Chapter 35

"Thank you all for coming." Giles stood by the counter holding a steaming cup of tea.

"Where are Buffy and Faith?" Willow asked frowning.

"At work."

"So, what was so urgent?" Xander asked.

"As you may or may not be aware, yesterday night Buffy and Faith ran into three Engrden demons who casted a mind altering spell upon them." He made a pause. "This morning I was made aware that the spell in fact had worked."

"How?" Willow asked.

"The spell interferes with the girl's dreams displaying a rather violent version of themselves. My conclusion is that by getting them into such vivid and specific situations the spell will influence them permanently making them unable to discern what reality is and what is not, cornering them into taking life or death situations therefore defending themselves from the other only with one possible outcome." He took a seat next to Xander. "Unfortunately, I can't draw more conclusions since I haven't talked with the girls yet. Faith came to me and described me some of what they experienced, but I'm afraid we need Buffy's side of the story too."

"Did they share the dreams? Slayer dreams?" Tara asked.

"I'm afraid so. To what extent I am not aware, but Faith did mention she felt Buffy throughout some of the dreams."

"We need to know what happened." Tara said. "I know both of them are likely to not tell us everything that happened and I don't blame them but, I think there's more to those dreams; more to the spell."

"Yes… until then we just have to wait until we can perform the spell."

"But, what happened?" Willow asked.

"It is not my place to tell you what Faith confided I me, but we have agreed on telling you that the girls killed each other several times and that it was highly vivid."

"You mean they felt everything?" Xander asked.

"Yes; I'm afraid so."

"Wow, no wonder Buffy was so down this morning." Willow replied wide eyed.

"This is the second time they share dreams right? I mean, Buff said she shared a dream with Faith after she put her in a coma. I'm still not over how freaky that is." The beady-eyed man supplied.

Willow shrugged. "As far as we know; they might have shared more dreams but they might not be conscious about it."

"In any case we've always known that the slayer connection between them has always been stronger, more attuned than Buffy's and Kendra's. It is only normal that it escalates to higher points during their sleep."

"Mystical energy reinforces during physical rest." Willow said.

"The bond strengthens in their dreams." Anya said.

"You know what they say, that what you dream is what you want. Who you are in your dreams is who you really are. The subconscious shows you things you crave for, what you don't want to accept you truly want; what you are; who you are."

"So you are saying Buffy wishes to kill Faith? I don't think so Will." Xander shook his head.

"No, no. I guess that's where the spell comes in. It messes up with what you are and desire." She made a pause. "Like shows you your doppelganger or something. Like you other self or dark self."

"...What they are capable of doing…" Xander nodded slowly. "Like if they had been raised to do evil that's how much evil they would do?"

"Exactly."

"An untamable force." Giles agreed.

"Ying-yang. The spell exploits that theory to a completely new level. Instead of showing them their usual selves, it shows them that dark side of them times a hundred".

"But I mean we already know how dangerous that is but… look, for example we know Faith and what she did right? I mean, wouldn't it be easier to lure her back into it?"

Tara shook her head. "I don't think Faith was ever into it." When they looked at her weirdly she explained. "She might have touched it. But I don't think Faith was ever… embraced by it. I don't know about you, but I couldn't think of something more dangerous than a truly dark and rogue slayer."

Giles nodded. "I agree with you. She had a small taste of it, but it wasn't more than her own insanity and doubts. She saw a glimpse of it and refused it. That's why she's here. A slayer is a weapon and if it were to fall in the wrong hands… hell, have mercy on us."

Willow and Xander nodded reluctantly. "Okay… so, what's the point of this?"

"I'm afraid I don't know yet."

"Do you want us to talk to them?" Tara asked.

Giles nodded. "Yes, but do not pressure them into anything. I would like for them to come to us but time seems to be running short for us."

"I don't think Buffy will open up to me." Willow said sheepishly. "I mean, it's a Faith matter and well, I've kinda always dismissed every chance Buffy wanted to talk to me about her, plus you know, Faith and I not the best of friends."

"I'll talk to her." Tara said.

"Then who gets Faith?" Xander asked. "Cuz I've been there, done that and didn't like it."

"I will talk to her. She's already opened up to me about this." Giles turned to Tara. "The counter spell is not going to stop it right away. They are going to have more nightmares for at least another night. I was thinking we could perform another spell to lessen the effects."

"You could." Willow said. "But it might lessen the effects of the counter spell."

"Or make it worse." Giles agreed.

"So, are we meeting them here?" Xander asked.

"Yes but I think it would be a good idea if we talk with them somewhere else... Tara, get Buffy to meet you somewhere. I'll be out with Faith. I'm meeting her at my place in... twenty minutes." He stood up and gathered his coat. "We'll meet back here in two hours. Willow, I suggest you look into finding a spell that doesn't interfere with the other. Xander pick up Dawn from school." The carpenter nodded. "Good, I will see you all later. Tara, do you want me to drop you off at Buffy's?"

Tara nodded. "Yes please. Bye guys."

Giles drove slowly. After all, knowing Faith she would show up at least fifteen minutes later than agreed and he was also giving Buffy time to arrive home.

"What did Faith tell you?" Tara inquired.

"She told me she's always had very graphic, very powerful dreams, very stirring nightmares but yesterday's were more perturbing than ever. They killed each other, played with each other and felt everything they did and was done to them. I guess their connecting severed the spell."

"What about Buffy?"

Giles sighed and took a right turn. "She looked very distraught this morning but she didn't say anything. I believe she came to talk to me but seeing Faith threw her off balance." He stopped at a red light. "Faith mentioned something about her coma." Tara frowned. "It seems she had a repeated dream in which Buffy would always come after her bearing the knife and stabbing her. No matter how much she ran, Buffy always found her."

