Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Episode 12 (Part II)
Pizza Parlor, Downtown Haynesville:
The gang all sat around a large table, eating lunch and discussing important issues. It was Willow, Giles, Kennedy, and Andrew. Kennedy didn't really seem to be into the discussion because she was trying to tease Willow under the table. Andrew was obviously bored and didn't want to be there.
"Has anyone seen Buffy lately?" Giles questioned, "I haven't seen her for quite some time now."
"I saw her the other day," Willow replied, "We had kind of a girl's night. You know movies and such."
Willow shuddered as Kennedy rubbed her leg lightly under the table. She pushed it away very quickly though. Kennedy wasn't offended, but she knew Willow wanted more. She decided to refrain from anything else until later.
"How long ago was that?" Giles asked.
"Umm…" Willow stopped talking to think for a moment, "It was two nights ago."
"Has anyone else seen her since then?" he asked, obviously worried.
"I'm sure she's fine, Giles," Willow responded, "She's probably just resting up a little. I'd be too if I was in her position. I mean with the First Evil and all still running around. It's gotta be a little hectic for her."
"Willow's right," Kennedy assured, "I'm sure she's just fine."
The Cemetery:
"Go!" Buffy shouted.
"Buffy, it's started," Dawn told her.
Buffy spun around and looked at the portal growing bigger. Suddenly, a bolt struck the road, causing it to cave it. Another bolt hit a building, totally destroying it. Giles, who was below, stared up at the portal. Xander, Anya, Willow, and Tara slowly rose to their feet. Spike rolled out of the way as the ground beneath him opened up.
Buffy turned back to Dawn, who was staring at the portal.
"I'm sorry," Dawn said, crying.
"It doesn't matter," Buffy replied.
Dawn attempted to shove past Buffy. Luckily, Buffy grabbed her, preventing her from going anywhere.
"What are you doing?" Buffy questioned.
"I have to jump. The energy."
"It'll kill you."
"I know…I know about the ritual. I have to stop it."
"No!"
The tower shook violently, causing them both to stumble.
"I have to," Dawn informed, "Look at what's happening."
Suddenly a dragon-like demon flew out of the portal. It flew by the tower, and then flew away. They both watched it for a moment.
"Buffy, you have to let me go. Blood starts it, and until the blood stops flowing, it'll never stop. You know you have to let me. It has to have the blood."
Buffy looked at her in awe. She was remembering things. Stuff was coming back to her. She turned towards the edge and glanced at the portal. She looked peaceful as she turned back to Dawn.
"Buffy, no!"
"Dawnie, I have to."
"No!"
"Listen to me. Please, there's not a lot of time. Listen."
She pulled Dawn towards her, holding her as she spoke to the young girl.
"Dawn, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will *always* love you. But this is the work that I have to do. Tell Giles ... tell Giles I figured it out. And, and I'm okay. And give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now. You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world ... is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me."
She stroked Dawn's face and then kissed her cheek. Dawn stood there crying, unable to believe what her sister was going to do. Buffy turned and ran down the platform. She jumped off and did a swan-dive off the edge and into the portal. She fell into the portal.
The pain was too much for her. Her face twisted in pain as the portal sucked the life out of her. She knew that she had made the right choice. She knew that she had saved the world. She tried to think of anything to get her mind off the severe pain, but it was too bad. Everything began to get dark as the pain increased. She could feel the energy sucking the life out of her. Her eyes closed slowly. Buffy's lifeless body fell to the ground.
Buffy eyes fluttered opened. She had remembered that time all too well, the time that she had died, for the second time. She remembered everything that had happened that night, every little detail.
That's when she felt a sharp pain coming from her chest. It hurt a lot. She pushed the thought of the pain away as she glanced around the cemetery. She noticed that it was starting to get light out. She slowly rose to her feet, checking herself for injuries. There was a small gash on her chest, but it had pretty much healed, although it produced pain.
She glanced down and noticed dried blood stained all over the ground and all over her clothing. Her clothes were torn to shreds. That's when the thoughts of the fight came back to her.
The two demons double-teamed her this time. Both sets of claws met their mark, Buffy's chest and stomach. Blood seeped through her torn clothing. Buffy winced in pain as she jumped back from another attack. The demon lunged at her, claws thrashing. Buffy dove underneath him. The demon landed face first in the dirt. Unfortunately, the second demon did not miss. Its claws sliced across Buffy's back, causing her to gasp in pain. These demons sure did not like to give shallow cuts. The first demon reached out and slashed at her legs, slicing them deep. She gasped in pain again.
"Buffy!" someone shouted.
Her head turned to the direction that the voice had come from. She couldn't figure out where it was coming from at first, but then she saw who it was. Axel came running up to her, sweat dripping from his head.
"Buffy, are you okay?" he asked, catching his breath, "You've been missing for two nights."
"Two nights!"
"I've been searching for you ever since the other night when you didn't come home. I was worried about you."
"I'm okay."
"What happened to your clothes and what's with all that blood?" he questioned.
Buffy was cornered. What was she going to tell him? She had to tell him the truth now. There was no way to cover this up. The only thing to do was tell him who she really was.
