Time Travel

Author's Note: I want to apologize in advance if I insult anyone for my use of an American Indian as one of my main characters. The spiritual beliefs that I am using in this story were taken directly out of an article about an American Indian tribe that lived in Southern California in the 1500's. The magazine is called Shaman's Drum. I, of course, take literary license with the names I use.

Part One

Faith watched as the Mayor walked over to his liquor cabinet that contained more than just whiskey. She rubbed her sweaty hands on the pants of her new jeans. Her relationship with the mayor was still so new and yet, so good she didn't want to do anything to screw it up and that's exactly what she was worried that she had done.

She noticed the slight tension across his shoulders when he stopped at the cabinet. The Mayor's hand paused halfway up the handle and he turned back to face her, "now you are sure about this Faith?" His kind fatherly voice making Faith feel loved and wanted, it was a relief to realize that he wasn't angry with her. Her Watcher Kate had been like that, willing to go out of her way to help Faith when no one ever would. It made her feel special.

The Mayor loved her; she was loved and cherished for the second time in her life.

The first time had been Kate.

An image of her watcher came to her mind unbidden; the tall regal Indian from Casmir had been a godsend to the young Southie. Faith shook her head trying to the clear the thoughts of how she had failed Kate. The Watcher liked the name Faith had given her, considering her real name was beyond the young slayer's ability to pronounce. Katie from Casmir, it had a ring to it.

"Things were really different back then." The mayor continued breaking into the dark thoughts of the dark slayer.

'I will not fail you,' she thought 'I won't bury someone else that I love.' Whether she was thinking about the Mayor or Buffy she wasn't sure. 'Why does my life always have to be so complicated?'

"Faith, what's wrong?" Wilkins asked as he kneeled by her chair. 'Wow, I must have been really out of it not notice him walking over here.'

She couldn't look him in the eye so she dropped her head letting a curtain of dark hair fall down between them, then mumbled out the words as if they were choking her, "nothin boss."

"Faith?" her boss asked. He was always trying to get her to open up to him. "Faith," he repeated and this time he gently brushed the curtain of hair she was hiding behind away from her face. "I wish you wouldn't hide so much." He said wishfully, continuing to softly stroke her cheek, soothing away her fears. It felt so good to be touched by him; he never made sexual advances, he just…loved her? Yes, she was sure of it now, as sure as she was that Kate, in her stogy Watcher way had loved her, despite what the council and Buffy claimed.

Faith leaned into his hand as he continued to softly run his fingers through her hair. He loved her so much; she could feel it in his touch. The Dark Slayer tried to focus on their plan for Buffy—Buffy, she didn't love Faith—how could she? The Southie wasn't worthy of anybody's love; didn't her mother tell that enough? Why was she even risking the mayor's devotion for the blonde slayer?

Wilkins' finger's tinglinged as they moved down her cheek and peace washed over her. 'Maybe Buffy was right and Katie never did love me. God, I've been such a fool, just like the fake Watcher lady said I was, only one person has really loved me…he's the only one on my side….'

"Alright, let's get started then," The mayor said again, this time from across room.

"What…" the younger slayer mumbled confused. 'Gah, what happened? Why do I always zone when the boss show's me kindness?' She thought shaking her head to clear the cobwebs from it.

"The plan?" Wilkins' questioned, "you wanted to go over the plan because you had some concerns for Buffy?" He told her patiently, standing next to his cabinet with the little half smile she loved so much. She shook her head again, taking a deep breath still trying to clear muddled thinking. 'Plan, what were we talking about before….'

A deep sigh caught her attention and the boss was now reaching into the cabinet. "I sure hope you're right about this Faith."

'Plan for Buffy? Oh, yes now I remember.'

Faith thought about his plan again; the mayor wanted Buffy out of the way. She was really the only danger to him, if she decided to attack him. The Mayor didn't want Buffy dead because of the possibility of a new slayer being called. As he put it, he knew whom Buffy was and where to find her, but now that was changing. With the help of Angel, Buffy was keeping the vampire population down; the mayor needed a certain amount of loyal and trained vampires for his upcoming Accession. When the mayor had told her about his plan capture Buffy and then let his vampires use her anyway they wished, short of killing her-Faith had rebelled. 'I don't care if the bitch hates me, that's no way for any woman to be treated.'

The dark Slayer pushed her hair back; she was suddenly uncomfortable with the plan to capture Buffy. 'A second ago I couldn't stand her and now I'm not really happy about the Boss' idea? She shifted in her seat trying to rein in her emotions. Her hands were sweaty, so she rubbed them on her pants legs of her new jeans in a gesture that brought on a strong sense of deju-ous. She looked down at the carpet as her fuddled brain began to work.

So this was their compromise: the mayor would supply a drug powerful enough to knock Buffy out for the twenty-four hours it took to open a gate. The gate would be to the 1899 version of Sunnydale, where Faith would take the drugged and confused Buffy to his homestead to live.

"Edna May so wanted to have children." The mayor sighed as he walked back to where Faith was sitting and handed her a packet containing a fine white powder.

"What's this Boss?" She asked, the powder began to sparkle where her finger's touched it through the bag.

The mayor's entire face lit up like he was a little boy and he walked back to his desk. "Alrighty," he answered sitting down in his chair. Faith knew he loved this part, explaining how his little magical potions or spells worked. "It's the dried venom of a U'ma demon." He paused to make eye contact with her, his smile growing in size. "It might be a little rough on her until it takes affect but it's the about the only thing we can use on a her." He steepled his fingers across his chest and then leaned back in his chair, "I have be sure it will work on a slayer long enough for us to execute our plan and, at the same time, wouldn't kill her." He nodded to her in concession to the wish that Buffy not be killed.

It was Faith's turn to smile, "wicked!" 'It'll pay that self-righteous bitch back to have it "a little rough."' The dark slayer knew about the properties of that venom, Katie had been very diligent in her lessons about demons and their poisons. Katie's might not have loved her but she did do everything in her power to keep her alive.

"Now, now, no more sad faces around here, " the mayor interrupted her morose thinking. The Boss stood and walked back to her, maintaining eye contact the entire time. Faith felt like she was under the powerful lens of a microscope.

"They will attack you two tonight at the Restfield cemetery, they will throw this in her face-it takes a few minutes to work-so try to not to kill them all."

The Mayor smiled at Faith and took the packet back as he walked behind his desk. It was funny how the light show in the packet stopped when he was handling it. "Are you sure you will be able to handle her once you get there?" He asked, the fatherly tone gone from his voice, his eyes hard, and the demon part of his personality shining through the human exterior.

Faith looked away, she knew she could kill every demon that walked the earth and yet this man frightened her. Not because of he couldn't be killed, but because she was so afraid of disappointing him. He pulled her out of that lowly and lonely hotel room when no one else would give her the time of day.

He gave her things, made her feel like she was helping him and that he couldn't survive without her. He trusted her and in turn she felt her walls slowly fall-she would do anything for him-anything. Except let him kill Buffy or let his minions "use" her

Faith smiled back at the mayor a vicious gleam in her eyes; "tell me again exactly what that stuff will do?"

'What just happened? Why do I go from hating Buffy to loving her….'

"No, Faith let him go. I don't think he falls into the deadly threat to humanity category."

"A demon is a demon." The younger slayer said looking around for the vamps that were supposed to spring the 'ambush.'

"Gee, you're jumpy tonight." The blonde commented and the younger girl felt worried. 'If B's got that slayer radar going on tonight I might be in trouble.'

Then a weight landed on top of her and she felt herself being lifted and literally thrown twenty feet into the waiting arms of two other vamps. By the time she was able to turn back towards Buffy, the older slayer was in full battle mode fighting three other vamps.

'God, she's so beautiful! Faith stood in awe of the grace the other girl was showing. Three vamps, and by the looks of them they were the old ones. Part of Wilkins' original crew that either came out west with him or were chosen and then turned right after Sunnydale was founded. They were old and they were good; from another time when men knew how to fight.

The vamps had formed a semi-circle around the blonde with the mausoleum at her back. The demons were trying to back off give her some room so that she couldn't take them all down at once. Still Faith wondered how they were going to be able to drug Buffy if they weren't going to engage her in combat.

The vamps then started to feint attacks; two would try to rush at her from either side while one constantly blocked any escape route, they appeared to testing her for a weakness as she slowly gave ground to them…backing her up toward the mausoleum. Always the tactual thinker Buffy was letting herself be pushed because that meant that with something solid against her back she wouldn't have to worry about that direction in the fight.

The two vamps pretending to hold Faith also turned to watch the drama unfold. It looked like it had a reached a stalemate until one of the three vamps finally landed a blow to Buffy's face, which pushed her directly under the roof over hang of the crypt.

"Buffy watch out!" The warning was out of the dark slayer's mouth before she could stop it. A sixth vamp had appeared on the overhang, hidden, most likely by some of the mayor's magic. The demon was able to throw the powder directly down on the blonde.

The little slayer was engulfed in the fine white powder, and Faith could see it begin to sparkle as it touched Buffy skin.

The older girl's reaction was immediate, the smaller slayer spun grabbing a stake out of her belt and throwing it directly into the chest of one of the vamps holding Faith.

Faith stood stunned; "It's a trap Faith run." The other slayer shouted as she landed a blow to the face of one of the vamps fighting her. Buffy kicked another one of her attackers and turned to stake the one that had dropped down from the roof behind her.

"Faith, please go! I can't hold them off," Buffy cried, panic clearly in her voice. Faith was frozen, Buffy knew as soon as the first of the dust floated down on top of her, that it was a trap but instead of trying to save herself, to escape-she tried to save Faith. The younger slayer was completely overwhelmed.

The vamp pretending to hold Faith tightened his grip out of fear that the slayer would double cross them, but Faith remained passive, to intent on the drama being played before her. The remaining vamps circled Buffy, staying away from her, and yet not giving her an opening to run. After a few moments Faith noticed Buffy starting to stumble, her movements slow and awkward, nothing resembling the fluid grace Faith so loved to watch. Buffy wrapped her arms around her stomach and violent cramp shook her tiny frame. She nearly folded, almost going down but was able to right herself. The vamp to the blonde slayer's left relaxed thinking that the fight was over, Faith could see it in his posture, he knew Buffy was seconds from succumbing to the drug and that was his mistake. Buffy ran at him and before he could react she had staked him.

The tiny slayer tried to take advantage of the opening, she only made it a few steps before she once again wrapped her arms around herself as she was racked by a couching fit. Buffy staggered unable to stop coughing, desperately trying to breathe between, finally collapsing to her knees as the coughing turned into heaving.

Faith pulled out of the vamp's arms and ran to Buffy, sliding on her knees next to the little slayer. The worse of the coughing seemed to stop Faith grabbed Buffy by her shoulders and eased the smaller girl back against her chest; Faith could feel the shutters running through the tightly locked muscles of Buffy's body.

"Easy, breathe Buffy, you can do it…." She mumbled while stroking the older girl's sweaty brow, only to be brushed aside as the girl pushed up to her knees and was caught in another fit of coughing followed by another round of sickness.

"Faith?" Buffy asked weakly, "Faith, why didn't you run? You could have gotten away."

Before Faith could answer her, Buffy's tiny body was racked once again by the convulsive coughing; finally ending with the little slayer shaking like a leaf. Faith could feel the heat of an explosive fever beginning to rise off of her skin as the older slayer broke out into a sweat.

Faith could only rock her and comfort the tiny blonde, hoping that the blessed unconsciousness the mayor had promised would hurry up and take her. When the mayor told Faith about his plans to capture Buffy by using the drug Faith had envisioned it knocking Buffy out --never in her nightmares did she think this would happen. After an eternity Faith felt Buffy take a deep breath, her body relaxing, leaning back into the taller slayer's arms, the hand Buffy had been using to cover her mouth as she coughed flopped bonelessly to her side. Faith sighed at last; she looked up to see the remaining vamps circling them like sharks, still in full game face. She noticed the bloody foam at the corners of Buffy's mouth and used her thumb to wipe it away.

The vamp that seemed to be in charge was watching her movements with nothing short of hungry arrogance. "The Mayor changed plans," it sneered, "he's sending you two back tonight. Something about the stars being in prefect alignment." The vamp turned to the minion close to Faith, "go get the car. We don't have much time."

"Here I'll carry her to the car," the arrogant vamp said, as he walked up to the two girls.

He reached down to lift Buffy out of Faith'' lap. And promptly turned into a pile of dust. Faith turned to the one remaining vamp, glaring at him. Barely checked rage building in her-she knew the only reason a vamp wanted to help carry the slayer was so that he could have a taste. He was their leader so, despite the mayor's orders, and he would have bitten Buffy.

Attacking her while she was unconscious and sick, which, Faith thought, was exactly the Mayor's plan. The taller slayer pulled her friend closer to her, trying to project a territorial stare at the last vamp and at the same time trying to block out the truth of the her father figures actions.

The car drove up and Faith very gently picked Buffy up. The tiny slayer's eyes fluttered open briefly, and then she snuggled closer into the taller girl. And Faith felt like her heart was torn in two: guilt at her betrayal warring equally with blinding hope.

Part Two

The Mayor or as he preferred Richard, stalked the hilltop. He had carefully kept this one section of Sunnydale exactly the same for the past hundred years waiting for this night.

