A/N: Hey, sorry for the delay. Enjoy and review :)
Chapter 17 - The Ritual
Willow woke with her heart pounding in her chest, her feet were freezing. She sat up and rubbed her toes warm. It was that freaky nightmare again. Like a black smog inside her head, she could feel the evilness inside trying to tear free. She lingered over Tara sleeping soundly beside her. Quietly she slid from the sheets and made her way to the bedroom door. A gust of wind battered the window and she swung around. She listened, waited. Sighing and then rolling her eyes, she spun the knob and the bedroom door creaked open.
A faucet squeaked followed by quick droplets of water as she passed the dark bathroom. Willow's heart began to thump. She steadied her breathing, her mental awareness acute, but she could not stop her body from jittering against the unknown. She flicked on the bathroom light, shielding her eyes from the piercing brightness. The water had stopped running. Willow avoided looking at the mirror as she scanned the bathroom. An instinct that came from watching horror movies with Xander. It was empty.
"Witch."
The voice was a raspy whisper sounding like it was coming from every direction. Willow looked down the narrow hallway, there was nothing there. She outstretched a hand saying an incantation in her mind and the tips of her fingers glowed yellow. If there was something strange in the house with her, she would be able to see its aura.
She stepped down the staircase looking out through the windows at the front of the house. Trees swayed in the wind under pale street lights. The tree trunk in front of the house was shaped oddly, as if something leaned against it. Willow squinted, but the deformity vanished.
Drearily, she opened the fridge door and poured herself a cup of milk. She was looking forward to the meeting with the gang when they would start the ritual for Buffy. Everything was prepared, nothing was going to go wrong, she wouldn't allow it. It seemed everyone was convinced Willow was going to summon some godly being, and on hands and knees, beg for Buffy to be human again. Oh please. They wouldn't understand what really had to be done. There was only one way of reversing her mistake and it was reversing time itself.
Like a roaring monster, water started gushing from the kitchen tap. Willow jumped back, her hair standing on end. There came a cackling laugh from the same voice she heard earlier.
"Hovering night, mask of skin, the pretty red girl I see, the pretty red girl within. Tick tock Willow. Tick tock."
The water stopped its noisy flow, and an eerie deafness filled the room.
"Who are you?" Willow whispered slowly walking backwards.
A laugh like heavy pins. "Why must you bore the situation with questions you already know the answers to? You know it's funny. At first, I didn't like being inside such a weak excuse for an organism, but I've found something I did not expect. A darkness that was already lying inside - dormant. I want to shape it, nurture it into something incredible ... something unstoppable. You would like that wouldn't you?"
Fear of the dark magic taking control of her again was almost unbearable. "No," she bellowed.
The laugh was mocking now. Then silence. She felt like there was a second pair of lungs inside of her breathing. "When I first came into this human reality, I was overjoyed. Have you've ever licked the bleeding scalp of a woman after her hair has been torn off? No? How about the cries of villagers as all of their organs burn to charcoal? That's one of my favourites -"
With her head burning and spinning, she started chanting using all of her strength to bury the demon away.
"The red girl best be quiet lest my next riddle go unheard."
It seemed the harder she tried to block out its voice, the louder it became.
"A time when carriages and horses walk the road. In a rebellion among the yellow skin, a slayer's fight will unfold. Forever lost they are if you rely on one. Let the water run free, let the joining be done."
The evil inside subsided, the voice was silent. She wasn't sure if she forced it back down with her power or if it did it on its own. It was troubling not knowing which. She placed both palms over her face and took a deep breath. She didn't know if it was wise to continue with the ritual for Buffy, but then she would be admitting to everyone that she couldn't control her power. They would fear her just as they did before. She didn't want to be invisible. She didn't want to be alone. Dawn was painting the sky a pale blue as she gazed out the window.
. . . .
"You're evil."
"Very evil."
"You're bad ... you're like ... really bad. But then again. So am I. I'm evil. We're both ... evil."
Spike frowned. "Don't say that."
"What? Oh!" Buffy lost her footing and fell sideways into Spike's arms.
"You aren't evil." Her breath was heavy with alcohol as he pushed her upright. She was still tipping back and forth.
Buffy snorted and laughed uncontrollably. "I bite people's necks and suck their blood," she said in Dracula's voice. "I run away from crosses and garlic cloves. Now tell me that isn't evil. Oh looky it's sunlight." She stepped off the sidewalk and onto the road.
Spike's eyes widened as headlights from a car headed straight at her. "Buffy!" He dashed out and grabbed her by the soldiers pulling her in as the honking car zoomed by. Buffy beat on his chest like a wild animal until she broke free. She made noises similar to a teenage brat and stormed down the sidewalk with her arms crossed.
"Buffy! What's wrong with you?"
She batted his hand away. "I'm going home."
"Buffy." He put a little more force into it and yanked her around. She stared at him but her expression was completely different. He could have sworn she was about to stake him right there. There was so much rage in her eyes so much hatred and he was pretty sure it wasn't all for him.
