A/N: Wow. Two Years. Just on more chapter to go.

Siegel stood over his friend, his captain, now a broken, disfigured heap on the ground. He wasn't given much time to think as more of the creatures rushed him. He desperately swung his sword in wide arcs, cutting down the creatures as they approached, trying to keep them away from his friend.

Hang on James, he thought, I'll get you out of this. Don't you dare die on me.

Spike dove again for the jewel and landed just as it was kicked across the room. He cursed and pounded his fist against the floor. This had been going on for the last several minutes. Every time he got near it, one of the monsters kicked it and it skittered into the dark. Standing he saw the jewel again, this time sitting next to the the Willow imposter. The jewel glinted in the dim light, but the creature wearing Willow's face either didn't see it, or ignored it. Spike dove for the jewel, just like all the times before. But this time, his fingers closed around its cold, smooth surface.

While still on the ground, Spike felt arms wrap around his shoulders. He was lifted into the air and squeezed by one of the creatures. He could feel his shoulders being crushed by its immense strength. Suddenly, a thin blade shot through Spike's chest. The pain radiated through his torso and into his limbs. As it was withdrawn, the creature released him, and he crumpled to the floor. Through the pain, he kept a grip on the jewel.

Gaining his feet, he turned to see the human, Vasquez, dispatching the creature that had been crushing him.

"What the bloody hell?" he cried.

Vasquez shrugged, "You're a vampire, I figured you could take it."

"Well … yeah," Spike said impotently, "but it really hurt."

"Sorry," the human said, then turned back to the fight.

Spike put a hand to his chest and felt the hole that had been created by the sword healing even as he stood there. He looked down at his other hand and the jewel stared back at him. Time slowed as he realized this was his chance. He could end it all here and now. He need only speak the words.

He lifted the jewel, his weapon of righteous vengeance. Quickly, but carefully, he aimed it at Willow like the tip of a sword.

"TERMINUS PRAESTIGIATOR RAPIO VENEFICUS!" he shouted. His voice rang with a power that wasn't his own. As he yelled, hundreds of voices, ranging from high pitched sing-song voices of children, to the deep, bellowed roars of otherworldly beasts, said the words with him. The sound, both something physical and spiritual, shook the room around him. Light lanced out of the tip of the jewel, piercing 'Willow' like a bullet.

The creature screamed in sudden shock and pain. The sound reverberated around the cavernous room, but seemed somehow muffled compared to the sound of the spell just before it. The creatures, seemingly oblivious to their mistress's pain, continued to fight around them. Willow's form began to melt off of the creature. First her hair, then her face, then her body beneath the dress became a thick liquid that pooled around her as it came off. The creature underneath had been about the last thing Spike had expected to see under the Willow mask. It was a human woman.

She had chestnut brown hair and a long face. Her eyes were focused, even dangerous. And in that instant, Spike realized that he recognized those eyes. They were the eyes of the woman, Debbie, who had been part of the group that greeted Spike when he had been brought in to Willow's coven. Though it wasn't here face. As Spike watched, she looked with disbelief at her hands, then reached up to touch her own face.

She turned those dangerous eyes on Spike, and the vampire suddenly felt pressure all around him. It lifted him off the ground and forced the breath from his lungs. He didn't need it to survive, but without it he couldn't scream against the pain. The woman rose, hand outstretched toward Spike's hanging form, a look of pure, unadulterated hatred on her face. His vision blurred as he felt his ribs cracking, and he knew that if he had been human, he'd already be dead. Through his tears of agony, he thought he saw a form rising from the puddle around the woman's bare feet.

Willow watched the battle with apathetic detachment. She had seen dozens, perhaps hundreds, of people take on her captor in the last three hundred years. True, this strange group had been more successful than most, but it didn't change what would happen in the end. Amy Madison, using power that she had stolen from Willow, could call forth as many of the twisted servants as she wished. It didn't matter how hard this group fought, they couldn't keep it up forever. Amy could.

