A/N Thanks for the great reviews. I'll try to have the newest chapter out as soon as possible. Hopefully this chapter will answer some questions about what going on. I thought it was neccessary because the bout with X and Buffy is coming up soon.

Chapter 5

The Truth In Explaination

"Willow?" Xander asked as she walked into the room, an angry look on her face. "How did you know where to find us?"

"Come on Xander, do you know how much power that Scythe radiates?" she asked with a shrug. "I'm a super witch remember?"

"Yeah...yeah I do." he said as he walked closer to her. "Where's Buffy and the other..."

"Nobody knows, I'm here." she cut him off. "Somehow I didn't think that they would believe this." she said as she handed him the folder that read Andrew's big secrets and lies on the front of it. "The way Giles has it set up, everybody believes that a demon is going around manipulating peoples minds. So if, I had've shown them this, Buffy would've just thought that I changed too."

"But what made you trust me?" Xander asked as he sat his mask on the table. "I mean I was wearing a mask the whole time and..."

"It was what you said to me. You...you called me your Willow tree." she said, thinking back to memories past. "You haven't called me that in years. Besides only you could think up something that corny to say to me."

"I told you." Rona replied with a grin as she pointed at him.

"Damn." Xander said with a snap of his finger. 'I thought I had the rhyming thing down pact. Damn Spike and his poetry.'

As he thought that he was suddenly engulfed in a huge bear hug. Looking down he saw that it was Willow and with one of his patented lopsided grins, he returned the hug.

"I...I missed you." Willow said as she let go of him, only to slap him hard on the face.

"Ow." Xander pouted as he rubbed at his jaw. "What was that for?"

"For not telling us that you were back." she answered. "What's the matter with..."

"Will's give me a little credit here." he stopped her in mid-tirade, which was very dangerous to do. "I didn't know if I could trust you guys or not."

"Why?"

"Because...because Giles is the one who killed me in the first place."

The Watcher's Council

Sametime

"I'm sorry Mr. Giles." a girl with long red hair said as she handed him a hair brush. "But I tried the locater spell and where ever Miss Rosenberg and the Slayer's Scythe is, there's a powerful shield around them protecting thier location."

"That's quite alright, Tabitha." Giles said to Willow's first student of magic as he put the brush on the table. "You tried your best."

With that said she walked out of the room, along with six of the other witches Willow was training.

"They seem to be coming along." Buffy commented as she put the cold compress on the back of her head and letting out a soft wince. After finding Buffy unconcious, Giles had taken her into his office and started to treat the nasty bump on the back of her head.

"Yes, but I'm afraid that even with their combined efforts they're still no match for Willow's power."

"So you think she turned on us?"

"Against her will, Buffy." Giles said as he pat her, on her knee. "You have to remember that."

"Is this really how this is gonna end?" Buffy asked seriously as she looked up at him. "Everybodies gone. Xander, Willow, Dawn, Angel, and even Spike...again. I'm all alone."

"That's not true." Giles replied as he took off his glasses and looked down at her. "You still have me." eyes watering Buffy stood to her feet and pulled him into a bone crunching bear hug and put her head on his chest. "Um...Buffy I need to breathe."

"Sorry." she said as she let him go. "So what are we going to do now?"

"The same thing we always did in Sunnydale, I suppose." he said with a shrug. "Wait until the bad guy attacks and then we counter react. But this time however..." he stopped as some soldiers ran into the room and stood in formation. "We're going to be ready. Now gather your troops. We must prepare for a war."

"It turns out this all started a long time ago." Willow commented as she dropped the manilla folder on the coffee table. Even though Xander had stolen it, he still didn't have time to read it because he was going to show it to his friends first. "It started with Angel getting cursed by the gypsies with his soul and from what I read we weren't even supposed to be involved with Buffy."

"What do you mean?" Xander asked as he sat beside her.

"According to that first file, Darla wasn't supposed to have taken Jesse." she replied a bit choked up as she talked about her old friend. Till this day she still hadn't forgotten. "But the First mentally influenced her to take him."

"So we could get involved."

