Sunnydale Mercy, five minutes later.
Buffy, Willow, and Giles greeted Joyce who, after a few words, had been tearing up while comforting her daughter; telling her not to worry. The doctor had told them that there was a bulge in an artery in her brain and that it could burst at any moment. He said that they had to perform emergency surgery to drain the bulge and that Joyce would have to be put on medication for the foreseeable future.
"This was a possible side-effect of removing the tumour," added the doctor as Joyce, who Buffy was holding on tight to, nodded her head.
"That's what you said," replied Joyce with a broken voice before she coughed to clear her throat as two nurses rushed into the room and attached some lines through the skin on the older blonde's hand. Buffy was asked to step back, that they needed to take Joyce into surgery at that moment. Joyce tightened her hold on Buffy's hand as she kissed her mother's forehead. Joyce then released Buffy, and was rolled out of the room while Giles patted her shoulder, and Willow wished her good luck.
"We'll be right here, Joyce," said Giles as they followed the nurses and doctor pushing the bed towards a door that said 'Operating Suites - Authorised Personnel Only'. Joyce smiled at them as she was pushed in through the doors, but not before asking them to thank Barry, and that she would see them soon. The three of the Scoobies stood waving as the doors closed just as Joyce's bed was turned into a corner. Buffy held her arms around her chest, trying not to cry because of the added trauma of her mother possibly dying, coupled with the fact that Glory was still out there. Joyce was Buffy's rock.. her and Dawn's.
And they needed her. The both of them needed her.
Buffy felt arms around her shoulder and looked at Willow who then rested her chin on teh Slayer's shoulder. The redhead was telling Buffy that everything was going to be alright, that Joyce seemed to have been brought to the hospital in time.
"But what if she wasn't?" whispered Buffy.
"She's going to be taken care of here, Buffy," added Giles as he looked at the girl who he thought of as his own daughter. He placed his hand on her shoulder before asking Willow to accompany her to the waiting room, "I'll call Xander, Tara, and Anya. Have them close the Magic Box and meet us here."
"What about Dawn?" asked Willow as they turned away from the door that led to the operating suites, "Buffy?"
"She… She should be off from school and… and…" mumbled a dazed Buffy as she imagined coming home to a dead Joyce, or getting a call from the police saying that Joyce was in an accident when the bulge ruptured. Buffy shivered slightly at the thought of losing her mother. She looked at Giles and saw his lips were moving, and he was speaking very slowly and softly… it was almost as if he was very far away. All she could make out were the words 'Dawn', and 'pick' before she felt someone shaking her shoulder. Crashing back to reality, Buffy shook her head and turned to face a worried Giles before asking, "did you say something?"
"I said I'll pick up Dawn, you…"
"A family member has to pick her up from school early," mumbled Buffy, "I… I can't leave, and…"
"She's getting off school in an hour," said Willow looking at the clock they just passed on the way to the waiting room, "maybe we… oh, he's gone."
"Who?" mumbled Buffy as she looked around, and then remembered Barry. She didn't see him anywhere, "oh, Barry's gone. I should thank him."
"First of all, take a seat, Buffy," said Giles as Willow helped Buffy take a seat while Giles wondered why Barry didn't stay. Shaking his head, the older man remembered that the young man was working at the Espresso Pump, and so believed that he had to go back to work. Giles then turned back to Willow and Buffy before telling them that he would go and make the call.
It would be nearly thirty minutes later that Tara, Xander, and Anya rushed into the waiting room. Tara was the first to hug Buffy who stood up, her eyes red from unshed tears. This was followed by a hug from Xander while Anya asked if they had heard anything yet on Joyce's condition. Buffy shook her head, saying that there was nothing and that she didn't know if that was a bad sign.
"You can't think like that, Buff," said Xander. He tried to think of a joke or a sarcastic comment to lift the mood but found that he couldn't. All he could do was stay silent, something he was uncomfortable with as he stood with Anya who was holding to his arm tightly.
