A/N: Hi, I was struggling for a suitable follow-up chapter to the previous one, and after several rewrites, this was the one I came up with. I would appreciate all reviews and hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as you've enjoyed the previous ones. Have a great weekend.
Infirmary, SGC
Willow was in the infirmary undergoing a physical by the doctor in charge, a Dr. Brightman while Captain Rosenberg was waiting outside. She recalled how after they were beamed into the briefing room, Colonel Carter explained what had happened. It was after the explanation that Captain Rosenberg requested that she bring her down to the infirmary for her physical while the Colonel and Faith conducted the debriefing for Dawn and Tara. That was about an hour and a half ago.
"Tara" thought Willow to herself, "my Tara, I miss you so much"
"Miss Rosenberg?" said Dr. Brightman.
"Oh, sorry" said Willow, "I was just thinking"
"Your physical's done and, other than some bruises and cuts, you'll be just fine" said the doctor.
"That's it?" said Willow
"You were expecting something more?" said the doctor in surprise.
"I thought there would be more poking and prodding because of my abilities" said Willow.
"Ah" said the Doctor, "well if you would like, I could poke you with a needle if that would make you feel better"
"No thank you" said Willow with a smile.
"You know" said the doctor as she took off her gloves, "you'll find that the SGC is more accepting of the strange and wonderful than you may expect"
"She's right you know" said Captain Rosenberg as she walked in though the door, "you called Doc?"
"When did you call her?" asked Willow in surprise as she looked at Dr. Brightman, "I mean you were with me all this time and I didn't see you go for a phone"
"Telepath" said Captain Rosenberg as she raised her hand.
"Oh" said Willow.
"Everything all right?" asked the Captain as she looked at Willow.
"I guess so" replied Willow.
"Listen" said Captain Rosenberg, "in thirty minutes you have a debriefing with Mr. Woolsey and then you'll be going home. I really don't want you to experience Entropic Cascade Failure like I did in your reality"
"Looked painful" said Willow.
"It was" said Captain Rosenberg.
"You didn't want me upstairs in the briefing room with Tara, did you?" asked Willow softly.
"I could sense that she was feeling uncomfortable" said Captain Rosenberg, "I'm sorry, but like I told you before…."
"She's not my Tara" said Willow.
"Yes" said Captain Rosenberg as she held out her hand, "come on, I think your reality is waiting to see if you're alright"
"Alright" said Willow as she grabbed the offered hand and got up from the bed.
"Miss Rosenberg?" said Dr. Brightman.
"Yes?" said Willow.
"When you get back to your reality, I'd like for you to get checked out with whomever the CMO is at the SGC" said Dr. Brightman
"Why?" asked Willow, "you said that everything was alright with me"
"Yes" said the doctor, "but we have a standard test I couldn't administer that may have detected a particular gene"
"The Ancient gene and the protein marker?" asked Captain Rosenberg.
"Yes" said the Doctor.
"Huh?" said Willow as she looked between her counterpart and the doctor confused.
"Come on" said Captain Rosenberg, "I'll explain it to you on the way"
"See you later doc" said Captain Rosenberg as she turned around and led Willow to Science Lab One.
"Take care Captain and Miss Rosenberg" said the Doctor as she went back to treating Siler for another injury.
Science Lab One
"So you have this Ancient gene?" said Willow as she and Captain Rosenberg entered the Science lab where the Quantum Mirror was stored.
"Yes" said Captain Rosenberg, "and if you do have that gene and a special protein marker, then it could help save a very important ally"
"Oh" said Willow, "and are they like us in appearance?"
"You know those Roswell grey aliens that most people think are hoaxes?" said Captain Rosenberg.
"No way" said Willow with a smile, "you're kidding? They really exist?"
"Yep" said Captain Rosenberg, "they're pretty cool too, not to mention wicked smart"
"I'd like to meet them" said Willow.
"You should" said Captain Rosenberg smiling as she turned to Dr. Lee.
"Hi doc" said Captain Rosenberg, "the mirror still active?"
"Captain" said Dr. Lee, "yes, looks like some kind of argument's taking place on the other side"
"Ummm… I'm sorry" said Willow as she looked at Dr. Lee, "for hurting you I mean"
"Huh?" replied the scientist as he looked at Willow, "oh no, don't worry about it. Alien technology, you never know what's going to happen, or come through in this case. The risks of the job"
"Hey" said Captain Rosenberg, "it's that idiot Travers."
