A/N thanks for the reviews, keep them coming please. Here is the next installment, I think I can get a couple more decent chapters out of this one.
Chapter fifteen
The slayers who were outside the building were having a hard time fighting off the newly super-charged demons. The same could be said for those who occupied the downstairs of the building minus Amy, who was using magic on the demons. "We've got a problem!" Amy shouted as one of the demons deflected her light show. "She's feeding these demons with either her or Willow's magical powers!"
"Dear Lord," Giles said quietly, as he contemplated his next move. "We've got to get out of here and pray that those upstairs can help Willow." His usual masked facial expression was replaced with a look of terror, as he had no idea of what to do about this situation. He never, in his wildest dreams, would have thought that he would be leaving the reigns to Amy Madison.
As Giles finished speaking, a loud tumbling noise coming down the stairs distracted them all. "It's Buffy!" Andrew shrieked, as the slayer landed in a heap at his feet.
"It looks like she's drained her powers also." Amy said quietly. "I'm thinking she's been drawing off the slayer powers and that's where they're all going." She concluded and checked Buffy for a pulse as the battle raged on around her.
"So she's giving these slayer powers to these demons?" Xander asked, as one tossed him across the room like a sack of potatoes.
"We've got three living slayers left out here!" Faith shouted in hopes that someone inside the building would hear her and take note of the urgency of the situation.
"We've got to find a way to get out there and help them." Robin decided and instructed Amy to work on the barrier once more. He looked sadly at Buffy who obviously had no pulse.
As Andrew prepared to launch his crossbow, the building shook violently. The windows in the downstairs area shattered and a rippling wind began to blow through the rooms. Everyone was swept up in the gigantic wind, which tossed them this way and that. It bashed them into walls and demon's horns. They were clearly losing the battle and fast.
As Dawn's eyes flickered open and closed in her efforts to stay alert, she saw someone standing in the middle of the room unscathed by the battle. She looked all too familiar, yet not familiar. The striking blue eyes were the same, as was the blonde hair. The smile was the same but there was something different. She had an animalistic look about her, one that was ready for the ensuing battle upstairs. With not a word spoken, the first slayer moved hastily up the stairs to her destination with a look of determination on her face.
- - - - - - - - -
The cordy-like being that dwelled within Willow lifted a stake towards Harmony. As she did this, Tracy used her energy to up the battles downstairs and outside. With ease, Tracy began to make life a living hell for everyone else around her. "Kill her now! We're losing time!" Tracy shrieked, as she felt that certain something coming, the other half of her soul.
Willow struggled within herself to stop what she knew was going on around her. Her body was growing far to weak to stop all of the fighting and she knew that her power supply was being used to the hilt. She could feel something drawing near and focused on it, bidding that it come forward with every ounce of mental strength she had left. "Sarah," Willow managed to spit out as she stopped the stake from flying out of her hand.
"No!" The cordy being shouted and tightened her grip on the stake.
"A slayer is coming," Harmony whispered to Sara. She was barely able to move and hoped that whomever this slayer was, got there fast. "She will need your strength Sarah." Harmony spat out again, as Willow's hand jerked back and forth fighting to not throw the stake.
"Willow," Tracy said in a soft voice. "This is where you put me. Please don't turn your back on me now." The sorceress allowed a tear to trickle down her face, as Willow's resolve weakened once more.
"Willow," Harmony said in a low voice. "Tara is gone, either you realize that and help us or we are all going to die!" Her voice grew louder but weak, as Sarah tried to fight off the two vampires that were advancing through the window. "Willow please don't let her do this to you." Harmony pleaded, as Willow's eyes went green and looked at her briefly.
Willow looked into the eyes of the vampire that she had allowed to pleasure her for many nights. The vampire that Willow had allowed to take control of her mind so that others would believe, and be fooled by the ritual. Willow had allowed Harmony and Amy to fool her own mind into believing it so that it would be a diversion to the sorceress and her powers could be returned unseen. It had worked for a time and Willow realized that if she allowed this to continue, all of Harmony's hard work would be for nothing. The vampire had kept up her end of the bargain and helped Willow. Willow knew that she had to return the help in some way but wasn't sure how due to her vastly weakened physical state.
As Willow struggled with the being inside her, the building shook more violently and the first slayer stepped purposefully into the room. She directed a blow to Sarah's small frame that shook the slayer to her core. "This is your gift," she said simply and Sarah felt a lump well up in her throat.
"No it isn't," Tracy said calmly. "She wants you to sacrifice your young life to help get rid of me Sarah."
"Every slayer who is not willing to embrace their dark side has a divided soul." The first slayer hissed at the small group of people. "A slayer is mixed with light and dark. Those of us who can defeat the bad for the good will take the bad half to the other place with us. My other half somehow split away from me when I died at peace. I was sent over to the place of peace until Tara Maclay was born and my good soul returned with her. Upon her death, I was able to split from Tara's life and search for my other half to try to stop her plans. It also enabled me to learn how to talk. Now young one, this must be your gift!" The first slayer said insistently, as Willow tried to gather enough power to stop the madness downstairs.
