CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
Through the Fire
"You're going to tell them, right?" Spike asked.
"Yes. For the trillionth time, yes," Buffy said, pulling her black leather jacket out of the closet.
They were up in their room getting ready to go to the warehouse. The Scoobies, including Tara, were supposed to meet at Buffy's house at eleven o'clock because Ledic had told them that the Imbolc celebration would begin officially at midnight. They didn't want to get there any earlier because they didn't want to be seen. Their demon compatriots would be waiting for them downtown.
Spike had been nagging Buffy all day to tell everyone the truth about her resurrection choice. She'd said yes, but he was afraid she would renege.
"I'll tell them right after the battle," Buffy said. She looked in the mirror and patted her hair. At least in the mirror she didn't have to see him as he ground away at her.
"No," Spike said. "You'll tell them before we leave."
"What? We don't have enough to worry about tonight? We have to do true confessions too? . . . It can wait."
Buffy started toward the door, but Spike used his vampire speed to block her way.
"No," he said. "The eagle appeared in your dream last night for a reason. You know as well as I do that there's no way of being certain what's going to happen tonight. Some of us may not come back. You shouldn't leave anything unsaid."
"I wanted to put it off till I got used to the idea myself."
"Sometimes you don't get that luxury, Slayer."
"Oh, all right," she said, her shoulders sagging. "If I must."
"That's a good little Slayer," Spike said, opening the door. He gestured grandly. "After you."
Spike let the subject drop until everyone was assembled. At that point, Giles felt he had a few words to say. As far as Spike was concerned, none of it was important. It was just a repeat of what he'd said before. The order of the plan, where everybody was going to be . . . That sort of rot. When Giles was finished Spike looked at his other half to see if she'd say anything. She didn't. "Buffy . . ." he urged.
"It's eleven o'clock," Tara said. "We'd better be going."
"Right," Buffy agreed. "It's late, let's go."
Everyone headed for the door, but once again Spike used his vampire speed to get there first. "No!" he said, leaning against the door, looking quite impertinent. "Nobody's going anywhere yet. Buffy has something to say."
"Spike," Tara said. "The time."
"I know. It won't take long if the she speaks up quickly."
Buffy looked down, hesitating.
"Better get on with it, Slayer. I'm not moving till you do. I took the blame for the last two things you kept back on. Remember? I'm not doing it this time."
"What is it, Buffy?" Giles asked.
Buffy pulled away from the others. "There was something more the Guide in the desert told me," she said slowly. "I didn't believe her because I didn't remember it. But then . . . I had this dream last night and everything came back to me. When Willow did the resurrection spell, I was pulled from Heaven like I said. But that wasn't the whole story. When the spell was interrupted, I found myself standing in this in-between area. Sort of a dividing line between worlds. I heard how much all of you needed me. And I realized I had a choice. I could continue on toward life or turn back to Heaven. I decided to come here. But the passing through dimensions was painful and left me confused, so I couldn't remember all of it till now. I didn't know I was going to come back immortal, but I did choose to come back."
"That explains why you weren't resurrected right away," Tara said. "We expected you to cross over sooner. But you didn't. Xander had to drag Willow away to keep her from being hurt by those biker demons. That must have been when you were making up your mind."
"Then . . . then you wanted to come back to us?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah."
Dawn threw herself around her sister so hard it almost knocked her over. "Then you don't want to leave us again!" That was the thing she'd been most worried about.
"No," Buffy said, hugging her sister, "I don't want to leave you. You're stuck with me."
"And I guess you aren't quite as angry about us trying to bring you back?" Xander said.
"Except maybe a little about that immortality thing," Anya said.
It looked like Giles wanted to say something too, but Spike cut him off as soon as he opened his mouth. They didn't have time for yet another measured Giles speech. "Right!" Spike said. "Let's go kick some butt." And he opened the door and pushed Zachary out ahead of him.
- - - - - - - - - -
Buffy and Spike rode down to the tunnel entrance on their motorcycle. Xander came just behind them in his car with everyone else.
"Be careful," Xander said, as he kissed Anya goodbye and turned the driver's seat over to Giles.
"YOU be careful," Anya returned. "In my present state I'm pretty hard to kill."
Masichuvio and a sizeable group of his people were already waiting inside the tunnels. As before, they carried no weapons because it was impossible to hold onto anything when they dematerialized. Buffy, Spike, and Xander were all carrying crossbows in hand, with short swords strapped at their waists.
"Mas!" Buffy said, by way of greeting.
"Slayer," Masichuvio said, with a respectful bow.
Tara appeared in their midst. "I've checked the tunnels. They're clear. Now I'm going to make sure the area around Masichuvio's building is clear too so the coven group will be safe." And with that, she faded into mist.
"Let's go then," Buffy said, turning on the flashlight that she had strapped to her belt along with the sword. "We'll lead because we've got the weapons."
"As you say," Masichuvio agreed.
Buffy led the way with Spike at her left in their usual battle position. Xander came slightly behind, followed by the Shadows.
"You know," Spike whispered, "one of these days you should really learn how to say his name."
"Whose?"
"Masichuvio's."
"I will," Buffy said. "One of these days."
- - - - - - - - - -
Giles and Anya parked in the alley next to Masichuvio's building. The rest of the coven and the larger battalion of Shadows were waiting on the first floor. Tara had told them that just before midnight the Fire demons would be "clearing the street" in front of the warehouse so they wouldn't have to worry about the human authorities interfering. There was still one police car and one fire truck keeping watch. Each had two uniformed men in attendance. Doc was afraid that once the activities started in the warehouse, the authorities would feel obligated to take action. He knew a show of force would frighten them into their famous state of denial.
At ten minutes before the hour, the fire ring around the warehouse was lowered and several Fire demons stepped through. The men on duty were completely caught off guard. Four of the demons aimed fire jets at them, injuring two of them very badly. The rest of the demons shot at the gas tanks of the men's vehicles, causing them to explode into flames.
Their work done, the demons stepped back through the fire circle to stand guard outside the front doors of the warehouse. Immediately the flames rose up behind them, going higher this time, till they roared well above the warehouse. It was a warning to everyone within sight to stay back.
Giles watched the fire rise up from a broken window in Masichuvio's building and he knew it was almost time.
- - - - - - - - - -
As the fire circle mounted into the sky, the inside of the dimly lit warehouse was filled with the flickering tongues of light reflecting through the frosted windows. When the midnight hour struck, various minions of Doc's and Rack's lit the candles and torches that covered the high ceilinged hall. As they worked, they chanted:
"Imbolc na san narrah,
Limna tolma esan na,
Reh nom Ra tanarrah,
Tolma Ra tudebah."
It was a simple welcome to Imbolc and the sun. And a promise to forever serve the fire.
There were Fire demons standing quietly in front of each of the banners. Their orders were to keep watch and stay out of the way. They had not been invited to join the celebration or help in its magical conclusion.
Doc led Willow up from her basement enclosure. Her eyes were open now for the purpose of walking, but she was still under Doc's control. Fanning out around them were five witches carrying the crystals that gave Doc power over Willow's mind. Rack and Amy walked just behind them carrying lit orange candles. They in turn were followed by the main members of Rack's coven, most of whom were human.
Everyone was chanting now, except for the Fire demons.
"Imbolc na san narrah,
Limna tolma esan na,
Reh nom Ra tanarrah,
Tolma Ra tudebah."
- - - - - - - - - -
Buffy and her crew meanwhile had completed their journey through the tunnels and had reached the ladder that led up into the warehouse basement. Swimmer, the Nazari who lived in the tunnels, met them at the spot where the entrance to the warehouse was magically concealed.
