Review Responses:
Daylight: Thank you so much for the review! I'm so glad you're enjoying the fic! Willow and Angel are (generally) my favorite charactrs, so I really like writing about them, and it's good to know you like reading about them! =)
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, I am *not* happy. I've spent a few months now writing and planning this fic out, and then what happens? I see the trailer for next week's "Buffy" episode. May I repeat that I am *not* happy. More notes at the end of this part.
PART NINE
"Oh my gosh, Willow you are a *godsend*!" Cordelia squealed in delight as she stood leaning over Willow's shoulder and watching the actions the redhead was performing on her computer at the Angel Investigations office.
Willow smiled in relief, "It's good to know I've still got my touch with these babies."
"What's going on in here?" Gunn asked as he entered the hotel.
"Hey Gunn!" Cordelia greeted as she turned her head to give the man a brilliant smile, "Willow was just fixing up the computer."
"Damn, you're telling me this chic knows her way around magick *and* technology? Pretty dangerous combination if you ask me."
Willow's fingers froze momentarily over the keyboard as she heard Gunn. Forcing herself to take a deep--and quiet--breath, Willow reminded herself that it was just a joke. She wasn't dangerous.
"By the way, how'd the 'girls night' go?" Gunn continued.
"Oh, we had the best time!" Fred exclaimed, coming back into the room with a platter full of tacos. "We spent practically the whole night talking about--"
"--Our favorite movies," Cordelia suddenly cut in, giving Fred a slightly panicked look, "you know, those old classics?"
Catching Cordelia's meaning, Fred smiled as she added, "Right, 'cause, you know, it turns out we're all big movie fans."
"Uh-huh, movies, right," came Gunn's distracted reply. Willow turned to see him hungrily eyeing the tacos Fred was carrying. "Um, are you gonna eat all of those?" he finally asked.
Fred giggled as she placed the tray on a table and picked up a taco for herself. "No, silly, they're for all of us."
"Great," Gunn said, leaping forward, "'cause I am starved."
Cordelia, too, moved to grab a taco, but was stopped by the ringing of the telephone. "I'll get it," she sighed as she moved towards the phone, sending a forlorn glance at the tray of rapidly vanishing food.
"Angel Investigations, we help the--Buffy?"
Willow's attention automatically turned to Cordelia as she heard the name of her best friend.
"What's going on?" Cordelia asked, sounding concerned. Her eyes locked onto Willow's as she continued speaking into the phone, "Yeah, she's right here. Let me give her the phone."
"What is it?" Willow whispered as she stood and walked over to the brunette. Cordelia merely shrugged as she handed the receiver to Willow, whispering back, "Beats me, but she sounds upset."
"Buffy? What's wrong?" Willow questioned after taking the phone.
"Hey, Will," Buffy's voice was tight with worry. "You doing okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. What's going on?"
There was pause before Buffy finally answered, "I'm not quite sure how to say this, so I guess I'll just say it. Will...Tara's gone."
"Gone?" Willow's eyes widened in shock, and her heart began to beat just a bit faster, a feeling of panic gripping at her. "What do you mean 'gone'?"
"Dawn went over to her place--they had this thing planned for today--but when she got there, Tara was... She came to get me--*Dawn* came to get me--and, well, it looks like Tara was taken...by force."
"You're telling me Tara was kidnapped?" Willow's voice quivered.
"It looks like it," Buffy replied softly, "I'm sorry."
"But...by who?" Willow demanded. "Why would anyone be after Tara?"
"I don't know, Will," Buffy tried to offer any type of vocal comfort she could, "but we're doing everything we can to find that out. I just thought you should know. I figured you'd want to come back, help us search."
"Yeah," Willow nodded absent-mindedly, still reeling from the news. The memories of when Glory had robbed Tara of her sanity came floating back to her mind, but Willow found that she could not feel the emotions associated with those memories. Trapped in a numb state of shock, she simply stood there, clutching the phone tightly to her ear, fighting back the fear that she might never see Tara again.
Images of the many loving moments she and Tara had shared flashed in her mind: seeing Tara for the first time at that crazy Wicca group meeting; spending hours on end together in her dorm room, just talking about anything and everything that came to mind, simply enjoying each other's company; their first kiss; all the times they'd do simple spells together...
Spells.
Magick.
Buffy's resurrection.
The Aiterion Scrolls.
"Willow?" she could hear Buffy frantically trying to recapture her attention. "Willow, are you still there?"
Willow struggled to overcome the wave of panic and guilt that suddenly washed over her, but she found it too difficult.
Noticing the redhead's state of shock, Cordelia gently laid a hand on Willow's arm. "Willow?" she called softly to her.
Trapped in her own world of mental torment, Willow could not respond. Her fingers went slack as the receiver slipped from her grasp, the weight of it bringing the entire phone clattering to the ground with a resounding crash that echoed throughout the lobby of the silent hotel.
"Holy crap, Willow!" Cordelia put her arms out to steady the girl before she could collapse from shock.
