Disclaimer: I don't own the rights, characters, locations or plots from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Stargate SG1; they belong to their respective owners without whom this fanfiction would not have been possible. All reviews are welcome.
Ancient Egypt, 2995 B.C.
Two figures, one with red hair wearing a strapless white dress with gold embroidery on her chest and another figure with brunette hair and wearing a silver and cream dress, stood on a sand dune as they watched the dawn of a new age. For nearly five thousand years, the System Lord known as Ra had used Earth as his base of operations, seeding human beings using the Stargates throughout the galaxy and using them as slaves and Jaffa. Soon, the other System Lords took humans and built their own armies, while the other Goa'uld took on hosts and climbed up the power structure to become under-lords, some even becoming System Lords.
But now, everything was changing. The two figures watched as a war waged in the distance, people under Ra's rule rose up under the leadership of a dark haired man from the future. The two figures had been watching him and his friends soon after they arrived in a time ship years ago; the two figures heard them talk about needing to get something called a ZPM without making any changes to the future.
The two figures followed them unseen as they met the natives, the dark haired man translating for the team of four. They then followed some of the natives into Ra's pyramid where they stole what the two figures called Potentia. However, when the four were to head back to the ship and return to their own time, they found that they could not… sand had covered the cloaked ship and was now surrounded by Ra's Jaffa.
The two of them watched helplessly as the four people stayed in one of the villages, and over a year of planning for an uprising to get rid of Ra… an uprising that the two figures were surprised to learn already happened in their future. However, they planned too fast and acted too early. They never expected to be betrayed by some in the village; the first uprising that they planned was put down before they ever started.
The two figures stood watching as Ra personally tortured the Jaffa that had arrived with the team of four. They watched as the one known as Teal'c was tortured for days before his body was ripped apart and sent through the villages under Ra's control, to show them what happens to traitors. Then came the turn of the grey haired man; the two figures never heard him scream during the torture sessions. All he kept on saying was that in his time, he was the one who killed Ra.. that Ra never stood a chance and that it will all happen again.
The brunette closed her eyes while the redhead teared up as one of the Jaffa shoved a pain stick into the man's mouth and activated it. Finally, the man screamed as his body convulsed violently, and the Jaffa smiled. When he could no longer scream, and with his body bloody and beaten; another two Jaffa brought in the blonde woman before leaving her to the man's torturers. The two figures watched as the blonde woman was brought to his torture cell. The two figures watched as Ra's Jaffa stripped her naked and then tortured her in front of the man who was trying to rip his hands out of the bindings that attached him to a rack. The redhead was about to interfere when the brunette stopped her. Shaking her head she told the other figure that they couldn't interfere; that there was still one more of the original four out there and that he would have vengeance.
"You have seen it?" asked the redhead as the brunette nodded her head and then looked back at the blonde woman as she screamed in pain before going down on her knees. They watched as the blonde looked up at the man whose eyes were already watering as the woman arched her back and fell to the ground as two more painsticks were shoved into her back.
The two figures watched as the Jaffa stood back and laughed at the squirming female who looked up at the man and struggled to speak.
"I… I… so… sorry… sir… sir" said the blonde while the man shook his head and struggled to speak, but his vocal chords were destroyed. The woman then pushed herself back up as a Jaffa bound her hands behind her while the other one cut her face.
"This stops…" shouted the redhead as she took a step forward, a ball of white energy appearing on the palm of her hand. However, she was immediately stopped by the brunette again.
"Athena!" shouted the brunette as she held onto the redhead's arm, "no… this has to be."
"Hera," said Athena, "this is…."
"You know our laws," said Hera, "all we can do is watch, and…. we can leave… but these people's deaths will bring about change."
"I… I…," said the blonde woman as she was forced up by the two Jaffa, her hands, arms and face bleeding as they pushed her towards the man, "sorry, Sir… forgive me."
"Ummm.." said the man as he shook his head.
"We may not be able to interfere," said Athena as she walked past the brunette, "but I can let them say a final goodbye."
Hera watched as Athena held on to both of their heads and then found themselves in a large grey room. Athena looked around the place in surprise as she noticed what seemed to be panes of glass, behind which were computers and various other control. She then turned and saw a Stargate standing upright with a ramp that led to the middle of the ring.
"Who are you?" asked the voice of the female as Athena turned around and looked at the both of them, "how did you get us back here… wait…. Are you an Ancient?"
"I am Lantean," said Athena as a frowning Hera appeared next to her, "I am…."
