Chapter 3 - Sacrificed
"Why, Dawnie, no whining or crying. Very good. Looks like I might not be able to get rid of you the easy way, either. Bother. But it makes things interesting," said the demonic version of Willow.
Dawn summoned her strength. "You're not Willow," she blurted out. "You're the same thing that tried to kill me before. What have you done with Willow?"
"Miss Summers, that is no way to treat a tenured member of this city's educational establishment, you know? But, since this is your first infraction, I'll be lenient."
"Answer the question. Where is Willow?"
"Miss Summers, you really must remember your manners."
Giles burst out. "Leave her alone, you..." He was sharply interrupted by what appeared to be an invisible punch to his gut.
"Now, Mr. Giles, that is so unbecoming for our students to observe. We simply can't have that sort of conduct in this class."
Dawn thought for a second. "Please?"
"Very good. Well, Miss Summers, Willow Rosenberg doesn't live here anymore. In fact, she never lived here."
"What do you mean?"
"Willow Rosenberg - was, how shall I put this delicately for you - oh, well, maybe you're old enough for this sort of thing, but maybe not, and well, what would the school board say?"
"Tell me," shouted Dawn, and then quickly added, "please?"
"Okay. You talked me into it. The Willow you knew - the sweet, nerdy, cookie-baking, Willow Rosenberg, the always smiling Willow Rosenberg, the always perfect Willow Rosenberg, 'Old Reliable' Willow Rosenberg, was a lie. A fraud. A con game, you know?"
"No. I don't know."
"Sure, you do, Dawnie. Willow Rosenberg was just a front. A false face I put on every day. I'm the real Willow."
"No," said Dawn. "I don't believe it. There is another Willow. The real Willow. I last saw her two months ago, when she sacrificed herself to save us. Where is she?"
The demon creature frowned. "Oh. I see. You want to see her. Well, she's not taking visitors."
"What did you do to her? I want to see her. Please."
The demon frowned, then grinned mischievously. "Okay, Dawnie. If you insist. Good Willow is acting out one of the more obvious themes of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and it's getting old. She would benefit greatly from Sunnydale's public education program."
With that, the demon waved one of her claws towards the side of the classroom. The wall split in half, and folded. The now open wall opened into a small a chamber lined with gray stones. In the middle of the chamber was a stone table. On that table lay Willow Rosenberg, her limbs spread apart and tied to the edges of the table. Her hair was red, but she was wearing the same black clothes she had been wearing two months ago.
It took Dawn a second to realize that a stone knife was sticking out of Willow's chest. A small trickle of blood was slowly dripping onto the floor.
"Willow!" Dawn screamed. She burst out of her chair and ran to the table. Giles, still recovering from the blow, managed to make his way into the stone table.
"Miss Summers and Mr. Giles, class is still in session. Return to your seats immediately!"
The two "students" paid no attention to the demon, but instead began shaking the Willow on the table. Slowly, the Willow on the table began to stir, and opened her eyes. Dawn was shocked at how sickly looking they were - completely bloodshot and yellowed.
"Dawn, Giles?" she whispered. "What are the two of you doing here? Oh, Goddess, you aren't here to try to rescue me, guys, are you? It's too dangerous, it's too risky, and I don't deserve it."
"Sssh, Willow," whispered Giles. "It's going to be okay. We're here for you."
"No, no, it can't be okay. Not after what I did. I killed two people. I tried to kill you and end the world. I don't deserve anything but punishment."
"How can you say that?" whispered Dawn
"Oh, Dawnie, how can I not say it. I'm evil, Dawnie, a monster. And besides - you'd better go. It's too dangerous - what if she finds you here?"
"Too late for that," growled a voice from the classroom.
"Oh, oh no! She's found us! It's all my fault - all my fault - all my fault..." Willow trailed off, weeping.
"Willow? Willow!" yelled Dawn. She got no response.
* * *
Buffy made a frantic call to Anyanka's cell phone, and Anya materialized in Dawn's bedroom almost immediately. [Thank God she delivers the instant service she promises,] Buffy thought.
"What is it?" asked Anya. She then looked at Dawn, walked over to her bed, and opened her eyes. Empty black pools stared back at the vengeance demon. "Oh. This is not good."
