Buffy stopped the car. She sat looking at Tara and Willow still sprawled out on the backseat and felt a brief twinge. Was she doing the right thing? Was this how she had to get home?
'Buffy, baby I know you can hear me. Come back to us hunny, please.'
"Mom?"
She opened the car door and slid out.
"Mom? Where are you?" she asked the emptiness around her. But there was no reply. She had her answer. This was what she had to do.
With renewed confidence, she walked into the cave. It was as she'd heard. A nest of vampires. They were sleeping, but that didn't surprise her. The sun was still out. Vampires had nothing to do during daylight hours, and although they didn't have the physical need to sleep anymore, the lingering human memories inside them and the boredom of hiding from the daylight, made sleeping the only option they had.
She grabbed the closest one. The vampire, a female, hissed as it opened its eyes.
"Slayer?" it asked.
"Which one is in charge?" Buffy asked without replying.
The vampire laughed. "Why should I tell you?" it sneered.
Buffy pulled out a stake and held against the vampire's chest. "I think you'll tell me."
The vampire squirmed in Buffy's tight grasp. The stake was digging into her flesh and she knew that Buffy would stake her without another thought. She thought about screaming, alerting the others, but the slayer could have just staked her whilst she slept, and hadn't. She wanted to see what was more important to her than adding to her vampire kill scorecard.
"Over there," it said finally, it's hand raised and pointing to the left.
"What's its name?" Buffy snarled.
"Ma-Marius," the female replied.
Buffy releashed her, roughly pushing her into the wall. The female vampire was knocked out, but still as alive as a vampire could be. Twirling the stake in her hand, she walked over to where the vampire had pointed. She stood in the shadows, watching the male called Marius sleep. In another life she s'posed she'd have found him good looking. But he was a vampire, and not real.
Without warning, she jumped on him, her small body straddling his. His eyes flew open and she found herself staring into his deep brown ones.
"Slayer," he growled.
"Thats what they call me," she replied as she held her stake against his heart. "Now shut up and listen."
"I don't listen to slayers," he spat. "One word and I can wake my companions and we'll be drinking your blood before you could blink."
"But then you wouldn't know why you're not a pile of dust right now," Buffy replied.
Marius blinked. The slayer had a point. Why wasn't he a pile of dust? He raised up onto his elbows and fixed his eyes on hers.
"Then speak slayer."
"There's something I have to do," she said softly. "But I can't do it alone. I need your help."
Marius laughed. "Why should I help you?"
This was harder than Buffy thought it would be. For years inside this, dreamworld, she'd killed his kind, and now, his kind was all she had, all she could turn to for help. Much as she hated this, it had to be done.
"Outside," she started, "in the car. I have...I have something for you."
He was curious now. The slayer had sought him out and brought him something?
"I'll leave them there," she said in a monotone. "Just promise that when you...do what you do, you won't sire them."
"You want us to kill for you?" Marius was incredulous. "Why? Is this a trick slayer?"
Buffy's eyes met his again. "Its no trick. I just want to go home. Promise me please."
Marius nodded. "I promise."
Buffy slid off his body and slowly walked towards the cave entrance. She stopped just before exiting and looked back over her shoulder.
"Thank you."
Then she was gone. Marius sat in confusion. He understood what Buffy wanted, but he couldn't understand what she meant by going home. But in the end, who was he to turn to turn down a free meal?
The sun was going down as Buffy walked out of the cave. She walked back over to the car. Willow was awake and struggling to free herself from the ropes, but Tara was still unconscious. Willow looked up and caught Buffy watching her. Her struggling increased. Sadly Buffy smiled and ran her hand down the window of the car.
"Goodbye Will," she said softly, then she was gone, leaving Willow and Tara in the car and to their fate.
Willow struggled and tried to scream, but the tape over her mouth kept it in. She had no idea where she was, or what was going on, only that it was something bad. Tara was with her, but she was not responding to the movement of her struggles.
It was getting dark and Willow could hear noises outside the car.
'Oh god, please let it be Buffy,' Willow silently prayed, but when the doors of the car flew open, she found herself staring up into the twisted faces of vampires.
They pulled Tara out first, followed by Willow. A tall male vampire walked towards the ones holding her. His cold hand softly moved over her face and lingered on her lips.
"Such a pity," he said. "You would have made a beautiful addition to my flock, but I made a promise."
Buffy watched from the shadows of the trees as the male called Marius turned to his flock, as he called them, and raised his hands.
"Tonight, we feed," he said. "And remember children, they are not to be sired."
They killed Tara first. Slowly draining her blood from her body as Willow watched. Even from the safety of her hideout, Buffy could see the power return to Willow's eyes. But without her voice, she was helpless.
"She's dead master," a smaller male vampire said as the others dropped Tara's lifeless body onto the ground.
Marius reached his hand forward and placed it on the male's head. "You have done well my childe. Now its my turn."