"Exactly. Somehow it got a hold of information from the future and it knew that if we would get involved that you would be the one to revive Buffy and start the second Slayer line." she stopped for a second to let him take in all that she said, before she continued. Now it all made sense to her about what Buffy had said to them almost a year ago. She had said when she took the Slayer Scythe out of the stone in Sunnydale, that Caleb and The First had acted as if they knew exactly what was going to happen. "With the second line started it gave the First a foot stool into our dimension but still that wasn't enough. It needed something else...it needed me."

"Because of your magic."

"You remember that time when I gave Angel back his soul?" she asked as he nodded his head. "Well the thing I didn't tell you was that um...I kinda got a little possessed."

"Getting possessed isn't as fun as it sounds is it?" Xander asked with his arms crossed as he thought back to his past possessions of the hyena and the soldier.

"No it wasn't fun at all." Willow replied with a pout. "It felt evil. There was a voice talking in my head and it spoke through me."

"But why would it want you to give Angel back his soul?"

"So that I could get addicted to magic and so Angel would leave for LA."

"I thought it thrived off of evil though...I...I mean why would it want this Angel guy starting a second front?" Rona suddenly spoke up.

"There's evil on earth no matter what we do, so it doesn't just thrive off of that it thrives off of imbalances." Willow told her. "It needed me to be powerful enough to awaken all the Slayer's into Slayerhood and it needed Angel to destroy all the major players of evil on his end. Including the most powerful ones in our dimension ...the Circle of Blackthorn."

"Now I get what you're saying." Xander said as he stood to his feet and started to pace around. "God I feel so stupid. The First never died at all, because with an over balance of Slayer's it would only become all the more powerful. It's probably on vacation now and all it was waiting for was for Angel to kill the circle so it could have an easy time taking over."

"But what about it killing off potentials?" Rona asked.

"It only did that as a ploy so we could make all of the other guys Slayer's." Willow said as she looked up at Xander. "And you were wrong about one thing Xander, the First's not on vacation."

"How do you know?"

"Because of the necklace that Angel brought. I'm guessing that Wolfram and Hart knew what was going to happen and sent him here. I later did some research on it and it said that it would send evil to hell, while the wearer of it had to give up their life."

"So it didn't have a picnic in the bahama's then?" Xander asked, causing Willow to give him an irritated glance.

"In Andrew's notes it said that they needed three things in order to get the First out of hell and rebuild the hellmouth. It didn't say what they were and by the Goddess I don't know why Giles was involved."

"But I do." Xander said glancing down at the floor. "I've been gathering intel all week and I even managed to break back into the Watcher's Council for info and...Giles isn't Giles. He's been dead for over a year and a half."

"What...Xander you have to be mistaken because I would've known..."

"Actually you wouldn't have. Remember the story that Giles told us when he went to see his old friend Robson in England when the First attacked?" he asked as she shook her head. "Well that was only part of the story. After Giles killed the Bringer and turned around Robson stood to his feet and infected Giles with a symbiote demon..."

"Well...well then there's still hope. I can..."

"Unless you can take us back in time your magic isn't gonna work Will's." he cut her off. "It was a Monev symbiote demon. They instantly kill the host and take over their body and keep all of their memories."

"Giles." Willow whispered as she thought back to the man that had been not only the brains, but the father of the Scooby Gang.

"And the reason why your magic and the Slayer's senses didn't tell you what he was is because that kind of demon has the power to shield itself. And as for what it needed to free itself, it needed the blood of a true chosen Slayer, the Slayer's Scythe, and..."

"The key." Drusilla said as she walked into the room with Dawn at her side.

"Drusilla?" Willow asked as she worriedly stood to her feet. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Flashback

The Hyperion Hotel

The Same Day As Why We Fight

Clutching her doll, Drusilla walked through the Hyperion's garden, enjoying the smell of jasmine, before walking into the old hotel. Dust and old droplets of blood wafted through the place like old memories in one's mind. Even though she had never stayed there, she could sense that this place was once filled with evil happenings. But despite that the place looked nice and for some reason, her not daddy left in a hurry.

"Beautiful place isn't it?" a feminine voice asked out of nowhere.

"Where...where are you?" Dru asked frightfully. The voice had been speaking to her all week and since she was in the hotel it seemed to bounce off of the walls.

"I'm where I need to be Drusilla. But you aren't."

"No...no I know what you're going to do!" Dru screamed as she touched her head in pain, recieving a powerful vision.

"Yeah, you see what I'm going to do but do you see what will happen to you?"

