Countdown: The Five Elements
By ElsaF
Spoilers: We're in the 24-verse again. This AU diverges from
ME's vision after Dead Things.
Summary: Previously in the 24-verse: Buffy and Spike didn't
break up at the end of As You Were, but Buffy's unwillingness
to acknowledge Spike publicly meant they broke up soon
afterward. Spike decided to change himself into someone she
would be willing to be seen with. Meanwhile, the Scoobies
raided the Nerds, and Jonathan and Andrew are in custody.
Warren escaped and came back to shoot Buffy and Xander.
Xander would have died, but Willow intervened with Osiris to
prevent him from crossing over. The price for saving Xander's
life was Willow's soul. Spike has learned that his challenge to
earn a soul is to protect a pair of women he no connection to.
Soulless Willow is out of control. She set out to rescue Dawn
from Warren, but didn't stop when she was safe. She killed
Warren horribly.
Disclaimer: The philosophy Tara expounds in this chapter
doesn't really match any known, established system. Frankly, I
made it up. It should not be taken to reflect my understanding
or attitudes toward Wicca or any other religious or
philosophical system. I'm just telling a story here.
Buffy knocked on Tara's door. She could have called, but she
didn't want to have to talk about this over the telephone.
"I need to talk to you," she said in her most businesslike tone
when Willow's lover opened the door.
"I know," Tara said almost too quietly to be heard.
"It's about Willow..."
"I know."
Buffy stopped and looked at the other woman. Tara's eyes were
red and glistening. She'd been crying.
"You've seen her?"
"Not in person. But I felt..."
"Tara, I'm so sorry."
"Come in," Tara said, stepping back and opening the door.
The student apartment Tara shared with another girl was
furnished like a hundred others with garage-sale furniture. A
sagging brown sofa that had seen better days, a coffee table
made of milk crates with a piece of plywood laid over the top,
a thread-bare rug and bookshelves build out of stacked bricks
and 1x12's. Everything was worn, mended, repainted or dyed.
But the apartment was tidy, and it smelled of fresh flowers.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Tara asked. "We've got
Diet Coke and Sprite in the fridge."
"No thanks. I'm fine."
Tara motioned Buffy to the sofa and sat down beside her.
"I felt it when she used the magic -- at the hospital," Tara said
quietly. "And then late that night, I felt it again when she ...
We're connected -- at least we were. When she gave up her
soul, that stretched the connection to the breaking point. In
fact, I think she deliberately broke the connection, so I
wouldn't be affected."
"I'm sorry," Buffy said, feeling helpless. "I should have known
that you would know."
"I understand what happened," Tara said, her eyes cast down.
"That's Willow. If she believes it's right, she'll give everything,
risk everything..."
"She's out of control now," Buffy said as gently as she could.
"She killed someone."
Tara nodded.
"I was hoping you might be able to tell me how we can help
her."
Tara shook her head.
"There has to be a way. Willow gave Angel back his soul..."
"That was before I was around," Tara said, her voice little more
than a whisper, "but she told me about it. The first thing you
have to understand is that she didn't 'give' him anything. She
forced his soul back into him. It was anything but a gift. He
didn't want it, and it only worked because she was stronger
than he was."
Buffy looked up in surprise.
"Angel wants his soul," she said. "It was Angelus..."
"Angel and Angelus are the same person, Buffy."
"No, Giles said..."
"Magic isn't another kind of science, and there aren't any hard
and fast 'this is true and that is false' rules. I know the Watchers
have a lot of beliefs that they treat as certainties. But a lot of it
is just stuff they've handed down and they accept it because
someone said so.
"They tend to equate identity with the soul -- but it isn't quite
that simple. For different people, identity is seated in different
aspects of their self. Some people hold their identity in their
intellect; others hold it primarily in their hearts -- their
emotional life; others still have their identity through their
spirit. The soul is an ephemeral thing. It is a guide. It doesn't
force you to be one thing or another. But its influence changes
how you perceive things.
