Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Stargate SG1 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is just a work of fiction.
Note 1: There has been a lot of hits over the past several months. Especially with Covid and the stresses that came with it followed by the passing of my father. I didn't really feel like typing up new chapters. But now, I want to slowly start getting back into the swing of writing new chapters and I figured this AU one-shot would start it off. Enjoy. And cheers!
"Yes, I agree," Faith said out loud. Her heart was racing as she spoke those words. She turned her head towards a surprised Tara and whispered, "Melina said that my link with Red is important, but what if it's not enough?" Faith felt her heart breaking as she continued, "what if there is no way to bring her back here?"
Tara couldn't belief what Faith was saying. "NO!" Tara exclaimed just before the combined voices of the Powers that Be spoke the words that would be ringing in Faith's ears for the rest of her life.
"Accepted!"
Tara turned towards the ceiling of the cavern and yelled out, "I beg the Powers to hold!" Tara then spun towards Faith with a look of shock as the combined voices silenced themselves. Tara placed her hands gently on Faith's shoulders and said, "there has to be a way, Faith. Let me check the books at the BPRI, the London Archives, and any of the remaining facilities of the former Watcher's Council. Just be patient, Faith. We will get her back." Faith sensed that Tara was truthful, but there was no way to know how long it would take. Or if they would ever succeed.
"This is your one and only boon, Faith Lehane," the voices returned as Faith and Tara looked back up at the ceiling, "you may return after going through your options, but we will not entertain your requests."
"But…." Tara exclaimed before she was interrupted by the Powers.
"Choose now, Slayer!"
Faith rolled her hands into fists and closed her eyes. She knew what the Powers were asking – her love for Willow, and the memories of that love would be taken – no, not taken. They would be snatched from the world – in exchange for bringing the redhead back to this reality. Willow would come back safe and sound. All in exchange for their love. According to the Powers that Be, a very powerful love… a powerful bond. Faith trusted Tara… she knew the blonde witch would find something that would bring Willow back to this reality. But there was no way to know how long it would take or if any spell casting could work even with the psychic link connecting the both of them.
"Will it hurt? Taking away the memories and the psychic link?"
There was no answer from the Powers that Be.
'It will hurt… I know it will hurt,' Faith thought to herself.
Tara shook her head, "Faith, don't."
Gulping, Faith remembered what Willow told her what would happen if the link was severed. She couldn't imagine the pain and emotional toll it would have on her and Willow. However, Willow was stuck in another reality and finding a way to get the redhead back may take a long time. In all honesty, Faith knew there was no way to know if and when they could get Willow back. And now, the Powers that Be made her an offer with a heavy toll. Taking a deep breath and then a long exhale, Faith closed her eyes and whispered, "bring her back."
"DONE!"
SGC, Briefing Room, a few seconds later
The last thing Willow saw before she was enveloped in a wash of bright white light was the surprised looks on the faces of the Scoobies and the Potentials in the alternate reality. She had just been beamed into the living room of Buffy's home by the Asgard and was about to reveal the existence of Joyce Summers on Edina. And now, Willow found herself staring out the windows of the Briefing Room and down towards the Stargate.
'What the…' Willow thought to herself before she spun around the empty Briefing Room. Her eyes met with the surprised expression on General Landry's face who was looking out the window to his office. Willow strode towards the office while the General got off his chair in a hurry and then rushed out his side-door leading into the Briefing Room.
"Major?!" the General exclaimed as Willow stopped a couple of steps away, "how….?"
"I don't know…" Willow then gasped just as she felt a stinging sensation in her chest. With eyes and mouth wide open and pain etched on her face, Willow brought her left hand to her chest while grabbing the seat back with her right hand. The General, seeing the pain on the redhead's face, rushed back to his office and called for a medic before slamming the phone down on its cradle and then rushing out into the briefing room. He gently helped Willow onto a chair as she panted hard, her face turning red and tears starting to well in her eyes. She felt the General's hand on her shoulder as he stood by her side. She looked up at him before closing her eyes tight, a trail of tears down her cheeks, as the pain throbbed greatly before stopping just as suddenly as it appeared. She hung her head and panted as the General asked if she was alright.
But Willow didn't know if she was alright. She looked up as medical personnel rushed into the Briefing Room just as Walter rushed up the metal stairs from the Control Room.
"General, I just…." Walter then did a doubletake towards Willow who was sitting back on her chair. "Major?" Willow waved her hand towards him while resting her head on the seat back with her eyes closed. At the same time, the medics started to work on the redhead.
