Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno
Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming!
Previously: Unraveling:
"Are you okay?" Spike asked, looking back at her worriedly.
"Yeah," Kara replied without thinking. "I'm fine," she furthered. The feeling faded and she turned away from Tara, unable to look at the blonde witch anymore. She glanced down at her hands, which were scratched and bleeding from the climb up the rocks to the cave, and she wondered briefly what hidden strength lay in them that she had yet to discovered, what hidden evil.
Chapter Eight:
Dawn closed the door behind her. She stood in the dark at the top of the stairs. Moonlight filtered in through the basement window. She hadn't expected the night to end like this. If she had known that those last moments as they entered the school would be her last with Spike, she would have acted differently. She would have told him how much she loved him. But she didn't get the chance. Instead, she had rattled off some sarcastic comment that she couldn't even remember. She couldn't remember the last thing that he had said to her either. All she remembered were Kara's words, "Everybody comes back tonight."
But they hadn't. Three people didn't return. Dawn knew that it was bound to happen eventually. They had been so lucky. They defeated the First and Lucifer without losing any of the core members of the group. Callum's death had been tragic, but it only affected Kara in any tangible way. However, Kara, Spike, and Tara had ingrained themselves in the Scooby Gang. Living without them wouldn't just be difficult, it would be unthinkable. Yet, Dawn knew that everything had changed. They were gone and the others would have to pick up the pieces and learn to live with only the memory of their beloved friends.
Dawn felt tears sliding down her cheeks. She knew that she had to move forward, but her feet wouldn't budge. She could see Spike's bed from where she stood at the top of the stairs. A shirt was lying on it. He had changed just before leaving that night. Dawn gripped the doorknob still clutched between her fingers tightly as a sob ripped through her body. Covering her mouth with her other hand, she released the doorknob that was steadying her and slid down to the floor. Her tears fell more rapidly. She felt as though she couldn't breathe. Her body jerked with each sob that tore through her. Closing her eyes tightly, she buried her face in her hands.
She couldn't believe that he was dead. Spike was so strong. He had survived for over a hundred years. She had been looking forward to spending the rest of her life with him. Now she felt as though someone had cut off one of her arms, but she still thought it was there, could still feel the pain and the pain was unbearable. All of her hopes and dreams for her life had been wiped away in a single moment. Her future, once so bright and full of love, was now empty. A yawning, black abyss stretched out in her mind. Rubbing her eyes fiercely, she willed herself to stop crying, but failed.
"Dawn, honey?" Joyce tapped hesitantly on the closed basement door. "Talk to me, sweetie."
"Go away," Dawn mumbled angrily.
"Dawn?" Joyce tried again.
"Go away!" The former Key yelled. She heard her mother sigh through the door. Soft, patient footsteps trudged away and Dawn sighed with relief. She couldn't deal with anyone.
When Buffy and Faith reemerged from the cave that led to the Powers that Be, Dawn knew that Spike was dead. She could see it on their faces – the devastation in Faith's eyes, the sheer hopelessness, and the stone wall in Buffy's. Faith was feeling the pain; Buffy was blocking it away. But all Dawn had to do was look in their eyes and she knew the truth. She didn't wait for them to explain. She just started running. She hadn't stopped until she reached home. She knew that her mother was worried about her. But Buffy would explain everything. Dawn didn't have the heart to form the words.
Rising on shaky legs, she walked down the stairs. The moonlight illuminated her sad eyes as she walked over to Spike's bed. She had slept just above him. How many nights she laid there, wondering what he was doing, wondering what it would feel like to fall asleep wrapped in his arms, she could not say. She would never find out. She hesitantly lowered herself on to the bed and choked down another sob. Picking up his shirt, she hugged it to her chest. Spike's distinctive scent flooded her nostrils and, this time, she allowed a fresh sob to take life. Clutching the shirt desperately, she curled up into a tight ball on the bed, and cried herself asleep – shivering and alone.
…………………………..
Kennedy glanced through the kitchen window and saw Faith sitting on the back porch. The house was dark when she entered. When Buffy and Faith exited the cave, her heart had surged with hope that her lover would be found. But then she saw Faith's eyes and she knew differently. Never before had she seen such hopelessness in the older Slayer. The group disbanded after receiving the news, everyone leaving to deal with the deaths of their friends in their own ways. She hadn't thought that anyone was home when she opened the front door, but she had spotted Faith shortly after entering the kitchen.
Though Kennedy appeared calm, a storm was raging inside of her. She felt as though someone was squeezing her heart. Tears threatened to fall, but she fought to hold them back. She was a Slayer, she had to be strong. Her hand went down into her pocket, her fingers closing around the small box located there. She thought of the ring held inside and of all that it symbolized. A single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. Squeezing her eyes shut, she breathed in deeply. Kara was gone. She still couldn't believe it. She knew that more tears would come when the shock dissipated. But for now, she felt numb, save for the pain that was shooting through her chest.