"Angel is like you, and like Willow. The three of you live
mostly in your intellect. Who you are is what you think.
Someone like Spike lives in his heart. What he feels is what he
is. I live in my spirit. That's not exactly the same thing as the
soul, but it's very closely related. If I lost my soul, I would
likely become a different person, because the soul influences
the spirit so strongly.
"Angel didn't really become a different person, though. He
lives in his head -- and his body. He behaved differently,
because he perceived things differently without a soul, but he
was still the same person. He was still acting on his intellect,
even though he was drawing different conclusions."
"And Willow?" Buffy asked.
"Her identity is her intellect -- to a greater extent than either
you or Angel. You see, it isn't like a box you drop your identity
into. Most people have a bit of their identity in their heart, a bit
in their head, a bit in their spirit, some more in their body and
their energy, and it's the distribution that makes each person a
little different. But some people are really dominant in one
element. Willow is one of those people. She's nearly all
intellect."
"Then she's still Willow..."
Tara nodded. "And that is what makes this so difficult for me. I
love her Buffy. I love Willow -- soul or not. She's still the
person I love. But I know that without her soul to guide her,
she's dangerous -- terribly dangerous. Her soul advises her to
keep her power in check. Without it she'll use her power
without any restrictions. And she'll have to be stopped."
"But Angel got his soul back -- given or forced. So surely we
can do the same for Willow."
"Willow was stronger than Angel -- four years ago. She's
become stronger since then. None of us have the power to force
anything on her. And if we did -- to use that much power on a
person can only be harmful. It would probably destroy her."
"There has to be another way," Buffy said firmly. "I refuse to
believe it's hopeless."
Tara smiled sadly. "The only way it could possibly work is if
she agreed to be resouled. And even then, we'd need the help of
an incredibly powerful witch or warlock. I couldn't do it -- as
much as I love Willow, I know the limits of my power, and this
is beyond me."
"Do you know anyone?"
Tara shook her head.
"Maybe Giles would know someone."
"It wouldn't hurt to call him."
Buffy nodded, her mind racing ahead.
"You said Spike lives in his heart?" she said quietly.
"Surely you knew that. Maybe you didn't recognize it
consciously. But I can't believe you didn't feel it. In his aura,
his heart burns brighter than any I've ever seen."
"Maybe I did," Buffy said. "But I wouldn't let myself believe
it."
"He's very intelligent. As intelligent as Willow, easily. But it
isn't his intellect that controls him. When he feels something,
everything he's reasoned out goes right out the window," Tara
said with a little smile. "People who live in their hearts are like
that."
"So, who a person is is made up of their heart, their intellect
and their spirit?" Buffy asked.
"There are five elements. Different philosophies call them
different things. The Chinese call the elements wood, metal,
water, earth and fire. I call them spirit, heart, head, body and
energy.
"People who live in the spirit are most strongly influenced by
their souls. People who live in their bodies are the least
influenced. The heart, intellect and energy people fall between.
"Your primary element is intellect, but your body is also strong
and you have more energy than most people. Your heart and
spirit are in there, but they get overruled more often than not."
Buffy frowned slightly.
"Energy? Like the Energizer Bunny?"
"No, energy is the force of your personality. Some people just
hit you like a punch in the face, other people just brush up
against you. Energy is the difference. I'm very low in energy
and body, strong in spirit and heart. Sort of in the middle in
intellect."
"When I went on the vision quest, the First Slayer told me I
was full of love."
Tara smiled. "You are. And if your heart aspect was stronger,
you would find it easier to express that love. As it is, you hold
it bottled up inside you."
Buffy shook her head slightly. "OK, this isn't about me. We
have to find a way to stop Willow -- and help her -- before it's
too late." Buffy frowned slightly. "If it's not already too late."
"If she's killed, she's been changed," Tara said sadly. "There is
no way around that. Killing damages the spirit."
"Do you think you could influence her -- now, the way she is?"
Buffy asked. "I know Willow loves you. And if love isn't
dependent on the soul, then surely she still loves you. Maybe
you could convince her to accept resouling."
