AN-Thanks for your continued support and great comments! I promise at least weekly updates for the next few weeks and I'll try to sneak in a midweek bonus chapter if I have time.
Chapter Twelve-Three Demons, Two Witches and a Slayer
July 2006
Dawn had never seen Isobel like this. She was inconsolable. She wouldn't eat her dinner, wouldn't take a bath and kept throwing little temper tantrums. When she had cried asking for her Mommy for the tenth time Dawn gave up and decided they could walk over to the Magic Box where Tara was with the others who had all been out looking for Willow all day without success.
It was still early evening and light out and Dawn didn't know what else to do. It was so out of character for Isobel who was normally a happy child. When they arrived at the store, Isobel ran immediately to Tara, crying and flinging her arms around her.
Dawn explained what was going on and Tara assured her it was alright. Tara held Isobel and rocked her gently, but couldn't get her to say anything or to stop crying.
"Buffy can you walk us home? I don't know what's going on, she's never this upset. Since it doesn't seem like we are going to have any luck finding Willow at this point, I just want to go home."
"Sure. Then I'll head back out to look for Willow some more. It may not be too late."
It broke Buffy's heart to see Isobel so upset. "Hey squirt, you want to ride home on my shoulders?" A ride from Aunt Buffy was usually a sure bet to get a smile from Isobel.
This time, it did stop her crying, but all the Slayer got was a limp "Ok."
Tara locked up the store and the foursome headed down the street. Dawn found herself walking beside a silent Tara thinking about the implications of the night.
"Do you think it's done yet? How can you tell? Will you notice a difference or will it only affect Willow?"
As she turned to look to Tara for an answer she heard Isobel cry out, "Mommy."
"Munchkin, what's wrong? Your Mommy is fine, see she's right there." Buffy stopped and turned around, seeing Tara standing in the street looking like a ghost.
"Buffy, Isobel never calls me Mommy. She calls me Mama."
Tara turned to Dawn, "was Isobel crying for Mama tonight or Mommy?"
Dawn thought back to the evening, "She was saying Mommy all night. But she must have meant you, right?"
Buffy reached up and took Isobel off her shoulders and the young girl desperately hugged her neck.
"Isobel, who is Mommy?" Buffy asked.
Before she could answer, the street was filled with chaos. Three demons approached from a small grove of trees, circling the women and snarling. Buffy quickly handed Isobel to Tara. "Protection spell and get home," she ordered. "Dawn, go with them. Run, now."
Tara's feet were moving even as she started her incantation. Buffy centered herself under a street light as she faced the demons.
"Why is it always scales and horns with you big uglies, huh? Any slime or mucus tonight, cause that's really all we're missing."
The largest of the demons stepped forward, but appeared to be looking past the Slayer.
"We are here for the child. A witch too. Step aside."
"Sorry guys, if you are guys, but my family is off limits."
Buffy had not armed for demon battle. She carried her usual stake and a short blade, but she knew these demons. They were called Grapplers. Big, good fighters, not so smart. She really needed a full sword or axe, but those items meant making a run for the Magic Box or for home. Home was a better choice, closer and with the magickal shield that should keep any demon at bay.
Seeing Tara and Dawn well on the way, she waited until the demons attacked to make her break. Unfortunately, she had misjudged how much Isobel would slow down Tara and Dawn.
She and the demons all merged with Tara, Dawn and Isobel a half a block down the street from the house.
Buffy immediately assessed she would have to engage the demons for the others to make it to the protection of the house. She turned to face them as two came straight for her. They circled her throwing punches. Buffy realized she was at best an even match for the two.
That meant the third Grappler was available to attack Tara, Dawn and Isobel and he was doing just that.
Tara thrust Isobel into Dawn's arms and told her to run for the house as she turned to face the third demon. She was walking backwards as she cast a shield in front of the demon. The demon was striking it and bellowing with pain and anger.
Buffy saw Tara look at the house to see Dawn and Isobel safely on the porch and the demon used the opportunity to break through the witch's shield and strike her in the side of the head, knocking her to the ground where she lay motionless.
The distraction of seeing Tara struck down gave the other two demons the opportunity to rush Buffy and with the addition of the third, they easily pinned Buffy to the ground and began to pummel her. Buffy could hear Dawn yelling for her to run and Isobel screaming for her Mama but she couldn't get the three demons off of her.
As her strength waned, she saw a blur pass by her with a flash of red. But it couldn't be Willow. She was doing the spell tonight and they hadn't seen her in days. Suddenly the demons were lifted and flung back.