Tonight his destiny would come full circle: tonight he would send the two keys to his immortality back to his beginning.

'It all comes together in a few hours.' He thought as he did yet another check around of the ritual space. He had to make sure every rune; every symbol for this ritual was perfect.

'It just wouldn't do to have a hundred years of planning, of suffering, and of grief…Gosh I need to write that down for my speech!' The mayor pulled out his notebook and wrote the passage down so he wouldn't forget it 'Wow, notebooks and pens, what a wonderful invention in this time.' Richard gave the ball point pen a few extra clicks just to marvel at human ingenuity and then continued to inspect the circle.

He was a sorcerer--not a Witch--he didn't work with the natural flow of the earth's energies; he worked against them. Thus, he needed an energy source to create his power and his energy of choice was taken from a property tortured and terrorized person.

He laughed silently, 'Vampires or other demons would work in a crunch, but the glories of human emotions were the ambrosia that makes this kind of dark magic work.' It had taken 17 young high school kids, a visiting Rugby Club, to create enough energy to override the walls of time to send the two slayers back. 'And darn if it didn't reek havoc with the weather for those few days back then, too.'

He stopped his perusal of the circle to glance at the five-foot high clear quartz crystal; the Sorcerer wanted to make sure it still retained the energy charge from the earlier sacrifices. A Quartz of that quality had been was hard to find a hundred years ago, in this day and age, it would be impossible, so he had it protected by several spells.

He was so giddy and wanted to start the final part of his destiny. The deaths of the two slayers all those years ago would give him just enough power to crack the seal the Shaman had on the Hellmouth. When the mystical forces started leaking it would attract every demon this side of the Pacific….

'And that will lead me to my rightful place in the history of the world, to my accession and to my place as the King of the Earth. Or ruler, or God, whatever I'm not choosy.' With one final click on the ball-point he put both it and the notebook away in the inside jacket pocket.

Herbert one of his trusted vampire henchmen, 'and my god what kind of name was Herbert for a vampire,' waved at him. Richard acknowledged him and walked slightly down the hill where the vampire stood talking on his cell phone.

"Any news," The Mayor asked as he neared the huge vamp. The vampire had originally been his ranch foreman before he was changed. Richard felt it necessary back then to build an army of the undead to protect himself from the Indians. The Mayor still regretted the death of Herbert's sire all those years ago. He had been a loyal and trusted ally; someone to talk to whom shared his vision of a town built for demons.

War had nearly broken out when the Shaman of the local tribe found out what he was up to and had tried to stop him more than once.

All that had changed when the slayers had arrived-two pet slayers-he laughed again. He couldn't help it. Wilkins noticed the vamp kept quiet until the Mayor was able to regain his composure. Herbert was a lot like his sire in that way, always patience.

Herbert paused, forming his words carefully. "Yes, they are on their way."

Richard looked at him seriously.

"How many did we lose this time?" He asked dreading the answer. He had to send his best on this mission, losing any of them would be a blow.

"Three." Herbert answered him quickly and without fear. Wilkins never killed over the truth; he would only strike down his employees when they lied. That bit of consistency seemed to buy him the loyalty of most of the human and demon underworld of Sunnydale.

"Well, darn." The mayor turned away, three of his oldest and most trusted. "Well, thank goodness that our Slayer problem is about to be taken care of once and for all."

As if on cue, the headlights from the limo broke the darkness as it pulled up and stopped in front of the Mayor and Herbert. Richard watched the last of his original vampires exit the car and then opened the back door for Faith. She slowly crawled out of the car with the other slayer cradled gently in her arms.

The letter he had sent back with the girls explaining things to his younger self specifically stated just how much of the poison the blonde slayer would need to become terribly sick but still be able cling to consciousness. For his plan to work Buffy Summers had to know it was Faith that betrayed her.

His good little lap dog stalked up to him and he could see murder in her eyes.

"What the Hell is this!" She shouted looking down at the petite Slayer shaking in her arms as tremors still coursed through her.

The Mayor watched as Faith's looked directly into his eyes. Then he almost jumped for joy when Buffy Summers followed Faith's gaze, recognition flashing across her face as she realized who he was and what had happened.

Richard had a hard time keeping his features solemn; all Buffy would remember of the next few days was Faith's betrayal. By the time the tiny slayer let herself trust Faith again it would be too late. 'I am so good at this game.' He thought, as he schooled his features into his loving father figure act.

"Faith you knew the plan," he admonished. "You didn't want me to overdose her and kill her?"

He nodded to Herbert to take the slayer from young girl's arms. Herbert had a syringe full of the real venom, once he had Buffy out of Faith's sight the vampire's orders were to inject it into the slayer's leg. It would keep her helpless and therefore ensure Faith seeking his younger self 's help once she arrived. Or so that was how Richard remembered it.

Faith backed away from Herbert, her eyes darkening further into a murderous stare, her body tensing in what the mayor knew was her battle mode.

He reached out with his magic, projecting the soothing warmth that always calmed her down. Since the girl had had no loving physical contact growing up, she couldn't tell when someone was manipulating her emotions through magic.

'Though, I'm so good I don't know if anyone could tell the difference between the real thing and what I use.' He smirked as he saw Faith's eyes glaze over, her body relaxing, as the fake sense of peace washed thorough her.

Buffy groaned in her arms, apparently she could tell the difference, could feel the magical energies.

'Well, darn. I'll just have to take care of that, can't have the "real" slayer throwing a monkey wrench into the works.' The sorcerer thought as he placed his hand on the blonde's forehead and started pouring the same energy into her. 'A little more resistance than I would imagine considering her condition.'

The mayor mentally reached behind him tapping the power of the crystal. 'Just a little won't make a difference and if I can mark her now it will save me time and energy later.' The power he took from the crystal easily overwhelmed the drugged slayer's defenses as he forced his way into the deepest part of her mind.

'Now to plant the seed,' he thought as he watched the blonde's eyes turn inward and the spark of rebellion that was shinning in them slowly die out. Richard could tell that he was running short on energy, so he withdrew, leaving only a tiny magical mark that his younger self would be able to follow. 'Funny, I don't remember Buffy being marked? Oh, well, it didn't matter back then, I only wish I had more time and power to use so I could enslave her right now.'

With the slayer neutralized the sorcerer turned his attention back to Faith and was pleased with what he saw. The backlash from the spell he had used on Buffy had thoroughly broken any and all fight the younger girl had.

It was time to begin.

Wilkins motioned to the vampire behind him and Herbert took the blonde slayer out of Faith's unresponsive arms.

"Be quick, I need to start the ritual," the mayor told his minion.

"As you wish," Herbert answered carrying Buffy to the circle and lying her on the ground.

Richard continued enthrall Faith feeding her the love and peace her spirit so craved. He noticed her eye's had become cloudy as she basked in the positive glow of his magic. It was as if she was beginning to get high simply from the emotions he was projecting in her.

He was so proud of himself for figuring out that pain and fear would never work with this girl, only love and warmth. Just because he was a dark magician didn't mean he couldn't use the light.

"Control was control," he mumbled.

He felt Herbert's hand on his shoulder indicating the slayer was taken care of--the drug administered. Still, while he had Faith so enthralled he decided check Buffy's aura to be sure that the mystical compound was having the desired effect.

When he was sure it was having the affect on Buffy he desired Richard released Faith, reveling in way she stumbled as if she was shoved. When her eyes cleared she looked at him with such adoration he felt sick. To be able to use the light was one thing; to feel it pushed back into his face was another and it repulsed him.

"Alrightly then, " he turned expecting the slayer to follow him like a puppy and she did.

"You two will go back, you know Edna May is going to be so happy to have two little girls." He turned to smile at her. "There will be a huge storm for a couple of days because of the ritual forcing the fabric of time apart." He chuckled, "it reeks havoc with the weather."

He pointed to a cave hidden by some under growth. "You need to get you, your supplies, and Buffy in there in under about five or so minutes." Richard stopped next to Buffy, she was laying with in the circle. He looked down at her and he was pleased by what he saw. 'In an hour Faith will think her near death. Faith, of course, will think I made a mistake and will be frantic, seeking my help out before the last of the storms end. '

And help he will. A hundred years of planning was paying off, in a few days his younger self would know everything.

The mayor paused, then pulled the envelope out of his coat pocket, it was magical and geared only to his touch. It also contained all the information he would need to begin his destiny.

"This will tell everyone at the ranch what is going on and how they are to treat you." But if anyone else opened it and read it then it looked like a simple letter of introduction. He tried to hand it to Faith but she was still out of it from the earlier spell, so he put it in her jacket pocket

He shook her, "Are you ready?" he asked.

Richard knew there was no stopping him now...after all everything had already happened.

"Giles are you here? Have you heard from Buffy? Did you feel the storm?" Willow shouted as she and Oz rushed, soaking wet into the lighted library.

She was supposed to meet with Buffy at the Ice Cream Bar after her patrol with Faith and the slayer was a no show.

It had been a rough couple of weeks and Willow had missed her best friend's presence. Plus, she really wanted to hear how Buffy's non-date with Angel had gone. The redhead had a hard time keeping up with her friend's relationship with the broody vamp with its ''on-again, off-again" nature and tonight they had planned to catch-up.

Besides, Buffy had promised to do something she never did: talk. 'That's not fair, Buffy used to talk to me all the time, before last summer.' The Wiccan thought morosely. 'Now it seemed like Buffy was always secret girl or running off with some kind of Faith emergency.' She shook herself; 'stay focused Willow.'

"Giles come out, come out wherever you are!" She shouted again as she walked towards the table in the middle of the library.

"Maybe Giles and Buffy are already checking out the storm?" Oz asked still by the door.

"You could be right," she conceded. "I'm not the only witch in town and anyone of the others could have called him about the surge in magical energies."

The magical energy surge came seemly out of nowhere and then the wind started blowing and shortly there after the rain came. It was clear that this storm was brought on by someone doing magic, big magic, magic that was so against nature that it caused ripples in reality's very fabric.

"The lights were still on so he has to be around here somewhere," she said turning back to Oz. Then strong arms grabbed her from behind and the last thing she saw as a sweet smelling cloth was forced over her face was Oz lying unconscious on the floor by door with an El Eliminati sword's man standing over him.

"My love should she not be awake by now." A deep masculine voice echoed through Willow's head reeking havoc and causing her pain beyond her tolerance. She groaned softly when her stomach roiled as her head exploded into a starbursh.

"Oh, god, just kill me now!" She whispered clutching the sides of her head trying to keep her brains from spilling out.

Willow heard a gentle chuckle above her, the chuckle turning into the frail voice of an old woman "Dear sweet Willow, you always were such a wimp. You never could deal with any kind of physical pain." Willow tried to open her eyes but a small dry hand covered them to keep them closed.

"Willow, dear, keep your eyes shut for just a little while longer, until the drug is out of your system. I don't want you to mess up my floor." The frail voice said above her. She felt a puff of air on her face as the voice continued in a stage whisper by her ear, "Oh and it's not the best of ideas to tell a room full of vampires to kill you."

Willow's eyes snapped open and she sat up expecting to see the hordes of the undead ready to rip her apart. Instead she had to clinch her mouth shut to keep the nausea at bay. When her vision cleared she discovered that she was on a table in the middle of a warehouse. There were about 20 vamps wearing the uniform of the El Eliminati standing in a circle around her. But instead of attacking her they were doing decidedly unvamp like things, like openly smiling as if she were the brunt of a huge joke.

"Oh great Vamp humor, " she said under her breath continuing to scope out her situation. She was so dizzy that she had to grab the sides of the table to stay sitting up. She didn't know how long she had been unconscious but she could still hear the storm raging outside the warehouse walls.

"Not normal vamp humor," the woman's voice said behind Willow, so she slowly turned head to face her.

The witch's mouth dropped open in shock as she looked at what must have been the oldest person on the face of the planet. Yet, Willow noticed, the woman's green eyes were clear and bright with intelligence.

The woman waved her arm in an expansive gesture to include the 20 odd vamps in the warehouse.

"All these vamps were made from one American Indian tribe. When they lived they were the original inhabitants of Sunnydale." The frail woman continued in a soft voice as if trying to put Willow at ease. The softness of the woman's voice was creating an extreme contrast to the shear power that the novice witch could feel radiating off the old woman in waves.

''This woman has power,' the young girl thought, 'she has power…like somekind of… powerful thing. I've never felt anything like what's coming off of her.'

"The tribe believed that the creator put them here to guard the "Hellmouth" which is really a vortex to other realities."

The woman continued her history lesson oblivious to Willow's inner turmoil.

The old woman motioned for Willow to follow her over to what looked like a ritual working space. One Willow would have loved to create for herself.

"It's so simple," Willow said in awe, as she staggered behind the old woman. She noticed some of the runes and symbols of protection from her own studies.

"Yes," the woman continued. "Most of the time simpler is the best way to go in dealing with magic." The woman turned to face Willow, and the Witch got the distinct impression the frail lady was measuring her.

"You may call me Crowley" At Willow's questioning look, the old woman answered, "no I do not practice his magical ways, the name was given to me." She explained, looking at Willow holding her captive with the intensity of her stare.

'She has the greenest eyes I have ever seen. And yet, at the same time they have dark rings around the irises? I wonder why?'

