Hey you guys!! I am so sorry about the delay but I got caught up with real life stuff and starting the new (and last EVER) semester was rougher than I thought, but here is an update!!! And if I can't promise when exactly when the next one will be, I can promise it won't be that long before another one, lol.
*****************
Tara was at a loss as she stood in the middle of what used to be Oz’s old cell. Willow had told her that it was still used from time to time when a werewolf or other creature had to be captured instead of killed, but she had reassured her that it hadn’t been used in the last year.
The cell wasn’t as horrible as Tara had expected. It was more spacious than she would have thought and there was a lot of natural light coming in, at least during the day. The gate was as large as the cell itself and the electronic lock made it easier for the person inside to free herself if no one was around but still, Tara hated it.
She slowly spun around and, as she inspected the room one last time, her eyes met Willow when she glanced outside the cell. The redhead was sitting on the ground on the opposite wall and her head was resting on her crossed arms over her knees. Her girlfriend seemed lost in thought until she blinked and her eyes were suddenly on her.
Tara tried to put herself in Willow’s place, as if she was the one having to be locked up at night while her partner spent the night sitting across the room to keep her company until things were right again. Imagining the gate closing in on her upset and pained Tara but, at the same time, it also gave her an odd sense of safety.
“You see it now, don’t you?” The redhead’s soft voice came to Tara’s ears. The blonde sighed heavily as she finally understood and she nodded, walking over to where Willow was slightly dozing. Tara crouched before her and ran a loving hand through her girlfriend’s red locks, concerned by her girl’s exhaustion. “You okay sweetie?”
Willow opened an eye and yawned, knowing better than to lie. “Just a little tired. It’d be better if my head wasn’t pounding so much.”
Tara smiled sympathetically as she helped her girlfriend up. “Why don’t we go get you some new clothes, we’ll stop by the doctor’s office and see if we can get a new prescription as well.”
“Can’t we just go at Xander’s? I’m sure he has aspirin or something, and we could go for clothes later? I’m not in the mood for shopping right now.” Willow confessed hesitantly, not wanting to disappoint her girlfriend but unwilling to go to a cacophonic mall lit with thousands of fluorescent lights, afraid it would just aggravate her migraine and her crabby mood.
The blonde frowned and brought her hand up to Willow’s forehead and checked for any sign of fever. Relieved when everything seemed normal, Tara let her hand linger on her lover’s face, her fingers tracing Willow’s eyebrows, nose and lips. “Okay. O-or I could go while you take a nap, that way you’d have surprise bags to open later. Xander’s at work anyway so you’d have the apartment all to yourself.”
Willow grinned in approval, loving their new plan even more. It would have been the perfect idea if it didn’t involve Tara leaving for a couple of hours. “Okay but don’t take too long, I miss you baby.”
“I won’t, I promise.” Tara gave Willow a quick peck on the lips and put her arm around the redhead’s hips and gently pushed her forward, in a sudden hurry to get out of the cell. “We’ll talk to Callie as soon as I get back to Xander’s, okay?”
Nodding easily, Willow scrunched up her eyes when they got outside, the brightness of the sun making her eyes water. “Okay. Hey, what happened to Andrew? Did you guys let him go?” She asked, curious now that she remembered not having seen him since last night. She hadn’t seen anyone besides Buffy, Dawn and Giles, but Willow hoped their hostage hadn’t simply vanished after all they did to make a potential ally out of him.
“Xander took him to work,” Tara laughed at the burden their friend had taken upon himself for the day. “Andrew was all excited to be able to use a hammer and everything.”
“Poor Xander...I bet he’ll lock up Andrew somewhere before the end of the day.”
“Willow! Yeah you’re right, who am I kidding. Come on, let’s get you to bed, sweetheart.” Tara kissed her lover on the cheek as she guided her to the car, oblivious of the pair of eyes that were watching them from the other side of the cemetery.
***********
“Not too shabby.”
“Shut up, Spike.” Buffy glared and moved away from him, annoyed at his jubilant attitude. As she observed the vampire’s hostage with a more clinical view, the slayer had to agree with Spike’s comment even if she would never admit it to his face.
Buffy exhaled tiredly, her fist slightly numb and her joints stiff from when she had hit Warren in the face. She wasn’t proud of it but a few punches would only leave the man in pain for a few weeks without any lasting damage. He probably had a broken cheekbone and a small concussion but considering she could have broken every bone in his body, Warren had been lucky.
Warren didn’t think the same thing as his head lolled from left to right, his left eye almost swollen shut by the deep purple bruise that ran from his hairline to his nose. He was grunting whenever he tried to talk or take a deep breath, his tongue gingerly licking his split lip while he gave Buffy the evil eye. “You are ssss-so dead.”
