Faith peeled her hands off the arms of her claimed, cushy safe house chair and threw them into the air as she was forced to turn the TV off due to the Watcher buzzing in her ear. "But we don't need her! You already got the information out of her before she went comatose. Who cares if she wakes up?"
Wesley gave an exasperated sigh as he continued to argue and pace, needing to swerve around Faith's legs and narrowly avoiding his knee banging the corner of coffee table as he did. "We need everyone we can get. She is a Slayer-"
"Yeah, and so am I. I can handle it."
"Drusilla nearly drained you-"
"Not my fault." She didn't need the reminder either. Her neck was still sore and bruised an ugly purplish green color. "Angelus was distracting me. Besides, she's dead now! Another win for us."
"What makes you think that was a win? Gunn dropped two stories-"
"He's fine now! Shoulder popped back in like a Ken doll."
"He's bruised internally and probably has a concussion. Xander could barely stand when I saw him. Cordelia was almost dead. She's still-"
"That one's not on us! She was dying because of them," Faith gave a rough gesture towards the Sunnydale direction.
"Look at the team we have left," Wesley practically growled as he crowded her chair and tried to look more intimidating than his thin frame would naturally let him. "Those three are out of commission due to injury, as are you, and Tara has locked herself in her room and refuses to come out. That leaves me. I cannot face this alone."
"I'm not outta the game here. I just need another day for that spare blood to soak in and I'll be up to bat." Waking up with an IV in her arm was something she never wanted to relive. "Slayer healing powers? Hello?"
"You are missing the point."
"You're missing the point! Buffy is evil. She's an evil, dead vampire. I'm not gonna try snapping her out of it. She could go psycho murderer. She already looks like she punted Angel's soul with the way she's been chanting at air. You do it if you want but-"
"That is the point! I can't! I have to fix things here because I know you are not able, nor willing, to do so. Whether you like it or not, I have a responsibility to my team and my team includes you and it includes her. We cannot attack again in any capacity with what we have now."
"So that means Buffy? We. Don't. Need. Her."
"Yes we do."
"Why is everything always about Buffy? Needing her is like a disease around here. You should all go to therapy."
Wesley groaned and took a seat on the corner of the table, leveling his eyes with hers as he cleaned his glasses and admitted, "We need you too. I need you, Faith. I need you to stow this animosity you have against her for the betterment of the world. You do understand that, don't you? You say you seek redemption but you do not show it. We need all the help we can get and that includes hers."
Faith glared at him for a few moments more but she was too tired to argue any further. Plus, he might have had a tiny, itty, small, puny point. "Well what do you expect me to do? Slapping her, cold water, screaming in her ear –none of that worked!"
"Magic."
"Magic?"
"You are going to enter her mind."
"Enter her- are you smoking something? Is there a drug stash I haven't found?"
"You two are connected as the Slayers. It should be easy for you."
"You're not joking." She actually laughed as she said, "Don't you think me going in there will be a bit too much? Three's company you know. Me and Angel and her-"
"Which is why you have to be gentle. I realize that's similar to asking a lion for a cuddle, but you must try. If you disrupt things too much, you could send her over the edge. You must find her and bring her back safely."
"This is ridiculous." She slumped further in her chair and pulled at the tangles in her hair. "Of course I get stuck doing it."
"It may take some time. We will have to lay you next to her for the duration of the spell. When you are asleep I will hook you up to fluids and-"
"No, no, no, no, no. No way. I'm not going back to that junk. I've had enough of that hospital crap shoved inside my body."
"Fine." The way Wesley rolled his eyes made her doubt he would actually listen to her. "Depending on how long it takes, I will keep you away from the … hospital crap…as long as possible."
"Wait, how do I get back then? Out of her head?"
"When she returns, so will you."
"But what if she doesn't?" Wesley frowned and dropped his gaze to the ground. "Oh that's just great."
"Xander will watch over the two of you and Cordy. Gunn will be joining me."
"Well that makes me feel better."
"We begin now."
"Now?" Wesley nodded and started to head for the stairs. Faith tossed her head around in a circle and grumbled as she removed herself from her spot, "Well that's just…wicked fantastic."
