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Disclaimers: All characters here are owned by Joss Whedon and Co. They are in no way mine, and there is going to be no profit made from this story, except for my personal enjoyment.

Distribution: Anywhere, just tell me where it's going, and give me credit (The-Aussie-Witch)

Spoilers: Season 6, and some Season 7 rumoured spoilers (I'm not looking at all the spoilers for Season 7)

Rating: PG-13 because of violence and language, and because there is no M-15+ on Fanfiction.net (An Australian Rating standing for Mature Audiences, fifteen and older).

Summary: starts straight from the minute Grave left off! I am not a Spike and Buffy 'shipper' and I'm not sure if things will be right between those two as of yet (Maybe, maybe not). Some 'people' from Spike's past as a human might be involved as well.

Reply to Reviews: "Nice enough story (though way to little Spike , but you seem to keep forgetting one thing. Spike got exactly what he wanted. Like Joss and Jane Espenson said, Spike wanted a soul and he only went to the demon to get that soul. The chip was never really the issue.":- As said in this chapter, in my opinion, Spike wanted the chip, but deep down inside he wanted a soul. Because of the lack of looking deep within himself (so he would know that he wanted a soul instead of a chip), he went there saying that he wanted the chip, but got a soul cause the demon read him better than he read himself

a very good story its nice to see a season 7 story thats just an excuse to get s/b together the thing is just a question when willow was drawing and channleing that earth spirit/magic in the statue alot of that went into xander r we going to see any after effects of that. :- You will see after effects of that, but it will be VERY (emphasis on the very) subtle, and you probably won't realise that there have been effects until right at the end, when everything is explained and as you look back over the story and say 'oh, well, will you look at that'.

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Chapter 8

Spike continued to look at his hand. He was puzzled by what had just happened. He had stood in the sun for at least a minute, but he didn't burst into flames. His hand was still stinging from the burns he obtained, but he ignored the pain.

"What the bleedin' hell 'ave you done to me?" he yelled into the darkness. By looking at the light that was streaming in the cave, Spike realised that it must be late in the afternoon, which meant that he'd be able to leave the cave soon. He didn't know why the demon had given him his soul. He had come to the caves to get his chip out. As Spike thought about the reasons for coming to the demon, he felt something inside himself. It was an unknown feeling to him, and he wondered what it was. He thought about why he wanted his chip out. It was to hurt Buffy. But then, he realised, that he could already hurt Buffy, ever since she had come back from the grave. It was then he realised what the feeling down in his stomach was. He was lying to himself. He never wanted the chip out. Deep down, inside, he wanted Buffy to love him, and the only way that could happen was for him to acquire a soul. "Oh crap."

Michael watched as Clifford knocked on the door to the main cabin. As far as they all knew, Samantha and Montague didn't leave after Willow had left them. After waiting a moment, Clifford opened the door and went inside. Michael went after him, and James after him. He saw Montague and Samantha sitting on two chairs, talking to each other. They both looked at the trio of friends.

"Yes? What can we help you with?" Samantha asked kindly.

"We've sensed something in the area. Something dark. We thought that you'd like to know," James said.

"We thought that you would be concentrating on the new girl, Willow, too much to notice," Clifford added in.

"We sensed it," Montague said to them.

"Really?" Clifford asked, a bit surprised.

"Yes," Samantha confirmed.

"Do you know if it's a threat? I mean, something that powerful, it might harm us," Michael said.

"We know what it is, and we are hoping that no harm will come to anyone," Montague answered.

"What is it?" James asked, almost a bit too eagerly.

"The dark presence? It's Willow," Samantha said. Michael watched as James and Clifford's eyebrows raised in surprise. Michael was surprised as well. He had sensed the power behind the darkness, and it's vastness. After James had recovered his senses, he said,

"Willow? The girl out there? She doesn't look that powerful, or dark either."

"Don't let looks misguide you. You know what we have told you, what she's done, and what she's capable of. Why are you surprised now, that it's Willow?" Montague asked.

"I-It's just that, when you told it to us, it seemed like a dream. Like something on the news. It's not in your part of the world, and it doesn't affect you, so, well, in a way, you don't attach it to reality," Clifford said.

"But it is reality," Samantha vetoed. Clifford and James stood there. It was obvious that they were confused by how they felt.

"We don't attach it to our reality. To our lives. We know it's real, but it's not apart of our lives, our routine, so we disregard it," Michael said. Montague looked to him in shock.

"You're right," Montague complimented. Everyone stood around for a couple of minutes, an awkward silence passing between everyone.

"When is the spell going to take place to get the coven's power out of her?" James asked.

"Tonight," Samantha replied.

"Tonight? That's so soon," Michael said, concern in his voice. "Why so soon?"

