A/N I don't know if I'm going to get all this stuff in, there seems to be an endless supply of scenes for this episode, craziness, but it's going to be great.

Chapter Forty

Bake sales are on Tuesdays

Sunnydale, the world without shrimp 2003

Willow couldn't settle on the couch, Tara had gone through the door first, knowing on the inside of the house there would be a whole host of people and they wouldn't exactly react in the best way if they saw Willow's current state. Anya and Dawn had leapt off the couch first, Anya almost clinging to Xander as if by instinct. They were told Buffy had gone out, taken Spike somewhere, some problem with the chip. But Tara wasn't focussing on him, she was concerned, worried something awful was happening that she had no control over.

Unless, it's some kind of curse, a hex maybe? Oh, I don't know, I just want her to be ok, please baby, please be ok. Tara thought as she comforted a weary Willow laying across her lap. Willow had gotten surprisingly sleepy. Tara's weak half smile leant down and aimed at Willow's black hair, stroking a hand through it. Dawn came and sat beside the blonde, leaning on her shoulder as she looked down at the sleeping Willow.

"What's actually wrong with her?" Anya asked quietly to Xander who just shrugged and gave her a slight glare. He folded his arms across his chest and stared down sympathetically at Tara and Willow.

Buffy walked through the darkness, Spike trailing behind her, flashlight in hand she scoured over the cadre of bodies littering the floor. Clearly, they didn't clean up after themselves. Buffy thought, walking quickly through the halls. "Oh, god. They just left 'em here." Spike stayed silent behind her, watching his footing as the heavy ache in his head began to stir up trouble again.

There were decaying bodies in initiative lab coats and demons hanging from the ceiling, the hold place decrepit and rotting, the smell was unbearable, reeking flesh and cadaver. "They just sealed the place off, left everything as it was." He remembered the battle, what it'd been like, the piles of bodies lining up as they fought their way through to 314. It'd been three years but still the place was haunting, he'd been caught there, captured and strung up, neutered like a little kitten. Bloody scientists.

Neither of them was quite sure what lurked in the dark, there could be anything alive or dead wanting to eat them at any moment. "I'm thinking brief stay." Buffy said with a serious tone, she looked back at him, his face sharply contorting until the pain subsided, he hadn't needed to cry out that time, she hadn't even noticed.

"Err, yeah. You're not wrong." He replied, making his steps in tone with hers, the flashlight flickered every few seconds, the damn batteries needed changing from the last time they'd been on an underground excursion. Such an often occurrence in their lives to be walking around caves and tunnels. "Think I can get us to the med lab." He said opening a blue steel door and letting Buffy pass him. There was a level of trust between them, something he hadn't seen pass her eyes in a long time, in truth she had never really trusted him. Yes they'd slept together, but it wasn't trusting, it was a quick buck in her opinion, something she needed to fuel the guilt, make her feel something. She felt like she'd been blown of emotion, pulled apart so completely, but when he remains were pulled back together somehow her spirit had been left behind. Not her soul, not her essence, but the spirit to carry on. And it was only through love of the others shown to her that she managed to carry on. Deep down it was breaking her.

They walked down a red lit corridor in search of medication, two circling flashlights swirling as something, something unimaginable leapt down from the ceiling...

Willow's eyes flickered open, she was still laying across Tara's lap but there was new emotion, an anger not present in her before that was surging in heavy remise as she failed to comply with normalcy. Slightly leaping from Tara's worried grasp she got to her feet, eyes blazing darkness she stared around the room before bringing her palms up to face the lamp light. Drawing the electricity out of the room, all the lights blew simultaneously. Sparks emitting wildly in different parts of the house, Anya ducked her head into Xander who took a heavy step forward to reach for Willow but she was stronger than him, everyone was too in shock to move elsewhere.

As soon as Xander took that step Willow's eyes shot to him in a cold instant; shooting with purple electricity, his stomach a fleshy hole as he flew across the room. Anya screamed, rushing to his side Willow didn't bother attacking her movement. But she gave a hard stare as she glanced over the room, Tara stood up stern look on her face as fear was pushed to the back of her mind as soon as protecting Dawn came into the forefront.

"If anyone else moves, you know your fate." Willow said coldly, her eyes staring poignantly at Tara. Dawn grabbed for her hand as she stood up too, Tara urged her sit with kind gesture but she ignored her.

"WILLOW! What are you doing?!" She half-screamed, she held back tears. She had to be strong, protect Dawn, she had magic Dawn didn't. That was what it came down to. If push came to shove she knew she'd have to push Willow aside to save the innocent. She didn't like it, but it was the only moral choice, she had no others. Willow tossed her head to the side as she glared at the body in corner, and Anya's cowering form trying to comfort him.