"Lantean?" asked the grey haired man, "as in from Atlantis?"
"You know of Atlantis?" asked Athena as she looked at them, and then looked back at an intrigued Hera, and then looked at the two again.
"We have an international team there… people living in the city. At least, we hope so, we haven't heard from them in a year" said the woman, "I mean.. I'm sorry… my name is Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter."
"General Jack O'Neill," said the grey-haired man.
"I am Athena, and this is my sister Hera."
"As in the Greek goddesses?" asked Colonel Carter, "Daniel's going to love this.. well he would have but…."
"I thought Ancients… or Lanteans… well… I guess ascended beings couldn't interfere?" asked the General.
"They could not," said Hera as she frowned at her older sister before looking at the two again, "but… but this is just my sister's way of easing your pain."
"We're dying, aren't we," said the Colonel.
"I am sorry," said Athena, "I hope that this would bring you some measure of peace and that you would be able to say your final goodbyes."
"Thank you," said the Colonel as she looked back at the General, "I'm sorry, sir. I should have done everything I could to stop us from getting here… we should have destroyed the time travel device and…"
"And nothing, Carter," said the General, "and this is our last day, so… quit the General stuff, and the 'sirs' would you? Just call me Jack? Please."
"Yes, Jack," said the Colonel as General O'Neill reached for her hand while Athena and Hera left their mental plane.
They looked on as the two Jaffa stabbed the Colonel in the back, and then twice more through her heart before slicing her neck. Athena and Hera watched as the body of the Colonel fell lifelessly onto the ground.
"Goodbye, Jack," said Athena softly as the man pulled his head back and gave a silent scream of anguish before he was beaten again. Then the next morning, the body of the Colonel was hung at the front of the great pyramid where throngs of people were gathered. Athena and Hera stood next to the fourth member of the team who was spirited away earlier before he too could be captured, and kept in hiding by the members of the resistance. They could feel his rage, and his sorrow, as he looked at the body of the Colonel and then the Jaffa brought the broken and bleeding General and made him kneel on both knees, facing the crowd.
"Forgive me, Jack," said the man, "forgive me, please forgive me… this is my fault. All of this… we should never have come… we should never have come."
For a moment, Hera and Athena could see the General looking at the fourth member of the team he arrived with to the past, before giving him a small nod.
"This is what happens to those who betray the sun god, Ra!" shouted one of the Jaffa as Ra sat still on his chair while the Jaffa pointed to the body of the Colonel and then to the General, "you betray your god, and you will die an unimaginable death…. Like this one here… he dared revolt against our god. And witness what happens now."
"Jack, I'll see you soon."
Hera and Athena watched the fourth man close his eyes as the Jaffa behind the General activated his staff weapon, and fired a burst point blank into the back of the General's head.
The two of them watched over the fourth member of the team as he, despite his anguish over the loss of his friends, planned a new uprising. This time, he gathered allies carefully… and planned for everything they needed to do slowly. It was three years later, as Athena and Hera were standing on the sand dunes that the first attack of the second uprising was launched. They watched as Ra's Jaffa were taken out and all out war was declared against the System Lord. Every village rose up against Ra, who never expected such a thing to happen. The System Lord left the planet on the second day of the revolt, taking the Stargate with him. Hera and Athena saw the people celebrate and congratulate the fourth man who they learned had changed his name from Daniel to Dan-yel. They watched as he walked away from the celebrations to his tent and just cried uncontrollably for hours.
They saw the one they called the hero of the uprising stayed a broken man due to the loss of his friends. Eventually, he found the strength to write an account of what happened on a tablet before burying it, and everything he had off his old life, including the Potentia, and an electronic device in a hole he made where he placed various cover stones with the help of some villagers. Hera and Athena watched as the man eventually made peace with what happened, they saw him meet a woman in the village, get married…. Have children, followed by grandchildren before dying peacefully in his sleep fifty years later.
The two sisters watched as the world changed after that uprising… they watched as the people evolved technologically. Sometimes the two sisters would separate and travel from one galaxy to another on their own, but most of the time they would travel together. They loved each other in life, and during their ascension. They were two sisters who had amazing adventures for ten thousand years.. and it continued until the day that Athena descended to help battle the coming darkness in a city called Sunnydale.