"Stop talking to me in riddles."

"That's funny coming from you, Julia." Drusilla heard the familiar voice chuckle.

"No...no don't say that name."

"But it's yours. Julia Edith Crowley...it sounds a whole lot better then Drusilla if you ask me."

"No..."

"But you didn't have a choice in taking that name did you?" the woman asked. "Angelus took that choice from you when he drove you insane and made you into a monster."

"My daddy knew best for me, he did!" Drusilla shouted to the voice as more visions flooded into her mind. "He knew best..."

"But he still took too much from you. He took your mind, your innocence, and your power of choice."

"Liar...he made me whole. He made me into a black goddess."

"I wonder what your family thinks about that?" she asked playing on her emotional side and making Dru take a step back towards the door. "You remember them don't you? Did you know that Angelus raped your sisters before he killed them? Or that he made your father watch as he drained your mother dry, before he cut off his gentinals and killed him?"

"That sounds like music to me ears." Drusilla demonstrated as she started to dance.

"I know that's not true, Julia. I've seen everything that Angelus...Angel had done in his whole life. Including what you said to him. Do you remember this?" she asked as a holy light shone down on Drusilla, forcing her to flashback to a few years ago.

------

Drusilla ran her hand across the lid of an elegant wooden box labeled 'Holy Water'. Singing quietly to herself, she lifted the lid and took out a small crystal pitcher.

"The lamb is caught in the blackberry patch." she said with a smile as she approached Angel, who was sitting on the floor of her room. "My mummy ate lemons. Raw." she continued as she kneeled next to him and smiled again as he was tied to the posts of her canopy bed by both wrists high above his head. "She said she loved the way they made her mouth... tingle. Little Anne." with that said she ran her hand up and down his chest before she let some of the holy water trickle onto his chest. It steams and burned like acid, making Angel jerk his head back in pain and stifle a scream. "Her favorite was custard... brandied pears."

"Dru..."

"Shhh!" she replied sternly as she stood up and climbed onto the bed behind him. "And pomegranates. They used to make her face and fingers aaall red." she said as she reached over his shoulder and let more holy water dribble onto his chest. Again Angel gritted his teeth in pain, but would't let himself scream out loud. "Remember? Hmm? Little fingers. Little hands. Do you?"

"If I could..." Angel said shivering in pain.

"Bite your tongue!" Dru interrupted angrily. "They used to eat cake, and eggs, and honey. Until you came and ripped their throats out." she said sweetly as she poured the rest of the holy water onto his chest, making him scream out loud in agony.

------

"You remember that night don't you?" the voice asked as Dru fell to her knees in tears. "That doesn't sound like someone that was happy that their family was butchered."

"What...what do you want with me?" she asked as she suddenly felt a presence behind her. Turning she saw a pretty brunette with short hair and a beautiful smile.

"I want you to make a choice, Dru. Something that Angelus took from you a long time ago."

"Will it hurt?" Drusilla asked innocently, as she dropped her doll.

"Just a little." Cordelia said sadly as she put her hand on Drusilla's chest. With a scream her eyes glowed orange for a second, her soul now restored.

End Flashback

"So...so you have a soul?" Willow asked, even though she had already used her power to "really" see Dru and saw a ball of light shining through her. Cordelia must've wanted her to join Angel at Wolfram and Hart to assist him doing his final battle, hoping that her prescence would even the odds.

"Yeah and me being alive proves that." Dawn said as she ran up to Willow and gave her a hug.

"Dawn what happened to you?" Willow asked as she saw some cuts and bruises on her face.

"Giles happened." the younger girl replied. "He had me tied up in the secret Scythe room. I guess my time as the key isn't over like I originally thought."

"It's going to be okay, Dawn patrol." Xander whispered into her ear. Turning she let out a startled gasp as she saw her girlhood crush, standing behind her grinning goofily.

"Xander?"

"In the flesh." he said as he opened his arms wide as if to hug her, only for her to run up and kick him in the shins. "Ow...why is everybody hitting me?"

"Because you left me you jerk." she said with a glare that quickly turned into tears. "When did you get back?"

Pulling her into a hug anyway, she grabbed madly at his back and she tightened her grip on him.

"This is a call for celebration." Drusilla said happily as she started to clap her hands.

