A/N: S6 E20 'Villains', pretty much completely AU but hopefully it's good...

"They've been shot?" A paramedic assumed as Willow rushed the crew out to the yard.

"Yes. A-a-man he came out...he just...help them." Willow babbled.

"We'll try, Miss."

The world went black as Willow looked upon two of the people she loved most in the world. Oxygen masks slapped to their faces, blood gushing from their middles.

"Willow? What's going- BUFFY! TARA!" Dawn screeched, shooting out of the house barefoot.

"They're stable for now, but we have to get them to the hospital." The paramedic informed Willow.

The redhead scooped Dawn into her arms. "I know, Dawnie. We're gonna get in the ambulance. They're gonna be fine, I promise."

The two women leapt into the van beside their friends. Willow clutched tightly onto Tara's hands, whispering reassurances to her unconscious body. Dawn meanwhile was stroking her fingers through Buffy's ponytail. She's the Slayer. Slayers don't get killed by bullets.

"Where's Spike? Someone should wake him." Dawn panicked.

"He's already seen. He's gone." Willow said bluntly, not taking her gaze off of Tara.

"Where's he gone?" Dawn choked out, threading her fingers through her sister's.

"After Warren."

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Spike tore through Sunnydale, anger burning through every fibre of his being. As soon as night fell, that nerd was his. He'd squeeze his throat so hard, his eyes rolled out of his skull. Chip be damned. Dash his brains out across the wall. Break each of his bones one by one. Drain him while he still breathed.

Focus. Think. Where would a little kid playing at being Big Bad go?

"He's human." Spike snarled in Willy's face.

"I thought you had that whole chip thing going on? That's why you've been hooking up with the Slayer." Willy rambled.

"Answer the damned question." Spike spat.

So far the chip had only been mildly panging, when he held the bartender's collar too tight or his head hit the wall.

"He was here. Human. Real smart guy. Saying he'd killed the Slayer." Spike growled low in his throat at that.

"And? Where'd he go?" Spike persisted.

"I don't know. Coupla demons in here told him the Slayer'd get him back. Or at least one of hers would. Which I suppose would be what you yourself are doing right now." Willy blubbed.

"He left after that?"

"Yes. Yes. He did."

"Fine."

Spike released him and stormed out of the door.

"You're welcome!" Willy called nervously after him.

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Willow was still clad in her flannel pyjamas, huddled with Dawn (who was bundled in a fluffy dressing gown and a pair of borrowed slippers) in the waiting room of Sunnydale General Hospital.

"Xander." Willow breathed, rushing to her friend's open arms. Xander held her tightly, shushing her quietly as he stroked down her back.

"How are they?" Anya asked gently.

"We don't know yet. They're still in surgery." Dawn informed them.

"They can get through this. A witch and a slayer! If anyone can they can, right?" Xander looked around at the women before him, all of whom said nothing.

Anya slipped her hand into his and gently led him to the hard plastic chairs in the corner. Willow joined them, and finally Dawn, her head slumping onto the redhead's shoulder.

"Miss Rosenberg?" A doctor appeared in the doorway.

Willow leapt to her feet. "Yes. Me. That's...I'm Willow-Miss Rosenberg."

"Miss Summers and Miss Maclay are stable."

"Oh thank God." Xander dropped his head to his hands.

"Majority of people who die from bullet wounds die from blood loss, it's rare someone is hit directly in the heart. Obviously neither of your friends were, and they arrived here in time before bleeding out." The doctor explained.

"So...they're gonna be okay?" Willow checked.

The doctor smiled. "Yes. They're still under anaesthetic, recovering from surgery but they should be sociable in a few days."

"Can we see them?" Dawn asked.

"Not for long. They won't be very responsive anyway. I hope you don't mind we roomed them together, private rooms are scarce these days."

"Perks of the Hellmouth." Xander muttered.

"That's fine. Thank you so much, Doctor, really." Willow beamed.

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"It's just like they're sleeping right?" Dawn said as she gazed down on her sister's face.

"Yeah, Dawnie. Just sleeping." Xander patted her gently on the shoulder.

"Oh baby, I'm so happy you're okay." Willow whispered to Tara, stroking her cheek.

"You got to them in time, Willow. Well done." Anya smiled.

Willow gave a light chuckle. "Thanks. I only wish I'd gotten there sooner. Stopped this altogether."

"That's nonsense. You would be in a bed beside them." Anya said bluntly.

"What do we do about Warren?" Xander snarled, anger returning now he knew his friends were safe.

"The police already took our statements. All we knew anyway. We gave them his name, Willow saw him running off." Dawn revealed.

"But Spike. He's gone after Warren hasn't he?" Anya remembered.

"Yep. That's exactly why I have to wake up Buffy." Willow explained firmly.

"What? Wake her up? What do you mean?" Xander asked, alarmed.

"I need to perform a spell on Buffy. To wake her up so she can go after Spike. She's the only one who can stop him."

"He can't do much harm though, right? I mean...the chip." Xander pointed out.

"If he was mad enough, he could ignore it." Willow believed. "He seemed certain of that fact after we called 911 tonight. As soon as I hung up he was gone, after Warren. The chip wasn't on his radar. I think he thought she was dead."

"You're saying he can just ignore that pain?" Xander gulped.

"Of course he can. It's just pain, right? Like Willow said, with the proper motivation, a master vampire could easily ignore that pain. But my question is: why should we stop him? Warren shot Buffy and Tara. Some good old-fashioned vengeance is what we need and it looks like Spike's willing to provide." Anya argued.

"We can't let him." Dawn sighed. "He can't kill Warren. For one thing, Warren's human. For another, Buffy's not dead, she's alive. He didn't kill her. And besides she wouldn't like if Spike went after Warren. And...I don't know what Spike would feel like after."

"How Spike would feel? Water off a duck's back. He killed for centuries." Xander shrugged.

"No. We can't let him do it. Even if it's not for him. You think Buffy would stay with him after that? You think she could? He would've killed someone, Xander. She couldn't get over that...but she's in love with Spike. I won't let her lose that. I can't." Willow admitted.

"But you and spells...very unmixy at the moment, Wills." Xander reminded her gently.

"Yeah...I don't love the spell idea either. That's my sister you're waking up." Dawn interjected.

"I wish we could debate about this but we can't. We need to act fast. My girlfriend and best friend have been shot. These have been the most stressful and heartbreaking hours of my life but the fight's not over. We have to act." Willow cried out.

"I know, Wills, I get it. We've all done the apocalypse thing before, I just don't think you performing this spell is safe." Xander argued.

"He's right." Anya added. "You're barely recovered as is. It would be like giving a drug addict 'just one pill at the club', it's bad news."

"Well how else are we gonna wake up Buffy? And stop Spike before he kills Warren? We're running out of time!"

"Maybe I can help." A wise British voice called from the doorway.