The six Scoobies soon whittled down to four when Giles and Xander left to pick up Dawn from school, remained in the waiting room in worry, anxiously waiting to hear any news. The Scoobies had no words to say to each other, and Anya didn't want to say anything since she didn't really know what to say, so everyone remained in silence. A silence that was broken when Dawn rushed in with tears in her eyes and hugged her older sister. They held onto each other without any words between them. It was a few minutes later that the two of them held hands while waiting for news on Joyce's operation, everyone was quiet… with Xander and Giles pacing the floor, and Dawn lying her head on Buffy's shoulder.
It had been nearly an hour and a half after Joyce was taken into the surgical suite that the doctor, in his surgical gown, walked towards the waiting room. Tara noticed the man before calling for Buffy, who was looking at the floor while taking a seat. The Slayer and her sister quickly got up, and headed for the doctor, with Giles accompanying them. The rest stayed behind and watched as the doctor motioned towards another area of the waiting room, but Buffy shook her head while holding on tight to her sister.
They watched; Tara holding onto Willow, and Anya to Xander, while the doctor was speaking when suddenly Buffy put her hand to her mouth and realised a sob. Willow and the others expected the worst, when suddenly, Dawn yelped and hugged the doctor while Buffy hugged Giles, and then Dawn. Giles wiped his eyes and motioned to Willow and the others while Buffy hugged the doctor.
As Tara and the others walked got closer, they heard Buffy asking if Joyce was really going to be alright. They listened to the doctor, once again, telling Buffy and Dawn that they drained the blood and took out a blood clot before telling Buffy that Joyce would have to be on blood thinners for the foreseeable future. The doctor reassured everyone that Joyce was going to be alright, and that she was going to be in the hospital for a few days for observation, just to be on the safe side.
Buffy and Dawn thanked the doctor profusely before he left, at which time Buffy made a mental note to go by the Espresso Pump and thanking Barry before she went home to grab some things for herself and Dawn. She knew that there was no way that they were leaving Joyce alone in the hospital, and the truth was that after the incident with Spike and Drusilla, she didn't want to be home much. At least not by herself, especially when her body shook in disgust at the memory of the alter that Spike had in his lair, an alter for her. So even though Spike's invitation to the Summers house was revolved, and Spike could not freely come into the Summers home, Buffy was staying in the hospital with Dawn and her mother.
Espresso Pump, 1930 hours.
With their replacements reporting for barista duty, Barry and Kelly signed out and then left the confines of the Espresso Pump Barry, with his back pack containing his uniform over his shoulder walked down the stairs to the pavement near the street with Kelly. He wanted to check in on Joyce, make sure that she was doing alright, and then leave them be. Barry reminded himself that he couldn't make any attachments, and it was just then that Kelly gently brushed his arm before asking if he'd like to go out for a drink.
"I know what you're going to say," said the young woman, "but…"
"Sorry," said Barry nervously. The only person he was thinking of at that moment was Iris, and she was all that mattered. He had every bit of confidence that Cisco would be coming to get him any day now, he needed to try and keep away from making any attachments, "Kelly, I… I mean… the girl I told you about, she's supposed to be coming by in a few days, and…"
"Thought I'd ask again, Barry," said Kelly with a sad smile on her face. And then, almost instantly she perked up and leaned forward, "well, there's the cultural fair. How about this? You don't hear from your girl in two weeks, the both of us go to the fair… just as friends. No strings attached."
Barry knew she had asked this same question earlier in the day, and he couldn't help but admire her tenacity.
"Sure," replied Barry nodding his head, "the fair it could be, then."
"Cool," replied the chipper young woman before motioning to her car, "you need a ride, or…"
"I need to visit a friend at the hospital," said Barry before he took a step back, "see you tomorrow?"
