Crawford Street Mansion, five minutes after closure of the vortex.

Cordelia was the first to run into the large room to find Buffy kneeling on the floor sobbing with her head bowed down, her blonde hair covering her face. She then saw Angel on the floor looking out into space while his lips were moving, but Cordelia couldn't hear a word coming out of his mouth. It was as if he was in a state of shock. The cheerleader then looked at Giles who was lying on the floor in front of a hideous statue, his back facing her, and his body trembling.

But there was no sign of Willow anywhere.

Cordelia looked around while blinking as Althanea and Miss Calendar rushed past her, and then she looked at the statute again, she noticed that it had a sword stuck in its chest. Cordelia, Althanea, and Miss Calendar looked horrified at the statue, and then at each other. Cordelia sniffled before she looked around the room again, hoping that her eyes were just playing tricks on her; but Willow was really gone. Cordelia knew that the two of them hadn't been the best of friends, that she had been tormenting the redhead ever since middle school. But ever since Willow had gotten her powers, Cordelia knew she had been trying to reach out to her; to include her more in the Scoobies activities. And then came Nighthawk, and Cordelia knew that Willow was the one underneath the mask… the redhead didn't even need to tell her the truth.

Cordelia just knew.

And now she was gone.

And Cordelia had her regrets to live with now.

'Althanea said she's gone,' thought Cordelia to herself as she looked around the room again, 'but where's Willow's body?'

"Giles," said Miss Calendar running towards the older man, as did Althanea, while Cordelia rushed over to Buffy. The closer she got to the Slayer, the more that Cordelia saw how much the young woman was trembling. She could see tears dripping onto the stone floor as she knelt down, and while she'd usually quip about how Buffy should 'man up' right now, there was something in Cordelia telling her to be more subdued.

"Buffy?" whispered Cordelia as Buffy shook her head while she sniffed and wiped her nose. Cordelia saw Buffy looking back at Angel, and then at Giles, before she shook her head again and released a sob while bringing a hand to cover her mouth, "Buffy? What happened?" Where's Willow?"

Buffy looked up at Cordelia with her eyes red, puffiness around her eyes before she looked back down to the floor again and shook her head. The Slayer couldn't speak.

While Cordelia stayed with Buffy, Miss Calendar and Althanea were helping Giles sit up. Althanea crouched down, and looked into his brown eyes full of sadness, anger, and loss before she looked back at the statue. She then looked at Giles with her eyes wide open in shock as she stumbled back onto the floor while shaking her head. She too had immediately noticed Willow's missing body, but the look she saw in Giles' eyes told her everything she needed to know. It was Althanea who helped Giles do the research on how Acathla would have to be awakened, and in the event that he was awakened, how to put him back into a dormant state.

"No," whispered the woman as she looked at Giles' eyes that were wet before he closed them and nodded his head slightly. All the while, Miss Calendar was looking between the both of them. The I.T teacher asked what happened. What was it that they weren't telling her.

"The… the way to awaken Acathla is to spill one's own blood after reciting an incantation," said a shocked Althanea, "and then to grab the sword's hilt, before pulling it out. And the way to put him back into the dormant state once again is to stop the flow of blood from the one who awakened him."

"Oh God," whispered Miss Calendar, "and… and…"

"Willow," mumbled Giles as he looked at the floor, "she… she was the virtuous knight corrupted. She was the one Angelus used to open the door and… and now…"

"She's in Acathla's dimension,' whispered Althanea in disbelief as she looked at Giles, and then at Miss Calendar, "she is in Hell."

Miss Calendar didn't know what to say; what would there to say when one hears someone as innocent as Willow was sent to Hell. She heard Althanea whispering something to Giles, but her voice seemed faraway while Miss Calendar stood and looked at Buffy. She was now hugging Cordelia, her body wracked with sobs as she opened her mouth wide while on Cordelia's shoulder and cried out in grief. Tears gathered in Miss Calendar's eyes while she looked at Angel, who was spaced in the middle of Buffy and Giles, while he made no sound even though his lips were moving as he looked out into space. Miss Calendar looked around and then noticed the sword that lay on the floor, it was the one that Angelus had in his hands while fighting Buffy earlier. She picked it up while glaring at Angel.

