Here is what I have done of this story. I only started it maybe a week ago, so I should have more to add to it in the coming weeks.
Chapter One
Life in the city of Sunnydale, California was not a happy one for certain citizens. During the past year, the city of Sunnydale has seen a lot of tragedy, more tragedy than the city should have seen. It started with the death of Sunnydale's personal superhero, Buffy Summers, the Vampire Slayer. Buffy had sacrificed herself for the world in order to close the portal that would have ended all reality had it remained open. The three months of summer that followed her death were hard on all of Sunnydale's citizens, but it was especially difficult on those that knew the Vampire Slayer the most.
Buffy's Watcher, Rupert Giles, had decided to leave America after her death and he spent the summer helping the others with patrol while also making the preparations for his leaving to return to England. The vampire that helped Buffy and her friends for the better part of the half year before her death, Spike, helped with patrol as much as he could while he kept the promise he made to Buffy, to protect her little sister Dawn.
Dawn, Buffy's younger sister, mainly took to herself during that summer, gradually increasing in the items she stole from various places. She wasn't allowed to patrol, so she mainly either stuck at the Summers home or spent home with her friend Janice. She was heartbroken at her sister's death and wasn't sure how to take it. Buffy's best friends, Xander and Willow, seemed to take the news harder than anyone else. Thankfully though, they both had their respective partners to help them and offer them comfort during the coming summer. Xander had his fiancée, Anya, a former ex-vengeance demon. They had yet to announce their plans for marriage, but they were getting there. Willow had her girlfriend, Tara MaClay.
Tara and Willow had known each other for about a year and a half and Tara helped Willow through her grief tremendously. But, the one thing Tara didn't do was stop Willow from using more and more of the darker powers of magic. Through the summer, Willow had convinced everyone that Buffy's soul, her spirit, was trapped in some hellish dimension and they had already begun plans to resurrect her. As the time for the resurrection came closer, Willow's use of dark magic grew, but no one noticed.
Around the time when a bike gang of demons came to Sunnydale to take the city over, Willow, Tara, Anya, and Xander had everything they needed to perform the resurrection. The spell was difficult and Willow had had to go through a horrifying test to resurrect Buffy. The spell used called on the darkest sides of magic and there were certain things about the spell that Willow hadn't told anyone, including Tara. Cuts appearing on her arms, a snake coming out of her mouth were two of them.
The spell worked and Buffy was pulled from the afterlife and brought back to Earth. The demon gang were defeated and Sunnydale was safe again. But, like Spike once told them, when it comes to magic, there were always consequences. Buffy's friends thought she was pulled from hell when in fact, she was pulled from heaven and living was hell for her. Months passed by as Buffy had to deal with living again.
During those months that passed by, Willow's descent into the darker magic continued and eventually, both Giles and Tara tried their hardest to show her what she was doing, but neither one of them could do it. Willow's dependence on magic was too strong for even her lover to pull her from. Things for the Scoobies eventually came to a head when a demon showed up that made people sing and dance. The secrets that Willow, Buffy, and the others had been hiding from their loved ones came pouring out.
Everyone found out about Buffy's being in heaven and Tara discovered that Willow put a spell on her to make her forget about a fight they'd had. Willow was convinced that doing the spell was for the good of their relationship, but she should've known better. Eventually, when their relationship was being threatened by Tara, Willow tried a stronger forget spell for both Tara and Buffy. The spell backfired and everyone forgot who they were. They got their memories back, but Willow and Tara's relationship was in shambles. Tara's heart, her soul, was crushed because she had to realize that Willow had chosen magic over her. She moved out of the Summers house and the two were no longer involved.
Life for them continued to go downwards as Willow's use of magic worsened. It led to Willow deratting Amy and the two going to a powerful warlock named Rack. The rush from the power she felt made Willow take Dawn to the warlock's lair and it led to Willow accidentally crashing a car with Dawn still inside. It was that moment that Willow Rosenberg realized the addiction to magic that she had. With her friends help, Willow turned away from it and began the process of healing.
