Disclaimer: Again, all these characters, except a few later in this chapter, are owned by Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and all those people.
Feedback: Please! Also, I'm verrrryyy grateful for the feedback I've already gotten. Thanks so much, guys!
A/N: I got in a fight with my muse, one resembling the infamous Harmony/Xander fight of season four. In the end, we just kinda come to a compromise. I get a plot but the inability to write it hence this short and questionable chapter. Also, some of this will probably be confusing.
****
Everything was black. And then, flashes. Images that couldn't be made out. They were all lighted by a soft glow, like the one given off by candles. But it was all too fast, everything was blurred. Then it was black again. In the distance, a voice was crying out, "Willow!" and she wanted desperately to be near that voice.
"Spike? Buffy? Xander? Giles??!?" Willow cried softly at first and then more desperately. They seemed so far off. She couldn't see them and their voices, so soft and faraway.
"She's waking up," someone said. Recognizing the voice, Willow cried out again to her friends.
"We should take her to the hospital," Giles said.
"No," came a small voice from the red haired girl as her vision cleared.
"Willow?" It was Spike who said this. He was kneeling by her side. At some point in her unconsciousness she'd be moved to the couch which had been cleared of all the books. Everyone was standing around her concerned.
"You must get to the hospital," Giles repeated, addressing the still dizzy girl.
"No," Willow stressed again, trying to sit up. "The hospital can't do anything."
"Of course they can, the-they'll be able to give you medi-"
"No!" Willow cried with a strength that shocked everyone around her. "You're not listening."
"And you're not well," said Buffy softly.
"I'm fine! Honestly. Look, this is my Resolve Face," Willow said, pointing at herself. "Besides whatever it was, I think it was supernatural."
"Supernatural? Are you sure?" Giles asked, now even more concerned.
"Yeah, I felt something go through me. Like a weird wave or something."
"A wave of nausea, maybe? I mean, you do have a hangover or did," Buffy suggested.
"You were drinking? That explains a lot," Riley muttered while glaring at the platinum pest by Willow's side.
"No, it wasn't anything to do with my hangover," Willow said in a tight, annoyed voice. "It was something supernatural."
"Does this mean we have to do a bunch of boring research now?" Anya asked from Xander's side. "I mean, not that I mind doing it for... um... a friend of Xander's" She added with an unusual unsureness in her words.
"Yes, that would be the best thing to do. Willow, you can go upstairs to my guest room and get some rest. No objections," Giles said sternly.
"You have a guest room?" Spike couldn't help but ask. "All that time spent in chained to a tub and there's a guest room! Probably has a TV in there too. Of all the..." Spike broke off when he noticed the looks he was getting. "Let me help you up the stairs, Willow."
****
"It didn't work!"
A spell book flew across the room and slammed into a small table, knocking the candles off it onto the floor. Robed figures desperately gathered the candles before the flames could spread while dodging an onslaught of spell books, rabbit feet, jars of lizard tongues, and other magic oddities.
"We'll just try again, Cullena" offered one of the figures.
"It'll be okay," chimed in another.
Cullena, the figure who had thrown the books, stopped for a moment and breathed.
"Right," she said reasonably. "We'll try again."
"Who needs that girl anyway," said a another one who was smiling moronically.
This made Cullena angry again and she snatched out violently at the speaker, a short brown-haired girl named Rosa. Not that names mattered to Cullena.
"You need her, you cliché twit, so you can live longer. But, much more importantly, I need her! She is one of the more powerful witches in this hellhole, literally, and she's important for us to achieve our plans."
"Can I ask again, why are we doing this in the first place?" Rosa asked, undaunted by the strong hand that had her in a choke hold.
"No! Your not here to ask questions, you worthless minion!" Cullena screamed and cast the shorter girl off into the corner as easily as she had done with the books.
"She's getting irritable," whispered another of the girls, a blond one named Clarissa.
"The people in this town aren't as weak as she hoped," whispered Reina, a black haired girl.
Ringing her long red hair, Cullena paced the room. It was a pretty small room, dark walls, dark floor, and a low ceiling. It was like a cave had been cut out of it's mountain and placed in the basement of a bar. There wasn't much furnishing in the room. Cullena liked casting spells in places she considered to be neutral. The only furniture she had allowed was a pine desk that had fallen over in the earlier firing. Anything needed for a spell was allowed in the room, but nothing else. The red haired girl also insisted that it was best not to clutter the spells or ingredients as they would interfere with each other.
"It's okay though, after she's eaten she won't be as cranky," Rosa said as she joined the two other girls in the corner.