Miss Calendar knew in her heart that Giles was right, that Angelus was the only one sadistic enough to do something like this; sacrifice Willow. Miss Calendar knew that he was the one who took Willow away as she hurried towards the vampire, her shoes 'click-clacking' on the stone floor as she neared him.

She raised the sword over her head and was about to swing it down when Angel looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

"Kill me," whispered Angel, his voice breaking, "please kill me."

Miss Calendar glared at Angel, hesitating to bring the sword down on him, and slice it though his neck. She knew that it would be too easy for him, she knew that he was cursed again and that everything he did had come back while thinking to herself, 'Whatever you did will be coming back to you. No, death is too easy for you… my people cursed you so that you'll be punished. Now you'll be punished for all eternity again as you remember what you did to the most innocent, the sweetest girl I know."

"Get out of Sunnydale," hissed Miss Calendar as Cordelia and Althanea looked at her speaking to Angel; Giles and Buffy not willing to look at him while they dealt with their own emotional loss, "turning to dust is too easy for you. You killed my clan's favourite daughter two hundred years ago, and you just did the same thing again. Get out of Sunnydale, leave… never come back."

Angel just looked back down on the floor, covered his eyes with a hand and then cried. Miss Calendar dropped the sword onto the floor before rushing over to Buffy and Cordelia, telling the both of them that they needed to go to the hospital and see Xander.

"Miss Calendar," said Althanea as she and Giles were slowly standing up, the Watcher was unsteady on his feet while he was doing the best he could to not look at Buffy.

The Slayer was doing the same thing as she and Cordelia stood up.

Cordelia, Miss Calendar, and Althanea looked at the reaction that Giles and Buffy had to each other and instantly knew that something else had happened. They decided to ask what happened at another time, but for now… Buffy and Giles had to be taken out of there. AS they trudged out of the large room, all Angel could do was lie down on the cold floor. He then closed his eyes, and then opened them once he heard the car, that brought the three woman here, drive off. Angel then closed his eyes again as his face twisted in anguish before he yelled out Willow's name and said he was sorry.

"I'm sorry, Willow!" bellowed Angel as tears went down his face, "I'm so sorry!"

After a few minutes of crying onto the floor, Angel slowly got off the floor, looked around at the large room, and then he turned and trudged away slowly. The knowledge of what he did lying heavy on his unbeating heart, and on his soul. In his mind he heard Willow's screams as he beat her, he heard the thumping of his fists hitting her face, her chest, and all over her body. He remembered tearing her shirt open before beating her again and again. Angel sniffled while tears flowed down his face as he remembered using the hot metal on her.

And then he doubled over and vomited into a corner of the room when he remembered the rape. Crying for a few more minutes, Angel then rambled off.

The entire room was now eerily silent; only the walls witnessed to what had just happened.

Sunnydale Mercy Hospital, twenty minutes later.

Cordelia hurried into Xander's room with a doctor, with the others following close behind her. Buffy and Giles still not talking to, or looking at, each other during the entire ride to the hospital. The tension between them was palpable; Althanea suspected what happened back in the mansion, that one of them had been the one to kill Willow to stop her blood flowing.

She didn't know who it was that did the deed, just that one of them had done it.

But that thought went to the back of her mind when she and the others saw Xander's injuries. His arm was in a cast, and a bandage was wrapped around his head. The doctor said that Xander was unconscious after having been beaten badly and was in great pain when he was brought into the hospital. The doctor told Cordelia and the others what they did to patch up his injuries, as well as giving him some medication for the pain which knocked him out. He ended the conversation about Xander's condition by saying that he should be up in twenty-four hours. Cordelia reached down and held onto Xander's hand, while Buffy stood next to her and looked down at the young man. Buffy looked at him and just knew that all of this was her fault, that Willow was right. If she had killed Angelus, then none of this would have happened.

