Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter :) Not much more of this episode to go. (Thankfully! I started it over a year ago!)

They were loosely back to back now. Faith would have preferred it if they were grouped even tighter but it just wasn't possible on the slippery slope. Every time one of them tried to attack they slithered a little further down. So they were mostly concentrating on defence. If they could just hold out until…

Until what? These lizard freaks got tired and went home? Yeah, 'cause that was gonna happen when there were five times as many of them and she was pretty freakin' positive that none of the demons had started this fight wasted. True, drugs and alcohol passed through a Slayer's system pretty quickly but not that damn fast!

She couldn't remember if these things were nocturnal or not but even if they were daylight had to be twelve hours away yet. None of them were going to last that long unless something drastically changed in their favour.

"Get in closer, Ken!" she yelled, grabbing Kennedy's arm as she started to slip.

"I'm trying," the younger slayer snapped back. "But this is stupid! They're surrounding us and I don't feel like playing the piggy in the middle."

"Well, what else do you suggest? We ain't got no weapons to attack with and at least this way the bastards can't get us from behind."

"But it's not working," Kennedy stressed. "We need to…" she thought about it for a moment. "We need to run. The house can't be more than ten minutes away and we have to be able to run faster than them."

"Okay," Faith gestured about them. "You wanna run through that wall of demons, or that one? Or how about the one behind us?"

"I can create a space," Oz said.

It was the first time he had spoken for a while. He was the most winded of all of them and on top of that he was having himself an inner struggle as well as an outer one.

"How?" Faith kept one eye on the demon she was trading blows with as she glanced at him. For a moment she saw the wolf within him leaking out but then he was grimacing and clenching his fists even tighter as he forced it back in. "Dude! You've had our best weapon just hidden away all this time?"

"What? What weapon?" Kennedy's back was to them.

"Oz!"

"What's he going to do? He's not even a Slayer."

"No, he's a werewolf!"

"I don't know how much use I'll be," he said through gritted teeth as he ducked back from a demon claw, accidentally smacking heads with Kennedy behind him.

"You'll have big teeth, big claws and about two feet on us so, yeah, I'm thinking useful."

"I'm not fully in control as the wolf and werewolves are pretty territorial."

"Good to know. This is your territory, now start defending it like you mean it," Faith said encouragingly.

"It's not his territory," Kennedy said. "It's ours. He doesn't live here."

"Fine. Kennedy, you turn into a werewolf and clear these demons out. I don't care who does it, but someone has to do it before we all get killed." That made Kennedy fall into a grumpy silence. "Thank you. Now, Oz, get your wolf on, man."

"I can't."

"Why the hell not?" Faith was getting frustrated with him, well with everything, now.

He didn't want to have to say it but obviously the heat of battle wasn't helping them pick up on his subtle hints. "Because if I change I'll have a bigger enemy here than the demons."

"Who?" Faith demanded.

Kennedy got there quicker, muttering, "Damn right you have."

"What? Kennedy? Oh, come on! You ain't scratchin' at her legs now are you? You'll be fine."

"Like this I know why things are the way they are between us." His left foot slipped as he tried to kick in a demon's kneecap with his right and he almost went down. Faith dragged him back upright. "As the wolf I just see a rival I need to defeat. And considering I'm drunk right now, possibly hump too."

Kennedy half turned around, anger and revulsion plain in her tone. "Don't even try it, dog-boy!"

"Kennedy." Faith slapped her shoulder to get her to turn back around. "Demons."

"I think it would cause more problems than it would solve," Oz panted calmly.

Faith's arm was still outstretched from slapping Kennedy and she had half an ear on what Oz was saying and at just that moment her right foot slipped just a little bit down the muddy hill, just enough for her to wave her blocking arm about for balance. All of those factors combined was the only reason the lizard demon got in a lucky swipe – although in the back of her mind she consoled herself with the knowledge that it definitely would have happened to one of them sooner or later anyway – and four sharp claws tore clothes and skin from the left side of her waist, diagonally across her lower abdomen and groin to her opposite thigh.