"She's unstable. The love for her friends has kept the magicks locked inside her, but now, she doesn't have any one to love here, except for Mr. Giles. If we don't get our power, and the power that she absorbed back soon, she will loose control," Samantha said. "We can not let that happen!"

"We should start preparing soon, very soon. It's almost dark," Montague said to the three youngsters.

"Tell everyone that it's happening tonight. We will need everyone's power to help us, including all the solitaries," Samantha said.

"We will," Michael said. "Blessed be."

"Blessed be," Samantha and Montague replied. With that, Michael, Clifford and James turned and left the cabin and strode through the settlement. They told everyone that they came across what was going to happen. Michael was surprised when most of the people they told didn't even know that Willow was at the settlement with them. Eventually, they made their way back over to Willow and Giles's cabin, where they decided to tell Giles instead of Willow. It was in their reasoning that Willow needed to hear what was to be done from someone she knew.

She sat in the uniform grey blocked room on her bed, staring that the corner. She often did that when she was deep in thought. Over the last couple of hours, she had a nagging feeling in the back of her head, like she needed to be somewhere, and that it was urgent. Her body was screaming at her for action, but she could do nothing except sit. Eventually, after what seemed like a long time, she got up and stretched for a while, but the bed beckoned to her. Giving into temptation, Faith returned to her bed and got under the covers. It was only early in the morning, but Faith was tired from the riot that had happened the previous night. Three prisoners, who thought that they were hot shots, and who were in for life imprisonment decided to have some fun and try to beat up as many wardens as they could. Faith laughed she remembered that between them all, they had managed to beat up one of the wardens. It wasn't the fight that had kept Faith awake. It was the memories of her former self. She was once like that. She would have beaten up anyone just for the hell of it, and she enjoyed it. As Faith thought about it, she realised that even that was better than what she had become now. Now, she was just a mindless shell who didn't have an opinion on anything, and who was possibly the coldest and hardest person in the prison. She didn't care what happened, as long as she got her meals, and no one got in the way. Faith knew that she was the top dog around the small maximum security prison located on the outskirts of LA. She had attained the reputation when she had first arrived, beating up anyone who even challenged to get in her way. People had made bets on the 'toughies' who thought they could take her, but they couldn't obviously.

Sleep was finally catching up to Faith as she lay in her bed under the blanket. Her eyelids had just closed for the last time before she drifted into rest when a loud banging sound sent her bolt upright.

"Yo. Prisoner two-oh-six-seven-seven, wake up! You got mail! Looks like it's from the government or somethin'," Faith heard. She grumpily got up and grabbed the letter from the mailman's hand and threw the letter onto the bench that she had, where most of her stuff went. It wasn't much. A photo, some paper, a pen, and now a letter. She had used the pen and paper once to write a letter to Buffy, saying how she changed, but she never even thought about sending it. She didn't want to interfere into Buffy's life again. She felt sorry for the girl. Angel had told her how she died, and then was brought back again from heaven. At first, Faith didn't believe it, but Angel insisted that it was true. It was at some point around there that Faith felt sorry for the girl, but she was going to do nothing about it. Faith climbed back into her bed and under the blanket and finally went to sleep.

Willow sat bolt upright as she awoke from another dream. At first, she didn't notice her surroundings. Then, things became clear to her, again. She was in England, in the middle of a forest with a coven that was going to help her. Willow didn't notice that she wasn't in a bed or in her room. She looked down at her lap. Deep down inside her, she could feel power beyond her wildest dreams, locked up, trying to break out. Willow could feel it coursing through her veins and reaching out to every part of her being. It was a part of her. Slowly, the feeling began to increase, until Willow was aware of every inch of her body, but she didn't notice. She just kept staring at her lap and thinking about the coven. Finally, Willow took in her surroundings. She noticed that she was on a hard wooden floor, inside a large room somewhere. She tried to look around, but the room was pitch black. She could see moonlight streaming in through the windows throughout the room, illuminating the floor. Willow snapped her head to the left as she heard a sound.

"W-Who's there? Where am I?" Willow asked.

"Do not worry my child. It is only me; Samantha," she heard from the darkness.

"What am I doing here?" Willow asked, obviously scared.

"This is where you belong childe," Samantha replied from the darkness. She moved forward, into the moonlight so that only her front was illuminated.

"Where is here?" Willow asked. There was no reply from Samantha as she slowly moved towards Willow. Willow saw a brief movement beside Samantha, and she looked to see another person coming out of the darkness. She looked around her, and she saw people moving out of the darkness around her, in a circle.

"I can feel you. You cling to the past. It keeps you back young one. You can become a great and powerful being. You need to let go of the past. You need to let go of the ones you love," Samantha said in a quiet voice, almost at a whisper.

"X-Xander? Buffy? Giles?" Willow asked.