“Huh. Isn’t it what you told me last night? Good luck with the dying?” Buffy recalled as she moved around him while staying where Warren couldn’t see her. “Looks like your plan failed. Again. Just admit you’re screwed, Warren.”
“I’m screwed? Your ass is going to jail for this, stupid bitch.” Buffy jumped back when Warren tried to spit bloody saliva on her but she avoided it and punished him by slapping him hard on the back of the head. “I’m the one going to jail? You tried to kill me and my best friend and you burnt my house down, you bastard. And I guess I remind you that the murder of your girlfriend isn’t going to help you either.”
“You can’t prove anything, bitch. I have an alibi for everything.” Warren covered his surprise as he didn’t expect Buffy to know about Katrina. “And I ain’t killed Katrina, the idiot left months ago.”
Buffy ignored Spike‘s snort and shook her head, unphased by the man‘s empty threats. “Warren, Warren...you don’t get it, don’t you? Why do you think Andrew‘s been AWOL all this time, huh? Hint, he didn‘t flee to Mexico like Jonathan did.”
The slayer knew she hit a nerve when Warren’s eyes almost bulged out of his head and his face flushed. “Yes, in case you’re wondering, Andrew was in the house as well last night. It’s not as fun when it’s your friends you’re hurting, isn’t?”
“You bitch!”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m tired of your incessant whining, you’re giving me a headache so why don’t you shut up?” Buffy grabbed the duct tape Spike had ready for her, tore a good piece of it and put it over Warren’s mouth, slapping him in the process when he tried to bite her. “Hey, none of that. Even Willow is well more behaved than you when she’s wolfed out.”
“What are you going to do with him?” Spike demanded casually, unconsciously licking his lips as he stared hungrily at the blood leaking from Warren’s nose.
“I can’t call the cops now, not with the way he looks. I suppose we could always convince him he had an accident and was attacked by a gang on PCP.” Spike smirked at the old joke knowing that, even several years later, it was still the most popular excuse by the Sunnydale police to explain vampire attacks.
Spike had a very different opinion from the slayer, never having had the intention of releasing the man. The vampire knew evil and even if he was human, Warren Mears had all the qualifications of an evil being. And William the Bloody had every intention of remaining the sole evil source of Sunnydale. “Go, and only come back after Sunset.”
Buffy shot him a strange look and took a step back, unsure of what the vampire was talking about. “What?”
“I said, get the bloody hell out of here and come back when the sun has gone bye-bye.” Spike growled as he stood straighter and stared hard into the slayer’s eyes.
Slayer and vampire glared at each other for a moment as they gauged each other out, and for the first time Buffy noticed something different about Spike. There was something about him she couldn’t place, something that had changed about the vampire since the last time they were together. “Spike...”
“Don’t,” He replied darkly, startling her when he strode closer and stopped when his lips were an inch short of kissing her, the cold emanating from the vampire sending chills down Buffy’s back. “Go. Come back later. You’ll get what you want.”
Buffy hesitantly raised a hand but folded her fingers into a tight fist before she had time to reach Spike’s face. She closed her eyes and sighed and before she could change her mind, twisted around and trotted toward the exit, never looking back.
Spike watched her go, never feeling his features changing as the smell of blood became too strong to deny. He turned to Warren and smirked at the sudden terrified expression deforming the man‘s face, and revealed his elongated fangs and his golden, animalistic pupils.
Warren’s muffled screams lasted only a few short seconds and had already died by the time Buffy had reached the first floor. She pulled out her phone and quick dialed a fairly new but already familiar number, sighing in relief when her watcher’s attentive voice rang in her ear. “Giles, we need to talk.”
************
Willow woke up to the sound of agitated voices coming from the kitchen. Rubbing her eyes to chase the remnant of sleepiness from them she groaned when she peeked at the Star Wars alarm clock. She had been sleeping less than an hour and her body protested when she swung her legs out of the bed, her throbbing head slowing her down.
Putting a pair of Xander’s sweat pants on and wishing Tara would come back soon, Willow cringed as the voices grew louder once she opened the door and made her way into the kitchen. The others had all taken place around the dining room table and were discussing hotly but all shut their mouths as soon as the red came into view. Xander was the first to acknowledge her, tilting his head and smiling gently. “Hey Will, how’d you feel?”
“I’m fine, what were you talking a- oof!” Willow gasped when Anya came out of nowhere and hugged her to death. “Anya...oxygen....becoming an...issue.”