She yelled at the pain, almost unbearable in the more tender regions, and fell back against both Oz and Kennedy. Kennedy grabbed her easily, holding her upright until she found her balance but soon realised that Faith was having trouble putting weight on her right leg now.

"Crap."

"Just give me a sec," Faith said, wincing.

They didn't have a sec though. While Kennedy was holding Faith up they were both defenceless, leaving Oz they're strongest fighter and he was not they're strongest fighter.

At least…not this shape.

"Osbourne, I think the balance just tipped and we've got more problems now than you could cause, so…change." When he just looked at her, unsure, Kennedy yelled it again. "Change!"

With a noise that started off a yell but became a growl halfway through and a painful-looking all over body-shudder, Oz transformed into something hella hairy and scary. The werewolf snuffled the air, its sharp eyes flicking from one to the next of the attacking lizards and then its head slowly swung around to focus on Kennedy. A deep, menacing growl started to rumble low in its throat.

"Crap!" Faith and Kennedy said at the same time.

"Release her!" The small but powerful shout echoed around the shed. "Watcher, close the door now! Timsaw, light!"

Giles pushed Xander to one side so that he could reach back and slam the door shut behind them. It left them all in pitch darkness until slowly a lantern made from a jam jar full of fire flies rose up to the ceiling on twine.

The Mawther walked forward, her shadow looming on the walls several times bigger than she was. "Just Buffy, you and your kin have been gone a long while."

Buffy sat up, brushing down her jumper. "Actually, funny story…"

"Funny?" Xander asked incredulously behind her.

"Okay, just story. We haven't been gone that long. We're from the past. Not as cool as being from the future, but there ya go."

Beryan took that in her stride with a nod. "Then you have picked an unfortunate time to visit."

Xander helped Willow down next to Buffy and then knelt beside her. "We're not here by choice. Willow's sick."

"I can see that. She's green."

"Yeah, well you're purple," Willow returned weakly.

Beryan smiled. "A spell?"

Giles sat down on the other side of Buffy. He was too agitated for sitting comfortably but it was just easier to talk to the seven inch woman this way.

"Yes, a Chaotic Nerve spell. Willow started teleporting every time she sneezed about forty-eight hours ago."

"A little longer than that actually," Willow said.

"And for the past twenty-four hours we've been skipping across time, space and dimensions with her."

"I see."

From outside came a loud scream quickly followed by the thud-thud of two crossbow bolts burying themselves in the wood. All heads except Beryan's turned to the noise.

Beryan walked to Willow, and then scaled her, grabbing handfuls of her pajamas to pull herself up until she was balancing on her shoulder. She pulled Willow's head around by hooking her fingers into a nostril and with her other hand pulled her lower eyelids down one at a time to look in her eyes.

"Hey!" Willow complained softly, and the pixie took the opportunity to grab her upper lip and hold it out of the way while she pulled out her tongue to inspect it.

"You are far down the path, child. Did I not warn you what careless use of your magick could lead too?"

"Actually, it's my fault. I asked her to use the magick," Giles admitted.

"That does not surprise me, Watcher." Beryan jumped back down to the ground. "But it is always Willow's responsibility in the end. She should have said no."

"I did!"

"Yes, she did," Giles said softly. "But there were demons."

"And now, thanks to your meddling, there are more demons." Beryan waved a hand at the battle going on outside the walls.

"Look, enough with the lecture," said Buffy. "Willow's really sick and so we're stuck here regardless of the reason. Can you help us make her better or not?"

"All nerve spells reach a point where they can not be undone because of the bond the magick makes with the physiology of the infected."

"And I'm past that point," Willow asked, scared.

"I do not think so, but I fear you are very close."

"Then help her," Xander said through gritted teeth.

"We do not have the kind of ingredients needed to reverse such a powerful spell and my scouts tell me that your own magical supplies have been severely depleted in your wizard's attempts to protect the camp."

"Our Wizard?" Giles wondered.

Buffy spoke over him. "No, Giles had all the stuff he needed delivered a year ago and Faith just said they kept all of our stuff. In boxes in the basement. The ingredients have to be in one of them."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Beryan asked, waving at the door.