Hera had her mother, but she missed her sister a great deal. So much so that Hera would visit Athena after she was physically reborn in the world so that she could gain the gene of the Furling race; so that she could compensate for the loss of her ascended powers, her knowledge, and her immortality. Hera would always visit her in the dawn when the baby who was now named Willow Danielle Rosenberg, would wake up. The brunette would float into the room were her sister's crib was kept and stay with her until Sheila Rosenberg would walk into the room and feed the baby. Sometimes Hera and her mother, Melina, would come together in the dawn to visit the baby.
Sunnydale, 1998.
They always watched over Willow as she grew up to become a shy and mousy young woman. Hera saw Willow would always be with her best friend Xander. However, the Slayer that she thought the Powers would be sending this city never came, and that changed everyone's fate. Hera knew that the one rule among all ascended beings was to never interfere in the natural evolution of the lower plains of existence; never to interfere in the lives of the lowers. It was in adherence to that law as Hera watched in horror as Xander and Willow were attacked by two vampires after they were walking home; Willow, the shy girl had a crush on Xander… and Xander, the oblivious idiot was attracted to Cordelia Chase.
"I call you idiot because you know my sister loves you," said Hera as she followed them unseen just before the attack, "but nooo… you secretly like someone you hate. Like I said… idiot."
It was while following them from the Bronze that the two vampires attacked them. Hera watched as they bit into Willow and Xander.
"Stop!" shouted Hera as she made herself visible, and then the two vampires turned around while still draining the blood form Willow and Xander. They stopped feeding as Willow and Xander's eyes were closed, but they were still breathing.
"Another meal," said the vampire holding on to the unconscious Willow while looking at Hera's body, "nice dress too."
"Get away from her!" shouted Hera as she brought her hands down to her sides and formed a ball of light on the palms of her hands, "get away! Now! Get away or I swear I will scatter your ashes throughout the entirety of this galaxy."
The vampires who were holding on to Willow's and Xander's bodies stepped back frightened as Hera took another step forward while her eyes glowed and dark clouds started to gather in the sky.
"You will….. no…," said Hera as she took another step when she was suddenly stopped. She could feel an arm around her abdomen, and then she smelled the scent of strawberries in the air, "no… please…. No…. mother… no!"
Hera felt herself being pulled away as she watched the Earth getting further, and further away.
The vampires watched as the figure in front of them vanished, and then they looked at each other, shrugged and then continued to feed before they dropped the two unconscious bodies onto the ground. Smiling, they then kneeled down and cut their wrists before placing the cut where blood was pooling onto the lips of the two victims.
"Drink," said the vampire who was feeding Willow, "drink, and rise again."
He could hear the girl moan as she licked the cut with her tongue as her eyes suddenly snapped open before she started to suck more blood from the vampire.
"Good," said the vampire as he looked at the other one who was feeding Xander. He then looked back at Willow and pulled his arm away as Willow reached for it before starting to convulse violently, as was Xander. When the convulsing stopped, the both of them lay on the ground still; they were dead.
"For the Order," said the other vampire as he picked up Xander while the other one picked up Willow and then took them to the one that they called the Master, "the time of the Harvest is nearly here, and these two would be our minions to help the Master escape."
In the meantime, Hera found herself on a planet on the outer edge of the galaxy standing in the middle of a field.
"Hera"
"Mother," said Hera as she turned around and looked at the tear-stained face of the older redhead, "what did you do, mother?! Why did you stop me?"
"The Others would have," said Melina as she stepped towards Hera who shook her head and took a few steps back, "Hera, if…."
"Those things were going to make her one of their own!" shouted Hera, "you know what will happen… you know she can never ascend again… mother! She is my sister and…."
"She is my daughter!" said Melina as her voice broke while Hera looked away. Melina sobbed as Hera stood steps away, speaking again after a few seconds while struggling to breathe and take in what happened to her oldest daughter, "she is my daughter and none of us can do anything… if you interfered… than the Others would have punished you by taking away your powers right then and there as punishment for interfering. You would have been mortal, and you would have died as well. I… I would have lost the both of you… I…."
"I lost her," said Hera as she collapsed on the grass as she started to sob. Melina rushed to her and took her youngest daughter into her arms as the both of them cried, "I lost her… I lost her… I lost her."
Melina held on tight to Hera, the brunette's tears falling onto her shoulder just before she gave off a loud, heart retching scream. Melina looked on as storm clouds started to gather before lighting struck the ground all around them as her youngest daughter continued to scream. It was a few seconds later that it started to rain heavily as Hera sobbed on Melina's shoulder.