“Oh, sorry!” Anya apologized and freed Willow from her bear hug, moving a few steps back and promptly leaving the room without warning. The redhead frowned but smiled gratefully when Dawn served her a cup of coffee. “Thanks, Dawnie. What was that all about?” She asked in confusion, nervous about her friends’ abrupt quietness and Anya’s conspicuous behavior. “Did Tara call?”
“She should be here soon, she said she was stopping by your doctor’s office to get a prescription. You’re okay, you’re sure?” Buffy spoke for the first time, her eyes darting quickly from her friend to Giles as they were too jumpy to settle on anything for more than a few seconds at a time.
Willow frowned and knew better than to shake her head, her shoulders bobbing as she shrugged instead. “Yeah, I just have a migraine. Did you see Spike, what happened with him? Are you okay?”
The redhead missed the warning look Giles shot Buffy but the slayer didn’t need to be reminded that what had been happening with Spike and Warren was to be omitted for the time being. “It’s okay, Will, I’m fine. I think he got the chip out, somehow. I’m fine, he didn’t even try to attack me!” Buffy was quick to assure the redhead when she bolted from the table to take a look at her. “I’m fine Will, I swear.”
Willow didn’t look convinced but she appreciated the slayer humoring her, Buffy letting her check her neck and wrists for any sign of biting or scratching. “What did you do to your hand?” She asked as she brushed her fingers over the barely visible chafes.
It was an innocent question but it put Buffy on the spot, no one else having noticed her bruised joints. “I hit him. Spike. I was pissed that he left and came back as if nothing was wrong and it ticket me off so I punched his boney face. Hey, Anya’s back!”
The diversion worked and Willow focused her attention on Anya and on the large plastic bag she was carrying. Her curiosity was as its peak when the vengeance demon stopped in front of her and handed her the bag, almost shoving it in her arms when Willow didn’t take it immediately. “Come on, go ahead, it’s for you.”
Willow raised an eyebrow and put the bag on the table, a stunned smile soon lighting her face as she inspected its content. “Buffy, Dawn and Callie have one as well. Yours is bigger because it is for both Tara and you.” Anya explained with a surprisingly soft voice. “You’re upset because you lost Buffy’s house and your personal property and it’s important to take care of yourself when you’re upset. Xander didn’t have anything girlie so I took care of it for you.”
Willow was at a loss for words as she went through several bottles of shampoo, perfumed soap, hand cream, body lotion and much more. Anya had thought of everything as there was even bubble gum toothpaste, colorful tooth brushes, shaving cream and scented candles. Tears welling in her eyes, Willow laughed when she reached the bottom of the bag and found pairs of matching panties and bras.
“I hope you like them, and that Tara will, they should be the right size but we can go and exchange them if they don’t-” Anya was interrupted as Willow twisted around and hugged her, genuinely pleased and grateful at the girl’s gesture. “Thank you, Anya, you’re really sweet.”
Anya beamed and smiled widely at Willow’s display of affection. “I’m glad you like it, Willow. I have to get back to the Magic Box before it loses too much money but I will be back tonight to help with the spell.”
Willow’s eyes hardened as she shifted her gaze from the already gone girl to her friends, before finally locking eyes with Callie. “I guess it’s time we talk about the spell, Willow.”
*************
Tara grunted and dropped a bag on the floor as she unsuccessfully attempted to unlock the door, one of the heavy canvas bags biting painfully into her wrist. She muttered and began putting all bags on the hallway floor when she jumped, startled by the door suddenly opening in her face. “Dawnie, hey.”
“Wow, you sure know how to shop, Tare. You’d make Anya proud.” Dawn smirked as she stepped into the hallway to help bringing the armful of bags inside. “I thought you were only supposed to pick up a few things?”
“That was the plan, or until I went into every store I could see and I k-kind of went nuts.” Tara frowned, following the teenager into the living room where they put all of the witch’s purchases. “The purple bag is yours, and the yellow one is for Buffy.”
The brunette snapped her head in surprise, a smile gracing her face. “Really? Tara, you shouldn’t have…that’s really sweet, thank you. Looks like it’s presents day, with Anya showing up with stuff for us as well. Well, for us girls.”
“Anya came by? That’s really kind of her.” Tara commented softly and grinned, the girl’s smile contagious as the witch watched her surrogate sister go through her bag. “Where’s Willow?” She asked when she realized the bedroom door was opened and that there wasn’t any sign of the redhead anywhere.
“She’s in the bathroom taking a shower, she said you could go in if you want.” Dawn said distractedly, busy going through her gift bag, squealing excitedly when her hand fished a sweater out.
Tara let Dawn enjoy her presents and jaunted to the bathroom. She could hear the water running so Tara knocked and twisted the doorknob, happy when she found it unlocked. “Hey honey, I’m back.”