A sense of peace washed over the young Wiccan and wondered at her own reactions to the situation: here she was a prisoner to this old lady with her army of vamps and she wasn't totally panicking or terrified. Then she remembered Oz and quickly glanced around.

"Your wolf is safe," again Crowley answered a question before Willow could ask it.

"Don't do that," She snapped back at Crowley, even as she realized that she could feel that Oz was safe, at least for the moment.

Crowley sighed and swayed as she turned away, immediately one of the vamps was at her side, towering protectively over her and supporting her with his massive arms.

"My love you must rest and conserve your strength," The vamp said in the same deep and cultured voice Willow remembered from earlier. And once again Willow's mouth dropped open because as she got a good look at the Vampire she realized that he was most beautiful person she had ever seen. It didn't matter that he was a man or a woman, he was beautiful.

He had silky long black hair tied away from his face by a leather tong and his bronze skin seemed to glow with health and vigor. He was in every way a total contrast to the old woman he held so lovingly in his arms. Crowley's silver hair and parchment like skin seemed stretched to tightly over her bones and she looked like a walking corpse.

'Which was strange because it was her lover who was the corpse,' Willow thought vaguely to herself.

But it was the way Crowley and the vamp were looking at each that should have given Willow the biggest case of the wiggins, instead she marveled at the devotion that shone through as the two lovers were lost for a moment in each other. Crowley and the vampire looked exactly like Buffy and Angel--before Angelus.

Then Willow knew: all these Vamps were not part of the demon Balthazar's, army. They were El Eliminati, but they all had their souls and had chosen to follow Crowley.

"Wow," Willow whispered. "Why did you ensoul all these vampires?"

At Willow's whispered question Crowley turned towards the witch with her eyes flashing green fire.

"Because all their deaths were your fault! Everything they loved and believed in and protected was lost because of your selfishness!" The old woman spat out and Willow could see a faint glow of light shining from the woman as her aura flared with anger and disgust.

Willow had to step back away from the woman as she realized that the woman before her was a Shaman. A very, very powerful and deranged Shaman.

Still, Willow insanely felt a need to defend herself to Crowley. "How could I cause their deaths, they must have died sixty, seventy years ago...."

Crowley waved her hand to silence her and the Shaman stepped away from her lover's arms.

"Exactly 100 years ago tomorrow." The Shaman paused and Willow noticed unshed tears in the old woman's eyes. "100 years, tomorrow the entire tribe is destroyed. And it wasn't the settlers, or the Spanish, or even Mayor Wilkins that caused it—it was you!"

The novice witch was even more confused and frightened; did the lunatic want some kind of revenge for Willow's imaginary actions? She backed farther away from the Shaman her eyes glancing around the warehouse for an escape route. The silence was making Willow more than frighten than the woman's ranting.

Finally the beautiful vamp behind Crowley spoke. "Be still little tree, the Lady will explain… somewhat."

And for some reason Willow believed him, trusted him.

Crowley's Vampire lover took a step and reached to support the old lady once again. At his touch she turned to him and pulled his face down for a kiss.

Again, Willow thought she should have been grossed out by what appeared to be a very old woman kissing a young man--but she wasn't-- she wondered if this was what Buffy and Angel would have looked like in eighty years?

At last Crowley pulled away from the demon and approached Willow by the ritual space. The Shaman looked down at the circles of protection. "This is what I am going to use to help you make things right."

Willow looked at her confused. "What do you mean? How can I be responsible for something 100 years ago!" The frustration boiling over at the fact a lunatic held her prisoner.

The Shaman looked at Willow, her cold green eyes dismissing her. "We have been watching you 'little tree,'" Crowley used the nickname like a curse. "You hold so much power within your hands, power that could have changed lives for good."

The old lady paused, breathing deeply, and Willow was struck once again how fragile the woman looked. If you discounted the magical energies she held in her hands.

"Instead of welcoming the new slayer, you were driven mad over jealousy at the possibly of losing your friend." Crowley continued, her green eyes beginning glow. "You never once thought of what your best friend needed or wanted, only that you were threatened" The Shaman accused, staring intensely at Willow until the Witch had to look away.

"Faith is a psycho!" Willow defended. Then added in a mumble, "she killed a man and tried to kill Xander." The witch's voice rising with each word in righteous anger.

"I still don't see what this has to do with me. Why did you bring me here and where is Oz." Her rage making her brave enough to challenge the Shaman.

The beautiful vamp behind Crowley smiled; "Your Wolf is safe, little tree, and if you give your word to try and make amends he will released in the morning, unharmed." Willow believed the vamp.

'Why do I believe him?'

Crowley held her hand out and one of the vampires walked forward placing a necklace in it. Willow recognized it immediately, and indignation burned thorough her.

"Hey! That's Buffy's, where did you get it?" She asked reaching for the 'pine fresh scented' protection packet.

Crowley closed her hand over it. "No, its not. This was the protection amulet you made for Faith." The Old Shaman paused, once again trapping Willow with her eyes. "The same protection amulet you were too hurt to give her because you thought Buffy was ignoring you. The amulet you were to jealous to give Faith."

"That's not true!" The red head denied, swallowing the lie. "How did you know, I had made one for Faith?"

The Shaman waved her hand dismissively. "It's not important how I knew; just that if you had given it to Faith she never would have fallen under the Mayor's control."

"I-I…My spells never work." Willow protested pointing at the amulet.

"This one did," Crowley said simply.

"But…."

"Enough of this, we are wasting time," the shaman interrupted. "You will go back exactly one hundred years and try to fix your mistakes with the other slayer. You can't save these people," Crowley waved at the silent Vampires. "What was done to them will be done regardless."

Willow started to shake her head no, but Crowley held up her hand to stop her protest.

"I said enough, child!" the shaman shouted. "Because of your jealous actions the slayer Faith has become ensnared in Wilkin's plot and has gone back. If you do not go find her, help her, then that timeline will become real for this world."

The red headed Witch just stood there in shock, not really understanding all she was being told.

Crowley continued, "if his reality merges with this one, not only will all your friends die horrible deaths, this world will become enslaved to one Master. And it will be all your fault." With a flare the shaman walked away from Willow to the center of the circle.

Willow shook herself out of her shock and confusion. "Look this isn't going to work. Faith hates me; she will never trust me. Wouldn't it be better if we just left Faith there and then Buffy..."

At the mention of Buffy's name Crowley, the great Shaman seemed to deflate in front of Willow. And tears that Willow saw earlier started streaming down hr face.

And Willow knew: Faith had Buffy with her.

That Faith had managed to kidnap her best friend and with Mayor Wilkin's help had taken her a hundred years back in time.

"Is that what is behind this storm? Is that the magical working that caused it?" The young teen asked though she already knew the answer.

Willow sighed, she knew she had to go back too. She had to save Buffy--because that is what best friends did.

"Do you know how I'm going to get Faith to listen to me?" Willow asked, now trying to gain wisdom from the old woman.

"No, I would suggest asking for forgiveness and if that doesn't work try begging. Are you ready?"

"No!" The storm, that had been raging in the background, suddenly grew in fury and loudness until Willow could only hear the booming thunder.

Part Three

Faith watched as Buffy tossed and turned in the dim light if the cave. The blonde slayer was in a sleeping bag on the damp dirt floor. Sweat was pouring off Buffy's face despite the wet coldness of the air. The lack of light wasn't an issue for Faith, slayers could see in the dark as well as vampires. So the camp stove she was using try heat the cave, gave off enough light—just not enough warmth.

The storm had hit with a fury that Faith had only seen a few times in her life. Rain blew into the mouth of the cave despite the tarp she had hung over the entrance.

'That tarp is next to worthless,' she thought to herself as she watched it get blown aside by the wind once again. With each gust Faith could tell the temperature was dropping and that soon the rain would change over to snow. 'Once it starts to snow the wind will blow it in here, and then it will get awfully cold. I know I could handle it, but I'm not sure Buffy can right now.'

She was very worried about Buffy, worried the Boss had given the blonde too much of the venom. She was worried about the impending snowstorm and she was frightened about what was going to happen next.

She watched Buffy turn over in the sleeping bag once again; it seemed like the little slayer just couldn't get comfortable. 'What am I thinking? She has enough poison in her to put her out…Yet, why isn't she out?'

"Faith, Faith, I'm so cold..." Buffy mumbled, distracting Faith from her thoughts.

"Its cool, B. I've got you covered." She said taking some the stones off of the camp stove and placing them under Buffy's sleeping bag.

Faith was so happy that Boss seemed to think of everything. She hadn't gotten a chance to go through all the neatly stacks bags of supplies he sent with them. 'One less thing to worry about, I guess. I just don't know why I space out around him so much. Good thing he made sure I knew about the stove and how it worked before the ritual because I'd still be trying to figure it out.'

As she placed the hot stones under the sleeping bag she noticed that the sleeping bag was soaked. It was most likely from sweat but she knew as sick as Buffy had been it could be from something else. It didn't matter to Faith whether it was wet or dry; the bag would still keep Buffy warmer than the blankets the mayor sent as back up to the two sleeping bags.

When they had first gotten here, to this time, Buffy seemed slightly more alert. She was even able to walk up the hill to cave. The tiny blonde was extremely confused and disoriented but the explosive fever had gone down and she was breathing normally.

Then about the time the storm hit, she had doubled over and started losing everything she had ever thought about eating. With the retching came the fever and the labored breathing returned…. 'And now I'm sitting here watching her die instead of doing something to help her! Damn it! I have to do something, I can't just sit here.' She thought jumping to her feet and beginning to pace. Only to notice that Buffy became more restless with every lap she made of the small space. 'Must be some of that Slayer radar working.´ Since she wanted the sick girl to rest, she forced herself to sit back down on the floor by the stove.

The younger slayer leaned back thinking; 'If I could just get to the boss' house before the snow starts, I know he would help. I know even though he doesn't know who I am he would still do everything he could to save her. That's what I need to do, get him here, ASAP!'

With the decision made Faith pulled Buffy and her sleeping bag closer to the stove and turned it to its highest setting. 'I know you should never use a camp stove for warmth but with the wind blowing in the cave anyway I don't think carbon monoxide poisoning could happen and it might keep her warm enough until I can get back.'

Still, I'm so grateful for the Boss' foresight in supplying everything he thought we would need! Half this shit I have no idea what it's for.' Faith wrapped herself in one of the many blankets. She looked at Buffy so helpless and delirious--despite her feeling that Buffy was beyond understanding--she knelt down next to her.

"Buffy, I need you to listen to me for a minute," Faith said, as she pulled the older girl up into a sitting a position. Buffy's chin dropped to her chest but she opened cloudy green eyes and peered up at Faith. The tiny slayer squinted trying to focus on Faith's face.

"Faith?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

'She knows me? Maybe she's getting better? Maybe I should stay'

"Yes," Faith said hugging Buffy close to her. "Buffy listen, I'm thinking about going for some help," she started to explain.

"Giles? Go get Giles," Buffy interrupted, her whispery voice pleading.

And the younger slayer felt the words as a blow to her heart. 'No matter how much I try I could never be a part of her life as long as the "super friends" were around.' Jealously burned through her as she thought, 'this truly is the only chance I've got.'

"No, Buffy he can't help you. I'm going to get some one else." She tried to explain bitterly, only to see the blonde close her eyes in dismissal. In defiance of the anger Buffy's actions caused, Faith still gently laid the blonde back down on the sleeping bag and pulled it up to her chin. 'Sleep well Buffy, if this an example of the Boss being kind, imagine what he would have done to you if I hadn't been around to stop him?'

Faith stood up and snatched the blanket closer around her shoulders hoping that it would give more protection from the rain and wind then just her light jacket. "Probably the only reason the boss didn't think to supply a heavier coat for me was because he didn't expect me to be out in the weather like this…or there could be a coat back there somewhere, I just don't have time to find it.' She thought vaguely as she stepped outside into the biting wind, the rain soaking the blanket after just three steps.

As she came to the edge of the small cliff something told her to look up and behind her…where she saw the biggest dog she had ever seen. 'No, not a dog. A wolf.'

A wolf that was just a hop from being between her and the entrance to the cave, just a hop down from above the entrance to where Buffy lay helpless and delirious.

Faith froze as she stared directly into the eyes of the wolf.

A clap of thunder in the distance jerked her out of the stupor she fallen into. Things seemed to slow down as she first thought 'weapons' and then she dove into the cave doing a forward roll to come up on her feet between the wolf and Buffy.

Faith braced herself firmly as the wolf nosed his way slowly into the cave. He took a few tentative steps, seemingly as stunned to see the slayer, as Faith was to see him. He sat down on his hunches and looked again at Faith as if he was trying to say something. When Faith didn't move, he stood up and took another step closer.

The younger Slayer didn't know what to do; if she tried to fight the wolf, with no weapons, and lost then Buffy would be at its mercy. If she didn't fight the wolf…well what choice did she really have? She glanced around for some kind of weapon; 'a knife would be really nice about now.'

Only to discover that she didn't need one because the wolf had backed up out the cave and disappeared into the night.