She made a couple of harsh laughs. "What is this huh? Me, you, hanging out like we're a couple of vampire buddies. For a while you know, I accepted it," she slowly shook her head, "I accepted that I was going to live the rest of my life like this, because you know what? Hey I hit rock bottom! No way life can get anymore shitty than this!"
Spike smirked. He was wondering when this topic was going to come up again. "Every time Buffy. Every single time. When things start to get comfortable for you or when there's a single shred of happiness to be had, you go and push yourself under again. I know you Buffy. You enjoy the misery. You twist everything so that you can be alone again. Because in that screwed up mind of yours it must be an easier way to live."
"Thank you Spike. Thank you for that incredible insight."
Spike made a sound of frustration and grabbed her by the soldiers. "I've seen you Buffy. I see you hide it. I see you push it away. But it's there. A feeling for me." She avoided his gaze. "I'm not at your side because you're a vampire. If I had it my way, I'd take the human slayer that tried to stake me when we first met. I'm with you because I want to make this undead life a little easier for you, guide you through the ropes I guess. I hate seeing you like this you know. Beating yourself up. But it's part of what you are. And I'm willing to help you through it. You just gotta let me." She turned away from him and neither spoke for a while.
"It's eating away at me Spike. This demon or darkness ... I don't know. I feel like it's taking over who I am. Sometimes, I don't even think I have a soul. My thoughts don't even feel like my own." She turned back to him, her face a little more relaxed yet filled with apprehension. "It's more than just me I think. There's something there. Someone else."
"I expect Willow might be able to find some answers. That is if this little interdimensional trick she's gonna pull doesn't push her over the deep end."
"You think she won't be able to control the demon."
"If you think that she can find some way to get you back to your warm blooded self then it doesn't matter what I think. If she does turn, none of us are going to be able to stop her anyway. I swear I'll never understand it. She's trusted, with the lot of you knowing exactly what she's capable of."
"You of all people should understand Spike."
Spike stood there watching Buffy walk away under the early dawn. It had never really occurred to him before. She never said it to him, because it really didn't need to be said. Buffy trusted him.
. . . .
Everyone sat very still, their eyes darting at each other not knowing what to expect. Willow finished pouring the yellow sand around Buffy which was the outer circle that held the ritual in focus. Closely surrounding Buffy was a slew of bloody organs and white candles. It was obvious the smell emitting from the rotting parts was affecting everyone.
"Good God that's foul." Xander covered his nose and mouth like he was about to hurl.
"This reminds me of a spell I did with baby lambs and bat manure on an abusive husband back in my predemon days. The sight of him expanding exponentially until exploding into itty bits of red flesh was -"
"Anya," Buffy said coolly. "Let's not make Xander puke chunks all over my carpet okay?"
"Yes," Giles said masking his disgust in a smile, "let's not."
"Guys, are we ready?" Willow was holding a book sounding extremely tense. Something Buffy was not used to seeing before she performed spell. Her attention seemed fractured.
Spike was apart from the circle of people, leaning against the wall looking impatient. "Get on with it then."
"Tara you ready?"
She nodded and held Willow's hand.
"This is so cool! I'm actually helping to do a spell!" Dawn's head was bouncing around excitedly. Xander held her hand and smirked at her.
"You think it's fun now? Just wait until scary hairy women try stabbing you in your dreams."
"What?" Dawn said confused.
Willow shook her head telling Dawn to ignore Xander. "The energy required for this is, well, a lot ... the more bodies in the circle, the better."
Everyone held hands to form a ring around Buffy. The sight of it was almost intimidating. Buffy's heart began to race. She could feel everyone's energy surrounding her. Willow began chanting from the book in her lap. Her voice was rigged.
"Cruor of vicis. Ego dedi illa verto vicis." Willow paused. It looked like she was holding her breath. Something was definitely bothering her.
"You okay Will?" Buffy asked. Spike was glaring at Willow.
She nodded. "Cruor of vicis-"
Like a spontaneous hurricane, a huge wave burst outward from Willow's body knocking everyone to a sprawl. Her pupils grew to a translucent black as did her hair. The terrifying witch Buffy had experienced seeing before was once again before her.
"Willow!" Buffy yelled.
The witch's smile filled Buffy with horror. The sides of her mouth stretch inhumanly high and the very structure of her face warped into a goblin's. Spike threw himself at her but the energy field surrounding Willow was impenetrable and deflected his attack sending him flying backwards and crashing into the wall.
The voice was not Willow's but that of a ferocious demon. "Blood of time and parts of the outer fold. These pathetic creatures, send them to a past. A period they will be trapped until we are one. She will be mine, forever, for eternity. And I will have my vengeance on the sons and daughters of the ones who imprisoned me."
There came a deafening scream and Buffy was suddenly surrounded by swirling white and black. Her body felt like it was being pulled in every direction as she spun into the abyss.
