CONSEQUENCES:

Chapter 27: The glorious comeback

"Stupefy" Hermione muttered as they finished tying up Mandy. "I'm not sure we'll be able to keep her like this" She said looking unsure at the witch.

"We have no other choice or option for what matters," Harry said looking at the traitor with his arms crossed on his chest. Giles looked uncertain also, and if you saw him for a while you could see the furtive glances he gave to Mandy as if proving she was really asleep.

"I guess you are right" Hermione said defeated passing her hand through her bushy hair.

"We just have to hold until Buffy and Willow arrive" Giles said trying to sooth his own doubts instead of his old student's own.

"Excuse me" Kennedy said from the half open door. "Do you have any notices about the other potentials?" She asked.

"No" Giles answered shortly. "We have not heard anything from any of them"

"Alright" Kennedy said disappointed but leaving the door.

"How long do you think she'll stay unconscious?" Harry asked Hermione.

"I am not quite sure to be honest," She muttered staring at the witch. "I don't know her resistance to a spell"

"Giles, I've been meaning to question you about something," Harry said as the door opened revealing Dawn, Draco, Ron and Xander coming into the bedroom.

"What?" Giles asked leaning gracefully to the slayer's desk. Dawn sat on the bed's border with Ron next to her. Draco remained standing.

"Amaranta, said something a bit disturbing" He started. He scratched the back of his head not knowing where to start. "She said Buffy had taken her lackeys away from her"

"Well… to be honest I don't recognize her," Giles said. "And I'm pretty sure I know most of the creatures Buffy has fought off before"

"Couldn't there be a possibility of a physical transformation, like a permanent Poly Juice Potion?" Ron asked.

"It could be, it would make sense," Hermione said looking with curiosity at the tied witch as if she was expecting to notice some sort of mask. "She would disguise herself to win our trust and then stab us in the back" She muttered still watching her.

"But if it is like that, then why would the Institute of Oxford send her… are they evil also?" Xander wondered.

"Maybe she faked it all, maybe the Institute don't even know of her existence" Harry answered.

"I am sure that the information they sent to check on Willow was trusty, I've talked before with the supervisor of the Institute and she was the one organizing the inspection," Giles explained.

"Then she might have substituted the real inspector" Dawn guessed.

"We will have to wait for Buffy Willow and the girls to arrive before we proceed" Hermione said.


"So Caleb did you work with Nigel also?" Buffy asked ignoring the numbing feeling in her head.

"Yes and No" He answered pleased with himself. "He worked for my master but he was not familiar of my loyalties, even though he suspected it"

"So the rivalry between you both was for your master's attention?" Buffy continued asking, brushing away the dust and dirt of her coat.

"I believe there has been enough questions," Caleb said seriously. "I will leave you to my boys, I'm afraid I have other places to attend to"

"Leaving the dirty work to your lackeys… that's not very wise" Buffy said cracking her fingers. "You see, one would think you are scared"

"Even though it's a tempting offer the one you are giving me, I do not dream of killing a slayer like most creatures do" Caleb said disgusted.

"Creatures like you only dream of how to be a better lapdog" Buffy snapped. "I don't find that one more enlightening either" She took a dagger from her boot quickly and got ready to fight, but an explosion happened on the room next door, sending the slayer and the watcher to the ground.


The wizard felt the sudden energy in his veins coming from the witch, and from the first time he had arrived to the damned town he was extremely scared.

"What you don't want to play anymore?" The dark witch asked.

"W-what are you?" The wizard asked shocked.

"What am I? I thought it was obvious, I'm the one who's going to take your life away" Willow said smirking pleased with the widen scared eyes of the wizard. She raised her hand. "Exposio" She muttered and as she pointed to the man's feet the ground near him exploded as if a mine had been stepped on. "Oop's I failed" She said mockingly. The man tried opening the door behind him. "You are not going anywhere," She told him serious. "Exposio!" She yelled and the explosion came with a higher level breaking the windows and leaving the wizard with a tingling feeling in his ears.


"So it seems that you will not die in my servants hands slayer" Caleb said spitting blood and moving away from the slayer. "This will have to be memorable, I bet no other slayer has been killed by her best friend" He smirked and left the room quickly. The slayer glanced at the now open door and recognized her friend's now completely black hair. She stood carefully feeling her ribs whining.

"Willow!" She yelled. She entered and saw the witch paralyzed staring at the fallen man in front of her. "Willow" The slayer whispered disappointed and brokenly.

"He's not dead" Her friend answered. The former red head stared with lost eyes at the slayer. "I almost killed him"

"Willow, we have to get out of here," The slayer said tossing an arm around the witch's shoulders.

"The girls" The witch said with here eyes widen. "I left them outside!" The slayer understood the witch's worried expression and they helped each other to get out of the ruined room as quick as possible passing over the man's unconscious body.

"Buffy?" They heard a girl calling.

"Come out" The slayer called back. The girls came out from the bushes carefully, watching their backs. "Are you all alright?" The slayer asked as she saw some of the girls torn clothes.