"We can't risk being seen by our future friends," Giles said, his voice still coming out firm and non-negotiable despite his increasing worry over Willow. "It could affect the very stability of the universe."

"No it could not," Beryan said with just as much certainty.

"I think you'll find…"

"I think you have a very grand opinion of yourself, Watcher, if you think the fate of the universe is dependant on your actions, but that does not surprise me."

"We can't anyway," Xander said, getting even more impatient. "Willow's too weak to go rooting through the basement and we can't leave her in case she sneezes."

"Please," Willow begged. "Won't you help us?"

The Mawther looked around at the pixies assembled behind her and then back to them. "I'm sorry. We have already lost a great number of our clan because of the troubles and tonight it would be…"

"Please!" Buffy said. "We don't have any other options. And the only way we can get home and stop all of this from happening to us, and you, is if Willow gets better."

"Actually that may not be true…" Giles began, once Willow was better she might lose the ability to time travel altogether.

"One problem at a time, Giles!" Buffy snapped and then turned firm but imploring eyes back on the little pixie leader. "Please. Help us so we can help you not lose your people."

Beryan sighed but nodded. "Timsaw, take your team to the basement to-wance. Tear apart the boxes and bring all the ingredients you find."

"But, Mawther, it wull bae puar maadyness…"

"Timsaw, I gave you a direct charge. Do you fail me?"

"Naw, Mawther."

Eight of the pixies broke ranks and left the woodshed, although the door never opened so how they got out was a mystery. A tense silence remained behind as everyone settled down to wait for them to get back. It made the fight right outside seem all the worse and all but Beryan winced at the screams and shouts and strange hissing noises that marked its ferocity.

Oz's growl had started off a low rumble but it was getting louder and growlier the longer he stared at Kennedy.

"Down, boy," Faith said as soothingly as possible.

She doubted it would do much good. She was already pretty sure that whatever part of Oz that was still in there was already telling himself that. It was probably the only reason he hadn't pounced yet, and maybe the fact that she was in front of Kennedy. Although there was a chance she was thinking a little too highly of Oz's feelings for her there. He'd gone for her once before back in the day, and even if he was fifty percent domesticated now the shit going on around them had to have him crazy on edge.

"Ken, submit to him!" She said when the idea struck her. You never knew, it might work.

"I am not backing down to him!"

"Think about it? He's just basically a big dog right?" Oz's growl got louder. "Okay, not a dog, forget I said dog! But the principles the same. You don't have to mean it but if he thinks he's won he might stop feeling the urge to tear you limb from limb!"

"He's a werewolf, not stupid!"

It was probably the nicest thing Kennedy had ever said about him but Oz still took offence. With barely any visible effort the muscles in the werewolf's powerful hind legs bunched and then he was in the air, pouncing straight at them.

Faith and Kennedy both yelled and it wasn't really clear who dived and who slipped but they both ended up landing in the mix of mud and soggy leaves, half rolling, half sliding a good way down the slope together.

A sharp hiss was cut off with an undignified yelping noise that no self-respecting reptile should make and when they finally came to a stop both slayers looked up the slope to see what had caused it. It had been Oz tearing a demon lizard into pieces. As they watched, he did it to another one. It was cool. Gross, but cool.

"Okay, maybe we over-reacted," Faith admitted, a little embarrassed.

"Speak for yourself; it wasn't you he was giving the stink eye." Kennedy defended her own scaredy cat squeal and awkwardly got back to her feet. "Come on, let's try and take a few out from behind while he has them distracted."

"Yeah, 'bout that."

Faith had already tried to get up. Her injured thigh was having none of it and she still kinda wanted to cry over the pain in her groin. She knew without having to see it that there was probably almost as much blood on her top as mud and ever since they'd tumbled down the slope she was feeling dizzy, never a good sign, especially when blood loss might be the reason.

It was what it was though and trying not to feel ashamed about it she admitted, "I don't think I can stand right now."

"Okay," Kennedy said slowly, clearly trying not to sound as panicked as she suddenly looked. "Are you…? I mean, how bad…? Are you going to be alright?"

