Destiny - Chapters 31 & 32
Nov. 14th, 2003 11:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psubratAuthor: PSUbrat
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is part three of a trilogy and is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: Xander and Anya awake to find they are the first to face the trials but when things go deadly wrong, Xander blames the one person we'd never expect...
Timeframe: Immediately following "Trials & Tribulations"
Warning: Contains Character Death
"Xander? Xander wake up," Anya pleaded as she shook him several times. She had wakened a few minutes before and was not at all happy to find that they had been separated from the others.
"Hmmmm?" He asked sleepily. "Just a few more minutes, An. The alarm hasn’t even gone off yet."
"Xander LaVelle Harris, wake up this instant!" She demanded firmly as she punched him in the arm, hard enough to get her point across.
"What?" He demanded grouchily. "What is so important that it can’t wait until morning?"
She glared at him. "Open your damn eyes and you might understand."
Slowly he opened his eyes, looked around and then sat bolt upright. The sun was no longer high in the sky but was setting over the horizon causing everything to be a deep shade of purple. "Wait. Weren’t we just with...?"
"Yes."
"And didn’t we just see...?"
"Yes."
His mouth dropped open as if to say something but he just gaped instead. After collecting himself, he continued. "Okay, so...what does this mean?" He asked, gesturing with his hands and then scrunching up his face. "And why am I still in this damn dress?"
"I’m guessing, and it’s just a guess here, that we’ve been chosen to face our trials first. As for the dress, it’s not a dress, not really. It’s called a tunic and was quite fashionable at one time."
He looked at her with an exasperated expression. "Luck and me…Two things that don’t go together. Ever. I wonder why we got picked to go first?"
"Oh I don’t know. Maybe because you’re the only real human of the group? I mean I’m human too, now, but I was once a demon and a pretty good one at that. Giles and Wesley are human but they’re both very powerful magic casters, same with Willow and Tara."
"So prey on the weakest link first type thing?"
"Yes. That’s what I would have done when I was a demon. You always want to find the weakest and take them out first. Get it over and done with. Makes things tidier in the end."
He shook his head and looked away from her. Leave it to Anya to tell it like it is and not even bat an eyelash doing it. Wonderful. Now what? They were alone and it was getting darker by the minute. He figured it was just a matter of time before it was pitch black. Standing up, he surveyed the area. There wasn’t much around but rocks and sand. "We should probably look for weapons or something," he stated, thinking that it would be a good idea just in case their trials didn’t involve hugs and puppies.
"I’ve already looked, when I was waiting for you to wake up. There’s not much here. Just some rocks."
"I wonder when things are going to get started? Not that I’m excited to get this show on the road or anything but if I’m gonna die...actually, I’d rather not die."
"Xander don’t be silly. You’re not going to die."
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a circle of torches lighted around them. "Uh, An? Where did they come from?"
"Is everyone alright?" Giles asked with concern as he picked himself up off the ground. The last thing he remembered was a bright light and then blackness. Blinking hard, he tried to take in the group. Everyone appeared to be fine.
Wesley stood, trying to test his equilibrium. He wasn’t sure how long they had been unconscious; it couldn’t have been too long since the sun hadn’t moved in the sky. Perhaps it had just been an instant.
"I think we’re all okay," Willow replied while helping Tara to her feet. "What do you think that was?"
"A translocation," Wesley responded looking grim. He had begun scanning their surroundings when the thought had occurred to him.
"A who?" Cordelia asked with a frown.
"A translocation," Giles repeated in a whisper. "Who’s missing? Is everyone accounted for?"
"Xander’s missing!" Dawn suddenly yelled; eyes wide and full of fear.
"So’s Anya," Tara added.
"Then it’s started," Wesley stated with a sigh. "There’s nothing we can do now."
"So...what? Are we just gonna get picked off by pairs now? Is that what they’re going to do?" Cordelia demanded as she stepped into the middle of the group. "Cause I gotta say, if that’s the case, it sucks."
"Quite." Giles agreed as he sat down on a large rock.
"Why did they take Xander and Anya first? I know someone had to go first, but why them?" Willow asked on the verge of tears. Her best friend since childhood was now out there somewhere facing something awful and she couldn’t be there to help him. It was too much.
Giles looked at his hands and shook his head. "I don’t know Willow. I don’t suppose there’s neither rhyme nor reason as to how we’re going to be picked. We just will be."
Wesley walked over to the rock and sat down next to Giles. He was deep in thought. "I’m sure," he mussed. "That there is a pattern to the choosing, but we won’t understand it until the next pair has been taken. I know that’s not what everyone wants to hear, but we have no choice."
"You mean we can’t even try to find them?" Dawn asked as she clung to Connor.
"I’m afraid not," Wesley replied. "We have no idea where they have been taken, if they’re even in this dimension."
"I could try a locator spell," Willow suggested, quickly sitting down on the ground and crossing her legs.
"That’s not a good idea," Giles stated as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You need to save your powers. You have no idea what your trials will entail."
"I can’t just leave them out there!"
"Yes, Willow. I’m afraid you’re going to have to. There is no choice in the matter."
"There has to be something!" Willow cried, anger rising up within her.
Wesley shook his head. "I’m sorry Willow, but Giles is right. We cannot help them through this."
Xander placed a protective arm around Anya as his eyes quickly swept the area within the lighted circle. It was a large circle, about one hundred feet in diameter but he could see nothing beyond it. It was as if nothing else existed but them and the fire. "This can’t be of the good," he whispered, holding on to Anya tighter than before. "Have you seen anything like this before?"
"No. Never. I’ve seen a lot of things in my time but I’ve never been part of an attempted Last Judgment. Heard stories, yes, but never thought they were true. Demons like to talk big, ya know. Like ‘I was there’ or ‘you should have seen what I did to the guy who tried it’. Stuff like that."
"Well," Xander stated as his eyes widened at the sight of a demon entering the ring. "I think you better start remembering some of those stories cause we’re about to get underway."
The demon lumbered into the circle, eyes fixed on its prey. It didn’t know how it had gotten here or why, but it knew it had been hired to destroy these two humans.
"It’s a Fyarl demon." Anya stated matter of factly.
"You mean the same thing that Giles turned into that last time Ethan came to town?" He asked turning towards his girlfriend, eyes wide.
"That’s the one."
"Okay. So let’s kill this thing," he stated stepping forward as anger began to take control of him.
"Xander no! We can’t just kill him by breaking his neck or anything. We need silver."
"Silver?"
"Fyarl demons can be killed by anything silver."
"News flash here, look around, there’s nothing even remotely silver available to us."
"I know that, but maybe I can remember a spell to turn a rock into silver or something."
"I think you better think fast with that spell cause he’s looking kinda hungry." Silver or no, he was going to take this thing out...with his bare hands if need be.
"Just keep him busy."
"Uh, right. How do you suggest I do that?" He asked as he watched her draw a circle around herself in the sand. "Play tiddly winks with him?"
"Do whatever you think is best, sweetie."
"Right," he stated as he frantically looked around for something to keep the monster at bay. Suddenly an idea crossed his mind. "Okay big boy, let’s see what you can do with fire." Grabbing a torch out of the ground, he jabbed at the demon, which notably flinched away. "Ah ha! So not big with the fire, huh?"
The demon eyed the boy with the fire cautiously. Fire bad. All it wanted was to crush the male and then have some fun with the female.
Xander felt, more than saw the demon lunge for Anya. In a matter of seconds, he had moved to place his body between that of the demon and Anya who had started chanting something. "No way are you going to touch my girlfriend," he growled as the anger finally consumed him. He lunged at the demon, fire in hand and jabbed at it with the torch over and over. The demon howled in pain as its flesh singed and burned. "I’m really tired," jab "of having to fight demons," jab, jab "who want to hurt the women I love."
Anya, silver dagger now in hand, looked up in time to see the mucous shoot out of the demon’s nose. "Xander watch out!" But the warning was too late. She watched helplessly as Xander’s body was encased in the paralyzing mucous.