“Hi, baby.” Willow welcomed her, her voice reverberating on the ceramic tile as she turned the water off. Tara grinned wickedly when she saw the towel folded up neatly on the cabinet and she quickly went for it, grabbing it just as Willow pushed the curtain to take possession of it. “Hey!”
“Hey what?”
“Give me the towel back, Tara.” Willow playfully scowled and reached for it but the blonde put it behind her back, keeping it away from her lover. “Tara, come on, I’m cold!”
Tara seized the shower curtain and gave it a slight tug, smirking as it revealed the redhead’s body and hardened nipples. “I’d say. I don’t know about the towel though, I kind of like the feel of it in my arms.”
Willow rolled her eyes and pushed the rest of the curtain out of the way, climbing off the bathtub naked while hundreds of droplets of water cascaded down her body. As expected, Tara forgot all about the towel as she admired her girlfriend’s glistening skin and dropped the towel, which Willow hastily picked up. “Spoil sport.”
“I was cold.” Willow reiterated with a smirk and a shrug but she leaned forward and kissed her partner’s pout away. “Better?”
“Always. Did you have a good nap?” Tara grinned and sat on the counter, glad to see her girlfriend in a better mood than when she left. She enjoyed the view, watching contentedly Willow as she dried herself while listening distractedly to the girl’s babble. “Wait, what about Anya? And where does that bra come from?” Tara asked with a frown just as Willow was putting on a dotted purple and white bra, quickly followed by a pair of matching panties.
“You really were listening, huh?” Willow smirked and turned to her girlfriend, loosely wrapping her arms around her, her still damp body fitting perfectly against the blonde’s. “It was a gift from Anya, actually everything on the counter is from her, it’s her gift to both of us.” Tara nodded appreciatively at the display of products and smiled as she kissed Willow on the neck and admired the redhead’s backside. “I like Anya and I’m grateful for her help but, really Will? A thong?”
“Does it surprise you, coming from Anya? You can’t be that mad if you can’t keep your hands to yourself.” Willow chuckled, gently reaching behind to take Tara’s wandering hands off her buttocks. “I’m glad you’re back baby, because Callie wants to talk to us. She’s getting ready to do the spell.”
*************
“I know it was an accident, Andrew, you don’t have to apologize every ten seconds.” Xander mumbled in exasperation as he opened the door to his apartment and let Andrew go inside first, allowing Xander to roll his eyes at the younger man as he followed him in.
“I didn’t think nail guns were that sensitive. It’s lucky no one was sitting on that chair, huh?”
“Yeah.” Xander shivered at that could have happened if someone had been hurt or worse when Andrew had accidentally triggered the nail gun right in a nearby chair. Seven times. “If you want to take a shower, now would be good before the girls come back and monopolize it for the rest of the day.”
Andrew smiled and looked down at his dusty clothes. “A shower sounds good. Do you have volumizing shampoo? My hair are all dull and…and never mind, I’ll use whatever you have.”
Xander groaned and collapsed on a chair, already wishing he had locked Andrew up somewhere so he could catch a break. He promised himself he would talk to Buffy as soon as she got back to see if they could let the man go since it was safe to assume that Warren wouldn’t be a threat anymore.
Warren gone…it wasn’t the case yet but it was only a matter of hours now, Xander mused as he glanced at the clock. He watched absently Andrew grab a drink from the fridge before heading for the bathroom, Xander only snapping his head up in alarm when he heard yelling and a slamming door. “What the hell?”
“Um…huh-huh…g-gir-girls i-in-”
“Girls in bathroom!” Willow clamored in annoyance as she walked in the kitchen, a towel wrapped around her. Tara was right behind her holding a dark bag. “Xander, scissors?”
“Second drawer. Andrew walked in on you?”
Willow glared as she leaned on the counter, not enjoying her friend’s smirk. “Get your head out of the gutter, Xander, I wasn’t naked. He caught us um…kissing and stuff.” The blush coloring Willow’s face made Xander smile, grateful that even through everything his best friend had kept part of her innocence.
Tara noticed her lover’s discomfort and the way Andrew kept peeking at her so she hurriedly cut the tags off Willow’s new clothes and gave them for the redhead to go and get dressed. “There you go sweetheart.”
“Thanks. And stop staring at me!” Andrew shrunk and took several steps back at Willow’s warning and scowl. “I’m not, I swear! I promise, Tara, I’m not staring at her!”
Tara shook her head and took a seat next to Xander, sighing heavily as exhaustion started to catch up with her. “You’re back early.”