A few more months passed, with Anya and Xander's wedding vastly approaching. Needless to say, the wedding didn't have a happy ending. Xander walked out on Anya and in return, Anya accepted D'Hoffyron's offer of being a vengeance demon again. Just weeks after the wedding, life started to improve for Willow and Tara. Although they were still trying to mend their broken relationship, they got back together and for the first time in a long while, both women were feeling better than they had in a long while.
But, it wouldn't last.
Just two days after their reunion, they wore torn apart by death. Buffy's current enemies, the nerd trio, Warren, Jonathon, and Andrew, had been doing different little plans to beat Buffy. Warren even killed his ex-girlfriend Katrina. But, the last plan they hatched gave Warren incredible super powers. Buffy only defeated them with Jonathon's help. He told her to destroy the orbs that contained the source of Warren's powers. She did and the trio were beaten. Warren got away but Jonathon and Andrew were taken by the police. In retaliation from his plan being beat, Warren went to Buffy's help with plans to kill her. He shot off a series of bullets from his gun. He shot Buffy, but one of the stray bullets went through the window of the second floor and Tara was killed.
The rage that swelled in Willow's heart after her beloved's death was intense and explosively powerful. Willow absorbed every last ounce of dark magic from all of the books at the Magic Box and went after Warren, Andrew, and Jonathon with only one thought controlling her, vengeance. Buffy and Xander tried to stop her, but they didn't arrive in time to stop her from killing Warren. Buffy was forced into protecting the other two members of the trio from Willow. The entire situation escalated when Willow tried to end the world using her power.
The power she had was so powerful that she could end the world to stop her pain. It took Anyanka and Giles, who came back to Sunnydale to help, to stop her. They used a powerful spell that took all of Willow's power from her. By then, Willow had broken down into heartwrenching sobs on Xander's chest. All the pain from losing Tara hit full force and she was left a broken mess.
So now, on this day, Sunnydale had seen a year of horrific happenings. The group were now assembling at the Summers house for the funeral of Tara MaClay. At the moment, Buffy was already dressed. She wore a black turtleneck sweater over a pair of dark black leather pants. She was sitting on the couch in the living room with one of her best friends, Xander Harris. He wore the dress suit that he'd worn at Buffy and Dawn's mother's funeral, Joyce Summers. Both faces were sad and very depressed as they knew the day was going to be horrible for Willow. They were waiting for her and Dawn to come downstairs. Dawn had decided to stay with Willow as she got ready. Willow had needed someone to be with her at all times since her descent into the dark magic after her lover's death. Giles was going to meet them at the cemetery.
Xander sighed as he leaned back against the couch and glanced at the ceiling. "This....isn't going to be a good day."
Buffy glanced at him for a moment before she crossed her arms over her chest. "No...it isn't."
Both were silent as they thought about things. Xander broke the silence. "I.......I just can't believe everything that's happened the past few months. The wedding going to hell, Anya's a demon again......Will and Tara got back together, only to....." he stopped as he felt tears welling up from just thinking about what Willow must be going through right now. "It shouldn't have ended this way. Tara shouldn't have died like that."
Buffy nodded, agreeing with him. "I know. They were finally putting their relationship back together and this happens. Now I know why I hate life. It's just not fair sometimes." she said as she closed her eyes. She and Tara had never been close, but Buffy did consider Tara to be a great friend. "I'm kind of worried, Xander." she said after a few moments.
Xander raised his head and glanced at her. "About Will?" he guessed.
Buffy nodded. "Yeah, ever since we stopped her from killing Jonathon and Andrew, she's been quiet. I mean, in the past three days since all that happened, she hasn't said ten words. I'm beginning to wonder if she's going to get through this at all."
Xander stood up and walked to the window, glancing out as he put his hands in his pockets. "I know. I'm worried about her too Buffy." he said, "Can I tell you something?"