"It's not so bad, I'll be fine," Faith said, downplaying how bad it really felt. "I just don't trust my leg to take my weight, not on this slope and all. But you get in there, help Oz out."

"And leave you as a sitting duck to get picked off when my back's turned? No way, I could never live with myself, Buffy would kill me."

"And you're not worried what Red will say if Oz gets toasted by the ten demons he's taking on alone?"

"No," Kennedy smiled grimly. "That I can live with."

She turned though, so she could keep Faith in sight and watch Oz fight. He seemed to be enjoying himself as demon after demon fell to his teeth and claws.

Everyone except Willow, who seemed to be beyond it now, perked up as seven pixies ran back into the centre of the woodshed.

"What happened?" Beryan demanded, seeing they had returned empty-handed and a pixie short.

Timsaw bowed before his leader, "Gruflin was lorst, Mawther."

"Lost?"

"Eaten," said another of the little people hysterically. "Snatched in the jaws of one of the cold-blooded beasts, Mawther!"

"So you didn't even bother going to the basement!" Buffy felt hysterical too.

She'd have to make the run herself now and just hope hard that Willow didn't sneeze. She hadn't in hours. It was as if her body was just too weak to make the effort now.

Furious, the pixie leader took a run and jump, caught hold of Buffy's hair in both hands and swung forward, head-butting her between the eyes, and Ye Gods did that hurt!

Buffy swayed backwards as Beryan shouted, "Wee haave lorst wan orv oor oown tring ta hell yew an thaat iss haw yew speek tow theem!"

Buffy wrapped her fist around Beryan's middle and yanked her away, losing some strands of hair in the process but before she could shout back or apologise, possibly a mixture of both, Timsaw was speaking again.

"We went to tha basement an took apart oll of thee bauxes. There war naw spell-parts in theem."

"But Faith said…"

Timsaw cut her off. "Wee looked haard. Wee did nawt want Gruflin's sacrifice to be hollow."

"Oh." She turned to Giles helplessly. "Now what do we do?"

He was cleaning his glasses. On her other side Xander was holding Willow close, she was shivering now and occasionally coughing out little puffs of apricot-coloured steam. None of them apparently had an answer.

Beryan was still hanging in Buffy's fist, forgotten until she started tugging on the sleeve of her jumper.

"Whose blood is this?"

Buffy looked down at the little red blotch on her cuff. "Uh, Faith's. Her nose was bleeding when I spoke to her. Why?" she asked irritably.

"Let me down, Just Buffee."

Buffy just opened her hand, not caring about the foot and half drop to the ground. Beryan landed lightly on her feet anyway and began to issue more instructions to her lieutenants.

She spoke fast and her accent was still strong with anger but Buffy caught the occasional words. 'Personal stash', for example, and 'Sarf tunnel'.

Only three of the pixies detached and left the shed this time. Beryan didn't watch them leave or give anyone time to question where they were going before barking more instructions.

"Willow, yew must sit up straight."

"Okay." There was a pause where nothing happened. "Am I sitting up yet?"

Beryan pointed at Xander. "Yew, boy, help her."

Xander bristled at being called 'boy' but did as he was told. Sitting so that his legs were either side of Willow's hips and Willow's back was against his chest.

"Yew, Watcher, sit behind him. Try nawt to meddle."

Giles moved as he asked, "What exactly are you planning to try?"

"That is meddling," Beryan said dismissively. "Just Buffee…"

"Stop calling me that!"

"When yew get home yew can give me a reason to stop and then I will not call yew it now. Until then, take Willow's hand and wait fore me."

"Willow, I know there are probably clangings in yew head, but yew must listen…"

"It sounds just like an old fashioned telephone. Ring ring, ring, r---, r--- r---."

"I'm not the only one who heard that, right?" Xander tried not to instinctively lean back from Willow.

"No," Buffy confirmed, "Will definitely just rang exactly like a telephone."

"Tickled," Willow complained.

"But cool," Xander tried to keep her spirits up. "Can you do the Nokia ring tone too?"