"It must be tough, she's never been the last one to fed," Clarissa replied without the least bit of sympathy in her voice.
"I can hear you!" Cullena shrieked.
"And the minions, the actual minions, upstairs can probably hear you. You know their fragile minds can't handle the noise," Reina reminded the still quivering Cullena.
"Damn the minions! Oh, too late!" Cullena started to laugh a horrible cackling laughter. She didn't stop laughing until she caught the questioning looks the others were giving her. "We'll try again! The same girl."
****
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?" Spike asked tenderly as he pulled a blanket up over Willow.
"Are you trying to avoid doing research or being around my friends?" Willow quipped. A smile was spread across her face, partly because of Spike's reluctance to leave and partly because of his, the Big Bad's, tenderness towards her.
"You have me figured out pretty well, pet," Spike shoot back sarcastically.
"Well, you know how it is- Oh!" Willow cried suddenly, clasping her hands to head. Then she crumpled on the bed.
"Willow! Are you okay?"
Her eyes were shut but beneath the lashes there was movement as if she was looking around. Shimmering softly through the crowds, a candle's flame danced just out of Willow's reach. It sent shadows of the robed figures around it onto the dark walls. They were chanting, the robbed figures, and their faces were covered in shadows. The only thing that could be made out was the dark gleam of their eyes. Slowly the chanting got louder and louder to an almost inhuman pitch causing Willow clasped her hands to her ears and shake her head violently. Shutting her eyes tightly, she hoped to block out the chanting and robed figures.
"Willow!" She heard called through the chanting although it was in a soft, caring tone.
"Spike?" Willow called softly.
"Guys! Hey guys!" Spike started to call, moving towards the door.
"No," Willow whispered hoarsely. "I'm okay."
"But, you blacked out again and-"
"I saw something," she said softly.
A look of confusion crossed Spike's features.
"How? You were unconscious."
"I know, I know," Willow said, frustrated. "It was a dream or something. There were- I have to tell the others."
"No, you can tell me and I'll pass on the message," Spike protested.
"No! I have to tell them myself."
Spike sighed reluctantly and said, "Okay. But explain in to me first just in case..." He trailed off, not sure what to say and Willow offered no help. "Just explain to me."
"Okay," Willow replied, equally reluctant. "It's going to sound very strange though."
Feedback: Please! Also, I'm verrrryyy grateful for the feedback I've already gotten. Thanks so much, guys!
A/N: I got in a fight with my muse, one resembling the infamous Harmony/Xander fight of season four. In the end, we just kinda come to a compromise. I get a plot but the inability to write it hence this short and questionable chapter. Also, some of this will probably be confusing.
****
Everything was black. And then, flashes. Images that couldn't be made out. They were all lighted by a soft glow, like the one given off by candles. But it was all too fast, everything was blurred. Then it was black again. In the distance, a voice was crying out, "Willow!" and she wanted desperately to be near that voice.
"Spike? Buffy? Xander? Giles??!?" Willow cried softly at first and then more desperately. They seemed so far off. She couldn't see them and their voices, so soft and faraway.
"She's waking up," someone said. Recognizing the voice, Willow cried out again to her friends.
"We should take her to the hospital," Giles said.
"No," came a small voice from the red haired girl as her vision cleared.
"Willow?" It was Spike who said this. He was kneeling by her side. At some point in her unconsciousness she'd be moved to the couch which had been cleared of all the books. Everyone was standing around her concerned.
"You must get to the hospital," Giles repeated, addressing the still dizzy girl.
"No," Willow stressed again, trying to sit up. "The hospital can't do anything."
"Of course they can, the-they'll be able to give you medi-"
"No!" Willow cried with a strength that shocked everyone around her. "You're not listening."
"And you're not well," said Buffy softly.
"I'm fine! Honestly. Look, this is my Resolve Face," Willow said, pointing at herself. "Besides whatever it was, I think it was supernatural."
"Supernatural? Are you sure?" Giles asked, now even more concerned.
"Yeah, I felt something go through me. Like a weird wave or something."
"A wave of nausea, maybe? I mean, you do have a hangover or did," Buffy suggested.
"You were drinking? That explains a lot," Riley muttered while glaring at the platinum pest by Willow's side.
"No, it wasn't anything to do with my hangover," Willow said in a tight, annoyed voice. "It was something supernatural."
"Does this mean we have to do a bunch of boring research now?" Anya asked from Xander's side. "I mean, not that I mind doing it for... um... a friend of Xander's" She added with an unusual unsureness in her words.
