"You should go."
"A-are you sure you don't want me to stay? J-just, you know, in case?"
Xander sat back against the wall, closing his eyes. "I won't be able to do this with you here."
Tara stood up, grabbing her sweater and bag. "If anything happens, remember what I told you. You should be ok."
"I get the feeling that no matter how this works out, I won't just be okay, Tara."
He walked her to the door, trying to steel himself for what was coming. More than once, he looked back, wishing he had asked her to stay. He sighed, and moved into the circle Tara prepared for him.
The ritual was simple, and he managed to get all the words out without really thinking about them. He sat, waiting in the darkness, expecting a flash, or some other sign that it'd worked. Nothing happened, though, and he was preparing to go over the notes Tara had left for him again, when a voice came from behind him.
"You are either incredibly stupid, or completely insane to summon me."
The voice wasn't what he remembered. It was lower, and there was a quality to it he couldn't quit place. He turned slowly, doing his best not to show any sort of surprise when he saw her.
He failed, as she looked exactly as he remembered. "Even more beautiful," he thought to himself, finding that he was too frightened to say anything out loud.
Her face softened for a moment when she saw him, but then her eyes took on a hard edge. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood. I could kill you right now. But I won't."
"I'm sorry," he said, tears welling up, "I'm so sorry, Anya."
"My name," she said, stepping toward him, "is Anyanka. Anya died the day you abandoned her."
Xander vainly tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. This wasn't what he'd been expecting, and he mind reeled as he tried to find something more to say. He managed to squeek out another "I'm sorry", but was otherwise silent.
"I don't care. Why did you call me?"
In a small voice, Xander said, "We need you."
Anyanka laughed. "What? What was that? Did you say you need me?"
"Yes. Look," Xander said, regaining some small measure of composure, "I'm sure you know what's happening. And we need you to fight it."
"Why should I help you? You're just another man."
The last word was so venom-soaked, Xander nearly forgot Tara's warning, and stepped outside of the circle. He stopped himself, though, and said, "Yes. We havea way to fight it. But we all need you."
Anyanka stepped forward, a seductive tone entering her voice as she said, "Do you need me?"
Power flared from the circle that surrounded Xander, and Anyanka stopped, hissing. A hint of something vaguely reptilian slid over her face, and she spat, "I should have known you'd have that witch's help."
"It's only a precaution. So that you will listen to what I have to say. After that... No matter what you decide, I'll break the circle."
She thought, and said, "I'll listen. But talk only about your plan. I don't want to hear anything more about how sorry you are."
He filled in the details, watching her for some sort of reaction.
After a long moment, she said, "It might work."
"And I will help you. But I don't do it for you, or any of your little friends. And afterward," she said, the pendant at her neck flashing green in the darkness, "I will deal with you."
---
While Xander lay in a crumpled heap, crying uncontrollably, Tara and Willow sat together, talking.
"I can't do this, Tara. Not after everything that's happened, after all the things I did. I can't go back to that."
"You won't. I'll be with you, I promise I will."
"And if it doesn't matter?" Willow asked, her face falling, "What then?"
Tara took Willows hand, and gently kissed it. "I won't leave this time. I'll pull you back."
"I love you too much to do anything else."
Willow nodded, and as she leaned forward to kiss Tara, the two of them began summoning power. It flowed through them, the air around them crackling. They broke the kiss, and stared at eachother, one with eyes of purest black, the other, with eyes that glowed white in the darkness.
---
Buffy lay in Spike's arms, relishing the way his skin warmed where it touched her. She sighed, wishing it could go on forever. Spike swept his fingertips lightly across her forehead, trailing them down the side of her face. He cupped her chin, and pulled her up into a kiss.
They fell into the familiar rhythms of lovemaking, their motions slow and gentle. As the passion built within them both, Spike sat up, kissing her roughly. She grabbed his wrists, pinning them to the bed, and stopped, staring down into his eyes.
He looked up at her, his eyes pleading, and struggled against her.
"I love you," she said.