"Here it is," he announced helpfully. "This is the way in. I didn't want you to have to look for it."
"Thank you," Buffy said.
"Now I will go and keep watch at the front of the tunnels to make sure you aren't surprised from behind," Swimmer said. And he splashed away.
Ledic was on the basement level of the warehouse with a contingency of guards. No one had been posted in the tunnels below because Doc didn't want to scatter his forces. He doubted there would be an attack from the tunnels since he thought he'd gotten rid of Buffy and the Scoobies. And he didn't think the Shadows would attack on their own.
Ledic had told Tara that when the battle began, the downstairs guards would probably go upstairs. In which case, he would unlock the tunnel door. If the guards didn't go up, Ledic promised to signal Buffy by kicking at the door. Then the Shadows would float through the floor, fight the guards, and unlock the door for Buffy, Spike, and Xander.
- - - - - - - - - -
Tara appeared to Giles's group at Masichuvio's building. "They're bringing Willow up now," she said.
"Then it's time for us to go," Giles said. "We need to assemble the coven and move the Shadow battalion into place.
He led the group out into the street, but they could not go very far. The massive flames in the circle of fire gave off a lot of heat. The magical barrier was on the inside of the circle so that it protected the warehouse and radiated the heat outward.
"We can't get that close," Giles said.
"Then we will begin our circle right here in the street," Anya said confidently. "I've seen lots worse fires than this. And we have the means to destroy it." She changed into her demon face and sat down. From out of her robes she pulled the Diamond of Gunab. "Let's begin," she said.
Without questioning, Anya's demon coven sat down in a circle around her. Ohanzee and the other Shadows sat expressionless, their backs straight. Speaker, the Nazari, leaned forward eagerly and watched Anya carefully. It was his big chance to be a hero and he didn't want to make any mistakes.
Anya held the diamond in her hands and began to chant. "Plettenia Gunab. Plettenia et triumphe serrenta Gunab."
The rest of the coven repeated the chant as they raised their hands to the center towards Anya. "Plettenia Gunab. Plettenia et triumphe serrenta Gunab."
The chant, invoked the diamond's power. It was Anya's will that would steer it. As they chanted, a blue light flowed out of the diamond and filled the area of the circle above and around the coven.
Giles stood just behind them, a crossbow and a book of alternate spells at the ready. Zachary and Dawn were off a bit by themselves, holding hands and gazing up at the gigantic wall of flames.
"It's big, isn't it?" was all that Zachary could say.
- - - - - - - - - -
Doc placed Willow in the center of the pentagram that had been painted on the warehouse floor. The crystals that had kept her in control all this time were set into the points of the star next to the flaming orange crystals that controlled the outside barrier. Doc stood at the top of the star and began speaking the words of the spell that would open the Hell portal. It was basically an ode to Glorificus. He praised her for all the evil she'd done and the power that she possessed. Then he capped it off by praising a list of other Hell gods as well. He offered them the souls of all that were present and the lives of all those within the dimension. The rest of Rack's coven raised their arms to Willow, adding their power to hers and making her their center. In answer to their spell, a yellow light sprang forth at the foot of the pentagram. It glowed brighter and brighter, gradually turning orange and then red. The outline of a door appeared. It was edged with yellow and white light. As it began to open, screams could be heard from the other side.
"Hurry, hurry," Tara whispered to herself as she stood invisibly at her lover's right hand.
- - - - - - - - - -
Outside, the blue light emanating from the Diamond of Gunab was growing stronger and brighter. It branched out and up toward the circle of fire. Then it separated into fingers which grasped the ring and engulfed it in a blue highlight. When the Fire demons guarding the outside of the warehouse saw it they started talking excitedly amongst themselves, wondering what to do.
Anya's coven continued chanting and the blue light expanded on. It next reached for the warehouse itself, pouring out over it and then sinking in through the roof.
Once inside, the blue light trickled down the walls and flowed over everyone but Willow. As she had promised, Anya had excluded Willow from the power drain. But no one except Tara noticed. They were much too busy worrying about themselves, for everyone knew they were in the midst of some kind of big magic. The chanting of Doc's minions stopped as they watched the advancing blue light. The door opening to the Hell dimension stopped as well because everyone had lost their focus.
- - - - - - - - - -
The first hint of the blue light's power came as the ring of fire outside became lower and then disappeared completely. It left the area in front of the warehouse in darkness, except for the flickering lights that shone from inside. The Fire demons readied themselves. They had a pretty good idea of what was going on. They had faced this blue light before in battle. It had shorn them of their new ability to throw fire jets. They knew that somehow the Slayer and the Shadows had found a way to increase that power, which before had been so localized. They looked out across the parking lot expecting to see their enemies shortly. It was time to fight.
The Shadows knew this as well. They stepped away from Anya's coven to meet their ancient foe. At least now they would fight as they were meant to fight. The Fire demons would aim their fireballs at them as they had always done and the Shadows would disassemble to avoid them. Eventually there would be hand to hand combat between the two sets of demons.
Dawn and Zachary loaded their crossbows and prepared themselves as the Shadows surged forward and a struggle ensued. Zachary thought his heart would beat straight out of his chest when he saw the Fire demons shoot fireballs.
The plan was that the Shadows would try and fade through the door quickly, thus beginning the fight inside the warehouse. But the Fire demons were putting up a stronger battle than expected.
"We'd better help," Giles said to his young charges. "If they take too long to get inside the demon members of Doc's group might be able to start an offensive. Follow me." He marched toward the parking lot and aimed his crossbow. He managed to catch one Fire demon in the leg. "Shoot!" he ordered.
Dawn did as she was told, but her first arrow went astray. Zachary hesitated for a moment, but then he adjusted his tough guy persona as Spike had taught him and shot. He got a Fire demon in the shoulder. A few more shots and several Shadows were free to evaporate inside the warehouse. The injured Fire demons left the battle and took off into the night. They felt, if Doc could not protect them, then they were better off leaving the battle behind.
The arrows kept coming and the Shadows were easily able to open the warehouse doors. They had never been properly repaired since the day Buffy and Spike had knocked them down. Doc had been relying on the magic barrier to keep out his enemies. Once the doors were down, complete confusion erupted inside. Giles and his archers moved in closer to give what help they could to the Shadows. But they didn't go in because Giles wanted to keep the teenagers out of danger if at all possible.
- - - - - - - - - -
In the basement, the Fire demon guards heard the commotion. Without a second's thought, all but Ledic ran up the stairs. As soon as he was alone, he unlocked the door down to the tunnels and ushered in Buffy and her crew. The Shadows didn't wait. As soon as they knew the basement was clear, they started floating up through the floors to join their people in combat.
When the second battalion of Shadows arrived, Doc moved into the fight with several of his demon minions. He too understood the meaning of the blue light. He knew his human allies were now useless to him. In fact, he saw Rack cowering behind a banner. He should have known. The warlock was nothing more than a drug pusher, no matter what he pretended to be. Doc knew he should never have involved him in such an important undertaking. What to do, he wondered. What could be salvaged? With no other plan immediately in mind, he fought back two of the Shadow warriors with a ceremonial sword that he'd been carrying.
In the confusion, Tara appeared at Willow's side and took on solid form. The first thing she did was to smash all the crystals in the arms of the pentagram. That caused Willow to fall to the floor. Tara ran to her and pulled her into her lap. "Willow!" she said, shaking her. "You've got to wake up. We need your help!" Tara had noticed that they'd lowered her magic high because they wanted her powers to run freely during the celebration. So there was a good chance that she would come to herself quickly. "Willow, listen to me. It's Tara. Can you hear me?"
