A/N: Thanks for all the reviews for the previous chapter. This chapter is my take on the 'Villains' episode for BtVS. I suspect some people may not like the outcome in this chapter (please remember it is just an A.U story) but I still hope you guys enjoy it and please review. Now I shall go and put on my Ancient Personal Force Field.
Episode reference: Villains (BtVS: S06xe20) and Avatar (SG1: S08xe06)
Willow's Apartment, One week after Tegalus Incident
"Hey Dawn!" shouted Faith, "are you ready to go?"
"Yeeeesh" said Dawn as she held her palms against her ears, "I'm not going deaf you know, and yes I'm ready"
"Cool" said Faith with a smile, "Let's get out of here"
"Where's Willow?" asked Dawn
"She's at Cheyenne Mountain" replied Faith
"So I take she backed out of going at the last minute huh?" asked Dawn with her arms folded around her chest, "afraid to face Tara?"
"Nope" said Faith, "and stop that will you"
"If she's going, then where is she?" asked Dawn, "I haven't seen her pack anything the entire week"
Faith then picked up a small black carry-on bag and showed it to Dawn.
"This is it" said Faith
"What?" asked Dawn, "That?"
"It's her to-go bag" said Faith, "she asked me to bring this with us"
"OK" replied Dawn, "So we're picking her up from work?"
"She'll be meeting us at the airport" said Faith, "despite what you may think about her, she's actually excited to see what the BPRI has done in Sunnydale. She and Paul will be going through everything with Angel and Cordelia, while I'm helping to train the Potentials for a week"
"Paul?" asked Dawn
"Major Davis" said Faith as she closed and locked the door behind her, "the guy from the Pentagon"
"Oh" said Dawn, "that guy"
"Yeah" said Faith, "That guy"
"He's kinda hot" said Dawn with a smirk.
"Ok" said Faith, "I'll let Red know"
"Don't you dare" said Dawn
"Come on" said Faith laughing as she got into the car with Dawn.
After a two hour drive to the airport, Faith parked the car in the long term parking zone and walked over to the main terminal with an excited Dawn.
"How do you think Tara's doing?" she asked.
"I got no clue kiddo" said Faith as she looked at the younger Brunette, "you miss her don't you?"
"Yep" smiled Dawn, "after mom died, she's the one who looked after all of us. Willow can never replace mom or her. Heck, she's not even good enough to replace Buffy"
"Red doesn't want to replace anyone of them" said Faith, "she's just trying her best to make sure you have a chance out there in the real world. You know very well that everyone, and that includes Tara, Buffy and even Xander, had kept you protected from the outside world. Red's just trying to make you see that not everything is black and white"
"Do I feel bad about some of the things I said to her? Maybe" said Dawn, "but I'm not going to apologize for it. I think she deserves most of it. Anyway, I'll be going back to Sunnydale permanently after Buffy's done with her sentence. I'll even try going to Sunnydale more often once Xander is released in six months"
"Red may not tell you any of this, ever" said Faith, "but if you leave just like that, you're going to hurt her very deeply"
"I won't hurt her" said Dawn smirking, "I'll actually say good-bye"
Faith sighed as she and Dawn walked into the terminal. Upon entering, they saw Willow standing near the entrance with a black coat bag containing her Dress Blues.
"Hey" said Faith as she handed Willow her to-go bag, "let me guess? The flight's delayed?"
"Nope" said Willow smiling, "for the first time ever, it's actually on time"
"Nice" said Faith.
"Hi Dawnie" said Willow, "ready for the trip?"
"Yea" said Dawn, "really excited about meeting Tara. It's been a long time since I've seen her"
"I bet" thought Willow to herself.
Faith: "So how's that virtual reality training simulator for the new SGC recruits?"
Willow: "Not bad. Teal'c has dibs on it though. I just finished helping Colonel Carter work out the kinks for the test tomorrow"
Faith: "He put dibs on being the first to try it?"
Willow: "Yea, all of us stared at him when he said 'O'Neil, it is I who shall be placing dibs on this device'"
Faith: "I wish I was there"
Willow: "Thanks for helping pack"
Faith: "No problem Red"
"Excited about your training sessions?" asked Willow.
"Yeah" said Faith, "Can't wait to see if Kennedy's improved any, I want to spar with that cocky chick first"
"Well" said Willow laughing, "Looks like you'll be getting your chance. Wait a sec, isn't she the one you wanted to introduce me to?"
"Maybe" said Faith smiling, "But not anymore"
Willow smiled as the three young women checked in before walking over to their gates. Before long, they had boarded their flight which was going to Sunnydale via Los Angeles.
Magic Box, Alternate Reality
After Willow left her room with her hands and shirt covered in Tara's blood, she walked down to the foyer only to blankly see Xander watching paramedics put Buffy into an ambulance. She had already invoked Osiris' name to bring back Tara, but due to her death being one that was natural and caused by humans, and thus the laws of natural passing could not be violated; there was nothing that could be done. In her rage, Willow use magical energy to cast Osiris out of her room in a flash of lightning.
"Willow" said Xander after looking at the blood on her hands and shirt, "Oh God, are you alright?"
"How did this happen?" asked Willow quietly
"It was Warren" said Xander, "He had a gun, I tried to stop him"
However he could only look on as Willow simply walked away at a fast pace.
"Willow!" shouted Xander as he started to follow her before the paramedics called out to him.
"Sir" the paramedic said, "we need to go now, are you coming with us?"
Xander looked on as Willow walked away before he made his decision and turned to the ambulance, which then sped off to Sunnydale Memorial.
It took some time, but Willow eventually reached the Magic Box.
As she walked in, most of the ceiling fixtures exploded due to the magical power that was radiating out of the enraged red head.
Willow turned towards Anya who was standing behind the counter, her face reflecting something akin to fear. Anya was aware that something had gone horribly wrong as Xander had already called her about the attempt on Buffy's life by Warren.
"Willow" said Anya as she headed to the front of the counter
"Where do you keep the books of the dark arts" asked Willow as she looked at Anya
"Willow" said Anya, "I know something horrible has happened, but you don't have to…"
Anya was interrupted by Willow as she stared at the bookshelves on the loft, "I need power"
"Not with those books Willow" said Anya as she came out from behind the counter, "I can't let you"
Before Anya could finish what she wanted to say, Willow put up her hand and shot purple coloured bolts of magical energy towards Anya, paralysing her.
Now paralysed, all Anya could do was look on in alarm as Willow gestured with her head and all the books on the loft shelves simply flew towards her land landed in a heap on the table next to the book stacks on the main floor.
Willow walked towards the heap of books as she looked down at the tiny writing before she slowly plunged her hands into the pages, melding her fingers into the books themselves. Anya could only look on in shock as the writing slowly moved up Willow's arms, chest and face. Eventually she had absorbed all the writing in all of the books and as she looked up at Anya, her eyes and hair were all black.
Willow then lifted her hands out of the books which were now all blank and looked at Anya as she walked towards her, "Now that's better"
"Can't speak?" said Willow calmly as she looked at Anya, "it won't be too long, and it should wear off soon. Anyway, I gotta go. I have a couple of errands I need to run"
Willow then walked towards the Magic Box entrance while Anya was still paralysed looking at the heap of books on the table. As she headed towards the entrance, Willow passed the Geode Quantum Mirror that SG1's Willow had come through months ago and took a quick glance at it. She noticed that some of the crystals were already glowing. Willow smiled to herself as she knew that there were two people who were responsible for Tara's death. She knew that no matter what happened, the both of them would pay the price for what they had done to her life. They were both responsible, one had shot the love of her life and the other had created the situation that caused Tara's death.
"Warren" thought Willow to herself as she stared at the Quantum Mirror, "You're first and then, I take care of the one who caused all my pain. After she's gone, I'll get my Tara back. No matter what happens, I'll get my Tara back."
Sunnydale City Airport, four hours later, 1230 hours (Prime Reality)
"Ah good ol' Sunnydale" said Dawn as she walked out of the gate followed by Willow and Faith
"Come on" said Willow as she motioned to the counters near the baggage claim area, "I've got to get my rental"
As the three young women were heading towards the rental car counters, Dawn and Faith saw someone that they recognized.
"Kennedy!" said Dawn as she ran up to the Potential and gave her a tight hug.
