Ok, I just want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter and I'm glad you liked the flashbacks. Part of me felt a little guilty using up so much of the chapter with it but, the chapter didn't really work without them. Anyways enough about me, on to the real reason you're here...

"I'm so tired." Buffy sighed.

"No, don't. I need you to hold on." Chris said fearfully. "I can't lose you, not like this."

"I'm sorry, I tried so hard." Buffy struggled as she tried to stay awake. "I wanted you to be proud of me."

"I am" Chris said gently stoking her hair. "Your going to be ok, we'll figure this out. I just need you to hold on."

"Only Gideon's magic can reverse this, and I took it away, it's gone." Buffy coughed.

"No, there has to be another way, don't give up on me, not now, I wont lose you again." Chris insisted. "Buffy...Buffy...Buffy wake up!"

"She's not dead, yet." The first said smirking. "I can help you, I can stop this."

"And what do you want in return?" Piper asked suspiciously.

"Not much." It laughed. "Just, your sword."

"You, you want Excalibur?" Wyatt asked stunned. 'Why?"

"Who cares just give it to him." Chris demanded.

"No Wyatt, you can't." Piper exclaimed realizing the ramifications.

"What do I do?" Wyatt asked unsurely.

"Your nephew will be faced with a difficult choice. Just remember in every victory, there is also great loss." Kyle murmured. "It's up to you."

"I can't just let her die." Wyatt began. "Don't." Buffy struggled to repeat her gaze meeting Wyatt's for a moment before she was once again racked with coughs.

"Wyatt please." Chris begged.

"I...I can't. She doesn't want me to." Wyatt said reluctantly.

"She saved your life, and you'll let her die, over a sword." The first asked smirking as it changed form. "I always knew you'd become like this, you hold to much power, I tried to stop you but she had to get in my way. Well, no matter, she'll sone be gone and I'll have my corporal form."

"And we'll vanquish your sorry ass." Paige replied.

"Really?" It asked amused.

"No, we can't." Piper sighed.

"What?" Paige asked stunned.

"If we do, we'll be vanquishing every living creature on the face of the earth with it. The first, it lives in everyone. We can't kill it without destroying all life on this planet." Piper explained.

"Either way, I win." It laughed.

"We have to kill it before Buffy dies." Faith replied. "But how?"

"I think..." Kyle began unsurely. "Well, if Buffy brought it here, only she can truly banish it."

"How, she's not exactly in fighting shape." Faith replied dryly.

"What did that Whistle guy say to her?" Paige asked.

"Whistle guy, oh you mean Whistler." Faith said surprised.

"Yeah, that's his name. Something about cleaning up her mess, and finding something." Phoebe replied.

"Forgiveness." Chris sighed. "She would find forgiveness."

"Who has to forgive her? Gideon?" Piper asked.

"No, I think it's more complex than that." Phoebe said.

"She has to forgive herself." Faith sighed. "And trust me, I've been there it's not easy."

"Um, I hate to bring this up, but has anyone else noticed...well...where the hell is Gideon?" Cole asked.

"He's right there." Phoebe said gesturing to the first. "They merged, remember?"

"No, not until Buffy dies." Cole replied.

"Where is he Bianca?" Chris demanded.

"Getting his revenge." Bianca replied cryptically.

"Oh god." Piper exclaimed.

"What?" Paige asked confused.

"He's in her head." Piper replied.

"Like when the source tried to get you to relinquish our powers?" Phoebe asked. Piper nodded nervously.

"We need to go in after her then." Phoebe declared.

"And do what?" Paige asked. "She needs to do this herself."

"Ok, well one of us should go, at least to see if she knows what's going on." Piper replied.

"Knowing B, she's ten steps ahead of us." Faith replied. "But I guess it can't hurt."

"So we'll send Chris in." Phoebe began.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea." Kyle interrupted.

"We cant just let her face this blind, we have to do something." Paige exclaimed.

"No, not about that, I just don't think we should send Chris." Kyle explained.

"He has a point." Wyatt said catching on.

"Why?" Chris demanded. "Because you know I wont let her sacrifice herself to save us."

"No, how could you think I'd want her to do that." Kyle said a little hurt. "You may remember Buffy, your past with her, but a lot happened in those few years between your death and now."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Chris demanded.

"It's just you showing up in her head wouldn't help her, not now." Kyle replied.

"Why not?" Chris asked suspiciously.

"She went nuts." Wyatt replied bluntly. "Because she kept seeing you in her head."

"Wh..What?" Chris asked stunned.

"It's true," Kyle sighed. "It started when Glory took Dawn."

"The spell." Faith exclaimed.

"Yes, to help free her from her entrapment in her own mind. Well, over time it had a consequence. Apparently it was you who showed up to help her find her way out but, you didn't leave after that. She did;'t want you to and eventually the thing designed to free her ended up being the thing that drew her back in." Kyle explained.

"So, why didn't you just reverse the spell?" Chris asked.

"I did, when I realized what was happening." Kyle replied. "But, she'd gone to far in, I couldn't reach her anymore. I made things worse."

"I see them all the time." She said quietly. "They wont go away. I need them to go away."

"Who?" Buffy asked confused.

"Everyone." She replied. "I need them to go. It's wrong, everything is wrong. I need you to go."

Buffy tensed as she stepped foward grabbing her arm prepared for an attack. But instead she just leaned in towards her studying her carefully. "I can't see him anymore. They're all here but, he went away. He wasn't supposed to leave." She whispered.

"No, he wasn't." Buffy replied

"She'd built a reality in her mind, and you only succeeded in removing Chris." Leo said realizing.

"Yes, and well you saw what happened." Kyle said regretfully.

"So wait, Chris, or some manifestation of him caused by the spell, is in her head now?" Phoebe asked confused.

"No, When her future self disappeared it was because she broke the spell on her own. She saw what she became, she realized she had to let go." Kyle explained.

"But, still it might not be the best idea for Chris to show back up suddenly." Leo added.

"Ok fine, but someone has to go." Chris sighed.

"You're her white lighter." Wyatt said turning to Kyle.

"I don't think it should be me." Kyle replied. "She needs someone she'll listen to. I think it should be Faith."

"Me?" Faith asked stunned. "B and I, well it's complicated. I'm probably the last person she'd ever listen to."

"She trusts you." Kyle replied.

"As far as she, well you could throw me." Faith laughed. "But fine, I'll go, don't expect much. She'll probably kick my ass for being in her head, trust me she has issues with me and being in her body. Wait. It's not as dirty as it sounds, I'm gonna stop talking now."