Chapter Sixty-Three

Witches

A/N Not much to say actually, just that seriously how many characters does season 7 have, like a lot. And it's tricky to keep up with plots for all of them and so I apologise for that, but there's so many people around all the time. I've focussed my attention where the plots are. Oh and just remember that Buffy's room is still the same room she's had the entire season, because Willow and Tara never moved room.

Sunnydale, the world without shrimp 2003

It was daylight, the morning after Buffy defeated Caleb at the graveyard, and she'd had the idea. First thing she'd gone to Faith and explained the thoughts she'd had the night before. And a plan was set into motion, Buffy would gather everyone in her bedroom in the morning and explain what the plan was for defeating the First. So here they were, all the core of the gang; Buffy standing in front of the wardrobe beside Faith who stood with her arms folded, then Xander and Anya were standing in the corner beside Giles, Willow and Tara with Dawn on the bed, Andrew was downstairs trying to keep the potentials from interfering, they'd be told the plan later, first, Buffy needed everyone to be in agreement.

"What do you think?" She said, mainly looking down at the witches on the bed, she needed them, and their power to make this work. Then she looked back at Faith with eyes that hoped they would agree. Everyone started saying things; like that it was kinda crazy, Anya admitted it was kinda brilliant. Giles said that it went against everything they've ever known, but that was the point. The system was wrong, it had been for centuries and it needed changing. Dawn was keeping quiet amongst the rabble because she was thinking about afterwards. Afterwards, would Buffy be able to have a normal life? Would she be needed? What was going to be the outcome of all this? She really was starting to think like a watcher, thinking, instead of acting. The principal opposite of a slayer, how she ever thought she could be a fighter like that was pressured by jealousy and naivety.

"-every generation has ever done in the fight against evil. I agree with Anya, it's bloody brilliant Buffy." Giles finished saying as a small smile graced its way into Buffy's cheeks, the little lines etching as Willow started shuffling awkwardly on the bed.

"Whoa, hey wait a sec." She said, Tara turning to her, holding out her hand for support, which Willow held tightly. "We're the ones who are going to have to pull this thing off." She gestured to the two of them and stared back at Buffy and Faith. "It's a hefty spell Buffy, d'you really think we can handle it?" She continued, Willow knew this was beyond anything she'd ever done, was she ready? Was it all going to be too much? She didn't know if turning that far down the road in magic would make her bad again, this could destroy the world as far as she knew. Tara gave her hand a little squeeze and looked into her deep green eyes.

"Sweetie, I think we can do it. Buffy's right, it's the only way to beat them. We have to do this, and we'll do it together." Tara believed she could do it, but he wanted Buffy to know this wasn't to be taken lightly, it was going beyond everything she'd ever known, to the unknown magic grey area, would she be able to come back from that?

Willow pointed her finger out at Buffy and said, "this goes beyond anything I've ever done and it's a total loss of control." She said, pausing for a few seconds because she'd just thought of the perfect joke to lighten the mood. "And not in a nice wholesome, Tara and her tongue kinda way." Everybody's heads move in succession to stare at Tara, who immediately blushes furiously and hits Willow on the arm.

"O.k. Tara not that I wanna think about that but it's in my mind now." Xander says, he was trying to clear the air but it didn't quite come out the way he'd planned.

Until Anya leaned over him and tried some tact of her own, "congratulations on the multiple orgasmic experiences." She said, patting Willow's arm but letting Xander grab her shoulders and pull her to the side. Buffy was still in mild shock and Dawn was trying to work out what Willow meant, and whether Anya was just being weird or not.

Xander held Anya's wrists as he spoke to her, because they'd gotten back together, it was now his assumed role to make sure Anya didn't say anything weird. But people had started noticing this between them. "You're being rude An, and embarrassing." Everybody notices the 'An' and takes note, looking round at Xander and Anya, the way he's holding her by the shoulders. It was something they'd seen him do countless times but the recognition of it just made them stare harder, forgetting the real reason they were all sitting here together in the first place.

"Oh, tongue." Dawn said, bringing everyone back to the task at hand, somehow.

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could do it." Buffy directed at Willow and Tara - who was still mildly blushing, but the smirk on Willow's face had gone and was now replaced once more with worry. Everyone gradually made their excuses and left, Xander calling Anya sweetie just made Tara smile at them, because on a subconscious level everyone knew they were together, it'd gotten obvious with time, they couldn't stay apart. And everyone was happy for them, Willow herself though was preoccupied with the though of the scale of the spell they were about to undertake.

Willow stood opposite Buffy as she handed over the scythe, Tara came out from behind her and they held the weapon together - their hands overlapping. They would do research on it that night and figure out what they would need for the spell, then the plan was that Kennedy would be with them and would bring the scythe down to Buffy in the Hellmouth once the spell was completed. It would be intense - probably the hardest and most powerful spell they would ever do but they had to, to save the world, they had to do it.

It was their last night of freedom before everything changed, they knew everything would, if this spell worked, it would change the way their world worked. It was powerful magic, Willow was worried it would turn her bad again but Tara had been thinking. It wasn't that they were changing the natural order of things, it was like they were flipping on an optional switch. Morally it was a grey area, putting more girl's lives in danger but spreading out the load, so overall it was less pressure on each one.

Willow and Tara were sitting on their bed, the electric still out so there was a gentle glow from a dozen floating candles surrounding them, bright and flickering extra flamey candles that emitted a mood into the air. It was magic, the magic between them giving them hope and trust and courage. Tara had enchanted them like that to make Willow feel more comfortable, she knew this would affect her girlfriend the most. Over the year her own magic had grown considerably and the laws of magic were strict guidelines in her mind now, she'd flown far past what her mother had taught her in youth. But she always upheld the laws of nature, and she knew Willow was too. The coven had taught them so much to do with the earth and nature magic. Using what they have around them, instead of ripping holes in the energy field. Magic was always going to be like science, a science that can go tragically wrong if you don't follow the rules.