"Hey squirt" said Kennedy as she whispered into her ear, "How are you?"
Dawn nodded her head at Kennedy as she slowly stepped back from the hug.
"Faith" said Kennedy as she looked at the Slayer
"Kennedy" said Faith as she nodded her head.
"You guys ready to go?" asked Willow just as she returned from picking up the keys to her rental car and saw Faith and Dawn talking with someone she didn't recognize.
"Willow Rosenberg" said Faith, "meet Kennedy, one of the Potential Slayers"
"Wait" said Kennedy with her eyes wide open as she glanced at Dawn, "That Willow Rosenberg? The one who brought down the Slayer Council and got Buffy and the others arrested?"
"The one and the same" smirked Dawn.
"Hi" said Willow as she held out her hand.
Kennedy suddenly turned to face Dawn and Faith, without shaking Willow's hand, "hey guess what, Rona and Vi are waiting outside in the car for you guys. They were kinda excited when Cordelia and Angel announced that you and Faith were coming"
"And I wasn't expected?" asked Willow as she stared at Kennedy.
"They just mentioned a Captain Rosenberg and a Major Davis were coming" said Kennedy as she turned to look at Willow, "had no idea the Captain Rosenberg was going to be you though"
"How about we go?" said Faith as she held Willow's hand and walked towards the section where they would pick up the rental car.
"Faith" said Kennedy as she grabbed her other arm and pulled her the other direction, "why don't you travel with us? I mean Rona and Vi missed you too you know, they wanted to catch up with you on the latest news and gossip"
"I can meet you and the others at the BPRI with Red" said Faith.
"Come on Faith" said Dawn as she ran towards Kennedy's car.
Willow looked on as two other girls got out of the car and ran over to Dawn excitedly before giving her a tight hug. She looked on at Dawn as she talked excitedly among the three of them.
Faith: "You alright Red?"
Willow looked at Faith and gave a smile that was tinged with sadness.
Willow: "Yea"
Faith turned around and looked at the smile on Dawn's face and knew exactly what was wrong, why Willow suddenly got upset and squeezed her hand even tighter.
Faith: "Give her more time Red"
Willow simply nodded as she walked towards the two unfamiliar girls just as Kennedy stepped between Willow and them.
"Sorry Captain" said Kennedy, "afraid my car is already maxed out with these three and Faith"
"What makes you think I'm coming with you? I'm just going there to tell Dawn I'll see her later" asked Willow confused, "and seriously speaking, I don't even know you. What's your problem with me?"
"You know, I may not have been Buffy's best friend but I did respect her and what she tried to do" said Kennedy, "you'll find that the same thing is true among all of the other Potentials here"
"I see" said Willow as she folded her arms across her chest, "and your point is?"
"We really don't like traitors" said Kennedy, "You betrayed your friends…"
"Kennedy!" said Faith as she interrupted the Potential by stepping in between her and Willow.
"Come on Faith" said Kennedy as she gripped her arm and pulled her towards the others, "Captain America here can drive her own car to the BPRI"
"Damn it" said Faith as she pulled her arm back from Kennedy's grip before Willow stepped forward and put her hand on Faith's shoulder.
"We're at an airport Faith" said Willow as she put her hand on Faith's shoulder, "no need to make a scene anymore than we already have"
Faith looked around her and noticed people looking at the small group of young women.
"You should go with them" said Willow, "I've got the address and a GPS"
"Faith!" shouted Dawn who was sitting in the front passenger seat, "come on, let's go"
"I'll see you there Faith" said Willow as she kissed the slayer on her check before turning around and walking towards her rental car with her bags hanging on her shoulder.
"Come on Faith" said Kennedy as she dragged Faith to her car. Faith was dragged backwards as she looked at Willow walking away towards her rental car.
"Hi Faith" said Rona and Vi as they moved further inside the car to give the Slayer space to take a seat beside them.
"Listen guys" said Faith, "I'll go with Willow and meet you there alright"
"Awww, come on Faith" said Dawn pouting, "It's been a long time since all five of us were together"
"Yea" said Kennedy as she looked at Willow get into her rental car, "we've been together longer as a team than you've been with her"
"Dawn?" said Faith as she looked at her housemate
"Come on Faith" said Dawn as she turned around to face Faith excitedly, "we're together again, why spoil it by adding her into the mix and anyway, she just left. Let's make it a race back to the BPRI, what do you say?"
"I'm game" said Kennedy as she looked excitedly at Faith and the others in the car.
"Let's do it" said Rona excitedly.
"Get in Faith" said Kennedy, "if we don't leave now, she'll have to much of a head start on us"
"Let's go" said Faith sighing as she got into the car to cheers from all the girls.
As Kennedy pulled out from the sidewalk, Faith could only imagine the hurt that Willow was feeling at the moment.
Bureau of Paranormal Research and Investigation HQ, Sunnydale (Prime Reality)
It took Willow and the others just under two hours to reach the BPRI headquarters due to the heavy traffic. Willow recalled how Kennedy had wanted to race to the BPRI, and that Willow's refusal to race meant that she was called a coward by the Potential Slayer before she put down the accelerator and sped off.
Faith: "I'm sorry Red"
Willow: "It's alright. See if you can slow them down. Looks like traffic is starting to get heavy"
Eventually, the other car did slow down into a crawl due to a traffic jam caused by an accident on the highway. But once they were clear, Kennedy sped off once again.
Willow didn't know what hurt more, the fact that Kennedy was childish enough to think that Willow could be taunted into a race to their destination; or that Dawn had been laughing hysterically when Kennedy called her a coward.
Once Willow reached the headquarters, she was visibly impressed with the building and the surrounding area. It looked very different than the Slayer Council building. She looked at the three story structure that was located within a secured and gated location with high walls.
"Ah, NID funding at its best" thought Willow to herself as she parked her car and got out.
"Hey Red" said Faith who ran towards her from inside the building.
"Hey" said Willow smiling, "the place looks nice, doesn't it?"
"Yea" replied Faith before she stepped in front of Willow, "about before, they really didn't mean that"
"Yes, they did Faith" said Willow, "do you think I'm a coward?"
"Are you kidding me?" replied Faith, "You could be a Slayer"
"Thanks" said Willow laughing, "how about we go inside?"
"Let's" said Faith as she placed her hand on the small of Willow's back.
Once Willow entered the building, she looked around impressed at the scale of the BPRI's operations. There were NID trained guards at most of the entry and exit points, she could also sense that there were more on the roof. The Potentials also were involved in guarded the perimeter of the premises along with the guards from the NID.
"Captain Rosenberg" said Agent Reed as he ran down the stairs from the second floor, "it's a pleasure to have you back in Sunnydale"
"Agent Reed" said Willow as she nodded at the NID man.
"Hello again, Miss Lehane.. Miss Summers" said Agent Reed as he turned towards both Faith and Dawn.
"Hey" said Faith as she simply nodded at the man.
"Nice to meet you again" said Dawn as she shook his hand.
"Well, come on" said Agent Reed excitedly, "off to see Mr. Angel and Miss Chase"
"Oh Kennedy" said Agent Reed as he quickly turned to face her, "Can you confirm that our three guests have rooms available?"
"Umm… Andy" said Kennedy as she looked on a list of names before looking at Agent Reed, "I'm afraid we don't have a room for Captain Rosenberg"
"Why am I not surprised?" thought Willow to herself.
"Let me see that" said Agent Reed as he grabbed the name list from Kennedy and then pointed to a blank slot in the list, "how about this? It's empty"
"Oh sorry" said Kennedy as she looked at the date on the paper, "that room list is the old one, we've got a new potential from Japan coming in later today, and that room has been assigned for her"
"How about Miss Lehane and Miss Summers?" asked Agent Reed afraid that their rooms had also been reassigned.
"Yeah" said Kennedy, "they still have their assigned rooms"
Faith and Dawn looked at each other as Agent Reed and Kennedy were having a discussion on what would be Willow's living arrangements.
"Well, this is awkward" said Dawn.
"I know" said Faith as she looked at an increasingly uncomfortable Willow before she stepped forward, "Kennedy, how about Red stay with me and Dawn?"
"Can't do that" said Kennedy, "it's a room occupancy issue"
"What?" said Faith incredulously.