"I'll try -- I can't guarantee anything. Willow has always been
stronger than me. I know she cares about me, but I don't know
whether she'll listen to me now."
"We have to try."
------------------
Karen watched the battle with a sense of detachment. What her
eyes saw, she found difficult to process. This couldn't really be
happening, could it?
Spike fought the lion-headed demon tenaciously. He was faster
than the larger creature, but the demon was stronger, and each
time he connected with a blow to Spike's body, she could see
he was being hurt. She hurt bones snap. The creature clawed at
him and opened deep gashes in his chest and down his arms.
Again and again he was thrown down, but each time, he got
back up and launched himself at the demon again.
Karen was afraid. She was afraid for her sister who lay
unmoving wrapped in Spike's leather coat beside her. She was
afraid for Spike, who seemed to be gradually losing ground in
the struggle. And she was afraid for herself. If he was defeated,
how could she defend her sister as he'd told her to do? He'd
told her to stand her ground, and she was determined to do so.
But what could she do against this massive, deadly creature?
Spike dodged a swipe of the lion-creature's claws. He ducked
under the sweeping arm and came up behind the demon,
leaping up to kick it in the back at waist level. The demon
roared in pain and swung around to hit Spike in the face and
send him sprawling back.
He was fighting without any sort of weapon, which left him at
a distinct disadvantage against this creature of claws and teeth.
Suddenly, Karen remembered her utility knife. It was in its
scabbard on the back of her belt. She'd completely forgotten
she had it. It wasn't much, just a five-inch blade on a plastic
handle -- a pretty standard piece of camping equipment that
she'd never considered a weapon. But it was sharp. If she could
just get it to him.
Spike was sprawled on the ground, stunned by the creature's
blow to his head. He was trying to get up, but moving too
slowly. The creature was closing on him. Karen felt her heart
leap into her throat. It was going to finish him off.
Karen shouted in a desperate attempt to distract the creature. It
stopped and turned to look at her. Its eyes glowed red for a
moment when it saw her -- apparently for the first time. With a
snarl, it launched toward her.
"No!" Spike roared. "You're fighting me!"
The creature was not swayed by that argument. It charged
toward Karen and as it reached her, she did the only thing she
could think of and plunged the knife up into the creature's
chest. It roared in pain and hit her with a blow that knocked her
back, sending her skidding across the rough ground. She felt
the skin scraping off the backs of her legs. Her head hurt and
she was momentarily disoriented.
The knife stuck in the demon's chest, but it didn't seem to cause
it much distress. It started toward her again, and she thought
that this was surely the last thing she was going to see.
But the moment's distraction gave Spike time gain his feet
again and he tackled the demon from the side, knocking it off
its feet. He had hold of the knife then, and jerked it down the
length of the demon's trunk, opening a long, bloody incision.
The demon's arms and legs twitched and jerked, then it went
limp.
Spike was at Karen's side then, helping her to sit up.
"You shouldn't have done that, love. Not that I don't appreciate
it, but that was my fight, and you may have broken a rule
there," he said gently. "But you've got guts, and I can't fault
you for trying."
"You said I had to stand my ground and protect my sister,"
Karen said, trying to shake off the effect of the blow to her
head.
"Actually, that was quite within the parameters of the
challenge," said an other-worldly voice from behind Spike.
He turned to see who had spoken.
What Karen could only describe as an angel stood where the
demon's body had lain. He was at least seven feet tall, mostly
human in appearance, with the addition of white-feathered
wings. He was naked and quite well endowed, Karen observed
before she averted her eyes in embarrassment. And his entire
figure glowed with a soft white light.
"She was allowed to help me?" Spike asked, sounding
surprised.
"Oh, yes. What you inspire others to do is as much a part of
your worthiness as the things you do," the angel said.
"Then you're the bloke in charge?"
"Yes."
"And I passed?"
"You have passed this phase. You have one more challenge
remaining."
"That would be me," Doc said, stepping into the light shed by
the angel.