"He's there?" said Willow as she walked to the front of the mirror, "I don't like him at all. I still remember what he did to Buffy when he removed her Slayer powers"
"Your reality too huh?" said Captain Rosenberg, "what a douche"
Magic Box, Alternate Reality
"This is exactly why the Quantum Mirror should have been placed under the jurisdiction of Home World Security" said General O'Neill furiously as he stared at the older man who was standing across from him. Dr. Carter and Teal'c were standing behind him next to the quantum mirror.
"This artefact was found in Sunnydale, and thus it remains under the protection of the Slayer and the Watchers Council" said Quentin Travers as some of the members of the Watchers Council stood all over the place, with one standing next to Travers, one near the Scoobies, and two others near Dr. Carter and Teal'c.
"I really don't know what kind of pull you have with the President that would force him to keep the mirror here against his best judgement, but you just made a big mistake. Tell me what would happen if the Miss Rosenberg of this reality doesn't come back in time?" said the General before he looked at Buffy, "and Miss Summers here already told us that she hurt some scientists, SF's and Carter once she reached the other side."
"Now look here…" said Giles.
"No" said the General as he stared at Giles, "you want to do your whole supernatural killing vampires and demons thing, you go ahead. I know the President authorized that much for you people, I should know because I recommended that you continue. The SGC handles aliens and the Slayer and the Council handles supernatural threats on this planet. The Quantum Mirror is an alien artefact that should have been under lock and key, preferably on another planet instead of inside a Magic Shop where anyone could have a go at it. Tell me, what would have happened if a stranger with the Ancient gene activated it?"
"Look" said Buffy angrily, as she stepped in between the General and Giles and Quinton, "can you get her back or not?"
"We can't" said Sam, "I have a theory that the mirror, at least this particular mirror, is now keyed in to Miss Rosenberg's genetic code"
"Congratulations" said the General as he stared at Travers and Giles, "you may have lost one of your own people"
"Don't say that!" said Dawn who was seated next to Xander, "we already lost someone"
"Dawn" said Buffy as she looked at her sister with pain etched on her face.
"What?" said the General as he looked at Dawn and then looked at Buffy, "what's she mean?"
"Our friend, Tara was murdered yesterday afternoon" said Xander quietly.
"Oh" replied the General as he walked towards the table Dawn was sitting at before talking a chair and sitting next to her.
"I'm sorry about your friend" said the General softly.
"You have our condolences" said Sam as she crouched in front of Dawn, "we had no idea"
"Yeah well, when you come in here all half assed!" said Buffy, "what would you expect?!"
"Excuse me?" said the General as he got up and walked towards Buffy, "if someone had actually told us what really happened, then I wouldn't have put my foot in my mouth and by the way…"
"Jack!' shouted Sam as she was consoling Dawn.
"Buffy!" shouted Giles.
"Look General" said Giles as he took off his glasses, "let's just admit that both sides made mistakes, isn't there anything you could do?"
"We will not admit to any mistake" said Quentin.
"Like I said Mr. Giles" said Sam as she gave a death glare to the Council head, "only Miss Rosenberg or Captain Rosenberg can activate this particular Mirror and go though"
"Even I tried it but nothing happened" said the General.
"I really am sorry" said the General as he crouched next to Sam and held Dawn's hand.
"Umm…. Guys" said Xander as he noticed movement on the other side of the mirror.
"Its Willow" said Buffy, "and she looks as if she's back to normal"
"Huh?" said General O'Neill as he scratched his head while looking at Sam who shrugged her shoulders.
"Captain Rosenberg" said Teal'c as he nodded at the red head in the SGC uniform.
The General saw Captain Rosenberg take a white message board and write something on it.
"She's saying that Willow's ok" said Sam, "a bit injured but she'll heal"
"Is there a message board around here somewhere?" said the General.
"Buffy" said Giles, "there should be one in the back, could you be a dear and get it?"
"Sure" said Buffy.
Buffy came back five minutes later with a small message board.
Buffy: "Willow, are you ok?"
Willow: "Yes."
Captain Rosenberg: "How's little Gracie?"
Sam: "Doing fine, misses you. Wants her hair coloured red, waiting for you to get back."
It was then that the General took the white board from Sam.
General: "Let's stay on topic please."
Captain Rosenberg: "Willow needs debriefing by Woolsey, coming home after that."
General: "Alright."
Captain Rosenberg: "Recommend full physical by Dr. Frasier"
General: "Of course"
Captain Rosenberg: "May need Asgard help"
General: "Why?"