"Tara's gone," Willow murmured as she leaned against Cordelia for the support her own body would not give her.
"What's happened?" Angel suddenly came racing down the stairs, brought by the sound of the phone crashing to the floor.
"It's Willow," Fred explained to him quietly, "she got a call from Buffy, something about--"
That was all Angel needed to hear as he ran towards Willow, taking her from Cordelia's arms. "I've got her," he reassured the brunette. "Willow, look at me," he commanded her gently as he began to lead her towards a chair.
"I'm so sorry," was all she could manage to say.
"Willow, you have to tell me what's happened," Angel told her, finding himself panicking by the grief-stricken expression on Willow's face.
"Buffy?" Cordelia whispered into the phone, having picked it back up. "What is going on?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Buffy exhaled in relief at finally hearing someone on the line, "what happened to Willow?"
Cordelia sent a quick glance to where Willow was seated, Angel kneeling before her, his hands holding her own as he tried to coax her out of her catatonic state. "She's in shock."
Buffy sighed sadly as she heard Cordelia. "I guess I picked the wrong way to break the news."
"If I heard Willow right, I don't think there was a right way to break that kind of news. Do you know what happened?"
"No," Buffy replied, "but I swear I'm gonna find out."
"Oh, god, Angel... this is all my fault!" Cordelia heard Willow cry out.
Deciding that having her attention divided between both Buffy and Willow was a bit much at the moment, Cordelia quickly spoke into the receiver, "Look, Buffy, why don't I give you a call in a little while, after Willow's calmed down a bit."
"Okay," Buffy agreed after a slight pause, desperately wanting to talk to Willow, but knowing that there was nothing she could say at the moment. "Take care of her."
"You know we will," Cordelia smiled before hanging up. Turning her attention back to the redhead, Cordelia watched as she cried softly against Angel's shoulder. She next shifted her gaze to Fred and Gunn, who were standing together a few feet away, looking slightly out of place. Walking over to them, she whispered, "Maybe we should give them a bit of privacy."
"Sounds good," Gunn nodded.
As the trio turned to leave, they saw Wesley enter the building and pause at the sight that greeted him. After sending a concerned glance in Willow and Angel's direction, he quickly moved towards the others, his face expressing the many questions that were running through his mind.
"Got a call from Sunnydale," Cordelia automatically began to explain to Wesley as he approached them. "Tara's apparently been taken by something."
"Tara? Willow's girlfriend?" Wesley asked, only vaguely recalling having heard that name before.
Cordelia nodded, her gaze once again drawn back to Willow and Angel. Willow seemed slightly more composed, and she was nodding in agreement at something Angel was saying to her. Angel then stood up and turned to face the rest of them, indicating that it was all right for them to come over.
The group shuffled almost nervously toward the pair, eyes darting quickly from one to the other.
"I have something that I really need to tell to all of you," Willow sniffled softly, fighting back the last of her tears. She had put this off long enough, and Tara had suffered the consequences. It was time to finally come clean, and maybe, just maybe, she could find some way out of this nightmare.
"What is it?" Fred asked, her voice filled with compassion.
Willow looked at each of them in turn, her gaze lingering on Cordelia for a moment before lastly falling onto Wesley. "It has to do with what happened last night, with the scrolls."
Wesley exchanged a silent glance with Angel as he prompted Willow to continue.
"There's actually a lot more to it," Willow began to explain hesitantly, "starting back when I performed the spell to bring Buffy back to life."
***
Nearly an hour later, the occupants of the hotel were seated in a small semi-circle, staring silently at anything except the tortured redhead who had finished her tale just minutes before.
"So you think Wolfram and Hart are behind Tara's disappearance?" Wesley finally asked.
"It makes sense, doesn't it?" Willow replied sadly. "I mean, from what Angel's told me about them, they're pretty ruthless, and they have all sorts of connections. Tara's a witch too, and she was there with me when we, when I... she was just always there with me."
Angel wrapped an arm across Willow's shoulders and drew her close to him reassuringly. "If they do have her, I promise you we'll get her back."
"Okay, is anyone else concerned about the fact that if Wolfram and Hart are behind this, they're gonna be coming after Willow with everything they've got?" Cordelia questioned.
"Let them try," Angel growled, "I'll kill every single one of those bastards before they can even lay a finger on Willow." Angel felt the demon stirring within him, and found he had to use more force than normal to push it back down again. Perhaps he had been too generous when he offered only a warning after they pulled the stunt with Cordelia's visions, because this time Wolfram and Hart had gone too far.
"Uh, Angel?" Gunn asked nervously, "I seriously hope you're not about to relapse."
"Relapse?" Fred inquired softly.
"It's a long story," Cordelia was quick to dismiss the still-touchy subject, "but I'm backing Angel up on this one."
Willow gave the ex-cheerleader a heartfelt smile. "Thanks, Cordy, but I really think we should concentrate on getting Tara back rather than keeping me safe. This whole thing is my fault anyway."