"Why because we're all back together again?" Rona asked.

"No, because we're all going to die tomorrow, when we attack the Council." Dru said as she looked at her new not-daddy for confirmation. "Now come children let's pick out some music." she said as she grabbed Rona and Dawn's hands and dragged them off to get some music.

"What does she mean by us attacking the Council, Xander?" Willow asked as she walked up to him.

"We can't just stroll in and say hey that guy isn't Giles and we can't even talk to Buffy right now because that imposter is telling her that I put a spell on you guys." he replied as an old fifties slow song started to play. "May I have this dance my lady?" he asked with a bow as his cloak billowed behind him a little.

"Yes, but no funny business buster." she said with a smile as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close. "Andrew had his lies to Angel down to the letter. He told Angel that Buffy was in rome dating a former enemy of his called the Immortal and that we were all abroad gathering up Slayers. He wanted it to make it look like we weren't going to help him, even when Fred died."

'That's part of the reason why I killed him.' Xander thought to himself.

"So what's your plan on getting Buffy to believe you?"

"After I killed that demon version of Robson, I used a memory stone on him to extract all the dirty deeds that he and Giles talked about together. She made a bigger version of it and when I attack the Council tomorrow night, I'm going to rig it to explode and when it does those memories will go into the minds of everyone within a mile of the Council."

"That sounds like a good plan." she said as she leaned her head on his chest. "Xander can I tell you something?"

"Yeah, Will's. You know you can tell me anything."

"Do you promise not to be mad?"

"Willow..."

"I...I sorta let Buffy read your journal."

"What! Willow you promised me that if anything happened to me that you would destroy it."

"I...I know but Xander it was the way you died and...and everyone was all upset. And not to mention Buffy with all the guilt of you dying and..."

"Willow." Xander stopped her in mid- babble. "Never change. So what did she think about it?"

"She was a little heart broken. She didn't know that she hurt you so much."

"Speaking of hurting, I wanted to apologize to you Willow. I mean about what I said to you when I was possessed by that hyena and when we started fluking."

"Xander that's ancient history and..."

"What I said to you when I was possessed was a lie, I guess the hyena wanted to say something that would definatly hurt you." he went on. "I didn't even put this in my journal but I had feelings for you long before Buffy came into our lives. But when she did, I guess I wanted her a little more then you. And when we had our fluke I accepted that I could never have Buffy and I decided that I was going to tell you what I wanted to since we were little kids. What I'm saying here Willow is that I'm sorry I hurt you and I wanted you to know that I love you and you'll always be my best friend."

"I...I can't believe this." Willow said aloud. 'Why the hell couldn't he had said this to me six years ago?' she asked herself. "Xander...I...I love you too, but why are you telling me this now?"

"Just take a close look at me, Will. I want you to be honest and tell me what you see."

"You look fine, what are you..."

"Just look deeper." he whispered into her hair. Doing what he asked, she looked at him harder and didn't see much out of the ordinary, but using her magical powers she saw that he strangely enough had three souls and that his life force was slowly slipping away. "So how much time do I have left, doc?"

"But...but I just got you back...you can't..."

"Willow, I need you to concentrate." he said as he stopped their dance and looked down at her. "Please, how much time do I have left?"

"One day...maybe two." she said as her tears slowly fell from her eyes. "But maybe I can use magic and give you more tim..."

"No, Willow. We got into trouble the first time by doing that remember?" he asked with a sad smile. "Hopefully this day I have left will be enough. That's why I wanted to tell you that I love you Willow, because I didn't get a chance last time. After, I'm gone will you promise to do something for me?"

"Yeah...you know I'd do anything."

"Will you look out for Rona for me. She's not meant to be a leader yet, but I can sense that she might be good at magic."

"I'll teach her everything I know." Willow replied as the song switched to another slow one.

"Good and do one more thing for me. Tell Buffy...tell her that I'm sorry and tell all of my other girls, even Dru, that I said goodbye."

"I wonder what those two are crying about?" Rona asked, as she looked over at Xander and Willow dancing and sobbing.

"I don't know but I'm going to go find out." Dawn said, only for Drusilla to grab her arm.

"No don't disturb them." Dru said gazing lovingly at Willow and Xander. "Daddy and the little tree must talk. Now come let's dance." because tomorrow they might all die.