Xander fell to the ground with a thud. He tried to get back up but found he couldn’t move. His eyes widened in horror as the demon picked him up, and began crushing him. He heard his bones snapping as the pain became blinding and hot, his life flashing before him in a series of pictures and sounds. He thought he heard Anya scream something before he felt himself fall to the ground in a broken heap.
Anya stood over the demon, her hands bloody and shaking. She watched quietly as the body disappeared from sight, not understanding why or how. Turning she ran over to Xander and kneeled beside him. "I told you to distract him, not attack him. Why didn’t you listen to me?" She was distraught as she looked at him, his body bleeding and struggling for breath. "You never listen to me. Why don’t you ever listen to me?" She was almost hysterical now.
"I-I’m sorry," he managed to reply between gasps. "I was just trying to protect you."
"Why do you have to be so loyal?" She demanded as she struggled to not sob in front of him.
"I told you nothing good would ever come out of your relationship," a voice stated from behind them.
Anya turned her head to peer over her shoulder, searching for the source of the voice. At first she saw nothing, but then a darkly clad figure stepped into the circle. Quietly she watched as the form removed the hood of the cloak. She inhaled sharply as recognition set in. "Halfrek!"
"Anyanka," Halfrek stated with disdain.
Turning back to Xander, she tried to make him as comfortable as possible. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow, if she didn’t get him help soon she wasn’t sure he would make it. "Thank goodness you’re here," she cried. "Xander’s hurt. I’m afraid he might be..." She couldn’t bring herself to say the word.
Anya’s back was still to her so she knew that her friend couldn’t see the smile that was slowly creeping across her face. "And that affects me how?"
Anya frowned as she slowly turned around. "What?" She demanded, freezing at the sight of Halfrek’s expression, terror and dread began coursing through her body.
Halfrek laughed at the look of horror on Anya’s face. "My dear friend… Did you think I came to help you after everything?"
Tears streamed down Anya’s cheeks as she shook with a mixture of fright and anger. She didn’t have time to get into this with Halfrek, not now, not with Xander so close to death. Taking a deep breath and straightening up, she moved to stand in front of her friend. Crossing her arms over her chest, she hugged herself closely as she looked at her friend through watery eyes. "Are you going to help me or not?"
"Let me think about that a second," Halfrek replied with a smirk as she tilted her head to the side as if contemplating the request. Her eyes narrowed as she continued. "I believe my answer is, not."
"What?" Anya asked, shocked and somewhat appalled at her friend’s behavior. "Xander is dying. How can you just stand there and not help me?"
She sighed as she looked over at the broken form on the ground, her tone deadly serious. "Very easily. I’m not here to help. Think about it Anyanka. Why would I be here now, of all times?"
Still hugging herself, a look of confusion spread over Anya’s face. "I don’t know what you mean."
"Yes you do, Anyanka."
Anya suddenly gasped as she finally realized what Halfrek was getting at. "No. No you can’t be," she whispered.
"But I am, and I’m going to kick your sorry excuse for a demon ass all over this circle and there won’t be a damn thing you can do about it."
"Why are you so spiteful? What have I ever done to you Halfrek? I took you in and gave you a job when you became human..."
"That’s it right there. Even after you became a demon again you just couldn’t leave your humanity behind, could you? No. You had to drag me into it by pleading with me to help your little mortal friends. And what did I get in return, certainly not your thanks or theirs for that matter. I was punished. I had the one thing taken away from me that made me who I am."
"Don’t you dare blame me for your problem, Halfrek! You didn’t have to help. You chose to help knowing full well what the punishment would be if you did!"
"Whatever. I have another appointment to go to. Can we just fight now?"
"I’m not going to fight you Hali." Her face showed her exhaustion as her shoulders slumped.
"You don’t have a choice you know. It’s either kill or be killed. What’s it going to be Anyanka?"
Anya slowly looked over to where Xander’s broken body lay on the ground. There was no movement and she couldn’t tell if he was still breathing. She needed him to be okay but she also knew that it was up to her to get him help. If that meant having to kill someone she had been a friend with for centuries, then so be it, Xander was more important. Turning back to Halfrek, she glared at the woman before she spoke. "Alright. Fine. Let’s get this over with."
"Splendid," Halfrek stated smiling sweetly. "The rules are; there are no rules. Oh, and your demon powers have been returned to you to make this a fair fight. Let’s just see who can summon the worst thing possible on the other."
"How about we just go for an old fashion cat fight first?" Anya asked as she tackled Halfrek to the ground. She rolled Halfrek onto her back and grabbed a handful of hair, tugging hard.
"Ow! Stop that!" Halfrek exclaimed as she grabbed a handful of Anya’s hair and pulled. While holding onto Anya’s hair with one hand she began trying to scratch her face with other.
"Bitch!" Anya screamed as one nail raked her cheek, taking a small layer of skin with it, beads of blood forming in its place. She let go of Halfrek’s hair and began punching her face.
As Anya began to gain the upper hand by trying to choke the life out of her, Halfrek chanted a few words between gasps and sent Anya flying to the other side of the circle. Slowly she picked herself up off the ground, her hand flying to her neck, trying to rub away the pain that Anya had caused. "You stupid little girl. You don’t get it do you? You can’t harm me by conventional means. You have to take my life with magic. It’s the only way."
"I’m not doing this anymore. I’m not. It’s over."
"It’s not over by a long shot, Anyanka. If you don’t kill me, lover boy over there dies. Do you want that?"
"Anya, I’m dead either way," Xander stated forcefully between gasps. Neither woman had noticed him swim back into consciousness.
"Xander," Anya screamed as she ran to him and dropped to her knees beside him. "Stop. Don’t say that. You’re not going to die."
"I am," he said, smiling weakly as his eyes started to flutter closed once again. "So go kick her ass."
"Xander?" She pleaded. "Don’t die." There was no response. A sob escaped her body as she stood, gathering all of her courage and strength. "Halfrek, I’m going to plead with you one last time. Please help me get him out of here. If I ever meant anything to you..."
"If you ever meant anything to me? You’re kidding, right? Anyanka we were never friends, not in the truest sense. We were always co-workers who were trying to out do each other. I didn’t mean a thing to you, but you meant a great deal to me. I looked up to you and now because of you, I’ve been reduced to this." She was shouting now and gesturing wildly. Her face was flushed and fury shone in her eyes. "I blame you for everything, well, almost everything. But it’s because of you that I became human again and it’s because of you that I had my heart broken again. Do you know what it feels like to get your heart ripped out?"
"Yes," Anya screamed. "I was left at the altar, remember?"
"But the two of you worked it out, didn’t you? And now you’re ready to kill me to save him. So, no, I don’t think you understand. I have nothing now. Nothing. You took it all away from me. Now it’s your turn to know how it feels."
"Hali, no. Don’t do this," Anya pleaded.
Halfrek laughed as she held out her hand, chanting in Latin.
Anya looked down and suddenly a bloody, gaping hole appeared in her chest. She looked at Halfrek in shock and then her eyes traveled to Xander. "I’m sorry," she whispered before her eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground, lifeless.
Halfrek walked over to where Xander lay on the ground and crouched down beside him. She held out her bloodied hand, Anya’s still beating heart in her palm.
Xander opened his eyes slowly and gagged as he took in the scene. "Anya," he wheezed. He closed his eyes and let the tears flow, wishing for death to come faster.
"What’s left of her anyway," Halfrek replied with a smile. "Would you like me to wrap it? No, I guess not. You won’t have a use for it where you’re going. Ta-ta Alexander; you loser..." She disappeared into the night, leaving Xander to breathe his last breaths alone.
"Willow," Xander whispered, feeling his life force ebbing away. "Where are you?"
Just then a blinding flash of light turned the darkened night into day. Willow and Tara suddenly stood in the circle, bewilderment and fright etched on their faces.
Author: PSUbrat
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. Scene re-enactment borrowed from "Villains", written by Steven DeKnight. This story is part three of a trilogy and is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: After Anya and Xander's deaths, Willow and Tara are the next to face their trials, but can Willow pull herself together in time to defeat what lies before them...