"Bright an early, Barry," said Kelly before the both of them went their separate ways. It was after Barry had walked onto another street that he ran at super speed, with lightning trailing behind, to the hospital. Arriving at the lobby, he was met with a sight he thought he'd never see… there were two nurses, a security guard, and a doctor who was subduing a man wearing a bath robe while screaming incoherently with eyes that seemed to be looking off into nothingness. Barry looked on as the two male nursed held onto the arms of the struggling man while everyone else in the lobby was staying away from them. Seeing that the man was unarmed, Barry continued to watch as two more security guards joined in and forced the man on the gurney. The speedster was listening to the man saying things that made no absolute sense while his arms were being tied down.
"Get him to the wing on the fourth floor, the fifth and sixth floor are already at capacity," said the doctor as the gurney was pushed into the hallway. The doctor then apologized for the people in the lobby for the commotion before he ran behind the nurses and the guards. Barry knew he was heading that way as well, so he flowed them and took the second open elevator. Getting off the fourth floor, he listened to the man speaking in incoherent sentences as he and the others got off the other elevator. He followed them as they turned left at the landing, and then headed for the hallway. They took a left turn into the adjoined hallway, away from the waiting room and the nurses station. Barry was about take a right turn when he saw Buffy and Dawn coming out of another hallway to the left with two cups in their hands.
They hadn't seen Barry yet, the both of them were laughing at something the other had said. Barry was about to speed back into the elevator landing and then hide in the emergency exit until they were gone, but there was something that surprised him. The man in the bath robe continued to talk, and then, just as the gurney passed Dawn.. he reached out and grabbed the young girl's arm.
"It's you," he said as Barry watched Dawn swing her head at the man while she dropped her cup of hot liquid onto the floor. At the same time, Buffy caught a glimpse of Barry, before turning to the man who grabbed a hold of Dawn's arm as she gave a yelp, "I see you… you're empty…. So empty."
"Ben!" yelled Buffy as she grabbed the deluded man's hand and pulled it off Dawn, and then Buffy physically pushed her sister away. Barry knew there was something very wrong for the look if fear on Dawn's face, to the way that Buffy held the larger man's arm down with one hand. He saw the security guards holding him down as he started thrashing on the bed, while the nurses prepared some syringes. All the while the man kept on staring at Dawn, who was leaning on the wall… staring at the man stunned.
"Not empty," said the man as Barry stopped walking. The man seemed to have a moment of clarity as he pointed straight at Dawn. Barry caught a glimpse of Buffy turning to look at him, before looking away at the insane man who continued, "I see it… so bright. Bright green energy… oh, wow, I…"
"Good night," Ben said as he injected the man with a liquid. The man then closed his eyes, his face still carrying a wide grin before Ben apologized to Buffy. He then took the man away as Buffy nodded her head before immediately heading for her sister, who was continuing to stare at the insane man before turning to Buffy.
"You ok?" whispered Buffy.
"Yea," whispered Dawn when she noticed Barry standing nearby from the corner of her eyes. She nodded her head sideways, and then Buffy perked up before waving at Barry who couldn't help but notice Ben looking at Buffy and Dawn with what could only be described as fear etched on his face.
'Or Maybe I'm just seeing things,' thought Barry to himself.
"Hey," said Buffy as she and Dawn walked towards him, the young girl still shaken by the encounter, "a lot of insane people this time of year, and… yeah… anyway. Barry Allen… this is my sister, Dawn."
Barry waved at Dawn while Buffy told her that he was the one who brought Joyce to the hospital.
"Thanks," exclaimed Dawn before she hugged Barry, "mom said you saved her life."
"I didn't do much," said Barry as Dawn stepped back to Buffy's side, "I just wanted to see if she was alright, and…"
"Leave?" asked Buffy with an eyebrow raised.
"Sorry about earlier," said Barry rubbing the back of his head while wondering what had just happened, "I had to go back to work and your mom seemed to be in good hands. So I take it that…"
"She woke up an hour ago," said Dawn.
"So," said Buffy, "instead of just running away, maybe you could just say hi? I mean she said she wants to come by the Espresso Pump when she gets out of here, and… well… since you're here."
