Chapter 25: Seeing Red
The door to a basement explodes as Buffy kicked it clean off its hinges. She stood at the top of the stairs next to Dawn. "All right. Let's make this quick." She looked at Dawn who shook her head.
"I think their gone. We have to be careful if the memory is correct they have traps," Dawn said as they move about the room looking at everything. They notice that a white board is tilted at an angle.
Buffy reaches up to tilt the white board down as Dawn grabs her hand. "What?"
"Trap," Dawn said. "You tilt that down it starts a giant buzz saw."
Buffy nodded. "Okay we'll get what we can and then you portal us out of here."
They grab a pile of books, papers and data CDs before Dawn opens a portal back to their house and step through it.
Buffy and Dawn exited the portal into the living room. "We're back," Dawn yelled out.
Willow and Tara hustled down the stairs. "What did you find?"
"Well, the nerd trio left," Buffy said. "In a hurry by the looks of it." She looked to Dawn. "We should have portaled inside before they knew we were coming."
"Like I said," Dawn said. "I have to be able to visualize where I am going."
Buffy sighed and nodded. "Anyways everything else was still there.
"We should go back. Tara and I could Sherlock around and –" Willow said.
Dawn shook her head. "Booby trapped. We collected what we could safely and then portaled back here so as to make sure we didn't set any off."
Buffy nodded as she motioned toward what she and Dawn had brought from the Trio's lair. "This is most of what we found. It's not much I know, but we need to look for anything that might tell us where they're going, what they're planning."
"Dawn?" Willow asked.
"I have an idea. Possibly an armored car robbery. But I can't be one hundred percent sure anymore. Since the timeline shifted the moment Buffy wound up in a hell dimension. While most events have gone the same and I have been able to help out. With others I haven't."
Tara picked up a big arcane text bound by a metal clasp and leafed through it.
"So we need to find Warren and the others, fast," Buffy said. "Before anyone else gets hurt."
"Should we call Xander?" Willow asked.
Dawn shook her head. "They may be back from their honeymoon. But he and Anya are still in that newlywed phase. Unless it's something important. Let's give them time to be a newly married couple."
In a series of underground tunnels carved out of solid rock. Andrew scuttled back terrified. "I'm sorry!"
A Nezzla demon, his mass rippling with tattooed muscle, loomed over Andrew.
"Please! I'll never try to desecrate your chamber again! Just don't hurt me! Please!" Andrew cried as he backed into the wall.
The demon growled, his shadow enveloping Andrew as he raised his claws for the death blow.
Suddenly the demon suddenly arced with crackling energy. He howled as he whirled around to find Warren and Jonathan are behind him. Warren jabbed the demon with a long, vicious cattle prod type of device. The demon arced up, but kept coming.
"Hit him again! Hit him again!" Jonathon cried.
Warren jabbed the demon repeatedly. As the demon staggered and finally went down, smoking slightly. "These things are a lot tougher than I thought. One jolt from this should have dropped an elephant –"
Andrew grabbed the prod from Warren and repeatedly shocked the prone demon. "You want a piece of this? Huh? Oh, not so tough now, are you. Puff 'N Stuff?!"
Warren frowned. "Hey. Hey! We need him fresh. Not smoke house."
"I'm done being the bait. Next time one of you can wiggle on the hook," Andrew said.
Warren squated down next to the demon. "If this works, next time we'll be the thing everyone's afraid of."
Jonathan eyed the demon's body uncertainly. "Okay, so... What now?"
Warren clicked open a big knife. "Now it's your turn? Sparky." He tossed the knife to Jonathan.
Back at the Summers house books and loose papers liberated from the Trio's lair are scattered across the kitchen table. Dawn sits at Willow's laptop.
"It's all a mess," Willow said with a sigh.
"These things just take time," Tara said as she thumbed through sheets of parchment. "We'll figure it out."
Willow nodded. "Sure. We'll decipher codes and foil evil schemes and –"
"Whoa," Dawn said as the computer screen flashed on Willow's laptop.
"What is it?" Willow and Tara asked.
"Damn," Dawn said. "They're going after the armored car. There is dozens of blueprint schematics of bank vaults, armored car routes, corporate office safes. I'll go get Buffy." She opens a portal and steps through closing it before Willow and Tara can follow. "First I need to get Spike out of town. If I remember right this is the night he tries to rape, Buffy."
She made her way to Spike's crypt and raps on his door. A second later he opens it and she rushes in. "Listen you need to do something."
Spike sighed. "What?"
"Get your soul," Dawn said. "It's crucial. You have to go to Africa and take the demon trials."
"And why would I do that?" Spike asked.
"Because when the final battle comes," Dawn said. "You're going to need it."
"Did Buffy send you?" Spike asked.
"No," Dawn said. "She doesn't even know I'm here."
Spike sighed. "So this final battle. I need my soul for it?"