Faith sunk to her knees as the shock of seeing the wolf sunk into her already frayed nerves. She knew she had royally messed totally up leaving the other slayer by herself and helpless. That she should have remembered that this was a hundred years ago and there were things that could eat a person besides vampires. Especially if the person was sick and weak at the moment. 'If Buffy had been in this situation she would have thought about the possibility of wolf, or a mountain lion or a bear?'

Tears of frustration made slow tracks down her muddy face as she thought of a life without Buffy in it because of some stupid mistake. And then guilt crashed into her stealing her breath when she thought of her betrayal.

Faith sat on the muddy floor beyond conscious thought, as another part of her was screaming at her to get up change out of her wet clothes. She was getting too cold and she started to shiver uncontrollably. It was so hard because another part of her just didn't care if she died.

The best thing in her life was lying across the cave from her, probably dying because the Mayor, other best thing to ever happen to her, saw Buffy as a threat that needed to be dealt with.

'My god I'm even thinking like him now,' she thought morosely.

Faith's numbed mind registered muted thunderclap off in the distance. The old wives tale about 'thunder in the winter meant snow would surely come' frittered slowly back and forth bouncing from one side of her head to the other.

Finally, a blinding flash of light closely followed by a deafening blast of thunder directly outside of the cave jerked her out of her spreading stupor.

"Oh, god Buffy!" She cried and crawled on frozen hands and knees over to the other slayer to check on her. Much to the younger slayer's relief, Buffy actually seemed better, her flushed face still showing signs of a high fever, but her breathing was easier and she looked asleep, not unconscious. Faith tested her theory by trying to arouse her.

"Buffy wake-up," she said shaking the tiny blonde's shoulder and was rewarded when she opened bleary hazel eyes.

"Faith? Tired... Sleep..." She murmured as she rolled over on her side facing the bigger slayer, while tugging part of the wet sleeping bag over her shoulder. Faith lightly touched the little slayer's face and was relieved to find that her fever had gone down. She was no longer burning up; she was just merely warm to the touch.

Buffy snaked a hot hand out to grab the other slayer's cold one and pulled it to her.

"Cold, why so cold?" she asked Faith, her eyes slowly closing.

And Faith noticed a muddy drop of water splash onto Buffy's face.

She used her other hand to wipe at her forgotten tears-letting Buffy keep the hand she had taken possession of, Faith pretended that her heart was being held by the little slayer. After a few moments the grip on Faith's hand lightened as Buffy drifted into a deeper sleep.

Faith glanced around the cave, the camp stove was blazing away and she knew there was enough propane for it last, but the stove was on high and the temperature of the cave was already close to freezing.

'I don't know if I should put another tarp up or use the blankets over Buffy?" As she thought another gust of cold wind blew into the cave, the icy cutting through her wet clothes.

Living in Boston had taught her to get out of the wet clothes or she would get sick and since she was also covered in mud she felt a need to be clean. And she thought, after a second or two of hesitation, that Buffy could use a bath and dry clothes too. The odor of sickness hung around the tiny slayer.

No matter how cold it got Buffy would be warmer if she dry.

Faith stood on shaky legs, picked up the iron pot the mayor had insisted they bring. It was something about the way this pot was forged, without impurities in it…. Faith really didn't understand it so she ignored it.

She put the pot on the stove and filled it with some of the bottled water they had. 'If we start getting low on water then I can just stick this pot outside.'

While, the water was heating, Faith dug out the rest of the blankets from the packs. Much to her surprised delight she found a self-inflating air mattresses. She chuckled at how kind the Boss was to worry about her comfort. Buffy's relapse had happened so fast that Faith hadn't thought, in her panic, to check out all of the supplies.

For the first time since they had arrived she took stock of the cave they were in. Relieved she noticed that ceiling towards the back of the cave sloped downward as the walls narrowed, creating a smaller area that could be blocked off with the help of another tarp. She found some steel tent stakes and she used them to tack down the bottom of the tarp at the entrance to their new 'room.' It was the prefect place to set up the mattress and to make a bed out of the extra blankets.

The stove could keep the smaller area warmer than the cave.

By the time Faith had finished making the little alcove into a full- fledged nest, the water was boiling. She had found a change of clothes for the both of them, though she was only going to dress Buffy in sweats. During all her preparations she kept one eye towards the front of the cave in case the wolf returned, she really didn't expect him to, she still thought it safer to keep the cross bow she found close to her at all times. She didn't want to test her luck at trying to wrestle the wolf bare handed.

She used a tee shirt to take the water off the stove then she hurriedly cleaned herself and got redressed.

Faith steeled herself--she had always wanted to see Buffy naked--but never like this. In her dreams Buffy was awake and willing to play, not asleep and unaware. She carried the remaining water and a dry blanket over to Buffy and unzipped the sleeping bag.

The younger Slayer quickly removed Buffy's coat, blouse, and bra at the same time wondering at her own reactions--Faith felt no desire towards the tiny girl at the moment. Sure she marveled at the girl's perfection--spending longer than was absolutely necessary cleaning her arms and hands--soaking up the way they looked, memorizing the feel of Buffy's skin; just not in a sexual way.

"It's really helping that you are staying safely asleep." The younger girl mumbled as she put the sweatshirt on the older slayer and started to remove her pants.

"Always wanted to get into them." The random thought entered Faith's mind, and she realized she was rapidly sinking into exhaustion, she was moving on autopilot. When the pants were halfway down Buffy's legs Faith noticed a mark on blonde's inner thigh.

"Shit, B drugs?" She said aloud as she bent down to examine the mark. Faith flashed to the way her mother would 'shoot-up' in that vein because "it wouldn't show". The mark looked sort of like the way her mother's would look when she got those awful infections from dirty needles-yet it didn't look like it at all.

One of the differences was it wasn't in the vein, it was still infected, the edges of what appeared to be the needle mark were black and the skin and muscle around it appeared to have a sunken quality-like something was eating away at Buffy's thigh from the inside out.

Distracted Faith continued to pull off the blonde slayer's pants, only realizing she had to remove Buffy's shoes and socks when her pants wouldn't come off. The wound reminded Faith of something familiar.

Perplexed, trying to remember why the sore looked so familiar if it wasn't like her mother's 'tracks', she washed Buffy's legs. When she came to wound she didn't know what to do to it.

Faith sat back on her heels trying to figure it out, she needed to clean the wound and bandage, it but how?.

Making a decision the young Slayer stood up and to find the first aid kit. While she was looking for it she kept a close eye on both the cave entrance and Buffy.

When she found the kit she took it back to where Buffy was sleeping. Faith then took out an alcohol wipe and being as gentle as she could she started to clean the wound…suddenly a hot dry hand grasped Faith's wrist in grip that felt like steel, squeezing it so hard that she thought she heard the bones creak.

Faith looked up into over bright fiery hazel eyes. Buffy's pale face locked in pain.

"What in the Hell are you playing Faith!" Buffy forced out between gritted teeth.

Faith, stunned at the blonde's sudden fury, was more than a surprised that Buffy was even awake.

"Nothing, B. I'm just trying to clean you up," Faith lifted the her hand to show Buffy the wipe. The tiny Slayer looked at her hand, holding Faith's wrist, and slowly blinked…her expression one of confusion. Then she dropped Faith arm and folded into herself as her tiny body was rocked with a wave of convulsive shuddering.

Having seen this happen before Faith knew what was coming next so she scramble over to catch the blonde and turn her head to the side just as the first of the retching crashed through the little body. Faith could almost feel Buffy's strength of spirit flowing out of her with each spasm until once again the tiny slayer was left weak and shivering in Faith's arms. When Buffy seemed to over the worse of the retching Faith laid her back down on the dry blanket.

The dark Slayer was still shaken by what just happened. She looked back down to Buffy who was out of it again; it was like she never had been better. Only this time Faith knew what was causing the Slayer's sickness-- the wound in her leg.

Faith carefully bent down to examine the sore again, keeping one hand on Buffy's stomach in case the Slayer woke-up. She was shocked to find that the wound had opened up into a hole big enough to put her little finger all the way in it.

And then Faith knew what it was-a demon bite. But, how did a demon bite Buffy on the leg and why didn't Buffy report it to Giles? The taller slayer felt the skin around the hole and realized it was hot to touch, literally burning up, compared to the rest of Buffy's body, which was hard to comprehend considering the fever Buffy was spiking at the moment.

Faith thought back to everything Kate, her Watcher taught her about demons and demon bites. The brunette fondly remembered their shared lessons on "the gory demon of the week." She couldn't help the small smile at that formed when she thought of her Watcher's face as realized that Faith couldn't sit still long enough to read the Handbook, much less learn it. Katie from Kasmir came up with the Gory Demon of the week idea to help her slayer.

The idea worked because Faith would pour through all the demonology books and watcher diaries for the goriest demons. After she chose one they would spend the entire week researching it. The memory of Kate's death came unbidden to Faith's mind and she tried to shut the emotions out that it caused-she had to think about Buffy. 'Yes,' she told herself, 'think about Buffy not about Katie or how dear old mom sold her out to Mr. Trick for the price of fix.'

'No more!' she nearly shouted at herself. 'Buffy is here, and alive and I have to take care of her.'

The more she looked at the sore the more familiar it appeared until it came to Faith what it was-"that's a what's it demon bite" she said to herself.

'The gross one that would inject digestive fluid into its victim as it chewed.' The drawing she remember had been wicked--the person more dissolved than eaten--but the wounds looked exactly the same. Faith would have put it together sooner --except Buffy's leg wasn't chewed and the wound was so small--the toxin, as Kate called it, had to have been injected.

The younger slayer felt physically ill at the thought that the boss would do this, unnecessarily, to her friend.

"Nah, it couldn't have been him!" she said decisively.

It must have been the big huge vamp who took Buffy away while she talked to the Mayor. All vamps hated slayers so this was his revenge for the boss befriending her. Man was that vamp was dust when they got back!

ButFirst she had to figure out what to do about the non-bite. What she had to do to help Buffy get better.

Kate had said most demon toxins worked on a very real physical level and then on another magical one. For slayers, if you could take care of the physical then the innate slayerness or what ever, would destroy the magical. The best situation would be to get the antidote, Faith was sure the mayor would help-but she couldn't risk leaving Buffy again because of the Wolf. Kate had explained that without an antidote the next way was to use heat or burn the bite. Kate had made it very clear to her charge, fearing one day her Slayer would be bitten and she wouldn't be there to help her, that it was better for a slayer to try and recover from a severe burn than the poison of demon.

With a heavy sigh Faith knew what she had to do. She wrapped Buffy up in the blanket and then she got up and plowed through the supplies again. She found what she was searching for-one of the thick metal tent stakes. She placed one on the stove and then tidied up the cave as it heated. Taking both their clothes and the blanket outside to put in a tree. When she pushed the tarp covering the entrance back she noticed the snow had started and that about six inches already covered the ground. 'Great, guess I wouldn't have made it to the Boss in time anyway?'

When she returned she checked on Buffy who, just like earlier, seemed to be delirious with a high fever and labored breathing.

"Just be out of enough, please," she begged the blonde.

Faith found another tee shirt and used it to take the stake off the stove-the irony that she was about to stake Buffy was not lost on the weary girl. The stake didn't have to be red-hot only hot if she remembered Kate correctly. The brunette slayer wanted to be anywhere doing anything other than what she was doing.

This was her fault and she had to fix it. If this was what it would take to get Buffy back, this is what she would do. The young girl purposefully walked over to her friend and pulled the blanket she had wrapped her in away, kneeling down beside her she glanced up at the sick girl's face to see if she was even aware that Faith was next to her.

Doubt and guilt stilled her once again-'am I doing the right thing? Or am I just causing Buffy more pain?' Faith thought as she paused examining the wound once more and to her horror it appeared to be even bigger.

Without hesitation she steadied the tiny slayer's leg with one hand and plunged the stake into the wound.

Buffy sat up again screaming, she then tried to throw a weak punch at Faith, which the brunette blocked easily. Buffy collapsed back to the blanket attempting to jerk her leg away from the heat but Faith held her steady. Finally, Buffy seemed to pass-out.

The taller slayer pulled the stake out and bandaged the wound. Faith wrapped the unconscious little slayer back up in the blanket and then carefully carried her over to the 'nest' she had made for them. After she settled Buffy in a cocoon of blankets the bigger girl grabbed her cross bow and lay down next to her pulling the sleeping girl closer. The younger slayer tried to stay awake so she could watch over her friend in case the wolf came back. Only for the first time that night she was warm, and the tiny slayer's steady breathing under her hand was lulling; without realizing it Faith drifted off to sleep.

Part Four

Willow landed face down in the icy, snowy slush. The deafening sound of thunder echoing in her ears. She glanced back over her shoulder in time to see one of the vamps from the warehouse throw a backpack through the rip Crowley's magic had created in time. After the pack dropped into Willow's lap the ancient Shaman quickly walked up to the tear and pulled it together as one would pull two curtains together. Willow was able to see the Shaman collapse into the waiting arms of the beautiful vampire as the hole knitted itself together. The last of the light from the tear disappeared and Willow was left alone in the dark cold snowy rain. Within seconds Willow was soaked to the skin, her light jacket clinging to her body as the wind pounded her relentlessly. Snow covered the ground making everything appear an eerily white.