"Can you do anything about this?" whispered Buffy.
"I don't know. I can sort of see what's going on inside her head. Just barely. No sound, though. Let's see - looks like Dawn and Giles are in some sort of classroom. Willow is stretched out on what looks like a stone table with a knife through her chest."
Buffy gasped.
"Wait - there's more. At the head of the class is a gray-skinned, gray- furred demon. She's writing on the board. She's turning - Buffy, Xander, she has the same black eyes Willow did before."
"So the demon is Willow, then, Anya?"
"No, it can't be, she was saved," said Xander.
"Well, looks like she wasn't saved nearly enough," snapped Anya. "It looks to me like - looks like they're both Willow, just different parts of her. The furry, black eyed one is clearly dominant, though."
"I see," said Buffy. "Anya... you can grant wishes for vengeance, right?"
"Well, of course, Buffy, within my area of expertise..."
"Good. Anya - I wish for vengeance against Willow Rosenberg for what she has done to my sister. I wish that Xander, Dawn, you, and I are wherever Willow and Giles physically are in England."
"Buffy, um. Not that you haven't made a good wish, now, but I don't think you understand. Vengeance for children is really Halfrek's bailiwick, and, well, Dawn would have to make the wish, and she's not really available, and..."
"Anya," Buffy interjected. A tear ran down her cheek. She sighed once, then again. Then she spoke. "Please grant me my wish."
The vengeance demon thought for a moment, and then spoke.
"Done."
* * *
"Break's over, class. Besides, it's not like she's listening to you. She's busy."
There was a flash, and Giles and Dawn were suddenly back to their desks. Off to the side was Good Willow. The table had been turned on its edge, so that Willow was now in a standing position facing the front of the classroom. She was still crying, seemingly oblivious to anything around her.
"I figured you would want her with you. That's what I do, carry out requests." She sighed. "You'd think I'd get some appreciation, but no."
Giles was about to say something, but was silenced with another blow to his stomach.
"Good discipline is important to the educational process, Mister Giles. And now that everyone's here, class, the learning can really get started. Let's begin with our first lesson. A simple one, really."
Demonic Willow picked up a piece of chalk and wrote on the board: "LESSON THE FIRST: CHEESEMAN REVISITED, OR, BEHOLD THE POWER OF CHEESE."
"What?" asked Dawn.
"What?" asked Giles.
There was a knock at the classroom door. Demonic Willow answered it. A neatly dressed bald man walked in the classroom with a covered tray. He placed the tray on a desk and whisked the black covering off with a flourish. On the tray was a neat row of small American cheese slices. "I've made a little space for the cheese slices," he said proudly.
"Huh?" said Dawn.
"Huh?" said Giles.
With a start, the demon crashed into the neatly dressed man, sending him and his cheese food flying. "Processed slices are not welcome here! Only real cheese!" she yelled.
"No! The cheese - it was so neat," was the anguished cry of Good Willow.
"Ow! Who moved my cheese?" whined the neatly dressed man.
"Cheese?" said Dawn, looking confused.
"Cheese?" said Giles, looking confused.
"If that's how you feel about it, you can all wear the cheese," said Demonic Willow.
"I'll have you know that I wear no cheese, young lady," snapped Giles.
"This is getting cheesy," said Dawn.
"You're right," said Willow. She waved her claws, and the neatly dressed man, his tray, his tray cover, and his cheese bits disappeared.
"That scene had many themes, not just the obvious ones," said Demonic Willow. "In fact, it had no fewer than seven. Miss Summers, your assignment for this evening is to write an essay describing those themes. Plagiarism is strictly frowned upon by the Sunnydale school board, so for your sake I urge you not to copy from any web pages, bulletin boards, or discussion forums restlessly analyzing the Power of Cheese."
"Uh, okay." said Dawn, still confused.
"I thought as much," snarled Demonic Willow. "My first lesson looks like it was a bit too subtle and sophisticated for you. And as for Mr. Giles, he just so didn't get it. It looks like I'm going to have dumb down my lessons a little bit. Let's try something a bit more obvious. A discussion, perhaps?"
With that, Demonic Willow wrote on the board: "LESSON THE SECOND: A DISCUSSION OF SIMILARITIES BETWEEN RUPERT 'RIPPER' GILES AND THE ENTITY FORMERLY KNOWN AS WILLOW ROSENBERG."