Doc didn't notice Tara with Willow. After he'd dispatched the two Shadows that he'd been fighting, he saw Buffy. She had lost her crossbow and had started using her sword. Most of the Fire demons were too busy to send off fireballs anymore. That required them to stand still for a moment and their opponents weren't giving them time for that. Most of the humans in the warehouse were running for it, leaving the battle entirely to their demon allies. And those numbers were dwindling as well because Ledic was running about trying to talk various members of his people into running off and leaving Doc to his own battle.
"So, you're alive," Doc said, pushing aside the Fire demon that Buffy had been fighting.
"Haven't you heard? I'm immortal now, it's hard to kill me."
Doc didn't usually show anger. But seeing the swaggering slayer once again interfere with his plans infuriated him beyond all measure. Without another word, he raised his sword to engage her in battle. She was now very difficult to kill, just as he was. But he thought if he could get in close enough, then maybe he could take off her head.
Xander and Spike were working in tandem close to the stairwell where they had come up. They had also switched to swords and had just fought off a pair of toothy demons that had been customers of Rack's.
"Hey look. Lizard boy is over there," Xander said, meaning Doc.
"Considering what bad a job we did at getting rid of him last time," Spike said, "maybe we should have another go."
"After you," Xander said.
"No, after you," Spike said, punching a Fire demon who was coming at him. Swords were OK. But Spike preferred flesh on flesh.
By this time Tara had managed to rouse Willow. She was sitting up. In the mêlée no one was paying any attention to them. "Willow. Willow, you've got to talk to me. Say my name."
Willow opened her eyes, but had trouble focusing. "Tara?" she said uncertainly.
"Yes, it's me."
"We brought you back."
"No," Tara said. "YOU brought me back. Only I should have told you sooner. It was that spell that you cast before my funeral."
"Did we send Buffy back to Heaven yet?"
"What? No, she's still here. She's all right."
"I've got to send her back to Heaven so she'll be happy," Willow said, struggling to her feet.
"No, she's happy here."
But Willow pushed Tara aside and stood up. Her powers were at full force, her eyes black. She searched the crowd and saw Buffy fighting with Doc.
Doc had just about given up on killing Buffy. He kept aiming his sword for her neck, but she stopped him short every time. She was much too strong for him. When he saw Xander and Spike coming, he knew it was time to move away. One sword piercing he could take, but if the three of them should pierce him together they might really kill him. So he flipped up into the air to gain some distance. When he came down, he landed close to the pentagram and for the first time he saw Tara.
"You're back as well?" Doc asked. "Doesn't anybody stay dead around here?" And with that, he started toward her.
"Willow!" Tara said, putting her arms around her lover. "Put up a barrier. So we won't be hurt with all the fighting going on."
Willow was only partly aware of the continued skirmish. She was concentrating most of her attention on Buffy, remembering that she was supposed to send her back to Heaven so she would be happy. But she did as Tara said, waving her right hand without ever taking her eyes off Buffy.
Doc saw the black in Willow's eyes and felt the power shoot out from her as she commanded the magical barrier into being. He knew he could never equal Willow's power. His magic was centered in old spells and special potions. Things that needed time. The only weapon he had was the mind control that he had exercised over Willow recently. The crystals were gone, but Willow was not yet herself. She was still open to suggestion. "Willow?" Doc called on the other side of the barrier. "Just as I promised, you've got Tara back. Now you need to complete the rest of the spell we were planning. You need to open the portal so that Buffy can go back to Heaven."
"Yes," Willow said. She recognized his voice and believed he spoke the truth. It was the right thing to do. Return Buffy to Heaven. She'd never wanted to come back. It was only right to undo the resurrection spell. And this was the last part of it. Willow turned to the portal door. Screams could still be heard on the other side. The power that she'd been getting from the rest of Rack's coven was gone. But she knew she could open the door by herself, just not as widely as they'd planned. She reached her hands out and the door started to struggle open again.
"No!" Tara yelled. "Stop!"
Willow heard her beloved's voice and hesitated. "But I have to," she said. "It's the only way for Buffy to be happy."
Buffy came up to the edge of the magical barrier. Xander and Spike tried to follow, but they got caught up fighting demons again.
"But I am happy," Buffy said to her friend.
"No, you're not," Willow answered. "You've just been acting happy for my sake. And you're just with Spike because you're lonely for Heaven."
"That's what Doc told her," Tara said.
"But I love Spike," Buffy said.
"She's just saying that," Doc said. "She doesn't want you to go to any trouble or feel bad about what happened. But you know what you have to do. It's the only way for Buffy to be really happy."
"Yes," Willow agreed. And she reached her hands out toward the portal once again. "I was wrong to bring Buffy back against her will."
"But you didn't," Tara said. "OK. Two can play at this game." Tara put her hands up on either side of Willow's head the way Doc had done so many times before. Only in this case Tara wasn't looking to wipe away her lover's free will. She was instead connecting the two of them together, one mind to the other, so that Willow knew everything that Tara did.
Willow closed her eyes as she sped through the pictures and words that flashed from Tara's mind to hers. She witnessed Tara's murder at Doc's hands. And watched how Rack and Doc had taken over her mind for their own purposes. She heard Tara's words to her while she'd been kept as a prisoner in the warehouse basement, with Ledic standing protectively by. Lastly, she heard Buffy's confession to the Scoobies before they'd come to the warehouse that evening. Willow's eyes flashed open. "You wanted to come back," Willow said to Buffy.
"Yes," Buffy said softly.
"I didn't hurt you. I mean . . . I did. But you wanted to come back."
"Yes."
"I'm so sorry."
"I know, Will. It's all right."
"And you!" Willow said, turning toward Doc. "You killed Tara!"
Doc backed up. He knew his power over her had been broken. He tried to run, but Willow raised her hand and caught him in a pulse of energy. He felt as if strong fingers were holding him in place, crushing him. Slowly Willow raised her hand and Doc levitated into the air.
Out of the corner of her eye, Willow saw Rack moving toward the door with Amy. "And you!" she cried. She raised her other hand and Rack was dragged across the floor toward her.
"Willow!" Tara said. "Don't!" These two men deserved punishment, but not at the price of Willow's soul. Once she turned herself to hatred and vengeance it would be hard to turn back.
When Doc and Rack's followers saw what was happening, they headed for the door. Their leaders had been captured, their cause was destroyed. It was time to go. Ledic had gathered a large group of Fire demons and was now leading them down toward the tunnels and away.
Willow hauled Rack to the pentagram. Then she gazed at Doc dangling above her. She wanted them to suffer, to scatter their atoms across the world as they'd planned to do with Buffy. The hate within her was hot and yearning for blood. She was ready to destroy everyone who had worked with them.
"Don't," Tara begged. She put her arms around Willow. "Please, don't. For your sake."
Willow hesitated, tears collecting in her eyes. "All right," she said. "You wanted this portal open? Then it's only fair that you get to go in and enjoy it." Willow fastened her attention on the portal again, opening it till it was just wide enough. Then she yanked Rack towards it. He begged, he pleaded. But it didn't matter. Willow waved her hand and pushed him inside, where his screams grew louder still. "Next!" she said. And she threw Doc inside as well. There were no screams from him. He was too proud a creature for that. But he knew that once inside he would have a lot of explaining to do. The Hell gods were not kind to those who failed them. "Say hello to Glory for me!" Willow called after them. And she pulled the portal closed again. "That's it!" she declared with another wave of her hand. "Imbolc is over." And with that, she magically extinguished all the torches and candles in the warehouse. All that was left was the blue light of the Diamond of Gunab.
"Wow!" Zachary said, as he stood at the doorway with Dawn.