"I'm sorry" said Agent Reed as he looked apologetically at Willow, "I'm afraid she's right"
"No choice then" said Willow, "I'll stay at my parent's house"
"Actually" said Kennedy, "seems like your parents rented out your old house to us, it's now home to some of our staff"
"Wait? What?" said both Faith and Willow.
"I guess they must have forgotten to tell you" said Kennedy as she smirked, "but don't worry, all of your stuff has been put into storage"
"Please excuse me" said Willow as she walked out of the building and took a deep breath before reaching for her secure phone.
"You knew about this, didn't you?" said Faith angrily as she looked at both Agent Reed and Kennedy.
"Miss Lehane" said Agent Reed with his hands up, "I swear I had no idea, all room assignments are handled by Kennedy"
"Kennedy?" said Faith as she looked at the Potential Slayer.
"I just found out thirty minutes before she arrived" said Kennedy innocently.
"Sure you did" replied Faith as she looked at Dawn was smiling to herself.
Just then Willow walked back into the building and met with Faith and the others.
"Anything?" asked Faith as she looked at Willow.
"I just called Walter" said Willow, "asked him to find me a hotel room"
"Ah" said Faith
"Sorry about this Captain" said Agent Reed
"I need a place to change into my uniform before I go upstairs" said Willow as she looked at Agent Reed, "is there any place that's free, or do I have to make an advanced booking?"
"Umm… this way Captain" said Agent Reed as he took her to a darkened office on the first floor, "Please, use my office to change into your uniform"
"Thanks" said Willow as she shut the door to the office.
Agent Reed then walked over to Kennedy, "May I talk to you outside? Now"
"Yeah" said Kennedy with a smile, "Sure"
Once they were outside Agent Reed laid it into Kennedy, "What the hell was that?"
"What?" asked Kennedy innocently.
"There's no Potential from Japan coming is there?" asked Agent Reed.
"There is" said Kennedy, "next week"
"Apologize to her and tell her you were mistaken" said Agent Reed, "then give her that room"
"No" replied Kennedy.
"I don't really care if you're the senior Potential here, Kennedy" said Agent Reed, "the Air Force is helping us with our logistical needs so that we could go anywhere in the country to battle supernatural threats so show some respect to her. Oh, and by the way, you just lied your teeth off to a psychic"
"I do show respect to Air Force personnel, just not to her" said Kennedy, "and she's not a psychic"
"She is" replied Agent Reed, "and she has enough pull to get you into trouble with Angel and Cordelia"
"She wouldn't do that" said Kennedy non-chalantly just as they saw Willow walking out smiling from Agent Reed's office in her Dress Blues.
"Let's go back in" said Agent Reed as he stared at Kennedy, "and apologize to her"
"No" said Kennedy softly.
"Agent Reed" said Willow as she nodded at him.
"I take it you have good news Captain?" he asked.
"Yep" said Willow, "got a room at a hotel downtown, so really can't complain much"
"That's great" said Faith.
"Yep" said Willow smiling.
"Captain" said Agent Reed as he started to walk up the stairs, "shall we?"
"We shall" said Willow as she walked beside Agent Reed with Dawn and Faith right behind them. They were walking for quite some time until they reached a closed office door on which Agent Reed promptly knocked.
"Come" said a very familiar female voice.
Agent Reed walked into the room followed by Willow and the others. She had looked around and noticed Major Davis sitting on a couch in his Dress Blues as well.
"Cordelia" said Willow as she nodded at her high school friend who also happened to slap her in D.C, Willow had already been mentally prepared for another one.
"Willow" said Cordelia as she rounded the table and held her hand out, "Welcome to the BPRI"
"Thanks" said Willow slightly surprised, as she took her hand and shook it, "nice place you got here"
"I know right" smiled Cordelia.
"Willow" said Angel as he gave the red head a tight hug.
"Hi Angel" replied Willow as she returned the hug and whispered into his ear, "I'm sorry, about what I did before. To you"
"You defended yourself" whispered Angel as he stepped back and stood next to Cordelia.
"Major Davis, Sir" said Willow as she saluted her superior officer.
"Captain" said the Major as he returned the salute, "had a nice flight?"
"Oh yea" said Willow smiling.
"Dawn… Faith" said Angel as he hugged both of the girls.
"Dawnie?" said a quiet voice from behind the new arrivals.
Dawn turned around grinning as she quickly ran into the arms of Tara and hugged her tightly.
"Dawnie" said Tara as she returned the hug, "How are you?"
"I've missed you so much" whispered Dawn into Tara's ear as tears of happiness started to fall from her eyes.
"I love you Dawnie" said Tara as she tightened her hug on the younger girl.
Willow could only look on at Tara and Dawn as she wished that her relationship with the younger Summers sister could be as similar.
"You look great" said Tara as she stepped back
"Red here kept her well fed" said Faith as she looked at Willow.
"Willow" said Tara as she looked up at Willow from, "Thank you"
Willow nodded her head and then walked up to Major Davis, who happened to be talking to Faith, Angel and Cordelia.
"Willow" said Angel, "While the others are going for the grand tour, mind if I talk to you? In private?"
"Sure" said Willow as the others led by Cordelia and Agent Reed went for the tour of the facilities.
"Thank you" said Angel as he stood beside Willow who was staring out at the city through Cordelia's office widows.
"For?" asked Willow
"What you did for the others" said Angel, "Agent Barret told us"
"Ah" said Willow as she shrugged her shoulders.
"He also said that you helped to put my name on the approved visitors list for Buffy" said Angel, "special exemption to visit her at night"
"Xander's on that list too" said Willow, "At least after he gets out in six months"
"He'll be working here as well" said Angel, "he'll be coordinating training sessions with instructors from the Air Force and Marines; and deployments of the Potential Slayers with Wesley"
"I see" said Willow as she looked out the window.
"Are you ok?" asked Angel.
"What do you mean?" asked Willow.
"Don't take this the wrong way" said Angel as he turned to face Willow, "but your scent is different"
"Its kinda rude to tell a girl that, don't you think?" said Willow smiling as she looked at Angel
"Willow" said Angel as he looked at Willow with concern.
"I'm alright Angel" said Willow, "I had a terrible lab accident that almost killed me, but I recovered"
"Willow" said Angel softly, "that's the worst cover story I've ever heard"
"The almost killed me part is true" said Willow as she looked at Angel.
"Classified?" asked Angel smiling.
"Yep" said Willow as she looked at Angel, "I know you and Cordelia have clearance but this is more of a need to know kinda thing"
"And we don't need to know" said Angel as he nodded in understanding.
"I wish Buffy was that understanding" said Willow, "I really do."
"Willow" said Angel as he put his hands on her shoulder, "I've known you almost as long as I've known Buffy, Xander and Giles. So you can tell me the truth, are you really alright?"
"Trust me Angel, I'm fine. After a very long time, I'm finally fine" smiled Willow, "I have a fantastic life."
"In that case" said Angel as he hugged the red head again, "I'm really, really glad."
"Thanks" replied Willow before she stepped back, "so wanna show me around this place?"
"Sure, come on" said Angel as he walked beside Willow out the door, "so, you and Faith huh?"
"Damn enhanced senses" said Willow laughing as the two friends walked down the hallway.
Unknown Woods, Sunnydale, Alternate Reality
Warren had found himself on the run from Willow, a very angry, a very rage filled Willow. A few hours ago, he was warned by the dark magic dealer, Rack, that Willow would be coming after him because of the life he took; Tara's life. Rack told Warren that Willow was running on pure fury now and that Warren would be punished for his actions. So Warren begged, begged Rack to help him with anything and everything that could protect him from the rage filled witch who was coming after him.
As he ran through the trees, Warren had tried everything to stop her including an axe to her back, a flying bomb, and lastly some restrictive goo that slowly covered her whole body. And Warren still ran and ran, never noticing that Willow had magically melted the goo off her body.
Still standing where she was, Willow said just one simple word, "Irretite"
Within a few seconds, the vines from several nearby trees wrapped around his wrists and legs. Now trapped, he was spread eagled between two trees as he waited for the one he had angered.
Willow then walked around a tree and smiled at him. Looking at the spread eagled Warren; she felt a feeling of accomplishment.