Willow didn't know where in the world she was -- maybe the North Pole -- maybe the South Pole? She didn't know, she thought Crowley said Sunnydale of a hundred years ago.

'It never snows in Sunnydale! I guess it was too much trouble to drop me in town instead of the middle of nowhere… in a blizzard? Wait a second--didn't I read something about the blizzard if 1899 flattening or flooding half the town?'

As she slowly pushed up and got to her feet, the fury of the storm seemed to increase until she was leaning against the wind. She put her hand up to protect her eyes from ice pellets.

'I thought snow was supposed to be soft and fluffy?'

'How do I find Buffy in all of this…." She thought turning around trying to find just one landmark in the dark whiteness.

Another gust of wind grabbed at the bottom of her jacket lifting it enough to send icy chills through her, she began to violently shiver.

'I haven't been in this place, wherever this place is, for three minutes, and already I'm so cold my bones were aching.' She quickly thought about asking the spirit of fire to warm her, only she could feel the wild magicks in the air surrounding her. She didn't want to risk one of her already iffy spells going bad.

She turned around again, hoping that she would gain some insight as to the direction that she needed to go to find Faith or some place warm and dry to ride out the storm. As she turned she thought she saw two glowing yellow lights off in the distance, then the yellow lights came closer -- and resolved themselves into a face of a wolf.

"Oh goddess!" the Witch said closing her eyes, trying to make herself invisible. She knew that she could never out run a wolf in the best of weather, in this storm? She waited to be eaten. She kept her eyes closed until she felt a warm comforting hand on her shoulder and opened her eyes to find Crowley's beautiful vampire staring down at her.

"Oh, you came, too?" Willow babbled relieved then started looking around for the wolf. "Did you scare it away?" She asked expecting the big animal to come at them out of the snow.

Then she thought for a minute…. "But didn't I see you walking away as the tear or whatever closed?"

The vampire answered her in some unutterable language she couldn't follow. She had heard something like it before, when her mother insisted that they visit a Reservation, or was it a Nation ? Anyway it was somewhere in Northern Arizona.

A clap of thunder and a stronger gust of cold wind cut through her reminding her that she was literally freezing to death. She felt her teeth chattering so badly that she wondered why they didn't break.

She shook her head; "I don't understand you," she said frustrated. Why in the world was he talking to her in some strange language? He knew she didn't understand it? Willow wrapped her arms around her middle and tried to stomp some feeling back into her feet.

"I'm freezing to death!" she shouted at him. "And you're playing games?"

With a confused look he turned towards a steep hillside and pointed, once again saying something in his strange language.

'I don't understand you!" Willow shouted, angrily. He must have finally understood that she was freezing because he took off his outer fur coat and draped it over her shoulders. She instantly pulled tight around her, it wasn't much but it kept the worse of the wind from her already chilled body.

He pointed up the hill again, speaking urgently; Willow could see his breath in the cold air, before the wind snatched it away. She made out the outline of a wolf head on the coat he had on under the one he just gave her….

'Why did a vampire need to keep warm?'

Then realization dawned on her; he wasn't a vampire, or at least not yet.

"I got here in time!" She shouted bouncing on her toes, the coldness forgotten in her excitement. Willow grabbed the arm he was using to point with and turned him to face her. "Crowley said tomorrow you all would be killed and then turned." She told him, even though even as she said she knew he couldn't understand her.

"And you don't understand a single a thing I'm saying, do you?" she sighed, feeling defeated. How could she make him understand that they didn't have much time? That tomorrow night they would all be attacked and killed?

Apparently frustrated with her lack of comprehension the beautiful vampire -- 'American Indian, non-vampire or at least not a vampire at this point in time, whenever they were at the moment' -- took Willow's hand and tugged her in the direction that he had pointed, up the steep hill.

With a heavy heart Willow decided to follow him.

'I have to figure out a way to make you understand me -- I can't let you be changed!' The novice witch vowed silently.

As they made their way up the hill Willow kept falling, she didn't know if was because she couldn't feel her frozen feet or because her tennis shoes were unable to find purchase on the muddy hillside. In the end it didn't matter: after the fourth time she fell, nearly pulling him down with her, he just scooped her up like she weighed nothing and continued up the slope. His footing as sure in the blinding snow as if he was walking down a sidewalk in the middle of the afternoon.

They came to a cave, the mouth of which was covered with some type of animal skin that the Indian swept aside with his shoulder. Willow was temporarily blinded by the brightness of all the campfires as the cave opened up into a huge cavern. She saw at least 10 to 15 campfires, and it seemed that by each fire there was a family. She noticed several generations at each of the fires, she thought rather vaguely there must have been about a hundred people seeking shelter in the cavern.

He continued to carry her through the throngs of people and between the tent like structures, also made of animal hides.

'So this is where his tribe, or is that people? What is the PC term in 1899? Anyway this is where he lives?' She glanced around as he carried her. None of the people seemed to think twice about him carrying a stranger into their hide-away. She saw livestock pinned up on one side of the large cave and dogs ran freely between the tents playing with the children.

The feelings of life and happiness permeated the atmosphere. 'I can't let this be destroyed. I have to find some why to talk to him so he can prepare defenses.'

At last towards the back of a cavern he stopped and gently put her on her feet next to a fire. The warmth felt so good and yet painful as her numbed limbs began to thaw out.

A little girl, no older than 5 years old, raced up to Willow's rescuer and latched onto his leg babbling. Willow didn't need to understand the language to know that the child was his daughter and that she was relieved and happy to see him. Still, it seemed weird that no one came up to see who she was or what she was doing there. All the people were just doing normal things – like eating, or the children were playing some kind of game – none were curious.

Willow turned back to the… Future vampire? And she realized that he hadn't said a word to her since their trip up the mountain started. He hadn't greeted his daughter either….

She faced him again and was struck a second time by his physical beauty. He was tall, much taller than Giles…. And while she couldn't see much of his body under the wolf-fur coat she remembered what he looked like as a vampire a 100 years from now.

"Oh god, but you are gorgeous!" She said outloud and then looked guiltily around relieved when she realized that no one understood her. And despite her situation, parts south were beginning to warm up along with her abused feet and hands, only it wasn't the fire that was causing it.

He lifted his child into the air and his face just lit up with the shining light that only father could have. It vividly reminded her of the way Giles' looked at Buffy when he thought his slayer couldn't see him.

Finally, a young woman came up speaking in a scolding tone of voice to the child as she took the little girl out of her father's arms. Her father spoke gently to his daughter and then let the older girl carry her away.

The Indian then motioned for Willow to follow him. He led her to yet another passageway covered by the same kind of indescribable animal hide that covered the front entrance. Only at this opening, embedded in the stone around the passageway, were various animal skulls.

Willow recognized a bear, some kind of bird, and the ever-present wolf. He stopped at the entrance and lifted the skin away, and motioned for her to enter. Once inside she saw torches lining the walls, the flickering light causing the animal figures painted under them to look as if they were alive. The Indian walked up behind her, taking the pack Crowley had thrown through the time breach off her shoulder. Willow just realizing now that it was still there, and must have been there the entire time.

He gently dropped the bag on the dirt floor of the cave. Then he lightly placed both his hands on each of her shoulders, turning her around and guiding her to the back of the cave where several animal furs were laid in a circle around a fire pit. When they got to the furs increased pressure on her shoulders indicated to Willow that she should sit down, which she did. The Indian then started fire and he threw several herbs from a stone shelf into it.

Willow recognized the smell of some of the herbs in the smoke, but some were beyond the Witch's knowledge. As the fire grew higher it started to get warmer in the cozy little cave, so she removed the wrap he had loaned her and her jacket. Within minutes she was warm and her clothes were well on their way to drying.

After the events of the night, being warm, dry, and not under the immediate threat of death Willow felt herself start to relax. She knew she had to find some way to communicate before tomorrow night.…

But she was just so tired now.

The animal figures on the wall began to slowly dance around her, as she entered into a hazy trance -- she felt so sleepy. She heard chanting in the distance and looked up to see the Indian, still in his Wolf skin coat, dancing and singing in his language.

As the dance when on, she somehow began to understand some of what he was saying. He was singing to the wolf, asking the Wolf to guide him in his dealings with Willow. She felt herself begin to sway with his hypnotic singing she was so warm, and it felt so good.

She looked towards the animals that were dancing on wall; a crow separated itself from the wall and flew around the cave. She was such a pretty bird and huge, Willow almost thought it a Raven, but Crow made sure the witch didn't make that mistake. After a few minutes she swooped towards Willow, filling her vision and turning everything to black.

Willow was in a wonderful place; she was warm, comfortable, and safe. If the nagging person shaking her shoulder would just stop so she could sleep, her life would be wonderful. But they wouldn't stop. She had the feeling that she should be remembering something, something important, and if she could just drift back to sleep she would have the answer.

"Ah, come on," she complained. " Just five more minutes."

"No, you must awaken now," she heard a deep baritone say. "You have been asleep half the night, already."

The night's events flooded back into Willow's mind, a she sat straight up expecting the Crow to be plucking out her eyes. When it wasn't, she made sure that the animals on the walls weren't moving either. Then she realized….

"Hey, I can understand you, why can I understand you?" She was very confused, before she went to sleep his language was unintelligible to her, and he didn't seem to understand English.

"It is an old trick," the Indian told her. "Only Shamans can use it with other magical entities."

He stood up and walked over to the other side of the fire. She looked over the fire at the Shaman -- still slightly confused and disoriented -- and more than a little wigged out.

He seemed to realize her fear as he busied himself by making the dying fire larger. After a few minutes of silence, while Willow tried to wrap her mind around the situation, the Shaman went over to a table and poured some liquid into a cup. He smiled as he brought it over to her.

"Drink this, it will help with the after affects of the spell," he said offering it to her.

"So what's the deal, you cast the spell and people can understand each other?" Willow asked, testing the spell. She reached up and took the cup, and then she took a sip of the strange tasting liquid and immediately felt better, more together, her brain finally deciding to start working.

"Yes and no," the Shaman answered. "There will always be things in your language that do not translate into understandable words in mine. For that I will see images, pictures if you will, of what you are thinking."

He seemed to think a moment and then asked confusion evident in his voice. "You do not have the same type of spell were you're from?"

Willow remembered reading something about how ancient peoples were able to communicate with each other despite language differences, but she never quite realized the implications. She guessed this was the best way in which to meet new tribes, the Shamans of both tribes coming together casting the spell so there could be no misunderstandings. She shook her head after all that happened to her that night this was just too much.

"Yeah, we have ways of translating all the languages for us, only we call them computers." She said jokingly, then realized the Shaman was very confused.

"I get an image of a little box. How can that cast spell?" he asked.

"Never mind," Willow answered. She sat up straighter, her mind was clearing and her body seemed to be refreshed. She looked down at her empty cup, " what was that stuff?"

When he answered it was her turn to be confused because she got an image of him chanting with a bird sitting next to a bowl? She blinked image away. He walked over to her took cup then placed it back on the table.

'There was something she was forgetting….'

"Why did you come to my land?" the Shaman asked turning around the face her. "Do you know about the two other magical beings that came before you?"

"Two other beings?" Willow repeated. The proverbial light going on above her head as she realized the Shaman was referring to Faith and Buffy. She got up onto her knees excited, " do you know where they are, can you take me to them? Is Buffy badly hurt?"

"Yes, I know where they are but before I take you to them I must understand why you created such an intense magical storm. If you are a dark sorcerer than those two beings could supply you with enough power to destroy my people." He said walking back around the fire and facing her.

Here was Willow chance to warn him…just how much should she tell him? Would he even believe her?

"I didn't create the storm; I was sent back by a Shaman to stop a terrible wrong. One of those magical beings, as you call them, is my best friend and I think that she is in trouble, and if I don't help her she could die." Willow ended her babble and stayed kneeling; instinctively knowing if she stood up at that moment the Shaman would take it as a threat.

"They are both made of the golden light of the sun, the goodness within them shines brightly. But one is under a curse, and the other one has some type of poison cursing through her body," he told her bluntly. "I am worried about the danger they could bring."

With his words Willow got the image of Buffy and Faith. Faith looked as if she had black tentacles spread throughout her body from her heart. Willow instantly recognized it as the type of spell that had to be cast over a long period of time. At first the person didn't realize they are under someone else's control because the spell used the victim's greatest desire against them. The irony of it was that just a simple talisman, just like the one Willow gave Buffy the night before Faith killed Allen, would have protected her from all aspects of the spell. With shocking clarity Crowley's words of blame came slamming back into Willow's mind: she had made protection talismans for each member of the scooby gang, including Faith. But because she had been so jealous of the time Buffy spent with the other slayer she never gave it to her.

"You must take me to them right now!" the young Witch demanded. The Shaman was shaking his head no.

"Why, do you come here with all these magical instruments," he said pointing at her pack. "By magical means you entered into my world disrupting the natural flows. If I hadn't felt the energy building then some of my people would have been caught in the storm and killed. I am sure that some of the whites have died."

"I'm sorry, I didn't cause the storm. Believe me when I say that if I do not reach my friend in time it will be disastrous for all of us. I made a mistake and I must correct it." Willow stood tears nearly welling up in her eyes -- only through the force of will did she keep them from spilling over.