"Yeah." she answered him as she watched him face her.
"After you....died," he said, falling silent at the pain that remembering her death always brought, "both Will and me cried for hours and it took days, weeks, before we could even...leave the house. I remember how Will was after you died. She was in pain, yeah....but, it was nothing compared to the way she's acting now."
Buffy also rose and walked over to Xander. "Well, I can tell you this with absolute surety. Willow loved Tara more than she did any of us. I faced that fact a long time ago. I mean, I still remember her going after Glory when she brain-sucked Tara. That proved to me the lengths she'd go to for Tara." Buffy stopped and looked down at the floor. "I'm afraid that losing Tara is going to break Willow's spirit in the long run. I really don't think she's going to get past this. Even with our help."
Xander's throat tightened and he couldn't speak as the tears that were welled up in his eyes fell over. He went back over to the couch and sat down. He hoped Buffy was wrong, but, every instinct in him knew that she was right. Without Tara, Willow wasn't going to survive much longer.
---**---
Upstairs, Dawn was standing in the doorway to Willow's room. She was dressed in a light green sweater with a pair of dark green dress pants. She had on her badge jacket on over her sweater. Dawn had tears in her eyes as she watched Willow walk out of the bathroom. Willow had on a dark blue shirt that matched the style shirt she wore the day after she and Tara had reunited. The style matched the pink shirt she wore then. She wore a dark blue pair of dress pants over her legs. She had her hair combed all the way back, letting it remain untied and free. Tara always liked it that way. Dawn thought with sadness. She'd had a conversation with Tara once about things that Tara liked about Willow.
Dawn watched with emotion as Willow stopped by the bed, on the opposite side that Dawn was standing and picked something up off the table. Dawn almost rushed forward as Willow abruptly sat down on the bed and lowered her head. Dawn stayed back for a moment then she did rush forward when she saw Willow's shoulders shake as she cried. Dawn walked around the bed and sat down next to Willow, laying an arm around her shoulders in silent comfort. Dawn wanted to break down herself, but she wanted to be strong for her friend.
Willow continued to silently cry for a few moments before she sniffled her nose and stood up, removing Dawn's arm from her shoulders as she did so. She put the item she'd been holding back on the table and walked out of the room without a further word. Dawn also rose and looked at the table. Dawn's tears fell across her makeup covered cheeks as she saw what Willow had seen. It was a necklace that Dawn had recognized as one of Tara's. Dawn took several deep breaths as she followed Willow downstairs.
Buffy and Xander rose as they heard the steps and faced them as Willow came down with Dawn behind her. They saw the dried tear marks on both women's faces and they walked forward. "Will?" Buffy said softly.
"You okay?" Xander inquired as he stood next to Buffy.
Willow looked at Xander, then Buffy. She knew they were concerned about her. Willow also knew that she had yet to talk to either of them about the actions she did while her rage controlled her. But, at the moment, she couldn't find the reason to care. "Fine." she said as she walked passed them and went to sit down on the couch. She had her hands wrung together and she stared at them intently.
Buffy watched her sadly, shaking her head. "Will, you need to eat something before we go. We were going to stop by Stoney's. You like that place right?"
"Yeah, we've eaten there plenty of times. Right, Will?" Xander added, hoping to draw their friend out of her depression.
Willow remained silent as she stared at her hands. She knew deep down that if she looked up, the walls she'd built up would come crumbling down and she'd start crying and wouldn't stop. She had to be strong until the funeral was over. Then, she'd let the emotions come out. "What time is it?" she asked instead of answering.
Dawn looked at her watch as she stood with her sister. "It's nine thirty."
Tara's funeral was set for eleven that morning, so they did have time for a meal.