Xander wouldn't be injured.

Willow wouldn't be in hell.

And she wouldn't have seen Giles run a sword through her best friend's chest.

She glanced over at Giles who had just looked away down to the floor. Buffy could feel her face about to twist into one of anguish, but she stopped it by taking a deep breath and then looking at Xander once the doctor had walked away; but not before saying that the police wanted to be notified once Xander had any visitors.

With the door to the room closed behind the doctor, it was just the Scoobies left in the room alone with the unconscious Xander. They stood in silence for twenty minutes, which was when two detectives from the Sunnydale Police department walked into the eerily silent room and introduced themselves. The Scoobies then introduced themselves before one of the detectives nodded at Buffy once she introduced herself, saying that they had already read her statement.

"I know this is hard," said another detective, "but I'd like the rest of you to make statements about what happened while the details are fresh in your mind."

Giles took in a deep breath before he glanced at Buffy, who, this time, was looking back at him. He knew that he needed to tell them about Willow; that the police needed to be the ones to inform her parents of what happened. Giles knew that he had to come up with a story, a story that would run for months before the case against the 'missing' Willow became cold.

The Watcher stepped into the light, which was when the detectives narrowed their eyes at him once they saw the bruises on his face. Giles saw that the detectives were about to ask him something, but Giles steadied his voice before telling them that he wanted to check on Xander first before getting medical attention, and that he was going to report what happened to the police once he had checked in on the injured young man.

"Then the doctor said that he was calling the police to talk to us," explained Giles in a low tone of voice, with arms slumped by his side as the detectives took out notepads and pens, "we were waiting for Buffy in the library at the school. And… I mean we were all going to go out for some dinner since the children have been helping me with some research, and.. and I wanted to thank them."

"Okay," said the female detective.

"We were about to leave when…. When…" Giles covered his mouth and closed his eyes, pushing down the lump in his throat when Althanea interrupted.

"MY name is Althanea Pierce," said the woman, "and I can tell you that we were waiting for Buffy to arrive when a group of five.. I suppose they were men… men in black masks broke in and demanded money from us. They said they were part of some gang… I.. I saw their hands tremble while they were holding clubs. I'm a nurse, and I can tell you that they were going through withdrawal symptoms. Maybe they saw lights turned on in the school and they thought that there were people who had money they could steal. I can't tell you what their true motivations were, just what I observed."

"They attacked when we said that we didn't have anything," said Miss Calendar after introducing herself. They hadn't discussed what they were going to tell the police on the silent ride to the hospital, all they were doing now was building on the story that the others were telling the police. They were hopeful that it would be believable and cogent; with the police believing that any inconstancies in the story were a result of the extreme trauma they had just been through, "when they attacked; Xander and Willow pushed us out of the library through a back door that the criminals didn't know about. Myself, Miss Pierce, and Cordelia there ran to our car and drove off. We were so sacred that we kept on driving until we reached the outskirts of Sunnydale. I know how horrible it sounds and…."

"It's understandable, Miss Calendar," said the male detective while the other one looked around, before looking at Giles who had tears in his eyes. The detective was about to ask a question when Giles beat him to an answer.

"They… they beat Xander until… until…" said Giles as he looked at Xander, and then at Cordelia and Buffy, who was looking back at him with tears falling down her face. She then looked away and wiped her eyes while placing a hand on Xander's forehead. Giles turned to the detectives and, with his voice threatening to be overtaken by emotion, talked about what happed once Cordelia, Miss Calendar, and Althanea had left.

"They… they took Willow," whispered Giles as the detectives looked at each other, and then at Giles with serious looks on their faces, "she's only sixteen and… her name is Willow Rosenberg, her parents are Sheila and Ira Rosenberg. Please, you need to find her. They took her after beating Xander and me. I didn't go down easily and… and I heard her screams. Oh God, I heard her screams."

"Where did they take her?" asked a concerned detective who quickly got on his phone, "Mr. Giles?"

