Chapter Eight - Away We Go
Buffy was on her feet in an instant, executing a
perfect back flip in order to land in front of Katherine.
"Get Amy!" she shouted at Angel, who shrugged
helplessly and gestured to the doorway. He was trapped by
the invisible barrier. Faith – where had she come from? –
had already realized this and was rushing towards the
stairs.
"Amy!" Buffy kept shouting her friend's name as she
sent a roundhouse kick into Katherine, who was weakening.
"I've got a bone to pick with you lady. What were you
thinking, possessing my best friend? Talk about rudeness."
She tried to head Katherine out the door so that Angel
could help her, but the witch had already realized this,
and jumped somewhat clumsily over the couch so that there
was no danger of Buffy forcing her out the door.
"You say that was rude? What about beating me up in
my own house?" the elder woman grunted as she deflected a
blow.
'Of course', Buffy realized. Katherine's been in
Willow's body and I taught Will – or Katherine – a fair
few tricks over the years. It was scary. This was the
woman who'd been her best friend over the past five years.
The woman that had dated Oz and Tara. Aced Willow's SAT's
for her.
Buffy froze almost in midair, forcing herself to
withdraw the leg she'd reflexively raised to send
Katherine flying across the room. The dark-haired witch
took the advantage and threw a nicely placed backhand to
her opponent's face. As she did, Faith leapt over the
stair-rail and hustled a white faced Amy down the stairs.
"What are you doing?" Angel shouted from the door.
The blonde Slayer's moves were completely defensive now as
she tried not to hurt the witch.
His ex-girlfriend deflected a punch and threw herself
into a back flip to avoid a bolt of power, which blasted
the couch out of existence.
"This woman has been in Willow's body for five years,
Angel," she told him grimly. "She restored your soul. She
gave me a second – or third – chance at life. She turned
Amy back from a rat. Whatever her intentions were, she's
been the best friend I've ever had while she was in Willow
and I, for one, don't want to hurt her."
Buffy gulped and swiped at a sneaky tear that had escaped
even as she caught Katherine's hand and flipped her onto
her back. "I can't."
Angel looked at Faith who was helping a shaken Amy to
her feet. One of her mother's shots had caught her and
she'd been flung into the wall. Faith caught the glance
and shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me. I wasn't exactly
nice to Red – but she wasn't Red at the time, so that's a
bit better – but it's still not my right to decide what
happens to her." Faith jerked her head towards Katherine,
who was pinned to the floor by the blonde Slayer.
Buffy caught the witch's hands in her own, holding
them tightly so she couldn't cast. Katherine's face was
white, her pallor enhanced by the black veins that stood
out on her face. Her eyes were closed, but when they were
open, that eerie blackness gave Buffy a major wiggins.
"If you ask me, the only person that has the right to
decide what happens to her is Red. It was her body, after
all."
'Geez,; Buffy thought grimly. 'It would be so much
easier if I could just ignore her. Why does she have to
make sense?'
"Much as I hate to say it, Faith's right," Angel
pointed out. Faith glared at him. "What? I said you were
right." She muttered something unintelligible, but let him
continue. "We can't kill her, at any rate. She's human,
for one. Besides, Willow has the right to decide. I'm more
worried about how she'll react. She's only known about
you, Buffy, and the Hellmouth for a week, and she hasn't
seen all of the things that we have. It's been Katherine
fighting vampires and defeating hellgods all this time."
"Which begs the question – why?" Buffy said grimly.
She glanced at the only other witch in the room. "Amy, can
you bind her powers until we reach my house?"
Her friend nodded. "I think so. She's pretty weak.
Willow's got all the power still. Not the knowledge, but
the power." She finished a short incantation, during which
Katherine wriggled violently under Buffy's firm grip and
then fell still.
Tentatively, Buffy raised herself off of the witch
and gazed warily down at her. This was her best friend.
Faith caught the look on her face, and gave her a
casual glance. "Hey, B, you want me to..." she jerked her
head towards the unconscious witch again. Curtly, Buffy
nodded, and watched as the dark Slayer carelessly lifted
Katherine into strong arms.
"Homeward Bound," Buffy announced casually, slipping
a supporting arm around Amy, who was exhausted from the
effort of the spell, and tried not to think about how
Xander would react to this new development.
*****************************
The old man turned to his wife as they watched the
odd procession from their porch. "Do you think they've
nearly got it, my dear?"
"Maybe. Young people these days can be so blind. Now
the Slayers in our day, they would have figured it all out
a long time ago. That poor girl." The old lady sniffed
and wiped away a tear as she thought of Katherine Madison
and Willow Rosenberg.