Timeframe: Immediately following "The First of Many"
Warning: Contains Character Deaths
Willow and Tara had just been standing in broad daylight so it took a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the shadows and firelight. They squeezed hands as the two tried to take in their surroundings. Neither one of them could see anything outside of the circle; it was pitch black and ominous. Willow’s eyes swept the ground around her, her senses on overload. Something was wrong, off. Her stomach tightened as her gaze fell upon a bloody form on the ground. Her eyes widened as she gasped at the sight of Anya’s corpse.
"Anya?" Willow whispered; her voice caught in her throat and her legs feeling rubbery.
"Oh my god," Tara gasped. "Is she...?"
Willow slowly crept over to the still form, pushing herself, knowing full well what she’d find but knowing that she had to see it for herself. She knew instantly that their friend was no longer among the living. No one could survive having their heart ripped out. Not even Anya. What would do something as horrible as this? "She’s gone..." The words barely made it out of her mouth as a sob escaped from Tara.
She tried to cover her mouth before the sob escaped but it had come too quickly. "What do you think happened?" The how was obvious enough, but she needed to know the why and what, hoping that it would give them some insight in what they were to face.
"I-I don’t know, Tara. Something awful did this to her, something..." She stopped in mid-sentence as she heard a soft moan come from her left. "Xander?"
"Willow?"
She ran to the sound of his weakened voice and found him bloody and battered in a heap on the ground. She could hear his chest rattle with each breath he took. "Xander, what happened?"
His answers came in short sentences, each word a difficult task. "Demon. Like Giles. Stupid me. Should have listened. Anya."
"Shhh, try not to talk," she said as she ran her one hand across his forehead, moving his sweat slicked hair from his eyes. She took his other hand in hers and held on to him as tightly as she could without causing more pain. "Tara and I are going to try to get you out of here..."
"No. No. Dead already. Matter of time. All your fault." His eyes fluttered open briefly as if to emphasize his last statement.
"What?" Willow demanded, somewhat shocked and stricken by his words, her face clearly showing her pain.
"Your fault."
"Xander, you don’t mean that..." Tara stated softly as she knelt next to him as well.
"My fault?"
"The wish. Your fault," he whispered, swallowing hard. The words were harder now as the blackness and cold started to envelope him. The edges of his vision became grayer. He knew that his end was coming, swiftly now. Damn her for making that wish.
Willow quickly looked over at Tara, pain in her eyes and then she rested her gaze back on her friend. "Xander..." she started gently, searching his eyes frantically for forgiveness, something, anything that said he really didn’t believe she was responsible for all of this. She watched as his chest rose and fell one last time. "Xander! No!"
Tara moved quickly to the other side of Xander and felt for a pulse. There was none. Slowly she moved her hand over his eyes and ever so gently closed them while Willow sobbed. Anya and Xander had not survived their trials. It didn’t bode well for the rest of them.
"Well?" Cordelia demanded, looking from Wesley to Giles and then back again. Her hands were on her hips and she was tapping her right foot.
Giles and Wes exchanged furtive glances. They were pretty sure they knew the pattern now, but it would take the next disappearances to confirm it.
"Cordy, let it go," Angel stated, trying to calm her down.
"No! I, for one, am not going to sit around here waiting for the transport to wherever it is we’re going. We need to do something."
"It’s not that simple Cordelia," Giles replied, frustration clearly coating his voice. "We cannot just go out there and try to find whatever it is that’s separating us..."
"And why not? At least we’d be doing something positive instead of sitting around here waiting for our deaths, or whatever."
"We are not being killed off Cordelia," Wesley growled.
"Not that we know of anyway. Who’s to say that we’re not just being taken and killed right away, huh?"
Giles sighed and buried his face in his hands. "Cordelia, please. Sit down and be quiet."
Glaring at Giles, Cordelia walked over to Angel and sat down next to him in the warm sand. "Great. Now I’m gonna have sand in all the wrong places. What was I thinking?"
"Aren’t you all glowy and all knowing?" Dawn asked the former cheerleader, interrupting the girl’s rant about sand and where it usually ends up. "I mean, you get visions from the Powers, right? Can’t you find out what’s going on?"
Cordelia looked at Dawn, a frown covering her face. "I receive visions, Dawn. Big difference. I can’t just go inducing them."
"Sorry. Just asked."
Giles and Wesley joined the other four on the ground. "We think we know the pattern," Giles stated hesitantly. "And if we’re correct, Wesley and I will be next."
"How do you know?" Dawn asked with concern. The thought of being left here without Giles made her stomach churn.
"It’s all connected. Xander and Anya were chosen first because Xander is the only true human of the Twelve. Willow and Tara next because of Willow’s life long friendship with Xander as well as the connection of working together."
"So why does that make you and Wesley next?" Angel asked with a frown.
"Because," Wesley continued as his hard gaze settled on Angel. "Giles is connected to Willow and Tara. He brought them to study under the Coven in England and has worked with Willow since coming to Sunnydale for Buffy. That and there is separate magical connections as well. Anya had magical capabilities, as do Willow and Tara, Giles and myself."
"So that means Dawn and I would be after you two, right?" Connor questioned as he squeezed Dawn’s hand.
Giles shook his head. "No. Dawn is mystical, not magical. We believe that Angel and Cordelia would be next."
"Why?" Cordelia demanded as she folded her arms across her chest. "Neither of us has any magic in us."
"That’s not true," Wesley stated. "Angel’s soul is magical. It was inflicted upon him by a curse, using magic. Plus, it would also be a working connection...the AI continuance."
Connor looked at Giles. "Then Dawn and I would come after Angel and Cordelia because of my connection to Angel?"
"Yes," Giles stated with a nod. "Which would then lead into Buffy and William because of Dawn. It’s all connected."
"Now we just have to wait and see if we’re correct," Wesley added as he closed his eyes and sighed.
Willow’s sobs wracked her small frame as she leaned over Xander, screaming for him to come back to her. "You can’t be dead," she wailed. "Open your eyes Xander. Open them now!"
Tara quickly moved beside her grief stricken lover and tried to comfort her as best she could. Willow’s pain was almost unbearable. Finally, she was able to move Willow away from Xander and embrace her tightly, slowly rocking her. As she peered over Willow’s shoulder at Xander’s form, she noticed how it was getting lighter, fading away. She frowned and squeezed her eyes closed, opening them instantly. Nothing changed. "Xander’s gone," she stated in an almost whisper.
"I know," Willow sobbed.
"No Willow. I mean he’s gone."
Willow broke free of Tara’s embrace and turned around. Xander’s body had disappeared. Her eyes narrowed as confusion spread across her face. "Where did he go?"
"I don’t know but Anya’s gone too."
"Yeah, isn’t that just a shame?" A male voice asked from the shadows.
The two girls looked around the circle but saw no one. Willow thought she recognized the voice but it couldn’t be, could it? No. He was dead. Long dead. There was no way it was him.
"Oh it’s me alright," he said stepping into the lighted circle, revealing his identity to the two witches. "Now we’re gonna have some fun."
"Warren," Tara murmured.
"Yep. It’s me. I’m back and badder than ever. Isn’t that right, witch?" He asked with a wry smile, looking directly at Willow.
"No," Willow stated as she and Tara stood. "You’re dead. Buffy saw you die."
He laughed loudly and madly as he eyes danced in the firelight. "You think such a little thing like death could keep me down? Come on. Look where we live, on top of the Hellmouth. Do you think anyone really stays dead here?"
"Well, no, but still...we watched them carry your body away!"
"Oh please and besides, that was just one of my deaths, wasn’t it Willow?"
Her eyes widened in horror. "What?"
Chuckling, he began to walk the perimeter of the circle, his eyes never leaving them. "I’m one of the lucky ones. I got to die twice, only I didn’t know about the first time. Not until after the second time that is. I have to admit though; the second death was probably more noble, more crushing and less flaying." He paused, giving Willow a wicked grin. "Makes perfect sense to me now why you told me that I couldn’t kill her again when I was trying to destroy you all back in the cave. At the time, I just thought you were out of your mind, protecting your lover but now I know, don’t I? I know everything." He now stood about three feet from them and could smell Willow’s anger. "Does your little girlfriend here know what you did? To me? To them?"