Giles looked confused.
"Yes, Mister Giles. There are many similarities between us. Why, there's that whole escapade in London, where you got a little drunk with your fellow 'rank, arrogant amateurs' - okay, a lot drunk - and you know, there just happened to be that cursed wand lying there, along with your's and Rayne's pet demons, and, oh, my..."
"Willow, stop!" shouted Giles. "You can't!"
"Well if you insist, Mister Giles. I suppose the school board would frown on such activities. But I want you to know, Miss Summers, that there's a reason the 'Ripper' still isn't allowed in the London Zoo until this day."
Dawn looked surprised. "Wow," she said. Giles face flushed.
"But enough of that. The time to consider his 'youthful indiscretions' is long past, as our leaders say. I want to focus on something more recent - that nasty Glorificus business. And that simple-minded belief you've been feeding all your kiddies. You know, 'Demons bad, people good.' And of course, 'don't ever kill a human with a soul.' Not practicing what we're preaching, huh, Mister Giles?"
"What, exactly do you mean, Demon?"
"My, getting uppity, aren't we, Mister Giles. Of course, that's always been the problem with you. But, of course, I suffer in silence as a tenured school board employee. So, continuing, it's Story Time."
"A story?" asked Dawn.
"Yes, Dawnie, a story. Mister Giles had a dilemma. Buffy had acted all Buffy-like and heroic with her troll hammer, and finally managed to whack Glory back into Ben. The dilemma: that brought back cute human Dr. Ben. 'No, I'm human, you can't kill me, mercy!' said Ben. Buffy flexed. 'Tell Glory it's over, and that she lost. Tell her she can never come back,' she said. Ben got all doe-eyed. 'Okay, she says she's lost and she'll never come back,' said Ben. Buffy flexed. 'Okay, I'll let you live. But you'll have to go to jail,' she said, and she walked away. Ben got all happy. So did Glorificus. They sat there, thinking, 'We lied like rugs and we're going to come back and inflict hellish revenge, ha, ha!' Then Mister Giles got involved."
"Willow," interrupted Giles. He promptly took another invisible shot to his stomach.
"Oh, come on, now Mister Giles, the Sunnydale school board approves of realism in its classes. Anyway, Mister Giles was all, like, angel of death. 'You know why Buffy didn't kill you? Because she's a hero,' he said. 'I'm not a hero,' he said, and choked the crap out of Dr. Ben. 'Choke, die!' went Mister Giles. 'Bleah, bleah, dead', went Dr. Ben and Glorificus."
Dawn was stunned. Giles had committed murder? "Is it true?" she whispered.
Giles looked down, removed his glasses, and wiped them on his shirt. "Yes, Dawn. I had hoped none of you would ever find out."
"Why?"
"Because it had to be done."
"Yes!" the demon shrieked. "Because it had to be done. Five points for the Uppity House. Now let's use our critical thinking skills, Miss Summers. Willow - Real Willow, mind you, not Pincushion Willow - also had a dilemma. She finally caught up with Bad Warren. Bad Warren killed his girlfriend after trying to sexually enslave her. Bad Warren tried to kill Buffy by shooting her. Bad Warren killed - my love - instead, and I really don't think it was 'accidental' since the bullet went right through her aorta. Bad Warren tried to kill Real Willow by chopping her in the back with an ax. Real Willow got angry. 'No, I'm human, don't kill me, mercy!' said Bad Warren. 'Why'd you do it?' demanded Real Willow. 'Because I liked it! I want to do it again!' bragged Bad Warren. 'And again! And again! And again! And again! And again! And..."
Demonic Willow gasped, seemingly out of breath.
"But." whispered Giles.
"No buts, Mister Giles. Anyway, Real Willow, was, like, all angel of death. 'No, don't kill me, mercy!" whined Bad Warren. 'Bored now,' said Real Willow. 'Rip, ow, ow, no skin, aiee, burn, dead,' went Bad Warren. 'That had to be done,' said Real Willow. Just like Mister Giles said almost a year earlier."