"You think in these dreams Buffy stabbed her as well?"

"I don't think. I know she did." At Tara's look he explained. "Faith woke up this morning with an open wound."

"Goddess!" Tara gasped figuring out which wound.

"Yes. Keep it to yourself please. Try to find out if Buffy was hurt, physically hurt as well."

"Is Faith okay?"

"She said it bled for a little while but that's it. That is why she woke up." Giles rubbed his chin. "I think we should call Spike; have him get one of the demon's bodies. We might be able to get rid of everything faster than with the spell."

Tara nodded. "I think that's a good idea." Giles pulled over and she got out. "Thank you. We'll be there as soon as we can."

Buffy entered her home throwing her backpack harshly on the floor.

"'m home!" She sniffed the air and got a whiff of a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. "Mmm... smells good."

"Hello Buffy."

"Tara, hi."

Tara handed Buffy a steamy cup of tea along with some home baked cookies. "Heard you weren't feeling so well."

"Thanks." Buffy smiled and followed the wiccan to the living room sitting next to her on the couch.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Tara smiled and bit into a warm cookie. "But I need to know if there was... anything prophetic, anything the dreams tried to tell you."

"Aside from the fact that Faith and I are meant to kill each other?" Buffy bitterly said.

"If that were true, there would only be one of you right now."

"What if it's true Tara? What if we are really meant to kill the other? What if-"

"Buffy stop. If that were true you would have kill each other the second you set eyes on the other. Did it happen? No."

"But I almost killed her."

"Did you want to kill her?"

"No!"

"Do you want to kill her?"

"No!"

"Then listen to me. Buffy, the spell is twisting everything up. That is why I need to know what else happened, this dreams are trying to tell you something but I assure you it has nothing to do with you killing each other."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Why aren't you?" Tara asked. "I've seen you both. Really seen you. You auras can't lie. I've seen how you are with her, how you light up with her and how she does with you. Trust me; what you auras tell me is very far from wanting the other dead." She placed a comforting hand on Buffy's thigh. "I know you don't want to talk about it but if you wish I could take a look and try to figure it out."

"No. That's not something I even want to know about, to remember... I don't want to traumatize you or anything."

"That's okay. Why don't you tell me how it started? What was the first dream like?"

"Uh... It was pretty normal actually. Faith and I were chasing after some vampires; we slew them and, and then I-I... then I... then, well then... yeah..." She sighed. "Then the second dream, I fell through the portal and ended up in a cemetery with none other than Angelus, Drusilla and Spike. To say it was twisted is an understatement... then Faith got back at me, but I don't... I don't think we shared that dream." She paused and cocked her head to the side. "Wait... one of the vamps said something... something like 'when the doors of hell open you'll die' or something like that. I think I've heard that so many times that it is drilled to my head."

"It could mean something."

"Then there was this part where Faith and I realized we were sharing the dreams. We were in this... long white corridor and it got even freakier cuz we were helping each other then one of us turned against the other. I mean, we saw Kakistos and the Mayor... Angel..." The blonde slayer got up and started pacing the room. "I killed her Tara... and I enjoyed it. I felt amazing whenever I saw blood coming out of Faith's body. I could feel her enjoyment as well whenever she hurt me."

"Buffy, it was just a nightmare. That is not you."

"But it could be me... it could be us."

"I won't lie to you. Yes, it could be, it could have been but it isn't and it won't. That might be another reality or something... if things had gone differently but Buffy, look where you two stand now. You are working together, side by side as it is meant to be." She pulled the pacing slayer into the couch again and hugged her rubbing circles on her back.

"Thanks." Buffy hugged the wiccan tightly. "You always make me feel better."

"Well, that's me." Tara said before her face started getting a little blue. "Buffy, as much as I love you and love to make you feel better... breathing is becoming an issue."

Buffy pulled away sheepishly. "Sorry... slayer strength."

"It's okay." Tara smiled taking a deep breath. "Can't help you if I'm not breathing. Now tell me, how did you feel when you woke up?"

"Dreadful... I felt empty. Numb. Broken... awful." She paused. "You know, now that I think about it, there... there was something... I felt like there was something I knew; something I should know about, but... I don't know what."

"That's good!" Buffy raised her eyebrows. "I mean, n-not g-good because there were all those horrible things but good as in we now know the dreams really were trying to tell you something. We just have to ask Faith if she felt that too."

"So... what do we do now?"

"Now we head back to the Magic Box."

"Is Faith going to be there?"

"Yes. Now c'mon; be brave Buffy."

"Brave Buffy is currently unavailable; would you like to leave a message?"

"Tell her to get to the Magic Box as soon as she can."

"But she's in an isolated tropical island; the message will take some time to reach her. Oh how I envy her."

"C'mon Buffy, the sooner we do this, the sooner we get rid of that horrible spell."

"...I can hear the sound of the waves lapping against the shores..."

Tara raised her eyebrows at the daydreaming slayer. "Oookay... let's go."

"She's probably having some Pina Coladas while tanning in a beach full of tan well-built guys... probably having of two those guys rubbing some sun screen lotion on her... relaxing on the beach..." Buffy pouted getting up. "I wanna be brave Buffy." She put on a determined face. "I'll be Brave Buffy."

"I love how you just totally talked yourself into it." Tara said following Buffy out the door.

"I'm efficient like that." She made another face. "And apparently crazy. I got problems."

"Who am I to disagree?" Tara joked making the other blonde glare at her.