Previously on GuitarGrrrl's version of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
Buffy V.O. "We've come up with a plan of action. In a few days it'll be time to fight. Some of you may die in this battle. Some will come out bruised and broken, but we have to stick together."
cut to Summers' house:
Buffy: And if this is the last battle, I'm going out kicking and screaming. So, Dawn, tell me how to not get dead."
Dawn: "Buffy. I'm the Key. You may have been human longer, but I've been a ball of energy for thousands of years. And now, I'm just starting to discover some of the power I behold. The weapon will turn up. But you should know, the Guardians still exist."
Cut to: Buffy V.O. "What kind of Spell?"
Flashback to Willow's room (day).
"Promise you won't tell Buffy?"
"Dawn, if this is something you have to keep from your sister, then it's probably not a good idea."
"It's not that, it's just that she won't understand."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't want to offend her...I know she's not really my sister. I know that I'm special, that I'm the key."
"Buffy knows you're the key too, remember, but you are her sister."
"But I wasn't always. I was- a big ball of energy...Help me learn about who I am. There's this spell, it's a memory spell.
"Dawn, you remember what happened last time I—"
"This spell is different. It's a spell to enlighten. It's supposed to help someone remember things they've forgotten. And I want to remember what I was before the monks made me Dawn Summers."
"I knew you'd be mad."
"Dawn, I think it's great that you wanna know about your past, it could be really useful to us in this battle. Just—Willow with the magic... again."
"It's different now Buffy. Willow is—"
"Unstable. I've seen unstable Willow. I don't wanna see her again."
"What are you gonna do about it?"
"Keep Willow out of this battle."
"But you can't—Buffy, we need her."
"I don't."
cut to: the kitchen, morning:"I know Dawn told you about the spell. I know that you don't trust me and that's why you're all with the wiggins...Buffy, You tell me that you forgive me, that you've given me another chance...and now you're acting like you're afraid of me."
"I didn't know you were doing magic again. Last time I saw you do a spell, you went all veiny and tried to kill me. I'm sorry Will, this is how it has to be. I want you out."
Buffy leaves the kitchen, Faith enters...
"I'm not letting you leave. You can't...I can't survive in this house without you."
Willow started to walk away from Faith.
"Where are you going?"
"To say goodbye to Dawn."
"Willow you don't have to do that. Let me talk to Buffy. We're going to look for that weapon thing. We'll be gone for a while..."
"Well, maybe I won't be here when you get back."
"Shit, Red. I want you here. I need you here...But if that's not enough then I'm a fool for loving you. I thought you were bigger than that."
Willow stood silently, looking at the floor.
"Willow," The witch started to back away, with tears in her eyes. "Don't do this." Faith whispered.
"I'm sorry." Willow whispered.
"No!" Faith grabbed Willow by her belt buckle and pulled her body close, planting a rough, but meaningful kiss on her love's lips. The kiss lingered, tongues danced, but both women were crying.
"I'm not going anywhere..." Faith whispered, "Until you promise me that when I get back...you'll be in this house."
"I promise." Willow said, looking into Faith's eyes.
"Faith- It's time to go.""You promised, Red." Willow nodded her head. And Faith and Buffy were on their way, leaving a very upset witch in the kitchen.
cut to outside: Buffy and Faith walking."Why are you all huffy towards me?"
"You really are oblivious, aren't you, B?...You blow off your best friend, because you're scared she's going to hurt Dawn. You haven't taken the time to see Willow's hurting too." The two women were arguing like this for some time.
"Slayers." The woman stopped and turned to face them. "Arguing isn't going to get you through this."
"I've been watching you, slayers. I brought you here. Listen, and learn."
The woman sat down on a small wooden stool. Both slayers sat on the ground.
"I've been waiting for you...Thousands of years have gone by and the story of two slayers was foretold. I came to this place, waiting for the chosen two. When you were called, Faith, I followed you. I watched you and Buffy fight your battles, conquering this demon and that. Now and apocalypse is at hand. Not just your everyday, run-of-the-mill kind. This is the big one. And if you want to Survive it, you'll need the ultimate weapon. It was buried in a tunnel here in Sunnydale, but some of the First's followers moved it, and now is in a room, near the mouth of hell. It's locked and protected in a stone. Only a slayer can pull it free."
cut to: Willow's room, night. Willow is sitting on her floor meditating. We see a bag packed on the bed.A soft knock is heard at her door. Willow looks at the door, alarmed. The witch stands, grabs her bag and throws it out the window. She follows, climbing down the trellis on the wall. Her door opens and Kennedy peeks in. She shuts the door when she sees that the room is empty.Summers' house ext: Willow jumps the last few feet to the ground. She picks up her bag and turns around. A bringer is standing behind her. Another one walks up to her left and another to her right. Before she can scream, one of them attacks her from behind and gags her. The three carry her off into the darkness.On the other side of the house...Buffy and Faith arrive at the front door."Did you hear something?"