Spike pushed up from the bed, and they rolled together onto the floor. Buffy struggled against him, laughing, as he held her wrists above her head in one, strong hand.
"I love you, too," he said, as he leaned in to kiss her again, this time with just the slightest hint of cruelty.
---
Giles sat alone, reading from one of the many volumes on the table before him. He felt movement behind him, and turned, seeing a shadowy figure.
"I've been waiting for you," he said, tossing his glasses onto the table.
"Do the others know yet?"
"No. I thought it best I be sure before I said anything. After all," he said, replacing the glasses on his face, "we couldn't take the chance the enemy would find out."
The figure laughed, the sound sweet, and gentle.
"No. No we could not."
---
Dawn stared at her diary, listening to the music she'd put on, while trying to figure out what to write. She read over the many starts she had made, all of them crossed out. "In case I can't do this tomorrow", "If we die tonight", "I wonder if he's a good kisser". She paused at that last, a small smile playing across her face. She imagined them together, and choked, trying not to laugh.
She shook her head, and stared at the paper again, deciding what she needed to say.
"'I, I looked into your eyes and saw
A world that does not exist
I looked into your eyes and saw
A world I wish I was in'
I'm glad Buffy finally understands. I'm happy Spike is part of the family now. In case this is the last thing I write, I need to say I love them both, so much. And I'm glad more than anything else that I could see Buffy smile again.
'I'll never find someone quite as touched as you
I'll never love someone quite the way that I loved you'
That's for you, Spike. Maybe if Buffy liked my music, she would've figured things out sooner."
---
James sat in the darkness, rocking back and forth, as he felt the outside thoughts creeping across his mind. He cried silently, muttering the same phrase over and over again.
"Pleasenopleasenopleasenopleasenopleaseno..."
---
Notes: The lyrics that open and close Dawn's journal entry are from the song Touched, by VAST. I only wish I could write lyrics like that *grin* The next part should be the last, but it will be long, and will take me a while to finish. I will try to get it up this week, though. As always, review and let me know what you like, and what you don't.
"A-are you sure you don't want me to stay? J-just, you know, in case?"
Xander sat back against the wall, closing his eyes. "I won't be able to do this with you here."
Tara stood up, grabbing her sweater and bag. "If anything happens, remember what I told you. You should be ok."
"I get the feeling that no matter how this works out, I won't just be okay, Tara."
He walked her to the door, trying to steel himself for what was coming. More than once, he looked back, wishing he had asked her to stay. He sighed, and moved into the circle Tara prepared for him.
The ritual was simple, and he managed to get all the words out without really thinking about them. He sat, waiting in the darkness, expecting a flash, or some other sign that it'd worked. Nothing happened, though, and he was preparing to go over the notes Tara had left for him again, when a voice came from behind him.
"You are either incredibly stupid, or completely insane to summon me."
The voice wasn't what he remembered. It was lower, and there was a quality to it he couldn't quit place. He turned slowly, doing his best not to show any sort of surprise when he saw her.
He failed, as she looked exactly as he remembered. "Even more beautiful," he thought to himself, finding that he was too frightened to say anything out loud.
Her face softened for a moment when she saw him, but then her eyes took on a hard edge. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood. I could kill you right now. But I won't."
"I'm sorry," he said, tears welling up, "I'm so sorry, Anya."
"My name," she said, stepping toward him, "is Anyanka. Anya died the day you abandoned her."
Xander vainly tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. This wasn't what he'd been expecting, and he mind reeled as he tried to find something more to say. He managed to squeek out another "I'm sorry", but was otherwise silent.
"I don't care. Why did you call me?"
In a small voice, Xander said, "We need you."
Anyanka laughed. "What? What was that? Did you say you need me?"
"Yes. Look," Xander said, regaining some small measure of composure, "I'm sure you know what's happening. And we need you to fight it."
"Why should I help you? You're just another man."
The last word was so venom-soaked, Xander nearly forgot Tara's warning, and stepped outside of the circle. He stopped himself, though, and said, "Yes. We havea way to fight it. But we all need you."
