise fine.”
“Giles this is bad isn’t it?” The Slayer asked looking at the door and then back to her ex-watcher.
“Yes however I know you can defeat it.” He replied with a smile.
Buffy moved in closer to him. “I had a dream Giles about Willow.” She saw his brow raised in question. “It was before she left. This involves her too doesn’t it?”
“There was one thing that the coven told me which immediately sent me here.” He cleared his throat. “Usus ad Obsurum; Possessor of Darkness.”
Buffy raised her brows. “And Will is the darkness isn’t she?”
Giles looked down. “I thought I could get here in time before she left.” He looked into Buffy’s eyes. “Yes, she is the darkness.”
“You knew! Couldn’t you have called and said something like ‘Buffy, be certain that Willow doesn’t leave Sunnydale or the world will be doomed?” She asked in a mock English accent.
“I have been trying to phone since early yesterday morning. All that I would hear is that annoying busy signal.” He defended himself.
Buffy walked over to the phone and picked up the receiver. She held it to her ear and heard the buzzing of a dial tone. She looked over at Giles. “There’s nothing wrong with it.” She placed it back down. “How many times did you try to call?”
“I called before I left England and every ten minutes by using the phone on the plane.”
The Slayer sighed. “My dream is coming true, isn’t it?”
Giles nodded his head.
“I’m going to have to kill her aren’t I?”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions Buffy. We don’t know if the coven is accurate and as far as your dream, it isn’t certain that you are on the mark with that one either.” Giles said trying to ease Buffy’s fears but knowing that the coven was rarely wrong and as far as his Slayer was concerned, her prophetic dreams generally came true as well.
“In order to save the world, AGAIN, I’m going to have to kill my best friend.” Buffy stated knowing in her gut that this was a possibility. She rubbed her temples. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it. Even if the world is in danger, I can’t imagine driving a sword through Willow to save it.”
Giles placed his hand on her shoulder. “If the time comes, you will make the right decision. You know your calling in this life.”
Buffy shrugged his hand off. “I know my damn calling! You don’t have to remind me of that every time I fucking turn around!”
Giles took a step back.
Buffy took in a calming breath. “Sorry.”
He turned and prepared his tea.
“I killed the love of my life to save the world, Giles.” Tears came to the Slayer’s eyes. “If I have to kill her, I will.” She said sadly.
“You will not lay one hand on Willow as long as I live and breathe.”
Buffy turned her attention to the door where Tara stood. The blonde witch walked over to the Slayer looking down at her.
Buffy looked up into her eyes. “Do you honestly think that I want too?” Tears streamed down her face. “I love Willow more than anything and you think it would make me feel better knowing that I might have to face her and possibly kill her?”
“And if you try, I’ll stop you. You will have to kill me first.” Tara cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms. “Understood?”
Buffy nodded and wiped her eyes. “Understood.”
***
Willow woke up, gagging at the tart, salty, thick taste that was in her mouth. Sprinting to the bathroom, she spilled out the contents of her stomach, finding that most of it was black.
“Eugh!” She shook her head back and forth, shivering with the taste that remained in her mouth.
With her legs shaking, she managed to walk over to the sink and place her mouth under the running water. Raising her head, she noticed the streak of blood that came out from under her red hair. She cringed as she touched the tender wound. She took a wash cloth and cleaned her face.
Walking into the bedroom, she noticed the lamp that was shattered on the floor.
“How the heck did that happen?” She tried to remember the last night’s events, but nothing came to mind except waking up to find Jerry taking care of her.
She smiled at the idea that she had found a new friend but her smile faded thinking of the friends she left behind. No one could take their place.
A knock came upon the front door. Willow made her way through the house and opened the door.
Jerry stood there with a smile on his face. “Good morning.” He looked at the redhead. “Are you alright?” He asked noticing the blood that ran down her face.
Willow reached up and touched the wound only to discover it was bleeding again.
“Oh, I uh fell last night and hit my head, again.” She blushed with embarrassment.
“I think we should have the doc look at it.” Jerry told her.
“No, that’s alright. Oddly enough, I’m kinda used to it.” She opened the door wider for the man to enter.
Jerry stepped in. “That looks purtty bad. I wish you would go see the doc. He’s good, ya know.”
Willow smiled at his concern. “Really, I’m fine.”
Jerry looked down then back up. His brown eyes looked into her green ones. “I know it ain’t for me to say, seein’ that you just met me last night n’all, but it’ll make me feel better.”
Willow smiled even more. “OK. Give me a few minutes to get my things.”
Jerry beamed. “I’ll just wait outside.”
Willow giggled as she watched him practically skip out the door.
***
“Research? I think we should go out and find Willow and drag her butt back here instead of sitting down looking through musty old books.” Anya complained throwing a book on the table.
The group had decided that, although Giles had brought text with him, there wasn’t enough information.
Sitting around the table in the Magic Box, everyone flipped through books that had seemed to pile up to a considerable amount.