"I want you to stop saying that," Angel's tone was stern, "none of this is your fault."
"Angel, if I *am* the one in the scrolls--"
"Then we will handle it."
"But what if--"
"You're not evil," Angel cut her off again, knowing where she was headed with her self-deprecating arguing. "Nothing can make you evil."
"It just seems like everything has spiraled out of control," Willow sighed. Ever since she had learned that she had pulled Buffy out of Heaven, her life had become so unrecognizably twisted that she barely even recognized it anymore. She had allowed her own power to corrupt her, inadvertently betrayed her best friend, lost the woman she loved, sunk so far into depression that she had put her life in danger, ended up hurting the people closest to her, and now, now she was learning that she could end up becoming Angel's enemy, and even that *knowledge* was having its repercussions--on the very person she loved most in this world.
"I'm just so tired, Angel."
Angel was about to respond, but was interrupted by the telephone ringing once again. Assuming it was Buffy with more news, he squeezed Willow's hand gently in support before going to answer the call.
"Angel Investigations," he answered obligatorily.
"Angel, how are you today?" asked an unmistakably snide voice.
"Lilah," Angel snarled, "what the hell do you want?"
"Now, now, is that any way to talk to someone who's just trying to offer you an olive branch?"
Angel could practically envision the smug smirk plastered across the woman's face, and it irritated him to no end. "What are you talking about?"
"It's very simple, really. You see, you happen to have something that we're very interested in obtaining, and as it turns out, we happen to have something that I'm sure you're desperate to get back."
"Get to the point."
"All right then. I'm calling to propose a trade."
***
"Willow, are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Angel asked, his hands on Willow's shoulders, his gaze pinning her attention to him.
"For the last time, Angel, I'm sure," Willow told him slowly, trying to emphasize her resolve. "I have to do this. I have to make sure Tara's safe."
"You know we can find some other way," Buffy stepped forward, speaking softly.
After Angel had received the phone call from Lilah, he had told Willow about the lawyer's demands. Willow had automatically agreed to the trade, and no amount of arguing from him, Cordelia, or even Wesley, could dissuade her. They had tried to warn her of all the possible ways this could go wrong, but Willow had held firmly to her decision, only agreeing to a mild compromise of calling Sunnydale first to let her friends know what was happening.
That phone call, of course, had brought Buffy and Xander running to Los Angeles, intent on providing what assistance they could to bring both Willow and Tara home safely. They, too, had made a futile attempt to talk Willow out of her decision. In the end, it was decided that Willow and Angel would go to the location specified for the trade, as Lilah had demanded, but that Buffy would come along secretly as backup, in case anything went wrong.
Shaking her head at Buffy, Willow replied, "What if something happens to Tara in the meantime? How would I live with that?"
"And if something happens to you?" both Buffy and Angel countered.
Willow sighed, her eyes downcast as she stared at the floor. "I know you guys don't want to see me get hurt," she looked up to gaze at both of them, "but I love Tara. I don't know what I'd ever do without her. And both of you know you'd be doing the exact same thing if it was someone you loved."
Buffy and Angel exchanged slightly uncomfortable glances, recognizing the truth in Willow's words.
"Alright," Angel finally relented completely. "But if I get even the *smallest* indication that you're in danger--"
"You can play the part of the White Knight that you're so used to," Willow smiled at him.
Buffy felt her heart constrict slightly as she watched the ease with which the two interacted. There had been a time when she and Angel had had that flowing connection, but it was a time so long ago. Even though she realized that a relationship with Angel could only remain as part of her past, she didn't understand why it still affected her every time she saw him. They had moved so far apart from each other, that had been revealed with painful clarity during their rendezvous, after Angel had learned she was back from the grave, and yet Buffy found that she could not let go of the small piece of him that still lived in her heart.
"We all set then?"
Willow's nervous question brought Buffy out of her thoughts, and she flashed her companions a smile filled with the confidence she didn't feel. "Ready. I'll be waiting here for Angel and Tara to come out, and if all goes well, we'll be back for you in no time."
"Good," Willow nodded, turning to Angel. "Let's go."
Angel sent once last look at Buffy, silently reminding her to keep her eyes and ears open for the slightest hint of danger, then moved to follow Willow into the abandoned warehouse.
***
"Ms. Rosenberg, may I say that it is a pleasure to finally meet you," Lilah greeted the couple standing before her.
"Too bad I can't say the same," Willow threw back at her.
"Really, Angel, must your associates always be so hostile?"
"We're here like you asked," Willow continued, her words clipped in anger. "Where's Tara?"
"Your girlfriend's on the way," Lilah stated, "You know, I really do think that the two of you make a cute couple."
"You said she'd be here," Angel stepped forward, his patience practically non-existent.
"And she will be. We simply had to make sure you'd keep up your end of the deal."
"You're the only one who'd pull a double-cross," Angel snarled.