"Axel…" Buffy had begun to say something.
Suddenly two demons jumped out of the bushes. They were the ones that Buffy had fought before. They hadn't gone away. They had just been watching her until she woke up.
"Hold that thought, Buffy," Axel told her, "I'll take care of this. Get out of here!"
"But Axel…" Buffy started.
"No!" he shouted, "Get out of here! I'll take care of this! Now go!"
Buffy was saved, for now anyways. But she was still worried about Axel. She knew that he couldn't take these demons. She was the slayer and she couldn't even beat them. She couldn't leave him, even if it revealed her secret. She couldn't sacrifice a life to keep her secret hidden.
Axel turned from Buffy and faced the demons. He was weaponless and these demons looked dangerous. The claws on the hands looked deadly. He had to stay though. It was his job to protect the people of this small town.
The demons lunged at him, claws slashing. Buffy stared on in horror. They leapt into the air. Just as they were about to attack Axel, a dark figure leapt out of a tree and knocked both demons to the ground, saving Axel.
Buffy couldn't see his face, but she knew who it was. Angel had stuck around for a little while longer. He must have known she'd be in danger. She watched on, as Angel fought the demons.
They slashed and clawed at him, but somehow he only managed to get a few scratches. He dodged their attacks and dished out some of his own. Angel jumped into the air and brought his legs down on the one demon's head. The demon fell to the ground, lifeless. Angel pulled at a stake and swung his arm around. The stake hit its mark, the demon's head.
The second demon fell to the ground dead, just like the first. Their bodies melted away into the ground after a few moments. Angel slid the stake back into his duster. Buffy knew he didn't have much time before rays of sunlight reached him. He'd have to get out of their quickly.
"Thanks," Axel said, not too enthusiastic.
"No problem," Angel replied, wiping the sweat off his forehead, "Sorry I can't talk longer, I have to go."
He turned and began walking away. But first he gave Buffy a wink. Axel took after him. He reached up and grabbed Angel's shoulder.
"Where are you going? What are you afraid of the sun?" he questioned.
Angel stopped and smiled. He turned to face Axel.
"Would a vampire have saved your life?" Angel asked.
"I guess not," Axel replied, happily.
"I've gotta get to work," he told him.
He smiled to both Axel and Buffy. And with that Angel was gone. But as he promised, Buffy knew he'd return soon to help her in the final battle.
Willow and Kennedy's Apartment:
Buffy knew that her friends must be worried about her. She knew they would be since she'd been gone for two days. That's why she headed over to Willow's to see what was going on. She opened the door and walked in.
It didn't surprise her that Giles and Andrew were there also. They were always there. She never questioned why, but she figured she already knew. They were probably still researching the Shanshu Prophecy.
"Good morning, guys," Buffy said, walking into the apartment.
"Hi Buffy," Willow said, "What have you been up to?"
"Good morning, Buffy," Giles said.
Buffy smiled at them all. That's when she realized Willow had just asked her a question. She wondered if she should make something up or if she should really tell the truth. Then she remembered what Angel told her.
"I've just been enjoying the town and patrolling," she answered, "And last night I ran into these demons."
"Demons?" Giles questioned, "Describe them."
Buffy went on describing the demons. Giles pulled out a demon book and began flipping through the pages, trying to match up the description. Willow, Kennedy, and Andrew just listened. They were intrigued at the description.
"Did you kill them?" Kennedy asked, after Buffy finished.
"They're both dead," she replied, "Although it took a bit of work. But I'm okay."
"That's good to know," Willow replied.
"So what have you guys been up to?" Buffy asked.
"Nothing fun," Kennedy replied, obviously frustrated.
"We've been researching this town and its origins quite a lot," Giles informed, "It's not much different than Sunnydale. It is pretty much the same thing."
"Well that's almost interesting," she replied, "I've gotta get going. Sorry I can't stay that long. I'll see you guys around."
With that, Buffy was out the door. The others were all confused to why she had left so suddenly. Oh well, back to the research.
"I don't get it," Kennedy spoke up, "I'm going to end up being a slayer someday, so why don't I ever get to go out patrolling?"
"I don't see why you can't," Giles replied.
"Really?" she questioned.
"Of course," he said.
The Cemetery:
Willow was so glad to be out of that apartment. It was like she hadn't left in a few days. As a matter of fact, she hadn't. They had been researching for almost three days. She could also see that Kennedy was excited to be out. She was happy that Kennedy had invited her to go patrolling with her. It was something she hadn't done with Buffy in a while.
The two were walking along the moonlit path. They were holding hands and enjoying their first time alone in a long while. It was warm and beautiful out. They both enjoyed this temporarily new home.
"I love you, Willow," Kennedy replied, facing her girlfriend.
"I-I love you too, Kennedy," she answered.
"Something wrong?" Kennedy questioned.
"No its nothing," Willow replied.
"Come on, you can tell me," Kennedy assured.
"Well, it's just I haven't said 'I love you' to anyone since Tara. But you know something?"
"What's that?"
"It feels right and I know its right."