Xander grinned but cringed at the cause of his impromptu afternoon off. “Yeah, John McClane here thought it’d be a good idea to use a nail gun to fake a real one. Don’t worry though, no one was hurt but I had to get him out of there before somebody got killed.”
“Thank God.”
“Yeah. Are you guys going somewhere?” Xander asked when Tara kept glancing at her watch and the oven clock to check the time.
Tara nodded as she shot a look to the bedroom closed door, wondering what was taking Willow so much time. “Callie’s waiting for us.”
“So she’s going along with the spell?” Xander hesitantly asked even though he already knew about the witch’s plan for tonight but uncertain about what Tara had been told so far.
“It’s alright, Xander, I know about the plan. Willow wants Callie to perform the spell at Oz’s old cell so we’ll have a plan B if the spell doesn’t work.” Tara admitted with a sad smile. “What’s taken her so long? Will?”
“Willow, honey, what’s wrong?” Tara exclaimed as she burst in the bedroom after her knocking remained unanswered. Willow was curled up on the floor and was shaking badly, her new clothes discarded next to her. Tara and Xander dropped on their knees on either side of the redhead, the blonde’s hands on her girlfriend to turn her over but Willow wouldn’t move and her body was as taut as a piece of steel. “Will? Come on, sweetie, talk to me!”
“Xander, c-call Buffy!” Xander gulped and jumped back on his feet and ran off to find a phone while Tara whispered soothing words in her lover’s ears and stroke her back as she struggled not to panic. As far as she knew, Willow was not having seizures but there was something else wrong with her, something that Tara couldn’t understand but the slayer might. Her months dealing with the recovering redhead had given her an edge regarding Willow’s health and magic problems that Tara hadn’t managed to gain yet.
Lost in her thoughts, it took Tara several seconds before she realized that Willow’s whimpers had become more than painful moans. “What? What are you trying to say, love? Come on, take your time and tell me what’s wrong.”
Willow bit back a sob as she felt her insides being set on fire and torn apart by something she prayed she’d never have to experience again. She shut her eyes tight when a wave of nausea hit her and the magics building inside threatened to swallow her whole. “Rack.”
*************
I don’t know what’s wrong with her, just come home now!” Xander yelled curtly on the phone before hanging up and walking to the door to answer to the incessant knocking that started while Xander was on the phone. “What!”
“Wow, way to greet people, Xander. A little rude though.”
“Amy?” Xander’s eyes narrowed immediately in suspicion. Willow’s sudden sickness and the witch’s presence couldn’t be coincidental. “What are you doing here?”
“Ah, nothing much. I thought I’d pay my friends a visit. You know, for old time sakes.” Amy smiled sweetly and tried to walk past Xander to get inside but was refused access as the carpenter’s arms created a barrier between her and the door. “Come on, Xand, let me in.” “Sorry Amy, but no. Leave and don’t make a fuss out of it, okay?”
“Sorry Xander, I really can’t do that.” Amy’s features softened as she raised her hand and sent a blast in Xander’s way. The man didn’t have time to scream as he was magically thrown backwards across the apartment and he crashed hard against a bookshelf.
************
“What?” Tara whispered in confusion as she felt Willow’s body tensed so hard that the blonde actually got scared Willow’s bones would snap under the pressure.
“I believe she said my name. Hello strawberry.” Rack smirked from the doorway while Amy stood in his shadow.
“Long time no see.”
**************
“And I’m telling you, I know what I’m doing, Giles!” Buffy argued as she and her watcher waited for the elevator to reach the floor to Xander’s apartment. Both were with Callie when Xander’s urgent phone call dragged them back to his apart in haste, Callie staying behind to continue the spell preparations.
Giles sighed in frustration, the slayer’s stubborn mind giving him a headache. “I just want you to be careful, Buffy. We still don’t know for sure what is Spike’s deal. You ought to be cautious, that’s all.”
“I am,” Buffy reiterated once again, slightly annoyed by Giles’s insistence. The elevator bell rang and she almost jumped out of it, hurried to get to Willow. “I just…” Buffy’s reply died on her lips as hair stood on the back of her neck and goose bumps rose on her arms . Giles ran into her when she stopped abruptly without warning, sending both of them on the floor. “Giles, what the hell?”
Giles grunted as he rolled away from the blonde. “You’re the one who bloody stopped.”
Buffy jumped back on her feet and helped Giles as she shot her friend’s door a brief look. “Something’s wrong. It reeks of bloody magics.”
Buffy’s eyes widened and paled at Giles’s words. “What?”
The slayer dropped the watcher’s hand and ran to Xander’s. The door was locked when she tried to open it and she began pounding on the door, the sense of dread she’s been feeling ever since Xander’s phone call turning into a full blown panic. “Xander! Will!”