"Yes," Willow stated with authority, refusing to be cowed by his closeness to them. "I told them everything."
Tara nodded in agreement when Warren’s eyes traveled to meet hers. "She did. Everything."
"I see. Well, then I guess I have no more business here, huh?" He asked with yet another wicked grin.
"No you don’t," Willow replied, her voice gaining strength. "Be gone."
Warren howled with laughter at her words. "You’re too easy," he said as he stepped closer to them. He watched as they instinctively took a step back; the response brought another grin to his lips. "Telling them how things went down is one thing, but seeing it is something else, isn’t it?"
Willow frowned. She didn’t understand what he was getting at and obviously he was hinting at something important. Tired of playing games, she took several steps towards him while ignoring Tara’s frantic tugging at her sleeve. "Just what are you trying to say?"
"What I’m trying to say, witch, is that the little woman here is about to get an eyeful. Only right, don’t ya think; that she should know who you really are, what you’re really capable of?" He stopped, smiled and turned to Tara. "You’d like to see that wouldn’t you sweetheart?"
"You leave her out of this," Willow growled, her hands clenching into fists.
"Oh come on witch, let me have my say. You can’t hurt me, you know. Not yet anyway."
Tara came up beside Willow and intertwined her fingers with the red head. "Your words mean nothing, you know. They are just words."
"I know. That’s why I’m going to show you. It’s much better that way, more detail, gore, theatrics, and the whole deal. It’ll be fun." He laughed and moved closer still to the girls. "I promise."
Warren grabbed Tara and pulled her into the middle of the circle with him, a knife to her throat. "Stay back, witch!" He yelled at her as he pressed the knife deeper into Tara’s skin, enough to draw a small trickle of blood. "And no magic." He watched as Willow complied, slowly taking a step back. This was going to be so much fun. Two trees appeared, one on either side of him. He let Tara go and took a step behind her. "You see, it went down like this...after I accidentally killed you, little Miss All Black and Veiny pursued me through woods like an animal hunting its prey. I threw as much magic at her as I could but it didn’t even slow her down. Then, when she finally caught up with me, she tied me to the trees like so..." Tara’s arms shot out as ropes appeared, trying her to the trees.
"Stop it!" Willow demanded, her memories flooding back like Niagara Falls.
"But I’m just getting to the good part. Be a good little witch and shut up."
Suddenly Willow’s mouth was sewn shut, as she had done to him all those months before the wish.
"There. Much better," he stated with a grin.
Tara gasped in horror and tried several different spells to undo what had been done, but nothing worked. Willow couldn’t speak.
"She’ll be fine; besides, your magic doesn’t work here. Just watch and listen, sweetheart." He laughed. "Getting back to what I was saying...after she tortured me with the image of my dead ex-girlfriend..."
Willow tried to speak but all that came out were muffled sounds. She wanted to scream to the world what she knew, but she couldn’t.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I killed her too. Do we need to get technical here? I think not. Where was I? Oh yeah, after Katrina. She brought out a bullet and bore it into my chest. I’d show you how but it would just be too messy. Suffice it to say, it was a pretty painful experience."
"Why are you doing this?" Tara asked, tears streaming down her face. "We know what happened." She kept testing the ropes, hoping that they would give way and she could get away from him.
"Because I can. Because I want you to know everything your girlfriend is capable of and I want you to feel what I felt. Well, except for the bullet thing. I’ll spare you that part."
Willow was crying harder. If her mouth hadn’t been sewn shut, she would have been screaming. She tried to rush at him but found she couldn’t even move, frozen to the ground.
Strolling over to her, he whispered in her ear. "Did you think I was going to make this easy on you?" He laughed as he saw her eyes widen. Placing an arm around her, even as she tried to shrug it off, he continued with his diatribe. "I begged her. Tried to plead to her humanity to spare me, but there was nothing left of her except hatred and anger."
"Is this true Willow?" Tara asked quietly, her eyes searching her lover’s for the answer she was afraid she already knew.
Willow looked down at her feet and nodded.
Tara looked away, the same feeling of disgust that surfaced when Willow had told her about the wish originally, returned. Willow had killed in cold blood. There was no denying it now.
A smirk crept across his lips as he watched their interaction. Success. These two would not be working together. Such a shame, he had been hoping for a good fight. Oh well. "Okay, let’s continue cause we’re running on a time schedule," he said tapping his wristwatch several times. "Do you know what she did next Tara? Take a wild guess what she did after she burrowed the bullet into my chest and sewed my mouth shut so I couldn’t scream. Can you guess what she did then?"
"She killed you?"
"No. Good guess though. Next she undid my mouth so I could scream out, mostly in pain and terror but also so she could hear my last scream as she flayed me. That’s when she killed me. Do you know what flaying is like, baby?"
Tara shook her head and her eyes widened in horror as she realized what he was going to do next. "Please. No."
"Yeah, that’s it. Beg for me, sweetheart. Like I did. Beg." He felt Willow writhe in his grasp, trying desperately to free herself so she could stop him. Finally, he let her go and walked over to Tara. "You know what?" He asked as his eyes shone in the torch light. "I’m getting kinda..." he paused, looked over at Willow and grinned his most wicked grin. "Bored." As he swept his hand upwards, Tara’s skin was ripped from her body, just as it had been done to him.
"No!" Willow cried out in anguish as her mouth unsealed. "You son of a bitch!" She yelled at him, racing towards him with as much speed as her legs would give her. Flying at him, she tackled him to the ground and tried choking him. She stopped only after she heard him laughing at her.
He kicked her off him, sending her flying to the ground a few feet away as he stood up. "Did you really think she was going to forgive you for what you did? Did you really believe she was going to be able to get past what I was showing her? Come on Willow, how stupid could you possibly be? For a really bright girl, you’re really lacking in the common sense department, aren’t ya?"
She seethed as she listened to him; the rage coursing through her, turning her eyes black.
"That’s it. That’s my girl. Come on. Give it to me! You know you want to!"
Standing up, she murmured a few words and held out her hand, palm facing him. As her tone increased, the wind picked up and blue electricity crackled around her. She shouted and a blue ball of flame flew at him, engulfing him.
He laughed as the blue energy licked at his body, making it tingle with all kinds of pleasure as he absorbed it. When the crackling subsided, he stood perfectly still, a smile playing across his face. "Now that’s what we like to see. A few more of those and you’ll never be able to stop me."
She stepped back as her eyes returned to normal, her breath coming in short gasps. A small voice began playing inside her head. It sounded like Tara. "Remember what you promised," it said. "Remember." Looking at Warren, she realized what he was doing. He was trying to bait her, get her to use her blackest magicks, make her lose control again and he was succeeding. No. She was better than this, right? The Coven had thought so. They had seen something in her, right? Tara had as well. Tara. Poor, sweet Tara. The anger began building in her again as her dark side screamed, begging to be let out, but she held it in check. "I...am...not...going...to...do...this!"
"You have no choice, you know. It’s either kill or be killed, baby. So what’s it gonna be?"
"Incendium!"
Suddenly, he burst into flame but then the fire quickly subsided, leaving behind charred skin in its place. "This is far from over. I’m not done with you yet. The only thing that will work, is for you to go all bad ass again, otherwise, you can’t hurt me."
"You’re looking a little crispy to me," Willow stated as she tried to keep her eyes off Tara’s flayed body.
"Looks are always deceiving. Didn’t you learn that by now?" He shook off his burned skin to reveal new, pinker skin beneath. He opened his arms and threw his head back. "Do your worst," he demanded.
"I already told you, I’m not doing this."
He threw his arms down to his sides and sighed. "Fine then. Be that way." Shrugging, he drew a gun from behind him and pointed it at her, pulling the trigger twice.
Stunned, she looked down at her chest. Two perfect little holes began to ooze blood. She fell to the ground as the numbness began to take hold of her body. "Giles," she whispered as the dark and cold enveloped her, her body becoming still and lifeless.