"True," Lilah smiled, "but I've got to cover my bases."
Movement at the other end of the room caught Angel's attention, and he and Willow watched as several new figures appeared.
"Ah, and here's the little witch," Gavin announced as he appeared next to Lilah.
"Oh my god, Tara!" Willow suddenly rushed forward as she spotted her beloved hanging limply within the grasp of two commandoes. "What have you done to her?"
Just as Willow was within arm's length of Tara, a barrier erupted between the two, sending Willow flying back against the wall.
"Willow!" Angel's game face emerged as he growled and launched himself towards the men holding Tara captive. Unfortunately, he, too was sent sprawling backwards.
"What the hell are you trying to pull?" Willow snapped viciously at the five people standing before her as she rose to her feet, casting a swift glance in Angel's direction to make sure he was okay.
"Insurance," Lilah stated simply. "We happen to have a few of our own spell-casters, and this one here," the fifth figure stepped forward slightly, "has a barrier running around your girlfriend that also happens to prevent her from using her powers. Once you're safely in our...care, the barrier will be released."
Angel, who was once again standing protectively next to Willow, countered, "Or the barrier could close in on her and kill her. I happen to be familiar with how these work."
"We assure you that won't be the case," Gavin stepped in, "so long as Ms. Rosenberg refrains from using her own powers. We have no desire to see anyone die here tonight."
"You think I'm just going to accept your word on that? Release the barrier now," Angel commanded.
"You're not the one in a position to give orders here," Lilah replied. "As you yourself just pointed out, we could have her killed on a moment's notice."
"Try it and you all die," Willow's voice was pitched low, her eyes menacing. She was trying her best to keep the magick within her buried, but she even as she stood there, she could feel the desire to simply blast away everyone in the room building within her.
Lilah took an involuntary step back as she noted the gleam in the redhead's eyes. "As we've said, Ms. Rosenberg, so long as you refrain from using your powers, your girlfriend will be returned safe and sound."
"And me? What do you have in store for me?"
"We'd simply like to talk with you," Gavin answered smoothly.
"Talk? I really don't think you went through all this trouble just so we could sit down over a cup of coffee and *talk.*"
At that moment, a loud crash came from the entrance Willow and Angel had used earlier, and the occupants of the room whirled around to find a young blonde crashing through the door, bleeding from a bullet wound in her shoulder.
"What the hell is going on?" Lilah asked the commando who had stepped in behind her, his gun still trained on the girl.
"She was snooping around outside," he replied.
Buffy quickly regained her balance, glaring at the people in the room. "As I already told the not-so-nice man with the gun, I was just passing by."
"Passing by? Really?" Gavin raised en eyebrow, "Considering that you're the Slayer, I'd say that's quite a big coincidence."
"Oh, so you've heard of me?" Buffy flashed them a quick smile.
Unfortunately, her trademark flippant remarks weren't going to get her out of this mess, as Lilah smoothly commanded, "Kill her."
Buffy's eyes widened as she heard the order, and she turned quickly, lashing out with a spinning back kick to the commando behind her, disarming him.
And then all hell broke loose.
Buffy tackled one of the commandoes holding Tara, as Angel went after the one who had previously held his gun on Buffy. Willow, intent on getting to the psychic binding Tara, barely had time to react as bullets went flying through the room.
Quickly disposing of his opponent, Angel turned to see Willow advancing on the psychic. Moving quickly to her aid, he was distracted by the sight of the last commando preparing to fire at Buffy. Angel yelled in warning, allowing Buffy to evade the path of the bullet in time, but she ended up inadvertently brushing against the barrier around Tara, which sent her flying back. Angel threw himself at the other commando, the gun firing as their bodies collided.
A high-pitched shriek filled the air, and Willow sank to her knees as the body of the fallen psychic crumbled on top of her, shot by the stray bullet. A second, agonized scream joined the first, and Willow's eyes snapped up to see Tara writhing in pain against the confines of her barrier, which were rapidly closing in on her.
"Tara!" Willow's heart constricted painfully as she quickly scrambled to her feet, racing over to Tara. She knew she had sworn that she was finished with magick, but if it was the only way to save the woman she loved...
Willow's eyes flashed as she unleashed her power, her mind set upon breaking the barrier. But even as the invisible walls around Tara shattered, Willow knew it was too late.
"No!" she sobbed as she cradled Tara's limp body in her arms, "please, baby, open your eyes. Say something to me, please..."
When Tara still did not move, Willow began to grow hysterical, even as she continued to gently stroke the other woman's hair, coaxing her to do something to prove she was still alive. As the harsh reality of the situation finally sunk into Willow's grief-stricken mind, she realized it was over. Once again, she had lost the person she loved.
And there would be hell to pay.
END PART NINE
AUTHOR'S NOTES (cont'd): I'm sure you see now what I was referring to in the above Author's Notes. So, I guess I have to ask: does anyone even want to read this fic anymore, seeing as how it will apparently parallel some of the events in BtVS for a while?