The spare room up the stairs had been converted into a makeshift hospital room. There were three beds jammed together from wall to wall with a few electronic devices and IVs shoved in. Wesley had some medical knowledge stocked in that big brain of his that he put to good use and Gunn had seen enough injuries to know a few quick fixes. Plus, the doctor books in the library helped them out too. Faith was unconscious at the time it was set up so she didn't know all the ins and outs.
They couldn't go to a real hospital because they were chuck full of people injured from the demons that leaked out of the hellmouths. They tried to stop in one the next town over but they couldn't make it to the ER desk it was so crowded. This was what they had. It was going to have to be good enough.
To the right was Cordy, still unconscious and hooked up to most of the beeping things. They had cleaned her up and dressed her down but she still looked paler than any vampire Faith had seen, more like a corpse than anything. Xander was sitting by her side and holding onto her arm, the book he brought up as a distraction and maybe for research pointlessly closed by his side.
"Sup Xander?" Faith nodded to him as she jumped on the empty bed in the middle. It was the one they shoved Gunn in when he was dealing with his injuries. He was fine now. Every time they woke him up to make sure there wasn't any head damaged, he popped those eyes right open and complained. Xander had been the one dealing with the brunt of his wake-up call bitching.
"Ready to be my watcher? Get it?" Faith wiggled her brows at Xander and Wesley. "Watcher cus you were- and he's- whatever."
Wesley was being a complete stick in the mud and turned to Xander instead of acknowledging her joke. "How is Cordelia?"
Xander shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept since they returned. Actually, he probably hadn't. "She's still out of it but she has a pulse and she's breathing."
"Good."
"Buffy's still talking," Xander nodded towards Buffy, on the last bed shoved to the left. She was on top of the sheets, her eyes open and her body shaking. "She said something about algebra and popcorn. Something about the church bells but I don't think any of it makes sense. Not unless she's throwing a math party at a chapel."
"Great," Faith sighed. "Sounds like so much fun. So glad I get to join."
"Thank you for staying." Wesley ignored her again and nodded towards Xander. "Faith, hold this."
Faith caught the bright red jewel he chucked at her and held it up to the light. It wasn't carved, just a large hunk of stone that fit in her palm, but it shined like a ruby, "Fancy rock."
"Just hold it and close your eyes." Wesley put a similar rock, shining a blue sapphire, into Buffy's palm and closed her fingers around it. "You should feel like you're falling asleep. Just don't fight it. Let it take you into sleep." Wesley picked up a book from the side of Buffy's bed and flipped through the pages as Faith laid back and did what he asked, seriously wondering why she agreed to this again. She wiggled down to get comfortable as Wesley started to chant and the light in front of her closed lids started to fade into complete darkness.
When Faith opened her eyes again, she was blinking up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Spinning on the comfort of a bed that was way too soft for her taste, she took in the rest of the room and groaned. It was Buffy's bedroom, all the way in Sunnydale. Dammit, when did she return to Sunnydale?
Lingering in the back of her mind was the truth that she had never returned, that she was far away in the middle of a desert, but that did not sink in until she crawled down the stairs and stepped out onto the street. They were clean of all destruction, the regular happy-go-lucky, white picket fence suburban roads with swept sidewalks and trimmed lawns. Even her clothes were a bright green and blue –something frilly she wouldn't be caught dead in.
It was surprisingly empty in the town. She wasn't really sure where to go. She knew she had to find Buffy but where would she be? No one was in the Summers' house. She guessed a goody-goody like her would be in school, even on a day like this, but Buffy was an official college drop out. Where did that leave?
She figured she would check the Bronze for the sake of it. The ghost town silence was starting to freak her out and maybe Buffy's mind would be rocking some tunes. Anything really.
One sweep through and she found it empty and silent, just like everyplace else. She groaned and jumped behind the bar, ignoring the rules of mind walking and looking for a bottle of Captain Jack she could crack open. She was just about to pour a shot of whatever was on the top shelf when she heard the call of her name.
"Faith?"
"Angel?"
Being dead was interesting.
The last sound in Willow's ear was that of Petunia's brother chomping her sire's head off. The scream sounded like nothing more than a whimper as she settled into the bed of dirt.