"Can you get to the house?" Willow called out.
Buffy looked up to see the redhead actively casting to hold the demons at bay.
"Yes," Buffy responded and yelled, "Dawn, get Tara inside the shield."
As Buffy stumbled toward the house, Dawn ran out and grabbed Tara under her armpits and began to drag her into the yard.
Willow stayed between the demons and Buffy continuing to cast, keeping all three from attacking.
When she got to the yard, Buffy helped Dawn carry the still unconscious Tara into the house and directed Isobel in as well.
Willow had continued to walk slowly backwards in defense of Buffy and Tara until her back struck the shield around the yard. The painful shock that jolted through Willow caused her to stop her cast, releasing the demons momentarily. All three rushed toward Willow, pinning her between themselves and the shield. Willow's mouth turned a wry smile as she stripped off her cloak and faced the demons.
With a deep breath she extended her hands as she began a short incantation. Two of the demons ran directly at Willow and found themselves dodging a series of blue bolts of pure energy.
The third Grappler and apparent leader stepped to the side and approached the house until he reached and touched the shield. But instead of anger, the demon smiled and removed a small metallic sphere from a pocket, holding it on his outstretched palm. When he muttered a few words, a light emanated from the sphere and coursed over the shield like a laser cutter, creating a visible doorway on the shield wall.
The demon set the sphere on the ground and barked an order at his two comrades, who were suffering the effects of the shots that landed from Willows bolts. The lead demon stepped through the doorway as the other two demons ran toward it. The first reached the doorway and entered behind his leader. The last demon paused for just an instant to bend over and retrieve the sphere from the ground.
The moment of delay was his undoing as he found his body stumbling through the doorway, but his head falling back onto the sidewalk having been separated by a long, thin cutting bolt flung from Willow's hand. Willow rushed toward the doorway, but it disappeared as soon as the demon's headless body fell to ground inside the shield, its hand still clutching the sphere.
Bellowing her frustration, the Light Witch slammed her arms against the shield, taking in the pain and falling to her knees. The two demons now inside the shield headed toward the front door until they met the Slayer who had appeared on the front porch.
"That's far enough," she stated calmly. "I'm better prepared now," she grinned holding up the long sword in her hand, spinning it in a slow arc.
The larger demon looked to the other, "deal with her," he ordered and stepped back.
The second demon rushed Buffy, shoving her to the side of the porch and off into the yard. The Slayer landed lightly, regaining her feet and swinging her sword in a large arc, catching the demon on the arm, cutting deeply. Green blood surged from the wound and the demon growled, but launched at the Slayer again.
As Buffy was fighting the one demon, the leader strode through the front door and looked to his left, immediately finding what he was seeking.
After her Aunt Buffy carried her Mama into the house and laid her on the couch, Isobel found herself perched on the back of the couch watching events transpire out the front window. Dawn was taking care of her Mama, putting a bandage on her head and trying to wake her up.
Isobel was terrified that her Mama was hurt, but she couldn't stop watching Willow and Buffy battle the demons in the street and the yard. The danger she was in didn't really sink in until the doorway was filled with a huge ugly demon.
Her Aunt Dawn ran at it, but the demon swatted her away, and her Mama wasn't awake yet. It then grabbed her, tucking her small body under its enormous arm. As the demon headed out of the house, she found her voice and screamed.
Buffy found herself in control of her battle with the lone demon in the yard. She was well armed and had inflicted several sword wounds on the scaled beast. While it was proving a slower process than she wanted, the creature was bleeding badly and its attacks were slower.
Buffy waited for her opening, circling the demon in the yard. Her patience evaporated in an instant when she heard Isobel scream and turned to see her clutched to the side of the large demon who was striding toward the body of the fallen demon at the edge of the yard.
The Slayer didn't hesitate. She launched herself at the kidnapper, but had only taken two steps when the other Grappler tackled her from the side. She struck a tree in the yard hard on her left side and could hear the snap as her left arm gave way.
As she slumped to the ground, her sword fell from her right hand, only to be caught up by the demon she had been battling. She held her right arm above her head, but knew it would do little to protect her from the imminent blow the demon was about to rain down on her with all of its strength.
'At least it wasn't a vampire bite,' the Slayer thought, 'no one will have to stake me later.'
Willow was tired. Running from the site of her aborted spell, battling the demons in the street, and pounding fruitlessly at the shield had taken much of her strength.