- - - - - - - - - -
The few Fire demons that were left retreated quickly, leaving the Shadows as victors of the territory. The Shadow leaders stopped to give Buffy their thanks in their usual reserved manner.
"Thank you," Buffy said, with a proper bow in return. "Thank you for all your help," she said to Ohanzee. "And I was honored to fight alongside you, Masichuvio."
Masichuvio was touched that she had finally used his name. He bowed low and said, "If ever you need me, I am at your service."
With everyone starting away, Tara knew she didn't have much time. "I'll meet you at home," she said to Willow. "In our room. Giles has been staying there. But I'm sure he'll give it up because Xander's going back to his place tonight."
"What?" Willow said, clasping hold of Tara's hands. "Where are you going? You are coming back, aren't you?"
"Of course," Tara said, with a smile. She kissed Willow gently and smoothed back her hair. "Always. I just want to say goodbye to someone."
And she faded away. It was Ledic she wanted to see. She wanted to thank him for everything.
- - - - - - - - - -
The trip back uptown in Xander's car was jubilant. Willow sat in the front seat between Giles (who was driving) and Xander. Anya sat in the back seat just behind her fiancée, talking almost nonstop.
"It was just so exhilarating!" Anya said. "To have all that power channeling through me. I was able to sense Willow's power separate from everyone else's right away. It pulsed so strongly."
"Yes, you were brilliant, Sweetie," Xander said.
"We certainly couldn't have done it without you," Giles agreed.
"I'm glad my thousand years as a vengeance demon didn't go to waste," Anya said. "And everyone in my coven was just so wonderful! The Shadows never flinched, even when all the screaming started. And that little Nazari, Speaker . . . He looked very frightened when the Fire demons and the Shadows started fighting. But he kept on going. Afterwards, he was going around thanking everybody for letting him help."
"Yeah," Xander said. "He kept bobbing up and down so much, I was afraid he was going to pass out."
"He was very effusive," Giles said.
"And what did you think of all of this?" Dawn asked her boyfriend. She was sitting curled up against him.
"Yeah," Xander said looking back, "how did you feel when you saw all those demons coming at you shooting fireballs?"
"Scared," Zachary admitted. "But then I imagined Spike in front of me in vamp face yelling, 'Come on you stupid git! Ya want 'em to think you're a bloody wanker?' And somehow I held on."
"I knew Spike would be a good teacher," Giles said, "even despite his lack of tact."
Buffy and the vamp in question were on the road behind Xander and the rest. They had to go through the tunnels under the warehouse to get back to the motorcycle. On the way, they ran into Swimmer. He popped out from one of the side tunnels in front of them, moving as silently as a fish through the seven inches of water.
"We won?" Swimmer asked.
"Yep," Buffy said. She had her crossbow slung across her right shoulder and her left hand was lost in Spike's. "We won."
"Then my people will be coming back soon."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Buffy said. "Although there will probably be a lot of construction going on after everything calms down."
"We don't care if it's busy up there," Swimmer said, pointing upwards with his grimy paw. "Humans don't come here . . . except for you, of course."
"Of course," Buffy said, glancing at Spike.
"This means my mate's family can come back and help her with the birth of our little one. Thank you, Slayer."
"Same here," Buffy answered, as the little Nazari scampered away. "Thanks for watching our backs tonight."
"It was an honor!" he called back. And he disappeared into one of the many tunnels.
"It seems you've earned a lot of new friends," Spike said.
"Yeah. It's always nice to have friends."
It was Spike's turn to drive the motorcycle. Buffy clung sleepily to his back enjoying the feel of the rushing air. For the first time in a long time her little "family" was all safe and accounted for. She felt content.
By the time they got home, Xander and Anya had collected Xander's things and gone. Both of them were glad to be spending the rest of the night in their own bed.
Giles had given Willow back her room and was preparing to bunk down in the livingroom with Zachary. Giles had the couch and Zachary had his sleeping bag spread out across the floor in the area where the coffee table usually was.
"So, I guess all my hostess work is done?" Buffy asked as she and Spike came in.
"We're fine," Giles said. He was tucking the sheets that Willow had given him around the couch cushions.
"Where is Willow?" Buffy asked.
"Up in her room waiting for Tara, I believe."
"I won't bother her then. I'll talk to her at breakfast." Or lunch . . . or however long they decide to sleep-in, she continued to herself. She remembered how she and Spike were after they'd been reunited. Willow and Tara were going to need some space, especially considering the changes that Tara had gone through.
"You stopping for a snack, Slayer?" Spike asked.
"Not tonight. I'm too tired," Buffy said. "We'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Goodnight," Giles said.
"Goodnight," Zachary called.
"You did good tonight, Kid," Spike said, giving Zachary the thumbs up. "Good scowl."
"Thanks, Coach," Zachary said. He was lying down in his sleeping bag without his glasses on. To him Spike was a blurry black clad figure with blond hair. Still, he could hear the smirk in his voice. He was obviously proud of Zachary. And somehow that felt good.
Spiked followed Buffy upstairs and into their room, closing the door behind them. He watched as Buffy slipped out of her jacket and put it in the closet. Then she took the Diamond of Gunab out of her pocket and stuck it in the back of the closet in one of her shoes. Anya had returned it to her just after the battle.
"Not sure what we're gonna do with the diamond yet," Buffy said. "Giles said the reason the curse hadn't popped up in awhile is because it was technically owned by an organization, a non-human entity. So humans only handled it in passing and couldn't really own it. We need to come up with a way of getting the diamond back into the ownership of the museum without arousing suspicion."
Spike shrugged out of his duster and hung it on the back of the door. "Now that sounds like a good job for me, Luv. I can be right sneaky when I need to be."
"Yes, well, that may come in handy in this case." Buffy turned around to look at her lover. "Spike . . . thank you."
"For what, Luv?" He pulled her into his arms and nibbled on her neck.
"For making me tell everyone about the eagle dream. I don't always like it when you push me. But I gotta admit that you're right sometimes. So . . . thank you."
"There are other ways to thank me," he said, suggestively.
- - - - - - - - - -
Willow was in her room, still in shock. Her friends had been loving and understanding, but there was so much to take in. All she wanted was to see Tara again. She dressed for bed, but sat on the edge, not sure what to do next. She was beginning to panic. Maybe something had happened to Tara. The spell she'd used to bring her back was not irreversible. Maybe one of Rack's minions . . . But he hadn't had too many demon followers to begin with. And most of them had been killed or driven off during the battle. And Anya had said that the human witches and warlocks would be without their powers for some time because of the strength of the diamond's mirroring.
Of course, Willow's fears were unfounded. While she was still worrying, Tara appeared next to her on the bed. First as a mist, then as a transparent figure, and finally as a solid figure in a shimmering green gown.
"Tara!" Willow said, throwing her arms around her.
"I'm sorry I took so long. I was looking for the Fire demon that helped us."
"Did you find him?"
"No. I really wish I had. He did a lot for us, for you and me especially."
"I'm so glad to have you back again," Willow said, kissing her. "I thought I'd lost you forever."
"I should have told you I was back. We might have avoided . . ."
"I don't blame you," Willow said, petting Tara's hair, enjoying the feel of it in her hand. "I was out of control. I just hope you're not angry that I brought you back."
"Oh, no. I wanted to come back. Besides. I kinda like what I've become. It has a lot of possibilities."
Willow thought of the way Tara had just appeared. "It will take a little getting used to."
"You think?" Tara said with a wicked smile. "This body can function just as my old one did. It's just a little cooler to the touch." Tara took Willow's hand and put it to her cheek. "And undressing is much easier. I just think about it and it happens."
"Really," Willow said, her eyes sparkling. "Show me."
