Chapter 6

Sorry this took a week+ to get out. I need a writing rhythm. I just couldn't get to this until now… dunno.

Willow kept running. Both the girl and the bag she carried had yet to become heavy. In her mind she wanted to relive the moment and feel the horror. She was a monster. She had ripped energy out of the girl. She had used another human as a battery or a power source… to fire a weapon. Her actions were almost unpardonable but she knew it had been a mistake. A complete mistake. She adjusted the girl in her arms, wrapping the girls' legs around her waist. Organizing the girl was a little difficult to manage with her being uncooperatively immobile and with the thick dress and with all the running. Willow inevitably began to slow her pace. She only had a vague idea as to where she was going and the land had begun to slope downward. There wasn't anyone directly in front of her. These people were either very fast or maybe it had taken her many long minutes to destroy those three wraith. Willow was sure the people had to have some sort of underground shelter. She had destroyed three wraith demons! If the situation had been more ideal perhaps she would have felt inclined to crow with happiness at her success. The truth was, there would never be an ideal attack on any demon. There was always a chance that something could go wrong.

It was obvious to Willow, that the wraith were frequent attackers to the village. Willow had wondered why the people didn't have stronger defenses against the wraith. In the last moments of the confrontation, after she had begun to run, she had thought she had heard gunshots. But that just couldn't be. These people had no guns. If they had guns then they would have been using them against the wraith. And anyway guns probably would have been useless as well, like guns on a vampire.

The land leveled out into perfectly manicured farmland. Willow paused for a moment to make a decision which direction to go. She saw to the left an area where the grasslands met the farmland again. The tall grasses were leaning sideways, left and right. The imprints made by the people made an obvious path. She was about to move in this direction when she felt a hand grasp at her hair. The little girl had woken up. Willow felt her chest fill with a grateful surge of happiness. The girl had to be okay or was going to be okay. Willow felt warm breath against her collarbone and heard the hesitant word, 'Mommy'. Willow felt the girls' small fingers entangle themselves in her hair. The girl had started to pull. Willow heard that word, "Mommy", again. Willow knew she needed to stop running and speak to the girl. If only there were a tree, a large rock or a small house to hide behind. The wide open grasslands didn't leave much room for cover. She realized it probably didn't matter. It didn't really seem like the wraith demons had been at all interested in those who had run away. They were only really interested in playing with those who had resisted. She was sure it wasn't readily apparent to the wraith that she had been the weapon. She had probably appeared to be another helpless villager running for her life.

Willow continued through the path made by the frightened and running villagers. This area was just grasslands and more grasslands. When she had walked far enough that she was making her own path she realized she had somehow lost the somewhat obvious trail the villagers had made. Perhaps there was a turn she missed or maybe there was a secret passage way… through the grass? It made no sense. Willow knew she had to see if the girl was okay and she knew she needed to find this girl's mother. She didn't want to go to far away because then she would run the risk of becoming completely lost in a completely unknown place.

Willow stopped and gently untangled the girl's limbs from her neck and her waist. The girl had her eyes wide open. There was no fear in her blue eyes. Willow laid the young child on her back. She thought it might be sensible to check for injuries. While it was clear to Willow that the spell essentially channeled energy from another source, she wasn't sure of the long term effects. Was the spell like the flu, leaving a person weak for a couple of days until they would naturally heal or recharge?

When Willow looked down at the girl she wanted to lose herself in repeating, "I am sorry", again and again. She knew it would have no effect. She knew exactly what she had done. She had used something innocent to destroy something depraved. Willow wasn't sure how exactly to check for injuries. In her realm of experience Buffy or Xander especially would just yell out at the appropriate time, after the battle had concluded, "Ow! Sprained ankle!" The times when Giles had been knocked unconscious, they had just checked to see if there was any swelling at his head or any discoloration. Maybe, in this instance, she should check the girl's arms to see if they were broken. Or maybe she should take her pulse to see if it was erratic. She had no clue, really. Willow started at the girls' hands. It had been her right hand that had been her point of contact. The girl had touched her hand to Willow's hand and interrupted the flow of energy from the land and Willow had ended up channeling energy from her. Maybe it would just be easier to ask the girl how she felt.

"Do you hurt anywhere?"

The girl didn't immediately answer. She only stared into Willow's concerned eyes. Willow moved her hands around. She lightly touched her arms and legs—checking for obviously twisted or misaligned limbs. She even drifted the palms of both hands to the outside of the girls' neck to check for a possible sprain. It seemed the girl wasn't going to answer. Maybe the little girl was just in shock or maybe she was horrified to be in the presence of the person who had drained her of all her energy.

"Tired." Willow heard the girl whisper. Willow was so sorry about what she had done.

"I am sorry. I am. I didn't mean to" Willow felt tears slipping from behind her eyelids and onto her cheeks. She was horrified at what she had done. There was nothing she could do but say, "I am sorry" and feel wretched and ashamed. Willow folded her legs and sat on the ground next to the girl. She gathered her head into her lap and stroked her cheeks.