"Stop," said Beryan, cutting through their meagre merriment. "You must pay attention." Her pixies came back into the shed then, carrying several baggies of herbs and spices between them. She nodded to them and then turned to Willow again. "I cannot cure you, but I can send you home. The blood on this clothing will act as a pull through time to its source."

"But its source is right outside," Buffy pointed out. "How does that help?"

Beryan gave her a look that explained in no uncertain terms that Buffy was stupid, but didn't explain anything else.

Willow seemed to trust her anyway, but croaked, "I'm too weak to do that kind of magick. I can't control it."

"No, but I can. You just need to be the force behind it. Once you are back in the past you must hurry to where you have left the ingredients. Waste no time for you have very little to spare. Now, give me forty-five ticks to prepare and I will send you home. And please, when you get there, do whatever is necessary to change our fates."

Buffy looked at her friends, reaching back awkwardly with the hand not holding Willow's to pat Xander's arm, offering Giles a smile that was hopefully more reassuring than terrified and murmuring to Willow, "Nearly there, Will, just hang on. This will all be over soon." And hoping like hell she was telling the truth.

If Beryan got it wrong and they ended up somewhere else completely, or even worse, still stuck here, Buffy knew it would be game over. It wasn't even pessimism, just fact. If Willow's sickness couldn't be cured and she…died, even if by some miracle they made it home another way, she knew it would still be over for the three of them that remained. It was one for all, or all for nothing.

"We're like the three musketeers," she whispered.

There was a beat of silence before Xander whispered, "There's four of us."

"Buffy's d'Artagnan," Willow said softly and suddenly all four of them were wearing red cavalier hats.

"Exactly." Buffy tried to grin.

"If only we had the swords to match," Giles whispered dryly.

Just as suddenly they all had swords. There was another beat of silence.

"Uh, Willow," said Buffy, looking at her sword. "These are made of plastic."

"Well don't blame me. I'm not doing any of this intentionally."

"Well that's reassuring," Giles said, making Xander giggle.

Beryan turned back to them. "I am ready."

Faith had made it to her knees. The pain was still intense but with an arm held low over her belly she could handle it. She was trying to get to her feet but that was still an uphill struggle, literally.

She was trying though because a minute ago the tables had turned on Oz. There were only four demons now but one of them had managed to sink its claws deep into the werewolf's back. After an initial high-pitched yelp of pain it didn't seem to be hurting him too much but it was pinning him to the spot and the rest of the lizards were starting to brave getting mauled to run in close and attack his front.

Kennedy had moved closer as soon as he had been stabbed but was holding back. Weaponless she was still only half the fighter Oz was right now – as much as that burned her! – but when one of the butt-ugly reptiles took a massive swing at his chest, claw-marks filling and overflowing with blood instantly, she gave a shout and leapt forward.

She jump-kicked the demon that had inflicted the damage, sending him flying to skid up the slope on his side, but her feet slipped out from under her as she landed and she went down hard on her knees in front of Oz.

Faith saw what was about to happen next and tried to jump up but she just fell straight back down. Oz howled but he couldn't move and his long arms couldn't quite reach.

"No!" Faith screamed as a lizard-demon's sharper than sharp claws came down hard to slice through the back of Kennedy's neck.

And then there was a sound like 'BLIP' and a grey plastic sword was being swung upwards on instinct. It did exactly zero damage but caught the paw between the second and third claws, knocking it off target and giving Kennedy the split-second chance to roll backwards out of the way.

As Faith watched, Xander struggled for the upper hand, keeping the sword between the demon's claws and trying to dodge its other swiping paw until he eventually, accidentally, pushed it close enough to Oz that the werewolf was able to rip its lizard head clean from its shoulders.

"Hey, look what I did!" Xander said triumphantly, until he realised he was talking to a growling, foaming-at-the-mouth werewolf and then he back-pedalled, holding the sword out in front of him.

"It's Oz," Willow called. She was on the ground too, looking almost as shit as Faith felt, although to be fair, the witch was a hell of a lot greener.

"Yeah, but does he know that?" Xander called back.

"Give me that!" Kennedy tried to grab his weapon.

Xander held it over his head as if that would stop a slayer. "No, get your own plastic sword!"