"My friend is in a great deal of danger, you and your tribe are in danger!" She clenched her fists at her side, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Vampires are going to attack your tribe tomorrow! You must prepare for the attack! Faith, one of the Sun Souled can help you."

Then what the Shamans said caught up with her. "What magical instruments?"

At her words the Shaman picked up her packed turning it upside-down dumping everything on the soft furs at her feet. Willow instantly recognize the orb she used to restore Angel's soul. She also recognized her Book of Shadows, or at least, she thought it was her Book of Shadows. It had the same cover as her book, except that she just begun it less than a year ago and this book was filled. She reached down and picked it up -- it was just a simple spiral notebook that she bought for 75 cents at a yard sale. Yesterday she had only four spells in it. She opened it and read the ancient yellowed computer printout, the soul restoration spell. The very first spell she ever cast, the spell that nearly destroyed her best friend's life.

The original printout had notes written all over it, notes in her handwriting but she had never made them. She thumbed through the rest of a book finding that after her first four original spells everything was handwritten on various kinds of paper. Halfway through, a page was marked, and it was labeled 'Permanent Soul Restoration.' So Crowley cheated, she was stacking the deck in Willow's favor because the date of the spell was March 3rd 1938.

Nearly forty years in the future from this time, so Crowley needed Willow to succeed so much she broke rules or did she? Everything was just too confusing to the Witch, so Willow reverted back to the one thing that always steered her true -- her heart -- all that mattered was that these people and her best friend needed help.

And if they could get Faith and Buffy here in time then the tribe would be saved.

"You are going to be attacked and my friends, the Sun Souled as you call them, can help!." She stated clearly, resolve firming her voice.

Willow looked up at the Shaman and saw understanding in his dark eyes. "Do not worry about us, we have been fighting the two hearts for many seasons. This cavern is protected, no demon can enter without being invited by a living person."

"Okay, good, okay fine." Willow said as she thought that maybe Crowley was wrong. Somehow the old shaman had sent the book of Shadow's back with Willow; maybe that had changed things?

'Damn, why can't I get rid of this feeling that I'm forgetting something?'

"I will take you to them now. Maybe after they heal and rest they can help us purge the demons from the land before you take them back to their rightful place."

The little Witch didn't know if the Shaman had been reading her mind or just following the expressions on her face-either way it didn't matter. He carefully gathered up the things he had dumped on the furs and put them back into her pack for her.

He respectfully handed it back to her. As she was putting it back onto her shoulder she had a thought: "Hey, what do I call you?" She asked looking up into his deep brown eyes. 'Stop it Willow! Oz, remember him? And besides if we can stop the attack and help Buffy, you'll never see him again.'

He paused; "Names have power." He explained to her and then seemed to make a decision. "I believe what the Crow said. I believe you." He looked her directly in the eyes, it wasn't a challenge, it was a sign of respect, one equal to another.

"I have many forms, and I've taken many 'names' but I am most like the wolf. So you may call me Wolf-like." He bowed his head in acknowledgment. "May I ask your name?"

"Huh?" The young witch muttered. "Oh, my name sure… I'm Willow."

He quickly looked up at her in shock and awe.

"Both have chosen you?" he asked, his voice breaking.

"I don't know what you mean?" Willow answered.

"The tree and the Crow have chosen you." he explained, fear and confusion on his face. And Willow must have had a matching look on her because he continued after a moment's hesitation. " The tree is your name, but the Crow chose you, I saw it."

And Willow suddenly remembered that the bird that flew at her didn't swoop away, it became a part of her, it merged with a part of her that was already there. It remembered her, and she remembered it. She was now the Crow…

But she couldn't be, no one died for her to seek revenge…. At least no one yet…. And then she just knew, or remembered from another life or time. The Crow wasn't always a bird of vengeance, that was Hollywood. It was the shapeshifter, the Law Maker, the trickster.

"I am Crow-like," she declared her voice full of awe. And the power of the spirit bird exploded into her body, the euphoria at finding a lost part of her left her giddy and drunk.

"Yes you are Crowley," Wolf-Like agreed with the first real smile on his face. The name caused Willow to crash down earth.

"You're right, " she told him slowly, trying to wrap her mind around the idea that she had just met her older self.

"Crowley, means Crow-like. Oh, my god!" she said sinking to her knees. Realization that nothing had changed, that his people were still in danger stealing her voice for a moment.

'How long was I asleep?' she thought frantically.

"You have to sound the alarm," she begged. "Crowley was right! The vampires are coming…."

And as he started to shake his head no as the first of the screams reached her ears.

"No, no, no! Not yet, it wasn't supposed to happen until tomorrow night!" She shouted above the screaming followed by the angry growl of vampires that erupted in the outer chambers.

Wolf slowly turned to her; "it is tomorrow. The storm is blocking out the sun."

Willow could clearly see that he knew there was nothing he could do to stop the slaughter of his friends and family.

But, then his eyes hardened and the Witch had no time to react to the blow before his closed fist slammed into her temple. The world went black for only a few seconds; as Willow lay on the soft furs she wanted to protest that she could help! With all her new found power she could help him! Only her mind couldn't make her mouth work.

She saw the crow fly out of the wall again, and land next to her -- in her fogged mind it appeared as if the Shaman and the crow were talking. The crow turned its head so her eyes met and held Willow's and she felt a sudden disconnection with the world, as if the ground had dropped out from under her. She could see the Shaman covering up her prone body with the furs and skins of the ritual place; she could see her body seemingly change shape as it blended into the covering, hiding her from view. She saw him take one last look at the crow and then with a resigned sigh he turned and walked toward the exit to the cave pulling the wolf head of his coat over his head, wearing it as if it were a hat.

The last thing she saw as the crow reclaimed her attention was a huge gray wolf sliding out of the cave.

Faith woke to the feeling that something was wrong. She blinked her eyes open taking in the small alcove with a quick glance.

Nothing.

The tall slayer turned up her hearing trying to catch any unusual sound coming from the outer chamber of their sanctuary.

Still nothing.

Buffy let out a fretful moan next to her as she felt the blonde stir under her hand. She watched as blue-green eyes slowly blinked open signaling the tiny slayer's return to consciousness.

"Hey?" Faith whispered to her, hoping to see awareness, coherence, or at the very least recognition in those expressive orbs.

Something -- anything -- to give Faith hope that Buffy was coming out of it.

"Vampires?" the blonde croaked. "Vampires, lots of them, close?"

"No, just me," Faith answered disappointed that Buffy still seemed slightly delirious.

"No, Faith I feel them close by, an army of the creeps," Buffy croaked out then started coughing.

Faith could tell that Buffy's throat was sandpaper dry.

"Alright, I'll go check," the Brunette answered as she disengaged herself and stood up. "And I'll get you some water while I'm at it." She remembered and that she left the water in the antechamber of their cave.

Faith got up and left the enclosed portion of their hide-a-way. She slowly made her way to the main entrance of the cave, listening again for any sound that could indicate an attack. She wasn't really expecting to find anything -- other than maybe the wolf's return -- no reasonable vampire would be out hunting in a storm like the one that was currently raging.

She paused at the entrance and decided it was better to be safe than sorry -- especially since Buffy was still so weak. Faith walked out into the vicious snowstorm far enough to collect her clothes and the blanket from earlier in the night, still on the alert for some fiend.

She paused again, trying to extend her senses the way Buffy could, to try and feel if there was anything out in the night… and couldn't.

She sighed and went back into the cave knowing that, as fast as the snow was falling, all evidence of her brief foray into the storm would be covered in minutes.

Faith grabbed the water bottle and even though she was only gone a few moments, Buffy was sleeping soundly when she returned.

The taller slayer couldn't help thinking that the blonde slayer was as beautiful in repose and as she was awake.

"Oh God, have I've got it bad," Faith cynically told herself. Then she picked up her cross bow and sat on the dirt floor next to the bed. She leaned against the rock wall intent on keeping both a watch over the slayer, and a watch out for danger.

But, as before, being warm and dry lulled her back to sleep.

Part Five

Willow woke to the dying screams of the Shaman's tribe. She could smell the sweet stench of human flesh burning. She flashed on what her Great-grand parents had said about their time in the camps. Her mind was still fuzzy and she felt sick to her stomach, the word concussion kept floating through her brain.

She couldn't move for some reason so she continued to lie under the covers made up of animal skins and furs -- trying to get her bearings. Finally, the last of the screams stopped, though she could still hear muted voices at the opening to the sacred cave she was hiding in. Either the vampires couldn't cross the threshold, because of all the sacred symbols imbedded in the stone at the opening, or they didn't know she was there.

Since she couldn't move anyway, she decided to stay where she was for a while longer - besides, she felt so weak….

Faith opened sleep-crusted eyes to the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. Buffy was curled on her side with her hair splayed out behind her asleep. All the worries that normally creased the Slayer's brow were smoothed out and she looked like an innocent 12-year-old, instead of The Chosen One with the weight of the world placed squarely on her shoulders.

Faith suddenly found it nearly impossible to breathe when hazel eyes opened and she was greeted by a soft smile. The smile transformed Buffy from beautiful into radiant. The Southie reached out to gently stroke a blonde strand from Buffy's face and placed it behind her ear. Marveling at the softness of her skin and the silky texture of her hair.

"Hey." Buffy whispered. Faith watched the slow blink as the older girl tried to clear the fuzziness from her mind. "Where are we?"

Faith froze and decided that part of the truth was better than an out right lie. "I don't know."

"Oh." Buffy said her eyes clouding and it appeared the she could barely keep them open. "Bathroom? Gotta go." The blonde mumbled, then clumsily tried the push at the covers.

Relieved that she didn't have to face the tough questions, Faith removed the blankets and then took Buffy into her arms.

The antechamber of their cave was frigid when Faith carried Buffy to place she had designated as the 'bathroom.' She noticed that the tarp she had put over the entrance last night had been some help but snow had still blown into the cave, and ice sickles hung from the roof. Getting an idea she quickly grabbed a cup and gathered up some of the ice.

By that time Buffy was ready to go back to bed, so Faith carried her back and settled her under the warm blankets. Faith sat back as Buffy drifted back off to sleep. She knew that she should check the leg wound soon but she wanted Buffy to get some rest. And as long as Buffy was asleep Faith could pretend that there was some chance that the blonde might forgive her.

Willow must dozed for while because when she opened her eyes this time the only light she could see was the flickering fire the shaman had built before the attack. Once again, she stayed prone, listening for sounds of lingering vampires.

After hearing nothing for a few minutes she decided she had to get up and see the carnage for herself. She painfully levered herself upright and staggered over to the fire. She had noticed torches next to it earlier when she had first entered the cave.

The witch was able to light one of the torches with the dying embers from the fire. She stood watching the torch slowly take hold and brighten the dark cave. She tried to take a deep breath to still her beating heart. A short bark of hysterical laughter escaped her lips, and she slapped her hand over her mouth lest more would slip free.

How funny was it that only yesterday all she had to do was put on her resolve face -- and her friends would give in to her every desire. Now she needed all the strength and all the resolve that she could muster just to turn around and walk out of the cave.

She knew that once she faced what the vampires did to the tribe her world would be changed—utterly and completely—nothing would ever be the same.

Gathering her courage about her Willow slowly pivoted and marched out to the main cavern. She was surprised at how light it was -- she could clearly see all the destruction, the smashed and burning tents, the slaughtered livestock, what really broke her heart were the children.

They were all dead. She wanted to stop; she wanted to cry she wanted to scream and shout at how unfair it was for those children to be dead, while she was alive.

She couldn't; she had to put the deaths, the pain that she had caused away. It was all just too much and if she started to cry now, she would never stop. She knew that Buffy and Faith were still alive, and she needed to figure out a way to find them. Since she doubted the Shaman had … survived.

She put the unneeded torch in a sconce and wandered through the remains of the American Indian's village wishing that she would go into shock. She had seen death before, she lived in Sunnydale, it was kind of hard to miss. Still, nothing had prepared her for this carnage.

Nothing could prepare her and she prayed that she would never get used to it.

Willow literally stumbled over him, falling on top of him. He was in the main pathway -- his body broken and bleeding -- his face...wasn't there.

Willow could tell it was him only by his blood soaked wolf-coat.

When he gasped, and Willow jumped up, she thought he was dead. She knelt by his side trying to figure out what to do.

He gasped again, it was a word in his native language, and Willow realized that the spell of understanding had apparently broken.

It was so sad that his last words in this life would never be understood; she would never know what he said. He choked on the words the second time, coughing up blood through the torn and ruined mouth. By the third time he said them the teenager thought that the phrase sounded familiar and Willow recognized it as his daughter's name.

'No tears,' she told herself firmly. 'If I start crying I don't know if I can stop.'

The witch thanked the gods that the Shaman seemed to be beyond the physical agony of his wounds.

Then she truly realized: Crowley was right.

She couldn't stop the tears this time because now she believed it. She was the cause of all this -- it was her fault, she could accept that now. She stood, there was nothing she could do for the Shaman, for his tribe, and there was nothing she could for Buffy. She was no kind of Witch, she wasn't Crowley or at least not yet. She had no idea where Buffy and Faith were or even if they were still alive. And if she didn't know where to begin to look, then she couldn't find them. She couldn't do a locator spell because she had nothing of the girls in which to anchor it.