Captain Rosenberg: "She could have Ancient gene and a unique protein marker that could help the Asgard"
The General and Sam looked at each other in surprise after they got that bit of news from Captain Rosenberg.
General: "Does Miss Rosenberg agree to the test?"
Willow: "Yes"
General: "Alright then, I'll contact Dr. Frasier and the Asgard. The Triton is in orbit so once you get back, I'll have Dr. Frasier beamed over here"
"Willow" said Captain Rosenberg, "Mr. Woolsey's here, he wants to debrief you first since you're the one in more danger"
"OK" said Willow.
Willow: "Please tell Buffy I miss the gang, and that I'm sorry"
"Miss Summers" said the General as he handed the board over to Buffy.
Buffy: "We miss you too sweetie, please come back soon. Come back safe"
Willow: "Will do"
"I'm ready to go" said Willow as she handed the board over to Dr. Lee.
"Come on" said Captain Rosenberg as she led her counterpart away, "this way"
VIP Room One
Captain Rosenberg was standing outside the room where Tara and Dawn were placed in until it was their turn to be debriefed by Mr. Woolsey.
"Don't worry Captain" said Mr. Woolsey as he let Willow into the interview room, "I'll make sure you're called once she's done. Shouldn't take more than an hour"
"Thanks" said Willow as she smiled,
Standing outside the VIP door nervously, the guard looked at her curiously as she decided whether or not to go in. Finally, she made a decision and knocked on the door.
"Come in" said Tara
Captain Rosenberg nodded at the guard who then opened the door.
"Hey" said Willow as she walked into the fairly large room with painted walls. She saw that there were two beds, a large table with four chairs and some paintings hanging on the walls.
"Definitely better than my quarters here" thought Captain Rosenberg to herself.
"Willow" said Tara as she stood up, "this place…. It's simply amazing. And the Stargate… you really go through it?"
"Yep" said Willow as she sat down at one of the chairs.
"Dawnie?" said Captain Rosenberg as she reached for her hand. She was surprised when Dawn withdrew her hand away from the Captain.
"Don't touch me" said Dawn as she gritted her teeth, "don't you dare touch me"
"Dawn?" said the Captain.
"You put my sister, and your best friend, in jail just so that you could go gallivanting across the galaxy?" said Dawn as she tried to contain her anger.
"Dawnie" said Tara, "you know why she couldn't tell us, why she couldn't tell any of us. Colonel Carter explained everything"
"But we're her family" said Dawn as she looked at Tara with tears in her eyes, "we're supposed to be her family and she lied and betrayed us"
"They have technology that could have saved lives" continued Dawn as she pointed her finger at Willow, "why couldn't this bitch use that to save Buffy when she died huh? She just hid behind her so called secrets and watched people die."
"You think I like watching people die?" said Captain Rosenberg as she stood up and faced Dawn, "I watched a dear friend die in front of me in the field. She died after she saved the life of someone else. She was shot by a staff weapon's energy blast right in front of me and she died right before my eyes. You know the sad part? The blast missed me by only a few centimetres; that should have been me! She left behind a daughter.. did you know that? Now that daughter doesn't have a mother anymore. You lost Buffy? Yeah, life sucks… Well guess what, you got Buffy back. Now you wanna tell my friend's daughter how her mother will be coming back and then everyone will be happy and partying every day?"
"Willow" said Tara, "she didn't know"
"No" said Willow as she stared into Dawns eyes, "that's the problem; she doesn't know what's out there. Yes there's a war in Sunnydale against vampires and demons, but what would help would that do when there are races out there that can wipe out this planet. Tell me Dawn… What the hell are you gonna do then? Hide behind Buffy? Hide behind magic?"
"You and Buffy think that everything starts and end with Sunnydale" continued Captain Rosenberg, "tell that to the people of Abydos"
"Faith mentioned that planet" said Tara, "what happened? I read their auras and I just know that whatever happened was a sad incident"
"Has Colonel Carter told you about the Ancients and ascended beings?" asked Captain Rosenberg as she looked at Tara.
"Yes" she replied.
"They're all gone Tara" said Captain Rosenberg as she turned back and looked into Dawn's eyes, "one of our enemies, a Goa'Uld called Anubis wanted to use a super weapon to murder every single life on that planet. The weapon was so powerful that it even destroyed the Stargate. It was only a miracle that an ascended Ancient called Oma Desala ascended the entire population of the planet"
"Then they're alive" said Dawn as she defiantly stared at Captain Rosenberg, "what's your problem?"