Hours earlier, the same day
Earlier in the day, Willow had gone to the hospital and saved Buffy's life by taking the bullet out of her and healing her wound. She then convinced them to take Xander's car and go after Warren, she could sense where he was going; he was escaping. After driving for some time, Willow sensed that they were getting close and immediately took control of the car magically; making it head towards the stretch of highway that the bus Warren was travelling on would pass by. All the while Buffy and Xander were trying to convince her that using magic wasn't the way to go.
"But you didn't lose what I lost" she thought to herself angrily
After finally finding Warren, or at least the bus he was on, Willow walked out of the car and stepped onto the highway waiting for the bus. As Buffy and Xander went after Willow, she shot out the same black-purple magical bolts that she shot Anya with, immobilizing them.
She then stood in front of the incoming bus as the driver slammed on the brakes and screeched to a halt just in front of her. Willow then calmly walked over to the now open door and said, "Get out". The passengers looked on as a terrified Warren got up from his seat and walked out of the bus.
Buffy and Xander looked on helplessly as Willow grabbed Warren by the neck and squeezed hard. But instead of the crack of bones, there was the sound of machinery getting broken as Willow realized that the 'Warren' in front of her is just a robot.
It was then that Willow became even more determined to catch up to Warren, but Buffy tried to stop her after watching what Willow did to the robot version of Warren. It was at that time when Buffy and Xander tried to convince her that killing was not the way; it was then that she told her two friends that Tara was dead and that Warren was one of the people responsible. After a few minutes of arguing on the morality of murdering a murderer, Willow flung her friends onto the side of the road before disappearing.
"Buff" said Xander, "Oh God, Tara…."
"I know" replied Buffy quietly, "We need to stop Willow"
"Where did she…..?" asked Xander as he already realized the answer.
"The Magic Box" said Buffy and Xander together as they head back to his car.
"No" said Buffy as she remembered Dawn would be coming home soon, "Tara"
"Home?" asked Xander as he got into the car
"Go!" said Buffy as he drove away.
Unknown Woods, Sunnydale, Alternate Reality
Back in the forest, Willow finally had Warren where she wanted him.
"Cute tricks" said Willow as she approached Warren
"It wasn't personal" said Warren
"Oh I see" said Willow sarcastically, "so instead of killing my best friend, you killed my girlfriend?"
"It wasn't personal" said Warren loudly, "Look, I wasn't aiming for you or your girlfriend. I wanted to find that other version of you and kill her. Your girlfriend was just an accident"
"I see" said Willow calmly
"Damn it" said Warren, "You know what, you're just asking for it now"
"I'm asking for it?" asked Willow incredulously
"You're one of the good guys, which means that I'll be walking away from this" said Warren smugly, "and when I do, you'll be begging me to join your little girlfriend"
Willow slowly and silently walked ever closer to Warren, just like a predator that just caught its prey. She walked closer and closer until she was just a few inches away from him. She looked behind her slightly as she sensed Buffy, Xander and Anya coming after her, they wanted to try stopping her from killing one of the people responsible. She then turned back and looked at Warren calmly; she knew that once Warren paid for his role in Tara's murder, her friends would do everything to stop her. They'd never guess that she'd be going back to the Quantum Mirror in the Magic Box, instead Willow's betting that they go and protect Jonathan and the other one.
"Stop looking at me like that" shouted Warren, "Help!"
"Shhhhhh" said Willow as she held her hand out with her palm facing up, next to Warren's chest.
"Wh… what are you doing?" asked Warren as Willow materialized the bullet that Warren had shot into Buffy and waving her other free hand, she ripped open Warren's shirt.
"I… I'm sorry ok" said Warren as he begged for his life, "Please, I'm sorry"
"Do you really know what a bullet feels like Warren? You know, as it goes slowly through your body?" said Willow as she pushed the bullet slowly through Warren's chest, "it's nothing like in the movies or comic books"
Willow looked on as Warren closed his eyes in pain and started to whimper.
"So" said Willow as she walked closer to Warren, "can you feel it? The metal pushing through your body. It's going to go through your spine soon and destroy your nervous system."
"So, can you feel it Warren?" repeated Willow
"You… you're not a bad person" said Warren hoping to get through to her by trying every desperate tactic he could think of through the pain, "You…. You don't want to do this…. You're not like me"
Just then, both Willow and Warren could hear Buffy and the others walking closer and closer to their location. Willow could sense that they were only a few hundred meters away as she looked back into the woods before turning to face Warren who seemed to have a small smile on his lips now.
"When you get caught, you'll lose them too" said Warren while panting from the intense pain, "I know you're in pain but…."
Warren never got to finish his sentence.
"Bored now" she said as she makes a gesture with her hand just as Buffy and the others come into view of Warren and Willow. They bore witness to Warren's skin tearing off his body in one single and clean piece.
Buffy, Xander and Anya looked on horrified as Warren's skinless body sagged lifelessly against the vines still holding him in place as Willow simply looked on.
"My God Willow" said Buffy horrified, "What did you do? What did you do?"
Willow then turned around and looked at her friends as she magically burned the body, leaving no trace of it. Willow kept on looking at the three people staring at her knowing that she had already crossed a line, and she liked it. There was one more person she'd be going after now. But if she was as powerful as her, she needed a power boost before activating the Quantum Mirror and destroying her counterpart for her part in Tara's death.
"One down" said Willow calmly to her friends as they came running towards her. Even before they could reach her, Willow had disappeared herself from the woods to just outside Rack's hidden place ten minutes later. She was going to take every bit of magic that the black magic dealer had for herself, even if she had to kill him to get it. Nothing was going to keep her away from revenge on her counterpart; all she could think of as she stepped through the hidden barrier was that if her counterpart hadn't come, then the so called Trio wouldn't have been jailed, leading to Warren's escape from the Sunnydale jail, which in turn led to Tara's death.
"Ultimately" thought Willow to herself, "she's the cause of my grief. Warren may have caused her death, but she was the one who made it happen. She'll die, and I'll bring Tara from that reality back here, we'll be together again. Always together. My love"
Bureau of Paranormal Research and Investigation HQ, Sunnydale, 1400 hours (Prime Reality)
"Not bad Angel" said Willow, "you guys have a lot of neat stuff."
"The NID's been pretty helpful" said Angel as he showed Willow the shooting ranges and the armoury in one of the sub levels of the BPRI.
Just then, the tour group which was now led by Kennedy and Agent Reed came down to the armoury and the firing range.
"Andy….. Kennedy" said Angel.
"Major Davis Sir" said Willow.
"Captain" replied the Major, "How's it going?"
"Not bad sir" said Willow, "we just got here ourselves"
"Hey Captain" said Kennedy mockingly, "how's your shooting?"
"It's ok" said Willow, "Why?"
"Come on" said Kennedy, "I challenge you, an Air Force officer against little old me, a Potential Slayer; you know, a nobody"
"Kennedy" said Faith and Angel.
"What?" said Kennedy, "if she can shoot, then what's the problem?"
"Are you qualified to shoot these weapons?" asked Major Davis.
"Oh yea" said Kennedy as she smiled at Dawn.
"Kennedy's the best when it comes to shooting" said Dawn, "both the projectile weapons and the traditional weapons"
"Sir?" said Willow as she looked over at Major Davis.
"Up to you Captain" said the Major, "if you think you can do it, then make the Air Force proud"
"Alright Sir" said Willow as she stepped up to Kennedy, "You know, I really don't know what problem you have with me. But if you want your ass kicked, then I'll gladly do it"
"You're the guest here" said Kennedy smiling, "take your pick"
"Alright" said Willow, "Nine millimetre, disassembled, two clips; loser buys lunch for the whole group"
"I'll take that bet" said Kennedy as she went to get the weapons from the armoury with Tara following close behind her.
"Kennedy" said Tara as she held her arm, "why are you antagonizing her?"
"She put you in jail" said Kennedy as she gently rubbed Tara's cheek
"After what I did, I deserved it" said Tara, "she helped us get extremely light sentences and now, you and Dawn are treating her like some sort of pariah"
"It's her own fault" said Kennedy as she kissed Tara's cheek, "just watch me as I beat her ass"
Kennedy then walked back to the firing range with the two weapons and four clips of ammo.
"Major" said Willow as she handed her weapon to her superior officer, "if you'd do the honours?"