Sudden power radiated around the room. Waves of it hit the wall and bounced back, slamming into Willow's essence, rocking her from her stupor. There was a sudden piercing scream that sounded like music to Willow's spiritual ears. For the first time in more than three centuries, she could think. The fog lifted from her mind, allowing her to experience Amy's scream of pain and fury with perfect clarity.

She shifted her focus to the center of that power and she could see him. Her savior. Spike.

The vampire stood facing Amy in defiance. Willow could see her own power, her own being, had melted off of Amy. The power, glowing in a deep well around Amy's feet, called out to Willow. She embraced it, moving her consciousness into it. The feeling of the power, the life flowing into her was beautiful, like a deep breath on a crisp autumn morning, or the smell of fresh peach, or the warm touch of sunlight on the skin.

The power of mortal life rushed into her, filling every part of her with the glory of being. It gathered into her until she thought she might burst, and then it gathered still more. The power surrounded her, invading her, becoming one with her. It filled in the spaces that she didn't realize were empty. It formed around her, becoming her organs, he blood, her skin. Every part of the power touched every part of her.

After what seemed an entirely too short eternity, she opened her eyes. Amy stood, facing away from her. Spike floated, caught in the strings of Amy's spell. After a second, she remembered how to speak. Then she said the words that had been burning in her mind for over three centuries.

"Die, Bitch!"

A figure formed from the puddle of power at the woman's feet. As the liquid solidified, Spike thought he recognized it. It was the body of a slender woman. Her red hair framed a heart shaped face. Suddenly, a power rushed into the form. It came in a wave with beauty so profound, it would have taken Spike's breath if had any. The figure's eyes opened and shown with an intensity he wasn't familiar with, but it was one that he understood. It was the look of the desperate, the used, and the damned. It was the look of one who had lost everything, and thus was willing to do anything.

She opened her mouth and spoke in a voice filled with fury and vengeance, "Die, Bitch!"

The imposter turned and faced the other just as a bolt of power hit her. The force holding Spike cut off abruptly, dropping him to the ground. He focused on the naked woman now walking toward him. She smiled at Spike, kneeling down next to him.

"I really expected to never to see you again," she said, "If I'd have known it was me you were going to save, I might have been a little less cryptic."

Spike gasped in pain a few times before he found his voice. "Willow?" he asked, "Is it really you?"

Willow smiled, "At least it's not on top of Big Ben this time." She looked down at herself, blushed, and immediately covered herself as best she could. "Why am I naked?" she asked.

Spike stifled a laugh as he shrugged out of his coat. He threw it around her shoulders, buttoning it to allow the most modesty possible. Willow's eyes widened suddenly but before she could speak, something hit him in the back, knocking him into her with unearthly force. They tumbled to the ground. With some effort, Spike got back to his feet, leaving Willow tangled in his coat. The woman, still wearing the green dress, now stared at them in rage so absolute, bits of spittle flew as she breathed through clenched teeth. She raised a hand. Time slowed. Spike moved as fast as his supernatural muscles would allow. It seemed so slow. He could see the ripple of his shirt as his arms moved faster than any human, even a slayer, could move. The moats of power, glowing the same ugly green as the rest of this place, gathered bit by bit in her palm. He felt the impact of each step reverberate up through his legs as he ran. It wasn't fast enough. Before he could get more than four steps, a beam of sickly green light lanced out and hit him full in the chest.

The force brought him to a halt, but he noticed instantly that he couldn't feel any pain. There was a powerful force holding him at bay, but it didn't hurt him. At first, he worried that it had done something to him, cutting off his ability to feel the damage it was doing. But he looked down to see a small circle of white light blocking the beam. At the circle's center was the small vial that held the lock of Buffy's hair. Spike looked up and locked eyes with his assailant, a wicked grin growing on his face. Pushing against the force pressing him back, he began to take slow steps forward.