"This should be a family thing," said Barry putting his hands up, "but I'm glad she's alright. I guess I should get…"
"Come on," said Dawn as she grabbed Barry's arm and while he was pointing towards the exit, and pulled him along. Barry followed behind the young woman while looking back at Buffy who was looking over her shoulder at the place that the gurney had been pushed to. She was about to look back to the front, leading Barry to look forward at Dawn, who was still grabbing onto her arm.
"Dawn," said Buffy as she held onto the arm that was, itself, holding on to Barry, "let go of the poor guy. He's already coming with us."
"Right, sorry," said Dawn as the walked down another hallway to an open door from which Barry heard the voice of a familiar redhead, followed by a Brit, and then he thought he heard Xander's voice. It was Dawn who walked into the room, followed by Buffy as Barry stepped to one side before staying in the hallway.
"Oh, Barry," said Giles as he stood up as he watched the man stand up and fix his glasses on the bridge of his nose. He then saw Xander look at him with furrowed eyebrow as if wondering where they had seen each other before.
Willow then rolled her eyes before nudging Xander with her elbow, "from the Espresso Pump? Mocha fraps?"
"Right," said Xander pointing his finger at Barry, "sorry, but I kinda forgot your name."
"Obviously Barry something," said Anya. Buffy shook his head before introducing Anya, and Xander. It was then that Barry looked at the confused looking girl who was looking back at him. She was a blonde young woman wearing an orange shirt and a long skirt, and when Buffy introduced her to Barry… she shook her head before looking down at the floor, her blonde hair covering her eyes slightly. Thinking it a bit strange, Barry then stepped into the room to smile at Joyce who had a patch of shaved head covered with a bandage.
"Hi, Mrs. Summers," said Barry with a smile and nod. He would occasionally glance at the blonde girl, Tara, who would look away again. Confused, Barry decided not to think of it at all while standing with his hands in his pockets, "good to see you're doing better."
"The bulge was about to burst," said Joyce as she lifted the sides of her lips into a soft smile aimed at Barry while Buffy held Dawn's hand, "could have been an aneurysm, Barry."
"I just see things," replied Barry, "I mean it's my job… so… yeah. I'm glad that you're doing well."
"So… so…" said Tara as she looked through her hair, "are you from around here?"
Tara saw lighting coursing through Barry's aura and was surprised to find that he was telling the truth when he mentioned that he was from somewhere far away, although he never mentioned where.. and the others hadn't pushed him on that particular point. She also sensed a bit of sadness before he started talking about the reason he was in Sunnydale. The blonde witch knew that his story was a lie, but there was something else that was emanating from him that told her he wasn't here to harm anyone. Tara felt hope coming off him as he talked about someday soon going back home, especially if he doesn't find a job here.
"I've got to go," said Barry as he took a step forward. It was almost immediately that Joyce asked the young man to stay, that they could have some dinner.
"I really should get going," insisted Barry who glanced at the odd look from Tara, and then at Joyce, "thanks, Mrs. Summers. I'm really glad that you're alright."
"Again, I have to thank you for this," replied Joyce as she pointed at the bandaged spot on her head, "the doctor said I can leave in a few days, at least let me make dinner for you."
"A welcome home party," said Dawn with a grin while Joyce stroked the back of her head. Barry knew that Joyce would keep asking if he kept on saying no, so all he could do was nod his head before telling the group that he had to get going since he was working the morning shift tomorrow. Waving his hand, Barry took his leave, and as he left, Barry heard the conversation from the group turn to Joyce.
'Just be forgettable, Allen,' thought Barry to himself as he walked into the elevator landing and then super-sped down the stairs, and out the hospital. In the meantime, Tara was holding onto Willow's hand while they were chatting with Joyce about the next steps that she should be taking.. with Buffy suggesting a holiday for her and Dawn; at least until Glory was taken care off. The whole time, Tara was wondering about the yellow lighting that was crackling along Barry's aura. It was something she hadn't seen before, but it didn't scare her… it didn't really scare her the first time she had seen it on-campus; and it was then Tara realised that the man she, Buffy, Willow, and Xander passed by two weeks ago was Barry.