Demonic Willow slumped forwards. Good Willow screamed. "No, I didn't have to kill him!" she yelled. "I'm so sorry, so sorry, so bad, so evil..." Good Willow's words tailed off, and she went back to sobbing again.
"No," said Giles. "You did not have to kill him. You certainly did not have to torture him, and kill him in such a horrific manner."
"Yes, I did." said the demon, firmly. "He had to feel my torment. He had to know my death. I may be all 'Dark Phoenix', but I'm not a liar. That's her specialty." She waved towards Good Willow.
Giles slumped forwards.
"Ah. Mister Giles, I see learning taking place. The Sunnydale school board would approve. Now class, it's time for show and tell." The thing waved its claws - and suddenly waved a .44 revolver.
"Do you recognize this, Mister Giles?"
Dawn and Giles were taken aback. "No," said Giles.
"You lie!" hissed Demonic Willow. "So very like you. Miss Summers, do you recognize this?"
"No," stuttered Dawn.
"I didn't think you would, Dawnie. Don't believe Mister Giles's lies - it really does belong to him. Well, not this gun exactly, because we're inside my head, after all, but you get the idea. See, this is a very special gun, filled with very special bullets. Mister Giles brought it with him to the Tower of Glorificus over a year ago. Do you know what it was for, Dawnie?"
"NO! YOU CAN"T TELL HER!" shouted Giles.
"Silence! Ten points deducted from Uppity House!" With that, Giles was blown back from his desk and smacked into the back wall.
Dawn jumped up, and was immediately smacked back down. "There will be order in my classroom, Miss Summers," sneered the demon. "Besides, he'll be fine in a few minutes. I haven't decided to kill him. Not yet, anyway. I suggest you answer the question. Again, do you know what this gun was for?"
"Uh - to shoot Glory or Ben?"
The demon laughed, making a terrible noise. "Why, no Dawnie, it was to blow your brains out once Glory used you to start shredding the universe. Mister Giles, you see, didn't have much faith in Super Buffy's ability to save the universe and you at the same time. It turns out Mister Giles was right - she couldn't quite pull it off. Looked like the special gun would have to be used," the demon twirled the gun, "but not quite. Super Buffy flexed and nobly sacrificed herself. Or just maybe not so nobly, but that's not part of this lesson. Dawnie didn't get her brains blown out after all."
Dawn couldn't help but let out a sob.
"Oh, don't cry, Dawnie. Buffy made a mistake, that's all. A mistake I am now prepared to rectify."
With that, Demon Willow leveled the gun at Dawn and fired three shots. Dawn screamed and slumped to the floor, holding her chest.
"Monster!" shouted Giles. He rushed out of his desk, and promptly keeled over from the shock of three bullets in his chest. He could barely hear Demon Willow laughing.
"If that's the way you feel, Mister Giles, you can join her."
* * *
Buffy and Xander saw a brief flash, and then found themselves inside a brick-walled chamber. Both gasped when they saw Willow's seemingly lifeless body on the table, and Giles' immobile form sprawled on the floor. They gasped again when they saw that Willow's hair had, once again, turned jet black.
They had scarcely time to react when most of the members of the coven and the Council of Watcher's special agents burst into the chamber. After some initial confusion about the "trespassers," the coven agreed to let Buffy, Xander, Anya, and an unconscious Dawn stay in the red-bricked room. The Council's agents reluctantly agreed. After all, Buffy was as close to an Official Slayer as the Council had.
The coven, Council agents, Buffy, Xander, and Anya gathered around the table. Several of the adepts lifted Giles on top of the table, next to Willow, and Buffy gently placed Dawn on the table, as well. The complete group stood silently, except for Anya. The vengeance demon's running commentary was the only window they had into what was going on inside Willow's mind.
And so, the group was confused over the Cheese Man's abrupt entrance and exit. They let their minds wander during "Lesson the Second," since it was impossible to tell what was going on without a soundtrack. Until, that is, the demonic version of Willow pulled out the revolver.
"Oh my, this is bad," said Anya. Buffy's eyes grew wide in silent agreement. "Wait. Buffy - oh no, the furry thing shot both Dawn and Giles in the chest - they're both on the ground..."
Buffy screamed. She pulled a stake out of her purse and charged the platform, driving the point towards the body of Willow Rosenberg.