"My Hera," said, Melina, as the clouds vanished when the brunette slowly calmed down, "we could not do anything. You know our laws, if… if you broke them… then… then I would lose you. I have lost…. we have lost Athena… I cannot lose you as well…."
The both of them stayed on that planet for an entire day hugging each other over their shared loss. The both of them helped each other up before Hera said that she would like to have some time alone, that she needed to see Willow… that she was still her sister.
"Hera, you know that…."
"She is still there, mother," said Hera, "I know she is. We know what the humans do not, they believe the lies written in their books to be true… written by humans who were lied to by demons; Those creatures that come through to this world via the gateways. I must stay close by. If she can be killed… I can ascend what the human's call her soul."
Melina could only nod her head; she knew that it was useless to argue with her daughter. However, Melina knew deep down that Hera knew the story of Anubis, that after Oma made the mistake of ascending that Goa'uld and then was promptly punished for it, the Others vowed to never approve the ascension of one who was touched by evil. Melina knew that even Oma would never agree to ascend Willow now, no matter how clean her soul was. Shaking her head, Melina gently told Hera that she was not going back to Earth alone.
It was later that night that they found Willow standing outside her house. Hera and Melina could sense the young woman had changed as she looked at the house before she sniffed the air. Turning her head to the left sharply, they saw two shadows in the living room as Willow gave an evil smile.
"Do you not sense it?" asked Melina.
"Yes," said Hera as they followed Willow up her walkway, and then up to the front door before she rang the doorbell, "the darkness coming off her."
"She's there… Athena's there…" said Hera, "I can feel her, I can hear her screaming, we just need the Slayer to…."
'If she was to be sent here" said Melina, "then she would have been here. Something must have happened."
"The Powers," said Hera as she rolled her hands into fists.
"Hi mommy," said Willow as Hera and Melina looked on once the door was opened by Sheila Rosenberg, "I'm so hungry."
"Willow," said Sheila exasperated, "where were you? You know how long we've been waiting for your call? We thought that you were…."
"I was just walking with Xander," said Willow with a smiled as she stared at Sheila's neck, and then into her eyes, "we were invited to a party. We just got out and… and I am so very hungry. Can I come in?"
"Yes," said Sheila, "what kind of a question is that and…. oh dear God!"
"God?" said Willow as she vamped out while Hera and Melina could only look away, "he's not here, bitch."
Sheila screamed for her husband as she turned to run towards the staircase. However Willow was much faster; the newly born vampire growled as she ran, and then grabbed her mother by the shoulders before pushing her hard onto the staircase. She then quickly slammed the door shut before heading back to her mother. Willow then roughly turned her around just as the redhead heard running footsteps that stopped at the top of the stairs, followed by a gasp.
"Willow," said Ira Rosenberg as he looked at his own daughter who was standing over her mother. His eyes then opened wide in horror as she looked up straight at him. HE put his hand over his mouth in shock as he stepped back while the yellow eyes, and the demonic visage complete with fangs looked up at him and licked her lips, "you…. you…. my Willow…. no…"
"I am not your Willow," said the redhead as she reached down and snapped the bones in Sheila's legs before she stood up and walked past the screaming woman. Willow then looked back down at her mother and told her to shut up before looking up at Ira who was stepping back as Willow walked up. The redhead smiled as she took off her shirt, telling Ira that it was her favourite and she didn't want any part of her meal to stain it.
"Athena," said Hera as she looked up at the stairs while remaining imperceptible to everyone. She was hoping that her sister would come to her senses, that she would fight the demon… but she knew better as Melina put her hand on the young brunette's shoulders. She told Hera that they needed to remember who Willow used to be, that the girl they loved was truly gone. That her soul was forever going to be tainted and got out of there just before Willow grabbed Ira by the neck and picked him up. She then took him to her bedroom while Sheila sobbed on the stairs as Ira gave a bloodcurdling scream. She continued sobbing as Willow walked down the stairs while wiping the blood off her mouth with the back of her hands before sitting down next to the sobbing Sheila.
"Mom, mom, mom," said Willow as she returned to her human face while pointing to her chest, "see, I told you I knew I'd spill when I have my meal. That shirt was a birthday present from you so… oh, wait, no it wasn't. It was a birthday present from me to me."
"Willow, please" pleaded Sheila, "why? Why?"
"Why?" asked Willow as she turned and lay over Sheila, "you dare ask why? You? You who never loved me? Never saw me as a daughter?"