"I wouldn't tell them go," whispered Giles as he looked at the floor, "I would let them take her away… they said something about selling her and… Oh God, they took me… told me that since I cared about Willow so much, I could see what they did to her before selling her off. They kept on hitting me and… dear God."

Giles released a sob as he covered his eyes.

One of the detectives gently told him that they were going to put an alert out on Willow, but they needed to know where she was taken.

"All… all I remember is that when I woke up… I was tied to a chair in a van.. it seemed to be a movers van," whispered Giles in a broken voice, "I didn't know where… I… I don't know. But… but the men hit me again before they beat and tortured Willow in front of my eyes. They… they were all laughing while I watched helplessly. They forced my eyes open while the beat her, burned her, and…. And Oh God…"

"What happened?" asked the female detective while the other one spoke on the phone and ordered roadblocks on all exits out of Sunnydale. The Detective on the phone ordered that the Principal of Sunnydale High be called so that they could get a picture of Willow from their records. Buffy said that she had a picture of herself and Willow at home, that they could use that picture as long as she got it back.

"Come with me, Miss," said the detective while he was still on the phone. The both of them hurried out of the room, with Althanea, who Buffy asked to follow them, accompanying them to Buffy's house to get the picture.

Once they had left the room, Giles just stopped talking. But before he did, the Watcher told the other detective that he had seen one of the men do unspeakable things to Willow while the others just looked on.

"Maybe they were there for something else, but I know Willow was crying," mumbled Giles as he wiped his eyes, "oh God, she was crying and… and she was… Oh God."

"What happened after that, sir?" asked the female detective gently.

"They said that she was going to be sold," bemoaned Giles as he shook his head, "I should have done something…. I…"

"They would have killed you and Willow," said the detective in a gentle voice, reassuring the Watcher that he didn't have a choice, that there was nothing he could do at that moment,, "and then what happened?"

"They beat me while Willow was crying," whispered Giles while he was looking at the floor, "and the next thing I knew, I woke up in front of my apartment. Jenny…. I mean Miss Calendar and the others were there soon after the people dropped me out of their van."

"We'll find Willow," said the detective as she put away the notepad. She told Giles and the others what the police were going to do to find Willow. She then left soon after, with Giles sitting down on a chair, and Miss Calendar by his side. The guilt of what happened would plague him for the rest of his life.

All he could do now was be there for Xander, Buffy, and Cordelia. And pray for Willow.

'When I go home,' thought Giles to himself, 'I'm calling the Council, I need a way to bring someone back from Hell.'

The Summers Residence, ten minutes later.

Buffy closed the door behind the detective who had just left the house after the Slayer gave him a picture of herself and Willow grinning at Xander, who was the one taking the picture. As she closed the door, Buffy noticed a confused Joyce standing next to Althanea in the living room. The Slayer walked over to Joyce who was asking what was going on, and why the detective wanted a picture of Willow.

Althanea and Buffy looked at each other, the witch telling the Slayer that she'll be here for her.

"Mom," said Buffy as her voice broke. Buffy closed her eyes and shook her head while taking a deep breath. She then looked at Joyce before telling her that they lied to the police about Willow.

"What?" asked Joyce confused, "Buffy, what happened to Willow? What did you lie about and.. and we better call the detective in so that…"

"Mrs. Summers," said Althanea gently as she put a hand on Buffy's shoulder, "the police cannot do anything. I am certain that what the police will be told, and the account that they tell Willow's parents will bring hope to them."

Joyce saw Buffy looking down at the floor; the Slayer taking in a deep breath before her bottom lip quivered.

"Buffy?" asked Joyce as the Slayer looked back up at her, "make me understand. What's going on?"

Buffy sat down next to Joyce and, between fits of sobs, told a stunned Joyce everything; from her being a Slayer, to Willow being the one that helped them with Ted, to Willow's torture and beating. Then, finally, Buffy struggled to speak as she told Joyce that Willow was trapped in a Hell dimension.