She had watched helplessly as Buffy fought the one demon alone and the second had gone into the house. It looked for a moment like the Slayer had the situation under control.
But when the large demon appeared on the porch with Isobel pinned against him screaming, she felt adrenaline and anger course through her veins. She was still on her knees in front of the shield as if praying. In fact, she had been begging the Goddess Hestia to help her find a way to protect her family.
Now, an inner calm came over her as she knew what she had to do, regardless of the personal cost. She stopped for only a moment to ask the Goddess for strength and immediately thrust both of her hands into the shield directly in front of her face, palms facing outward. She almost lost consciousness from the pain, as the magickal electricity peeled layers of the skin on her palms away, but the screams of her daughter kept her alert as she pushed her hands apart, creating a narrow opening in the shield.
When the gap had opened a few inches, she thrust her shoulder into the space. She could hear and smell her hair sizzle where it had struck the edge of the gap and seared the ends.
With a yell, she forced her upper body into the yard in time to witness Buffy crash into the tree and collapse. As the demon grasped the Slayer's sword and lifted it in preparation for a final blow, Willow called on her magick and training and aimed a powerful bolt of energy into the center of its chest, blowing it backward even as it fell dead, Buffy's sword falling harmlessly to the ground.
She crawled forward, pulling the rest of her body through the opening in the shield and fully into the yard. She couldn't push up off her ravaged palms and found herself on her knees trying to think of a spell that could separate her daughter from the demon, but her mind was pounding in agony.
As she tried to focus, the Grappler leader approached her, reached down and took her by the throat with its enormous free hand, and raised her by the neck until her feet were dangling helplessly in the air.
"My employer indicated delivery of the child alive was paramount. But he wanted you as well, witch. His exact words were 'preferably alive'. Do you submit?"
Willow looked past his face and into the wide and terrified eyes of her daughter. She knew dying now was of no value. If she was allowed to stay with Isobel she could try to protect her. Tara and Buffy would stop at nothing to find them, and perhaps she could assist in a rescue.
She nodded her assent and the demon released his grasp, dropping her to the ground. As she gasped for air, she heard a loud thunk, followed by a grunt, and the body of the demon collapsed face forward in the yard next to her, an axe buried in its back.
"Dawn called. Said you all might need some help."
Willow looked up to see the placid face of Xander looking down at her with a small smile, Isobel clinging tightly to his leg.
"Nice to see you Willow. You don't call, you don't write," he spoke as he reached down to help her up by the arm.
She winced and pulled back as pain flared from her wounded hands.
"Sorry Xander. Great timing though. Thanks."
The dark haired man just nodded and scooped Isobel into a tight hug. "Let's get you both inside."
Willow took one more look at the dead demons scattered around the yard. She saw the small metal sphere in the palm of headless demon and called it to her with magick, placing it in a pocket before heading into the house.
Dawn was already helping Buffy towards the door as she cradled her broken arm.
Xander helped everyone inside, closing the door behind him. He realized everyone was looking at each other not knowing what to do next.
Isobel ran to Tara, who was sitting upright on the couch, still holding her bandaged head and looking dazed. Dawn had a large bruise on her shoulder, but was supporting her sister who looked like she had been hit by a truck. Willow was leaning heavily on the stairs with her hands folded in front of her and looking like she was about to fall over.
Xander scanned the room of wounded warriors and assessed he would need to take charge for now.
"Dawn, can you drive Buffy to the hospital? She is going to need that arm set and her other injuries treated."
Dawn grabbed the keys and the sisters headed out the door.
Xander then turned to Willow. "Wills, sit down. Take the arm chair before you fall down."
Willow looked up at Xander and then quickly glanced at Tara before stumbling to the designated chair and slumping into it.
Finally, Xander approached Tara and Isobel. "You guys Ok?"
Isobel was tucked under Tara's arm, but peeked out and blinked wide blue eyes. Tara tried to raise her head to Xander, but gave up.
"Yes, we seem to be fine. I just have a really bad headache. Xander, what happened?"
Xander looked over at Willow before answering. "Looks like three big demons dead in the yard. Three big uglies that kicked the crap out of you guys. But it still ended up Scoobies 3-Demons 0. So all good. Let me help you upstairs and I will get some bandages for Willow's hands."
Tara glanced over at Willow and seemed on the verge of saying something, but Xander stepped in and helped her up the stairs as Isobel scampered ahead of them. When they reached her room, Tara told Isobel to go get her pajamas on for the night.