Willow looked on as Kennedy handed her weapon to Agent Reed to disassemble it.
While Major Davis disassembled her weapon, Willow walked over to Faith and handed her Dress Blues to her for safe keeping.
"Red" said Faith, "you really don't need to do this. You don't need to prove anything to anyone"
"I know" said Willow, "but that girl rubs me the wrong way, she needs to be taken down a peg or two"
Willow and Faith then noticed Tara heading towards them.
"Willow" said Tara, "I… I'm sorry about Kennedy. Usually she's not like this"
"It's alright Tara" said Willow.
"And I'm sorry about how Dawn's been acting with you" said Tara.
"It'll take time" said Willow, "do I wish she can forgive me overnight? Yes, but I know that's not going to happen"
"Thanks for looking after her" said Tara, "have you met with Buffy or Xander yet?"
"No" admitted Willow, "not yet"
"I see" said Tara, "maybe you should visit Xander while you're here?"
"Maybe I will" said Willow.
"Captain" said Major Davis, "we're ready"
"Yea" said Kennedy, "are you chickening out now?"
"Sorry" said Tara.
"Faith" said Willow as she took off her white uniform underneath her Dress Blues leaving Willow in only her regulation dress skirt and black short sleeved undershirt, "can you hold my uniform, don't really want to explain to the General why I've got gunshot residue on my white uniform"
"Have I ever told you I love you with guns?" whispered Faith with a smile.
"Yep" said Willow with a grin as she stepped up to her booth and put on the safety goggles and earplugs.
It took under three minutes for Willow to reassemble the gun, unload both the clips and get maximum points from her target at the end of the range. Once she was done, Willow put down the gun and looked at Kennedy just as she finished her last clip. After Agent Reed and Major Davis tallied up the points, they declared Willow the winner by only three points.
"Not bad" said Willow as she looked at Kennedy who didn't look happy, and demanded that a recount be done.
"We did it twice Kennedy" said Agent Reed, "you owe us lunch"
"Damn it" said Kennedy as Willow approached her, "what?!"
"That was good" said Willow as she leaned to whisper into Kennedy's ear, "I was trained by some of the best people in the Air Force and the Marines, don't ever challenge me to anything like this again or else I'll kick your ass from this planet to the moon. Understood?"
Kennedy could only glare at Willow as she smiled and turned around to head back to a grinning Faith.
"Nice" said Faith as she handed Willow her uniform which she put on before putting on her Dress blues
"Wanna go to the coffee shop for lunch?" asked Willow as she looked at Faith
"Sure" said Faith smiling, "I don't start the training stuff until tomorrow so I got time today"
"Sir" said Willow as she looked at Major Davis, "if it's alright with you, Faith and I would like to go a favourite haunt of ours for lunch"
"Sure" said the Major smiling, "Will you be coming back soon?"
"Most likely" said Willow, "I'll be dropping off Faith and then I'll going to my hotel"
"Hotel?" asked the Major as he looked at Agent Reed and Willow
"Apparently there was some kind of a screw up with my room" said Willow, "so I called Walter at NORAD and he hooked me up with a room at a downtown hotel"
"Alright then" said the Major, "I'll be off to the Pentagon later today after lunch so I'll see at NORAD sometime"
"Yes sir" said Willow as she saluted the Major, "enjoy lunch"
"You too" said the Major
Magic Box, Alternate Reality
Willow smiled as she opened the door to the Magic Box and saw that it was empty, there was absolutely no one there.
"I was right" she said to herself, "They thought I'd go after Warren's friends, by the time they realize where I am, they'll be too late. I'm now fully charged after taking everything that Rack had, wish someone had been there to watch my handiwork. It was a vast improvement when compared to how he usually is"
Willow remembered what her alternate self had done and put her hands on the mineral like substance that covered the Quantum Mirror. She looked on and smiled as the event horizon slowly formed before it froze into the surface of the mirror. She stepped back and saw the mirror activate and she saw the greyish wall covered with computers and other technology.
"Looks like they moved the mirror on the other side to some kind of a lab" said Willow to herself, "that Carter woman must be right, this mirror must only connect to that particular one once its been activated. Too bad the Council had to interfere and force the government to keep it in Sunnydale under Buffy's protection"
Just then Willow heard a sound behind her.
"Anya" said Willow as she turned around.
"Willow" said Anya, "I know you're hurting, but this isn't the way"
"And you know what is?" asked Willow calmly
"I'm sorry she's gone Willow" said Anya, "we all miss her"
"Don't" said Willow calmly smiling, "I'll bring her back"
"Willow" said Anya, "I know what you want to do but she's not our Tara; the Tara we know and love is gone. I'm sorry but she's gone"
"No" replied Willow, "She's with Tara, she caused all of this to happen. She needs to go and then Tara will come back with me"
"Willow"
"Buffy" said Willow as she turned to face her best friend.
"Don't do this" said Buffy and Xander.
"Don't worry" said Willow with a smile, "I'll be back in a few hours, I gotta take care of myself"
Then Willow touched the mirrored surface as she felt an electrical charge go through her body as she gave a little screamed before she was pulled into the mirror.
"No" said Buffy as she ran to the front of the mirror and saw Willow on the other side in what looked like some kind of a lab surrounded by scientists. She saw Willow turn and smile at her before she waved her hand and flung the scientists onto a wall.
"Buffy" said Xander, "we need to do something"
Buffy touched the mirrored surface and nothing happened. She then looked at Xander and said something she hoped she would never have had to say.
"We need to call General O'Neill" said Buffy, "maybe he can help get her back before she does anymore damage"
Science Lab One, SGC, 1800 hours
Dr. Bill Lee is one of the civilian scientists working at the SGC assigned to research alien technology. The piece of technology his assistants are looking over in his lab now is something he has never seen before, but something he knew Captain Rosenberg was very familiar with. She had used this specific type of the Quantum Mirror to go to another reality and then came back home again.
Dr. Lee recalled that General O'Neill had ordered this mirror destroyed but no matter what they did, it couldn't be damaged. Although at first glance the Geode looked fragile, it was anything but. They had used staff weapons to damage it unsuccessfully, all the way up to C-4 but nothing was successful. Wanting to study the device further, Colonel Carter and Dr. Lee had convinced General O'Neill that it could be brought back to the SGC and kept under heavy guard in case someone else did come through. Little did they realize that today was that day.
"Uh…. Dr. Lee?" said one of his assistants, Dr. Bryd.
"What?" said Dr. Lee
"You may want to see this" said Dr. Bryd, "the mirror just activated"
"What?" said Dr. Lee as he ran over to where Dr. Bryd was and looked at the activated mirror before he went to the intercom and called for security and Colonel Carter.
He then cautiously walked back to the mirror and saw as Willow's counterpart pressed her hand onto the mirror and land on his side.
"Ummmm….." said Dr. Lee nervously, "Captain Rosenberg?"
"No" said Willow smiling, "I'd love to meet her though."
"I…. I'm sorry but she's not here" said Dr. Lee as Willow looked back at the mirror at Buffy staring at her.
Willow then waved her hand and flung Dr. Lee and Dr. Bryd onto the wall.
"Come now" said Willow, "is that any way to treat a guest to this reality?"
"I.. I really don't know where she is" said Dr. Lee just as four SF's ran in and aimed their weapons at Willow.
"Captain Rosenberg?" said one of the SF's
"You military and your guns" said Willow as she waved her hand and made the guns the SF's were carrying simply vanish before she pushed all four of the SF's against the wall in a sudden gush of air.
"Captain?" said Dr. Lee
"Where am I?" asked Willow calmly, "tell me and I don't hurt you, all I want to know is where I am, and by that, I mean my counterpart."
"Willow?" said Colonel Carter as she ran in and saw the SF's crumbled on the floor, unconscious but breathing before she looked at Dr. Lee and Dr. Bryd as they were hanging against the wall.
"You must be the Carter woman my Counterpart kept on rambling about" said Willow, "Colonel Carter this, Colonel Carter that.. blah.. blah… blah…"
"Willow" said Colonel Carter as she held her hands up, "I'm unarmed, just talk to me"
"I'd rather talk to myself" said Willow, "You know what I mean right?"