Through the Fire
"You're going to tell them, right?" Spike asked.
"Yes. For the trillionth time, yes," Buffy said, pulling her black leather jacket out of the closet.
They were up in their room getting ready to go to the warehouse. The Scoobies, including Tara, were supposed to meet at Buffy's house at eleven o'clock because Ledic had told them that the Imbolc celebration would begin officially at midnight. They didn't want to get there any earlier because they didn't want to be seen. Their demon compatriots would be waiting for them downtown.
Spike had been nagging Buffy all day to tell everyone the truth about her resurrection choice. She'd said yes, but he was afraid she would renege.
"I'll tell them right after the battle," Buffy said. She looked in the mirror and patted her hair. At least in the mirror she didn't have to see him as he ground away at her.
"No," Spike said. "You'll tell them before we leave."
"What? We don't have enough to worry about tonight? We have to do true confessions too? . . . It can wait."
Buffy started toward the door, but Spike used his vampire speed to block her way.
"No," he said. "The eagle appeared in your dream last night for a reason. You know as well as I do that there's no way of being certain what's going to happen tonight. Some of us may not come back. You shouldn't leave anything unsaid."
"I wanted to put it off till I got used to the idea myself."
"Sometimes you don't get that luxury, Slayer."
"Oh, all right," she said, her shoulders sagging. "If I must."
"That's a good little Slayer," Spike said, opening the door. He gestured grandly. "After you."
Spike let the subject drop until everyone was assembled. At that point, Giles felt he had a few words to say. As far as Spike was concerned, none of it was important. It was just a repeat of what he'd said before. The order of the plan, where everybody was going to be . . . That sort of rot. When Giles was finished Spike looked at his other half to see if she'd say anything. She didn't. "Buffy . . ." he urged.
"It's eleven o'clock," Tara said. "We'd better be going."
"Right," Buffy agreed. "It's late, let's go."
Everyone headed for the door, but once again Spike used his vampire speed to get there first. "No!" he said, leaning against the door, looking quite impertinent. "Nobody's going anywhere yet. Buffy has something to say."
"Spike," Tara said. "The time."
"I know. It won't take long if the she speaks up quickly."
Buffy looked down, hesitating.
"Better get on with it, Slayer. I'm not moving till you do. I took the blame for the last two things you kept back on. Remember? I'm not doing it this time."
"What is it, Buffy?" Giles asked.
Buffy pulled away from the others. "There was something more the Guide in the desert told me," she said slowly. "I didn't believe her because I didn't remember it. But then . . . I had this dream last night and everything came back to me. When Willow did the resurrection spell, I was pulled from Heaven like I said. But that wasn't the whole story. When the spell was interrupted, I found myself standing in this in-between area. Sort of a dividing line between worlds. I heard how much all of you needed me. And I realized I had a choice. I could continue on toward life or turn back to Heaven. I decided to come here. But the passing through dimensions was painful and left me confused, so I couldn't remember all of it till now. I didn't know I was going to come back immortal, but I did choose to come back."
"That explains why you weren't resurrected right away," Tara said. "We expected you to cross over sooner. But you didn't. Xander had to drag Willow away to keep her from being hurt by those biker demons. That must have been when you were making up your mind."
"Then . . . then you wanted to come back to us?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah."
Dawn threw herself around her sister so hard it almost knocked her over. "Then you don't want to leave us again!" That was the thing she'd been most worried about.
"No," Buffy said, hugging her sister, "I don't want to leave you. You're stuck with me."
"And I guess you aren't quite as angry about us trying to bring you back?" Xander said.
"Except maybe a little about that immortality thing," Anya said.
It looked like Giles wanted to say something too, but Spike cut him off as soon as he opened his mouth. They didn't have time for yet another measured Giles speech. "Right!" Spike said. "Let's go kick some butt." And he opened the door and pushed Zachary out ahead of him.
- - - - - - - - - -
Buffy and Spike rode down to the tunnel entrance on their motorcycle. Xander came just behind them in his car with everyone else.
"Be careful," Xander said, as he kissed Anya goodbye and turned the driver's seat over to Giles.
"YOU be careful," Anya returned. "In my present state I'm pretty hard to kill."
Masichuvio and a sizeable group of his people were already waiting inside the tunnels. As before, they carried no weapons because it was impossible to hold onto anything when they dematerialized. Buffy, Spike, and Xander were all carrying crossbows in hand, with short swords strapped at their waists.
"Mas!" Buffy said, by way of greeting.
"Slayer," Masichuvio said, with a respectful bow.
Tara appeared in their midst. "I've checked the tunnels. They're clear. Now I'm going to make sure the area around Masichuvio's building is clear too so the coven group will be safe." And with that, she faded into mist.
"Let's go then," Buffy said, turning on the flashlight that she had strapped to her belt along with the sword. "We'll lead because we've got the weapons."
"As you say," Masichuvio agreed.
Buffy led the way with Spike at her left in their usual battle position. Xander came slightly behind, followed by the Shadows.
"You know," Spike whispered, "one of these days you should really learn how to say his name."
"Whose?"
"Masichuvio's."
"I will," Buffy said. "One of these days."
- - - - - - - - - -
Giles and Anya parked in the alley next to Masichuvio's building. The rest of the coven and the larger battalion of Shadows were waiting on the first floor. Tara had told them that just before midnight the Fire demons would be "clearing the street" in front of the warehouse so they wouldn't have to worry about the human authorities interfering. There was still one police car and one fire truck keeping watch. Each had two uniformed men in attendance. Doc was afraid that once the activities started in the warehouse, the authorities would feel obligated to take action. He knew a show of force would frighten them into their famous state of denial.
At ten minutes before the hour, the fire ring around the warehouse was lowered and several Fire demons stepped through. The men on duty were completely caught off guard. Four of the demons aimed fire jets at them, injuring two of them very badly. The rest of the demons shot at the gas tanks of the men's vehicles, causing them to explode into flames.
Their work done, the demons stepped back through the fire circle to stand guard outside the front doors of the warehouse. Immediately the flames rose up behind them, going higher this time, till they roared well above the warehouse. It was a warning to everyone within sight to stay back.
Giles watched the fire rise up from a broken window in Masichuvio's building and he knew it was almost time.
- - - - - - - - - -
As the fire circle mounted into the sky, the inside of the dimly lit warehouse was filled with the flickering tongues of light reflecting through the frosted windows. When the midnight hour struck, various minions of Doc's and Rack's lit the candles and torches that covered the high ceilinged hall. As they worked, they chanted:
"Imbolc na san narrah,
Limna tolma esan na,
Reh nom Ra tanarrah,
Tolma Ra tudebah."
It was a simple welcome to Imbolc and the sun. And a promise to forever serve the fire.
There were Fire demons standing quietly in front of each of the banners. Their orders were to keep watch and stay out of the way. They had not been invited to join the celebration or help in its magical conclusion.
Doc led Willow up from her basement enclosure. Her eyes were open now for the purpose of walking, but she was still under Doc's control. Fanning out around them were five witches carrying the crystals that gave Doc power over Willow's mind. Rack and Amy walked just behind them carrying lit orange candles. They in turn were followed by the main members of Rack's coven, most of whom were human.
Everyone was chanting now, except for the Fire demons.
"Imbolc na san narrah,
Limna tolma esan na,
Reh nom Ra tanarrah,
Tolma Ra tudebah."
- - - - - - - - - -
Buffy and her crew meanwhile had completed their journey through the tunnels and had reached the ladder that led up into the warehouse basement. Swimmer, the Nazari who lived in the tunnels, met them at the spot where the entrance to the warehouse was magically concealed.