"Where's Buffy?" Kennedy asked as she opened the back door and joined Faith. The dark haired girl swallowed a lump in her throat at the thought that Kara would no longer come through the front door. She no longer lived there. It was only three of them now.
"She went to her mother's house," Faith replied with a rough voice. Kennedy knew that the older girl had been crying. So had she, but she knew that more tears would come soon. She was still in shock.
"Oh?" She asked as she sat down next to Faith on the stairs.
"She went to find Dawn," the older Slayer replied.
Kennedy nodded and wrapped her arms around herself to block out the wind. "I never got to ask her," she mumbled.
"What?" Faith asked, glancing over at the younger girl.
"I never got to ask Kara to marry me," Kennedy said louder. "I was going to, but she got that vision. Then we left and she said we would talk after we got back tonight. But now she's…," Kennedy faded. "Well, I never got to ask her."
Faith breathed in deeply, a fresh batch of tears sliding down her cheeks. "She would have been so happy with you," she whispered with a shaky voice. "I can't believe she's gone."
"I know," Kennedy nodded, wiping away the tears that were spilling down her own cheeks. "What are we gonna do now?" She asked desperately. "She was everything to me."
"I never thought I would be a mother," Faith replied, glancing up at the moon. Tears sparkled in her eyes. "But then Kara came. I never knew that I could love someone so much."
"I can't stay here," Kennedy said suddenly, rising to her feet. "I feel like there's a thousand bugs crawling underneath of my skin."
"Get some stakes," Faith instructed quietly.
"What?" Kennedy asked, looking down at her.
When Faith looked back up at her, the tears were gone, but Kennedy could see the icy glimmer of the Slayer lurking behind her eyes. "We're going hunting."
…………………………….
Willow closed the door to her bedroom quickly and efficiently. The others had left the cave crying and mourning. But Willow hadn't. She had a plan. She stood in the darkened bedroom that she had shared with Tara and, for a moment, her resolve faded. She could smell Tara's perfume. It was a soft and flowery scent that hung lightly in the air. Some of Tara's clothes were laid out on the bed. Tara had changed from her teaching clothes to gym clothes just before they left for Buffy's house. As Willow glanced around the room, she thought that she could see Tara standing in front of the closet.
"What should I wear for this?" Tara asked, glancing back at Willow, who was standing in the doorway waiting for her to finish getting ready.
"Fighting clothes?" Willow shrugged. "I don't know."
Tara smiled patiently. "I guess I'll need to be able to move freely. But I don't anticipate doing any fighting. I thought we were there for magical support."
"That's the plan," Willow smiled and folded her arms across her chest. "But you never know."
"You'll keep me safe if something happens, right?" Tara asked sweetly as she stripped off her light, blue blouse and tossed it onto the bed. Willow's eyes instinctively dropped to her lover's chest and she felt shivers running up and down her spine.
"Of course," she responded absently, her mouth suddenly dry.
Tara smiled knowingly. There was a time that being gazed at in such a manner would have caused Tara to redden with embarrassment, but now she loved the attention that Willow lavished upon her. "Like what you see?" She flirted openly.
"You know I do," Willow said huskily.
"Want to see more?" Tara teased, easing down the zipper of her black pants.
"I want to see everything," Willow replied, striding forward. Pulling Tara toward her, she pressed on her lover's lips a burning kiss. "But," she said when she broke the kiss, "we have to be there in fifteen minutes."
"Can't be late, huh?" Tara asked disappointedly.
Willow smiled and shook her head. "Not this time," she replied apologetically. Licking her lips hungrily, she glanced down at her lover's body again. "But when we get home tonight, we'll finish what we started."
"Do I have your word Ms. Rosenberg?" Tara asked teasingly.
"Absolutely."
"Tara," Willow whispered to the empty room as the vision of the blonde haired witch faded from her sight. Growling slightly, she held back the tears that threatened to fall. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. When her head shot up, her eyes glued to the ceiling, they were black. Dark, blue swirls of light formed in the room and a fork of lightening flashed from the ceiling. Willow's hair, once red as flame, transformed into a muddled, murky black.
"By Osiris, I command you, bring her back!" She yelled angrily, but confidently. Her voice was different, as though possessed by someone darker – someone rooted in blackness. "Hear me keeper of darkness!" She shouted again. The swirls of light began to move faster. Lightening flashed.
"Witch! How dare you invoke Osiris in this task!" A voice boomed from the swirling light. Willow thought that she could see a form in it and the image chilled her to the bone.
"Please!" She yelled again. "Please," she pleaded softly.
"Osiris cannot help you," the voice explained indifferently.
"But," Willow started, only to be interrupted.
"You have no right with Osiris," the voice replied.
"Please bring her back!" Willow begged, dropping to her knees in front of the form in the light.
"She is lost," the voice said softly. "She is lost. Osiris cannot find her. It is done."