By ElsaF
Spoilers: We're in the 24-verse again. This AU diverges from
ME's vision after Dead Things.
Summary: Previously in the 24-verse: Buffy and Spike didn't
break up at the end of As You Were, but Buffy's unwillingness
to acknowledge Spike publicly meant they broke up soon
afterward. Spike decided to change himself into someone she
would be willing to be seen with. Meanwhile, the Scoobies
raided the Nerds, and Jonathan and Andrew are in custody.
Warren escaped and came back to shoot Buffy and Xander.
Xander would have died, but Willow intervened with Osiris to
prevent him from crossing over. The price for saving Xander's
life was Willow's soul. Spike has learned that his challenge to
earn a soul is to protect a pair of women he no connection to.
Soulless Willow is out of control. She set out to rescue Dawn
from Warren, but didn't stop when she was safe. She killed
Warren horribly.
Disclaimer: The philosophy Tara expounds in this chapter
doesn't really match any known, established system. Frankly, I
made it up. It should not be taken to reflect my understanding
or attitudes toward Wicca or any other religious or
philosophical system. I'm just telling a story here.
Buffy knocked on Tara's door. She could have called, but she
didn't want to have to talk about this over the telephone.
"I need to talk to you," she said in her most businesslike tone
when Willow's lover opened the door.
"I know," Tara said almost too quietly to be heard.
"It's about Willow..."
"I know."
Buffy stopped and looked at the other woman. Tara's eyes were
red and glistening. She'd been crying.
"You've seen her?"
"Not in person. But I felt..."
"Tara, I'm so sorry."
"Come in," Tara said, stepping back and opening the door.
The student apartment Tara shared with another girl was
furnished like a hundred others with garage-sale furniture. A
sagging brown sofa that had seen better days, a coffee table
made of milk crates with a piece of plywood laid over the top,
a thread-bare rug and bookshelves build out of stacked bricks
and 1x12's. Everything was worn, mended, repainted or dyed.
But the apartment was tidy, and it smelled of fresh flowers.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Tara asked. "We've got
Diet Coke and Sprite in the fridge."
"No thanks. I'm fine."
Tara motioned Buffy to the sofa and sat down beside her.
"I felt it when she used the magic -- at the hospital," Tara said
quietly. "And then late that night, I felt it again when she ...
We're connected -- at least we were. When she gave up her
soul, that stretched the connection to the breaking point. In
fact, I think she deliberately broke the connection, so I
wouldn't be affected."
"I'm sorry," Buffy said, feeling helpless. "I should have known
that you would know."
"I understand what happened," Tara said, her eyes cast down.
"That's Willow. If she believes it's right, she'll give everything,
risk everything..."
"She's out of control now," Buffy said as gently as she could.
"She killed someone."
Tara nodded.
"I was hoping you might be able to tell me how we can help
her."
Tara shook her head.
"There has to be a way. Willow gave Angel back his soul..."
"That was before I was around," Tara said, her voice little more
than a whisper, "but she told me about it. The first thing you
have to understand is that she didn't 'give' him anything. She
forced his soul back into him. It was anything but a gift. He
didn't want it, and it only worked because she was stronger
than he was."
Buffy looked up in surprise.
"Angel wants his soul," she said. "It was Angelus..."
"Angel and Angelus are the same person, Buffy."
"No, Giles said..."
"Magic isn't another kind of science, and there aren't any hard
and fast 'this is true and that is false' rules. I know the Watchers
have a lot of beliefs that they treat as certainties. But a lot of it
is just stuff they've handed down and they accept it because
someone said so.
"They tend to equate identity with the soul -- but it isn't quite
that simple. For different people, identity is seated in different
aspects of their self. Some people hold their identity in their
intellect; others hold it primarily in their hearts -- their
emotional life; others still have their identity through their
spirit. The soul is an ephemeral thing. It is a guide. It doesn't
force you to be one thing or another. But its influence changes
how you perceive things.