However, Tara felt that he wasn't a danger… she could feel it, and see it from his aura. But she was curious about why he had lied to them. Shaking her head before smiling at Willow, who suggested that they stay at the Summers house to help out while Joyce remained in the hospital.
"You don't have to," said Joyce.
"We could have a slumber party," said Anya as everyone looked at her, "I mean, that is the custom where we young and nubile women strip down to our bare essentials and fight with pillows. Right?"
"No," said Willow, Tara, and Buffy.
They then turned to Xander, who was slowly putting his hand up in the air, and said, "Can I join in?"
Two weeks later, the Sunnydale Cultural Fair, 1400 hours.
It had been two weeks since Barry saved Joyce's life, and a few days later.. after being released from the hospital, Barry was invited to the Summers home for dinner. He had enjoyed a home cooked meal after two weeks of eaten heated up canned food in his camp at the Sunnydale desert. But that was the last time he would return to the Summers house, and not because he wasn't invited. He still saw Willow, Xander, and Dawn at the Espresso Pump every day and they would chat while he made their drinks, with Buffy sometimes coming by with the group; but when it came to hanging out with them, he would always decline, saying that he had to search for better work.. or that he was tired.
Barry did everything he could to avoid making a connection with people, and a part of him started to hate doing it. By the time of the Cultural Fair, it had already been a month in Sunnydale, and Cisco still was not able to find him. The scarlet speedster really didn't know what to do. He knew that Cisco was able to find him in the Speed Force and that itself was no easy feat, so Barry couldn't understand why his best friend wasn't able to find him on another Earth.
So Barry did something unexpected that surprised even him. The day before the Cultural Fair, Barry said 'yes' to Kelly.
Barry had agreed with Kelly that he would meet her at the Cultural Fair the next day. They had checked out the map of the fair on the internet and made plans to meet at the entrance to the Fair. When the day finally came, Barry was near the entrance sitting on a barrel that was part of a display as he waited for Kelly to meet him. It had already been five minutes past one in the afternoon when he looked up from his wrist watch and saw Willow, Tara, and Dawn heading towards him.
"You made it," said Dawn as she stood in between Willow and Tara.
"Just waiting for a friend," said Barry before nodding at the Fair, and then looking back at the three young women, "so... this Fair happens every year?"
"Yeah," said Willow nodding her head, "and well… Tara hasn't been here yet, and Dawn… well… they have some really good cotton candy. Plus, I hear the acts they're putting on this year are kinda explosive."
"Calm down, Will," said Tara chuckling before she turned to Barry and the lightning on his aura. It was then that she noticed the bag slung over his back, and was about to ask a question but Dawn beat her to it.
"Oh," said Barry pointing at the bag, "it's my last day at the Espresso Pump, and well… I decided to take some coffee. And I went down to the library to get some books for ideas on coming up with some cool experiments that kids could do at the Junior High."
"Huh?" asked Dawn.
"Oh, I'm going to be a science teacher," said Barry as Dawn smirked, "I start next week."
"Dawn, goes to that school," said Willow as Dawn grinned proudly.
"What are you teaching?" asked Tara.
"Physics and Chemistry," said Barry, "apparently there's a lot of openings for teachers. People don't stay long in this town huh?"
"Sunnydale has its moments," said Willow while thinking of all the near apocalypses that occurred over the years.
It was a few minutes later that Tara, Willow and Dawn headed into the Fair while Barry said that he'll wait outside for Kelly. The young man nodded his head when, just before leaving, Tara invited him to join the three of them at the Fair… and Barry, against his better judgement, nodded 'yes'.