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is part three of a trilogy and is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: Xander and Anya awake to find they are the first to face the trials but when things go deadly wrong, Xander blames the one person we'd never expect...
Timeframe: Immediately following "Trials & Tribulations"
Warning: Contains Character Death
- 31 -
The First of Many
The First of Many
"Xander? Xander wake up," Anya pleaded as she shook him several times. She had wakened a few minutes before and was not at all happy to find that they had been separated from the others.
"Hmmmm?" He asked sleepily. "Just a few more minutes, An. The alarm hasn’t even gone off yet."
"Xander LaVelle Harris, wake up this instant!" She demanded firmly as she punched him in the arm, hard enough to get her point across.
"What?" He demanded grouchily. "What is so important that it can’t wait until morning?"
She glared at him. "Open your damn eyes and you might understand."
Slowly he opened his eyes, looked around and then sat bolt upright. The sun was no longer high in the sky but was setting over the horizon causing everything to be a deep shade of purple. "Wait. Weren’t we just with...?"
"Yes."
"And didn’t we just see...?"
"Yes."
His mouth dropped open as if to say something but he just gaped instead. After collecting himself, he continued. "Okay, so...what does this mean?" He asked, gesturing with his hands and then scrunching up his face. "And why am I still in this damn dress?"
"I’m guessing, and it’s just a guess here, that we’ve been chosen to face our trials first. As for the dress, it’s not a dress, not really. It’s called a tunic and was quite fashionable at one time."
He looked at her with an exasperated expression. "Luck and me…Two things that don’t go together. Ever. I wonder why we got picked to go first?"
"Oh I don’t know. Maybe because you’re the only real human of the group? I mean I’m human too, now, but I was once a demon and a pretty good one at that. Giles and Wesley are human but they’re both very powerful magic casters, same with Willow and Tara."
"So prey on the weakest link first type thing?"
"Yes. That’s what I would have done when I was a demon. You always want to find the weakest and take them out first. Get it over and done with. Makes things tidier in the end."
He shook his head and looked away from her. Leave it to Anya to tell it like it is and not even bat an eyelash doing it. Wonderful. Now what? They were alone and it was getting darker by the minute. He figured it was just a matter of time before it was pitch black. Standing up, he surveyed the area. There wasn’t much around but rocks and sand. "We should probably look for weapons or something," he stated, thinking that it would be a good idea just in case their trials didn’t involve hugs and puppies.
"I’ve already looked, when I was waiting for you to wake up. There’s not much here. Just some rocks."
"I wonder when things are going to get started? Not that I’m excited to get this show on the road or anything but if I’m gonna die...actually, I’d rather not die."
"Xander don’t be silly. You’re not going to die."
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a circle of torches lighted around them. "Uh, An? Where did they come from?"
******
"Is everyone alright?" Giles asked with concern as he picked himself up off the ground. The last thing he remembered was a bright light and then blackness. Blinking hard, he tried to take in the group. Everyone appeared to be fine.
Wesley stood, trying to test his equilibrium. He wasn’t sure how long they had been unconscious; it couldn’t have been too long since the sun hadn’t moved in the sky. Perhaps it had just been an instant.
"I think we’re all okay," Willow replied while helping Tara to her feet. "What do you think that was?"
"A translocation," Wesley responded looking grim. He had begun scanning their surroundings when the thought had occurred to him.
"A who?" Cordelia asked with a frown.
"A translocation," Giles repeated in a whisper. "Who’s missing? Is everyone accounted for?"
"Xander’s missing!" Dawn suddenly yelled; eyes wide and full of fear.
"So’s Anya," Tara added.
"Then it’s started," Wesley stated with a sigh. "There’s nothing we can do now."
"So...what? Are we just gonna get picked off by pairs now? Is that what they’re going to do?" Cordelia demanded as she stepped into the middle of the group. "Cause I gotta say, if that’s the case, it sucks."
"Quite." Giles agreed as he sat down on a large rock.
"Why did they take Xander and Anya first? I know someone had to go first, but why them?" Willow asked on the verge of tears. Her best friend since childhood was now out there somewhere facing something awful and she couldn’t be there to help him. It was too much.
Giles looked at his hands and shook his head. "I don’t know Willow. I don’t suppose there’s neither rhyme nor reason as to how we’re going to be picked. We just will be."
Wesley walked over to the rock and sat down next to Giles. He was deep in thought. "I’m sure," he mussed. "That there is a pattern to the choosing, but we won’t understand it until the next pair has been taken. I know that’s not what everyone wants to hear, but we have no choice."
"You mean we can’t even try to find them?" Dawn asked as she clung to Connor.
"I’m afraid not," Wesley replied. "We have no idea where they have been taken, if they’re even in this dimension."
"I could try a locator spell," Willow suggested, quickly sitting down on the ground and crossing her legs.
"That’s not a good idea," Giles stated as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You need to save your powers. You have no idea what your trials will entail."
"I can’t just leave them out there!"
"Yes, Willow. I’m afraid you’re going to have to. There is no choice in the matter."
"There has to be something!" Willow cried, anger rising up within her.
Wesley shook his head. "I’m sorry Willow, but Giles is right. We cannot help them through this."
******
Xander placed a protective arm around Anya as his eyes quickly swept the area within the lighted circle. It was a large circle, about one hundred feet in diameter but he could see nothing beyond it. It was as if nothing else existed but them and the fire. "This can’t be of the good," he whispered, holding on to Anya tighter than before. "Have you seen anything like this before?"
"No. Never. I’ve seen a lot of things in my time but I’ve never been part of an attempted Last Judgment. Heard stories, yes, but never thought they were true. Demons like to talk big, ya know. Like ‘I was there’ or ‘you should have seen what I did to the guy who tried it’. Stuff like that."
"Well," Xander stated as his eyes widened at the sight of a demon entering the ring. "I think you better start remembering some of those stories cause we’re about to get underway."
The demon lumbered into the circle, eyes fixed on its prey. It didn’t know how it had gotten here or why, but it knew it had been hired to destroy these two humans.
"It’s a Fyarl demon." Anya stated matter of factly.
"You mean the same thing that Giles turned into that last time Ethan came to town?" He asked turning towards his girlfriend, eyes wide.
"That’s the one."
"Okay. So let’s kill this thing," he stated stepping forward as anger began to take control of him.
"Xander no! We can’t just kill him by breaking his neck or anything. We need silver."
"Silver?"
"Fyarl demons can be killed by anything silver."
"News flash here, look around, there’s nothing even remotely silver available to us."
"I know that, but maybe I can remember a spell to turn a rock into silver or something."
"I think you better think fast with that spell cause he’s looking kinda hungry." Silver or no, he was going to take this thing out...with his bare hands if need be.
"Just keep him busy."
"Uh, right. How do you suggest I do that?" He asked as he watched her draw a circle around herself in the sand. "Play tiddly winks with him?"
"Do whatever you think is best, sweetie."
"Right," he stated as he frantically looked around for something to keep the monster at bay. Suddenly an idea crossed his mind. "Okay big boy, let’s see what you can do with fire." Grabbing a torch out of the ground, he jabbed at the demon, which notably flinched away. "Ah ha! So not big with the fire, huh?"
The demon eyed the boy with the fire cautiously. Fire bad. All it wanted was to crush the male and then have some fun with the female.
Xander felt, more than saw the demon lunge for Anya. In a matter of seconds, he had moved to place his body between that of the demon and Anya who had started chanting something. "No way are you going to touch my girlfriend," he growled as the anger finally consumed him. He lunged at the demon, fire in hand and jabbed at it with the torch over and over. The demon howled in pain as its flesh singed and burned. "I’m really tired," jab "of having to fight demons," jab, jab "who want to hurt the women I love."
Anya, silver dagger now in hand, looked up in time to see the mucous shoot out of the demon’s nose. "Xander watch out!" But the warning was too late. She watched helplessly as Xander’s body was encased in the paralyzing mucous.