"You need to let go of the ones you love," Samantha said again. "She is a part of you, and is the thing holding you back." Willow looked at Samantha, and at the others around her, who were slowly closing the circle around her. Willow was aware that she was still on the floor, and she was getting scared by her situation, and she tried to get up, but couldn't. Willow looked down at her legs, which didn't seem to be working, and then back up at Samantha. Willow looked at her long flowing and wavy blonde hair. Right in front of her eyes, Samantha's features morphed. Her skin wrinkled, and her hair greyed until she was beyond recognition. She was ageing in front of Willow's eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Willow asked, trying to distract Samantha.

"She is a part of you. She is holding you back. Without her, you will be great. Ultimate. She has entered your body, your soul. You need to get her out of there young one," Samantha said. "Without her, there's no holding back. If you will not get her out, we will." Pure and utter fear and realisation swept through Willow

"Tara…" she whispered. As soon as she did, everyone around her started chanting.

Inyuk. Ginsea. Syruium. Cola. Inyuk. Ginsea. Syrium. Cola.

Willow was scared beyond comprehension as the circle tightened around her. She could feel something inside her stirring about, and showing it's way to the surface. She expected it to be bad. The coven was here to help her, to bring out the damaging things that were within her. Instead, she felt happiness. Her skin crawled, and tingled. She could feel every inch of her being. Inside her, she could feel ecstasy building. Willow fell backwards so she was lying on the floor. Her eyes were closed in ecstasy, and her mouth slightly open and her back arched upwards. She had no idea what was happening around her. All that mattered was her body, and her insides. The world drifted away, and there was just her. Suddenly, she recognised something familiar deep within her. She tried to concentrate on it, but the sensations hitting her body were too great. Willow knew what was happening. Total, absolute power was flowing through her, and she felt comfortable with it. She felt complete. It was magick, at its simplest and purest level. Then, the feeling she recognised returned, but stronger this time. She could feel it being pulled out of her. Images flashed through her mind.

In the first, she was inside a smallish room, looking at a vending machine, trying to move it towards some double doors with her power. Something was trying to get through the doors and harm her, and another that she felt in the room. She felt a touch on her hand, and looked to see Tara intertwine her fingers in hers, and together they moved the vending machine with their combined power.

In the next vision, there was a circle of white light surrounding her, and Tara as they were chanting. Willow immediately recognised it as the spell that she and Tara had performed to take Willow to the nether realms. Willow saw herself fall back onto a group of pillows, gasping as power flowed through her. Willow realised then, by the look that Tara was giving her, that it wasn't their shared power. It was Tara's soul that was flowing through Willow. Tara had opened up herself to Willow, and she flowed through her. Willow looked at Tara, who was now holding Willow's head in her lap, caressing it. Willow knew that from that moment on, the two had shared a special bond, and now Willow knew why.

The next vision, Willow saw herself and Tara in bed, the night that Tara had returned to her. She once again felt power flowing through every inch of her being.

Willow forced herself to open her eyes. She had just realised what was going on, and what was going to happen. Remembering everything that they had done together, Willow almost felt like there was a part of Tara inside her. She felt it getting pulled away, out of her body by the coven. In an instant, without even knowing it, Willow saw an image of her soul. She saw a dull grey ball of energy. More than a third of it was white, and gave off brightness. As Willow concentrated on the bright spot, more memories of Tara flooded her mind. She could smell her, hear her, taste her, and see her. Willow knew that this part of her was a part of Tara. She realised that Tara was still with her, deep down inside her, and the thought brought pure joy to her.

Willow also looked at the other sections of the ball of energy, made up of grey. There was however, a large patch, darker grey than the rest. Willow concentrated on it. Feelings of her power trip, and her magick addiction flooded her now, and she knew that this was a part of her too. She felt the brightness being taken away, and she tried to hang onto it, but it was being ripped from her. Her whole body tried to hang onto it, but it was getting ripped through it. Then, in one final instant, the energy left her body and Willow collapsed back down onto the floor. For a second, the vision of her soul lingered, and Willow could see it morph from dull grey to a very dark shade. Willow felt as though half of her was missing. She could feel the dark energy spread throughout her body, and she felt a slight breeze on her face. She looked around her, only to see red energy crackling around her hands, and around all the coven members, who now lay on the ground.

"What have they done to me," Willow whispered as she looked down at her hands.

She gasped and looked around. Her surroundings had changed. She looked down at her hand, which was now normal. As she looked around her, she could see that she was in her cabin once again, under the blankets of her bed. She looked out the window and saw that the sun had just set as the first stars shone down on her from the sky. Willow realised that it was only a dream, but a thought chilled her to the bone. She knew that at least a part of it was true.

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I know that the whole thing being a dream is really lame, and unoriginal, but it is needed for the story line. See the next chapter to see why the dream is needed! I'm working on the next chapter right now…. And thanks for the reviews!!! More that I get, the quicker I write (wink wink, nudge nudge)