The woman raised her other hand, putting more power behind her spell. Spike's progress continued, slowed only the slightest bit. He put one foot deliberately in front of the other, closing the distance between them. In desperation, the woman dropped her beam to try another spell. Before a single syllable could escape her lips, Spike had a hand around her throat, cutting off her air.

The creature fell to her knees. All around them, the battle raged, but for Spike, all that existed was his prey. As he squeezed, he could hear her gasping, trying to beg, to plead for her miserable life. The sounds, the feeling of her struggling beneath his grasp excited him. His face slipped, bringing out his game face for the first time since the fight with Benjamin days ago. He brought her neck close to his mouth, his fangs. He took a deep breath, taking in her fear, her terror. The scent was exquisite. Too long, he had been denied this simple pleasure. The pleasure of taking. She was his.

"I have you exactly where I want you, Pet," Spike whispered, "To do with as I please. And there isn't a thing you can do about it."

The creature, the thing that had imprisoned Willow for who knew how long, tried to speak. Her words came out choked and unintelligible. Spike pulled her closer.

"Whats that, Pet?" he asked, "I can't hear you."

His hand loosened the slightest, allowing her to croak, "W-Willow."

Confused, Spike turned his head to see Willow, swaddled in his coat, sitting on the ground. She was gasping and holding her own throat as if in pain. In rage, Spike forced the the woman in his grip to the ground, hard. Willow's back suddenly arched and she fell back against the ground.

"What's wrong with her!" Spike screamed.

The woman smiled, "We're connected," she said through choking gasps, "Any pain that I feel, she feels. If I die, she dies."

The world collapsed inward onto Spike. Tara's words rushed into his mind. When you stop this evil that you are facing,she had said, you will have a choice to make. I'm begging you, Spike, choose to save Willow.

Another force of will hit Spike in the chest. It wasn't powerful, but it knocked him back a few steps, causing him to release the woman. She rose quickly, taking advantage of Spike's sudden indecision. From beneath the folds of her dress she produced a small dagger. Spike tensed, ready to fight, but she put it to her own throat.

"You let me walk out of here," she said, a wicked grin spreading on her face, "Or I cut my own throat, and you'll get to watch Willow choke on her own blood."

That knocked him back a step.

"You're bluffing," he finally said.

The woman shrugged, "Maybe, but you can't afford to take that chance."

This was the choice. This was the moment Tara had warned him about. If he let this woman go, Willow would live. If he tried to stop her, Willow might die. He was reasonably sure he could disarm her before she could do any real damage, but how long would it be before she succeeded in taking her own life, and in turn, Willow's.

He averted his eyes. "Fine," he said, through a growl, "Get out of here."

He heard the rustle of cloth as the woman ran. Turning, he took in the sight of Willow. She was just getting to her feet, still coughing from the phantom choke she had received. The battle still raged around them, but it had left them with a wide berth.

Willow finally caught her breath. She looked at the battle all around them, raised a hand to the ceiling, and shouted, "Daemones Vade!" And the creatures were suddenly gone. There was no flash of light or puff of smoke. They were simply there one second and gone the next.

Several of the Starfleet crew stumbled as there swings hit only air. Spike looked around, trying to account for all of the crew members. He could see Torik and Tuvok to one side, Vasquez and Meps to the other, Parsons in between them. He searched again and found Seigal kneeling over a crumpbled form. He ran over to the big man to Benjamin lying on the ground, struggling to breath. His limbs were twisted and Spike could see by the way his chest rose and fell that several of his ribs were broken.

Spike, moving on an instinct he didn't realize he had, touched his shirt where he had placed the comm badge he'd been issued.

"Spike to Enterprise," he said, "Can you hear me?"

"Enterprise here," he heard in response. It was that ruddy captian's voice, "What's your situation?"

"All clear," Spike answered, "But we've got at least one injured here."

"Aknowladged," Riker said, "Sickbay will be prepared. Standby."

A small gasp caught his attention and he looked over his shoulder to see Meps holding Willow in a death grip by the lapel of his coat. The woman had a serrated dagger at Willow's throat.

"Meps!" he barked, "What are you doing?"