"Angel is like you, and like Willow. The three of you live
mostly in your intellect. Who you are is what you think.
Someone like Spike lives in his heart. What he feels is what he
is. I live in my spirit. That's not exactly the same thing as the
soul, but it's very closely related. If I lost my soul, I would
likely become a different person, because the soul influences
the spirit so strongly.
"Angel didn't really become a different person, though. He
lives in his head -- and his body. He behaved differently,
because he perceived things differently without a soul, but he
was still the same person. He was still acting on his intellect,
even though he was drawing different conclusions."
"And Willow?" Buffy asked.
"Her identity is her intellect -- to a greater extent than either
you or Angel. You see, it isn't like a box you drop your identity
into. Most people have a bit of their identity in their heart, a bit
in their head, a bit in their spirit, some more in their body and
their energy, and it's the distribution that makes each person a
little different. But some people are really dominant in one
element. Willow is one of those people. She's nearly all
intellect."
"Then she's still Willow..."
Tara nodded. "And that is what makes this so difficult for me. I
love her Buffy. I love Willow -- soul or not. She's still the
person I love. But I know that without her soul to guide her,
she's dangerous -- terribly dangerous. Her soul advises her to
keep her power in check. Without it she'll use her power
without any restrictions. And she'll have to be stopped."
"But Angel got his soul back -- given or forced. So surely we
can do the same for Willow."
"Willow was stronger than Angel -- four years ago. She's
become stronger since then. None of us have the power to force
anything on her. And if we did -- to use that much power on a
person can only be harmful. It would probably destroy her."
"There has to be another way," Buffy said firmly. "I refuse to
believe it's hopeless."
Tara smiled sadly. "The only way it could possibly work is if
she agreed to be resouled. And even then, we'd need the help of
an incredibly powerful witch or warlock. I couldn't do it -- as
much as I love Willow, I know the limits of my power, and this
is beyond me."
"Do you know anyone?"
Tara shook her head.
"Maybe Giles would know someone."
"It wouldn't hurt to call him."
Buffy nodded, her mind racing ahead.
"You said Spike lives in his heart?" she said quietly.
"Surely you knew that. Maybe you didn't recognize it
consciously. But I can't believe you didn't feel it. In his aura,
his heart burns brighter than any I've ever seen."
"Maybe I did," Buffy said. "But I wouldn't let myself believe
it."
"He's very intelligent. As intelligent as Willow, easily. But it
isn't his intellect that controls him. When he feels something,
everything he's reasoned out goes right out the window," Tara
said with a little smile. "People who live in their hearts are like
that."
"So, who a person is is made up of their heart, their intellect
and their spirit?" Buffy asked.
"There are five elements. Different philosophies call them
different things. The Chinese call the elements wood, metal,
water, earth and fire. I call them spirit, heart, head, body and
energy.
"People who live in the spirit are most strongly influenced by
their souls. People who live in their bodies are the least
influenced. The heart, intellect and energy people fall between.
"Your primary element is intellect, but your body is also strong
and you have more energy than most people. Your heart and
spirit are in there, but they get overruled more often than not."
Buffy frowned slightly.
"Energy? Like the Energizer Bunny?"
"No, energy is the force of your personality. Some people just
hit you like a punch in the face, other people just brush up
against you. Energy is the difference. I'm very low in energy
and body, strong in spirit and heart. Sort of in the middle in
intellect."
"When I went on the vision quest, the First Slayer told me I
was full of love."
Tara smiled. "You are. And if your heart aspect was stronger,
you would find it easier to express that love. As it is, you hold
it bottled up inside you."
Buffy shook her head slightly. "OK, this isn't about me. We
have to find a way to stop Willow -- and help her -- before it's
too late." Buffy frowned slightly. "If it's not already too late."
"If she's killed, she's been changed," Tara said sadly. "There is
no way around that. Killing damages the spirit."
"Do you think you could influence her -- now, the way she is?"
Buffy asked. "I know Willow loves you. And if love isn't
dependent on the soul, then surely she still loves you. Maybe
you could convince her to accept resouling."