* * *
To be continued in chapter 4.
"Why, Dawnie, no whining or crying. Very good. Looks like I might not be able to get rid of you the easy way, either. Bother. But it makes things interesting," said the demonic version of Willow.
Dawn summoned her strength. "You're not Willow," she blurted out. "You're the same thing that tried to kill me before. What have you done with Willow?"
"Miss Summers, that is no way to treat a tenured member of this city's educational establishment, you know? But, since this is your first infraction, I'll be lenient."
"Answer the question. Where is Willow?"
"Miss Summers, you really must remember your manners."
Giles burst out. "Leave her alone, you..." He was sharply interrupted by what appeared to be an invisible punch to his gut.
"Now, Mr. Giles, that is so unbecoming for our students to observe. We simply can't have that sort of conduct in this class."
Dawn thought for a second. "Please?"
"Very good. Well, Miss Summers, Willow Rosenberg doesn't live here anymore. In fact, she never lived here."
"What do you mean?"
"Willow Rosenberg - was, how shall I put this delicately for you - oh, well, maybe you're old enough for this sort of thing, but maybe not, and well, what would the school board say?"
"Tell me," shouted Dawn, and then quickly added, "please?"
"Okay. You talked me into it. The Willow you knew - the sweet, nerdy, cookie-baking, Willow Rosenberg, the always smiling Willow Rosenberg, the always perfect Willow Rosenberg, 'Old Reliable' Willow Rosenberg, was a lie. A fraud. A con game, you know?"
"No. I don't know."
"Sure, you do, Dawnie. Willow Rosenberg was just a front. A false face I put on every day. I'm the real Willow."
"No," said Dawn. "I don't believe it. There is another Willow. The real Willow. I last saw her two months ago, when she sacrificed herself to save us. Where is she?"
The demon creature frowned. "Oh. I see. You want to see her. Well, she's not taking visitors."
"What did you do to her? I want to see her. Please."
The demon frowned, then grinned mischievously. "Okay, Dawnie. If you insist. Good Willow is acting out one of the more obvious themes of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and it's getting old. She would benefit greatly from Sunnydale's public education program."
With that, the demon waved one of her claws towards the side of the classroom. The wall split in half, and folded. The now open wall opened into a small a chamber lined with gray stones. In the middle of the chamber was a stone table. On that table lay Willow Rosenberg, her limbs spread apart and tied to the edges of the table. Her hair was red, but she was wearing the same black clothes she had been wearing two months ago.
It took Dawn a second to realize that a stone knife was sticking out of Willow's chest. A small trickle of blood was slowly dripping onto the floor.
"Willow!" Dawn screamed. She burst out of her chair and ran to the table. Giles, still recovering from the blow, managed to make his way into the stone table.
"Miss Summers and Mr. Giles, class is still in session. Return to your seats immediately!"
The two "students" paid no attention to the demon, but instead began shaking the Willow on the table. Slowly, the Willow on the table began to stir, and opened her eyes. Dawn was shocked at how sickly looking they were - completely bloodshot and yellowed.
"Dawn, Giles?" she whispered. "What are the two of you doing here? Oh, Goddess, you aren't here to try to rescue me, guys, are you? It's too dangerous, it's too risky, and I don't deserve it."
"Sssh, Willow," whispered Giles. "It's going to be okay. We're here for you."
"No, no, it can't be okay. Not after what I did. I killed two people. I tried to kill you and end the world. I don't deserve anything but punishment."
"How can you say that?" whispered Dawn
"Oh, Dawnie, how can I not say it. I'm evil, Dawnie, a monster. And besides - you'd better go. It's too dangerous - what if she finds you here?"
"Too late for that," growled a voice from the classroom.
"Oh, oh no! She's found us! It's all my fault - all my fault - all my fault..." Willow trailed off, weeping.
"Willow? Willow!" yelled Dawn. She got no response.
* * *
Buffy made a frantic call to Anyanka's cell phone, and Anya materialized in Dawn's bedroom almost immediately. [Thank God she delivers the instant service she promises,] Buffy thought.
"What is it?" asked Anya. She then looked at Dawn, walked over to her bed, and opened her eyes. Empty black pools stared back at the vengeance demon. "Oh. This is not good."