Anyanka stepped forward, a seductive tone entering her voice as she said, "Do you need me?"
Power flared from the circle that surrounded Xander, and Anyanka stopped, hissing. A hint of something vaguely reptilian slid over her face, and she spat, "I should have known you'd have that witch's help."
"It's only a precaution. So that you will listen to what I have to say. After that... No matter what you decide, I'll break the circle."
She thought, and said, "I'll listen. But talk only about your plan. I don't want to hear anything more about how sorry you are."
He filled in the details, watching her for some sort of reaction.
After a long moment, she said, "It might work."
"And I will help you. But I don't do it for you, or any of your little friends. And afterward," she said, the pendant at her neck flashing green in the darkness, "I will deal with you."
---
While Xander lay in a crumpled heap, crying uncontrollably, Tara and Willow sat together, talking.
"I can't do this, Tara. Not after everything that's happened, after all the things I did. I can't go back to that."
"You won't. I'll be with you, I promise I will."
"And if it doesn't matter?" Willow asked, her face falling, "What then?"
Tara took Willows hand, and gently kissed it. "I won't leave this time. I'll pull you back."
"I love you too much to do anything else."
Willow nodded, and as she leaned forward to kiss Tara, the two of them began summoning power. It flowed through them, the air around them crackling. They broke the kiss, and stared at eachother, one with eyes of purest black, the other, with eyes that glowed white in the darkness.
---
Buffy lay in Spike's arms, relishing the way his skin warmed where it touched her. She sighed, wishing it could go on forever. Spike swept his fingertips lightly across her forehead, trailing them down the side of her face. He cupped her chin, and pulled her up into a kiss.
They fell into the familiar rhythms of lovemaking, their motions slow and gentle. As the passion built within them both, Spike sat up, kissing her roughly. She grabbed his wrists, pinning them to the bed, and stopped, staring down into his eyes.
He looked up at her, his eyes pleading, and struggled against her.
"I love you," she said.
Spike pushed up from the bed, and they rolled together onto the floor. Buffy struggled against him, laughing, as he held her wrists above her head in one, strong hand.
"I love you, too," he said, as he leaned in to kiss her again, this time with just the slightest hint of cruelty.
---
Giles sat alone, reading from one of the many volumes on the table before him. He felt movement behind him, and turned, seeing a shadowy figure.
"I've been waiting for you," he said, tossing his glasses onto the table.
"Do the others know yet?"
"No. I thought it best I be sure before I said anything. After all," he said, replacing the glasses on his face, "we couldn't take the chance the enemy would find out."
The figure laughed, the sound sweet, and gentle.
"No. No we could not."
---
Dawn stared at her diary, listening to the music she'd put on, while trying to figure out what to write. She read over the many starts she had made, all of them crossed out. "In case I can't do this tomorrow", "If we die tonight", "I wonder if he's a good kisser". She paused at that last, a small smile playing across her face. She imagined them together, and choked, trying not to laugh.
She shook her head, and stared at the paper again, deciding what she needed to say.
"'I, I looked into your eyes and saw
A world that does not exist
I looked into your eyes and saw
A world I wish I was in'
I'm glad Buffy finally understands. I'm happy Spike is part of the family now. In case this is the last thing I write, I need to say I love them both, so much. And I'm glad more than anything else that I could see Buffy smile again.
'I'll never find someone quite as touched as you
I'll never love someone quite the way that I loved you'
That's for you, Spike. Maybe if Buffy liked my music, she would've figured things out sooner."
---
James sat in the darkness, rocking back and forth, as he felt the outside thoughts creeping across his mind. He cried silently, muttering the same phrase over and over again.
"Pleasenopleasenopleasenopleasenopleaseno..."
---
Notes: The lyrics that open and close Dawn's journal entry are from the song Touched, by VAST. I only wish I could write lyrics like that *grin* The next part should be the last, but it will be long, and will take me a while to finish. I will try to get it up this week, though. As always, review and let me know what you like, and what you don't.