Tara found herself with Xander in the hall. "I'm not sure it's a good idea for Willow to be alone downstairs. Do you know if she did the spell? Do you know what happened?"
Xander sighed and ran his hand through his hair before answering.
"Tara, I understand your concern and I don't know about the spell. All I can tell you is Willow recognized who I was. I don't know everything that happened but I do know I got here in time to see her clawing her way through the shield. She saved Buffy's life. Even though she had nothing left, she took on the demon trying to kidnap Isobel."
Tara let out a strangled sob when she heard how close she had been to losing her child.
"You rest. Take care of Is. I'll stay with Willow, talk to her, she what I can do to bandage her up."
Xander headed into the bathroom to gather first aid supplies. Tara heard him from her room pulling items out of the cabinets when she realized it had been several minutes since Isobel had gone to her room to get changed.
Despite the weariness that permeated every cell of her body and the excruciating pain coming from her injured hands, Willow was content. All she had wanted since her return to Sunnydale was the chance to protect her family, and she had.
She had found a way to save Buffy and help keep Isobel safe, and Tara had been in the same room with her for a few minutes without any fireworks, although she probably was suffering from a concussion. Xander had saved her life and seemed almost happy to see her.
These thoughts drifted through her mind until she felt a small, soft hand touch her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she saw Isobel standing in front of her wearing pajamas covered with moons and stars. The little girl was looking down at her wounded hands and arms.
The sleeves of the witch's shirt had been scorched by the shield and ripped by battle and hung in strips from her shoulders, exposing not only her new injuries, but the old scars crisscrossing both forearms. When Isobel looked up into her eyes, the blue was deep and soulful.
"Are you my Mommy? I listen sometimes, even when I'm not supposed to. I heard Mama talking to Aunt Buffy and they say I have another Mommy. That's you, isn't it?"
Willow wasn't sure what to say, but she couldn't lie to her daughter. "Maybe you should talk to your Mama about this."
"It's Ok, I know you are. I can feel it. I could feel it at the park. I could feel you today, you were sad." She was nearly whispering as she placed her hand on Willow's knee, near her injured hands.
Willow started to pull them away embarrassed, when Isobel said, "I can help you Mommy." The little witch placed her hands on Willows arms above where the skin was burned.
Tara called out to Xander, "Is Isobel with you?"
Xander replied, "No, let me look in her room."
Tara was already getting to her feet when Xander emerged from Isobel's room. "She's not in there."
"Isobel!" Tara called out as they both headed down the stairs.
As they reached the bottom landing, a soft glow was emanating from the living room. Tara was in front of Xander as they ran in and skidded to a stop. Isobel was gently running her small hands down Willow's arms, both witches engulfed in a warm yellow light.
As her hands reached Willow's fingertips, Isobel let go and fell backwards, landing on her rear. She giggled lightly as the glow dispersed. Tara moved first, rushing up beside her daughter.
Willow shrunk back into the chair. She knew she should say something, but she wasn't sure exactly what had happened.
Isobel tugged at Tara's pants. "I healed her Mama, she was hurt."
The little girl snuck around Tara's leg and looked at Willow's arms again. Her eyebrows came together as she frowned.
"It didn't work Mommy. Your arms are still hurt."
Willow looked down to see Isobel tracing her old scars with her tiny fingers.
"Oh baby, those happened a long time ago, so you can't help that. You did great, you healed so much, see! No more pain."
She raised her hands palms up, still pink with new skin.
"But you need to ask your Mama before you use your magick like that Ok? "
Isobel looked up at Tara, "Are you angry at me Mama?"
"No honey, no. But it's been a big day, let's get you to sleep." Isobel yawned and reached up for her Mama to lift her.
Tara looked at Willow again, who was now curled up in a ball on the chair, her arms wrapped around her middle.
"Do you know who we are? I mean do you know me?" Tara asked quietly.
"I'm sorry Tara. I was just about to do the spell when I heard Isobel shout. I came to help."
Tara really examined Willow for the first time tonight. Her hair was a mess, the ends singed. Her shirt was ragged, torn and scorched. She looked exhausted. She was again trying to cover the scars on her arms. They were deep and long and Tara couldn't imagine how Willow had gotten them.
"You can sleep on the couch. We need to talk in the morning."
Willow looked up with surprise in her eyes. "Thank you. I honestly don't know that I could have made it home."
"Well then, I'm going to clean up outside and keep an eye out, so you ladies rest," Xander interjected, and with that they all said goodnight.