"I have so much power, you'll never understand. I am power, all encompassing. You are nothing." The dark Willow said calmly, the soft denoting tone to her voice was gone, replaced by selfish greed and a hunger. Tara stepped forward, she knew if there was any part of Willow still left in her then she wouldn't attack her, Xander had toyed with her before, he loved her, but he didn't have to opposing force of magic to counteract the darkness. Tara knew what it meant, she knew magic, she understood that is was like a magnet. There were two forces, the darkness and the light, they repelled each other. It's what she'd been given by the coven, an ounce of pure light, she was perfect the recipient - morally coded, from a good magical foundation, compelled by love. Love was the only true force of good.

She stepped within Willow's reach and placed her palm lightly on her shoulder, the empathy she held within her coiled itself inside Willow and she fell. Her blackness hitting the ground as her power faded and all the lights flickered back into brightness. Waking up sharply Willow crawled towards the door, not strong enough to open it she just slumped against it. Her pupils dilating as the colour returned to her irises. Dawn was curled up on the couch looking over at Xander, biting her lip in an attempt not to cry, Xander needed the hospital, serious help.

Tara couldn't look at the destruction, she knew Anya would be giving her daggers for looking out for Willow first but it was more important she kept the darkness at bay long enough to fix it. Take Willow out of the house and somewhere safe, take her somewhere they would be able to sort this mess out before things got worse. She knelt down beside her love, taking her cheeks in her palms and giving her kind eyes as she made sure Willow nodded before helping her up and onto her feet.

Tara, taking charge for almost the first time in her life addressed the quiet room before opening the door. "Anya, take Xander to the hospital, Dawn stay here with Andrew," and before Dawn could argue, "no, Dawnie listen, he's fine really, you need to be safe and I'm trusting you to make sure he doesn't do anything, we can't leave him here on his own. Wait for Buffy to get back with Spike and tell them what happened, that I've taken Willow out." Andrew, who was also here crouched behind on of the doorframes and tried to hide from his impending doom, he thought maybe Dark Willow would go for him first, she'd been his main target last timE.

Then before Tara could take Willow and leave, in true Anya fashion, she stood up and glared with real attitude. "Tara! Where are you actually going?"

"To see some old friends, now go."

There was a loud creak as the creature landed on its haunches just metres from them. "Did you hear that?" Spike said, trying not to clutch at Buffy's arm. She's fine without you, she doesn't need you lording over her. His inner monologue rang on, he couldn't tell if it was his own mind or the First trying to get at him but whatever it was, it was right. Buffy didn't need anyone to protect her. She was the slayer, the chosen one, she was strong enough without help.

"Yep." Came the reply, they were standing back to back, flashlights pointed in opposite directions as they tried to find the source of the noise. "It sounded like it was coming from over there. Whatever it is its not-" Buffy said, a tone of fear pressing into her voice, it worried Spike but not enough to push her out of the way. What'd interrupted them was a clanging noise not to far from them in Buffy's direction, they both spun towards it- half knocking into each other as their flashlights combined into headlights pointing at an empty wall.

They walked a little further down the corridor until there was another clanging. This time they did crash into each other, not that Buffy was annoyed, she clung to him. For the first time her latent fear of the dark coming into fruition, making her a little more scared than usual and she needed him. Then it rained down upon them, the creature - whatever it was - smashed it's thick bony arm into Buffy's skull and she fell. Her flashlight flickering a few times before shutting off completely as her body lay limp on the linoleum.

"BUFFY!"

"Instill us, O great one, with peace, with strength, with compassion, with hope. The path we seek is yours, keep us on that path." They were chanting, the small circle of campus wiccans sat with their hands entwined and their legs crossed in contemplation. Each possessing a stone around their neck, a glowing light emitting from them all.

"Woah, you guys have changed." Tara said glancing down at them all, her arm still around Willow's shoulders as she addressed them. The spell broke as Vaughne looked up at the pair of them. Sensing Willow's amass of dark energy she stood up abruptly about to suggest they get the hell out of there before it spread to any of them. This was way past their deep end and they weren't equipped to deal with that much power inside one person, they'd just have to deal with their own problems. Caitlin was there too, she'd come along way too in making the wicca group what it was today, she'd gotten over her little jealousy spell.

"Got over your bake sale phase." Willow said quietly, normally it would've made Tara laugh but this was too serious, too dangerous for laughter.

"No we still do that, every second Tuesday. But you guys need to deal with your own problems, we don't deal with this kind of magic." Vaughne replied folding her arms as more and more of the group began to rise to their feet, all except a brunette who had her back turned.

"W-Wait, before you guys get all iffy." Vaughne gave her an annoyed look that spelled out 'oh, I see someone's still got their stutter.' But Tara ignored it, they recognised her at least, even if they wouldn't help she knew she still had to ask. "We need your help, Willow she's taken in a lot of dark magic and now its started expressing itself but we had it under control, we trained. Then outta nowhere it just came back, and she looked like this. Again."

"Maybe I can help."