Daylight: Thank you so much for the review! I'm so glad you're enjoying the fic! Willow and Angel are (generally) my favorite charactrs, so I really like writing about them, and it's good to know you like reading about them! =)
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, I am *not* happy. I've spent a few months now writing and planning this fic out, and then what happens? I see the trailer for next week's "Buffy" episode. May I repeat that I am *not* happy. More notes at the end of this part.
PART NINE
"Oh my gosh, Willow you are a *godsend*!" Cordelia squealed in delight as she stood leaning over Willow's shoulder and watching the actions the redhead was performing on her computer at the Angel Investigations office.
Willow smiled in relief, "It's good to know I've still got my touch with these babies."
"What's going on in here?" Gunn asked as he entered the hotel.
"Hey Gunn!" Cordelia greeted as she turned her head to give the man a brilliant smile, "Willow was just fixing up the computer."
"Damn, you're telling me this chic knows her way around magick *and* technology? Pretty dangerous combination if you ask me."
Willow's fingers froze momentarily over the keyboard as she heard Gunn. Forcing herself to take a deep--and quiet--breath, Willow reminded herself that it was just a joke. She wasn't dangerous.
"By the way, how'd the 'girls night' go?" Gunn continued.
"Oh, we had the best time!" Fred exclaimed, coming back into the room with a platter full of tacos. "We spent practically the whole night talking about--"
"--Our favorite movies," Cordelia suddenly cut in, giving Fred a slightly panicked look, "you know, those old classics?"
Catching Cordelia's meaning, Fred smiled as she added, "Right, 'cause, you know, it turns out we're all big movie fans."
"Uh-huh, movies, right," came Gunn's distracted reply. Willow turned to see him hungrily eyeing the tacos Fred was carrying. "Um, are you gonna eat all of those?" he finally asked.
Fred giggled as she placed the tray on a table and picked up a taco for herself. "No, silly, they're for all of us."
"Great," Gunn said, leaping forward, "'cause I am starved."
Cordelia, too, moved to grab a taco, but was stopped by the ringing of the telephone. "I'll get it," she sighed as she moved towards the phone, sending a forlorn glance at the tray of rapidly vanishing food.
"Angel Investigations, we help the--Buffy?"
Willow's attention automatically turned to Cordelia as she heard the name of her best friend.
"What's going on?" Cordelia asked, sounding concerned. Her eyes locked onto Willow's as she continued speaking into the phone, "Yeah, she's right here. Let me give her the phone."
"What is it?" Willow whispered as she stood and walked over to the brunette. Cordelia merely shrugged as she handed the receiver to Willow, whispering back, "Beats me, but she sounds upset."
"Buffy? What's wrong?" Willow questioned after taking the phone.
"Hey, Will," Buffy's voice was tight with worry. "You doing okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. What's going on?"
There was pause before Buffy finally answered, "I'm not quite sure how to say this, so I guess I'll just say it. Will...Tara's gone."
"Gone?" Willow's eyes widened in shock, and her heart began to beat just a bit faster, a feeling of panic gripping at her. "What do you mean 'gone'?"
"Dawn went over to her place--they had this thing planned for today--but when she got there, Tara was... She came to get me--*Dawn* came to get me--and, well, it looks like Tara was taken...by force."
"You're telling me Tara was kidnapped?" Willow's voice quivered.
"It looks like it," Buffy replied softly, "I'm sorry."
"But...by who?" Willow demanded. "Why would anyone be after Tara?"
"I don't know, Will," Buffy tried to offer any type of vocal comfort she could, "but we're doing everything we can to find that out. I just thought you should know. I figured you'd want to come back, help us search."
"Yeah," Willow nodded absent-mindedly, still reeling from the news. The memories of when Glory had robbed Tara of her sanity came floating back to her mind, but Willow found that she could not feel the emotions associated with those memories. Trapped in a numb state of shock, she simply stood there, clutching the phone tightly to her ear, fighting back the fear that she might never see Tara again.
Images of the many loving moments she and Tara had shared flashed in her mind: seeing Tara for the first time at that crazy Wicca group meeting; spending hours on end together in her dorm room, just talking about anything and everything that came to mind, simply enjoying each other's company; their first kiss; all the times they'd do simple spells together...
Spells.
Magick.
Buffy's resurrection.
The Aiterion Scrolls.
"Willow?" she could hear Buffy frantically trying to recapture her attention. "Willow, are you still there?"
Willow struggled to overcome the wave of panic and guilt that suddenly washed over her, but she found it too difficult.
Noticing the redhead's state of shock, Cordelia gently laid a hand on Willow's arm. "Willow?" she called softly to her.
Trapped in her own world of mental torment, Willow could not respond. Her fingers went slack as the receiver slipped from her grasp, the weight of it bringing the entire phone clattering to the ground with a resounding crash that echoed throughout the lobby of the silent hotel.
"Holy crap, Willow!" Cordelia put her arms out to steady the girl before she could collapse from shock.