They were laying against the headboard, Willow laying back onto Tara as she felt the warmth flow between them. Her hair was being stroked through by gentle hands and she felt close to peace. But if this was their last night, maybe their last night before everything changed, then she didn't want to think, thinking was for tomorrow, concentrating, trying to get it right. Now was for peace.

"Tara?" She said quietly, twiddling with the ends of the auburn spreading over her shoulders. Her breathing shallowed as she picked herself up, letting Tara's hands fall off her head and cup her cheeks as their eyes peered into the other's. "Can we not think anymore?" Willow said softly, as Tara nodded and pressed their lips together softly, checking this is what Willow meant. When she was meant with an eager nose bumping lightly against her own, their skin melting into one warmth. Willow smiled a little as their lips casually crashed together, either of them gently deepening the kisses as they evolved. They knew that it wouldn't go further than this tonight, but they could spend hours wrapped up in that position, bodies molding as they ended up laying down - heads resting on the pillows but ignored as their lips focussed in on each other.

The candles dimed themselves as they lay back further, wrapped in each other, the world was nothing to them now. It was never breathy, kissing lightly, tugging at each other's tongues, doesn't make you lack for breath. In fact the opposite, the body takes little breaths in between lip lock as it has to. It's a reflex, thought Tara always pulled back after a minute or two to check they where still ok. To look over Willow's face and see the gentle flush that made her so real. Then Willow would inch back to her nipping at her lips and crashing them back together again. True peace.

They were set up in one of the classrooms, candles spread out all over the floor as they sat cross-legged opposite each other. The scythe was between them, the silver blade so close to stitching wounds into Tara's knee that she flinched slightly. Kennedy was standing by the the door with a stake in her hand, waiting for the spell to be over. Waiting to feel the spell take effect. Nervously Willow gave Kennedy a slight cautious look and warned her about getting too close to them when the spell started.

"Baby, it'll be ok." Tara said reassuringly, using Willow's favourite pet name because this was one of those times she needed that little spark of love running through her. Clutching Willow's knee she knew they needed to start sooner rather than later but she felt there was time for one last kiss. If the world was going to end they'd earned that much. Pressing their lips together in that simple way made Willow feel at ease, her legs still feelings like jelly though as their crossed neatly under her palms.

As they began the spell Willow still had jitters as her fingers grasped the handle of the great weapon, the metal cold beneath her fingertips she closed her eyes and lifted her head straight to where Tara was sitting, her own body mirroring that of Willow's. There was no enchanting, just channeling of magic from Willow and Tara's own bodies - pulled through the earth they were drawing power to the scythe. As the slayer's weapon it had certain powers and abilities that when put together and strengthened by the earth magic would do something crazy, ridiculous and never done. It was impossible only by the feat that no one had ever tried it. This spell would abolish all the ancient laws and set about a new wave of fighting evil.

As the power wove through their bodies, voice started streaming out of the witches' mouths, single words and strands that weren't their own. The voices of the past slayers, of the women who'd carried this weapon and used its power to fight the forces of darkness. To beat back the demons and the vampires. Then as the scythe began to glow a bright white the power reached its crux. Their faces shot upwards, eyes open and glowing the reflection of the light they power stream flowing through them as it began to work. Underneath her fingertips Willow could feel the power spreading through the scythe and through every potential slayer down in the pit of hell, every girl in the world born to be a slayer would be a slayer. Over a thousand of them fighting, ready to face the darkness and win.

Willow's hair flickered, changing to a albino white as she gasped in the essence of the scythe, the power going from a moral grey area to a white magic that spread through their veins like the dark once had. Willow was cleansed, all the dark magic she'd consumed was gone, flushed out through the scythe and tempered, now it was only good. She felt what Tara felt, that she was strong and capable and real, and able to do this.

Kennedy wasn't exactly sure what she was witnessing, but glowing witches wasn't exactly a spec on the guidebook she'd been given before coming here. She watched as Willow's hair changed back to its usual red and she felt the power suddenly surging through her veins. She knew what her destiny was, what the slayer heritage meant. Like her skin was on fire with adrenaline because she needed the release. Walking towards Willow held out the scythe and she grabbed it with both hands, running freely from the room, but hanging back for just a second between the door opening and slamming. "You guys are goddesses." She said before leaving for the school basement/Hellmouth.

All Willow and Tara could do was laugh as they tried to stand. Tara let Willow grip onto her arms as they pulled each other up, clambering out of the room as the walls began to crumble around them. Everyone was running, screaming even, to try and get out safely, the spell had ended just minutes before and suddenly it was all over. The walls were collapsing, neither of them had any idea what was going on down in the pit but whatever it was, there would need to be some serious re-rebuilding after this. Running through the hole in the school that use to frame the doors, Willow ran out ahead, still holding Tara's hand as they were ran for one of the school buses.

Willow couldn't see Robin anywhere, but Anya and Giles were trying to lift Xander onto the bus, slayers running out from the crashing building - dust clouds climbing high up into the air, making everybody cough. They made it to the bus but Tara stood on the steps until she saw Dawn run out and around her to sit by Xander, he didn't look good, there was a gashing wound leaking blood from his abdomen. Buffy was nowhere in sight but the last person to run in before they left was Faith. No sign of Spike either. As they started driving, the reality of loss hit both of them. Had they lost Buffy? Who else was gone? Everyone on the bus was accounted for, but where was Spike? And Robin?