"Captain Rosenberg's on a mission right now" said Colonel Carter as she slowly walked back towards the alarm button.
"No, no, no" said Willow as she shot Colonel Carter with a magical purple bolt immobilizing her.
"Willow" said Colonel Carter just before she became fully paralysed.
"Shhhhhh" said Willow as she held her finger onto the Colonel's lips, "You know what your Captain Rosenberg did? She killed my girlfriend; the love of my life died because of her"
The Colonel tried her best to move or even speak but she couldn't do anything except stand paralysed.
"Ok, So maybe she didn't kill her" said Willow as she shrugged her shoulders, "the one who did has already been taken care of, but she created the situation"
"Willow Rosenberg" said Teal'c, alongside Daniel, who had run in through the door and pointed a zat at her.
"Ah" said Willow, "The alien and the archaeologist. You know, that would make one hell of a bad joke. Now all I need is a bar"
"Red?" said General O'Neill as he ran in after being alerted by security.
"Carter?" said the General as he turned to look at Colonel Carter.
"She's paralysed" said Willow, "one of the many benefits of magic. Don't worry it will wear off soon"
"Red?" said General O'Neill, "I don't know what's going on but you need to stop"
"Stop, stop, stop, stop" said Willow, "You sound just like Buffy, Xander and Anya"
Suddenly Willow looked to her left and smiled, "thanks for the distraction, I found her."
"What?" said Daniel.
"Don't worry" said Willow, "After I'm done with her, I'll be leaving"
"Wait Red" said General O'Neill as he ran towards Willow just as she disappeared in flashes of lightning and swirling smoke.
"Jack?" said Daniel.
"Get a team together" said General O'Neill, "We're going for a trip to Sunnydale"
Bureau of Paranormal Research and Investigation HQ, Sunnydale, 1810 hours (Prime Reality)
"Hey" said Willow as she sat in the cafeteria of the BPRI drinking coffee with Cordelia and Angel, "this is good coffee. Definitely better than the ones at NORAD"
"Well we try" said Cordelia.
"Where's Faith?" asked Angel.
"She went to the park with Tara and Dawn" said Willow.
"So, you and Faith huh?" said Cordelia, "you know, I'd never have thought"
"Well" said Willow, "stranger things…"
Just then Willow doubled over and clutched her chest.
"Willow?" said Angel, "Willow, what's wrong?"
"Can't breathe" said Willow as her face contorted in pain, "the pain, the anger, the grief… it's too much"
"Willow?" said Cordelia as she looked at Willow falling off her seat and kneeling on the floor, "what are you talking about?"
"Angel…. the anger…... the grief…. Hurts…." said Willow as Angel kneeled beside her.
"Willow" said Angel worried, "what's going on with you?"
"Me" said a very familiar voice as SG1's Willow, Angel and Cordelia looked up in shock.
"Hi me" said Willow as she stared at Captain Rosenberg.
"How?" said Angel as he looked between Captain Rosenberg and the new Willow who just appeared out of nowhere.
"Angel" said Willow, "nice to see you, I thought you were in L.A"
"Who are you?" asked Angel.
"Cordy" said Willow as she ignored Angel's question, "last I heard you were working for Angel. Damn this reality is interesting"
"What?" asked Cordelia as she looked between the two Willow's.
"You don't know do you?" said Willow as she stared at Captain Rosenberg, "about the existence of other realities?"
"Don't, please" said Captain Rosenberg as she clutched her heart while struggling to get up.
"Angel" continued Captain Rosenberg as she struggled to talk through the pain, "get Cordy somewhere safe, and lockdown the BPRI, keep them safe"
"No" said Angel.
"Please Angel, I need you to keep them safe. This is my job" said Captain Rosenberg.
"You should listen to her Angel" said Willow, "I just want her for killing Tara"
"What?" said Angel and Cordelia.
"Tara's out with Dawn and Faith" said Cordelia.
"She's alive here?" said Willow smiling, "she's alive."
"Angel" said Captain Rosenberg, "I need you to call NORAD, tell them Sierra Gulf One dash Five needs immediate assistance. Code Red. They'll know what it means."
"What?" asked Angel confused.
"Go!" shouted Willow, "I'm begging you, please."
"Don't die" said Angel as he grabbed Cordelia and ran towards his office.
Captain Rosenberg grabbed onto the side of the table and slowly stood up.
"Willow" said Captain Rosenberg, "What happened?"
"You killed her!" said Willow as Captain Rosenberg saw her counterpart's eyes and hair become jet black along with black veins on her face, which became slightly pale. The next thing Captain Rosenberg knew, she was hit by some black coloured magical energy that threw her out the glass window and onto the roadway in front of the BPRI building.
"You killed the love of my life!" shouted Willow as she launched a wall of air towards Captain Rosenberg that knocked her off her feet and flung her onto her rental car.
"Attention" said Angel's voice over the P.A system, "all personnel follow lockdown protocols, this is not a drill"
"Ever the goody two shoes huh?" said Willow as she approached her counterpart who was already bleeding from cuts caused by the broken glass on her arms legs and face.
"Don't do this" said Captain Rosenberg as she tried to get off her dented rental car, "please, I don't want to hurt you."
"Aww…. " said Willow smiling, "but I wanna hurt you"
Captain Rosenberg looked on as another energy blast hit her hard and she flew backwards, landing on the asphalt in an odd angle. She knew that with the intense pain from her counterpart's emotions, she wouldn't be able to properly defend herself due to a lack of concentration.
"Willow!" said Angel as he ran out of the entrance and headed towards Willow.
"Keep out of this, Angel" said Willow, "just between me and the murderer here."
Willow then launched an attack at Angel which resulted in him heading at a fast speed towards a tree branch when suddenly he changed direction mid air and fell relatively harmlessly onto the grass instead of having the branch impale his heart.
"You were going to kill our friend" said Captain Rosenberg as she slowly stood up on trembling legs.
Willow looked on silently at Captain Rosenberg before she started to slowly walk towards her.
"Looks like you have some teeth" said Willow as she magically held up her counterpart and flung her onto a tree trunk.
Captain Rosenberg grimaced in pain as she hit that trunk before she fell onto the floor. She could feel her body healing itself but knew it would take some time.
"NID Security" said a group of men in black bullet proof vests who ran up behind Willow with their guns drawn at her.
"Get away from here" shouted Captain Rosenberg as she slowly got up with the injuries to her back, arms and legs already healed, "that's an order, move!"
Captain Rosenberg then saw Willow raise her hands for a magic attack. In turn the Captain raised her hands towards Willow and mentally pushed her away from the NID security men. She then walked up to the men and told them to evacuate the Potential Slayers safely out of the building. But before she knew it, Willow had hit her with another magical attack from her right side which flung her towards another car which she hit hard.
"Go run" said Willow to the NID men as they ran back into the building and she approached Captain Rosenberg, "You're right you know. I just want you gone"
"I know how you're feeling" said Captain Rosenberg as she slowly got up to her feet.
"You know how I feel?!" said Willow incredulously, "you know how I feel? Have you ever had anyone you love die right in front of you?... No? Maybe you should experience it. Maybe I should kill the one you love in front of you, and then you'll know how I feel"
Willow then lifted Captain Rosenberg until she was hanging in the air and smiled at a memory, "You love Faith? Really? Of all the people in the world you love the Dark Slayer"
"Stop" said Captain Rosenberg as she lost concentration again; the emotional pain from Willow was overwhelming her emphatic ability, which in turn was causing her pain.
"Oh" said Willow as she turned and grinned at Captain Rosenberg, "I found her"
"No" said Captain Rosenberg.
"How about we go for a ride?" said Willow as red lightning and black smoke engulfed the both of them and they disappeared.
As soon as Captain Rosenberg and Willow disappeared, there were columns of bright lights that appeared in the same area which lit up the now darkened driveway. Once the lights vanished, General O'Neill, SG1 and SG3 stood there in its place.
"Carter?" said the General, "I thought Red's subcutaneous transmitter showed her as being in this location?"
"It did Sir" said Colonel Carter
"O'Neill" said Teal'c as he saw the destruction around him, "something has occurred here"
"You got that right" said Angel who walked up to General O'Neill slowly.
"You're Angel right?" said the General
"You're General O'Neill" said Angel as Daniel and Teal'c quickly went to him and held him steady, "Willow's commanding officer?"