She had forced the girl fledgling to bite her, was it only hours ago? She was unconscious, on the ground, somewhere in the woods. Her dogs were circling her, protecting her while she slept. She was well aware of the threat they could be if Gunn came back with his whistle but she was sure no one would find her.
Her body was changing, morphing into the vampire demon that would be able to sustain her power.
Immediate darkness met her when she fell, drained of all blood, but it was followed by a strange consciousness. Never having been a vampire before, she didn't know what it was supposed to be like but she imagined –based on the lore- she would feel as if she were sleeping until she woke up demonized. So it was only right of her to have a dream.
In her dream she was wondering the streets of Sunnydale. It was all very empty. It looked like it did so long ago, before the hellmouths, before the loss of her soul, before the Mayor, before college. It was as if someone ripped a page out of her high school yearbook and plastered it into her mind.
She had no destination planned so she let her feet guide her, one step in front of the other, letting her mind wander until she got where she needed to go.
"Angel, you look," Faith shook her head and jumped over the bar to clap him on the shoulder. It was definitely him. A big block of man blending into the menacing shadows by the stage and still somehow managing to look shy. God, it was good to see him. "Well, you don't look evil."
"Thanks," Angel smiled and rubbed his hands together. "I think. What are you doing here?"
"Wow," Faith poked him in the arm and laughed when he rocked with her finger. "This is so weird."
"You're telling me."
"I'm looking for Buffy. Sorta."
"So am I," he shrugged. "I'm think I'm supposed to be with her but every time I think I'm close, I end up somewhere else. It's like she's pushing me away. "
"So," Faith drawled and rocked back and forth on her heels. "Do you know that you're in Buffy or-"
"Kinda figured it out. Memories of buying dresses and obtaining certain-" he gestured to his chest and cupped his hands, awkwardly miming his meaning, "-endowments…not really mine."
"Aww, Angel buys his first bra. I would have paid money to see that shopping trip."
"Speaking of shopping trips, I like your outfit."
"I'm not sure your tits will fit big guy. Why? You wanna try it on?"
He laughed merrily and shook his head, bringing a smile to her face. "How are you, Faith? I only get glimpses. I see your arm is better."
"Yeah," she swung it out in a lazy punch. "Minor injuries heal up pretty quick when I have blood pumping. And Wesley knows how to make a pretty mean sling so…"
"How is he?"
"Good. Fine. Everyone is fine. I mean, kinda banged up from our last meet and greet with your other half but we're okay."
"But not Buffy."
"No," Faith frowned and jumped back behind the bar, clinking the bottles together as she searched for something she liked. "She kinda went zombie on us. I was only joking when I said it before-"
"How do we help her?"
"I don't really know. Wesley sent me in here telling me to pull her out of it all gentle like. That's about all I got. That and this shot." She held up the ounce of rum she poured and easily knocked it back. Angel frowned as she poured herself another. "Oh don't give me that look. It's not real alcohol. It's mind alcohol! Zero percent."
"We should look for her."
"It's sunny out. Can you- never mind." She shook her head as she stared out the door and saw the lack of sunlight streaming in. Through the tiny crack she could see the clear sky. "Okay, it's night. That's freaky."
"Have you checked her house?"
"That's where I came in. No one's there. No one's anywhere."
"Let's check the Magic Box," Angel didn't wait for her to catch up as he headed straight out the door.
"Sure thing boss." She tipped her shot back and jogged after him, grinning at his back and taking her time before falling in line with him.
Willow stood in front of the Magic Box with her head tilted in curiosity. She distinctly remembered this burned down and all magical items inside left at the mansion for her playtime.
However, when she walked through the door everything was in place, just as it had been when she first became interested in magic. No one was inside but there was plenty to look at for the time being. She forgot how much the shop had changed.
Angel and Faith forgot all urgency as they slowly approached the Magic Box and caught up on their lives since the last time they spoke. Faith told him how she escaped prison after Wesley's request and all that happened since he lost his soul. Then came all the info about the Summers girls, Willow, and the rest of the Scoobies. Angel told her his side of the ordeal but he didn't have much to add seeing as how he was stuck in Buffy's head. It was nice to hear him talk like Angel again and not that warped Angelus version. She preferred this one.