Xander fell to the ground with a thud. He tried to get back up but found he couldn’t move. His eyes widened in horror as the demon picked him up, and began crushing him. He heard his bones snapping as the pain became blinding and hot, his life flashing before him in a series of pictures and sounds. He thought he heard Anya scream something before he felt himself fall to the ground in a broken heap.
Anya stood over the demon, her hands bloody and shaking. She watched quietly as the body disappeared from sight, not understanding why or how. Turning she ran over to Xander and kneeled beside him. "I told you to distract him, not attack him. Why didn’t you listen to me?" She was distraught as she looked at him, his body bleeding and struggling for breath. "You never listen to me. Why don’t you ever listen to me?" She was almost hysterical now.
"I-I’m sorry," he managed to reply between gasps. "I was just trying to protect you."
"Why do you have to be so loyal?" She demanded as she struggled to not sob in front of him.
"I told you nothing good would ever come out of your relationship," a voice stated from behind them.
******
Anya turned her head to peer over her shoulder, searching for the source of the voice. At first she saw nothing, but then a darkly clad figure stepped into the circle. Quietly she watched as the form removed the hood of the cloak. She inhaled sharply as recognition set in. "Halfrek!"
"Anyanka," Halfrek stated with disdain.
Turning back to Xander, she tried to make him as comfortable as possible. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow, if she didn’t get him help soon she wasn’t sure he would make it. "Thank goodness you’re here," she cried. "Xander’s hurt. I’m afraid he might be..." She couldn’t bring herself to say the word.
Anya’s back was still to her so she knew that her friend couldn’t see the smile that was slowly creeping across her face. "And that affects me how?"
Anya frowned as she slowly turned around. "What?" She demanded, freezing at the sight of Halfrek’s expression, terror and dread began coursing through her body.
Halfrek laughed at the look of horror on Anya’s face. "My dear friend… Did you think I came to help you after everything?"
Tears streamed down Anya’s cheeks as she shook with a mixture of fright and anger. She didn’t have time to get into this with Halfrek, not now, not with Xander so close to death. Taking a deep breath and straightening up, she moved to stand in front of her friend. Crossing her arms over her chest, she hugged herself closely as she looked at her friend through watery eyes. "Are you going to help me or not?"
"Let me think about that a second," Halfrek replied with a smirk as she tilted her head to the side as if contemplating the request. Her eyes narrowed as she continued. "I believe my answer is, not."
"What?" Anya asked, shocked and somewhat appalled at her friend’s behavior. "Xander is dying. How can you just stand there and not help me?"
She sighed as she looked over at the broken form on the ground, her tone deadly serious. "Very easily. I’m not here to help. Think about it Anyanka. Why would I be here now, of all times?"
Still hugging herself, a look of confusion spread over Anya’s face. "I don’t know what you mean."
"Yes you do, Anyanka."
Anya suddenly gasped as she finally realized what Halfrek was getting at. "No. No you can’t be," she whispered.
"But I am, and I’m going to kick your sorry excuse for a demon ass all over this circle and there won’t be a damn thing you can do about it."
"Why are you so spiteful? What have I ever done to you Halfrek? I took you in and gave you a job when you became human..."
"That’s it right there. Even after you became a demon again you just couldn’t leave your humanity behind, could you? No. You had to drag me into it by pleading with me to help your little mortal friends. And what did I get in return, certainly not your thanks or theirs for that matter. I was punished. I had the one thing taken away from me that made me who I am."
"Don’t you dare blame me for your problem, Halfrek! You didn’t have to help. You chose to help knowing full well what the punishment would be if you did!"
"Whatever. I have another appointment to go to. Can we just fight now?"
"I’m not going to fight you Hali." Her face showed her exhaustion as her shoulders slumped.
"You don’t have a choice you know. It’s either kill or be killed. What’s it going to be Anyanka?"
Anya slowly looked over to where Xander’s broken body lay on the ground. There was no movement and she couldn’t tell if he was still breathing. She needed him to be okay but she also knew that it was up to her to get him help. If that meant having to kill someone she had been a friend with for centuries, then so be it, Xander was more important. Turning back to Halfrek, she glared at the woman before she spoke. "Alright. Fine. Let’s get this over with."
"Splendid," Halfrek stated smiling sweetly. "The rules are; there are no rules. Oh, and your demon powers have been returned to you to make this a fair fight. Let’s just see who can summon the worst thing possible on the other."
"How about we just go for an old fashion cat fight first?" Anya asked as she tackled Halfrek to the ground. She rolled Halfrek onto her back and grabbed a handful of hair, tugging hard.
"Ow! Stop that!" Halfrek exclaimed as she grabbed a handful of Anya’s hair and pulled. While holding onto Anya’s hair with one hand she began trying to scratch her face with other.
"Bitch!" Anya screamed as one nail raked her cheek, taking a small layer of skin with it, beads of blood forming in its place. She let go of Halfrek’s hair and began punching her face.
As Anya began to gain the upper hand by trying to choke the life out of her, Halfrek chanted a few words between gasps and sent Anya flying to the other side of the circle. Slowly she picked herself up off the ground, her hand flying to her neck, trying to rub away the pain that Anya had caused. "You stupid little girl. You don’t get it do you? You can’t harm me by conventional means. You have to take my life with magic. It’s the only way."
"I’m not doing this anymore. I’m not. It’s over."
"It’s not over by a long shot, Anyanka. If you don’t kill me, lover boy over there dies. Do you want that?"
"Anya, I’m dead either way," Xander stated forcefully between gasps. Neither woman had noticed him swim back into consciousness.
"Xander," Anya screamed as she ran to him and dropped to her knees beside him. "Stop. Don’t say that. You’re not going to die."
"I am," he said, smiling weakly as his eyes started to flutter closed once again. "So go kick her ass."
"Xander?" She pleaded. "Don’t die." There was no response. A sob escaped her body as she stood, gathering all of her courage and strength. "Halfrek, I’m going to plead with you one last time. Please help me get him out of here. If I ever meant anything to you..."
"If you ever meant anything to me? You’re kidding, right? Anyanka we were never friends, not in the truest sense. We were always co-workers who were trying to out do each other. I didn’t mean a thing to you, but you meant a great deal to me. I looked up to you and now because of you, I’ve been reduced to this." She was shouting now and gesturing wildly. Her face was flushed and fury shone in her eyes. "I blame you for everything, well, almost everything. But it’s because of you that I became human again and it’s because of you that I had my heart broken again. Do you know what it feels like to get your heart ripped out?"
"Yes," Anya screamed. "I was left at the altar, remember?"
"But the two of you worked it out, didn’t you? And now you’re ready to kill me to save him. So, no, I don’t think you understand. I have nothing now. Nothing. You took it all away from me. Now it’s your turn to know how it feels."
"Hali, no. Don’t do this," Anya pleaded.
Halfrek laughed as she held out her hand, chanting in Latin.
Anya looked down and suddenly a bloody, gaping hole appeared in her chest. She looked at Halfrek in shock and then her eyes traveled to Xander. "I’m sorry," she whispered before her eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground, lifeless.
Halfrek walked over to where Xander lay on the ground and crouched down beside him. She held out her bloodied hand, Anya’s still beating heart in her palm.
Xander opened his eyes slowly and gagged as he took in the scene. "Anya," he wheezed. He closed his eyes and let the tears flow, wishing for death to come faster.
"What’s left of her anyway," Halfrek replied with a smile. "Would you like me to wrap it? No, I guess not. You won’t have a use for it where you’re going. Ta-ta Alexander; you loser..." She disappeared into the night, leaving Xander to breathe his last breaths alone.
"Willow," Xander whispered, feeling his life force ebbing away. "Where are you?"
Just then a blinding flash of light turned the darkened night into day. Willow and Tara suddenly stood in the circle, bewilderment and fright etched on their faces.
Author: PSUbrat
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. Scene re-enactment borrowed from "Villains", written by Steven DeKnight. This story is part three of a trilogy and is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: After Anya and Xander's deaths, Willow and Tara are the next to face their trials, but can Willow pull herself together in time to defeat what lies before them...