"Yes" said the General.
"So maybe you can tell me why there are two Willow's, and why one is trying to kill the other one?" asked Angel as he stared at the General.
"Reynolds" said the General, "coordinate with the head of security for this place, make sure everyone's alright"
"Yes sir" said Colonel Reynold's as he took SG3 and went into the BPRI building.
"Carter" said the General, "get Pendergast on the line, i want to know where Captain Rosenberg is"
"Yes Sir" said the Colonel as she dialled her phone
"Listen" said the General as he turned to face Angel, "While Carter is finding the location of Captain Rosenberg, I think we need to have a little chat with you, Miss Chase and Agent Reed."
"Alright" said Angel as Daniel and Teal'c helped him inside.
Sunnydale Park, North End, 1830 hours (Prime Reality)
"Damn that's a lot of shake you're drinking" said Tara as she looked at Dawn drinking the gigantic cup of chocolate shake like a demon.
"Yeah" said Faith, "watch it kiddo, or else you'll get brain freeze"
"Tara?" said Dawn, "Can I stay with you?"
"Dawn" said Tara, "why are you so intent on hurting Willow"
"I don't love her" said Dawn sadly, "I love you. You were always there for me and Buffy, she wasn't"
"Oh Dawnie" said Tara, "how about this? I'll ask Willow if I can come stay with you for a few weeks"
"Here" said another voice that just appeared out of nowhere, "you can ask her yourself"
"Woah!" said Faith as she got up from her seat just as Willow flung Captain Rosenberg onto the table that they were sitting at. She landed hard onto the table which in turn tipped over, making her fall onto Tara and Dawn, who in turn fell onto the ground.
"Willow?!" said Dawn as she looked at the one who was lying on the ground and the one who was walking towards them.
"Willow?" said Tara as she looked between the two Willow's.
Willow then looked at Tara and smiled, "Tara? Baby?"
"Excuse me?" said Tara as Willow came up to her and hugged her tight.
"You're alive" said Willow as she looked into her eyes, "I can't believe it, you're alive"
"Will…. Willow?" said Tara, "Wh…. What?"
"Stay here my love" said Willow, "I want to take care of the one who helped murder you"
"Willow?" said Dawn, "Tara's alive, who are you?"
"I'm Willow, Dawnie"
"Dawn!" said Faith, "take Tara with you and run"
"What?" said Dawn confused as she looked between the Willow who was coming to on her lap and the Willow standing over her in an all black outfit, with black hair and black eyes.
All of a sudden Faith grabbed Willow's shoulder and turned her around before giving her an uppercut that sent her flying back a few feet.
"You know" said Willow as she got up nursing a bleeding nose, "I've always wondered what it would be like to fight a slayer. Come on Dark Slayer; let's see your full power"
As Faith and Willow were fighting furiously, Captain Rosenberg slowly opened her eyes as her wounds started to heal. She slowly got up only to see the confused faces of Tara and Dawn looking at her.
"Willow" said Dawn, "what the hell is going on? Why are there two of you?"
"Dawn" said Tara as she walked towards Willow and helped her up, "she's not from here, is she?"
Willow shook her head.
"What do you mean?" asked Dawn, "its Willow, she's from here. Where else would she be from?"
"She's using dark magic" said Tara as she looked at the Willow who was fighting with Faith, "I can feel it in her"
"Tara" said Captain Rosenberg, "how can I stop her?"
"Make her use all of her magics" said Tara
"Tap her dry?" asked Captain Rosenberg as Tara nodded.
Captain Rosenberg then turned around and watched as both Faith and her counterpart were raining blows on each other before the both of them went into defensive stances and circled one another. Captain Rosenberg looked on in horror as Willow performed some magic on herself before she came down even harder on Faith.
"Tara" said Captain Rosenberg, "I'm going to stop this. Once I distract her, I need you to heal Faith"
"Alright" said Tara
"Dawn" said Captain Rosenberg, "if you want to help, then help Tara heal Faith"
Willow closed her eyes and reached into the minds of people who were still close by, changing their perception of events to make it seem like there was a gas explosion.
Dawn looked on as people nearby started to run away shouting about some gas explosion. Then she stared at Captain Rosenberg who had her eyes closed as if she was concentrating. The next thing she knew, Dawn saw a whitish-grey energy gathering around the palms of both of the Captain's hands. Then she launched the energy directly at Willow who was thrown back by the force of the energy blasts.
Dawn then saw Captain Rosenberg running towards the other Willow while she and Tara ran towards Faith who was lying bleeding and bruised on the ground.
"I thought you didn't have any more magic in you?" said Willow as she slowly got up in a daze.
"No magic" said Captain Rosenberg as she built up another ball of energy on both her palms which she released at close range, which made Willow fly backwards, "this is all me, it's my own power"
Willow smiled as she got up and fired two magic bolts of energy at Captain Rosenberg who had enough concentration to put up a telekinetic shield around her.
"That won't hold" said Willow as she increased the intensity of her bolts, "I'll get you for what you did"
"Come on then Willow" said Captain Rosenberg as she reinforced her shield despite the pain from Willow's raw emotions hitting her emphatic side, "show me how what you can do"
Willow increased the intensity of her magical bolts even more until she could see Captain Rosenberg go down onto her knees with her nose bleeding profusely. She then stopped her blasts once she started to tire out; she knew that the spell she used to strengthen herself in her fight against Faith took up most of her magics and that she didn't have much time until Entropic Cascade Failure set it.
Once Willow stopped firing her bolts, Captain Rosenberg put down her shield and collapsed onto all fours as she struggled to breathe from the strain of both holding the shield together against the force of the magics that Willow used and firing her own energy bolts.
"Willow" said Captain Rosenberg as she slowly stood up and walked towards Willow.
"Red!" shouted General O'Neill who had just arrived with Angel, Cordelia and Agent Reed, along with the rest of SG1.
"Sir" said Captain Rosenberg as he helped her up while she leaned on to the General. She then glanced at Angel and Colonel Carter who kneeled next to Faith as Tara was slowly healing her.
"I take it that Angel, Cordelia and Agent Reed have been read in Sir?" asked Captain Rosenberg.
"Yes" said the General, "having two Reds in one place kinda gave the secret away you know"
"Sorry Sir" said Captain Rosenberg, "It's my fault, if I hadn't gone to that other reality, this would not have happened."
"Not your fault Red" said the General.
"What other reality?" asked Dawn who had sneaked up behind the General as he went to help Captain Rosenberg, "Willow, what's going on?"
"She and Tara are authorized as well" said the General, "I figured you'd want to tell them yourself."
"I have to finish something first Sir" said Captain Rosenberg, "can you help me walk to where Willow is?"
"Of course" said the General as Dawn followed close behind them, curious about what was going on.
"Willow" said Captain Rosenberg as she looked at Willow who was leaning against a tree and looking at her counterpart with those black eyes, "you said I've never felt loss. You have absolutely no idea"
"What have you lost huh?" said Willow angrily, "you caused Tara's death"
"I'm sorry about her loss" said Captain Rosenberg, "I went to your reality because Dawn was in trouble."
"Wait what?" said Dawn who was right behind the General.
"She'll explain everything to you later" said the General as he grabbed Dawn's arm and pulled her towards Colonel Carter and Angel, "and after she tells you the truth, the first thing I better hear out of your mouth is 'I'm sorry'"
"Willow" said Captain Rosenberg as she placed both of her hands on her counterparts temples, "there are somethings that you should see"
Captain Rosenberg showed Willow everything terrible that happened to her from the loss of Dr. Frasier and her inability to save her, the loss of her friendships with the Scooby Gang after their arrests, her capture by the Scoobies because of her work, her nightmare about Anubis destroying the planet, her actual possession by Anubis resulting in the beating of Faith and Dr. Brightman, her sacrifice when she ran through the Stargate into the planet of ice and snow, her near ascension, her return to the SGC, her subsequent death and then cloning into a new body and ended finally with her near mental breakdown due to her being a clone and her original body dying.
"You died" said Willow as she looked in shock at Captain Rosenberg, "You died!"