It was fifteen minutes later that Tara, Willow, and Dawn were heading for the Japanese face painting booth with soft-serve ice cream cones in their hands. The three of them were laughing when suddenly, both Willow and Tara felt a hand on their shoulders.
"Hey Barry," Willow was about to finish what she wanted to say as she and Tara laughed while turning around. Their laughter immediately stopped when the figure whom the hands belonged to, took them off Willow and Tara's shoulders and placed them by her side. Dawn, noticing the lack of laughter from her two companions, turned and gave a small scream when she stared at Glory looking at her, and then at Willow, and finally at Tara.
Willow and Tara took a few steps back until they were by Dawn's side, with the blonde witch grabbing the young girl's hand. Dawn and Tara looked at one another, and then at Willow just as Glory stepped forward and smiled. She told them that she could rip their spines out if they even took one more step back.
"Guess what?" asked Glory as she gave the three girls a maniacal grin as she tilted her head, "a little birdie heard from another little birdie that the Key was turned into an innocent."
Willow and Tara looked at each other, while the hands that Dawn was holding onto the both of the girls with was trembling in fear. Glory proudly told them that since the Key was made into a human being and placed under the Slayer's care, then it was only logical that it would be anyone of the people around her.
"And I asked my drones to search for the newest one in your little group," said Glory before she slowly turned her head towards a stunned Tara while rubbing her hands together, "hello my shiny little Key."
"No," whispered Dawn as Tara pushed the little girl behind her.
"The Red Streak will come after you.. and so will my sister, and…"
"Don't beg now," said Glory as she glanced at Dawn, and then at Willow, and then licked her lips at Tara, "I've read up on the Streak thing.. and it's just a human being. If it was a god, then it would come after me. So, guess what? I'm the only god in town, folks. Now? Red and the pipsqueak can run… or I feed on the both of you and then I take the blondie away."
"No!" yelled Willow as she and Tara grabbed each other's hands and pushed Glory back with magic. She was flung into a hotdog cart before the three young women ran towards the entrance, away from Glory. Meanwhile, the woman in red got up off the ground and flung the man who was helping her get onto her feet into another cart, while a police officer who had witnessed what happened rushed over and ordered Glory to get down on her knees and raise her hands. Seeing over the officer's shoulder at her prey escaping, Glory looked back at the officer and then rushed towards him and sucked his brain dry. People started to scream and run in all directions when Glory slammed the officer into other innocents before running at super speed towards Tara, Willow, and Dawn.
She stopped in front of them as more screaming men, women, and children passed by while Glory glared at Tara, and then at Dawn, and Willow.
"Can't have that happen again," said Gory as she dashed towards Willow at super speed, and before they could use a spell, Glory pushed Willow away. Tara and Dawn screamed as Willow landed on the ground hard before Glory rushed up to Dawn, and gave her a backhanded slap to her face. Dawn fell on the grass as Glary headed towards Tara who was stepping back as more and more people rushed past them screaming. In the meantime, Dawn felt something wet on the side of her cheek. Reaching up, she dabbled the wetness away and looked at the blood with her eyes wide open. She then looked up as Glory was a step away from Tara, and was about to grab the witch when she noticed the blood on her nails. Glory stopped and looked at Dawn's blood with a confused look before she took her finger into her mouth, and licked the blood off the nail.
Glory closed her eyes in ecstasy as Tara dashed past her and grabbed onto Dawn.
"No," whispered Dawn with terror etched on her face as she saw the grin on Glory's face after she turned and stared directly at the young girl.
"Willow!" yelled Tara before she turned and stared at Glory.
"My Key," growled the god as she took a step towards Dawn and Tara.
In the meantime, Barry was pacing on the grass as he constantly looked at his wristwatch and wondered why Kelly hadn't come yet. He knew that she had been wanting to go out with him for nearly a month, and now that they had made plans.. she was a no-show. Barry thought that maybe she just forgot, but that thought vanished just as it appeared. Frowning, the young man was about to leave, deciding to take a rain check on meeting Tara, Willow, and Dawn, when he turned around at the screams behind him as people ran out of the Fair.