"Here it is," he announced helpfully. "This is the way in. I didn't want you to have to look for it."
"Thank you," Buffy said.
"Now I will go and keep watch at the front of the tunnels to make sure you aren't surprised from behind," Swimmer said. And he splashed away.
Ledic was on the basement level of the warehouse with a contingency of guards. No one had been posted in the tunnels below because Doc didn't want to scatter his forces. He doubted there would be an attack from the tunnels since he thought he'd gotten rid of Buffy and the Scoobies. And he didn't think the Shadows would attack on their own.
Ledic had told Tara that when the battle began, the downstairs guards would probably go upstairs. In which case, he would unlock the tunnel door. If the guards didn't go up, Ledic promised to signal Buffy by kicking at the door. Then the Shadows would float through the floor, fight the guards, and unlock the door for Buffy, Spike, and Xander.
- - - - - - - - - -
Tara appeared to Giles's group at Masichuvio's building. "They're bringing Willow up now," she said.
"Then it's time for us to go," Giles said. "We need to assemble the coven and move the Shadow battalion into place.
He led the group out into the street, but they could not go very far. The massive flames in the circle of fire gave off a lot of heat. The magical barrier was on the inside of the circle so that it protected the warehouse and radiated the heat outward.
"We can't get that close," Giles said.
"Then we will begin our circle right here in the street," Anya said confidently. "I've seen lots worse fires than this. And we have the means to destroy it." She changed into her demon face and sat down. From out of her robes she pulled the Diamond of Gunab. "Let's begin," she said.
Without questioning, Anya's demon coven sat down in a circle around her. Ohanzee and the other Shadows sat expressionless, their backs straight. Speaker, the Nazari, leaned forward eagerly and watched Anya carefully. It was his big chance to be a hero and he didn't want to make any mistakes.
Anya held the diamond in her hands and began to chant. "Plettenia Gunab. Plettenia et triumphe serrenta Gunab."
The rest of the coven repeated the chant as they raised their hands to the center towards Anya. "Plettenia Gunab. Plettenia et triumphe serrenta Gunab."
The chant, invoked the diamond's power. It was Anya's will that would steer it. As they chanted, a blue light flowed out of the diamond and filled the area of the circle above and around the coven.
Giles stood just behind them, a crossbow and a book of alternate spells at the ready. Zachary and Dawn were off a bit by themselves, holding hands and gazing up at the gigantic wall of flames.
"It's big, isn't it?" was all that Zachary could say.
- - - - - - - - - -
Doc placed Willow in the center of the pentagram that had been painted on the warehouse floor. The crystals that had kept her in control all this time were set into the points of the star next to the flaming orange crystals that controlled the outside barrier. Doc stood at the top of the star and began speaking the words of the spell that would open the Hell portal. It was basically an ode to Glorificus. He praised her for all the evil she'd done and the power that she possessed. Then he capped it off by praising a list of other Hell gods as well. He offered them the souls of all that were present and the lives of all those within the dimension. The rest of Rack's coven raised their arms to Willow, adding their power to hers and making her their center. In answer to their spell, a yellow light sprang forth at the foot of the pentagram. It glowed brighter and brighter, gradually turning orange and then red. The outline of a door appeared. It was edged with yellow and white light. As it began to open, screams could be heard from the other side.
"Hurry, hurry," Tara whispered to herself as she stood invisibly at her lover's right hand.
- - - - - - - - - -
Outside, the blue light emanating from the Diamond of Gunab was growing stronger and brighter. It branched out and up toward the circle of fire. Then it separated into fingers which grasped the ring and engulfed it in a blue highlight. When the Fire demons guarding the outside of the warehouse saw it they started talking excitedly amongst themselves, wondering what to do.
Anya's coven continued chanting and the blue light expanded on. It next reached for the warehouse itself, pouring out over it and then sinking in through the roof.
Once inside, the blue light trickled down the walls and flowed over everyone but Willow. As she had promised, Anya had excluded Willow from the power drain. But no one except Tara noticed. They were much too busy worrying about themselves, for everyone knew they were in the midst of some kind of big magic. The chanting of Doc's minions stopped as they watched the advancing blue light. The door opening to the Hell dimension stopped as well because everyone had lost their focus.
- - - - - - - - - -
The first hint of the blue light's power came as the ring of fire outside became lower and then disappeared completely. It left the area in front of the warehouse in darkness, except for the flickering lights that shone from inside. The Fire demons readied themselves. They had a pretty good idea of what was going on. They had faced this blue light before in battle. It had shorn them of their new ability to throw fire jets. They knew that somehow the Slayer and the Shadows had found a way to increase that power, which before had been so localized. They looked out across the parking lot expecting to see their enemies shortly. It was time to fight.
The Shadows knew this as well. They stepped away from Anya's coven to meet their ancient foe. At least now they would fight as they were meant to fight. The Fire demons would aim their fireballs at them as they had always done and the Shadows would disassemble to avoid them. Eventually there would be hand to hand combat between the two sets of demons.
Dawn and Zachary loaded their crossbows and prepared themselves as the Shadows surged forward and a struggle ensued. Zachary thought his heart would beat straight out of his chest when he saw the Fire demons shoot fireballs.
The plan was that the Shadows would try and fade through the door quickly, thus beginning the fight inside the warehouse. But the Fire demons were putting up a stronger battle than expected.
"We'd better help," Giles said to his young charges. "If they take too long to get inside the demon members of Doc's group might be able to start an offensive. Follow me." He marched toward the parking lot and aimed his crossbow. He managed to catch one Fire demon in the leg. "Shoot!" he ordered.
Dawn did as she was told, but her first arrow went astray. Zachary hesitated for a moment, but then he adjusted his tough guy persona as Spike had taught him and shot. He got a Fire demon in the shoulder. A few more shots and several Shadows were free to evaporate inside the warehouse. The injured Fire demons left the battle and took off into the night. They felt, if Doc could not protect them, then they were better off leaving the battle behind.
The arrows kept coming and the Shadows were easily able to open the warehouse doors. They had never been properly repaired since the day Buffy and Spike had knocked them down. Doc had been relying on the magic barrier to keep out his enemies. Once the doors were down, complete confusion erupted inside. Giles and his archers moved in closer to give what help they could to the Shadows. But they didn't go in because Giles wanted to keep the teenagers out of danger if at all possible.
- - - - - - - - - -
In the basement, the Fire demon guards heard the commotion. Without a second's thought, all but Ledic ran up the stairs. As soon as he was alone, he unlocked the door down to the tunnels and ushered in Buffy and her crew. The Shadows didn't wait. As soon as they knew the basement was clear, they started floating up through the floors to join their people in combat.
When the second battalion of Shadows arrived, Doc moved into the fight with several of his demon minions. He too understood the meaning of the blue light. He knew his human allies were now useless to him. In fact, he saw Rack cowering behind a banner. He should have known. The warlock was nothing more than a drug pusher, no matter what he pretended to be. Doc knew he should never have involved him in such an important undertaking. What to do, he wondered. What could be salvaged? With no other plan immediately in mind, he fought back two of the Shadow warriors with a ceremonial sword that he'd been carrying.
In the confusion, Tara appeared at Willow's side and took on solid form. The first thing she did was to smash all the crystals in the arms of the pentagram. That caused Willow to fall to the floor. Tara ran to her and pulled her into her lap. "Willow!" she said, shaking her. "You've got to wake up. We need your help!" Tara had noticed that they'd lowered her magic high because they wanted her powers to run freely during the celebration. So there was a good chance that she would come to herself quickly. "Willow, listen to me. It's Tara. Can you hear me?"