"No," said Joyce her eyes open in shock while she looked at her daughter, who was, herself, looking down at the couch.. tears staining the cushion that she was sitting on, "Buffy, this…"

"It's true, Mrs. Summers," said Althanea as Joyce turned to her, "everything that Buffy told you is the truth. It is a lot to hear, but… but we need to be there for Willow's parents. We need to give them hope; if we tell them that their daughter's in hell then…"

"You're asking me to believe in… oh God," said Joyce as she stood up again and paced around on the carpet before looking at Buffy, "that my daughter's a… Slayer? And Willow… Willow's in Hell and…"

"I'm a Slayer, mom," whispered Buffy while wiping her eyes, "and there's something I haven't told you…"

"What?" asked Joyce as she sat down next to Buffy again, "what haven't you told me, Buffy?"

"It's my fault Willow's in Hell," sobbed Buffy as Althanea looked away when Joyce looked at her in shock. The reaction from the witch telling Joyce that there was something else that she wasn't being told. Joyce turned to her crying daughter, and then hugged her tight. Joyce gently asking the crying girl in her arms to explain things to her once again.

Rome, Italy, a thirty minutes later.

Ira and Sheila had just finished leaving a message for Willow at their home in Sunnydale. The Rosenberg's believed that Willow was probably asleep, and wasn't able to hear the phone. The two of them were at a hospital near the airport waiting for someone to examine Sheila whose chest was still throbbing in pain.

"Ummm…" said Ira as he looked at a symbol that just appeared on his phone. There was a voice message waiting for him. Sheila looked at her husband as he flipped his phone opened again and accessed that message. He then waited for the message to start while telling Sheila that there must have been a delay in him getting the message all the way from the States.

"Hi dad," said Willow's voice as Ira smiled before telling Sheila that it was a message from Willow as the message continued, "I'm just going out with some friends. I know I said that I'll be going to sleep, or studying, but I figured it would be nice to get out of the house for a little bit. I miss you and mom.. I mean I know you guys are busy and all… and… and I just wanted to say that I miss you guys. And that I love you. I know we've talked about U.C. Sunnydale, Caltech, and MIT.. and well, I was hoping the two of you would go to MIT with me. You know? I mean after you come back in three weeks. Anyway, dad, I got to go. I love you, and tell mom I love her. Bye."

"Bye," whispered Ira as Sheila looked on while Ira prepared to play back the message so that Sheila could hear it, hoping that Willow's voice would ease the older redhead's pain. But just as he was about to press the button to replay the message, a call came in from an American number.

Confused since he didn't recognize the number displayed on his screen, Ira connected the call and then placed it on his ear. Shelia watched as her husband dropped the phone in shock with his mouth wide open. She saw that his face had turned pale before he started to move his lips, but no sound came out, and turned to looked at her.

It was then Sheila strained to hear what her husband was saying.

"Will… Willow," whispered Ira, "Will… Willow."

The throbbing increased in Sheila's chest as she bent down and reached for the fallen phone. She then picked it up and brought it to her ear. Her heart was beating wildly as she identified herself.

"Mrs. Rosenberg," said the female detective, "my name is Detective Trish Kennedy with the Sunnydale Police Department, I'm afraid we have some news about your daughter, Willow."

It was a few minutes later that a tearful Sheila and Ira left the hospital and grabbed a taxi back to the airport. There they bought tickets for another flight to Sunnydale. All the while the voice of Detective Kennedy in her head telling her that Willow was abducted.

A nightmare that Ira and Sheila never thought would happen to them.

Their daughter was missing.

BETA Mountain, Conference Room, 1000 hours.

Willow looked out the window at the plains outside the mountain before she shifted her focus to her reflection and then turned around with her hands behind her back. She smiled at the large conference table, and then looked at the screens on the wall that showed various scans of the Earth, and the space above covered in red dots. Willow then looked at the clock on the wall, and the date before looking out of the window again.

The redhead was wearing the white uniform of the Series Five rangers, and today's the day that the Crown Empire was due to attack Earth thanks to the knowledge the Empire gained from a kidnapped Zachery Foxx. Willow remembered Niko's memories, and this was the day that the Earth defeated the Queen.