"No. My thoughts are too loud to hear anything else."
Buffy said to the brunette Slayer. Faith ran inside and ran up the steps.
"Faith what are you doing?"
"I gotta find her."
"She's not here." Kennedy said, coming out of the bathroom.
"What do you mean...when did she leave?" Faith was freaking out. Her heart was pounding.
"I don't know. I just went to talk to her and I opened the door and she was gone."
Faith went into Willow's room and slammed the door. She looked around the room for any signs, a note, anything. Faith rested her arm on the windowsill. She put her chin on her arm and looked down at the ground. She noticed Willow's bag, abandoned and laying on the ground.
"Buffy! this is all your fault!" Faith had a bubble in her throat, and tears behind her eyes. "If she's hurt in any way...you are dead, Blondie." Faith said through clenched teeth.Fade to black.
--------------------------Graveyard, Night.Faith is running. Her breath is heavy, cheeks flushed and her heart is pounding. She's been searching for hours. Willow was no where to be found.She couldn't have just left... Faith thought to herself.She stopped running. It wasn't getting her anywhere, and now she was just tired. Still breathing heavily, she began to walk slowly. "Give me a sign, Will."
The slayer was startled by a rustle in the fallen leaves. She turned around to see what it was, fists ready to fight."Fang, why you gotta do that shit?""What, walk around in cemeteries at night...scaring little girls along the way? Cause I'm a vampire, Faith.""You haven't gone all soulless on us have you?""No. Still Angel.""Then what's with the attitude?""Just havin' some fun before the world ends.""World isn't gonna end. Not yet.""I can't be sure of that, not when she's got Spike by her side.""She's not sleeping with him, if that's what you're about.""It's not that, I just—she's not?"Faith smiled at this. He still has it bad for Blondie.
"I just want to be the one fighting by her side."
"Buffy has been crazy, I think SunnyHell is getting to her."
"She ok?"
"She's making stupid decisions and becoming miss dictator."
"Decisions...like having Spike wear the necklace."
"No, like kicking Willow out."
"You don't think her fighting with Spike by her side is a bad decision?"
"It's not up to me. She's in charge. Besides there's this whole prophecy thing... it's not about you Angel."
"Are you sure?"
Faith nodded. Angel looked down at the ground.
"Now I feel dumb."
"Aww, poor Fang."
"Last night I kinda kicked Spike's ass...And he didn't try to hard to fight back."
"I think he's got a death wish...Buffy hasn't been paying much attention to him...As much as I would love to stay and chat..."
"I understand.""Go back to LA." Faith said as she walked away from the saddened vampire.Angel watched on, as Faith took on a fresh-out-of-the-grave Vamp.
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Cut to: the basement.
Buffy is asleep on Spike's cot. We hear footsteps, and we see a figure hovering over Buffy.
"Bitch!" The person standing above Buffy slaps are across he cheek and starts to walk away. The slap causes Buffy to sit up sharply."What the hell?" Buffy put her hand to her cheek.
The figure turned around to face the slayer.
"I can't believe you! Making Willow leave like that!"
"Dawn, it's for you own good...for all of us."
"So far I'm not seein' it that way. Faith hasn't come back yet."
"She'll come back."
"How do you know she's not in trouble."
"I don't. But, Faith can hold her own."
"You never did care about anything that wasn't for your benefit..." Dawn looked at her sister and went up to her room to get some sleep.
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On the way to her room, Dawn saw Spike sitting at the kitchen table.
"So it's you who makes all the noise down here in the middle of the night."
"Yeah." Spike said flatly, taking a sip of blood from his mug. "I figure, they keep me up in the day time, I'll keep them up at night."Dawn smiled.
"Well, goodnight Spike."
"Niblet..."
"Yeah?"
"Is big sis in my bed?"
"Yeah. I tried to kick her ass, but you know- her with the slayer powers."
"You what?"
"Actually I just yelled a little."
"What'd she do this time?"
"Kicked Willow out of the house. Now Faith is on a rampage lookin' for her."
"Maybe I should steer clear."
"Probably...'Night Spike." Dawn walked off to bed.
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Cut to: A room with gray cement walls.
We see Willow sitting on the hard floor, shivering. Her wrists and ankles are cuffed together. Her knees are bent up toward her chest, and she's got her arms around them. Her head rests on the wall behind her. Her face is bruised and worn. Her clothes are ragged and torn.
The camera pans out and we see that she's in a jail cell.