Crowley tried to change things, she tried to change things, but she had failed. So did that mean that no matter what she did; it wouldn't help? Were things written in stone?

'No, I can't believe that, I've changed things just by being here. People have free will, Faith can change her mind, and I know that Buffy is alive. I can still do something to change the future.'

Crowley proved that by sending her Book of Shadows back. Willow still couldn't think of the powerful old Shaman as herself. It was just too hard to think about that on top of everything else that she had been bombarded with in the past 24 hours.

The Book of Shadows was the key. But, how? She couldn't use most of the spells in the book, what little she saw of them they were way beyond her abilities at the moment.

Willow couldn't think. She always thought of herself as a good person-as a kind and caring individual-but now she saw it for the lie it was, she had done this, it was her fault. All those children who would never grow-up--never play again--never have a first date or get to see the changes that happened in the world in the next 50 years.

Dead. Gone. Lost.

She slowly looked around -- by the cavern entrance a beautiful dog was trying to stand up. He appeared to be some kind mix between a Coyote and Greyhound, but it was obvious that he would never run again. She could see, from almost all of away across the cavern, that his back legs were now useless -- something had smashed him across his back -- they were completely paralyzed. Still the dog continued to crawl, to the body of a child. For some reason Willow started towards him. She watched the dog as he made it to the body, he sniffed the child, and then, as if he just realized she was dead, the dog let out a horrendous howl of grief.

For some reason Willow felt self-conscious intruding on the dog's last moment with his.... What? What had the dead child been to that animal? Whatever they had been to each other--they were no more.

Her fault.

It was all her fault.

The young witch must have made a noise to alert the dog to her presence, because when he glanced up and saw her--his brown eyes locked with her green ones and they reflected the exact pain of failure she felt. The dog continued to watch her as she approached, begging her with his eyes to please just make it stop. To end the pain now.

Willow understood him exactly. And she had to literally and figuratively turn her back on him. She just didn't have strength of will or character to be able to take a life, any life. One of the few magical disciplines that Giles encouraged her to study was Wiccan healing magic. But, Willow thought it a waste of time; she wanted to be a powerful Witch so she could be Buffy's equal.

She'd become bored with Giles' droning lectures on the ethics and reasons behind each spell. Now, like everything else, it was her fault that she hadn't listened to Giles -- and understood the true essence of what her mentor was trying to invoke -- that her magical gifts had consequences.

A pitiful whining cut into her thoughts, and she glanced over her shoulder at the dog; he was licking the blood off of face of the dead little girl, as if trying to clean her up for the journey to the other side. The journey that Willow was too squeamish to grant him.

Then a thought occurred to her: there were no adults. All the bodies, besides the Shaman, were those of the children.

She quickly turned back to the dog and his child.

Why did the Vampires take all the adults, except the Shaman? Why wasn't he drained?

Then she knew....

Gods, I'm dense sometimes, she thought. The mayor needed an army-why not gather an entire tribe and change them? More than likely he would only have the men changed, and since a newly risen vampire needed to sate its hunger immediately that meant the women were nothing but food.

She had to do something before the rest of the slaughter happened.

Why didn't the mayor just have the vampires change the tribe in the cave-why take the prisoners with them? So many questions and she had no answers.

"Think damn it!" The young witch yelled at the top of her lungs, trying to clear her head and to drown out the whining of the dog. "The Book of Shadows has to be the key - why else had Crowley made it a point of sending it back with me - with the Orb?"

Willow went back to where the dying Shaman lay. He was still alive; she see could his life force clinging to his body.

"Why wasn't he bitten or taken as food?" she asked. She knelt next to him, "and why did they leave you alive when they made sure everyone else was very, very, dead?"

The shaman took a huge breath and then slowly released it—his mouth opening wide as he did so—and Willow saw what could only be his soul finally leave.

Then before she could react she was pinned to the ground by the vampire that replaced his soul.

"Because they knew you were there, stuck where they couldn't reach you! You stupid bitch!" The vampire bragged, his yellow eyes gleaming with greed and hunger, his ravaged face already healing and forming into the ridges of the demon.

"How?" Willow was just able to squeak out as the vampire pressed his weight down on her chest.

"How what, meal? How did I change so fast? It's a simple enough spell for Vincent, the first lieutenant of my Lord, to perform." The vampire reached down and roughly pushed Willow's head to the side exposing her neck.

"And once I make it back to the Lord with word of where your two slayer friends are holed up-I will feast on Slayer pain and blood!" He continued to gloat, drawing out Willow's misery.

The young witch was terrified for Buffy and Faith-she knew that the two slayers together, at full strength would have a hard time defeating an army made up the turned tribe, but with Buffy in gods-knows-what kind of shape they were doomed.

So what was the difference, Willow thought, between them being Mayor chow or Vamp food-I still failed them. With a resigned sigh Willow closed her eyes and waited to feel fangs tear into the skin of her neck sealing her friend's fate.

She was totally unprepared for the Vampire's attacking growl to change into a scream of pure rage and pain as the pressure holding Willow's head was released. She looked up to see the Vampire smoking; she couldn't understand why, until the he started clawing at the coat. Then she knew the coat was Holy. It was a symbol of Wolf-like's status as a shaman or holy man for his tribe. How the vampires that changed him she didn't know and it wasn't for Willow to worry about. It was time for something to finally go right for the witch.

She pushed at the over balanced Vampire with all her strength and was rewarded when he fell off of her. As soon as she was free she rolled to her feet and was running sacred to the cave before the vamp realized it.

Despite her head start and the vampire having to deal with the coat-it was only by grabbing the burning torch and waving it in the Vamp's face that allowed her to finally escape.

The first thing she saw as she stumbled into the cave was the bag with the Book of Shadows in it, along with the Orb of Thesulah....

Chapter Six

Faith would be ready when Buffy woke again. She had gathered more icicles for the Slayer and had the medical supplies out and ready to use. The last time Faith had checked the storm was still raging. 'I sure wish Buffy would wake up.' The dark Slayer thought, as she sat next to Buffy watching the steady rise and fall of her breathing. Glad that she was sleeping so peacefully, yet dreading the confrontation to come. A part of her just wanted to get the inevitable fight over with, while another part just wished that they could stay like this in the cave forever.

'Or maybe not exactly this, as nice as it is to be able to watch Buffy without the worry of getting caught; I do want her to wake up because I miss her.'

As if on command, the blonde opened her eyes and Faith couldn't contain the smile that she felt splitting her face.

"Hello." Faith said as the Buffy blinked her eyes clear.

"Faith?" the blonde questioned. "What's going on? What happened?" And Faith knew that her wish about getting things over with and out in the open was about to come true.

"You were hurt, we're in a cave and it's snowing." The Southie answered Buffy, hoping that would appease her for the moment. All of a sudden Faith was frightened beyond all reason at what Buffy's reaction might be.

"Hurt?" Faith watched as Buffy got a distant look, trying to remember the past day. "We were patrolling …." Buffy shook her head, "I can't remember…. There's something I need to remember …." Buffy shook her head. "What happened?"

Faith let out the breath that she didn't know she was holding, then an entire series of lies ran through her mind, 'if Buffy can't remember then it would be ok, I could tell her anything …but what if she remembers it clearly later? I want to earn her trust back, I'd do anything to get her to just like me and starting fresh with a lie is wrong …only if I don't lie then she might never trust me or like me….'

"Faith!" She was snapped out of her thoughts by Buffy's shout as the Slayer struggled into a sitting position. "What happened?" she demanded. "Is that such a hard thing to tell me?"

And now Faith could tell that Buffy was pissed off. 'Well, damn it! What did I do now? Can't she see I'm doing everything for her? Couldn't she show a little gratitude?'

"I told you what happened!" she yelled, standing with her hand clenched at her sides. Then she wondered at her reaction, 'why am I so angry all of the sudden? It just seems like everything I feel about Buffy is all blown up.'

Faith watched as Buffy tried to stand in answer to the threat, only to gasp and fall back down, grabbing her injured leg.

Faith remained standing, and couldn't stop the smirk that formed on her face. "I said you were hurt." She told Buffy mildly, enjoying the pain she could feel coming off her.

"What did you do to me?" Buffy asked and Faith could see her trying to swallow the panic at being helpless. Faith loved the power, loved the control she now had.

'The Boss was right; this was the only way to get her to see me. To know me, once she fears and respects me then she'll love me, she'll have no choice.' Even as Faith thought those words they seemed 'wrong' somehow.

She looked down at Buffy and watched as she struggled to stand. Pain etched on the smaller girl's face and sweat beaded on her forehead as Buffy was finally able to lever herself up, leaning heavily against the wall of the cave. Faith was then amazed when Buffy bit back a small cry and pushed off the cave wall into an unsteady fighting stance.

"Tell me what you did to me and where we are …" The blonde bit out between gasps for air. Faith was struck dumb at the determination she saw in Buffy. To have demon poison in her system, to have that kind of leg wound, to have been so sick and yet, to be able to stand, ready to fight through her sheer force of will.

Buffy was glorious.

But even as Faith thought that, she saw the familiar paleness creeping up Buffy's neck and into her face. She saw the blonde Slayer's eyes becoming glassy. Buffy started to sway, Faith looked down at her leg and saw blood seeping through the bandage into a growing circle on her thigh. Then Faith realized that Buffy was still nude from the waist down, a fact that she hoped the other Slayer didn't notice.

"Sit down." Faith ordered.

"No," Buffy answered in a harsh tone, matching the one Faith used.

Faith turned away and tried to reel in her anger. She knew that fighting was not what she wanted to do. Again she questioned herself, 'why are my emotions always out of control around her?'

"Why … am I here?" Buffy asked behind her. Biting out the words as the rage built inside her. Faith knew that Buffy was using the anger as a means of staying upright. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping her on her feet. Faith braced her hands on the side wall of the cave, arms rigid as she took deep breaths trying to calm down, trying not turn around and do the last thing in the world she wanted to do.

Hit Buffy. Just like her father would hit her.

"You're here because it was the only way I could keep him away from you." Faith slowly answered, realizing that she had to tell the truth, she had to face Buffy and for the first time be honest. She had to be honest, not only with the blonde Slayer, and with herself.

"What are you talking about Faith?" She could hear the confusion and a touch of fear in Buffy's voice. She turned around to face the older girl and was struck at how small and vulnerable Buffy looked at that moment. She looked weaker now than when she had been unconscious because now Faith could see the fear in the Slayer's eyes--and she couldn't stand it.

"The Mayor was going to enspell or drug or something you and then have his vampires … feed off of you … break your legs and arms so you couldn't escape and then continuously …." The words died in her throat as she saw the effect they were having on Buffy. And somehow Faith knew that Buffy believed her. That the Mayor would have figured out a way to capture her and do the things Faith described.

Buffy eyes rolled up and she collapsed into a dead faint.

Willow watched as the newly ensouled vampire sat on the floor of the cavern wailing. She was exhausted beyond all measure but she had to remain awake because the vampire had tried to suicide twice already. It was only blind luck that she had been able to prevent him.

"Please, I know you can understand me …." She pleaded with him again. She had been talking to him for hours, hoping that she could get him to understand her reasons for cursing him. "You are my only chance to help save my world." Willow hoped that if she repeated her pleas enough, then eventually some of the horrible grief would give way and the true nature of Wolf-like's soul would shine through.

"It's gone, it's all gone." He mumbled through a thick accent making the English words sound strange.

"I know they are …" Willow started to say as she moved closer to him; only to be thrown back when he erupted off the cold ground of the cave.

"You don't understand, you still have it, I don't." He yelled at her as he started to pace in the small area between the sacred cave and the larger cavern. Willow had tried to keep him confined to the small space in fear that she would fall asleep and he would escape to die.

"You are still Crowley! You can feel everything around you! I have nothing!" Wolf–like collapsed to his knees. "I knew there was a cycle and reason to the world because I could feel it, I could live it." He dropped his face into his hands, sobbing.

"Now I have nothing," he repeated.

"But I do!" Willow yelled, half in frustration and half in pain. "I know I'm going to have to live for rest of my life with your blood on my hands," she cried, crawling to vampire. "I don't want any more stains on my soul, please, please help me." She told him, pulling his hands away from his face. "You know where my friend is, you know how to do things. Please help me," she begged.

The vampire looked down her. It felt like he was searching her face for answers, then he looked away at the destruction that was his life. At the dead bodies of the children and the animals. Willow followed his gaze and she was sickened by it all.

"Please help me keep this from happening in my time, to my world?" She asked him quietly. He turned back to her, capturing her eyes with his … looking away he nodded.

"I will take you to them if you will kill me?" What could Willow say but yes.

Richard Wilkins paced the office of his ranch house. He had been able to scry the magical disturbance to within a few miles of his back forty. It worried him that there was new player in town …even though the power signature seemed familiar. It was bad enough that he had to share the power of the Hellmouth with that idiot Balthazar. Now someone with the kind of power that he'd only dreamed about was right on his doorstep and he was stuck in this house until the snow stopped.

He sighed as he sat back behind his desk. He hadn't thought moving out into this uncivilized wilderness would be easy but he never expected so many magical troubles. He and the First had a very distinct deal and plan for this area; still, all these minor demons vying for power had set him back at least 10 years.