The sight of the old shop gave them some relief. A light illumined the sidewalk from inside and a shadow popped out behind the shelves showing someone inside.
"That's gotta be her," Faith nodded towards the shadow and peeked in the window but she couldn't make Buffy out. She kept moving too much.
Angel swung the door open and both ran in, stopping just as fast in surprise when they found Willow inside instead, spinning quickly to greet them.
"Willow?" Faith dumbly looked around, expecting more people to be around. They were still alone. Well, this didn't feel right at all. Little warning bells were going off like crazy and her senses kicked into high gear. "You're here?"
"That's Willow?" Angel inspected the dark hair and black eyes closer but he clearly wasn't believing it.
"What are you two doing here?" Willow demanded.
Faith's hand flung for her weapon…which she didn't have. Stupid unconscious dream world thing. "I asked you first," she said over a fake smile as she searched the shop.
"Oh," Willow started sliding closer, an easy and untrustworthy grin sliding over her lips. She hummed and skimmed her fingertips over the items on the shelves as she passed them, making her way from the back to where Faith and Angel stood. "I was just looking. Doing a little window shopping."
"Wait," Angel threw his hand up and mumbled to Faith from the corner of his mouth. "Something is wrong here."
"I told you she'd gone all black eyes."
"Not that. The shop. Spike and Buffy and me, we trashed this place. It looks-"
"Whoa," Faith gasped as the shop started to shift and modernize, growing bigger and open with books lining the back walls and the register moving aside. Willow's hand dropped into thin air as everything shifted around her and she too was stunned for that moment.
"You just- I am never going to get used to that," Faith whispered.
"How did you do that?" Willow commanded. "This is my dream. How are you changing it?"
"Your dream?" Faith scoffed.
"Yeah, your dream." Angel grabbed Faith by her arm and started to pull her back towards the door. "We're just figments of your imagination."
"What?" Faith looked to Angel who glared at her until she turned to Willow and stumbled over an agreement. "Wha- yeah. Um. Figments. Tiny figments. Crumbs. Like tiny slivers of um…pie."
"Pie?" Willow was not amused with Faith's stalling and was seriously not amused when Angel grabbed the door handle. Her eyes snapped to his with deadly focus, well, that's how it appeared anyway. It was hard to tell what she was looking at with her eyes all black.
"Run," Angel whispered as he flung the door open, the same moment Willow lifted her hand and shot them high into the air, sending them skidding across the pavement of the street.
"You okay?" Angel asked as they hauled themselves off the ground, turned to face the witch stepping slowly out of the shop, and started backing away.
"Won't be if she kills me," Faith groaned and looked at her bloodied arms. Road burn sucked. "How is she even here? Is she actually Willow or Buffy's brain? What happens if I die in here? Do I die as in dead or what?"
"I don't think it's Buffy. But I don't know. To any of that. Best we avoid finding out. I can't die either."
"Or Buffy goes bad. Dammit, what do we do?"
"Um-" Angel pulled her sharply into the closest ally as Willow slipped a light post out of the ground –as easy as if it were a toothpick in a cupcake- and swung it in their direction.
"Wait! Ooh. Oh, oh, oh-" Faith jumped with excitement at the light bulb going off. Well, not the light bulb of the light post. She had no reason to enjoy that -other than the explosion, which was kind of cool. No, she just thought of a super smarty pants, genius idea. "You. You changed the shop when you said it looked different and it's dark out only after I said it was sunny and stuff. You're sharing Buffy's space. Maybe if you picture her all red and not evil, maybe she won't be able to attack us."
"Alright," he seemed skeptical but nodded anyway. "I'll give it a shot. Just- give me a second."
"It's no fun if you don't fight back!" Willow yelled as she lifted another light post from the ground and threw it into the first, trapping them into their cramped space.
"Come on Angel," Faith nudged him and searched for a weapon. There was nothing in this stupid alley. Only Buffy would picture the nooks and crannies cleanly swept.
"I'm concentrating. Hang on."
Angel's eyes closed and Faith jumped in front of him when a fragment of a fire hydrant came hurdling their way. She groaned when it hit her bloodied arms but Angel must have done something because when she prepared for the next attack, ready to run out and be the distraction, Willow was changing.