"Yes, I did" said Captain Rosenberg, "and everything that happened to you until I left Sunnydale happened to me as well"
"She's gone" said Willow as she simply collapsed onto the ground, "she's still gone"
"I know and I'm so sorry" said Captain Rosenberg as she gave her counterpart a tight hug, "Just remember Tara for who she was and what she meant to you, Willow; and then you live your life. That's the best way you can honour her."
"You're almost done with your Doctorate?" asked Willow laughing as she gleaned a stray memory from Captain Rosenberg.
"Yea" said Captain Rosenberg, "you should get it done too, go back to school or defend Sunnydale with Buffy and the others, or travel to other planets through the Stargate. Do something that honours her memory. This isn't the way. I know you lost her but that doesn't mean that you can come to another reality and expect Tara to come back with you. Life doesn't work like that."
"I wish it did" said Willow.
"I'm sorry Willow" said Tara who cautiously came up behind Captain Rosenberg.
"How's Faith?" asked Captain Rosenberg as she looked back at Tara.
"She's asking for you" said Tara still in shock over the presence of two Willows.
"Thanks" said Captain Rosenberg as she looked at Tara and ran towards Faith.
"I'm sorry for your loss" said Tara as she kneeled down next to Willow.
"You look just like her" said Willow as she looked into Tara's eyes and placed her hand on her cheek, "You have her eyes, her smile, her hair...".
"But I'm not her" said Tara softly.
"That's what she just told me" said Willow as she looked at her counterpart while she helped Faith stand up, "that's exactly what she told me".
Suddenly everyone looked up when they heard Captain Rosenberg scream.
"Willow" said Colonel Carter as she ran towards her.
"Stay away" said Captain Rosenberg as she slumped forward in pain.
"Red" said Faith, "What's….?"
All of a sudden everyone looked on as Captain Rosenberg's eyes and hair become jet back while black veins appeared on her face just as it did on Willow some time ago. She screamed as she got onto her knees and held her hands to her chest.
"Hurts" said Captain Rosenberg, "the anger, the pain, the grief, the sorrow… I feel everything"
Willow looked on as her counterpart started to gather some kind of energy on the palms of her hands again, except this time it was jet black in colour.
"She did it" said Willow in shock as she looked at her own hands, "every negative emotion I had towards her, towards life, towards whatever it was that didn't give back my Tara to me; she absorbed it"
"General!" said Captain Rosenberg, "Run! I can't control what's going to happen; hell I don't even know what's going to happen!"
"Sir" said Colonel Carter, "the Gate sir, send that blast to an uninhabited world where it won't do damage to any living thing"
"Carter?" said the General
"Sir" said the Colonel, "trust me"
"Make the call" said the General.
The Colonel called the SGC on her phone and managed to get Walter, "Walter, please tell me the Prometheus hasn't left yet"
"No ma'am" said Walter
"I need you to dial the planet that SG1 was stuck on the first time General O'Neil had the Ancient repository downloaded into his head. The one where there were three suns in the sky and we almost died from extreme heat"
"P9Q-281?" said Walter
"Yes, dial it now" said the Colonel, "and then once you've dialled in, I need a site to site transport for both myself and Captain Rosenberg"
"Yes ma'am" said Walter, "Dialling now"
"Make sure by the time you're dialled in, that the shield and the iris has been disabled" said the Colonel
"Yes ma'am" said Walter.
"Listen up" said the General to Angel, Cordelia, Agent Reed, Tara and Dawn, "what you see now is and will be covered under the non-disclosure agreement. Breathe a word of this to anyone and I'll personally make sure none of you ever see the light of day ever again"
"See what?" said Dawn just as two bright lights enveloped Captain Rosenberg and Colonel Carter before they disappeared.
"Ok" said Dawn, "what the hell was that?"
Gateroom, SGC.
Everyone at the control room looked on as Willow and Colonel Carter were beamed into the Gateroom. They looked on stunned as they saw two balls of black energy gathered at Willow's palms.
"Willow" said the Colonel, "release the energy into the wormhole now!"
"Yes ma'am" said Willow as she pointed her hands towards the wormhole and released all of the energy that was stored in her body thanks to the emotions she absorbed from her counterpart.
After about ten minutes of releasing the black coloured energy, Willow toppled over and fell onto the ramp exhausted.
"Willow?" said the Colonel, "Good job"
"Yes ma'am" said Willow as she slowly got up, "can I sleep now?"
"Not yet Willow" said the Colonel smiling as she led Willow up the stairs to the control room.
"Walter" said the Colonel, "Contact General O'Neill, inform him that everything is ok. Willow released the energy harmlessly through the Stargate. And we'll be ready in five minutes to receive them. And make sure that Mr. Woolsey is on the way here, Captain Rosenberg's counterpart doesn't have too long before Entropic Cascade Failure sets in"
"Yes ma'am" said Walter as he called General O'Neill.
"Ma'am" said Willow as the Colonel helped her up to the briefing room, "are you guys angry at me?"
"Why?" asked the Colonel.
"None of this would have happened if I hadn't gone to that reality" said Willow.
"You listen to me Captain" said the Colonel, "None of this is your fault. You did what you had to do when you went to the other reality to help Dawn. There was no way any of us could have expected this to happen"
"But now five other people know about the Program because of me" said Willow.
"People who happen to be working for the government, including that Tara person, who knows exactly what would happen to them if they ever spilled the beans about the program" said the Colonel, "The president knows about this as well, and he agreed to give them disclosure with the condition that they never ever say anything about this incident to anyone. He has other conditions that he will give to Angel, Cordelia, Tara, Dawn and Agent Reed. But I have a feeling that Agent Barret will take care of Agent Reed himself"
"Yes ma'am" said Willow.
"Ma'am" said Walter as he ran up the stairs to the briefing room, "General O'Neill's ready"
"Alright Walter" said the Colonel as she pressed the button that brought down the blast door to cover the window that looked out at the Stargate, "We're ready too"
Just then brilliant white beams of light deposited Faith, Willow's counterpart, Dawn, and Tara into the briefing room.
"Nice trip?" said the Colonel as she smiled at Faith.
"Oh yeah" said Faith smiling, "We should do that more often, saves money on flying."
"It's not a taxi service Faith" smiled the Colonel
"Ok" said Dawn as she looked around her, "what's going on here, we were just at the park and now we're here and where's everyone else?"
"The General and the others will be meeting with Agent Barret and Major Davis to talk to Angel, Cordelia and Agent Reed about what happened" said Colonel Carter, "while the three of you are our responsibility"
"Where are we?" said Dawn with her hands folded over her chest, "and how did we get here?"
"How do you think you got here?" asked Faith.
"The only way I can think of is teleportation" said Willow.
"But I didn't sense any magics" replied Tara.
"Then that would mean….." said Dawn as she looked on at Captain Rosenberg, "No….. no… no… no… no… no…. no way"
"Dawn" said Captain Rosenberg as she leaned forward, "You wanted to know what I do for a living, now you get that chance"
"Of course there are conditions" said the Colonel as she stared at Dawn and Tara, "the two of you will sign a Non-Disclosure agreement, which means that should you two ever reveal anything to anyone about what you've seen or hear today, you'll be arrested again. This time, the deals you made with the government will be rendered null and void and you will be given the full twenty five to life prison sentence in the smallest and darkest hole we can find. Is that clear?"
"Yes" said Tara.
"How about this Willow?" said Dawn as she pointed to Captain Rosenberg's counterpart.
"She already signed it" said Captain Rosenberg, "I was there when she did it"
"Yes" said Willow quietly as she looked around the briefing room, "but I've never been here. Dr. Carter offered me an internship here but I couldn't accept it at the time. I never even got to see the place, even after disclosure day"
"Today you will" said Colonel Carter, "but after you're all debriefed by Mr. Woolsey from the IOA"
"He's a nice man" said Willow as she looked on sadly at Captain Rosenberg who walked towards her and squeezed her hand.
Faith: "Is she going to be ok?"
Willow: "Eventually"
Faith: "I can't imagine how she's feeling"
Willow: "I can. I took her emotions into me; I know exactly how she felt and how she's feeling now. She needs help or else she'll break apart"
Faith: "She lost the love of her life"
Willow: "Yes"
"Where exactly are we?" asked Dawn again.
"Faith?" asked Colonel Carter, "if you please"
"Guys" said Faith, "Welcome to Stargate Command"
TBC