If he could just come up with something, some show of force that would put him undisputedly on top of the food chain. Something that would make him the undisputed leader of the Hellmouth.

Faith looked at the wound in Buffy's leg. A thick scab had formed over the top of the deep wound and she didn't know what she should do. It was clear that the tiny Slayer was running a fever but Faith didn't know if it was from the poison or an infection that she couldn't see. Whichever it was didn't matter, because taking care of Buffy right now was beyond her meager knowledge.

She didn't know if she should keep the Slayer covered in the chilled air of the cave or let the blanket stay off. Faith stood up and began to pace in the small space that she now thought of as their bedroom. After the initial magically fed burst the storm had died down to a steady snowfall. Last time she went out to get Buffy some ice she thought the snow was about 2 feet deep and the snowfall rate had slowed to just about an inch an hour.

She could make it to the ranch now, she was sure of it. Plus, the wolf hadn't returned, of this she was sure. Faith had checked all around the cave for any sign of the predator. There were no tracks in the snow.

"Faith?" The brunette heard her whispered name and kneeled next to Buffy.

"I'm here," she told the blonde. She could see that Slayer was alert and aware despite the fever.

"Tell me what you did," Buffy's tone of voice was neutral. Faith delayed a moment by adjusting the blanket so it was covering the blonde Slayer.

"Please Faith, I need know what you did?" Buffy asked again, her expressive face calm. "I remember what you said about the Mayor's plan, tell me about your part." Faith looked down into hazel eyes made bright with the fever burning in the young girl. And at this moment Buffy did look like a young girl half her age.

"I-I went to the Mayor … to try and get information …." Faith stopped; she couldn't say the words to Buffy. How could she? 'How can I explain what he came to mean to me? How do I tell her that all my plans changed in a blink of an eye after meeting him.'

"It's ok Faith, just tell me," Buffy told her again. And Faith looked down at the blonde, watched as a shiver ran through Buffy's body and the brunette didn't know if was from pain or fever. One thing that Faith did know what was that Buffy was growing weaker and if she didn't get her some help she would die.

"I-I need to go get someone who can help you." Faith said, standing up quickly and nearly knocking over the crossbow leaning against the wall.

"No Faith!" Buffy tried to shout but her voice was too weak. Then the Slayer tried to sit up only to lay back down when her leg protested the movement. "Don't run from this, from us!"

Faith was in a panic and didn't understand where it was coming from. All she knew was that she had to get out of the cave, had to get away from Buffy.

"I gotta get help." She mumbled as she pushed aside the tarp separating their little bedroom from the rest of the cave. "I can't let you die!" She shouted back as she dashed to the main cave's entrance. She threw back the icy, snow covered tarp, only thinking about escaping Buffy's calm questions … only to run straight into a … vampire.

Chapter Seven

Faith struggled to get up out of the tangle of Slayer and vampire limbs. She stuck him twice across the jaw, two crushing blows that stunned him. She then tried to jump to her feet but the snow and ice around her made her slip. Faith landed directly back on top of the prone vampire. It was then that she noticed he wasn't fighting back. His deep brown eyes staring up into her's in resignation. She had seen that look one other time on a vampire … Angel.

"Faith stop!" She heard Willow as she slid down the hill and landed in a heap next to the Slayer. "He has a soul; please don't stake him." Willow begged, sitting in the frozen slush. Faith couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"What? Have you gone native?" Faith asked, pointing at the deerskin boots and coat Willow had on. The dark Slayer's rage began to build again. "Will you Scooby's follow her anywhere? Why can't you just leave me the hell alone?" The Slayer screamed at Willow as the rage burned through her. The Boss was right; no matter what she did she would never be able to get Buffy alone long enough for her to see the real person. The Slayer came to her feet slipping and sliding on the icy snow. She felt her pockets for a stake and when she didn't find one she reached up to break a branch off of the small tree next to the entrance of the cave.

"Faith please no!" Willow pleaded with the Slayer. Giving Faith a rush at the power she held over the perfect little best friend of the perfect little Slayer, who had the perfect mother and Watcher.

"This will teach you to leave me the hell alone!" Faith screamed as she dropped to one knee fully intent on driving the stake through the vampire's heart. As she started the downstroke of the stake she felt Buffy behind her and stopped the wood inches from the vamp's chest. Breathing heavily, she glanced over her shoulder to see Buffy standing just outside of the cave with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The blonde Slayer was standing barefoot in the ice, the sweat on her face freezing, while her whole body shuddered.

"Faith, please?" Buffy whispered the request. And Faith's rage chilled once again, as her uncontrollable emotions swung back to love and admiration for Buffy.

'How can she be on her feet? How can she even be standing?' The brunette thought, watching Buffy's swaying become more pronounced.

Faith jumped up and gathered the blonde into her arms as the tiny Slayer's knees started to buckle.

"We have to talk about this Faith." Buffy told her as the brunette looked down into her pale face. "I'm beginning to remember what happened and I need to know why?" Bright hazel eyes pleaded for Faith to open up and tell her.

"What's wrong with her?" Willow asked, following as Faith gently placed Buffy down on the bed she'd made and pulled the other blanket up to her chin... At the redhead's question the rage Faith felt earlier tried to surge back to the surface but she pushed it down.

'Questions, questions! At how I fucked up! At how messed up I am … I hate them all …no I don't.' Faith stroked a strand of wet blonde hair out of Buffy's face. She pulled every bit of resolve she had together …. 'I have to tell her. I have to tell her now ….'

"Faith, please. Let me help you." Buffy said, grabbing hold of Faith's hand. And all the resolve shattered as her control was lost.

"I don't need your damn help!" Faith shouted, violently jerking her hand out of Buffy's grip. "I tried to do everything to get you to like me and all you did was ignore me!" Standing up, she bumped into Willow. When she saw the redhead she shoved her so hard that she flew into the tarp separating the bedroom from the rest of the cave. The Wiccan came to rest on her stomach.

Faith watched Willow push herself to a sitting position. A dark trill rose up the Slayer's spine as she saw the panic forming on Willow's face. The Slayer slowly walked up to her prey. She was enjoying the feelings of fear and failure she could smell coming off Willow like a fine wine.

She heard a guttural cry and looked up to see the Vampire pounding at the invisible barrier to the cave. He was unable to gain entrance now that the cave was the home of living people.

She smiled at him. "You're next." She promised him as she reached down and pulled Willow to her feet by her hair. Grabbing the Wiccan by her throat she purred into her ear. "How do you want it Red? Hard or fast?" She lifted the redhead up against the back wall of the cave. Faith could feel her fingers slowly squeezing the life out of the girl and she loved it.

'The power! This is true power! This is what the Boss has been trying to show me.' She thought as she watched Willow's face turn red. 'I want to see if her eyes will bulge out of her skull like they do on TV.'

"Faith no!" She heard Buffy's weak shout and a small hand tried to pull Faith away from her prey. The dark Slayer carelessly slapped the blonde, sending her flying against the far wall where she lay still. Momentary distracted, she loosened her hold on the Wiccan and then felt something slap her in the chest. The odor of pine rose up to engulf her. She looked down and Willow was holding some kind leather pouch over her heart.

"What? This is your plan? You're going to subdue me with an air freshener?" The Slayer asked, grabbing the bag out of Willow's hand, intent on throwing it away ….

…. Then she was struck with a blinding white light. It pierced through her eyes and raced down her spine causing her to crumple to her knees. The bag started to burn her as she felt something being pulled out of her …. Faith fell to the ground and then everything faded away.

Willow lay on the cold floor of the cave just trying to force air in through her bruised throat. She could still hear Wolf-like pounding on the barrier. She looked at Faith's crumpled form lying in front of her. The girl didn't look so intimidating unconscious.

When the worst of the dizziness passed Willow sat up and waved to Wolf-like that she was fine. She didn't think it would work but she still tried the barrier.

"Come in."

Nothing.

The barrier didn't fall.

The witch pulled herself to her feet using the wall for support. Exhaustion was weighing her down. It was then that she saw Buffy's nearly nude form laying unconscious against the far wall of the cave. Willow stumbled over to her, thinking that it would be ironic if she had come this far to save her and then cause her death. Willow concentrated on looking at the Slayer from the waist up; she was embarrassed that the blonde was partially undressed.

"Buffy com'on wake-up." She told the Slayer as she rolled her over.

"Hun?" Buffy mumbled, shivering. There was no way Willow could lift her and dragging her back to where Faith had set things up was out of the question. So was leaving her in the cold.

"Buffy!" the witch shouted and lightly slapped the Slayer's cheek. "Buffy you've got to wake up enough to invite Wolf-like in. Come on, you can say the words."

"Com' 'n," The Slayer slurred and then fell limp.

The vampire immediately stepped into the cave and rushed over to Willow.

"Let me care for her." He ordered, as Willow stood and backed away. Wolf-like scooped the tiny Slayer up and carried her back to the bed. He began examining her closely as Willow just stared after him. After a few moments the Witch was able to rouse herself out of the stupor that she had slipped into enough to find some rope and tie up Faith.

The spell the Mayor had used to control Faith might have been broken, but Willow didn't know how the dark Slayer might react once she woke up.

"Crowley, I need you." Wolf-like called to the witch.

He was bent over, looking at something on Buffy's thigh. Willow tried not to look below Buffy's waist, instead staring intently at her face. She had always had something of a crush on the Slayer and she thought that might have been the root of her jealousy over Faith. The vampire, noticing Willow's discomfort, covered up the Slayer except for her leg.

"I think this has gone bad … I don't know …." He told her and the witch could hear the frustration in his voice and saw one bloody tear squeeze out and run down his pale face. "I need you to look into it for me."

Willow didn't understand. "How can I 'look into it' I see what you do?" She asked him, wondering what he wanted her to do. He was the Shaman, the Healer, she was just a computer geek.

He dropped his head, dashing at his eyes, "I no longer have that ability. I-I can't tell if it is sickness from this wound gone bad or a demon. If it is the wound then I can help her, if not then …." He left the rest unsaid. "You are Crowley." He told her looking back over his shoulder catching her eyes in his.

Willow let out a sigh; she so didn't know what he wanted her to do or how to do it. She just knew she had to try. She nodded.

"Sit down next to her and take her hand." Willow did as she was told. "Take deep breaths, pretend that you are in a pool of warm water. There is a leaf directly in front of you." Wolf-like's baritone was heavenly to listen to and Willow found that she could easily follow what he was saying.

"When you breathe in pull the leaf to you …." Willow could see the leaf and she took a deep breath. "That's right, now blow the leaf away from you …." The young witch could feel her body relaxing, this really wasn't so different from what Giles was trying to teach her. Only Giles never used a focus point, so her mind ran wild.

"Now feel your friend's hand … without opening your eyes imagine what she looks like …" Wolf-like continued to walk her through it. Willow could see Buffy's hand in her mind's eye, when he told her to imagine what Buffy looked like the witch saw her friend healthy and whole, laughing at one of Xander's jokes.

"Keep your eyes closed and look at her now …." And Willow could see it.

"There is blackness on Buffy's leg." She told Wolf-like, her voice sounding slurred, as if she had been drinking.

"Is it sickness or poison?" Wolf-like asked slowly. Willow tried figure it out but she really didn't know what she was seeing. "You are doing well Crowley. Keep breathing. Feel, little tree, feel her. You love her with all your heart, feel your love."

Willow concentrated on breathing, she thought about her love for the blonde, only now was she finally free to admit it, that she did love Buffy with all her heart … And … she realized that she just wasn't 'In Love' with the Slayer. She realized that she bad been so afraid of the love she felt that she had pushed it away. She was so frightened of being Gay that she had stopped reaching out to her best friend. She had stopped showing Buffy that she loved her and that had hurt and confused the Slayer.

"Now little tree, is it poison or sickness?" Now that Willow had found peace with Buffy, now that the young girl realized that they were soul mates, they were destined to meet and fight side by side, the witch could tell exactly what was wrong with her friend.

Willow opened her eyes and placed Buffy's hand under the blanket. "It's both." She told Wolf-like. "She was poisoned but something, maybe her Slayerness, fought it off. The leg is infected." Willow sat up onto the backs of her legs and reached out to pull the blanket down so she could get a better look at the wound. She was no longer embarrassed about seeing Buffy partially nude because now she knew the true nature of her love.

Willow already knew how stupid she had been and how much damage she had caused. Nothing would be accomplished if she fell apart again; she just hoped for the miracle that would mend Faith's damaged heart and help her find Buffy's love. The "Gay" question no longer held any fear for the Wiccan.

Wolf-like's sigh brought Willow out of her thoughts. "I know how to draw the sickness out and keep her fever down." He said, touching the red area around the wound. "I also know of something to help her rest easier but that plant is by the river … I will be back. Keep her warm and if she wakes make her drink as much water as she can…." Wolf-like stood and walked over to Faith, he then checked her bonds. He picked the cup of water sitting on the floor by Buffy and poured it over the ropes. "When the bindings dry they will tighten around her wrists and ankles—she will be unable to break free."

He walked toward the entrance of the cave, stopping before going out into the snowy night. "When your friend is well you will honor your pledge?" He asked without looking back.

Willow was stunned but still answered truthfully. "Yes, I will kill you."

Wolf-like nodded and left.

TBC