"Can you do anything about this?" whispered Buffy.
"I don't know. I can sort of see what's going on inside her head. Just barely. No sound, though. Let's see - looks like Dawn and Giles are in some sort of classroom. Willow is stretched out on what looks like a stone table with a knife through her chest."
Buffy gasped.
"Wait - there's more. At the head of the class is a gray-skinned, gray- furred demon. She's writing on the board. She's turning - Buffy, Xander, she has the same black eyes Willow did before."
"So the demon is Willow, then, Anya?"
"No, it can't be, she was saved," said Xander.
"Well, looks like she wasn't saved nearly enough," snapped Anya. "It looks to me like - looks like they're both Willow, just different parts of her. The furry, black eyed one is clearly dominant, though."
"I see," said Buffy. "Anya... you can grant wishes for vengeance, right?"
"Well, of course, Buffy, within my area of expertise..."
"Good. Anya - I wish for vengeance against Willow Rosenberg for what she has done to my sister. I wish that Xander, Dawn, you, and I are wherever Willow and Giles physically are in England."
"Buffy, um. Not that you haven't made a good wish, now, but I don't think you understand. Vengeance for children is really Halfrek's bailiwick, and, well, Dawn would have to make the wish, and she's not really available, and..."
"Anya," Buffy interjected. A tear ran down her cheek. She sighed once, then again. Then she spoke. "Please grant me my wish."
The vengeance demon thought for a moment, and then spoke.
"Done."
* * *
"Break's over, class. Besides, it's not like she's listening to you. She's busy."
There was a flash, and Giles and Dawn were suddenly back to their desks. Off to the side was Good Willow. The table had been turned on its edge, so that Willow was now in a standing position facing the front of the classroom. She was still crying, seemingly oblivious to anything around her.
"I figured you would want her with you. That's what I do, carry out requests." She sighed. "You'd think I'd get some appreciation, but no."
Giles was about to say something, but was silenced with another blow to his stomach.
"Good discipline is important to the educational process, Mister Giles. And now that everyone's here, class, the learning can really get started. Let's begin with our first lesson. A simple one, really."
Demonic Willow picked up a piece of chalk and wrote on the board: "LESSON THE FIRST: CHEESEMAN REVISITED, OR, BEHOLD THE POWER OF CHEESE."
"What?" asked Dawn.
"What?" asked Giles.
There was a knock at the classroom door. Demonic Willow answered it. A neatly dressed bald man walked in the classroom with a covered tray. He placed the tray on a desk and whisked the black covering off with a flourish. On the tray was a neat row of small American cheese slices. "I've made a little space for the cheese slices," he said proudly.
"Huh?" said Dawn.
"Huh?" said Giles.
With a start, the demon crashed into the neatly dressed man, sending him and his cheese food flying. "Processed slices are not welcome here! Only real cheese!" she yelled.
"No! The cheese - it was so neat," was the anguished cry of Good Willow.
"Ow! Who moved my cheese?" whined the neatly dressed man.
"Cheese?" said Dawn, looking confused.
"Cheese?" said Giles, looking confused.
"If that's how you feel about it, you can all wear the cheese," said Demonic Willow.
"I'll have you know that I wear no cheese, young lady," snapped Giles.
"This is getting cheesy," said Dawn.
"You're right," said Willow. She waved her claws, and the neatly dressed man, his tray, his tray cover, and his cheese bits disappeared.
"That scene had many themes, not just the obvious ones," said Demonic Willow. "In fact, it had no fewer than seven. Miss Summers, your assignment for this evening is to write an essay describing those themes. Plagiarism is strictly frowned upon by the Sunnydale school board, so for your sake I urge you not to copy from any web pages, bulletin boards, or discussion forums restlessly analyzing the Power of Cheese."
"Uh, okay." said Dawn, still confused.
"I thought as much," snarled Demonic Willow. "My first lesson looks like it was a bit too subtle and sophisticated for you. And as for Mr. Giles, he just so didn't get it. It looks like I'm going to have dumb down my lessons a little bit. Let's try something a bit more obvious. A discussion, perhaps?"
With that, Demonic Willow wrote on the board: "LESSON THE SECOND: A DISCUSSION OF SIMILARITIES BETWEEN RUPERT 'RIPPER' GILES AND THE ENTITY FORMERLY KNOWN AS WILLOW ROSENBERG."