Harmony made her way to Willow slowly and took her hands in hers. "Willow, you have so much life to live. Please don't let this Tara look alike destroy you." She leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Willow's lips, as Willow's eyes flashed green. "I feel the power Willow." Harmony said and kissed her again, as she sank to her knees in pain.
"I'll do it," Sarah said and braced herself for what was to come. She knew that she was doing what was needed but her soul ached tremendously. She wouldn't be able to explain this to Dawn or even say good-bye. Nobody would ever know the feelings that the two young women had shared because Dawn would keep it all bottled up inside.
"This will be the last time that any of you see me." The first slayer said and looked at Willow. "You must merge me with the young one's body now!"
"I-I-I don't know if I have enough strength to do something like that." Willow babbled nervously, as harmony held to her hands. "I mean, you will kill her and she looks so much…"
"Willow that's not Tara damn it!" The vampire barked in a rage. "I don't know about you but I'm not ready to die! Suck it up and do what you have to do damn it! We can deal with the hurt later!"
It's true that Harmony could have been a little more sensitive to Willow's predicament, but she was never one for sensibility and Willow knew it. Oddly enough, this was her way of showing Willow support and it had pulled Willow up out of the control of the Cordy being thus far. "You're not my Tara!" Willow shouted with anguish in her voice as she merged the first slayer's being with Sarah's body.
A strong energy filled the room instantly as the slayer began battling Tracy feverishly. Tracy's magic was proving to be a viable opponent to the slayer's brute strength, as Willow wept uncontrollably. "God I love you Tara." She sobbed into the weak vampire's shoulder, as Harmony finally began to show her more sensitive side.
The sorceress decided that it needed one more bang before it went out. It left the body that it had procured at the time of Tara Maclay's death, which caused a shrill scream to leap from Willow's mouth. It all made sense now, the reason it had a scar on the chest was because that was Tara's body. "If you destroy the two souls Willow, you are destroying Tara because she is Tara!" Tracy howled in a last ditch effort to have Willow cross over and help her.
"When I return to that good place Willow, I will be Tara once again. I will always watch over you and you will finally feel my presence." The first slayer said, as the sorceress and the cordy being magically lifted Sarah into the air and prepared to launch her out the window, as Dawn entered the room. She saw the body of Tara Maclay lying on the floor in a cold heap and began to cry. "Willow, merge me with the other half of my soul now!" The first slayer hissed from Sarah's mouth.
"She's to distraught to even try it!" Tracy hissed at her counter-part.
"I'm not," Amy shouted and quickly recited the spell. The two halves of the soul merged as one in a dazzling light show. The two colored lights popped and crackled in the air until they fused into one and then a huge bang was heard as the light exploded to finalize the deal.
Meanwhile, the dying body of Sarah Edwards began a quick plummet to the ground. She had done her duty as a slayer and would die a hero indeed. "No!" Dawn shouted and raced for the window. "Sarah, no!"
As Sarah's lifeless body hit the ground, strong arms embraced Dawn from behind and pulled her away from the window. "I'm sorry D," a bleeding and battered Faith said softly. "Let's get you out of here." She stood up with the trembling teen in her arms and moved slowly out of the room.
Willow looked at Harmony through tearstained eyes and saw her weakening state. "Harmony," she questioned the vampire with her eyes. "You saved me."
"I guess you owe me one," Harmony said weakly.
Amy handed the vampire a large mug of blood and headed back down the stairs to check on the wounded. "Tara is never coming back is she." Willow stated more than asked, as Harmony quickly drank the blood.
"No Willow she isn't." The vampire replied weakly. All she wanted right now was for Willow to move over so she could relax her aching muscles and begin the healing process.
"Miss Willow?" Dani stepped into the room hesitantly and looked Willow and the vampire over. "We're moving to the other building till we can get this one fixed up. There's very few of us left and we have a lot of work to do tomorrow." Dani moved quickly and lifted Willow from the bed.
Willow looked at Harmony who shook her head. "Dani, is, Buffy, is…" Willow couldn't get the words out of her mouth for fear of the answer.
"We'll talk it all out later Miss Willow." Dani said and weakly lifted the woman into her arms then left the room.
Harmony lay motionless on the bed for quite some time. Her mind was moving back and forth with thoughts of the day's events. She slowly lifted herself from the bed and looked in the corners of the room. There it was, lying on the floor unseen by the others who had left the room. "What luck," she said and picked up the Gem of Amara. "Who needs this stupid place with its stupid emotions!" The vampire said and kicked a nightstand that was already broken.