"Yes, that would be the best thing to do. Willow, you can go upstairs to my guest room and get some rest. No objections," Giles said sternly.
"You have a guest room?" Spike couldn't help but ask. "All that time spent in chained to a tub and there's a guest room! Probably has a TV in there too. Of all the..." Spike broke off when he noticed the looks he was getting. "Let me help you up the stairs, Willow."
****
"It didn't work!"
A spell book flew across the room and slammed into a small table, knocking the candles off it onto the floor. Robed figures desperately gathered the candles before the flames could spread while dodging an onslaught of spell books, rabbit feet, jars of lizard tongues, and other magic oddities.
"We'll just try again, Cullena" offered one of the figures.
"It'll be okay," chimed in another.
Cullena, the figure who had thrown the books, stopped for a moment and breathed.
"Right," she said reasonably. "We'll try again."
"Who needs that girl anyway," said a another one who was smiling moronically.
This made Cullena angry again and she snatched out violently at the speaker, a short brown-haired girl named Rosa. Not that names mattered to Cullena.
"You need her, you cliché twit, so you can live longer. But, much more importantly, I need her! She is one of the more powerful witches in this hellhole, literally, and she's important for us to achieve our plans."
"Can I ask again, why are we doing this in the first place?" Rosa asked, undaunted by the strong hand that had her in a choke hold.
"No! Your not here to ask questions, you worthless minion!" Cullena screamed and cast the shorter girl off into the corner as easily as she had done with the books.
"She's getting irritable," whispered another of the girls, a blond one named Clarissa.
"The people in this town aren't as weak as she hoped," whispered Reina, a black haired girl.
Ringing her long red hair, Cullena paced the room. It was a pretty small room, dark walls, dark floor, and a low ceiling. It was like a cave had been cut out of it's mountain and placed in the basement of a bar. There wasn't much furnishing in the room. Cullena liked casting spells in places she considered to be neutral. The only furniture she had allowed was a pine desk that had fallen over in the earlier firing. Anything needed for a spell was allowed in the room, but nothing else. The red haired girl also insisted that it was best not to clutter the spells or ingredients as they would interfere with each other.
"It's okay though, after she's eaten she won't be as cranky," Rosa said as she joined the two other girls in the corner.
"It must be tough, she's never been the last one to fed," Clarissa replied without the least bit of sympathy in her voice.
"I can hear you!" Cullena shrieked.
"And the minions, the actual minions, upstairs can probably hear you. You know their fragile minds can't handle the noise," Reina reminded the still quivering Cullena.
"Damn the minions! Oh, too late!" Cullena started to laugh a horrible cackling laughter. She didn't stop laughing until she caught the questioning looks the others were giving her. "We'll try again! The same girl."
****
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?" Spike asked tenderly as he pulled a blanket up over Willow.
"Are you trying to avoid doing research or being around my friends?" Willow quipped. A smile was spread across her face, partly because of Spike's reluctance to leave and partly because of his, the Big Bad's, tenderness towards her.
"You have me figured out pretty well, pet," Spike shoot back sarcastically.
"Well, you know how it is- Oh!" Willow cried suddenly, clasping her hands to head. Then she crumpled on the bed.
"Willow! Are you okay?"
Her eyes were shut but beneath the lashes there was movement as if she was looking around. Shimmering softly through the crowds, a candle's flame danced just out of Willow's reach. It sent shadows of the robed figures around it onto the dark walls. They were chanting, the robbed figures, and their faces were covered in shadows. The only thing that could be made out was the dark gleam of their eyes. Slowly the chanting got louder and louder to an almost inhuman pitch causing Willow clasped her hands to her ears and shake her head violently. Shutting her eyes tightly, she hoped to block out the chanting and robed figures.
"Willow!" She heard called through the chanting although it was in a soft, caring tone.
"Spike?" Willow called softly.
"Guys! Hey guys!" Spike started to call, moving towards the door.
"No," Willow whispered hoarsely. "I'm okay."
"But, you blacked out again and-"
"I saw something," she said softly.
A look of confusion crossed Spike's features.
"How? You were unconscious."
"I know, I know," Willow said, frustrated. "It was a dream or something. There were- I have to tell the others."
"No, you can tell me and I'll pass on the message," Spike protested.
"No! I have to tell them myself."
Spike sighed reluctantly and said, "Okay. But explain in to me first just in case..." He trailed off, not sure what to say and Willow offered no help. "Just explain to me."
"Okay," Willow replied, equally reluctant. "It's going to sound very strange though."