"Yes," Dawn said. "Believe me it's a good thing."
"Alright," Spike said as Dawn opened a portal.
"This leads to a demon bar in Cairo," Dawn said. "From there you will have to make your own way."
Spike nodded and stepped through the portal and vanished.
Dawn pictured Buffy and opened a portal and stepped through it.
"What?" Buffy asked as she staked a vampire.
"Warren, Andrew and Jonathan are robbing the armored car," Dawn said.
"Do you know where?" Buffy asked.
"Yes," Dawn said. "There is one that they will hit tonight."
"Let's go," Buffy said as Dawn opened a portal.
They step through to the Sunnydale Amusement Park. They notice that the park administrator is overseeing two armed guards loading the day's gate from the depository building into the back of an armored car. They notice that there's so much that the guards have to pack it in.
"All right, that's the last one."
One of the guards sealed the rear door and moved around front as the other wiped at the sweat beading on his forehead.
The guard at the back of the armored car handed the administrator a clipboard with a form to sign. "Quite a haul."
"Always the biggest gate of the year," the park administrator said as he signed the form. "Don't lose any." He turned and entered the building as the guard walks to the front and slides into the passenger seat.
Buffy and Dawn step out of the shadows as they spot Warren, Jonathan and Andrew walking towards the Armored car.
"Hey," Buffy said as the trio turn to face them. It's enough of a distraction that the trio don't notice as the armored car drives off. "Was that your bank?"
Warren turned and looked at where the armored car had been and frowned.
"I was wondering when you would show up, Super Bitch," Warren said.
"You really got a problem with strong women, don't you?" Dawn quipped.
Warren smirked. "Nothing I can't handle. Your next meddler." He laid into Buffy and they exchanged blows, going to toe to toe. No matter how hard she hits him, Warren kept coming.
"Buffy," Dawn yelled. "The orbs in the pouch. Smash them. He'll lose his super strength."
Warren glared at Dawn as he attacked Buffy. He lands a blow to her stomach, sending her gasping to her knees. He loomed over her as he reared his fist back for the deathblow. As he does, his jacket pulled back, revealing the leather pouch Dawn had mentioned.
"Say good night, bitch," Warren said as Buffy ripped the pouch off his belt and smashed it to the ground.
Warren grunted in pain as his eyes flash red for an instant – then his super strength is gone.
"Good night, bitch," Buffy said as spun around and kicked Warren, sending him flying. He landed hard as she slowly advanced toward him. "You're nothing but a sad little boy, Warren. But it's time to grow up - and pay for what you've done."
"Get away from me!" Warren said as he desperately stripped off his jacket, revealing a harness underneath.
"Buffy!" Dawn yelled he has a jetpack.
"I swear to god I'm gonna take you down. You piece of …" Warren spat as he looked straight at Dawn. "You ruined everything with your stupid visions." He the thumb ignition switch and rocketed off into the sky on a pillar of jet exhaust.
Buffy craned her neck, watching in disbelief. "Oh come on."
"Well played, Slayer!" Andrew said as he ripped off his bomber jacket, also revealing a jetpack.
"Why didn't I get one of those?!" Jonathan asked.
"This round to you. But the game is far from over," Andrew called out as he hit the ignition. Instead of flying away he slammed into an overhanging roof and crashed back to Earth.
"For being stupid," Dawn said. "We called the police and told them there was to be an attempted robbery. See you in jail."
The next morning Dawn sighed. It was the day of Tara's death. She of course had warned Tara, who promised that she would stay away from the window. Still to be on the safe side Dawn had placed herself into a trance. Little did she know that Warren's threat was true. No one heard as the front door downstairs quietly opened and shut. Or the footsteps coming up the stairs.
But Dawn did hear the sound of a handgun being fired.
In the neighboring room Willow and Tara jumped out of bed and ran. Tara was the first to the door leading to Dawn's room as Warren still firing hit Tara knocking her back into the room and into Willow's arms.
Warren raced downstairs and out the front door as Buffy and Xander came in the back door heading upstairs. Buffy ran into Dawn's room followed by Xander.
"What happened?" Xander asked.
"Warren," Dawn managed. "Had a gun."
"Call an ambulance," Buffy shouted as Xander ran out of the room and down the stairs.
Author's Note: This chapter was heavily modified from original. Originally I followed canon closer Tara had not stayed with Willow throughout her magic addiction, and this chapter saw their reunion. Dawn was not with Buffy when she went to fight the Trio. And of course Dawn was not the one shot. Recently I got to thinking, what if it was Dawn who had been shot instead of Buffy.
Still some stuff was left the same.
And before people moan about Tara dying. I remind you that this was always a Dawn/Willow ship. And two that I have had plans for Tara since day one that I hope would in a way ease the fact that I went ahead and killed Tara. What happens to Tara in the next chapter was planned back when I started this story. So please bear with me.