"What?" Willow gasped as she fell to her knees in the middle of the pool of water spraying from the jet stream pushing out of the sidewalk. The black started to fade from her eyes and hair. It all spiraled inside of her and melted away until she was clear of any dark magic, left with the body she had before the change, red hair and clear skin. "What's happening?"
"Oh my god. It worked!" Faith lunged before Willow could get up and lifted her by the clothes on her back. She chucked her into the window of the Magic Box so hard that she crashed right through the glass. Faith jumped through the broken shards after her and punched her across the temple while she was still in shock on the ground. Surprisingly, it only took one blow before she was knocked out cold.
"Let's run," Angel called and Faith slipped out to the street to meet him. "Before she wakes up. Don't know if she'll stay like that."
"To where?" Faith called as she started to run straight down the road after him with no particular direction in mind. She looked behind to see if there was a chance Willow was just faking it but they seemed to at least have a head start. The witch was out but they had to find Buffy before she came to. Whatever Willow was doing there, she was not there to help. "Where else could Buffy be?"
"We have to keep looking."
They ran everywhere. They checked the school and the shops and the main cemeteries and back at the house and even at Spike's crypt.
"She's not anywhere!" Faith cried as they made their third pass around town. Willow hadn't caught up with them but when they checked on their last pass, she wasn't at the Magic Box anymore. They didn't know where she went and that was looming over them, making their urgency return in full force. "This is pointless."
"Just, hold on."
"For what? For Willow to catch up?!"
"There's one place we haven't checked. Come on."
Angel led them through the maze of woods and to a secret plot of land Faith did not know about. Wherever they were, this was it. "Oh shit," Faith gasped as she took in the crowd of people centered around the area, all looking at something she couldn't see. "Well, we found the people."
"Yeah, but where's Buffy?"
"Hey, B! You in that mosh pit?!"
Faith jumped up but she couldn't see anything past the mass. It seemed like the entire town was there -men, woman, children, entire families- all shoulder to shoulder and screaming. It was hard to make out what anyone was saying; it was all just a loud roar. They definitely were all staring at something but they were too many of them all moving. She couldn't see.
"I see her," Angel said first. Stupid vampire eyes.
"Where?"
"Buffy!" Angel pushed through the shoulders of the first layer of crowd and grabbed Faith's hand, dragging her behind. "Buffy!" They pushed and she kicked and fought through many vaguely familiar faces until they reached the center. They were teetering on the edge of a hole, dug six feet deep, with a carved headstone reading: Buffy Anne Summers, 1981-2001, Beloved Sister, Devoted Friend, She Saved The World A Lot
"Buffy," Angel disappeared before Faith's eyes as he jumped into the grave, landing on top of a small coffin at the bottom. Only then could Faith make out Buffy. She blended in with the black of the earth in her funeral dress, hugged tight over her body as she tried to cover her ears, teetering back and forth in the corner of the coffin.
Faith was just starting to hear the reason for Buffy's hiding. All the voices, all the people, they were screaming accusations directly at her. Some were pleading, some were crying, some were screaming –it was all terrible.
Faith jumped right in after Angel and hugged the dirt to give him room and prepare to protect as he tried to talk to her.
"Buffy, hey. It's me. Open your eyes." The moment Angel touched her, the voice above exploded in volume. Faith was immediately drawn to the bottom where a young Willow and Dawn peeked over the edge. They were both screaming to Buffy -Dawn was crying and Willow was just saying 'no' over and over. They were both almost collapsing due to the amount of people pressing against them.
"You're making it worse!" Faith pulled Angel off Buffy and twisted in the small space. The pressure lessened overhead and they were no longer near falling, but the voices were still there. "She's gonna shove you away again. Or out."
"Well, what are we supposed to do?
"Let me." Faith dropped in front of Buffy and shook her head. The other Slayer was shaking like crazy, mumbling things that didn't make any sense. It was worse in here than out in the real world. "Not planning a pizza party are you?" She wouldn't acknowledge Faith talking to her. She just kept her head on her knees and her arms over her head.