Willow hardly felt his fangs slide into her neck. She could only feel the pain of Tara's loss, and Buffy's betrayal. Her eyelids were beginning to feel heavy, so heavy she could hardly keep them open. But she needed to see Tara. She fought against closing them, but a blackness was descending over her, along with a comforting numbness. Soon, she could see or feel nothing at all.
Marius dropped her lifeless body and wiped his bloody lips.
"NOOOOO WILLOW!!!" Buffy screamed as she thrashed against the bonds holding her strapped to the bed.
Joyce, who had been sitting beside her, holding her hand, was thrown onto the floor.
"Buffy? Oh my god. Buffy you're back. DOCTOR!!!" she yelled as she scrambled up onto her feet.
There was a rush of people into the room. Two orderlies tried to hold Buffy down as a nurse injected something into her arm.
"Its just something to calm her," the doctor told Joyce. "She's in a distressed state right now and we can't examine her until she quietens down."
Joyce nodded and held onto Hank who had rushed into the room behind the others.
"But she's back?" Joyce asked. "She's really back with us?"
The doctor nodded. "Yes she's back."
He turned from Joyce and Hank and looked down at Buffy who had stopped thrashing and was now lying quietly.
"Back here with us. You did your job good slayer," he whispered as he lowered his face down closer to hers. "And now you'll never leave."
Buffy's eyes widened as the kindly face of the doctor twisted into something demonic. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out.
"No-one can hear you, and no-one will believe you," the demon doctor continued. "You just killed your sister and friends. You just killed everyone you loved and who loved you. Now you will be trapped here forever, never knowing what is real and what isn't."
"Mom...?" Buffy managed to moan, but when she turned to look at her mother, all she saw was another demon. Everyone was a demon. She screamed again.
Xander stood outside her door, watching through the little glass window. He couldn't believe this had happened. Willow, Tara, Dawn...all gone. All gone by Buffy's hands.
"This is the best place for her," Giles said softly from behind him. "They'll take very good care of her."
Xander turned away from the door, unable to watch her any longer. His tear filled eyes looked up into the eyes of the older man.
"How...? Why...?" he kept asking.
Giles reached out and squeezed his shoulder, then walked over to the door. He looked in on the young woman he'd watched over and loved like a daughter for years. She just lay on the floor of her room screaming and moaning. She wasn't the Buffy he knew anymore.
"Buffy," he said in a voice full of pain. "Buffy, what happened to you?"
Slowly he walked away from the door and wrapped an arm around Xander's shoulders. Together, they walked down the long corridor away from Buffy and her screams.
"NOOOOOOOO!!! I WANT TO GO HOME!!!"
'Buffy, baby I know you can hear me. Come back to us hunny, please.'
"Mom?"
She opened the car door and slid out.
"Mom? Where are you?" she asked the emptiness around her. But there was no reply. She had her answer. This was what she had to do.
With renewed confidence, she walked into the cave. It was as she'd heard. A nest of vampires. They were sleeping, but that didn't surprise her. The sun was still out. Vampires had nothing to do during daylight hours, and although they didn't have the physical need to sleep anymore, the lingering human memories inside them and the boredom of hiding from the daylight, made sleeping the only option they had.
She grabbed the closest one. The vampire, a female, hissed as it opened its eyes.
"Slayer?" it asked.
"Which one is in charge?" Buffy asked without replying.
The vampire laughed. "Why should I tell you?" it sneered.
Buffy pulled out a stake and held against the vampire's chest. "I think you'll tell me."
The vampire squirmed in Buffy's tight grasp. The stake was digging into her flesh and she knew that Buffy would stake her without another thought. She thought about screaming, alerting the others, but the slayer could have just staked her whilst she slept, and hadn't. She wanted to see what was more important to her than adding to her vampire kill scorecard.
"Over there," it said finally, it's hand raised and pointing to the left.
"What's its name?" Buffy snarled.
"Ma-Marius," the female replied.
Buffy releashed her, roughly pushing her into the wall. The female vampire was knocked out, but still as alive as a vampire could be. Twirling the stake in her hand, she walked over to where the vampire had pointed. She stood in the shadows, watching the male called Marius sleep. In another life she s'posed she'd have found him good looking. But he was a vampire, and not real.
Without warning, she jumped on him, her small body straddling his. His eyes flew open and she found herself staring into his deep brown ones.
"Slayer," he growled.
"Thats what they call me," she replied as she held her stake against his heart. "Now shut up and listen."
"I don't listen to slayers," he spat. "One word and I can wake my companions and we'll be drinking your blood before you could blink."
"But then you wouldn't know why you're not a pile of dust right now," Buffy replied.
Marius blinked. The slayer had a point. Why wasn't he a pile of dust? He raised up onto his elbows and fixed his eyes on hers.
"Then speak slayer."
"There's something I have to do," she said softly. "But I can't do it alone. I need your help."
Marius laughed. "Why should I help you?"
This was harder than Buffy thought it would be. For years inside this, dreamworld, she'd killed his kind, and now, his kind was all she had, all she could turn to for help. Much as she hated this, it had to be done.