Kennedy smiled at her girlfriend. She placed her hands on either side of Willow's face. She pulled Willow to her and embraced her with a passionate kiss. Willow kissed her back.
"I love you, Willow," someone said.
Willow broke away from the kiss. Someone else had said that to her, not Kennedy. She was confused.
"What's wrong?" Kennedy questioned.
"Its nothing," Willow replied, "I'm hearing things. Sorry."
Kennedy moved in again. The two began kissing passionately. Kennedy moved her hand down Willow's side. She let them sit on her hips for a moment. She was waiting to see if Willow noticed or even cared. When she didn't respond, Kennedy moved on. She began moving her hand down Willow's thigh until she reached the bottom of her skirt.
Kennedy stopped her movement again. She was waiting to see how Willow reacted. There was nothing once again. The two were now making out heavily. Kennedy moved her hand up under Willow's skirt very slowly until she reached her prize.
Willow gasped as she felt Kennedy's fingers. It felt so good. She was becoming lost in the passion. Her hormones were taking over. Her hand moved to Kennedy's chest as she approached climax. Willow was overtaken by pleasure as Kennedy continued moving her fingers.
Kennedy removed her fingers as Willow came down off of her high. She was flustered and sweat was dripping from her forehead. She kissed Kennedy softly on the lips. It was a way of thanking her.
"Willow!" someone shouted.
The two lovers were startled. Someone had seen their little session. They were busted. Willow knew that Buffy would never let her live this down.
"I've missed you," said the voice.
Willow gasped as she saw who it was. It was the person she knew she would never ever see again. But here she was standing right in front of her.
"T-Tara?" Willow stuttered, obviously surprised.
Tara nodded her head in agreement. She looked angry at her former lover.
"You're not Tara!" Willow shouted, "You're the First! Buffy already told us you were back."
Tara nodded her head in disagreement. Willow and Kennedy looked at her confused. They wanted to know what was going on. Tara stepped closer to Willow. She reached out and placed an arm on her shoulder.
"Tara? Baby?" Willow questioned.
"Yes, it's me," Tara replied, smiling.
"Oh my god, Tara!" Willow exclaimed, tears rolling down her face, "I've missed you so much. I'm sorry I let you die."
Willow wrapped her arms around her former lover. She held her tightly. She had forgotten all about Kennedy. And Kennedy sure had noticed it. She was obviously hurt. Tears of sadness formed in her eyes and were dripping down her cheeks.
Willow moved in and kissed Tara on the lips. Kennedy had seen enough. After all that they had been through and what she had just done for Willow, she instantly forgot about her. Kennedy turned and ran off into the darkness, tears falling behind on the ground.
Downtown Haynesville:
Kennedy continued running, the tears still falling. She couldn't believe what she has seen back there. It wasn't possible. There was no way that Willow's former lover, Tara, was back from the dead. It was impossible.
She was still crushed by the fact that Willow was back there making out with her. She was crushed by the fact that Willow had just completely forgotten about her. It hurt too much to think about it.
Just then she ran into someone on the streets. The man felt like a brick wall. She ran right into him. The impact sent her falling to the ground.
"I'm sorry," Kennedy said, realizing what she had done.
"It's all right," the man replied, smiling, "Let me help you up."
He lent her a hand and pulled her to her feet. She smiled at him through her hurt and pain. She rose to her feet and stared at this man.
"Hi I'm Axel," he replied, "What's your name?"
"I'm Kennedy," she answered, wiping away some tears.
"What's wrong with you?" he questioned.
"It's nothing," Kennedy lied.
"Well, how about we go back to my place and you can tell me about it?" he asked.
"Okay," she managed to say.
Kennedy didn't register the fact that this guy's name was Axel and the guy that Buffy was staying with name was Axel. She'd find out soon enough though.
Axel's Place:
Axel opened the door to his place. Kennedy followed in behind him. She had stopped crying, but the pain was still there. What she had seen still was still hurting her. Axel closed the door behind her and told her she could take a seat, so she did.
"Hey Axel," Buffy said coming into the room.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw who was sitting there in a chair. Her eyes were all puffy from crying. Buffy wondered why.
"Kennedy?" Buffy questioned.
Axel turned to face Buffy. He had a puzzled look on his face.
"You know her?" he asked.
"Yeah," she replied, hesitant at first.
"From where?" he questioned.
"She's one of the friends that I left behind in Sunnydale," Buffy replied, knowing she had to tell the truth.
"That's amazing!" he exclaimed, "I can't believe they actually came here."
"Yeah me neither," Buffy replied, not as enthusiastic.
Kennedy had been sitting there quietly the whole time. Buffy began to wonder why she had been crying. She figured something bad had happened to her. Buffy waited until Axel went into the other room before she spoke.
"What happened?" Buffy questioned.
Kennedy looked up. Buffy could see the hurt in her eyes. She began to feel sorry for the potential slayer.
"It's Willow," Kennedy muttered.
"Willow?" Buffy questioned, "What happened to Willow?"
"Tara's back," she muttered.
A look of horror formed on Buffy's face. It hit her. Buffy knew it wasn't Tara. It was the goddess. Buffy threw open the door and disappeared into the night.