Giles looked confused.
"Yes, Mister Giles. There are many similarities between us. Why, there's that whole escapade in London, where you got a little drunk with your fellow 'rank, arrogant amateurs' - okay, a lot drunk - and you know, there just happened to be that cursed wand lying there, along with your's and Rayne's pet demons, and, oh, my..."
"Willow, stop!" shouted Giles. "You can't!"
"Well if you insist, Mister Giles. I suppose the school board would frown on such activities. But I want you to know, Miss Summers, that there's a reason the 'Ripper' still isn't allowed in the London Zoo until this day."
Dawn looked surprised. "Wow," she said. Giles face flushed.
"But enough of that. The time to consider his 'youthful indiscretions' is long past, as our leaders say. I want to focus on something more recent - that nasty Glorificus business. And that simple-minded belief you've been feeding all your kiddies. You know, 'Demons bad, people good.' And of course, 'don't ever kill a human with a soul.' Not practicing what we're preaching, huh, Mister Giles?"
"What, exactly do you mean, Demon?"
"My, getting uppity, aren't we, Mister Giles. Of course, that's always been the problem with you. But, of course, I suffer in silence as a tenured school board employee. So, continuing, it's Story Time."
"A story?" asked Dawn.
"Yes, Dawnie, a story. Mister Giles had a dilemma. Buffy had acted all Buffy-like and heroic with her troll hammer, and finally managed to whack Glory back into Ben. The dilemma: that brought back cute human Dr. Ben. 'No, I'm human, you can't kill me, mercy!' said Ben. Buffy flexed. 'Tell Glory it's over, and that she lost. Tell her she can never come back,' she said. Ben got all doe-eyed. 'Okay, she says she's lost and she'll never come back,' said Ben. Buffy flexed. 'Okay, I'll let you live. But you'll have to go to jail,' she said, and she walked away. Ben got all happy. So did Glorificus. They sat there, thinking, 'We lied like rugs and we're going to come back and inflict hellish revenge, ha, ha!' Then Mister Giles got involved."
"Willow," interrupted Giles. He promptly took another invisible shot to his stomach.
"Oh, come on, now Mister Giles, the Sunnydale school board approves of realism in its classes. Anyway, Mister Giles was all, like, angel of death. 'You know why Buffy didn't kill you? Because she's a hero,' he said. 'I'm not a hero,' he said, and choked the crap out of Dr. Ben. 'Choke, die!' went Mister Giles. 'Bleah, bleah, dead', went Dr. Ben and Glorificus."
Dawn was stunned. Giles had committed murder? "Is it true?" she whispered.
Giles looked down, removed his glasses, and wiped them on his shirt. "Yes, Dawn. I had hoped none of you would ever find out."
"Why?"
"Because it had to be done."
"Yes!" the demon shrieked. "Because it had to be done. Five points for the Uppity House. Now let's use our critical thinking skills, Miss Summers. Willow - Real Willow, mind you, not Pincushion Willow - also had a dilemma. She finally caught up with Bad Warren. Bad Warren killed his girlfriend after trying to sexually enslave her. Bad Warren tried to kill Buffy by shooting her. Bad Warren killed - my love - instead, and I really don't think it was 'accidental' since the bullet went right through her aorta. Bad Warren tried to kill Real Willow by chopping her in the back with an ax. Real Willow got angry. 'No, I'm human, don't kill me, mercy!' said Bad Warren. 'Why'd you do it?' demanded Real Willow. 'Because I liked it! I want to do it again!' bragged Bad Warren. 'And again! And again! And again! And again! And again! And..."
Demonic Willow gasped, seemingly out of breath.
"But." whispered Giles.
"No buts, Mister Giles. Anyway, Real Willow, was, like, all angel of death. 'No, don't kill me, mercy!" whined Bad Warren. 'Bored now,' said Real Willow. 'Rip, ow, ow, no skin, aiee, burn, dead,' went Bad Warren. 'That had to be done,' said Real Willow. Just like Mister Giles said almost a year earlier."
Demonic Willow slumped forwards. Good Willow screamed. "No, I didn't have to kill him!" she yelled. "I'm so sorry, so sorry, so bad, so evil..." Good Willow's words tailed off, and she went back to sobbing again.