"Alive? Seriously? Alive? They can't interact or interfere with this plane of existence, how are they alive to us?" said Captain Rosenberg incredulously, "it's against their highest law to interfere. They don't exist anymore where we could talk to them every day, or trade or visit the children on that planet. For all intents and purposes, they are dead. An entire planet decimated by a madman. One of our oldest allies gone."
"How many?" asked Tara.
"Maybe in the Thousands" said Captain Rosenberg as she turned to look at Tara.
"My goddess" said Tara as she sat down on the chair in between Captain Rosenberg and Dawn.
"Or how about the Tollan" said Captain Rosenberg as she turned back and stared into Dawn's eyes, "the entire population of their home world may have died because one of their people decided that it was wrong to send a phase shifting enhanced nuclear bomb through our Stargate which out have not only destroyed this facility, but may have also ruined the environment of the entire planet"
"How many?" asked Tara as she feared the number that Captain Rosenberg would say.
"In the millions, and that's just the conservative estimate" said Captain Rosenberg as Tara covered her mouth in shock, "and they were light years ahead of us technologically. They still perished. We send the Prometheus to Tollan every month just to search for survivors because, for all their faults, they are still our allies"
"You don't know anything Dawn" said Captain Rosenberg, "You know absolutely nothing about the sacrifices people here have made, and you know absolutely nothing about what's going on out there in the galaxy….."
"Hey!" said Faith as the guard opened door and then closed it again once she entered the room, "what's going on here? I can hear your shouts from all the way down the hall."
"Nothing" said Captain Rosenberg.
"Red" said Faith.
"I'm going to my quarters until my counterpart's done" said Captain Rosenberg as she pushed the chair back and walked towards the door.
"Dawn" said Willow, her voice breaking, as she reached the door, "I'll talk to General O'Neill, I'll see if you can stay with Tara in Sunnydale after you graduate. If he agrees, then you can move out as soon as you're done."
"Red?" asked Faith dumbfounded.
"Willow" said Tara.
"I'm tired" said Captain Rosenberg sadly as she looked at Faith, "I'll see you at the BPRI Faith, you still have a job to do there and I'll be… hell I don't know what I'll be doing there."
Faith and the others looked on as Captain Rosenberg opened the door and then shut it again without facing any of them.
"What did you do?" said Faith as she stared at Dawn.
"Nothing" said Dawn quietly.
"That's bull and you know it" said Faith.
"Faith" said Tara, "it's not her fault. It's no one's fault"
"You have no idea what she sacrificed for you" said Faith softly as she looked at Dawn, "right now, if she does what she said she'll do, her reputation will be shot to hell. She did everything she could to make your life easier, so that you don't go to jail and all you did the entire time was antagonizing her."
"I don't care" said Dawn softly.
"You don't mean that Dawn" said Tara.
"You are the most ungrateful person I've ever known" said Faith, "you think B would want this?"
"Yes" said Dawn
"Ok" said Faith, "You think that B's the only one who sacrificed her life to save the world and then returned?"
"It's her job" said Dawn quietly, "She's the slayer"
"You have no idea what Red sacrificed to keep this galaxy from falling into the hands of Anubis" said Faith.
"What do you mean?" asked Tara.
"Not my place to say" said Faith as she looked at Dawn, "She'll be talking to Angel and Cordelia about it later after her counterpart leaves, you can hear about it then"
Captain Rosenberg's Quarters, Forty Five minutes later
"Willow?" said Colonel Carter as she knocked on Captain Rosenberg's door, "Willow?"
The Colonel stepped back as the door slowly opened and Captain Rosenberg peeked her head through the gap.
"Hey" said the Colonel, "I heard what happened from Faith"
"Oh" said Captain Rosenberg, "it was nothing ma'am…. Ummmmm…. has my counterpart finished her debrief?"
"Yes" said the Colonel, "But….."
"If you don't mind ma'am" said the Captain as she interrupted Colonel Carter, "I'll just put something on and meet you over at the science lab?"
"Alright Willow" said the Colonel smiling, "see you there then"
"Yes ma'am" said Willow as she managed a small smile.
Science Lab One
After spending twenty minutes freshening up and making sure that her eyes were no longer red and puffy, Captain Rosenberg opened her door and ran towards the lab where the Quantum Mirror was stored.
Once she reached the lab, she went inside only to see her counterpart, Dawn, Tara, Colonel Carter, Faith and Mr. Woolsey on one side of the room. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the small group.
"Ma'am" said Captain Rosenberg as she tapped on the Colonels shoulder.