Willow slowly allowed her eyes to look upward, first looking at Dawn, then at Xander, and finally meeting Buffy's eyes. "Look," she said softly, "I know you all are trying to help, but....there are just some things you can't help me with. You don't know what I'm going through. It's.....everything is just so hard." Willow felt tears stinging her eyes as she continued. "Every minute I look around, hoping to see her face there. Everywhere I go, I see her standing there then I don't. It's just so hard." she let the tears fall but she didn't break down.
Buffy pursed her lips as she moved forward and kneeled at Willow's feet. "Will, you're right. None of us can know what you're going through right now. But, it'll get better Will. It will." Buffy told her.
Willow's expression on her face hardened in an instance and she rose without warning. "How the hell can you know that Buffy? Do you have any idea how much I loved Tara? Do you really because I don't think any of you do. She was my whole life. I was miserable all that time we were apart."
They looked compassionate back at her. "Will, we know how much she meant to you. I saw how miserable you were, all I'm saying is that through time, you'll be able to.." Buffy was interrupted by Willow.
"To what! Forget her! Is that what you were going to say?" Willow demanded.
Xander shook his head. "Of course not, Will. All Buffy's saying is that the pain will go away. It will lessen. You just need some time. Come on, why don't we go to Stoney's and get something to eat. This day is going to be difficult to get through as it is."
Willow slowly turned around and walked back to the couch. Bending down, she grabbed her purse. "Look, I....I need to be alone right now. I'll see you all at the .......the place at eleven." she turned for the door.
"Willow wait!" Buffy said. "Where are you going?" she asked.
"What!" Willow spun around and stared at her friend. She was just barely holding her emotions in.
"Where will you be?" Buffy asked.
Willow sighed heavily. "I.....I I don't know. I just need to be alone."
The redheaded former witch turned and left the house without another word. Her friends stood in awkward silence, not knowing what to say or do next.
---**---
Sitting in front of a laptop computer screen in a hotel room is a lone figure. The figure is definitely a woman. She had dark black hair and silver eyes. Eyes unlike any other person on the planet. On the screen of the laptop computer is an older gentleman in his late forties. He also has dark hair and he has blue eyes.
"Sir." the woman said with a nod.
"Miss Baxter," the man on the screen intoned, "have you arrived yet?"
The woman nodded, knowing her boss could see her. "Yes sir. I just checked into the hotel. I haven't had a chance to approach the slayer or her friends."
The man on the screen nodded. "Alright, wait until the funeral has ended and approach them then. Remember, the window of opportunity here is very limited. Don't approach Miss Rosenberg until after you've spoken with the slayer. I don't want there to be any trouble while you're there."
"Absolutely sir." the woman, her name was Sonya Baxter, said. "I am wondering sir....is there any news on Jacob?"
The man on the screen took a deep breath. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I'm glad you brought him up. Our seers have told me that Jacob's heading to Sunnydale. That's one of the reasons our time is limited. You have to convince them before he gets there. I am almost positive that Jacob will go after the slayer and Rosenberg first. That's why time is such an important factor right now."
Sonya nodded. "I understand sir. I will wait until the funeral is over and they are back at the house before I approach."
The man on the screen nodded before he ended the communication link. The woman pressed a few buttons and a scene unfolded on the screen. She was getting a feedback from a camera placed about one hundred feet from Tara MaClay's funeral. Checking her watch, Sonya Baxter noticed that the time red 10:48. She sighed as she leaned back in her chair to watch the scene unfold.
---**---
"Today, we put to rest a gentle soul. Today, friends and family gather to celebrate the life of Tara MaClay: friend, partner, daughter." a deep toned voice spoke over the sounds of the birds calling.
The funeral had begun. A shiny darker tint of blue coffin lay just above ground. The casket had front part of it's top up, showing the face and shoulders of Tara MaClay. The dress Willow had given the funeral home for her to wear was the wraparound dress that she'd wore when she and Willow had come downstairs to help Buffy and Dawn with going through the trio's stuff that Buffy had brought to the house. The funeral home had done her hair where it was combed straight back, showing her face to those who mourned her death.