Timeframe: Immediately following "The First of Many"
Warning: Contains Character Deaths
- 32 -
Pain Times Two
Pain Times Two
Willow and Tara had just been standing in broad daylight so it took a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the shadows and firelight. They squeezed hands as the two tried to take in their surroundings. Neither one of them could see anything outside of the circle; it was pitch black and ominous. Willow’s eyes swept the ground around her, her senses on overload. Something was wrong, off. Her stomach tightened as her gaze fell upon a bloody form on the ground. Her eyes widened as she gasped at the sight of Anya’s corpse.
"Anya?" Willow whispered; her voice caught in her throat and her legs feeling rubbery.
"Oh my god," Tara gasped. "Is she...?"
Willow slowly crept over to the still form, pushing herself, knowing full well what she’d find but knowing that she had to see it for herself. She knew instantly that their friend was no longer among the living. No one could survive having their heart ripped out. Not even Anya. What would do something as horrible as this? "She’s gone..." The words barely made it out of her mouth as a sob escaped from Tara.
She tried to cover her mouth before the sob escaped but it had come too quickly. "What do you think happened?" The how was obvious enough, but she needed to know the why and what, hoping that it would give them some insight in what they were to face.
"I-I don’t know, Tara. Something awful did this to her, something..." She stopped in mid-sentence as she heard a soft moan come from her left. "Xander?"
"Willow?"
She ran to the sound of his weakened voice and found him bloody and battered in a heap on the ground. She could hear his chest rattle with each breath he took. "Xander, what happened?"
His answers came in short sentences, each word a difficult task. "Demon. Like Giles. Stupid me. Should have listened. Anya."
"Shhh, try not to talk," she said as she ran her one hand across his forehead, moving his sweat slicked hair from his eyes. She took his other hand in hers and held on to him as tightly as she could without causing more pain. "Tara and I are going to try to get you out of here..."
"No. No. Dead already. Matter of time. All your fault." His eyes fluttered open briefly as if to emphasize his last statement.
"What?" Willow demanded, somewhat shocked and stricken by his words, her face clearly showing her pain.
"Your fault."
"Xander, you don’t mean that..." Tara stated softly as she knelt next to him as well.
"My fault?"
"The wish. Your fault," he whispered, swallowing hard. The words were harder now as the blackness and cold started to envelope him. The edges of his vision became grayer. He knew that his end was coming, swiftly now. Damn her for making that wish.
Willow quickly looked over at Tara, pain in her eyes and then she rested her gaze back on her friend. "Xander..." she started gently, searching his eyes frantically for forgiveness, something, anything that said he really didn’t believe she was responsible for all of this. She watched as his chest rose and fell one last time. "Xander! No!"
Tara moved quickly to the other side of Xander and felt for a pulse. There was none. Slowly she moved her hand over his eyes and ever so gently closed them while Willow sobbed. Anya and Xander had not survived their trials. It didn’t bode well for the rest of them.
******
"Well?" Cordelia demanded, looking from Wesley to Giles and then back again. Her hands were on her hips and she was tapping her right foot.
Giles and Wes exchanged furtive glances. They were pretty sure they knew the pattern now, but it would take the next disappearances to confirm it.
"Cordy, let it go," Angel stated, trying to calm her down.
"No! I, for one, am not going to sit around here waiting for the transport to wherever it is we’re going. We need to do something."
"It’s not that simple Cordelia," Giles replied, frustration clearly coating his voice. "We cannot just go out there and try to find whatever it is that’s separating us..."
"And why not? At least we’d be doing something positive instead of sitting around here waiting for our deaths, or whatever."
"We are not being killed off Cordelia," Wesley growled.
"Not that we know of anyway. Who’s to say that we’re not just being taken and killed right away, huh?"
Giles sighed and buried his face in his hands. "Cordelia, please. Sit down and be quiet."
Glaring at Giles, Cordelia walked over to Angel and sat down next to him in the warm sand. "Great. Now I’m gonna have sand in all the wrong places. What was I thinking?"
"Aren’t you all glowy and all knowing?" Dawn asked the former cheerleader, interrupting the girl’s rant about sand and where it usually ends up. "I mean, you get visions from the Powers, right? Can’t you find out what’s going on?"
Cordelia looked at Dawn, a frown covering her face. "I receive visions, Dawn. Big difference. I can’t just go inducing them."
"Sorry. Just asked."
Giles and Wesley joined the other four on the ground. "We think we know the pattern," Giles stated hesitantly. "And if we’re correct, Wesley and I will be next."
"How do you know?" Dawn asked with concern. The thought of being left here without Giles made her stomach churn.
"It’s all connected. Xander and Anya were chosen first because Xander is the only true human of the Twelve. Willow and Tara next because of Willow’s life long friendship with Xander as well as the connection of working together."
"So why does that make you and Wesley next?" Angel asked with a frown.
"Because," Wesley continued as his hard gaze settled on Angel. "Giles is connected to Willow and Tara. He brought them to study under the Coven in England and has worked with Willow since coming to Sunnydale for Buffy. That and there is separate magical connections as well. Anya had magical capabilities, as do Willow and Tara, Giles and myself."
"So that means Dawn and I would be after you two, right?" Connor questioned as he squeezed Dawn’s hand.
Giles shook his head. "No. Dawn is mystical, not magical. We believe that Angel and Cordelia would be next."
"Why?" Cordelia demanded as she folded her arms across her chest. "Neither of us has any magic in us."
"That’s not true," Wesley stated. "Angel’s soul is magical. It was inflicted upon him by a curse, using magic. Plus, it would also be a working connection...the AI continuance."
Connor looked at Giles. "Then Dawn and I would come after Angel and Cordelia because of my connection to Angel?"
"Yes," Giles stated with a nod. "Which would then lead into Buffy and William because of Dawn. It’s all connected."
"Now we just have to wait and see if we’re correct," Wesley added as he closed his eyes and sighed.
******
Willow’s sobs wracked her small frame as she leaned over Xander, screaming for him to come back to her. "You can’t be dead," she wailed. "Open your eyes Xander. Open them now!"
Tara quickly moved beside her grief stricken lover and tried to comfort her as best she could. Willow’s pain was almost unbearable. Finally, she was able to move Willow away from Xander and embrace her tightly, slowly rocking her. As she peered over Willow’s shoulder at Xander’s form, she noticed how it was getting lighter, fading away. She frowned and squeezed her eyes closed, opening them instantly. Nothing changed. "Xander’s gone," she stated in an almost whisper.
"I know," Willow sobbed.
"No Willow. I mean he’s gone."
Willow broke free of Tara’s embrace and turned around. Xander’s body had disappeared. Her eyes narrowed as confusion spread across her face. "Where did he go?"
"I don’t know but Anya’s gone too."
"Yeah, isn’t that just a shame?" A male voice asked from the shadows.
The two girls looked around the circle but saw no one. Willow thought she recognized the voice but it couldn’t be, could it? No. He was dead. Long dead. There was no way it was him.
"Oh it’s me alright," he said stepping into the lighted circle, revealing his identity to the two witches. "Now we’re gonna have some fun."
"Warren," Tara murmured.
"Yep. It’s me. I’m back and badder than ever. Isn’t that right, witch?" He asked with a wry smile, looking directly at Willow.
"No," Willow stated as she and Tara stood. "You’re dead. Buffy saw you die."
He laughed loudly and madly as he eyes danced in the firelight. "You think such a little thing like death could keep me down? Come on. Look where we live, on top of the Hellmouth. Do you think anyone really stays dead here?"
"Well, no, but still...we watched them carry your body away!"
"Oh please and besides, that was just one of my deaths, wasn’t it Willow?"
Her eyes widened in horror. "What?"
Chuckling, he began to walk the perimeter of the circle, his eyes never leaving them. "I’m one of the lucky ones. I got to die twice, only I didn’t know about the first time. Not until after the second time that is. I have to admit though; the second death was probably more noble, more crushing and less flaying." He paused, giving Willow a wicked grin. "Makes perfect sense to me now why you told me that I couldn’t kill her again when I was trying to destroy you all back in the cave. At the time, I just thought you were out of your mind, protecting your lover but now I know, don’t I? I know everything." He now stood about three feet from them and could smell Willow’s anger. "Does your little girlfriend here know what you did? To me? To them?"