She had never seen Buffy like this. Yeah, a part of her was kinda enjoying the mess Little Ms. Perfect could be, but that wasn't why she was there. Suddenly she felt awkward, at a loss with what she should do. What would Buffy do if their situations were switched? Probably braid her hair and sing slumber party songs. Oh, she didn't need Buffy for this. She's got this.
Faith tentatively put her hand on Buffy's arm and checked up. The voices didn't get any worse at least. "Buffy. Hey, listen. It's me, Faith. I know you're kinda wiggin out right now but we apparently need you." With a deep sigh, Faith tapped into her inner Watcher and pleaded, "See, all these voices in your head or whatever-" Faith looked up at the physical representations, "-you can't let them smother you like this. You let them and you'll never dig yourself out. Trust me. I know." Buffy's shaking had become less violent but she kept her head down and missed Faith's wry smile. "So you gotta face it, alright? Don't let them win. They're just ghosts. You gonna sit back and let a few whiny ghosts tell you what to do? You gotta fight 'em. You're a Slayer. It's what we're all about. Fighting the good fight, remember? Don't let them keep you down. Make them you're bitch. Make them drive you; remind you why you're fighting. Cus you gotta come back and fight for us. Ride the redemption train. With me. Um- yeah. I think that's all I got."
"Since when have you been into Slayer speeches?" Angel didn't even bother hiding his smile.
"I try to suppress them as much as I can." Faith smirked at him before turning back to Buffy. She figured rousing inspirational speeches would be her thing and she stopped whimpering at least. It wasn't getting worse. "Angel is here too but he's not here to hurt you. He's here to help. So- um- Open your eyes and all those voices will be gone, where they belong. They'll be there but they're not here to hurt you. They'll help. Yeah? Open your eyes." God she felt like she needed to wash out her mouth. These words were ridiculous coming out of her mouth. Anything for the betterment of the world, right? "I'd threaten to make you but I'm really trying to be nice here. So...do it."
It happened slowly. The voices overhead started to get quieter, one stopping after the other. The people pressing overhead started to disappear as well, one by one, until only Dawn was left. It took a moment longer but, in time, Dawn vanished too.
When little Summers was gone, Buffy started to move up, lifting her head slowly and blinking at Faith. "Why are you wearing my clothes?"
Faith laughed and shook Buffy's arm, "Knew this gettup was yours. Wanna take it off me?"
"Are you flirting with me?"
"Angel, I think she's back."
"Angel?" Buffy peeked around her to see him.
"Buffy," Angel smiled and knelt next to Faith, keeping his hands off Buffy just in case. "How are you?"
"I feel better. I think."
Angel smiled in pure gooey happiness but then his forehead creased and he tilted his head. "Wait, why are you like you?"
"Yeah," Faith nodded as she realized what he meant and inspected the red flush over Buffy's pink face. Her Slayer senses weren't going off or screaming vampire at all, not like they did with Willow. "Why aren't you all evil and vamped out?"
"Am I supposed to be?"
"No," Angel hurriedly amended. "No, you're not. You're you. That's all that matters."
"Sure," Faith glanced at Angel and made a mental note to keep an eye on her. They didn't need her to flip the switch when there were no stakes available and killing her would probably be a bad idea anyway. Wesley made that pretty not clear but she didn't want to find out. And she did not feel like getting stuck in this ghost town forever, if that's even what would happen.
"We ran into Willow and she wasn't quite the same," Angel explained.
Faith stepped back to help Buffy up and added, "We kept her off for a bit but-"
"But it didn't work," Willow's voice sang from above with perfect timing.
"Willow?" Buffy asked looking towards the ground above. They could see Willow's blackened face peeking over, an arm flung over the edge of Buffy's gravestone as she leered at them.
"I don't know where I am or why you are all here but I don't really care," Willow glared at the three and they were overcome with the sudden sensation of being stuck in a trap.
Buffy barely stretched before she started to jump, bounding up the walls of dirt with ease until she was on the grass above. "You're in my head Willow."
"Am I? Only you and a couple intruders? I thought this felt like a petty prom queen's dream. I was worried it had something to do with Cordy," Willow giggled at her own joke as she slipped her hands down the smooth stone and started to trace the engraving of Buffy's name. "Your hospitality is atrocious."
"You can shove a card in the suggestion box on your way out," Buffy quipped just like her old self.