"Tara's gone," Willow murmured as she leaned against Cordelia for the support her own body would not give her.
"What's happened?" Angel suddenly came racing down the stairs, brought by the sound of the phone crashing to the floor.
"It's Willow," Fred explained to him quietly, "she got a call from Buffy, something about--"
That was all Angel needed to hear as he ran towards Willow, taking her from Cordelia's arms. "I've got her," he reassured the brunette. "Willow, look at me," he commanded her gently as he began to lead her towards a chair.
"I'm so sorry," was all she could manage to say.
"Willow, you have to tell me what's happened," Angel told her, finding himself panicking by the grief-stricken expression on Willow's face.
"Buffy?" Cordelia whispered into the phone, having picked it back up. "What is going on?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Buffy exhaled in relief at finally hearing someone on the line, "what happened to Willow?"
Cordelia sent a quick glance to where Willow was seated, Angel kneeling before her, his hands holding her own as he tried to coax her out of her catatonic state. "She's in shock."
Buffy sighed sadly as she heard Cordelia. "I guess I picked the wrong way to break the news."
"If I heard Willow right, I don't think there was a right way to break that kind of news. Do you know what happened?"
"No," Buffy replied, "but I swear I'm gonna find out."
"Oh, god, Angel... this is all my fault!" Cordelia heard Willow cry out.
Deciding that having her attention divided between both Buffy and Willow was a bit much at the moment, Cordelia quickly spoke into the receiver, "Look, Buffy, why don't I give you a call in a little while, after Willow's calmed down a bit."
"Okay," Buffy agreed after a slight pause, desperately wanting to talk to Willow, but knowing that there was nothing she could say at the moment. "Take care of her."
"You know we will," Cordelia smiled before hanging up. Turning her attention back to the redhead, Cordelia watched as she cried softly against Angel's shoulder. She next shifted her gaze to Fred and Gunn, who were standing together a few feet away, looking slightly out of place. Walking over to them, she whispered, "Maybe we should give them a bit of privacy."
"Sounds good," Gunn nodded.
As the trio turned to leave, they saw Wesley enter the building and pause at the sight that greeted him. After sending a concerned glance in Willow and Angel's direction, he quickly moved towards the others, his face expressing the many questions that were running through his mind.
"Got a call from Sunnydale," Cordelia automatically began to explain to Wesley as he approached them. "Tara's apparently been taken by something."
"Tara? Willow's girlfriend?" Wesley asked, only vaguely recalling having heard that name before.
Cordelia nodded, her gaze once again drawn back to Willow and Angel. Willow seemed slightly more composed, and she was nodding in agreement at something Angel was saying to her. Angel then stood up and turned to face the rest of them, indicating that it was all right for them to come over.
The group shuffled almost nervously toward the pair, eyes darting quickly from one to the other.
"I have something that I really need to tell to all of you," Willow sniffled softly, fighting back the last of her tears. She had put this off long enough, and Tara had suffered the consequences. It was time to finally come clean, and maybe, just maybe, she could find some way out of this nightmare.
"What is it?" Fred asked, her voice filled with compassion.
Willow looked at each of them in turn, her gaze lingering on Cordelia for a moment before lastly falling onto Wesley. "It has to do with what happened last night, with the scrolls."
Wesley exchanged a silent glance with Angel as he prompted Willow to continue.
"There's actually a lot more to it," Willow began to explain hesitantly, "starting back when I performed the spell to bring Buffy back to life."
***
Nearly an hour later, the occupants of the hotel were seated in a small semi-circle, staring silently at anything except the tortured redhead who had finished her tale just minutes before.
"So you think Wolfram and Hart are behind Tara's disappearance?" Wesley finally asked.
"It makes sense, doesn't it?" Willow replied sadly. "I mean, from what Angel's told me about them, they're pretty ruthless, and they have all sorts of connections. Tara's a witch too, and she was there with me when we, when I... she was just always there with me."
Angel wrapped an arm across Willow's shoulders and drew her close to him reassuringly. "If they do have her, I promise you we'll get her back."
"Okay, is anyone else concerned about the fact that if Wolfram and Hart are behind this, they're gonna be coming after Willow with everything they've got?" Cordelia questioned.
"Let them try," Angel growled, "I'll kill every single one of those bastards before they can even lay a finger on Willow." Angel felt the demon stirring within him, and found he had to use more force than normal to push it back down again. Perhaps he had been too generous when he offered only a warning after they pulled the stunt with Cordelia's visions, because this time Wolfram and Hart had gone too far.
"Uh, Angel?" Gunn asked nervously, "I seriously hope you're not about to relapse."
"Relapse?" Fred inquired softly.
"It's a long story," Cordelia was quick to dismiss the still-touchy subject, "but I'm backing Angel up on this one."
Willow gave the ex-cheerleader a heartfelt smile. "Thanks, Cordy, but I really think we should concentrate on getting Tara back rather than keeping me safe. This whole thing is my fault anyway."
