"I just had that window fixed." Piper screamed furiously blowing up the demon that broke it.
"What the hell is going on?" Paige asked, "Do you think they followed us from the alley?"
"No, there after something." Piper replied as they continued fending off the seemingly never-ending supply of demons.
"Um, I don't think it's a what, but more of a who." Phoebe replied as she kicked a demon towards Cole who quickly destroyed it with an energy ball.
"You need to get Buffy out of here." Cole shouted.
"I can't orb." Chris shouted suddenly from his place across the room as he and Wyatt stood protectively in front of the powerless slayer.
"Neither can I." Wyatt added blowing up another demon with the wave of his hand as Chris threw one of the demons energy balls back at him.
"Kyle, Leo?" Paige asked hopefully as she tried and failed.
"I don't understand." Kyle said looking to Leo confused.
"There must be a barrier on the manor." Leo replied. "Cole, you'll need to get her out, if they can shimmer in you should be able to shimmer her out." But, it seemed like he wasn't the only one with that plan.
"Buffy." Chris screamed as a demon grasped her arm disappearing with her. As suddenly as it began it was over, the demons gone, the attic almost exactly as it had been moments before with the exception of some scattered papers, a broken window and, the absence of Buffy.
Buffy stood pushing the pain out of her mind. She may not have her slayer powers but, she wasn't going to go down without a fight. She silently glanced around the old abandoned building, where was the demon that took her? She couldn't see anyone. She had to get out of there. She raced to the nearest exit thrown back by some type of barrier before she could reach it. She was alone, injured and trapped. Now, all she had to do was wait, for Gideon to make his next move.
"Still nothing?" Chris asked impatiently as Piper continued to scry.
"Maybe it's because of her power loss, or it could be Gideon blocking her location." Piper sighed frustratedly handing the crystal to Phoebe. "You try."
"It don't think were going to be able to find her, not until he wants us to." Paige said as she poured through the book of shadows.
"I know." Piper replied as she walked to the door.
"Where are you going?" Wyatt asked.
"To get ready." Piper replied. "We have to make a potion, gather crystals." Piper explained.
"A potion for what?" Chris demanded furiously already knowing the answer.
"To kill the source." Piper replied sadly.
"No, were going to find her, she'll be ok." Chris said determinedly.
"Chris." Piper began.
"NO!" Chris yelled cutting her off. "She's not going to die."
"We need to be ready, just in case." Wyatt said placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Slayer...Slayer...come out, come out wherever you are." an evil voice chanted as she frantically searched for a way out. "What, after all these years are you suddenly afraid to die?"
"If your so tough, come get me." Buffy countered spinning around as she tried to find the source of the voice. "I'm right here Gideon, come on, let's get it over with. You want your ass kicked again, I've got some free time."
"So cocky, even without your powers." He chided.
"Even without the, I'm stronger than you." She replied calmly.
"Oh, is that so?" He asked with an evil laugh. "But, are you stronger than her?" He asked as Bianca shimmered in.
"Remember, last one standing wins." Bianca smirked as she attacked.
"What if where going about this all wrong?" Wyatt asked as he helped Piper make the potion they all hoped they wouldn't need.
"What do you mean? Stand back." Piper said tossing another ingredient in.
"Well, instead of scrying for Buffy, we should scry for Gideon or Barbas." Wyatt replied.
"You may be onto something." Piper said thinking.
"Are we really gonna fight over a guy?" Buffy asked as she narrowly dodged the attack. "Because, I mean it's so...well kind of lame."
"What, afraid your gonna lose?" Bianca replied. "Scared slayer?"
"You're the one who had to render me powerless before fighting me." Buffy shrugged trying to keep up the verbal banter as she tried to form a plan.
"Just shut up and die already." Bianca said knocking her across the room surprised when Buffy actually got to her feet after the blow.
"I'm kind of sick of dying." Buffy replied. "It starts getting old after the first few times." She said landing a kick and knocking Bianca off her feet. She took the opportunity to flee. Running as fast as her injured body would allow through the maze of boxes that littered the warehouse.
"You know if you kill me, you be vulnerable, the sister's will vanquish you." Buffy yelled.
"They'll try."
Buffy spun around coming face to face with herself.
"I thought I told you to stop being me." She groaned.
"But, they wont be able to, not after I have the power." First/Buffy laughed.
"We've got him." Phoebe declared triumphantly.
"Everyone ready?" Leo asked.
as they orbed out.
"I wont let you do it." Buffy declared shocked.
"How are you going to stop me?" The first laughed. "Either way, I win."
"Like this." Buffy replied stepping out of her hiding place.
"Stupid move." Bianca grinned spotting her prey.
"There's some sort of barrier." Chris said slamming his fist against the invisible wall.
"How do we break it?" Paige asked.
"Power of three spell?" Phoebe suggested.
"Worth a try." Piper replied.
"But, how are we going to stop the first?" Wyatt asked. "I mean if we save Buffy, we can't destroy it. It's only vulnerable once it becomes the first."
"Don't even go there." Chris said glaring.
"I'm not suggesting...What I mean is, how do we banish it from our plane again?" Wyatt replied.
"We don't destroy it, we defeat it, like They did last time." Chris replied.
"Last time, someone had to die." Paige reminded him.
"No, not exactly." Kyle said causing them to all turn to him. "Well, it's true that Spike sacrificed himself to stop the first, but the only reason the first was able to come into our plane was because of Buffy's resurrection, the unbalance of power."
"So what your saying is we have to destroy the hold it has on our plane and it leaves." Leo said thinking.
"Yeah, but for how long this time?" Piper asked.
"I think it's the connection to Buffy, the reason it was able to manifest it's self through Gideon." Leo began. "Maybe they didn't really banish it the first time."