"Marta. I'm Marta."

Willow hadn't expected the girl to say another word. The girl had said her name. She felt a little glimmer of happiness. The girl moved her body more fully into Willow's lap. Marta reached on arm around Willow's waist and snuggled into Willow's lap. Willow felt that glimmer of happiness expand a little.

"I'm Willow and I'm sorry." Willow closed her eyes as she said the words. She felt miserable but she was hopeful because Marta seemed to be getting better. She was moving a little and it really just seemed that she was overly tired.

"S'okay, Willow." It didn't matter what Marta said, Willow knew it really wasn't okay, right now but it would be soon enough. Marta would rest and get her strength back. The final Wraith would leave through the stone circle. And the people who had run off would return to their village.

Willow began to feel every action she had taken over the last few remembered hours. She had run from a spiraling portal… almost cracked her skull on a headstone… been dropped though said portal—knocked unconscious on a probable alien world—managed a concealment spell on the fly-- sped walked three miles—fought and destroyed 3 demons—and run with an unconscious child on her hip for at least one mile more.

Marta may have been the one resting—but Willow knew she needed to join her. There was no adrenaline rushing though her to keep her going. There was actually nothing left. She was just waiting for someone—anyone other than a wraith—to happen by.

Aiden followed behind Teyla and Sheppard. His eyes were watchful as he surveyed the landscape. It was obvious the villagers had fled in this direction. The grasses were smashed towards the ground. They had run for their lives—even though the redheaded girl had stood and protected them. Didn't they know about her? It still made sense for them to run—to minimize casualties, but it made no sense that she didn't have any backup. Unless of course she was not known to the village… So what was a girl from Earth doing in the Pegasus Galaxy and on M94-06? On one hand Aiden hated the mystery and he wanted some answers. On the other hand he couldn't wait for the opportunity to find out everything about this woman.

The actions of the wraith also made little sense to him. He had no clue why these wraith had appeared on foot at the village. In all his other encounters with the wraith they had been ruthlessly efficient. They would show up in their ships and cull as many as they could take and then leave. It was almost like these wraith had been on a mission to terrorize. Perhaps they had out to destroy the earthgirl… earthling… no—the redhead. He needed a name, an identity, a birthdate, some likes and dislikes. He needed to find her a little faster.

Teyla and Major Sheppard led the way—but they led the way—slowly. Aiden knew he was impatient and bordering on irritable. McKay was humming the theme song to Xena Warrior Princess—or so Aiden thought. He wasn't sure.

"Hey Ford! Do you know this one… "In the time of ancient gods, warlords, and kings. A land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess..."

"Seriously. Shut up." It was confirmed, yet again, McKay was an ass. Aiden couldn't let McKay's idiocy go unchallenged.

"You know, she was a goddess a half of a mile ago. Now she is a warrior princess…"

McKay interrupted Aiden's words.

"She is a young woman- possibly from Earth- who has some advanced technology that can fire big honking FIREballs through the chests of unsuspecting wraith!" With each word, McKay's voice became more animated and loud.

"Unsuspecting?" Aiden said the word as a question and turned a puzzled look towards McKay.

"Oh yes, unsuspecting! Don't you think the wraith would have destroyed her immediately if they could detect what she was about to do? We've stumbled upon a secret weapon!" McKay stood still as he made relayed his observation and everyone continued to move on without him.

Sheppard turned around, looking towards McKay. "She is a human being, McKay! Yes, possibly from Earth… yes, probably with some advanced technology. She is not someone we are going to snatch and harvest for technology."

Teyla paused for a moment and turned and gave McKay a measured look. "Shall we continue?" she questioned. "The rock shelter is near."

"Let's". Sheppard and Teyla continued the hike.

McKay had to jog a little to catch up with Ford. "I wasn't suggesting we cut her open or anything… just ask her, you know. How do you do that?"

Aiden slowed his pace a little to allow McKay to catch up with him.

"I understand you." He turned his head to the side and quickly glanced at McKay. McKay seemed a little more unsure of himself today. McKay was sometimes even more of an odd mixture. On an average day he evenly balanced arrogance with anxiety. Today he seemed a little more apprehensive.

"What's up McKay? You seem a little more worried than usual today? Chill out, okay? We know you are not Dr. Frankenstein…"

"Right… and we are about to head up to a girl who can make fireballs out of the thin air and conceal herself from the wraith and the last—I don't know 50 or 60 people I've met have kind of hated me on sight. And did I mention she can make fireballs out of thin air!" Rodney finished his statement on higher pitch than what he started with.

Aiden struggled not to laugh outloud. McKay was too entertaining.

"You know… she is not our enemy, YET." He couldn't help taking a little dig at McKay. McKay was right. Most people did hate him on sight.