"Willow" said the Colonel.
"Ah, Captain Rosenberg" said Mr. Woolsey.
"Hi Mr. Woolsey" said the Captain as she shook his hand again.
"Willow" said Captain Rosenberg as she gave her counterpart a tight hug and whispered, "you'll be alright, find a way to honour your Tara. Make her happy for you. Oh if you do have the Ancient gene and the same protein marker as me, ask the Asgard to introduce you to the Nox. They can help you as well. And I'm sure that Giles knows a coven that can help you to better control your magicks"
Willow nodded at her counterpart as Mr. Woolsey approached her.
"Miss Rosenberg" said Mr. Woolsey as he reached into his jacket pocket and took out two letters, "I would like for you to hand over these letters to the General O'Neill of your reality. He has already been given a message that these letters would be coming to him. It has my recommendations on what should be done with your case involving the incident with Mr. Mears of your reality as well as an official request by the IOA to put you under the direct protection of the Department of Home World Security in that reality should you also have the Ancient gene"
"Alright" said Willow as she reached for the letter with a trembling hand.
Captain Rosenberg: "Don't worry, he recommended that no charges be filed against you"
Willow looked at Captain Rosenberg in surprise.
Captain Rosenberg: "Telepath, remember"
Willow then simply smiled and hugged her counterpart again before Faith tapped her shoulder.
"Be safe Red" said Faith as she gave Willow a tight hug as she whispered in her ear, "you know, I don't really know what I'm doing in your reality. Maybe you should look me up"
"Maybe I will" said Willow as she got out of the hug and smiled at Faith.
"Ummmm….. ma'am?" said Captain Rosenberg as she approached the Colonel, "What are Dawn and Tara doing here?"
"Tara wanted to see the mirror" said the Colonel, "suffice it to say, the people in the other reality almost broke down when they saw her"
"This is amazing" said Tara as she looked at Xander and Buffy from the other reality as they sent her messages, "Don't you think so Dawn?"
"I guess" said Dawn quietly as she looked at her counterpart who was smiling and waving at her.
"You know you can wave back at her" said Tara.
"It's just weird" said Dawn quietly as she waved back at her counterpart, just as Tara walked towards Willow.
"Willow" said Tara as she approached Captain Rosenberg's counterpart, "I'm sorry again, for your loss"
Willow nodded her head as she hugged Tara and cried.
"Willow" said Captain Rosenberg as she held on to her shoulder, "its time"
"Goodbye Tara" said Willow as she backed out from the hug and approached the mirror.
Captain Rosenberg led Willow towards the mirror and gave her one last hug.
"Be safe my sister" said Captain Rosenberg as she looked into the surprised face of her counterpart, "come on, you know how much we've always wanted to have a sister. Just think of me as the sister who rarely visits"
Willow laughed as she stepped back and faced the mirror.
"I guess it's goodbye then" said Willow as she touched the mirror, "Sister"
Everyone watched as Willow was surrounded by a blue electrical field before she was sucked into the mirror and then reappeared at the other end, crashing into a bookcase. They then saw her hand over the letters to General O'Neill before she waved goodbye one more time.
Captain Rosenberg then raised a hand and concentrated. Everyone looked on as the mirror flickered a little before fading away.
"I guess that's it" said the Colonel.
"Yes ma'am" said Willow
"Miss Maclay, Miss Summers" said MR. Woolsey, "If you would come with me for the debriefing"
"Of course" said Tara as she and Dawn followed Mr. Woolsey out of the lab.
Dawn turned around only to see Willow looking sadly at the deactivated Quantum Mirror.
"Dawnie" said Tara, "let's go"
"Yea" replied Dawn.
Cordelia's Office, BPRI, two hours later
Once Tara and Dawn were debriefed by Mr. Woolsey, he had authorized their departure from the SGC to Cordelia's office at the BPRI.
"Cool" said Cordelia as four bright lights appeared and deposited Willow, Faith, Dawn and Tara back at the BPRI.
"Sir" said Willow smiling at General O'Neill.
"Hiya Red" said the General as he stood beside her.
"HI Willow" said Daniel with a smile.
"Willow Rosenberg" said Teal'c with his characteristic bow.
"Daniel… Teal'c" said a beaming Willow, "I'm glad to see you"
"Glad you're doing alright" said Daniel, "you had us a bit worried in the park"
"Indeed" said Teal'c.
"Sorry about that" said Willow.