"Outside," she started, "in the car. I have...I have something for you."
He was curious now. The slayer had sought him out and brought him something?
"I'll leave them there," she said in a monotone. "Just promise that when you...do what you do, you won't sire them."
"You want us to kill for you?" Marius was incredulous. "Why? Is this a trick slayer?"
Buffy's eyes met his again. "Its no trick. I just want to go home. Promise me please."
Marius nodded. "I promise."
Buffy slid off his body and slowly walked towards the cave entrance. She stopped just before exiting and looked back over her shoulder.
"Thank you."
Then she was gone. Marius sat in confusion. He understood what Buffy wanted, but he couldn't understand what she meant by going home. But in the end, who was he to turn to turn down a free meal?
The sun was going down as Buffy walked out of the cave. She walked back over to the car. Willow was awake and struggling to free herself from the ropes, but Tara was still unconscious. Willow looked up and caught Buffy watching her. Her struggling increased. Sadly Buffy smiled and ran her hand down the window of the car.
"Goodbye Will," she said softly, then she was gone, leaving Willow and Tara in the car and to their fate.
Willow struggled and tried to scream, but the tape over her mouth kept it in. She had no idea where she was, or what was going on, only that it was something bad. Tara was with her, but she was not responding to the movement of her struggles.
It was getting dark and Willow could hear noises outside the car.
'Oh god, please let it be Buffy,' Willow silently prayed, but when the doors of the car flew open, she found herself staring up into the twisted faces of vampires.
They pulled Tara out first, followed by Willow. A tall male vampire walked towards the ones holding her. His cold hand softly moved over her face and lingered on her lips.
"Such a pity," he said. "You would have made a beautiful addition to my flock, but I made a promise."
Buffy watched from the shadows of the trees as the male called Marius turned to his flock, as he called them, and raised his hands.
"Tonight, we feed," he said. "And remember children, they are not to be sired."
They killed Tara first. Slowly draining her blood from her body as Willow watched. Even from the safety of her hideout, Buffy could see the power return to Willow's eyes. But without her voice, she was helpless.
"She's dead master," a smaller male vampire said as the others dropped Tara's lifeless body onto the ground.
Marius reached his hand forward and placed it on the male's head. "You have done well my childe. Now its my turn."
Willow hardly felt his fangs slide into her neck. She could only feel the pain of Tara's loss, and Buffy's betrayal. Her eyelids were beginning to feel heavy, so heavy she could hardly keep them open. But she needed to see Tara. She fought against closing them, but a blackness was descending over her, along with a comforting numbness. Soon, she could see or feel nothing at all.
Marius dropped her lifeless body and wiped his bloody lips.
"NOOOOO WILLOW!!!" Buffy screamed as she thrashed against the bonds holding her strapped to the bed.
Joyce, who had been sitting beside her, holding her hand, was thrown onto the floor.
"Buffy? Oh my god. Buffy you're back. DOCTOR!!!" she yelled as she scrambled up onto her feet.
There was a rush of people into the room. Two orderlies tried to hold Buffy down as a nurse injected something into her arm.
"Its just something to calm her," the doctor told Joyce. "She's in a distressed state right now and we can't examine her until she quietens down."
Joyce nodded and held onto Hank who had rushed into the room behind the others.
"But she's back?" Joyce asked. "She's really back with us?"
The doctor nodded. "Yes she's back."
He turned from Joyce and Hank and looked down at Buffy who had stopped thrashing and was now lying quietly.
"Back here with us. You did your job good slayer," he whispered as he lowered his face down closer to hers. "And now you'll never leave."
Buffy's eyes widened as the kindly face of the doctor twisted into something demonic. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out.
"No-one can hear you, and no-one will believe you," the demon doctor continued. "You just killed your sister and friends. You just killed everyone you loved and who loved you. Now you will be trapped here forever, never knowing what is real and what isn't."
"Mom...?" Buffy managed to moan, but when she turned to look at her mother, all she saw was another demon. Everyone was a demon. She screamed again.
Xander stood outside her door, watching through the little glass window. He couldn't believe this had happened. Willow, Tara, Dawn...all gone. All gone by Buffy's hands.
"This is the best place for her," Giles said softly from behind him. "They'll take very good care of her."
Xander turned away from the door, unable to watch her any longer. His tear filled eyes looked up into the eyes of the older man.
"How...? Why...?" he kept asking.
Giles reached out and squeezed his shoulder, then walked over to the door. He looked in on the young woman he'd watched over and loved like a daughter for years. She just lay on the floor of her room screaming and moaning. She wasn't the Buffy he knew anymore.
"Buffy," he said in a voice full of pain. "Buffy, what happened to you?"
Slowly he walked away from the door and wrapped an arm around Xander's shoulders. Together, they walked down the long corridor away from Buffy and her screams.
"NOOOOOOOO!!! I WANT TO GO HOME!!!"