"This is her," she said through clentched teeth, "This is the creature responsible for all of this."

"No," he said, more calmly then he expected, "It wasn't her. It was a creature taking her form. It stole her power. This is Willow. She's the one who sent me here. She's the reason we had a chance."

"He's right," someone said. Spike looked up and Vasquez was standing not far off, his rapier sheathed in what looked to be a very old, but very well cared for scabared.

The young man continued, "I saw what happened. Something melted off the creature that had us imprisoned. Underneath, she looked very different. Then that woman," he pointed at Willow, "formed from what came off. I'd wager that she was as much a prisoner as us."

The woman's expression changed from anger to uncertainty. She looked from Spike to Vasquez, then back to Willow. She slowly released her grip on Willow and stood, taking a few steps back. Sheathing her dagger, the Meps tunred away and continued walking. Spike rushed to Willow's side, helping her to her feet.

"I'm okay," she said before he could ask. She found her balance easily enough, then closed the coat around herself.

Spike looked over at Tuvok. The vulcan walking to the tank with the woman in it. He touched the comm badge on his chest.

"Tuvok to the Doctor," he said.

The Doctor programmed the medical replicator with the crewman's DNA. The machine would use it to create a new arm for the crewman, but certain things had to be manually controlled. Things like the crewman's age and relative physical condition.

"Doctor," Nurse Kwon called from behind him, "Bridge reports we have wounded coming in from the space station."

"Does it say how many?" he asked, not looking up from his work.

"At least one, possibly two," she answered.

"Tuvok to the Doctor," the comm chirped.

The Doctor paused in his calculations, wondering why Tuvok was calling him specifically.

He touched his badge and answered, "Doctor here."

"I believe I have found Seven of Nine," came the reply, "She appears to be alive. She is in what appears to be a stasis chamber."

"I'll be right there," the Doctor said, grabbing his mobil emittor and practically running out of sickbay.

Less than ten minutes later, the Doctor stood in a large chamber on board the space station. Most of the other crew had already transported over to the Enterprise. Only Tuvok, Spike, Meps, and a human woman the Doctor didn't know remained.

The Doctor stared at the tube that a very naked Seven of Nine stood motionless within. The wires leading to her implants were what worried him the most. They could be some kind of life support system. His tricorder told him that she was alive, but not much else.

"Enterprise to the Doctor," came Riker's voice over the comm.

The Doctor touched his badge, "Doctor here."

"What have you learned about Annika Hanson's situation?" Riker asked, "Can you retrieve her?"

The Doctor hesitated, "I don't know, Captain. I'm familier with Borg technology, but this is unlike anything I have ever seen before. I'd like more time to study it before we move her."

"Can we just take the whole thing?" Riker asked.

The Doctor considered for a moment, checking his tricorder again. Finally he said, "I don't think so. It seems to be too extensivly integrated into the space station's systems."

"Alright Doctor," Riker responded, "We have to stay until a Federation survey team arrives, so we have a little time. Keep me informed."

"Aye, Sir," the Doctor responed soberly, "Doctor out."

"What about Benjamin?" Spike asked from behind him.

"He'll live," he answered, "Lieutenant Kwon has him stablized. His recovery will be ... painful. But he will recover. To be perfectly honest, I'm more worried about Seven. I have no idea what her sondition is, or how to get her out of this thing without killing her."

The woman the Doctor didn't recognize stepped forward, "I think I can help. This entire place was constructed with powert that was stolen from me. It should respond to me."

She put a hand at the base of the tank. The wires connecting Seven's implants to the top came loose and retracted. The liqued began slowly drianing from the tank. Seven of Nine, clearly unconcious, slumped against the tank's glass. As the glass dissolved, the Doctor was ready and caught Seven as she fell forward. Adjusting her weight in his arms, he tapped his badge. "Doctor to Enterprise. Two to beam directly to sickbay."

Willow watched as the two people dissovled. Spike turned to look at her.

"Well, what now, Love?" he asked.