Doc didn't notice Tara with Willow. After he'd dispatched the two Shadows that he'd been fighting, he saw Buffy. She had lost her crossbow and had started using her sword. Most of the Fire demons were too busy to send off fireballs anymore. That required them to stand still for a moment and their opponents weren't giving them time for that. Most of the humans in the warehouse were running for it, leaving the battle entirely to their demon allies. And those numbers were dwindling as well because Ledic was running about trying to talk various members of his people into running off and leaving Doc to his own battle.
"So, you're alive," Doc said, pushing aside the Fire demon that Buffy had been fighting.
"Haven't you heard? I'm immortal now, it's hard to kill me."
Doc didn't usually show anger. But seeing the swaggering slayer once again interfere with his plans infuriated him beyond all measure. Without another word, he raised his sword to engage her in battle. She was now very difficult to kill, just as he was. But he thought if he could get in close enough, then maybe he could take off her head.
Xander and Spike were working in tandem close to the stairwell where they had come up. They had also switched to swords and had just fought off a pair of toothy demons that had been customers of Rack's.
"Hey look. Lizard boy is over there," Xander said, meaning Doc.
"Considering what bad a job we did at getting rid of him last time," Spike said, "maybe we should have another go."
"After you," Xander said.
"No, after you," Spike said, punching a Fire demon who was coming at him. Swords were OK. But Spike preferred flesh on flesh.
By this time Tara had managed to rouse Willow. She was sitting up. In the mêlée no one was paying any attention to them. "Willow. Willow, you've got to talk to me. Say my name."
Willow opened her eyes, but had trouble focusing. "Tara?" she said uncertainly.
"Yes, it's me."
"We brought you back."
"No," Tara said. "YOU brought me back. Only I should have told you sooner. It was that spell that you cast before my funeral."
"Did we send Buffy back to Heaven yet?"
"What? No, she's still here. She's all right."
"I've got to send her back to Heaven so she'll be happy," Willow said, struggling to her feet.
"No, she's happy here."
But Willow pushed Tara aside and stood up. Her powers were at full force, her eyes black. She searched the crowd and saw Buffy fighting with Doc.
Doc had just about given up on killing Buffy. He kept aiming his sword for her neck, but she stopped him short every time. She was much too strong for him. When he saw Xander and Spike coming, he knew it was time to move away. One sword piercing he could take, but if the three of them should pierce him together they might really kill him. So he flipped up into the air to gain some distance. When he came down, he landed close to the pentagram and for the first time he saw Tara.
"You're back as well?" Doc asked. "Doesn't anybody stay dead around here?" And with that, he started toward her.
"Willow!" Tara said, putting her arms around her lover. "Put up a barrier. So we won't be hurt with all the fighting going on."
Willow was only partly aware of the continued skirmish. She was concentrating most of her attention on Buffy, remembering that she was supposed to send her back to Heaven so she would be happy. But she did as Tara said, waving her right hand without ever taking her eyes off Buffy.
Doc saw the black in Willow's eyes and felt the power shoot out from her as she commanded the magical barrier into being. He knew he could never equal Willow's power. His magic was centered in old spells and special potions. Things that needed time. The only weapon he had was the mind control that he had exercised over Willow recently. The crystals were gone, but Willow was not yet herself. She was still open to suggestion. "Willow?" Doc called on the other side of the barrier. "Just as I promised, you've got Tara back. Now you need to complete the rest of the spell we were planning. You need to open the portal so that Buffy can go back to Heaven."
"Yes," Willow said. She recognized his voice and believed he spoke the truth. It was the right thing to do. Return Buffy to Heaven. She'd never wanted to come back. It was only right to undo the resurrection spell. And this was the last part of it. Willow turned to the portal door. Screams could still be heard on the other side. The power that she'd been getting from the rest of Rack's coven was gone. But she knew she could open the door by herself, just not as widely as they'd planned. She reached her hands out and the door started to struggle open again.
"No!" Tara yelled. "Stop!"
Willow heard her beloved's voice and hesitated. "But I have to," she said. "It's the only way for Buffy to be happy."
Buffy came up to the edge of the magical barrier. Xander and Spike tried to follow, but they got caught up fighting demons again.
"But I am happy," Buffy said to her friend.
"No, you're not," Willow answered. "You've just been acting happy for my sake. And you're just with Spike because you're lonely for Heaven."
"That's what Doc told her," Tara said.
"But I love Spike," Buffy said.
"She's just saying that," Doc said. "She doesn't want you to go to any trouble or feel bad about what happened. But you know what you have to do. It's the only way for Buffy to be really happy."
"Yes," Willow agreed. And she reached her hands out toward the portal once again. "I was wrong to bring Buffy back against her will."
"But you didn't," Tara said. "OK. Two can play at this game." Tara put her hands up on either side of Willow's head the way Doc had done so many times before. Only in this case Tara wasn't looking to wipe away her lover's free will. She was instead connecting the two of them together, one mind to the other, so that Willow knew everything that Tara did.
Willow closed her eyes as she sped through the pictures and words that flashed from Tara's mind to hers. She witnessed Tara's murder at Doc's hands. And watched how Rack and Doc had taken over her mind for their own purposes. She heard Tara's words to her while she'd been kept as a prisoner in the warehouse basement, with Ledic standing protectively by. Lastly, she heard Buffy's confession to the Scoobies before they'd come to the warehouse that evening. Willow's eyes flashed open. "You wanted to come back," Willow said to Buffy.
"Yes," Buffy said softly.
"I didn't hurt you. I mean . . . I did. But you wanted to come back."
"Yes."
"I'm so sorry."
"I know, Will. It's all right."
"And you!" Willow said, turning toward Doc. "You killed Tara!"
Doc backed up. He knew his power over her had been broken. He tried to run, but Willow raised her hand and caught him in a pulse of energy. He felt as if strong fingers were holding him in place, crushing him. Slowly Willow raised her hand and Doc levitated into the air.
Out of the corner of her eye, Willow saw Rack moving toward the door with Amy. "And you!" she cried. She raised her other hand and Rack was dragged across the floor toward her.
"Willow!" Tara said. "Don't!" These two men deserved punishment, but not at the price of Willow's soul. Once she turned herself to hatred and vengeance it would be hard to turn back.
When Doc and Rack's followers saw what was happening, they headed for the door. Their leaders had been captured, their cause was destroyed. It was time to go. Ledic had gathered a large group of Fire demons and was now leading them down toward the tunnels and away.
Willow hauled Rack to the pentagram. Then she gazed at Doc dangling above her. She wanted them to suffer, to scatter their atoms across the world as they'd planned to do with Buffy. The hate within her was hot and yearning for blood. She was ready to destroy everyone who had worked with them.
"Don't," Tara begged. She put her arms around Willow. "Please, don't. For your sake."
Willow hesitated, tears collecting in her eyes. "All right," she said. "You wanted this portal open? Then it's only fair that you get to go in and enjoy it." Willow fastened her attention on the portal again, opening it till it was just wide enough. Then she yanked Rack towards it. He begged, he pleaded. But it didn't matter. Willow waved her hand and pushed him inside, where his screams grew louder still. "Next!" she said. And she threw Doc inside as well. There were no screams from him. He was too proud a creature for that. But he knew that once inside he would have a lot of explaining to do. The Hell gods were not kind to those who failed them. "Say hello to Glory for me!" Willow called after them. And she pulled the portal closed again. "That's it!" she declared with another wave of her hand. "Imbolc is over." And with that, she magically extinguished all the torches and candles in the warehouse. All that was left was the blue light of the Diamond of Gunab.
"Wow!" Zachary said, as he stood at the doorway with Dawn.