Gathered all around the location of the burial was Buffy, Dawn, Giles, Xander, Anya, Willow, and a few others. One of the others that were there was the college student that Willow had seen with Tara at the university. Others were those who had either met Tara at one point or had known Buffy for a while. Nevertheless, the atmosphere of this gathering was sad and thick with emotion.
"I ask at this time that if there is anyone here who would like to say something about the deceased, you may do so right now." the priest said as he stepped back from the podium and waited to see who would step forward.
At first, there was nothing but silence, then someone stepped forward. Buffy walked to where the podium was and stood there. She didn't know why she'd stepped forward, but she felt she had to. To give closure for herself and for Tara. "I haven't known Tara that long..." she started. "At first, my only association with her was through my best friend Willow. But, through time....Tara became a good friend to me. She was a trustworthy person and I......" Buffy had to pause as she felt a lump in her throat. "I will miss her. Very much."
Buffy stepped back and walked back over and stood next to Willow. She glanced around at the others gathered. Xander was standing on Willow's other side. Dawn was standing next to Buffy and Anya was standing slightly off to one side. Everyone else seemed to be behind them. Giles stood at Dawn's other side. Glancing back at Willow, Buffy's throat constricted at the sheer anguish she saw on her friend's face. Tears were running down Willow's cheeks. There were dried ones and new ones going over them. Her mouth was slightly open and both lips were trembling and Buffy knew that her friend was trying incredibly hard to keep it together in front of everyone.
The priest who was doing the ceremony waited a few seconds after Buffy stepped down before he spoke from his point near the crowd. "Is there anyone else who would like to say something?" he asked quietly, then walked away and waited.
A long moment of silence followed the priest's words before soft footsteps moved forward and everyone watched on with intense sadness as Willow moved, not to the podium, but to the casket. Xander and Buffy glanced at each other in silence as they watched on. Willow's back was to the small gathered crowd as she lowered her head and brushed her lips to the corner of Tara's and pressed them there for several seconds before pulling back.
Willow left her hands on the side of the coffin as her eyes watered from just seeing the body of her lover. Her entire body shook as a sob went through her. That was all the movement Buffy could hear before she and Xander rushed forward and helped Willow back. Everyone in the crowd watched on with compassion as the priest walked back to the podium.
He looked sympathetically at the three friends as Xander and Buffy helped console the now sobbing Willow. "Let us pray." he merely said as he closed his eyes and spoke. "Dear heavenly father, we bring to your hands Tara MaClay. She was a friend, a daughter, a gentle woman. Please watch over her soul as you would. In Jesus name we pray, Amen."
A few more minutes passed before the funeral drew to a close. The people who were friends of Buffy's, or friends of Xander, began to walk away, offering their condolences to them as they passed. People continued leaving until just Buffy, Willow, Xander, Anya, Dawn, and Giles remained.
"We should head back to the house." Giles said, his hands in his pockets.
Anya was slightly off to one side, but she started to move over. She was only at the funeral for Tara. Although they never truly connected, Anya did like Tara. She was always nicer to Anya than most of the others were. "I'm sorry, Willow. I really am." she said sincerely. Anya could still feel the power radiating off of Willow's aura. It had less than a week since she and Giles had done the powerful spell that had stripped Willow of all the dark magic she had consumed to exact her vengeance. But, Anya knew that Willow's true power, the power she was born with was still lingering there. Anya waited a few seconds more, then she turned and began heading off, knowing Xander's eyes were watching her leave.
Xander sighed, knowing that the chances of having Anya back were rapidly decreasing. He shook his head and helped Buffy walk Willow to the cars. Giles stayed a step behind them, his mind heavy in thought of many things. Since his return to Sunnydale, so much had happened in so little time that it was so much to take in. Finally, the small group reached the cars and they stood silently. Buffy and Xander were watching Willow.
"So?" Buffy spoke after a few moments of silence.