"Angel," Faith helped him the rest of the way out of the hole. "Do the thing. Do it!"
"I am. It's not working as well."
Angel started concentrating on Willow when he escaped the grave and it seemed like the black was starting to fade away but just as soon as the smoke spiraled out of her eyes, it came bounding right back. Suddenly, the Willow from high school -the one who had been peeking over the side with long red hair and the inability to say anything but no- popped up next to dark Willow.
"And now there are two of them," Angel groaned. "Great."
"What the hell?" Willow turned to her red half with a scowl.
"Wha- wha- is-" Red Willow stuttered and looked to Buffy, Faith, and Angel for an answer. "Is that- is that me?"
"Oh god, that was me." Dark Willow rolled her eyes and glared at Angel. "You really had to bring her here?"
"What happened?" Red Willow turned to them again. "What happened to me?"
"It's Buffy's fault," dark Willow supplied the answer.
"Buffy?"
"She did this to us. She had us kill Tara and open the hellmouths. That did this to us."
"No. Buffy wouldn't do that. Would you Buffy? Buffy?"
"Willow," Buffy cried over a quivering lip, having quickly reverted back to a traumatized state. She was stepping back towards the edge of the grave and shaking her head as the townspeople started to return, slipping out of their hiding places behind the trees surrounding them. She spun in a circle as she watched them surround her. "I- I- I-"
"Don't listen to them Buffy," Angel pleaded, risking touching her arm to turn her away from the two Willows and prevent her from falling back down. "She's just trying to push you back in. You need to remember why you are fighting. Remember Willow before this. Remember what she was before and she will become that. This is your mind. You can control her. She can't control you."
"I sired you Buffy," dark Willow called to her, sliding towards the edge of the grave as red Willow gasped at the information. "Do you really think you have power over-"
"Shut up," Buffy demanded and pulled her hands into fists, the people on the edge of the woods disappearing immediately. "They're right. I don't want to fight you, Willow."
"Oh, but I want to fight you."
"No. I want to apologize to you." Buffy turned to red Willow and walked to her side, hugging her quick and tight. This Willow seemed shocked, confused more than anything. Definitely the Willow Faith remembered meeting. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'm going to fix you. I promise."
Just as red Willow hugged her back and whispered, "It's okay, Buffy," she started to dissolve into the air in a poof of pink. It was all very touching.
The dark Willow started to shout, "No! Not again!" The black faded from her body as red Willow started to slip into her like smoke. She tried to fight it, to push her hand out and use magic against them, but it did not work. She did not have the power. "So you took my magic. Do you really think that will stop me?!"
Willow started to run for Buffy, her fist raised and a furious expression on her face. Faith jumped and tackled her to the ground, punched her in the gut and flipped her to the side. Angel pulled Willow away and tossed her back but she tried to charge again. Buffy blocked her punch and kicked out, sending her stumbling and she fell into the grave behind with a thump.
They all cautiously edged towards her and saw her unconscious, again, lying still on Buffy's coffin.
"Just leave her," Buffy said and turned towards the other two with determination. "I'm ready to come back and help."
"Great," Faith punched her in the shoulder and nodded. "Mission accomplished. Time for celebratory shots!"
"I'm sorry for hurting you," Angel dipped his head and gestured towards the grave. Faith gagged and turned towards the woods to look for any more people slipping through the shadows. "We need to work together. If we do, we can fix this."
"I hope so," Buffy nodded, looking into Angel's eyes and that was all the nausea Faith could take. "I want to. It's good to see you again, Angel."
"Wow," Faith groaned. That nausea was only getting worse and she could feel the world around her start to spin and fade away. "I can feel you waking up. I guess I'll see you on the other side," She smiled at the two and sent a salute to Angel. "Angel."
"Faith," he nodded back and the smile on his face was the last thing she saw before everything turned to black.
With a gasp Faith opened her eyes and bolted upright in her bed. She gulped in fresh air and spun towards Buffy whose immediate action was the same.
Only, when Buffy jolted up, so did her demon. With the gasp came the flash of golden eyes and fangs slipping over her bottom lip.
Faith grabbed the stake in her back pocket and screamed, "She's awake!"