"Hey," yelled Barry as he grabbed a panicked man, "what's going on?"
"Crazy weirdos!" exclaimed the man as he jerked his body out of Barry's grip, "I should never have come to visit this godforsaken town with their drugs, and hopped up ladies. No way."
Barry looked at the man run away before turning around towards more people running out of the entrance in panic. Even some of the police on bike patrol. Barry watched them leave, and then he narrowed his eyes at the entrance.. wondering what could scare these people so much. He the took off at super speed into the Fair. Barry changed into his uniform just after passing the gates as everyone seemed to move in slow motion. He weaved in and out of the crowd that was heading out before he circled the Fair searching for what was causing the mass exodus.
And then he saw them.
Willow was on her elbow trying to get up off the ground, while Tara was holding on to Dawn's hand. He saw the look of terror on the faces of the three young women as they stared at the blonde woman in a red dress. Barry changed direction and ran towards them, he had no idea what was going on… but he had a feeling that the woman in red was the cause. As he reached out to the woman in red, Barry slowed down just a little bit, enough for the woman to grab his arm even though he was moving at super-speed, and then twist her body while flinging the red speedster into a stall.
All Tara, Dawn, and Willow felt was a gust of wind just before Glory moved at Super-speed to grab the figure in a red suit, and then swiftly fling him to one side. For that one moment, Tara saw the figure's aura as he screamed while flying backwards into a stall.
It was crackling with yellow lightning.
'Barry?' thought Tara to herself as Glory sped to the destroyed cart.
Barry groaned as he opened his eyes to see the blonde standing over him.
"So, the Streak really is just a meat-bag," said the woman as she used her super-speed to reach down towards Barry. It was something he saw as everything moved in slow motion. Barry rolled his body to one side as the woman, still moving at slow motion grabbed onto nothingness. He saw her raise her head slowly while she was leaning down before starting to run towards him. Barry pulled more of his speed as he leapt back, lightning trailing all along his body while he looked over the woman's shoulder at the stunned faces of the three young women who were standing still, while he and the woman were still moving; albeit she was moving slightly slower than him.
Barry then ducked under her arm and ran towards Tara and the others. He stopped right behind them, and then grabbed Dawn's shoulder. The young girl looked up at Barry who was vibrating his face and disguising his voice… asking them what was going on.
"Take her to the Magic Box," said Tara as Willow rushed to her girlfriend, "she's in danger… go!"
Noticing the serious tone in Tara's voice, Barry told the two of them that he'll be right back. Dawn was begging him not to take her away while he turned and then ran.
Magic Box, three minutes earlier.
Giles and Anya had just finished tying one of Glory's disfigured minions to a chair after he admitted that Glory knew who the Key was. That she was going after the 'blonde witch' who was the newest addition to their little group. Giles and Anya looked at each other with their eyes wide open before Giles told Anya to call Buffy and have her meet the both of them at the Fair. He knew that Dawn was with both Tara and Willow and that if somehow Glory discovered that Tara wasn't the Key.. then Willow and Dawn would be in danger.
After Anya made the call to Buffy, while Giles punched the minion across his face, the both of them gathered a series of ingredients for a spell that would slow down Glory. Once they had everything, Giel sand Anya headed out the door; their plan was to perform the ritual for the spell in the car while Giles drove. But the plan was pushed aside when Giles reached his car and then heard the sound of thunder in the distance.
"Thunder?" asked Anya as she and Giles looked up at the clear and bright skies over Sunnydale. It was then that the both of them stepped back once Barry stopped in front of them, holding onto Dawn so that she didn't stumble forward.
"Oh dear Lord," whispered Giles while Anya looked on at Barry in his red suit, "the Streak does exist."