"I want you to stop saying that," Angel's tone was stern, "none of this is your fault."
"Angel, if I *am* the one in the scrolls--"
"Then we will handle it."
"But what if--"
"You're not evil," Angel cut her off again, knowing where she was headed with her self-deprecating arguing. "Nothing can make you evil."
"It just seems like everything has spiraled out of control," Willow sighed. Ever since she had learned that she had pulled Buffy out of Heaven, her life had become so unrecognizably twisted that she barely even recognized it anymore. She had allowed her own power to corrupt her, inadvertently betrayed her best friend, lost the woman she loved, sunk so far into depression that she had put her life in danger, ended up hurting the people closest to her, and now, now she was learning that she could end up becoming Angel's enemy, and even that *knowledge* was having its repercussions--on the very person she loved most in this world.
"I'm just so tired, Angel."
Angel was about to respond, but was interrupted by the telephone ringing once again. Assuming it was Buffy with more news, he squeezed Willow's hand gently in support before going to answer the call.
"Angel Investigations," he answered obligatorily.
"Angel, how are you today?" asked an unmistakably snide voice.
"Lilah," Angel snarled, "what the hell do you want?"
"Now, now, is that any way to talk to someone who's just trying to offer you an olive branch?"
Angel could practically envision the smug smirk plastered across the woman's face, and it irritated him to no end. "What are you talking about?"
"It's very simple, really. You see, you happen to have something that we're very interested in obtaining, and as it turns out, we happen to have something that I'm sure you're desperate to get back."
"Get to the point."
"All right then. I'm calling to propose a trade."
***
"Willow, are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Angel asked, his hands on Willow's shoulders, his gaze pinning her attention to him.
"For the last time, Angel, I'm sure," Willow told him slowly, trying to emphasize her resolve. "I have to do this. I have to make sure Tara's safe."
"You know we can find some other way," Buffy stepped forward, speaking softly.
After Angel had received the phone call from Lilah, he had told Willow about the lawyer's demands. Willow had automatically agreed to the trade, and no amount of arguing from him, Cordelia, or even Wesley, could dissuade her. They had tried to warn her of all the possible ways this could go wrong, but Willow had held firmly to her decision, only agreeing to a mild compromise of calling Sunnydale first to let her friends know what was happening.
That phone call, of course, had brought Buffy and Xander running to Los Angeles, intent on providing what assistance they could to bring both Willow and Tara home safely. They, too, had made a futile attempt to talk Willow out of her decision. In the end, it was decided that Willow and Angel would go to the location specified for the trade, as Lilah had demanded, but that Buffy would come along secretly as backup, in case anything went wrong.
Shaking her head at Buffy, Willow replied, "What if something happens to Tara in the meantime? How would I live with that?"
"And if something happens to you?" both Buffy and Angel countered.
Willow sighed, her eyes downcast as she stared at the floor. "I know you guys don't want to see me get hurt," she looked up to gaze at both of them, "but I love Tara. I don't know what I'd ever do without her. And both of you know you'd be doing the exact same thing if it was someone you loved."
Buffy and Angel exchanged slightly uncomfortable glances, recognizing the truth in Willow's words.
"Alright," Angel finally relented completely. "But if I get even the *smallest* indication that you're in danger--"
"You can play the part of the White Knight that you're so used to," Willow smiled at him.
Buffy felt her heart constrict slightly as she watched the ease with which the two interacted. There had been a time when she and Angel had had that flowing connection, but it was a time so long ago. Even though she realized that a relationship with Angel could only remain as part of her past, she didn't understand why it still affected her every time she saw him. They had moved so far apart from each other, that had been revealed with painful clarity during their rendezvous, after Angel had learned she was back from the grave, and yet Buffy found that she could not let go of the small piece of him that still lived in her heart.
"We all set then?"
Willow's nervous question brought Buffy out of her thoughts, and she flashed her companions a smile filled with the confidence she didn't feel. "Ready. I'll be waiting here for Angel and Tara to come out, and if all goes well, we'll be back for you in no time."
"Good," Willow nodded, turning to Angel. "Let's go."
Angel sent once last look at Buffy, silently reminding her to keep her eyes and ears open for the slightest hint of danger, then moved to follow Willow into the abandoned warehouse.
***
"Ms. Rosenberg, may I say that it is a pleasure to finally meet you," Lilah greeted the couple standing before her.
"Too bad I can't say the same," Willow threw back at her.
"Really, Angel, must your associates always be so hostile?"
"We're here like you asked," Willow continued, her words clipped in anger. "Where's Tara?"
"Your girlfriend's on the way," Lilah stated, "You know, I really do think that the two of you make a cute couple."
"You said she'd be here," Angel stepped forward, his patience practically non-existent.
"And she will be. We simply had to make sure you'd keep up your end of the deal."
"You're the only one who'd pull a double-cross," Angel snarled.
"True," Lilah smiled, "but I've got to cover my bases."