"So, how do we destroy it once and for all without letting Buffy die?" Chris asked.
"I don't think we can, or should." Kyle said. "I mean, do we really know what the consequences would be if we did destroy it?"
"True, it would throw the world into a major unbalance." Leo replied. "So, if what your saying is true, then buffy has to be the one to stop it."
"But, how? She's powerless." Wyatt replied.
"No, she's not." Chris said. "I have an Idea."
"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Bianca asked furiously.
"Nope, I'm kinda slow like that." Buffy smirked as she gathered her strength. She had to time this perfectly. She waited as Bianca moved closer taking a deep breath as she rushed forward slamming her into a pile of precariously stacked boxes. She rolled out of the way as they fell.
"Last one standing wins." Buffy mimicked. "What can I say, I'm competitive by nature."
"I wouldn't be so sure of my victory quite yet" The fist smirked as a very pissed Bianca shimmered into view.
"You'll regret that." She said glaring.
"Nope, it was fun." Buffy shot back. She knew she couldn't last much longer, she frantically searched the area for a weapon, anything that could help her.
The barrier, it's weakening." Wyatt said capturing their attention.
"I can still sense her, she's alive." Kyle said reassuringly.
"Go, we'll hold him off." Chris shouted rushing inside. Ass Kyle and the sisters orbed out.
"I've got it." Kyle said orbing ion to the manor.
"Were all set here." Paige replied.
"Are we sure it will work?" Phoebe asked.
"No, but it's our best shot." Piper replied. "You finish the spell?"
"Yeah, I added a little of power of three, just in case." Phoebe replied.
"It's not like we haven't done this before." Paige said.
"Not like this." Phoebe said turning to Kyle, "go, let them know were on our way."
"Buffy!" Chris shouted rushing over to her unmoving form.
"Chris wait!" Leo called after him but they were to late as the barrier suddenly came back up blocking them from reaching Chris.
"Buffy." Chris said ignoring them as he fell to his knees beside her.
"Not quite." The first said laughing.
"What have you done to her?" He demanded.
"So much anger." The first laughed. "All for a girl you can't even remember."
"Where is she? I'll kill you if you hurt her." Chris declared.
"Ahh, can you feel that, the pure and utter rage." The first said breathing deeply. "I've waited so long to taste it once again."
"What the hell is going on?" Piper demanded after they orbed in. Leo quickly explained what was going on.
"We have to break the barrier." Paige said thinking. "But how?"
"I have an idea." Their new companion said. "You've got that sword, if we use it, combined with the scythe, it just might break the magic."
"Who are you, only the slayer can wield the scythe." Wyatt said confused.
"Than lucky you, I am the slayer, one of them, or I was." She replied. "Does that make sense?"
"It's growing stronger, almost as strong as it was last time." The first said smiling as he brought forth a very injured buffy held suspend by magic.
"Buffy!" Chris exclaimed "let her go"
"Stay where you are." It insisted smirking as Buffy cried out in pain as the force holding her tightened.
"On the count of three." Wyatt said holding out his hand. "Excalibur." He called the sword appearing in his hand. "One, two, three." He said as the struck bracing themselves as the magic blocking them faded.
"Let her go!" She said menacingly stalking foward.
"Faith?" Buffy said stunned as she gazed at the dead slayer. "How?"
"What, you're the only one who can come back from the dead?" Faith asked with a grin. "Now, I suggest you let her go and go back to whatever hell you came from before I get angry."
"You can't destroy me, I live in you, in you all." It laughed. "Every impure thought, every act of evil, it calls me forth, I feed off it, the anger, the pain but, it's the rage that sustains me. Allows me to remain. Her rage, brought me here."
"I don't think so, B was pretty pissed when the gang brought her back, but, rage? That's putting it a little strongly." Faith replied.
"I don't think that it's talking about that." Leo said thinking.
"No, I'm not." it replied. "It was almost you, you were so close, but you wouldn't embrace it, wouldn't embrace me because.."
"She stopped me." Leo said realizing. "But, then if you kill her you lose your hold on the world."
"Perhaps, or just maybe I create a new one." It laughed as it's gaze landed on Chris. "Your starting to remember. Love, no greater, no greater pain when it's lost."
"Chris, just go. Don't let him do this." Buffy cried out. "Just forget about me."
"I...I can't." Chris replied turning to her. "I love you."
"Don't say that, please don't say that." Buffy said unable to stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks.
"Oh, I wouldn't get to worked up, he says that to all the girls." Bianca said stepping out of the shadows behind her.
"Bianca." Chris said stunned his gaze torn between the two women. "I..."
"What ? Surprised to see me? Sorry to interrupt this beautiful moment, well actually I'm not. How could you. You love her? What about me?" She demanded furiously.
"Bianca I, I don't know what to say. I'm sorry." Chris replied. "I never meant to hurt you, but it's true I love her."
"Well, I'm sorry to." Bianca replied emotionlessly. "Because, if I can't have your heart, I'll just have to take hers." She said pulling out an athame. "Remember this? Well, I guess not, but your brother and Father seem to." She said fingering the blade. "You move, and I stab her." Bianca cautioned as Paige began to call for the blade.
"Bianca, please, don't do this." Chris begged.
"It wasn't supposed to be this way, we could have been great together but, then she shows up and ruins it all." Bianca continued ignoring his pleas.
"It isn't your fault, you were tricked into it like we all were." Buffy replied shocking them all.
"I knew what I was getting myself into." Bianca replied. "It's my own fault, I wasn't supposed to fall in love. But, the show must go on."
"You don't have to do this." Chris pleaded. "I know you, you can be good."
"Sorry Chris, every story needs a villain." Bianca replied as she brought the dagger down stabbing it into Buffy's chest.