"We were attacked" Molly answered. "We are fine, just some scratches" She finished. Buffy saw that the scratches consisted of broken bones the wrist being the winner of quantity.

"We have to go back home," Buffy said. "Molly lead the way" Molly nodded.

"Follow Me," She said.


"So it seems your ribs want to stay broken," Harry said as he helped Buffy with her bandages.

"Yeah, I think they are trying to call my attention some way, they understood yesterday I notice them more when they are broken" The slayer answered staying still, allowing the wizard pass the bandage around her.

"You two made us worried" Harry said.

"I suppose Dawn was fretting about it," The slayer said staring through the door at her sister helping one of the potentials.

"Are you ok with her going out to fight the … baddies I think you call them" Harry asked.

"No, but I know she has to grow up sometime, I can't hide her from the world can I?" The slayer asked. "I just wanted her to have what I didn't have the chance to enjoy, it's not good to loose your innocence as fast as we slayers are destined to do so"

"Yes, but you have to also realize that demons don't go only after slayers or potentials,"

"Or wizards for what matter" Buffy completed.

"They go for the innocent" Harry finished and Buffy nodded in agreement.

"Buffy, she's waking up" Kennedy said as she walked downstairs. "They are waiting you both upstairs"

"Alright" Buffy said pulling back her shirt over the bandages and her sport bra.


"So ready to start talking?" Draco asked.

"Ready to die?" Amaranta asked back smiling.

"Who the hell are you?" Buffy asked as she entered the room. She looked for Willow who was patched up sitting in a chair muttering to herself the spell she cast around Amaranta.

"The slayer does not remember me, and here I thought I had made a good impression, at least one that would last through time" Amaranta said merrily.

"I'll ask again, who the hell are you?" The slayer hissed menacingly.

"I'm smart and strong enough to not be scared of your silly threats" Amaranta hissed back.

"Well I don't remember any demon worth thinking of that I stripped off his body" Buffy said reaching for a chair and sitting in front of Amaranta.

"You never stripped me of my body, you didn't even hit the final destroying blow, someone else did it for you" Amaranta said smirking widely. The slayer frowned. "Ask your dear watcher, I'm sure he'll be able to answer to you" The room immediately turned to look at Giles who stared with worry in his eyes at the woman tied to the chair.

"Why do you not release yourself, if you used to consider yourself unbeatable, some ropes won't hold you back, will they?" Giles asked directing himself to the traitor. "Or has the change of body also affected your old power?" The watcher obviously was aware of the identity of the woman ahead of him, and her past body's identity also.

"The change of body has not changed me watcher" She snapped venomously. "It has increased my power if possible, having a witch for identity has been quite enlightening, specially when her identity decided to join my own permanently" She grinned widely. Giles took away his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief from his pocket.

"But it has also cost you greatly, has it not?" Giles asked staring at the witch without his eyes being hidden behind the glasses. "It's a price too high for power don't you think, oh mighty one?" He asked mockingly.

"Who is she?" The slayer asked to her watcher without putting her eyes away from the traitor. The watcher silenced the questioning with a hand on her shoulder.

"Do not direct yourself to me that way you filthy mortal!" Amaranta snapped angrily.

"You keep still the same weakness girl," Giles snapped back. "I believe you are in no position to call anyone filthy"

Amaranta glared at Giles. "I still have power enough to do so mortal, this is only a shell that I carry at my disposal"

"Buffy, all the girls are ban-" Dawn said entering into the room an interrupting the exchange. "Oh, she's awake" She said glaring slightly at the witch.

"She grew up a lot since the last time I saw her" Amaranta said smiling as she stared at the teenager. "Don't you think Buffy?" The slayer stayed staring at the witch, frowning about her casualness. "I wonder…" She muttered loudly as she continued staring dreamily at the teenager.

"Buffy…" Dawn said not liking how the witch was staring at her.

"Knock it off" Buffy said as she grabbed the witch's shin with her hand and moved the witch's face to see her. Amaranta brushed the hand away and shook her head as if brushing off an idea.

"…I'll get time to experiment later" Was all she said, more to herself than anyone else. "Now I'm tired of being in here and I'm really staring to get hungry, plus the ties don't look good with my shirt, they make me look fat" She stared down at her clothing with distaste. "Now, want to do this the bad way or… the bad way with lows on your little army full of lackeys?"

"Who does she think she is, a goddess?" Ron asked Hermione and the witch stared with certain horror at her boyfriend.

"Glory" The witch muttered and only the slayer caught the word muttered.

"Glory" The slayer repeated angrily, but this time everyone near her, meaning Giles, Amaranta and Harry; caught the word. Giles eyes were what gave the answer away.

"And here I always thought you were a killing machine, with a single program" Amaranta said smiling widely. "I see the peanut has grown also"

"How?" Buffy asked standing up glaring deadly at the former goddess.

"After your watcher forced me to hell," She tried to stand up and she started to break the ropes. "In the lack of having an unexpert witch in the living world that would be stupid enough to try a resurection spell and couldn't hold a proper barrier," She brushed away the broken ropes "I turned to some other sources and here I am!" She said merrily. "Now, I believe I commented before, I am starting to get hungry"