"I'll try -- I can't guarantee anything. Willow has always been
stronger than me. I know she cares about me, but I don't know
whether she'll listen to me now."
"We have to try."
------------------
Karen watched the battle with a sense of detachment. What her
eyes saw, she found difficult to process. This couldn't really be
happening, could it?
Spike fought the lion-headed demon tenaciously. He was faster
than the larger creature, but the demon was stronger, and each
time he connected with a blow to Spike's body, she could see
he was being hurt. She hurt bones snap. The creature clawed at
him and opened deep gashes in his chest and down his arms.
Again and again he was thrown down, but each time, he got
back up and launched himself at the demon again.
Karen was afraid. She was afraid for her sister who lay
unmoving wrapped in Spike's leather coat beside her. She was
afraid for Spike, who seemed to be gradually losing ground in
the struggle. And she was afraid for herself. If he was defeated,
how could she defend her sister as he'd told her to do? He'd
told her to stand her ground, and she was determined to do so.
But what could she do against this massive, deadly creature?
Spike dodged a swipe of the lion-creature's claws. He ducked
under the sweeping arm and came up behind the demon,
leaping up to kick it in the back at waist level. The demon
roared in pain and swung around to hit Spike in the face and
send him sprawling back.
He was fighting without any sort of weapon, which left him at
a distinct disadvantage against this creature of claws and teeth.
Suddenly, Karen remembered her utility knife. It was in its
scabbard on the back of her belt. She'd completely forgotten
she had it. It wasn't much, just a five-inch blade on a plastic
handle -- a pretty standard piece of camping equipment that
she'd never considered a weapon. But it was sharp. If she could
just get it to him.
Spike was sprawled on the ground, stunned by the creature's
blow to his head. He was trying to get up, but moving too
slowly. The creature was closing on him. Karen felt her heart
leap into her throat. It was going to finish him off.
Karen shouted in a desperate attempt to distract the creature. It
stopped and turned to look at her. Its eyes glowed red for a
moment when it saw her -- apparently for the first time. With a
snarl, it launched toward her.
"No!" Spike roared. "You're fighting me!"
The creature was not swayed by that argument. It charged
toward Karen and as it reached her, she did the only thing she
could think of and plunged the knife up into the creature's
chest. It roared in pain and hit her with a blow that knocked her
back, sending her skidding across the rough ground. She felt
the skin scraping off the backs of her legs. Her head hurt and
she was momentarily disoriented.
The knife stuck in the demon's chest, but it didn't seem to cause
it much distress. It started toward her again, and she thought
that this was surely the last thing she was going to see.
But the moment's distraction gave Spike time gain his feet
again and he tackled the demon from the side, knocking it off
its feet. He had hold of the knife then, and jerked it down the
length of the demon's trunk, opening a long, bloody incision.
The demon's arms and legs twitched and jerked, then it went
limp.
Spike was at Karen's side then, helping her to sit up.
"You shouldn't have done that, love. Not that I don't appreciate
it, but that was my fight, and you may have broken a rule
there," he said gently. "But you've got guts, and I can't fault
you for trying."
"You said I had to stand my ground and protect my sister,"
Karen said, trying to shake off the effect of the blow to her
head.
"Actually, that was quite within the parameters of the
challenge," said an other-worldly voice from behind Spike.
He turned to see who had spoken.
What Karen could only describe as an angel stood where the
demon's body had lain. He was at least seven feet tall, mostly
human in appearance, with the addition of white-feathered
wings. He was naked and quite well endowed, Karen observed
before she averted her eyes in embarrassment. And his entire
figure glowed with a soft white light.
"She was allowed to help me?" Spike asked, sounding
surprised.
"Oh, yes. What you inspire others to do is as much a part of
your worthiness as the things you do," the angel said.
"Then you're the bloke in charge?"
"Yes."
"And I passed?"
"You have passed this phase. You have one more challenge
remaining."
"That would be me," Doc said, stepping into the light shed by
the angel.