Buffy’s heart twisted into a painful knot when it was red-eyed Tara that let her in a few seconds later. The witch had been crying and it showed as her cheeks were still damp with tears and she threw herself at the slayer. “Oww!”
“Y-you said h-he was g-g-gone!! You assured me that y-you had taken c-care of him!” Tara shouted angrily just as Giles came in behind Buffy, worried by the blonde’s vehement voice. “What the bloody hell is going on, where’s Willow?”
“Rack took her.” Xander muttered from where he was sprawled on the couch, his hand clutching an ice pack to his head.
“What?” Buffy yelled, glancing between her friends with alarmed and wide eyes. “Rack’s gone!”
Tara snorted and watched as Giles made his way to Xander to check him out. “He’s not, Buffy, and he took Will. She’s gone…” Fighting back tears was becoming a lost cause and she began sobbing again, too frustrated to care about losing it in front of everyone.
Giles made sure Xander wasn’t suffering from a concussion and, once satisfied the young man only had a big bump on the head and a bruised back, the watcher turned to the girls. “Tara, I need to know what happened exactly.”
Tara wiped her cheeks and nodded, smiling thankfully at Giles when he handed her a tissue and guided her to a nearby chair. “I-I only have been home a few minutes when Willow went to the bedroom to get dressed. S-she wasn’t coming back so I-I went to check on her and she was on the floor, shaking a-and in p-pain.”
“That’s when you told Xander to call me.” Buffy piped in quietly, helping Tara to move on from the part where Willow had been in distress. “How did Rack come in?”
“Amy was at the door right after I hung up with you. She got pissed when I wouldn’t let her in so she played ultimate frisbee with me.” Xander added as he carefully sit on the edge of the couch, not feeling well enough to stand up just yet.
“Will mumbled something about Rack when I asked her w-what was wrong and all of a sudden h-he was there. He said something about Willow being a b-bad girl a-a-and I couldn’t do a-anything because Amy had me pinned on the floor. A-and then Willow screamed and they were gone.”
The silence in the room was so thick that everyone jumped when Buffy grabbed a coffee mug out of nowhere and threw it against the wall. It shattered in hundreds of pieces, coloring the white tiled floor with blue sparkles. “I’m sorry.”
Buffy sighed and met Tara’s eyes with hesitation, scared of what she would see in her friend’s eyes. The slayer’s guilt multiplied by a million when there wasn’t any trace of hate of betrayal in the pair of blue orbs that met hers, only sorrow and pain. “Don’t be sorry, Buffy, just fix this. I need her back before he hurts her again.”
“I will.” Buffy winced at Tara’s order but she nodded nonetheless, acknowledging it was her responsibility for their friend’s abduction. “Okay, you and Giles will get back to Callie. She’ll help you while I have to take care of something.
“Take c-care of something? Of what? What is more important than your best friend’s life?” Tara asked incredulously and, furious, blocked the slayer from leaving.
Buffy shot Giles a pleading look and frowned when the older man shook his head. “I promise you Tara that my main concern is Will, but right now there’s something I really need to do. I won’t be of any use while you and Callie try locator spells anyway.”
Buffy went around Tara and the witch, too stunned to react, let her go. Giles sensed it was better to take her mind off the slayer’s back before she got angry again and so he gently took her by the arm and turned her around. “Tara, I can assure you Buffy will come back as soon as she can. In the mean time let’s go and see what Callie can do to help us, alright?”
“Giles, if he hurt her again…”
“I’ll kill him myself.” Xander promised shakily as he stopped behind Tara. “Or I’ll throw up on him until he dies, we’ll see. Come on, let’s go find your girl.”
**************
The cold biting deep through Willow’s skin and bones was what finally woke her up. Nauseous and dizzy after having gone through a brutal teleportation, Willow cautiously opened one eye to see where she was. “It was about time you woke up, I was going crazy here.”
“Go to hell, Amy.” Willow grunted as she closed her eyes again. She had hoped for a horrid nightmare but the brunette’s voice and the ropes biting into her wrists just proved her that it was all real. “Rack…”
“He’s around.” Amy confirmed sullenly, her former arrogant behavior now gone. “How are you?”
Willow glared laughed bitterly as she struggled and slowly pushed herself into a sitting position similar to Amy’s. “I’m just peachy. After all, there’s nothing I love more than being kidnapped by a magic dealer and someone I used to believe was a friend. You could have at least given me the time to get dressed.” The redhead muttered in annoyance as she shivered, both from her lack of clothes and the dangerous situation she was in.