#
Buffy was on her feet in an instant, executing a
perfect back flip in order to land in front of Katherine.
"Get Amy!" she shouted at Angel, who shrugged
helplessly and gestured to the doorway. He was trapped by
the invisible barrier. Faith – where had she come from? –
had already realized this and was rushing towards the
stairs.
"Amy!" Buffy kept shouting her friend's name as she
sent a roundhouse kick into Katherine, who was weakening.
"I've got a bone to pick with you lady. What were you
thinking, possessing my best friend? Talk about rudeness."
She tried to head Katherine out the door so that Angel
could help her, but the witch had already realized this,
and jumped somewhat clumsily over the couch so that there
was no danger of Buffy forcing her out the door.
"You say that was rude? What about beating me up in
my own house?" the elder woman grunted as she deflected a
blow.
'Of course', Buffy realized. Katherine's been in
Willow's body and I taught Will – or Katherine – a fair
few tricks over the years. It was scary. This was the
woman who'd been her best friend over the past five years.
The woman that had dated Oz and Tara. Aced Willow's SAT's
for her.
Buffy froze almost in midair, forcing herself to
withdraw the leg she'd reflexively raised to send
Katherine flying across the room. The dark-haired witch
took the advantage and threw a nicely placed backhand to
her opponent's face. As she did, Faith leapt over the
stair-rail and hustled a white faced Amy down the stairs.
"What are you doing?" Angel shouted from the door.
The blonde Slayer's moves were completely defensive now as
she tried not to hurt the witch.
His ex-girlfriend deflected a punch and threw herself
into a back flip to avoid a bolt of power, which blasted
the couch out of existence.
"This woman has been in Willow's body for five years,
Angel," she told him grimly. "She restored your soul. She
gave me a second – or third – chance at life. She turned
Amy back from a rat. Whatever her intentions were, she's
been the best friend I've ever had while she was in Willow
and I, for one, don't want to hurt her."
Buffy gulped and swiped at a sneaky tear that had escaped
even as she caught Katherine's hand and flipped her onto
her back. "I can't."
Angel looked at Faith who was helping a shaken Amy to
her feet. One of her mother's shots had caught her and
she'd been flung into the wall. Faith caught the glance
and shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me. I wasn't exactly
nice to Red – but she wasn't Red at the time, so that's a
bit better – but it's still not my right to decide what
happens to her." Faith jerked her head towards Katherine,
who was pinned to the floor by the blonde Slayer.
Buffy caught the witch's hands in her own, holding
them tightly so she couldn't cast. Katherine's face was
white, her pallor enhanced by the black veins that stood
out on her face. Her eyes were closed, but when they were
open, that eerie blackness gave Buffy a major wiggins.
"If you ask me, the only person that has the right to
decide what happens to her is Red. It was her body, after
all."
'Geez,; Buffy thought grimly. 'It would be so much
easier if I could just ignore her. Why does she have to
make sense?'
"Much as I hate to say it, Faith's right," Angel
pointed out. Faith glared at him. "What? I said you were
right." She muttered something unintelligible, but let him
continue. "We can't kill her, at any rate. She's human,
for one. Besides, Willow has the right to decide. I'm more
worried about how she'll react. She's only known about
you, Buffy, and the Hellmouth for a week, and she hasn't
seen all of the things that we have. It's been Katherine
fighting vampires and defeating hellgods all this time."
"Which begs the question – why?" Buffy said grimly.
She glanced at the only other witch in the room. "Amy, can
you bind her powers until we reach my house?"
Her friend nodded. "I think so. She's pretty weak.
Willow's got all the power still. Not the knowledge, but
the power." She finished a short incantation, during which
Katherine wriggled violently under Buffy's firm grip and
then fell still.
Tentatively, Buffy raised herself off of the witch
and gazed warily down at her. This was her best friend.
Faith caught the look on her face, and gave her a
casual glance. "Hey, B, you want me to..." she jerked her
head towards the unconscious witch again. Curtly, Buffy
nodded, and watched as the dark Slayer carelessly lifted
Katherine into strong arms.
"Homeward Bound," Buffy announced casually, slipping
a supporting arm around Amy, who was exhausted from the
effort of the spell, and tried not to think about how
Xander would react to this new development.
*****************************
The old man turned to his wife as they watched the
odd procession from their porch. "Do you think they've
nearly got it, my dear?"
"Maybe. Young people these days can be so blind. Now
the Slayers in our day, they would have figured it all out
a long time ago. That poor girl." The old lady sniffed
and wiped away a tear as she thought of Katherine Madison
and Willow Rosenberg.
#