"Yes," Willow stated with authority, refusing to be cowed by his closeness to them. "I told them everything."
Tara nodded in agreement when Warren’s eyes traveled to meet hers. "She did. Everything."
"I see. Well, then I guess I have no more business here, huh?" He asked with yet another wicked grin.
"No you don’t," Willow replied, her voice gaining strength. "Be gone."
Warren howled with laughter at her words. "You’re too easy," he said as he stepped closer to them. He watched as they instinctively took a step back; the response brought another grin to his lips. "Telling them how things went down is one thing, but seeing it is something else, isn’t it?"
Willow frowned. She didn’t understand what he was getting at and obviously he was hinting at something important. Tired of playing games, she took several steps towards him while ignoring Tara’s frantic tugging at her sleeve. "Just what are you trying to say?"
"What I’m trying to say, witch, is that the little woman here is about to get an eyeful. Only right, don’t ya think; that she should know who you really are, what you’re really capable of?" He stopped, smiled and turned to Tara. "You’d like to see that wouldn’t you sweetheart?"
"You leave her out of this," Willow growled, her hands clenching into fists.
"Oh come on witch, let me have my say. You can’t hurt me, you know. Not yet anyway."
Tara came up beside Willow and intertwined her fingers with the red head. "Your words mean nothing, you know. They are just words."
"I know. That’s why I’m going to show you. It’s much better that way, more detail, gore, theatrics, and the whole deal. It’ll be fun." He laughed and moved closer still to the girls. "I promise."
******
Warren grabbed Tara and pulled her into the middle of the circle with him, a knife to her throat. "Stay back, witch!" He yelled at her as he pressed the knife deeper into Tara’s skin, enough to draw a small trickle of blood. "And no magic." He watched as Willow complied, slowly taking a step back. This was going to be so much fun. Two trees appeared, one on either side of him. He let Tara go and took a step behind her. "You see, it went down like this...after I accidentally killed you, little Miss All Black and Veiny pursued me through woods like an animal hunting its prey. I threw as much magic at her as I could but it didn’t even slow her down. Then, when she finally caught up with me, she tied me to the trees like so..." Tara’s arms shot out as ropes appeared, trying her to the trees.
"Stop it!" Willow demanded, her memories flooding back like Niagara Falls.
"But I’m just getting to the good part. Be a good little witch and shut up."
Suddenly Willow’s mouth was sewn shut, as she had done to him all those months before the wish.
"There. Much better," he stated with a grin.
Tara gasped in horror and tried several different spells to undo what had been done, but nothing worked. Willow couldn’t speak.
"She’ll be fine; besides, your magic doesn’t work here. Just watch and listen, sweetheart." He laughed. "Getting back to what I was saying...after she tortured me with the image of my dead ex-girlfriend..."
Willow tried to speak but all that came out were muffled sounds. She wanted to scream to the world what she knew, but she couldn’t.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I killed her too. Do we need to get technical here? I think not. Where was I? Oh yeah, after Katrina. She brought out a bullet and bore it into my chest. I’d show you how but it would just be too messy. Suffice it to say, it was a pretty painful experience."
"Why are you doing this?" Tara asked, tears streaming down her face. "We know what happened." She kept testing the ropes, hoping that they would give way and she could get away from him.
"Because I can. Because I want you to know everything your girlfriend is capable of and I want you to feel what I felt. Well, except for the bullet thing. I’ll spare you that part."
Willow was crying harder. If her mouth hadn’t been sewn shut, she would have been screaming. She tried to rush at him but found she couldn’t even move, frozen to the ground.
Strolling over to her, he whispered in her ear. "Did you think I was going to make this easy on you?" He laughed as he saw her eyes widen. Placing an arm around her, even as she tried to shrug it off, he continued with his diatribe. "I begged her. Tried to plead to her humanity to spare me, but there was nothing left of her except hatred and anger."
"Is this true Willow?" Tara asked quietly, her eyes searching her lover’s for the answer she was afraid she already knew.
Willow looked down at her feet and nodded.
Tara looked away, the same feeling of disgust that surfaced when Willow had told her about the wish originally, returned. Willow had killed in cold blood. There was no denying it now.
A smirk crept across his lips as he watched their interaction. Success. These two would not be working together. Such a shame, he had been hoping for a good fight. Oh well. "Okay, let’s continue cause we’re running on a time schedule," he said tapping his wristwatch several times. "Do you know what she did next Tara? Take a wild guess what she did after she burrowed the bullet into my chest and sewed my mouth shut so I couldn’t scream. Can you guess what she did then?"
"She killed you?"
"No. Good guess though. Next she undid my mouth so I could scream out, mostly in pain and terror but also so she could hear my last scream as she flayed me. That’s when she killed me. Do you know what flaying is like, baby?"
Tara shook her head and her eyes widened in horror as she realized what he was going to do next. "Please. No."
"Yeah, that’s it. Beg for me, sweetheart. Like I did. Beg." He felt Willow writhe in his grasp, trying desperately to free herself so she could stop him. Finally, he let her go and walked over to Tara. "You know what?" He asked as his eyes shone in the torch light. "I’m getting kinda..." he paused, looked over at Willow and grinned his most wicked grin. "Bored." As he swept his hand upwards, Tara’s skin was ripped from her body, just as it had been done to him.
"No!" Willow cried out in anguish as her mouth unsealed. "You son of a bitch!" She yelled at him, racing towards him with as much speed as her legs would give her. Flying at him, she tackled him to the ground and tried choking him. She stopped only after she heard him laughing at her.
He kicked her off him, sending her flying to the ground a few feet away as he stood up. "Did you really think she was going to forgive you for what you did? Did you really believe she was going to be able to get past what I was showing her? Come on Willow, how stupid could you possibly be? For a really bright girl, you’re really lacking in the common sense department, aren’t ya?"
She seethed as she listened to him; the rage coursing through her, turning her eyes black.
"That’s it. That’s my girl. Come on. Give it to me! You know you want to!"
Standing up, she murmured a few words and held out her hand, palm facing him. As her tone increased, the wind picked up and blue electricity crackled around her. She shouted and a blue ball of flame flew at him, engulfing him.
He laughed as the blue energy licked at his body, making it tingle with all kinds of pleasure as he absorbed it. When the crackling subsided, he stood perfectly still, a smile playing across his face. "Now that’s what we like to see. A few more of those and you’ll never be able to stop me."
She stepped back as her eyes returned to normal, her breath coming in short gasps. A small voice began playing inside her head. It sounded like Tara. "Remember what you promised," it said. "Remember." Looking at Warren, she realized what he was doing. He was trying to bait her, get her to use her blackest magicks, make her lose control again and he was succeeding. No. She was better than this, right? The Coven had thought so. They had seen something in her, right? Tara had as well. Tara. Poor, sweet Tara. The anger began building in her again as her dark side screamed, begging to be let out, but she held it in check. "I...am...not...going...to...do...this!"
"You have no choice, you know. It’s either kill or be killed, baby. So what’s it gonna be?"
"Incendium!"
Suddenly, he burst into flame but then the fire quickly subsided, leaving behind charred skin in its place. "This is far from over. I’m not done with you yet. The only thing that will work, is for you to go all bad ass again, otherwise, you can’t hurt me."
"You’re looking a little crispy to me," Willow stated as she tried to keep her eyes off Tara’s flayed body.
"Looks are always deceiving. Didn’t you learn that by now?" He shook off his burned skin to reveal new, pinker skin beneath. He opened his arms and threw his head back. "Do your worst," he demanded.
"I already told you, I’m not doing this."
He threw his arms down to his sides and sighed. "Fine then. Be that way." Shrugging, he drew a gun from behind him and pointed it at her, pulling the trigger twice.
Stunned, she looked down at her chest. Two perfect little holes began to ooze blood. She fell to the ground as the numbness began to take hold of her body. "Giles," she whispered as the dark and cold enveloped her, her body becoming still and lifeless.