“And where do you suggest we start looking?” Giles asked looking at the ex-demon.
“Tara said that she was headed east and you did too. I would start there.” Anya said crossing her arms.
“Yes. Buffy and I will start looking in Florida, while the rest of you start looking in New York.” He said flippantly.
Anya rubbed her hands together. “Now we have a plan.” She patted Giles on the shoulder. “Good suggestion.”
“Ahn that would take months, maybe years and we don’t have that kind of time.” Xander said with reason.
“Speaking of, how much time do we have Giles?” Buffy asked looking up from her book.
“Not long I’m afraid.” He looked at Tara. “Is there a more powerful locater spell that might come to mind?”
Tara thought a minute. She nodded her head. “Yes, b-but it’s dangerous.”
Giles tilted his head. “How so?”
“My mind would become the same with hers. I would see everything she does and her memories.” Tara furrowed her brow.
“Well, turn about is fair play. She manipulated your mind so search through that head of hers. Get some answers.” Anya said with a smile.
Giles shook his head. “What are the risk?”
“If anything happens to her, it would happen to me too.” Tara said almost in a whisper.
“No way! Nuh uh! I will NOT let anything happen to you!” Buffy said slamming her book on the table and pounding her fist against it.
Giles frowned at the abuse the volume was given.
“Willow is in danger and I won’t put you in it too.” The Slayer crossed her arms.
“Buffy, there may not be any other way. If I don’t do this, then we may never find her until,” Tara swallowed down the lump in her throat. “she finds us.”
She shivered thinking about the destruction that her lover could possibly cause.
“Well, look some more. There has to be another way.” Xander piped in.
Tara smiled at the love these people had for her. She nodded her head in agreement. Rising from her seat, she headed to the upstairs stacks to look through the collection of magic books there.
The bell over the door rang. Dawn walked in with her arms full of doughnuts and coffee. She struggled but managed to balance the cargo safely to the table. “That is the last time I go for food!”
“Ooo, sugar!” Anya exclaimed coming out from behind the counter. She looked at Dawn. “You should be given a tip.”
Dawn smiled at the thought.
“Never eat yellow snow.” Xander said as she pulled a doughnut out of the box and grabbed a cup of coffee.
Dawn rolled her eyes. She looked around the room. “Where’s Tara?”
“She’s up in the stacks.” Buffy told her grabbing her own food.
Dawn made her way up the steps. She sat down next to the blonde. “Hi.”
Tara looked up from the page she was reading and softly smiled. “Hey Dawnie.”
“What are you doing?” The teenager asked looking at the book in Tara’s hands.
“I’m looking for a spell to find Willow since the last one didn’t work.” Tara replied pulling another book from the shelf.
“Can I help?” Dawn asked.
Tara smiled sadly. “I wouldn’t mind but Buffy might not like it.”
“BUFFY!” Dawn shouted down at her sister. “CAN I HELP TARA LOOK FOR THE SPELL?”
“You can look but don’t touch anything other than books.” The Slayer answered.
Dawn turned back to Tara. “What exactly are we looking for?” She smiled.
Tara knew that she needed to feel useful. “Dawn, it’s not your fault that Willow left. You know that right?”
Dawn looked down. “I feel responsible. I mean I know I didn’t push her out the door but the things I said, Tara, I know they hurt her.”
“Dawn, sometimes people say things they don’t mean.”
The teenager’s shoulders dropped. She looked up at the blonde. “I was just so mad at her for making you leave and hurting me and everyone else.”
“I was mad too but something else made her leave.” Tara stroked the brunette’s hair. “She knows that you love her and no matter what you said it didn’t cause her to go. OK.”
Dawn smiled convinced by her friends/surrogate mother’s words that it was true.
“Now,” Tara handed over a book. “look for a guiding spell.” She smiled when Dawn practically jerked the book out of her hands and flipped through the pages.
***
The doctor walked into the exam room that Willow was sitting in.
He looked at the redhead and then his chart. “Miss Rosenberg?”
Willow held out her hand but dropped it when the doctor turned to write in the file.
“I’m Doctor Miller.” He put a pair of latex exam gloves on and pulled Willow’s hair back.
Willow hissed when he prodded the wound.
“It seems to have healed mostly. Have you experienced dizziness or nausea?” He asked looking down into her eyes.
“Nausea this morning.” Willow replied.
“Uh huh. Well, I’m going to give you something for that.” He wrote in the chart again.
“I believe we’re done.” He pulled the gloves off and held out his hand.
Willow smiled and took his hand in hers.
Nausea overwhelmed her again and her eyes became unfocused.
“Miss Rosenberg?” She heard the doctor say her name but it was merely a faint echo to her ears.
Willow blinked her eyes.
The doctor jerked her closer to him. “You will submit. There is no stopping us.”
Willow looked up into his glowing red eyes and succumbed to the darkness that overwhelmed her.