- - - - - - - - - -
The few Fire demons that were left retreated quickly, leaving the Shadows as victors of the territory. The Shadow leaders stopped to give Buffy their thanks in their usual reserved manner.
"Thank you," Buffy said, with a proper bow in return. "Thank you for all your help," she said to Ohanzee. "And I was honored to fight alongside you, Masichuvio."
Masichuvio was touched that she had finally used his name. He bowed low and said, "If ever you need me, I am at your service."
With everyone starting away, Tara knew she didn't have much time. "I'll meet you at home," she said to Willow. "In our room. Giles has been staying there. But I'm sure he'll give it up because Xander's going back to his place tonight."
"What?" Willow said, clasping hold of Tara's hands. "Where are you going? You are coming back, aren't you?"
"Of course," Tara said, with a smile. She kissed Willow gently and smoothed back her hair. "Always. I just want to say goodbye to someone."
And she faded away. It was Ledic she wanted to see. She wanted to thank him for everything.
- - - - - - - - - -
The trip back uptown in Xander's car was jubilant. Willow sat in the front seat between Giles (who was driving) and Xander. Anya sat in the back seat just behind her fiancée, talking almost nonstop.
"It was just so exhilarating!" Anya said. "To have all that power channeling through me. I was able to sense Willow's power separate from everyone else's right away. It pulsed so strongly."
"Yes, you were brilliant, Sweetie," Xander said.
"We certainly couldn't have done it without you," Giles agreed.
"I'm glad my thousand years as a vengeance demon didn't go to waste," Anya said. "And everyone in my coven was just so wonderful! The Shadows never flinched, even when all the screaming started. And that little Nazari, Speaker . . . He looked very frightened when the Fire demons and the Shadows started fighting. But he kept on going. Afterwards, he was going around thanking everybody for letting him help."
"Yeah," Xander said. "He kept bobbing up and down so much, I was afraid he was going to pass out."
"He was very effusive," Giles said.
"And what did you think of all of this?" Dawn asked her boyfriend. She was sitting curled up against him.
"Yeah," Xander said looking back, "how did you feel when you saw all those demons coming at you shooting fireballs?"
"Scared," Zachary admitted. "But then I imagined Spike in front of me in vamp face yelling, 'Come on you stupid git! Ya want 'em to think you're a bloody wanker?' And somehow I held on."
"I knew Spike would be a good teacher," Giles said, "even despite his lack of tact."
Buffy and the vamp in question were on the road behind Xander and the rest. They had to go through the tunnels under the warehouse to get back to the motorcycle. On the way, they ran into Swimmer. He popped out from one of the side tunnels in front of them, moving as silently as a fish through the seven inches of water.
"We won?" Swimmer asked.
"Yep," Buffy said. She had her crossbow slung across her right shoulder and her left hand was lost in Spike's. "We won."
"Then my people will be coming back soon."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Buffy said. "Although there will probably be a lot of construction going on after everything calms down."
"We don't care if it's busy up there," Swimmer said, pointing upwards with his grimy paw. "Humans don't come here . . . except for you, of course."
"Of course," Buffy said, glancing at Spike.
"This means my mate's family can come back and help her with the birth of our little one. Thank you, Slayer."
"Same here," Buffy answered, as the little Nazari scampered away. "Thanks for watching our backs tonight."
"It was an honor!" he called back. And he disappeared into one of the many tunnels.
"It seems you've earned a lot of new friends," Spike said.
"Yeah. It's always nice to have friends."
It was Spike's turn to drive the motorcycle. Buffy clung sleepily to his back enjoying the feel of the rushing air. For the first time in a long time her little "family" was all safe and accounted for. She felt content.
By the time they got home, Xander and Anya had collected Xander's things and gone. Both of them were glad to be spending the rest of the night in their own bed.
Giles had given Willow back her room and was preparing to bunk down in the livingroom with Zachary. Giles had the couch and Zachary had his sleeping bag spread out across the floor in the area where the coffee table usually was.
"So, I guess all my hostess work is done?" Buffy asked as she and Spike came in.
"We're fine," Giles said. He was tucking the sheets that Willow had given him around the couch cushions.
"Where is Willow?" Buffy asked.
"Up in her room waiting for Tara, I believe."
"I won't bother her then. I'll talk to her at breakfast." Or lunch . . . or however long they decide to sleep-in, she continued to herself. She remembered how she and Spike were after they'd been reunited. Willow and Tara were going to need some space, especially considering the changes that Tara had gone through.
"You stopping for a snack, Slayer?" Spike asked.
"Not tonight. I'm too tired," Buffy said. "We'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Goodnight," Giles said.
"Goodnight," Zachary called.
"You did good tonight, Kid," Spike said, giving Zachary the thumbs up. "Good scowl."
"Thanks, Coach," Zachary said. He was lying down in his sleeping bag without his glasses on. To him Spike was a blurry black clad figure with blond hair. Still, he could hear the smirk in his voice. He was obviously proud of Zachary. And somehow that felt good.
Spiked followed Buffy upstairs and into their room, closing the door behind them. He watched as Buffy slipped out of her jacket and put it in the closet. Then she took the Diamond of Gunab out of her pocket and stuck it in the back of the closet in one of her shoes. Anya had returned it to her just after the battle.
"Not sure what we're gonna do with the diamond yet," Buffy said. "Giles said the reason the curse hadn't popped up in awhile is because it was technically owned by an organization, a non-human entity. So humans only handled it in passing and couldn't really own it. We need to come up with a way of getting the diamond back into the ownership of the museum without arousing suspicion."
Spike shrugged out of his duster and hung it on the back of the door. "Now that sounds like a good job for me, Luv. I can be right sneaky when I need to be."
"Yes, well, that may come in handy in this case." Buffy turned around to look at her lover. "Spike . . . thank you."
"For what, Luv?" He pulled her into his arms and nibbled on her neck.
"For making me tell everyone about the eagle dream. I don't always like it when you push me. But I gotta admit that you're right sometimes. So . . . thank you."
"There are other ways to thank me," he said, suggestively.
- - - - - - - - - -
Willow was in her room, still in shock. Her friends had been loving and understanding, but there was so much to take in. All she wanted was to see Tara again. She dressed for bed, but sat on the edge, not sure what to do next. She was beginning to panic. Maybe something had happened to Tara. The spell she'd used to bring her back was not irreversible. Maybe one of Rack's minions . . . But he hadn't had too many demon followers to begin with. And most of them had been killed or driven off during the battle. And Anya had said that the human witches and warlocks would be without their powers for some time because of the strength of the diamond's mirroring.
Of course, Willow's fears were unfounded. While she was still worrying, Tara appeared next to her on the bed. First as a mist, then as a transparent figure, and finally as a solid figure in a shimmering green gown.
"Tara!" Willow said, throwing her arms around her.
"I'm sorry I took so long. I was looking for the Fire demon that helped us."
"Did you find him?"
"No. I really wish I had. He did a lot for us, for you and me especially."
"I'm so glad to have you back again," Willow said, kissing her. "I thought I'd lost you forever."
"I should have told you I was back. We might have avoided . . ."
"I don't blame you," Willow said, petting Tara's hair, enjoying the feel of it in her hand. "I was out of control. I just hope you're not angry that I brought you back."
"Oh, no. I wanted to come back. Besides. I kinda like what I've become. It has a lot of possibilities."
Willow thought of the way Tara had just appeared. "It will take a little getting used to."
"You think?" Tara said with a wicked smile. "This body can function just as my old one did. It's just a little cooler to the touch." Tara took Willow's hand and put it to her cheek. "And undressing is much easier. I just think about it and it happens."
"Really," Willow said, her eyes sparkling. "Show me."