Chapter 11

Don't Look Down

It didn't take long to help Xander. He'd landed on the couch and fallen to the floor, so there was no damage.

Tara and Dawn were in shock, but no too badly.

Tara had started crying silently when the bind had been released. So much pain...

Dawn had receded into herself, processing when she'd seen, both magical and not. What had happen to Willow?

The friends had gotten to work. Xander said he could fix the wall, but not until the next day. There were braces inside that were broken, and the plaster would have to be cut out, replaced, and repainted.

Tara and Giles sorted through the magical items, deciding what was to be saved and not saved. They'd also need some of the of the items for what they were going to do. The rest could be put at the Magic Box for future use.

Once the sorting and cleaning was done, everyone went upstairs to Willow had been placed after the fight. She was on the bed shared by her and Tara, unconscious.

Xander felt slightly disgusted and ashamed. Why hadn't they noticed before? What had made Willow become such a monster?

Tara looked down at her lover with grief. She didn't know if she could ever trust Willow again. To be deceived in such a way...

Dawn tried to keep her face blank. She was so angry at Willow. What had she ever done? She didn't deserve what had been happening to her during the fight.

Buffy and Giles silently sighed in relief while staring at what they'd thought to be their friend. She'd caused them all such heartache, such trouble.

"What now?" Dawn asked, hugging herself.

"Now, we plan," Giles said. Buffy leant into him.

"For what?"

"Dawn..." Tara said softly.

"Tara and I must help Willow's body deal with the loss magical energies, the sword must go back to England... There is much to be done," Giles said with a sigh.

Xander looked out the window.

"You said the magic Willow had was from the Slayer line. How're you going to put it back?" Xander asked, watching the wind move through the leaves.

"There's a ritual. It can wait," Giles said dismissively.

Xander started to comment, but just let out a breath of air, his eyes glued on Watcher and Slayer.

A tense silence fell on the house.

A month went by before Willow was ready to leave the house. Giles and Tara had worked with her for two weeks, helping her cope and move beyond the loss of her magic. They'd done the ritual, with Buffy's help, to restore the magic to the Slayer line, and Giles sent the sword to England next day via teleportation.

Xander, Buffy and Dawn worked to fix the house while Giles and Tara took care of Willow. Anya helped once, and was all but thrown out of the house by the Summers girls, who'd she'd angered. Anya had later broken off the engagement with Xander. He hadn't been to heart broken.

"Where are they going?"

"To the store Xander," Tara said with a nervous smile as she watched Willow, Buffy, Dawn and Giles enter the Jeep.

"Oh. What if something goes wrong?"

"Buffy and Giles can deal with it."

Tara was as nervous as Xander. It was her lover who was leaving the house. What if she went crazy? What if something happened to her?

"What ifs" played in their heads as they watched the Jeep pull out.

"Wanna watch a movie while we wait?" Xander asked after the Jeep pulled out.

"S-sure. I'll m-make the popcorn," Tara said, smiling again. They could do this. It was like crossing a high bridge. Just don't look down at the danger, but be aware of it, and you'll be fine.

Dawn was keeping up the chatter, making sure silence didn't linger. Because when it did, tension rose. And that wasn't good.

"What should we have for dinner?" Buffy asked, cutting through Dawn's extensive commentary on high school lunches. Dawn sighed in relief and slumped in her seat.

"Spaghetti?" she asked, looking around the jeep.

"We had spaghetti four days ago," Giles reminded her while turning on the windshield wipers. "How about chops?"

"Lasagna," Willow said quietly.

"That sounds good," Buffy agreed, looking in the mirror. "Giles?"

"Very well. As it's late, a boxed one will do," he said, turning into the parking lot with a shudder.

Everyone tried to keep Dawn's conversation going, but stopped when they reached the shop door, the effort of keeping their masks in place worth more than the actual silence.

Giles grabbed a cart and followed Buffy, who was wandering a few feet ahead, wondering if everything would ever get back to how they were before Glory, before college, when every one of them trusted each other with their lives.

Dawn stood next to a slumped Willow. Even though she knew all Willow had done, Dawn felt pity for the redhead wic–...ex-witch.

"-uck off!" interrupted Dawn's thoughts. Her eyes widened as she recognized the voice.

"Listen here girl--"

"Hey, she said fuck off!" Dawn snapped, going down the aisle where the man and woman were.

"Go away kid." The woman nodded to Dawn and pulled out a knife, placing it to the man's back stealthily. The man's eyes widened in fear.

"I think you should leave town. Because, if I see you again, it won't be in a busy store," she said, digging the knife into his back. He nodded and ran once the sharp metal was removed.

"So, how's everythin' goin' in this place?"

"The usual. Demons, witches, death."

"Figures. Anything specific I was sent here for?"

Dawn looked at the other woman and smiled tightly. "Yea Faith, I think so."

AN: dum, dum, dum!