"Let's go." Giles said before he opened the door to his sports car. He got in the driver's side as Xander helped Buffy put Willow on the passenger's side. Ever since she'd started crying over Tara's body, she'd not said a word. Xander and Buffy seated themselves in the back seats of the sports car as they slowly left the cemetery. All were silent on the drive away from the cemetery as a lone figure walked towards Tara's grave. Her coffin was in the ground and covered with the dirt as the figure stopped in front of it.
The man had black pants and he had a white button up shirt tucked into his pants. A black leather vest was tied over his shirt. On his right thigh, a dagger was belted to his side. The sleeves on his shirt went down over his arms until they reached the forearms. Steel gauntlets were merged into his skin all the way to his fingernails. His hands were mostly skin, but the skin molded to steel at his fingertips, which were as pointy looking as a stake. He had a black goatee over his face and he had dark slick black hair that cascaded over his shoulders, just at the shoulder blades. His eyes were a haunting silver color.
He looked at the tombstone that read "Tara MaClay" and kneeled next to it. His eyes closed as he reached out a hand over the pile of dirt and projected his power. A few moments later, he opened his eyes and stood up. He opened his mouth, revealing fangs on his upper and lower teeth. "Tara MaClay. Your family doesn't know it, yet....but your destiny on Earth isn't yet over." he put a pair of sunglasses over his eyes and began walking away, in the opposite direction of the parking lot.
---**---
About ten minutes later, they were all back at the Summers' House. Dawn was in her room, telling the others that she just needed some time by herself. Buffy knew how much Dawn had meant to Tara so she didn't try force anything. Xander and Buffy were in the living room with Giles. They had just been upstairs, where Willow had fallen asleep after an intense dose of crying. Buffy let her sleep in her room instead of Willow's because Buffy knew there had to be intense memories that only the Willow and Tara had in that room and she understood Willow's need to not dwell on those memories.
Xander was seated on the couch with Buffy sitting next to him. Giles was sitting on the chair across from them, all three of them were solemn and quiet, not really sure what to say during this very difficult time.
"So.." Giles started, "how is Willow doing? Honestly.."
Xander and Buffy shared a look. "Honestly.....Will is......she's in pieces Giles." Xander told the Watcher. He had his jacket off as he leaned back.
"Yeah. Ever since we brought her back from her vengeance quest, she hasn't been the same. She broken Giles. I'm not sure if anything can bring her out of this." Buffy said, shaking her head.
Xander leaned forward as he remembered something about a previous conversation the three of them had. "Giles," he said in a low and hushed tone, "did you take care of.........Warren?" he asked, closing his eyes. He still remembered what Willow had done to the geek that had almost killed Buffy.
Buffy closed her eyes as well. She had gotten to that area of the forest as Willow had taken a life. She had killed Warren in vengeance from his actions that led to Tara's death. She still couldn't believe the lengths that Willow had gone after her lover's shooting.
Giles took his glasses off as he gazed at them impassively. "Yes. The authorities won't find Warren or any evidence that points to Willow. But, I want to tell this to both of you. The authorities will come asking about Tara's death. When they do, don't say anything about past involvements with Warren. Alright?"
"Absolutely Giles." Xander said.
"Not a word will pass my lips that could put Will in danger." Buffy told him.
A knock at the door interrupted any further words the three of them might've said to each other. Buffy rose from the couch and walked over to answer it. Grasping the handle, she opened the door and her eyes fell on a slightly older woman in at least her thirties. She had jet black hair and a nice looking figure. She had a sad look on her face as she looked at Buffy's face. "Yes? May I help you, ma'am?" she asked.
Sonya Baxter had her hands laced together in front of her. "Yes, you're Miss Summers, correct?" she said, though she already knew the answer. She just needed a way to kick off her reason for being here.
Buffy nodded. "Yes."
"My name is Sonya Baxter and I am here on urgent business. May I come in?" Sonya inquired.
Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but Giles stepped behind her. "No." his voice was cold and harsh and it was a tone that Buffy had heard before. Back when the Council was at the Magic Box. "YOU are not welcome here, Sonya." Giles said vehemently.
"You know her, Giles?" Buffy asked.
No answer from the Watcher. Buffy spoke after a moment. "Look, Ms. Baxter....we just got back from a funeral of a friend of ours. Now is really not the right time to talk to us."
Sonya's eyes were on Giles. Even after all these years, Sonya still found him extremely arousing and handsome. She shook her head as she began to talk. "I am aware of Miss MaClay's funeral, Miss Summers. That's actually why I'm here."
"Talk fast." Giles said as he gripped the door. The anger was radiating off of him and Buffy figured something really horrible had gone on between them in the past.
Sonya sighed, wishing Giles wasn't here. "Rupert, would you please calm yourself. I am here to help Miss Rosenberg."
"How?" Buffy asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Let me inside and I will explain." Sonya's eyes met Giles's above Buffy's head.
Giles stared at her for one long moment before he motioned for Bufy to move aside. "Explain yourself then." Giles said as he escorted Sonya inside. Sonya sighed, this was going to be the difficult part of her job here in Sunnydale.
Chapter Two
Giles, Buffy, and Xander were in the kitchen, where they were all watching Sonya Baxter as she stood before them. Sonya looked at first at Giles, then at Xander, and finally let her eyes remain focused on Buffy. She kept her eyes locked on the slayer for a few more moments before she looked down. Then, she began.
"You said you were here to help Willow?" Buffy interrupted her before she could talk.
Sonya nodded as she walked around the spacey kitchen. "Yes. Miss Rosenberg is....unless you haven't figured it out, broken."
"We are aware of Will's condition, Miss Baxter." Xander told her.
Sonya Baxter crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, I believe you are. But, you don't know what I know."
"Get to the bloody point!" Giles roared, tired of her games.
"Fine." Sonya said, beginning her tale. "I was sent here by two groups of people you should know about. The first, the Watchers Council. The other group is the Witches Committee. I was sent here to help bring Miss MaClay back from the dead." she told them and now, she merely waited for the explosion.
"What?!?" Buffy steamed, walking towards Sonya. "What are you talking about! Tara can't be brought back."
Giles walked over and put his hands on Buffy's shoulders to stop her in mid motion. He could tell she was close to slugging Sonya. "Will you explain that please, Sonya?"
Sonya sighed, the difficult part of this job was next. "Have any of you ever heard of the Powers That Be?" she asked.
Giles removed his glasses. "I have only heard myths about the Powers That Be. Supposedly, they are the spiritual beings responsible for life."
"I've heard of them." Buffy said. "When I was dead, I didn't really meet them as much as I got the feeling that they were all around me."
"Yes. The Powers That Be are judges of every single living being in the universe. When a person is born, the Powers That Be have a design on their life already planned out. Somewhere along the line, that design gets changed when major developments happens in a person's life." Sonya told them.
"And this business with the PTB has to do Willow or Tara how?" Xander asked bitterly.
"Because Miss MaClay died before she fated to." Sonya said.
They were quiet as they digested that.
"You see, what Miss Rosenberg didn't consider before her rage consumed her was there are more ways to resurrect someone than just asking Osiris." Sonya said as she continued. "Osiris told her that Miss MaClay couldn't be brought back simply because her death was natural. And under normal circumstances, that is true. Normally, someone who died under natural circumstances can't be brought back."
"But you're telling us that Tara didn't die under natural circumstances, right?" Buffy said, a small shimmer of hope for Willow was beginning to develop.
Sonya shook her head. "No, Miss MaClay died under natural circumstances. The situation with her death is that because she died before the Powers That Be had already fated to, her soul can't go to heaven or hell."
Xander's face showed his confusion. "Wait a minute. If her soul's not in heaven or hell, where is it?"