"That… that's not true" said Sheila as she continued to sob, "you.. you are…"
"Oh please, Sheila," said Willow as she leaned forwards and sniffed the older redhead's neck, and then looked into her eyes, "I was nothing to you. Daddy loved me more than you, and I still snacked on him. It was simple really… I just tore off a piece of his neck before I sucked him dry. He screamed a lot… but then again, he loved me more than you. If I did that to him, what do you think I will do to you."
"Willow," said Sheila as she cried while looking into her daughter's green eyes, "please. I beg you. Please, I'm your mother and…"
"Willow?" said a familiar voice from behind Willow as the door swung open. The redhead looked over her shoulder and smiled at Xander whose shirt had drops of blood on it, "you too?"
"Oh yes," said Willow grinning as she got up off Sheila and walked towards Xander in her bra while blood was still splattered on her chest, "do you want to come in?"
"Xander!" shouted Sheila, "run… leave… go… get help.. please. For all that's holy, get help."
"She screams a lot," said Xander as he looked at Willow who told him to come in while Sheila looked on shocked. Xander then opened his eyes wide at the blood on Willow's chest, before looking up smiling at the redhead's face.
"It's daddy's blood," said Willow as she jutted out her chest, swiped her finger on the blood and then put her finger in her mouth while looking seductively at Xander, "it's fruity."
"Yum," said Xander as he vamped out while Sheila looked in shock as Willow moaned while Xander licked off the blood from her chest before kissing the redhead deeply, "you're right, tastes like grapes."
"I think they had some wine," said Willow as she looked at her shocked mother, "bad mommy… bad, bad mommy."
"You had your dad, I had my mom," said Xander, "dad's at work… should be back in an hour. Wanna kill some time?"
"Wanna play with my pet?" asked Willow calmly as she looked at Sheila who was trying to move away.
"I'm still hungry," said Xander as he licked Willow's neck while the redhead looked at a terrified Sheila. Xander then went on to bite Willow's earlobe as the redhead closed her eyes before he whispered, "my dad can be our pet… you've always wanted to go on a date… so how about we make this our first."
"Ummm…" said Willow looking at Sheila as Xander kissed the younger redhead's neck, "we can have dinner, and then we could go to my parent's room and play."
"Good," said Xander as he turned towards Sheila, along with Willow, as they both made their vamp faces, "let's eat."
Willow shut the door just as Sheila screamed once Xander had pounced on her, followed by Willow. Hera could only look on from the higher plains while Melina looked away, both with tears in their eyes.
Warehouse 21, Sunnydale, five years later.
It was five years since Hera saw her reborn sister, Willow, get turned into a vampire. Since that day, she had seen Willow become more and more monstrous, more eager in her kills. It was in the second year that Melina and Hera had a massive falling out on Hera's obsession with staying close to Willow. They had seen her commit unspeakable acts of destruction with the risen Master, Xander and other vampires as they took over Sunnydale. Although Hera finally admitted that there was no way to save Willow, she still didn't want to leave her alone since she could still hear Willow screaming for help in her mind.
"You can hear her too, mother," said Hera as the stood in the higher plains, "she's still in there and.. and while I cannot help her ascend again, I… we can still be with her."
"That," said Melina as she pointed at a black leather wearing Willow stranding a recent arrival to Sunnydale, a vampire who had a soul as confirmed by Hera. She could hear the demon snarling inside the man's subconscious.. screaming to be let out, however, she could also see his soul which was tainted with a darkness… a darkness that she could erase with the help of the others so that it was possible for him to ascend. But she also knew it was something the Others would never do. She looked at wear Melina was pointing, and she looked away again as Willow lit a cigarette and started to burn the vampire, "that is not my daughter. Athena is dead, Hera. She is not…."
"She is there!" screamed Hera as she pointed at Willow who was grinning while she screamed at what she called her 'puppy', "that is Athena!"
"She is a monstrosity!" shouted Melina, "my daughter is dead and gone. I will never see her again because of….."
"Maybe you should have descended!" shouted Hera as Melina was taken aback and her bottom lip slightly trembled, "maybe you should have descended! When Athena suggested descending… maybe you should have done it instead and…"
"You.. you are right," said Melina as she stepped back with tears in her eyes.
"Mother," said Hera as her heart broke after realizing what she had just said to her mother, "mother, I…was angry and…"
"You were right," said Melina, "it should have been me."
"Mother," said Hera as Melina vanished before the brunette could reach her, "I am sorry."