The day that Zachery was rescued, and the day he lost his wife forever. Willow turned around as a door slid open, and she smiled when Shane and Doc walked in. They nodded at Niko just as another door slid opened and in walked Commander Walsh, the Head of BETA, and the Commander of the Rangers.

"Sir?" asked Niko/Willow.

"Shane, I've gone through your proposal to rescue Zachery," said the Commander as he stood behind his chair, "as you know, several of our ships are in orbit to do their best to repel the Empire's vessels. We've received intelligence that they'll be here in thirty minutes. I know this has taken a long time to confirm thanks to the senator, but the mission to extricate Zachery has been approved.

Niko and the other rangers smiled, which allowed the Commander to continue as he turned to look at Shane.

"You have three Ranger Interceptors at your disposal," said the Commander as Shane nodded his head, "this idea's crazy, but it just may work."

"We know the Queen's coming, Commander," said Shane in a gritty voice, "we'll get her out of the picture, and then rescue Zach."

"Get to it then, Rangers," said the Commander, "bring him home."

"Yes, sir," said Willow nodding her head just as her surroundings faded, and she felt her skin burning. She smelled the odour of rotten flesh as the conference room was gone and she felt herself tied to a table. The redhead snapped her eyes open and looked around at the large room that had blood and various other body parts splattered on the walls. She tried to pull her hands from the restraints when she heard a thumping sound to her left. All the while she was hearing screams around her as she turned to look at a large four eyed demon with a large hanging tongue, and a mouth full of row, upon row of sharp teeth coming towards her on all fours. Willow started panting as the creature skittered towards her/ The redhead heard screams all around her, and she could just make out people being flayed and others who were hanging literally by their skin. But that didn't matter, what mattered was the pain she knew was coming… the pain she couldn't escape.

The pain.

She lost count of how many time a demon had bled her dry, only for her to be revived with the memory of her pain. She lost count of how many times her heart was torn out of her chest, the redhead watching it beat once last time while she was screaming in pain before everything turned black; and then she woke up again.

Willow lost count of everything.

She died painful deaths and was then revived. She remembered the horror and the pain.

The demon that jumped on top of her was new. Willow could smell death as it opened its mouth and roared in her face.

"Willow."

The redhead, who was covered in blood, slime that was dripping from the mouth of the demon that was now licking her face, and grime, turned to her left. She was afraid to smile; she remembered the pain when her face was ripped off, and she didn't want to relive that particular horror.

"Ariel," she breathed without moving her lips as tears gathered in her eyes.

"Do not speak, my child," replied Ariel as she walked forward, while floating over the blood on the stone floor. Willow saw that she was keeping her eyes right on her, and nowhere else. Not even at the demon that reared its head back while opening its mouth, and then tilting its head so that it was perpendicular to Willow's neck, "go back to your dream, Willow. I'm coming for you; help is coming for you. Just give me a little more time."

Ariel saw Willow crying while shaking her head.

"Do not lose hope, child," replied the old woman who had tears in her eyes, "you have been here for many years, and you must not lose your hope. Do you understand me? Do not lose hope… help is coming. Your humanity is still within you, despite what happens until you are saved, you will always have that, Willow."

Ariel watched as the demon grabbed Willow's head and straightened it until her eyes were looking at the ceiling where bodies were screaming in pain. Ariel then heard Willow scream when the demon's tongue stiffened, and its tip opened up to reveal a second mouth that opened to four rows of sharp teeth. The tongue retreated back into the demon's mouth, and then the demon leaned forward and bit into either side of Willow's neck. Ariel then closed her eyes as the tongue shot into the screaming Willow's neck, and started to eat her organs from the inside.

It was soon afterwards that the demon finish its meal, and then it skittered away. It was a few seconds later that Willow's body was alive once again, but she was screaming from the massive amount of pain that she had just experienced.

And all she could do was cry out in pain before sobbing. Her body wracked in pain.

'Help me!' was her only thought before she closed her eyes again, and started to dream.

TBC.