"No," said Giles. "You did not have to kill him. You certainly did not have to torture him, and kill him in such a horrific manner."
"Yes, I did." said the demon, firmly. "He had to feel my torment. He had to know my death. I may be all 'Dark Phoenix', but I'm not a liar. That's her specialty." She waved towards Good Willow.
Giles slumped forwards.
"Ah. Mister Giles, I see learning taking place. The Sunnydale school board would approve. Now class, it's time for show and tell." The thing waved its claws - and suddenly waved a .44 revolver.
"Do you recognize this, Mister Giles?"
Dawn and Giles were taken aback. "No," said Giles.
"You lie!" hissed Demonic Willow. "So very like you. Miss Summers, do you recognize this?"
"No," stuttered Dawn.
"I didn't think you would, Dawnie. Don't believe Mister Giles's lies - it really does belong to him. Well, not this gun exactly, because we're inside my head, after all, but you get the idea. See, this is a very special gun, filled with very special bullets. Mister Giles brought it with him to the Tower of Glorificus over a year ago. Do you know what it was for, Dawnie?"
"NO! YOU CAN"T TELL HER!" shouted Giles.
"Silence! Ten points deducted from Uppity House!" With that, Giles was blown back from his desk and smacked into the back wall.
Dawn jumped up, and was immediately smacked back down. "There will be order in my classroom, Miss Summers," sneered the demon. "Besides, he'll be fine in a few minutes. I haven't decided to kill him. Not yet, anyway. I suggest you answer the question. Again, do you know what this gun was for?"
"Uh - to shoot Glory or Ben?"
The demon laughed, making a terrible noise. "Why, no Dawnie, it was to blow your brains out once Glory used you to start shredding the universe. Mister Giles, you see, didn't have much faith in Super Buffy's ability to save the universe and you at the same time. It turns out Mister Giles was right - she couldn't quite pull it off. Looked like the special gun would have to be used," the demon twirled the gun, "but not quite. Super Buffy flexed and nobly sacrificed herself. Or just maybe not so nobly, but that's not part of this lesson. Dawnie didn't get her brains blown out after all."
Dawn couldn't help but let out a sob.
"Oh, don't cry, Dawnie. Buffy made a mistake, that's all. A mistake I am now prepared to rectify."
With that, Demon Willow leveled the gun at Dawn and fired three shots. Dawn screamed and slumped to the floor, holding her chest.
"Monster!" shouted Giles. He rushed out of his desk, and promptly keeled over from the shock of three bullets in his chest. He could barely hear Demon Willow laughing.
"If that's the way you feel, Mister Giles, you can join her."
* * *
Buffy and Xander saw a brief flash, and then found themselves inside a brick-walled chamber. Both gasped when they saw Willow's seemingly lifeless body on the table, and Giles' immobile form sprawled on the floor. They gasped again when they saw that Willow's hair had, once again, turned jet black.
They had scarcely time to react when most of the members of the coven and the Council of Watcher's special agents burst into the chamber. After some initial confusion about the "trespassers," the coven agreed to let Buffy, Xander, Anya, and an unconscious Dawn stay in the red-bricked room. The Council's agents reluctantly agreed. After all, Buffy was as close to an Official Slayer as the Council had.
The coven, Council agents, Buffy, Xander, and Anya gathered around the table. Several of the adepts lifted Giles on top of the table, next to Willow, and Buffy gently placed Dawn on the table, as well. The complete group stood silently, except for Anya. The vengeance demon's running commentary was the only window they had into what was going on inside Willow's mind.
And so, the group was confused over the Cheese Man's abrupt entrance and exit. They let their minds wander during "Lesson the Second," since it was impossible to tell what was going on without a soundtrack. Until, that is, the demonic version of Willow pulled out the revolver.
"Oh my, this is bad," said Anya. Buffy's eyes grew wide in silent agreement. "Wait. Buffy - oh no, the furry thing shot both Dawn and Giles in the chest - they're both on the ground..."
Buffy screamed. She pulled a stake out of her purse and charged the platform, driving the point towards the body of Willow Rosenberg.
* * *
To be continued in chapter 4.