Hera closed her eyes and tried to search for Melina, however, she was hiding so that she could not be found. It was a few seconds later that she heard a voice in her head from someone familiar telling her that her mother needed some time alone, that Hera would be able to find Melina once she wants to be found.
"Please tell her I apologize, Melia," said Hera as she looked at Willow, "she's my mother and.. and without her I'm alone."
Melia's voice told Hera that Melina loved her no matter what, but she need to get away from seeing Willow the way she was right now. She told Hera that Melina couldn't watch her oldest daughter die a little every day, that there was no way to save her.
"I know," said Hera.
It had been three years later that Melina finally made her location known. Hera had been to visit her where she apologized profusely, as did Melina for the way she left. The both of them then talked about the Athena they remembered…. The one who was living in Atlantis.. as well as the one who had been living for over ten thousand years before descending.
Now, Hera sensed something odd had happened which led her to a certain warehouse where she saw the Master, Willow, Xander and a few other vampires gathering near a machine. Earlier that day she sensed an anomaly and headed to the high school where Cordelia… the same girl who had been killed by vampires in L.A that same day… was in Sunnydale. Hera was confused as she looked at the girl and the way she was dressed, she broke every rule the city had to avoid being vampire food. Running a quick scan of her mind, Hera was taken aback to find out that this Cordelia had come from an alternate reality due to a wish she made to a vengeance demon, a reality where she saw her sister alive and well.
She watched as the girl then met Willow, and Xander, and was rescued by the school librarian and some of his allies who the vampires called White Hats. Hera watched as the other Cordelia asked Giles, the librarian, why Buffy wasn't in Sunnydale.. that she was the Slayer and she was supposed to be here, that it was better when she was here. She had said the same thing to Willow and Xander, and Hera watched as the two vampires locked Giles in the library cage before killing Cordelia. Hera shook her head as Willow let Cordelia's body fall onto the floor before blowing a kiss at Giles.
Hera watched Giles call for the Slayer who the Powers had for some reason sent to Cleveland, she watched as the next night Buffy saved Giles from being attacked by vampires. Hera now had hope that the Slayer, Buffy Summers, could kill Willow.
"If you kill her, Slayer," said Hera as she looked at the blonde while remaining imperceptible to everyone else, "then I could gather what remains of her soul and petition the Others to remove the darkness. I have to try…. I want my sister back, do you hear me, Slayer… I want her back."
In the present day, Hera was standing on a catwalk while she watched the Master talking about the machine with Willow and Xander next to him. She then looked up and saw Buffy walking through the crowd of people towards the podium. She saw the Slayer lift a crossbow, aim, and then fire at the Master. Catching the arrow, he looked at Buffy and smiled as the vampire with a soul that Buffy had freed earlier that day, and two of the White Hats ran in to free the hostages who would be fed to the machine so that it drains their blood. In the confusion that ensued, Hera continued to look at Willow who was grabbed by two of the White Hats as she was pulled towards a wooden shard. The brunette perked up and travelled down onto the floor as fights erupted all around her as the freed hostages attacked the vampires. She glanced at Xander who was killed by an arrow, followed by the ensouled vampire who had his head cut off by another vampire. Hera then glanced up near the podium as the Master grabbed a hold of Buffy, and after a short struggle, he snapped her neck. Hera did not care about anyone else anymore, her only goal was to get to Willow as the men pushed her towards the wooden stake.
However, Hera and the men were surprised when Willow suddenly vanished.
"What the…" said Hera confused when Willow suddenly came back again, only to be grabbed by the two men and pulled.
"It can wait… explanations can wait… kill her" said Hera when suddenly Willow got her footing and pushed against the shorter man. The both of them tumbled onto the floor as Willow rolled away and then faced the bigger man and vamped out before snarling and baring her fangs.
"No," said Hera in anguish, "it was so close… so close. Someone kill her."
"Why don't you?' said a voice from behind Hera. Turning around, she instantly recognized who the oddly dressed demon was; one of the messengers of the Powers that Be.
"Whistler," hissed Hera as she rolled her hands into fists. She glanced over her shoulder as Willow broke the neck of the smaller man while another two vampires ran to the larger man. Hera looked away as Willow then bit into one of the hostages, killing the blue haired woman before Willow went berserk as she went to seek vengeance for her lover, Xander, who was one of the first to be killed, "what do you want?"
"I just came to give you my condolences," said Whistler as he took off his hat while the fighting was still going on around them, a fight that the humans were losing as more vampires came into the warehouse.