Movement at the other end of the room caught Angel's attention, and he and Willow watched as several new figures appeared.
"Ah, and here's the little witch," Gavin announced as he appeared next to Lilah.
"Oh my god, Tara!" Willow suddenly rushed forward as she spotted her beloved hanging limply within the grasp of two commandoes. "What have you done to her?"
Just as Willow was within arm's length of Tara, a barrier erupted between the two, sending Willow flying back against the wall.
"Willow!" Angel's game face emerged as he growled and launched himself towards the men holding Tara captive. Unfortunately, he, too was sent sprawling backwards.
"What the hell are you trying to pull?" Willow snapped viciously at the five people standing before her as she rose to her feet, casting a swift glance in Angel's direction to make sure he was okay.
"Insurance," Lilah stated simply. "We happen to have a few of our own spell-casters, and this one here," the fifth figure stepped forward slightly, "has a barrier running around your girlfriend that also happens to prevent her from using her powers. Once you're safely in our...care, the barrier will be released."
Angel, who was once again standing protectively next to Willow, countered, "Or the barrier could close in on her and kill her. I happen to be familiar with how these work."
"We assure you that won't be the case," Gavin stepped in, "so long as Ms. Rosenberg refrains from using her own powers. We have no desire to see anyone die here tonight."
"You think I'm just going to accept your word on that? Release the barrier now," Angel commanded.
"You're not the one in a position to give orders here," Lilah replied. "As you yourself just pointed out, we could have her killed on a moment's notice."
"Try it and you all die," Willow's voice was pitched low, her eyes menacing. She was trying her best to keep the magick within her buried, but she even as she stood there, she could feel the desire to simply blast away everyone in the room building within her.
Lilah took an involuntary step back as she noted the gleam in the redhead's eyes. "As we've said, Ms. Rosenberg, so long as you refrain from using your powers, your girlfriend will be returned safe and sound."
"And me? What do you have in store for me?"
"We'd simply like to talk with you," Gavin answered smoothly.
"Talk? I really don't think you went through all this trouble just so we could sit down over a cup of coffee and *talk.*"
At that moment, a loud crash came from the entrance Willow and Angel had used earlier, and the occupants of the room whirled around to find a young blonde crashing through the door, bleeding from a bullet wound in her shoulder.
"What the hell is going on?" Lilah asked the commando who had stepped in behind her, his gun still trained on the girl.
"She was snooping around outside," he replied.
Buffy quickly regained her balance, glaring at the people in the room. "As I already told the not-so-nice man with the gun, I was just passing by."
"Passing by? Really?" Gavin raised en eyebrow, "Considering that you're the Slayer, I'd say that's quite a big coincidence."
"Oh, so you've heard of me?" Buffy flashed them a quick smile.
Unfortunately, her trademark flippant remarks weren't going to get her out of this mess, as Lilah smoothly commanded, "Kill her."
Buffy's eyes widened as she heard the order, and she turned quickly, lashing out with a spinning back kick to the commando behind her, disarming him.
And then all hell broke loose.
Buffy tackled one of the commandoes holding Tara, as Angel went after the one who had previously held his gun on Buffy. Willow, intent on getting to the psychic binding Tara, barely had time to react as bullets went flying through the room.
Quickly disposing of his opponent, Angel turned to see Willow advancing on the psychic. Moving quickly to her aid, he was distracted by the sight of the last commando preparing to fire at Buffy. Angel yelled in warning, allowing Buffy to evade the path of the bullet in time, but she ended up inadvertently brushing against the barrier around Tara, which sent her flying back. Angel threw himself at the other commando, the gun firing as their bodies collided.
A high-pitched shriek filled the air, and Willow sank to her knees as the body of the fallen psychic crumbled on top of her, shot by the stray bullet. A second, agonized scream joined the first, and Willow's eyes snapped up to see Tara writhing in pain against the confines of her barrier, which were rapidly closing in on her.
"Tara!" Willow's heart constricted painfully as she quickly scrambled to her feet, racing over to Tara. She knew she had sworn that she was finished with magick, but if it was the only way to save the woman she loved...
Willow's eyes flashed as she unleashed her power, her mind set upon breaking the barrier. But even as the invisible walls around Tara shattered, Willow knew it was too late.
"No!" she sobbed as she cradled Tara's limp body in her arms, "please, baby, open your eyes. Say something to me, please..."
When Tara still did not move, Willow began to grow hysterical, even as she continued to gently stroke the other woman's hair, coaxing her to do something to prove she was still alive. As the harsh reality of the situation finally sunk into Willow's grief-stricken mind, she realized it was over. Once again, she had lost the person she loved.
And there would be hell to pay.
END PART NINE
AUTHOR'S NOTES (cont'd): I'm sure you see now what I was referring to in the above Author's Notes. So, I guess I have to ask: does anyone even want to read this fic anymore, seeing as how it will apparently parallel some of the events in BtVS for a while?