This was another hard thing for her to say. It was obvious to her that they cared for Tara as well as Willow. "Miss MaClay's soul is trapped in the realm between heaven and hell. Most religions of the world call it limbo. It does exist and she is forever trapped in limbo unless we can bring her out. That's why I'm here. To give you a chance to have her back. To give Miss Rosenberg the chance to have her everything back."
"How do we know that this isn't some kind of ploy by the Council or the Committee?" Giles asked, still doubtful of Sonya's sincerity.
Sonya Baxter sighed. "You'll just have to believe me. Rupert, I know we've had our troubles in the past, but I'm not doing evil deeds any more. You have to trust me. I'm here because I want to help all of you."
Buffy took a few minutes to think about Sonya's words. She knew there was a chance that she was lying to them and Buffy knew she'd kill the woman if she was. But, Buffy glanced upstairs. Willow's soul, her spirit, was broken since the shooting. It had caused Willow to kill Warren and almost kill all of them. Having Tara back would fill that hole that she knew was in Willow's heart. Buffy really wasn't sure what to do.
"Alright, I can see that you are going to need something else to help you believe me. I will tell you this. The Witches Committee has a team of seers that works for them. The seers helps the Committee find unregistered witches with great power. But sometimes, at the request of the Committee's elders, the seers will look into the future and be able to project different futures for different people. And the seers have already done that with each of you." Sonya said.
"Your seers knows how our lives are gonna turn out?" Xander asked incredulously.
Sonya nodded and waited to see if they wanted to know.
After a moment, Giles spoke. "Alright, tell us."
Sonya began with Willow. "If I leave Sunnydale without bringing Miss MaClay back, this is what will happen. Miss Rosenberg will continue to worsen into a deep depression that no one will be able to pull her out of. Even with all of your love and support, she will still lose more and more of herself in her depression. It will lead to six months from now, Miss Rosenberg will once again turn to dark magic. Only, it will be different than what you all just went through with her. Her purpose for using the dark magic will be to kill herself. She'll return to the warlock Rack and offer herself to him in return for power. The woman you knew as your friend will slowly disappear and be replaced by a Willow consumed with hatred. None of you will be able to reach her."
Giles, Buffy, and Xander swallowed audibly at knowing what would happen. Although a small part of them knew the words could be lies, they truly felt that's what would happen. Sonya continued with her telling. "Eventually, Miss Rosenberg will begin a new attack on Sunnydale. You, Buffy, will fight her. The battle you two face will be brutal and in the end, you stand over her as the winner. Miss Rosenberg will be given what she wanted, death. It will lead to you hating yourself for what you did to your best friend. One night on patrol, a team of vampires attacks you and you let them kill you. The grief you feel from killing Willow will be too intense. After your death, Giles will return to England, where he will stay and live by himself in his home. You Mr. Harris become too grief stricken at losing your friends that you take your own life soon after. The only one who survives all this is Dawn."
There was a tense moment of silence as the three of them digested the words. They didn't want to believe what Sonya said was true, but they felt in their hearts that the words were true. "And all of this goes on the idea that you leave Sunnydale without resurrecting Tara?" Buffy wanted to know.
Sonya nodded. "Yes. There is another possible future that the seers have seen. And this future goes on the principle that you convince Miss Rosenberg to try this spell. After Miss MaClay's resurrection, the two of them will face a difficult journey to get back to what they had. It won't be an easy time for them, but together, they will survive. You and Mr. Harris will also recover from your past inner demons and be stronger because of it. Rupert, you end up staying in Sunnydale to help Buffy with Dawn and with patrolling. All in all, it is better if Miss MaClay is given a second chance. But, I leave the decision up to you."
Giles met Buffy's eyes for a long and very intense moment. Then, Buffy spoke six words. "I'm going to talk to her." Buffy said before she turned and headed out of the kitchen and upstairs. Silence reigned in the kitchen after the slayer left.
---**---
~Stephie~ 
at: 9/8/04 9:29 pm
at: 5/27/02 12:17:17 am