"Condolences!" shouted Hera as she walked towards him while the entire scenery changed around them, "Condolences! All this is happening because of your Powers that Be! Why did they send the Slayer to another city? Why? Why!"
"They have a plan," said Whistler as he looked around, "this was all… ummm…. where are we?"
"We are on a planet near the center of the galaxy," said Hera, "I am going to leave you here if I don't get the answers I want."
"What happened to no interference?" asked Whistler as he looked around as the sky continued to shift between two colours.
"When it comes to the interference of the Powers?" said Hera, "this is just me travelling with a person of interest. Now, why…"
"I don't know," said Whistler shaking his head while looking at Hera, "I don't know why she wasn't sent to Sunnydale, I mean she was supposed to since Angel was there and…."
"She got turned into a vampire! The Slayer wasn't sent there, and Willow died… my sister died because of their screw up!" shouted Hera as she walked towards Whistler with her her eyes glowing white before she grabbed the man by his collar and lifted him up, "do you know what that does? Do you?"
"I know the story and…." said Whistler as he struggled to breathe as Hera's eyes returned to normal and she threw him down onto the grass.
"You are like every human who thinks they know everything," hissed Hera as she glared at Whistler, "the Ascended know the truth of what happens, even your Powers know. The soul doesn't go away…. The body doesn't die… the demon is spread into the body of the turned. The demon is so strong, so powerful that it suppresses the soul of the human it enters. You know how I know that? I can hear Willow's screams in my mind… I can hear her screaming for help, but she's been tainted with darkness. After what happened to Anubis, there is no way that the Others would allow her to ascend.. no… WAY! The longer the demon is in control of the body, the more the soul is tainted.. and the more it's tainted, the less remains of the original person that thing used to be. The body doesn't die, not until the weakness of wood is used against it. And that's because the demon takes everything with it as it dies, everything except the tainted soul. Why do you think I wanted the Slayer to kill Willow? Do that her soul could be free… I could have petitioned the Others to remove the darkness and allow her to ascend. Even though I know it's for naught, I still could have tried. Why do you think the Master looks like the demon that is occupying him? His human soul is gone, all that remains is the demon."
"Angel," said Whistler, "the curse… it gave his soul back and…"
"Yes," said Hera nodding her head, "it locked the demon out, let his human soul take over. But the memories of what he did had already infected it. He would have remembered everything he did for the rest of his life. You humans and demons are morons and idiots… thinking you could restore a soul… really? It was always there! And because of your Powers… because of the Furlings that your Powers took in… because of them tricking my people to open the gateway; you…, all of you…, KILLED MY SISTER!"
"I really am sorry about Athena," said Whistler as he took off his hat while Hera panted in anger, "I met her a few times when she was ascended and…."
Whistler suddenly found himself alone outside the empty warehouse. The demon looked around confused before he put his hat on and turned before walking away into the night.
"Your sister was a lovely woman," said Whistler solemnly, "I really am sorry."
Hera was panting as she transported herself to Lantea. She stood on the ocean's surface as she looked up at the stars. Her face slowly turning to anguish as she realized her sister was really gone, she collapsed on both knees and screamed out loud at the night sky, and then she started sobbing. Her cries piercing the night sky as Melina appeared next to her before crouching next to the brunette and placing her hands on Hera's trembling shoulders as they cried in each other's arms.
Collapsed Church, Underneath Sunnydale, one thousand years later.
It would be a thousand years later that Hera would see Willow again.
It was fifty years after the warehouse battle that Willow killed the Master and sought to make her own mark on history. However, she would never spread her influence and power further than Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. The Watchers Council had finally decided to take action when the redhead attempted to spread out of Sunnydale. The employed some potential slayers, as well as the primary Slayer of the time, as well as four covens whose sole responsibility was to trap Willow in the Sunnydale underground for all time.
After a massive battle in Sunnydale, the covens were successful in trapping Willow in a collapsed church… ironically the same church that the original Master was trapped in. The Council then sent in various teams to destroy the vampires that had infected the city, followed by cleaning out Santa Barbara and L.A with the help of the American military and some of the latest technology. Since that day, Sunnydale has remained a ghost town with nearly every building condemned.
Hera got through the magical barriers that surrounded the city unnoticed as she went deep underground to the lair, and the prison, of the new Master… Willow.
"Willow," said Hera as made herself perceptible while she stood in front of the magical shield that prevented the Master from leaving her cage, "I know you can hear me. Come on out."