“Vertirse.” Amy whispered after a brief look around. Willow looked down and sighed in relief as her underwear clad body was now covered with loose fitting jeans and a long sleeved shirt. “Thanks.”
Amy nodded almost shyly before taking a sharp breath and closing her eyes, her face scrunching up in pain. Willow frowned when the cave they were in suddenly shifted to reveal street lamp posts and fragments of a red building. “Amy, what the hell?”
“You couldn’t help yourself, didn’t you?” Rack rebuked the witch sharply as he appeared from behind. “Hello, Strawberry.”
“What the heck did she do, where are we?” Willow asked, her natural curiosity making her momentarily forget who she was talking to.
“Amy is helping me with a little trick I taught her,” Rack smiled as he bent over Willow and let his fingers trail the redhead’s jaw line. Its callous hands snapped Willow out of it and she pushed him away, but the warlock was prepared for it. He grabbed the redhead’s hands and held them tightly together until Willow whimpered under the strain he was putting on the bones. “You know the rules, Strawberry, be a good girl or else…”
Willow glared and tugged on her hands, the sharp throbbing she felt in her left hand intensifying as soon as they were free. “Bite me.” Rack laughed and shot both girls an amused look, but to Willow it looked more like a predatory scowl. “Our time apart gave you back your edge, I like it. Now let’s see if you’re still as tasty as I remember.”
Willow tried to back away but it was no avail, the wall behind her preventing her from fleeing. “No, please…Amy!”
Rack raised his hand at Amy when the brunette was about to stand up. “Amy’s busy.” Without any warning the warlock grabbed Willow by the shirt and she screamed as he began draining magics from her.
************
“I am so sorry Tara.” Callie sighed when the locator spell she had performed failed. It was the third one they’d tried and, so far, none of them had succeeded.
Tara exhaled shakily and shook her head, not accepting than any of their attempts to locate Willow worked. “I-I don’t get it, we should b-be able to find her!”
“I know. Just…let me think a minute.” The older witch sat on the ground and took the redhead’s dragonfly pendant Tara had lent her to perform the spells. Willow had given her the night before so she wouldn’t lose it while being in werewolf form.
Callie focused her energies on the pendant and, slowly, cautiously released Willow’s energies dormant in the pendant into the atmosphere. The witch’s magics followed Willow’s and escorted them as they instinctively reached in search of their owner, but soon Callie felt them become restless as they roamed helplessly, unable to find the redhead. With a frustrated groan Callie gathered them back before they could escape and regretfully handed back the pendant to Tara.
“What, what is it?” She inquired cautiously, puzzled by Callie’s forlorn expression. Tara suddenly felt lightheaded as all kinds or horrible scenarios swirled through her mind and almost sent her to her knees. She knew what it meant when a witch’s magical energies couldn’t find their way back. “Oh God…”
Strong hands caught Tara as she collapsed, her legs buckling under the implication of the failed spell. The blonde could hear voices trying to calm her down and comfort her but they were so distant and hazy, as if in another dimension. “I-I need her, I need to find her, she c-can’t, can’t b-be-.”
“She is not. We will find her, Tara, I promise you but I need you to be strong for her, okay? You have to be strong for your girl if you want us to find her.”
“Now let’s think. What are the different reasons for a witch’s magics being inept at tracing their owner?” Callie questioned Tara with an energetic voice, wishing to snap the younger witch out of the despair state she was in.
Tara frowned and thought hard several minutes, her ocean blue orbs reddened by the tears and exhaustion. As she calmed down and faced the situation with a more rational side, Tara remembered two things. “You wouldn’t have been able to release and feel Will’s magics if she had been g-g-gone.”
“Good. And?”
“W-Willow is with two powerful witches-um, warlock o-or whatever he is.” The blonde slowly as her brain worked out more plausible explanations about her girlfriend’s disappearance. Tara smiled sheepishly, still worried out of her mind about Willow but now feeling a little foolish about her meltdown. “They may be using a cloaking spell or something else to make sure we won’t find her. I’m sorry, Callie.”
“Love makes you do the wacky, huh?” Callie dismissed the blonde’s apology with a grin and she squeezed her hand reassuringly when she noticed Giles standing in the crypt’s doorway. She helped Tara to her feet as the watcher came closer, the hope shining in his eyes fading away as Callie shook her head. “Come on, honey, I may have one last spell up my sleeve before we have to go on with the big one.”
************
The light had already started to fade inside the appliance store when Buffy came back, a stake ready in hand. The building was even quieter than before, something she had trouble believing. She quietly climbed the flight of stairs but she stopped in the hallway leading to where Spike and Warren had been, the need to enter that room not necessary anymore.