"Umm…," said Barry as Dawn's shirt started to burn. The young girl screamed as Barry zipped into a nearby store while Anya was trying to put away the flames that appeared, and Giles turned away from the unravelling scene behind him. Barry zipped back and handed Anya a blanket while he closed his eyes. Anya hurriedly wrapped the blanket around Dawn as her shirt burned off while Barry apologized before speeding away towards the Fair. Running faster until he reached Mach Three, Barry saw Glory reaching towards Willow. Suspecting that Glory was a meta-human with super strength and speed, Barry reached Mach Four just before reaching the woman. A few seconds before he reached her, Barry pulled back his arm just as Glory looked up in slow motion, and was beginning to move so that she could avoid Barry. Barry's eyes went wide when she moved just enough, the both of them moving slowly while everything around them stood still, for Glory to grab Barry by his collar, and then swiftly fling him to the right, and into a the Japanese finger painting stall, and then he crashed through that followed by crashing through a dunk tank full of water. Back in normal time, Glory laughed at the explosion of water before turning to glare at Tara and Willow. Glory then hurriedly walked towards the two young women as Tara was getting up, and pulling Willow to her feet. The both of their faces were in a panic as Willow cried out a spell before pushing Glory just a few steps back.
"Not strong enough," said Glory just as she super sped towards Willow. She wanted to grab her by the neck with one hand, and then tear her head off.. spine and all. She would then feed on Tara. before going for Dawn. She was going to take Joyce and Dawn with her; one would be for her food, and the other one would be her way home... and both of them would be to spite Buffy. However, while moving as super-speed towards Willow, Glory felt something hit her before finding herself rolling on the grass away from Willow. Screaming a she quickly got up to her feet and readied to smash into a pulp whoever it was that pushed her away, she set her eyes on Barry whose suite was dripping wet with water. She saw him vibrate his body, lighting crackling along his body as steam rose off the uniform.
"Neat trick," smirked Glory, "but..."
Tara and Willow were on their feet as Barry ran towards the woman in the red dress. If they could see Barry, they would have seen him duck the arm that Glory swung at him. But in reality, all they saw was a blur with lightning behind it circling Glory. Glory who was screaming at the Streak who was running circles, literally, around her at supersonic speed. Barry was running fast enough for Glory to stand still in the middle of the dust that was starting to rise up and then spread out once there was a sonic boom. A sonic boom that, from Glory's perspective, made her cover her ears and scream while Willow and Tara ducked. The two witches them looked up to see the Streak standing still while the yellow lighting was still encircling him and Glory. And then there was another streak, followed by another one, and another one, and then another one as the circle of orange electricity was spreading outwards. As Willow and Tara stood up, they saw Glory hit one of the figures, which just turned out to be an image. And then she hit another image, and then another as the force of the wind inside the circle she was trapped in buffeted her from all direction.
Barry felt it was time as he stopped and then swung his arm, grabbing a bolt of his lightning and throwing it at Glory. The woman screamed before being flung back onto the grass. Barry stood panting for a few seconds before he ran behind Willow and Tara. Breathing in and out, Barry then put his arms around the shoulders of the two young women, while they watched Glory groan before slowly getting to her feet. Barry saw her stumble sideways before she shook her head and glared at him.
"Oh you're fast," yelled Glory panting as she prepared to run again while trying to keep her balance, "let's see you outrun a god."
"Yeah… no!" yelled Barry as yellow lightning cracked over his body before speeding away with Tara and Willow. A few seconds later, he dropped them off in the store where Giles and Anya had taken Dawn. Barry then left again out the door when Tara and Willow's shirts flared up and caught fire. They were scrambling to put out the fires on their own shirts which were turning to ash as Giles looked away. It was a few seconds later that Barry ran in and wrapped blankets around the both of them before skidding to a stop.
Back in the Fair, Glory stumbled forward again before cursing and holding both sides of her head before she transformed into a man in a red dress. He then got up to his feet and mumbled that his whole body hurt before limping away. At the same time, Tara and the others stared at the man in red in stunned silence, a silence that Barry broke when he asked the question that was going through his head.
"What's going on?"
TBC.