Hera saw a pool of blood starting to bubble as the new Master who was once known as Willow slowly came up to the surface. The brunette woman looked at the unrecognizable state the being who was once her sister was in; this figure covered in blood and wearing a black body suit wasn't her sister.
For one, her red hair was completely gone... she was bald. Her eyes were yellow, her face was non-human like the demon that had taken her over. Hera saw that her feet were replaced by hooves and her fingers were stretched into claws with long, sharp fingernails. It wasn't Willow anymore… the figure before her looked worse than the Master and was exuding more darkness.
Hera closed her eyes before frowning and shaking her head; she couldn't sense Willow's soul anymore. Her sister was truly dead, but she had already come to terms with her death. While she still watched over Willow as she slowly transformed into the figure before her, Hera was happy that her sister would be losing her soul… she was happy that Willow wouldn't be tormented anymore.
"And who may you be?" asked the Master as she tilted her head at Hera and walked toward the field, only to be pushed back.
"My name is Hera, and I have come to see you one last time."
"That would imply you have seen me before," said the Master as she looked at Hera like a predator would look at its prey. She then sniffed the air before grinning at Hera, revealing a row of sharp teeth and fangs, "ummmm…. I smell power. You heartbeat…. The smell of your blood. It's intoxicating. Can I have a taste?"
"No," said Hera as she locked her jaw and glared at the Master, "I came to say that you killed my sister."
"I have killed many sisters, brothers, Slayers, mothers, fathers," said the master, "I even killed my own parents. You have to be a bit more specific."
"You don't know her," said Hera, "her name was Athena. She was the greatest sister, she was brave, she was powerful, she was kind, she was amazing."
"But she still died," said the Master with a grin.
"Her hair shone as red as fire," said Hera as she took a step forward, "she and I saw thing you will never, ever see… we saw the building blocks of life being formed, we saw suns explode, we…"
"Yes?" asked the Master smiling at Hera as she took a step back.
"I was so angry at you," said Hera, "I was angry at myself, angry at her for leaving me and my mother, I was angry at my mother for not doing anything and…. the truth is that there is no one to blame for this. It took me a thousand years to figure that out."
"A thousand years, you say" inquired the Master, "interesting, tell me more."
"I am not here to fulfil your wishes," said Hera as she looked at the Master. Hera then noticed a figure standing next to her who was also looking at the Master. Turning her head, Hera saw her sister as she once used to be; hair as red as fire, a white strapless dress with gold embroidery on the chest, and the smell of vanilla hitting the brunette's nostrils as she smiled, "I'm just here to tell you that it doesn't matter anymore. My sister's gone."
Hera watched the image of Athena turn and look at her before smiling at the younger brunette.
"She once told me that I was her light," said Hera as she watched the image of Athena point at the brunette's heart before she looked at the Master, "and I'd tell her that she's my heart. She'll always be close to me. She may be dead, but she'll always be with me. I am immortal, and I will be travelling with my sister forever... I will be travelling with my mother. And you? You will be stuck here for all time."
"You never know, pet," said the Master, "there's always something that comes up… or comes down."
"This planet has nothing for me anymore," said the brunette as she turned away from the Master and looked at the image of her smiling sister, "goodbye."
"I will get out," said the Master while Hera ignored her and continued to smile at the image of Athena who nodded her head, and then leaned forward and whispered.
"Goodbye, my sister. I love you."
Hera saw the image of Athena vanish as she placed the palm of her hand on her own chest.
"You are my heart" whispered Hera, "guide me, Athena."
That was the last time Hera would ever step foot on Earth. AS she vanished from the Master's chamber much to the surprise of the vampire, Hera travelled towards her mother. In the meantime, she imagined what could have been. She had seen the box that Dan-yel buried thousands of years ago uncovered, but the video camera and the memory card were damaged beyond repair due to the case not being sealed properly. She had seen the tablet that Dan-Yel wrote in Ancient was on display in the British museum, the language still a mystery to the people of Earth since they never discovered the Stargate in the Antarctic. She knew that if the Slayer arrived in Sunnydale, that Willow would still be alive.. that was what she got from scanning the alternate Cordelia's mind.
Hera jumped from one galaxy to another just as she used to do with Athena by her side. She knew that the redhead would always be in her heart, she would always be in her mother's heart. It was a few seconds later that Hera found her mother standing alone on a beach. The brunette walked towards her, then placed a hand on the older redhead's shoulder before giving the woman a tight hug.
The End.