"Walter? What is it?" the General asked.
"Umm…" Walter mumbled before turning towards the General with surprise on his face, "Miss Maclay from the BPRI called, she said she found a way to bring Major Rosenberg back from the other reality. She… well… asked some higher beings for help."
The General nodded his head before Willow snapped her eyes open and then turned her head towards Walter.
"Tara brought me back?" Willow asked.
Walter nervously shrugged before the General told him to get back to Tara and inform her that Willow appeared in the Briefing Room a few minutes ago. The technician nodded his head and then rushed down the stairs, but not before saying "Welcome back, Major" to Willow. Willow nodded her head before turning her head towards the General while the medics were checking her vitals.
The General then asked, "how are you feeling?"
"Like something's missing… pieces of my memories and..," Willow said as she rubbed her chest, "as if something was torn out of my chest." She then frowned as she tried to reached for an empty spot in her memory of the past few days. But the more she reached, the more emptiness she felt, and the more gaps appeared in her memory. Willow shook her head and whispered, "it's as if I have holes in my memories and… and I can't get them back no matter how hard I'm trying."
"How's that possible?" the General asked just before the medics helped Willow to her feet, and then onto the gurney against the side wall.
Willow shook her head, "I don't know… my mind is guarded so that I'll be able to defend myself but… but this is…" She scowled before continuing, "I don't know, Sir. This should not be happening"
The General stepped to one side as the medics pushed the gurney with Willow lying down on it. "I'll let SG-1 and Dawn know you've returned." Willow could only nod her head as she was pushed into the hallway and towards the infirmary while the Generals looked on with a perplexed look on his face. He was concerned about the pain Willow felt a few minutes ago, as well as her missing memories. Shaking his head, he started to stroll towards his office door. He was prepared to tell Dawn, followed by Colonels Carter and Mitchell, Daniel, Vala, and Teal'c that their friend and teammate had returned. Closing the door behind him before walking to his table, General Landry couldn't help but feel he was missing something. As if there was a thought in the back of his mind that was hiding away. Shaking his head, he ignored that thought… whatever it was.. and reached down to the phone. Willow was back. That was all that mattered.
New Orleans.
There was the bright flash of white light and then there was the stinging sensation in her chest. Faith should have known that there would be some hidden clause in the deal with the Powers that Be so that they would bring Willow back to this reality. She should have known that the Powers would have wanted something more than the psychic link she used to share with Willow as well as the memories of the love they shared.
The stinging sensation was something she suspected was from the loss of the psychic link, but there was something more. She felt her body going numb just as she felt wetness gurgling through her open mouth. The light started to fade away and she found herself staring at a demonic visage grinning back at her. She looked down and stared at the blade – really one of the arms of the demon in front of her – stabbed through her chest. She started to fall backwards, her legs buckling while hearing the yells of other women around her; she thought she had seen Kennedy out of the corner of her left eye.
'My life… those assholes wanted my life…' Faith thought as she fell back on soft grass covered ground before the demon turned away from her. As she lay on the ground, blood pooling beneath her, Faith's mind was populated with the memories of another reality – her current reality that is; at the same time her memories of the times and love she shared with Willow still remained.
"Re…" Faith gurgled as her eyes started to close. She wanted to call out for Willow, but she couldn't. She felt her strength fade. "Wi…" She tried to call out for Willow once again. She wanted to reach for the psychic link. But it was gone. She reminded herself it was gone and this was her punishment. She couldn't feel the tears that started to trail down the sides of her cheeks as she remembered her marriage to Willow, the times they shared together, the love they had for each other. At the same time, she remembered the incident at the Slayer Council… she remembered stunning Willow. Faith remembered going to jail after the Slayer Council incident, she remembered hearing about Tara dating Willow. She remembered hearing about Tara breaking up with Willow soon after being released from prison herself and becoming a trainer at the BPRI. She remembered being assigned this mission to New Orleans with Kennedy and several other Potentials.
Reality had been changed. This was a reality where she had never been with Willow.
And here Faith lay. Alone and bleeding out. Her eyes were nearly closed as her head turned to the left. Her vision started to fade as Kennedy beheaded the very demon that struck her down just a minute ago. And just before her eyes closed and vision faded away, Faith though she saw a ball of white light change into the figure of a red haired woman.
"Faith," the woman – Melina - whispered with a surprised expression on her face.
But Faith's could not move her lips. As Melina took a step towards her, Faith's vision faded away, and now she was surrounded by darkness.
END