Buffy didn’t have to wait long before she sensed the vampire approaching, its steps silent as if it was crawling on the walls, and yet the faint hissing it made as it came closer, a trait most of fledglings shared, warned her of its imminent arrival. “Hey Warren.”
The hissing stopped and footsteps echoed on the cement floor as the vampire finally halted. Buffy turned and took in the man’s bumpy brows, its sharp teeth and the drool that leaked from its mouth and Buffy’s heart gave a sharp twist. Warren had deserved everything that had happened but her slayer conscience reminded her that is was another human life gone to hell, this time literally. “Slayer.”
“Can we make this quick? ‘Cause you’re really low on my list of priorities today.”
Warren scoffed and he made wet sounds as he spoke, his new fangs giving him troubling enunciating clearly. “Your bitch is not here to stop me this time. Kinda funny, come to think of it. I guess she really is one now.”
Buffy’s eyes narrowed and her hands clenched tightly into fists, the force of her anger making the stake crack in her hand. “Ok, enough talking, more dying.”
The fight was quick but violent. All the hatred and resentment she had towards the man caught up with her as she waited for the vampire to strike.
Excited about his newly found strength and immortality, Warren charged but Buffy was ready. She let herself fall backwards as Warren rushed her and she kicked him in the legs, making him stumble to the ground.
Buffy jumped back on her feet and sent a round kick in the vampire’s back when it tried to get back up. Warren collapsed again and he grunted as the slayer’s boot viciously hit him in the ribs. His attempt at grabbing her foot was unsuccessful as he three of his fingers were broke when she stumped on them and she kicked him one last time in the face, breaking his barely healed nose. “Aghh! You bitch!”
“Game’s over Warren. Have fun in Hell.” The slayer’s stake found its way to the vampire’s heart quickly, almost on instinct. There was little dust as Warren exploded, leaving Buffy to lean over him as if she was expecting to come back.
“You made it quick. I’d figured you’d pound him into a bloody pulp.” Spike commented as he came out of the shadows to inspect the remnants of dust on the ground. The slayer still hadn’t moved but the bleached vampire hesitated as he stood next to her, unsure of her next move.
Buffy stared at the concrete, somewhat befuddled that someone who had done so much damage could leave so little trace once dead. She felt Spike beside her, her stake twitching lightly in her hand as she picked it up and shook it to dust it off. “You know I could do the same to you.”
“And yet you don’t.”
“No.” Buffy sighed and glanced at the former man next to her. “Why can’t I?”
“You want me to cure you from your guilt trip so you can feel free to dust me? Not a bloody chance.” Spike scoffed, amused. “Maybe, and I say maybe, that something stirring deep down inside you that you actually feel pain if I’d die.”
Buffy rolled her eyes and pocketed her stake as she got ready to go and deal with more important matters. “I’m giving you one last chance, Spike. Don’t screw up or your new and shiny new chip-less brain won’t make a difference. I shouldn’t even let you go get away with this.”
Spike took a step closer and looked down in the slayer’s eyes, unblinking as he met her gaze. “I am different, Buffy. You may think you don’t believe it, but if you were so sure of yourself I’d be ashes by now. I can change. I already did.”
The vampire kept quiet as the slayer’s searching eyes stared hard at him for several long seconds. He let out an unnecessary breath when she sighed. “Then prove it.”
*************
“Are you sure there’s nothing else you can do?” Tara asked again as she pleaded Callie to try another spell to locate Willow. The last one she supposedly had in mind had been as deceiving as the others and they were now out of option.
Callie nodded half-heartedly, hating herself to have run out of option so quickly. “I may be a strong witch, Tara, but I don’t have the powers it would require to project myself into another dimension to see if Willow’s there and bring her back. The most apt person to achieve such a thing right now would be Willow herself.”
“But-”
“We are about to cast a powerful spell, Tara, I know you want us to try everything and so do we, but we also have to be reasonable about this.” Callie explained patiently but Tara would hear none of it. She took a spiteful look at the carefully laid out ingredients and talked herself down to keep herself from destroying everything. “What’s even the point of doing that spell if Will is not here?!?”
“The henbane, once prepared, is only viable for twenty-four hours and then I will have to throw it out and Goddess knows how long it’ll be before we can put a hand on more. Whether Willow is here or not the spell will work if it has to. We can’t put this off any longer.” Callie tried to reason with Tara when she saw that the blonde was about to lose it.
“I don’t c-care about the henbane or the spell of anything else! All I care about is to have my girlfriend back before Rack hurts her again.” Tara climbed back to her feet and jogged past Callie and Giles, and neither of them dared holding her back. “Fine. You do your damned spell and I’ll find her myself.”
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