"Xander!" As he turned and smacked an approaching demon across the throat with it, making it stumble back, Kennedy obviously decided that he'd earned his right to keep it. "Will?" she asked instead.

Willow chucked her the sword she was carrying. It landed only a foot away from her prone body. Not bothered, Kennedy ran over and scooped it up before using what minimal force it provided on the remaining lizards.

Buffy had already been busy. Ignoring everything else as soon as they arrived – from wherever the hell they had arrived from – to tackle the demon who had its claws in Oz's back. It was as pinned as the werewolf, unable to retract its claws because to do so would free the beast ripping them to shreds. Buffy was making the most of that, not even bothering with the stabby end of the plastic sword but just using every ounce of strength she had to beat the thing into submission with it.

From Faith's point of view it was hot. From the demon's point of view it was hell. When Giles turned to put his boot into the lizard's soft underbelly – his own sword plunged deep into the mouth of another slowly choking demon – it finally caved and fell back and in one smooth motion Oz twirled on the spot and turned it into several separate reptilian pieces.

The fight didn't last much longer. The Scoobies and Kennedy had beaten the remaining demons down and Oz made easy work of finishing them off. Faith smiled in relief and slumped further to the ground but kept her head up to see what would happen next.

Kennedy automatically went to rush to Willow's side, but hearing Oz's low growl stopped and turned to him.

"She's injured!"

"I'm not, I'm okay, I'm just sick," Willow called over weakly and to demonstrate vomited something yellow and smoking onto the mud in front of her.

"You can't help her like that!" Kennedy shouted when Oz continued to growl at her.

The werewolf looked around at his torn and tattered clothes caked in mud and demon guts, looking as indecisive as a werewolf was able to.

It was Giles who got through to him. "Go, Oz. We'll take care of Willow. Wait in the boy's dormitory. Xander will bring you some clothes."

With one last look at Willow, Oz turned and loped away across the slope into the deeper darkness beneath trees.

Kennedy ran to Willow to pick her up gently and all at once there was an even bigger panic on.

"Hurry, Faith," Giles called. "We need to get Willow back to the house immediately."

"Uh, yeah, I'll, uh, join you in a…day or two," she said, grimacing as she made another attempt to get to her feet.

Buffy seemed to finally realise something was wrong with her. "You guys go, we'll catch up."

"Buffy, we need you to do the spell."

"And I'll be right there," she promised as she slipped and slid down the slope to crouch in front of Faith. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin'. I'm fine."

"Yeah, I can see that. What's wrong! Come on, we don't have time for fibs."

"I got…" Faith sighed. "One of the demons got me, B, okay."

"Badly?"

"No, I just almost let Kennedy get decapitated 'cause I don't like her."

Buffy just quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, okay, whatever, kinda badly."

Buffy gently helped her turn over but couldn't see anything in the darkness, not with the mud covering everything too. "Where does it hurt?"

"Stomach, thigh, pussy."

Buffy sucked in a breath at her vulgarity but sighed in amusement immediately afterwards. "Ouch, that's gotta sting."

"Yeah, trust me, it freakin' does."

"Can you stand?"

"Not so far."

Buffy thought for a minute. "Okay, this might hurt, sorry."

"What might?" And then Buffy scooped her up in her arms and Faith yelled, "Owww! Bitch!"

"I missed you too." Buffy grinned at her while moving as swiftly up the slope as possible after the others.

Faith just hoped this was the short cut Kennedy had promised it to be because right now her wounds felt like they had molten lava inside them.

"Missed me? Where the hell ya been anyway?"

"You wouldn't believe me." Buffy's nose wrinkled. "Have you been drinking?"

"Yeah, shit loads. Me, Kenny and Oz got our party on at Barnies to celebrate Thanksgiving."

"What? You've been celebrating while…"

"What did you expect us to do? Sit around waiting for you to get from your little day-trip?"

She could tell Buffy was fuming about something. "You have no idea how tempting it is to drop you on your stinging hoo hoo right now, Faith."

They travelled in silence for a minute before Faith smirked through her pain and asked, "Hoo hoo?"

Thanks for reading :) All feedback gratefully received.