"Now that we know you're alright" said Daniel, "it's time for me and Teal'c to get going"
"Of course" said Willow smiling as she hugged Daniel and Teal'c as Dawn looked on, "thanks"
"You are our comrade" said Teal'c, "it has been our pleasure"
Willow nodded as Daniel and Teal'c vanished in two columns of light.
"Red" said the General, "I haven't told Angel or Miss Chase about you yet. I figured you'd want to tell that story yourself"
"Yes" said Willow, "thank you sir"
"What do you mean?" asked Cordelia, "What else is there other than Alien snakes?"
"Do you have coffee, Cordelia?" asked Willow as she sat down with General O'Neill and Faith sitting on either side of her.
"Sure" said Cordelia as she went to grap a cup of the hot black liquid.
"Tara.. Dawn" said Willow, "you guys need to hear this too"
"Angel" said Willow as Cordelia handed her a cup of coffee, "remember you said that my scent is different than you remember?"
"Yea" said Angel as he sat down across from Willow alongside Cordelia, Dawn and Tara.
"Well I'm not surprised that it is different" said Willow as she looked at Angel.
"What are you talking about?" asked Cordelia.
"I died" said Willow to the stunned faces of the four people in front of her.
"No" said Dawn, "that Captain Hailey told me that you were in a lab accident and was severely injured"
"That was a cover story" said Willow as she looked at Dawn's shocked face, "I really died"
"Red" said the General, "maybe you'd like to start at the beginning"
"You know about Anubis and how he is a half ascended being with no physical body?" asked Willow.
"Yes" said Angel, "the General explained it to me and Cordelia while you were at the SGC"
"A little over seven or eight months ago" said Willow, "Anubis infiltrated the SGC through a Russian Colonel before taking over Daniel. I sensed something was wrong and confronted Daniel, not knowing that it was Anubis who was inhabiting his body. He held a member of another team hostage and I used my powers to disarm him."
"Ok" said Angel.
"Once he saw my powers he used Daniel's body to shoot up the Gateroom, but he was injured thanks to a precision shot by the General through his shoulder" said Willow.
"Although he did shoot Red here in the leg" said Faith.
"Definitely not fun" mumbled Willow as Faith smiled.
"Anyway" said Willow as she looked up at the four people, "since Daniel was injured, he took over the General's body since he was closer to Daniel as he lay injured. He then used the General to get into the body he really wanted"
"Yours" said Tara.
"Yes" replied Willow as she looked down at her cup of coffee.
"You don't have any idea of what it's like to be taken over by a Goa'uld" said Willow quietly as her hands started to tremble, "he did exactly what Dawn, Buffy and Giles tried to do at the Slayer Council, he violated my mind and body. I could only watch, unable to do anything, as he used my body to attack the Chief Medical Officer into a coma. He used my hands, and I could feel everything, to grab her hand and smash it against the wall until the bones shattered. He then took my hands and grabbed her head and smashed it against the wall twice. That was when Faith intervened after she recovered from his initial attack against her"
The general noticing that her hands were trembling, helped Willow to put down her cup of coffee and squeezed her hand tightly.
"He used my powers to attack the base personnel a few hours after Colonel Carter used a device to subdue me. Later, he used my powers to push Colonel Carter through bullet proof glass so hard that she was constantly in pain for days" said Willow as tears started to fall from her eyes.
"Willow" said Cordelia as she handed her ex school mate a box of tissues, "you don't need to tell us"
"I have to" said Willow as she glanced at Dawn, "so that you can understand what I've been through and what's at stake"
"What was Anubis's endgame?" asked Angel.
"He wanted to use me to go through the Stargate to his home world and rebuild his forces" said Willow.
"Then he could come back and attack us again" said the General.
"But you didn't escape" said Tara.
"No" replied Faith, "I had to beat her"
"She went all out against Anubis" said Willow, "I felt every hit and every throw. But I knew that Anubis felt it as well, but he wouldn't leave my body. He wanted the power that was in my body"
"Magic" said Tara
"No" said Willow, "he unlocked the full power of the Ancients that was dormant in my body"
"What?" said Tara surprised.
"I'll get to that" said Willow, "after Faith beat Anubis around, I guess he must have retreated into my mind to recover from the pain. It was then that I finally took control of my body again"
"You won" said Dawn quietly.
"No" said Willow, "as my body began to heal itself, which is one of the Ancient's powers', I could feel him returning to claim my mind and body again. It was then I knew I had two choices, either I fight Anubis for control my entire life while exiled from Earth or I die, at which point he'll no longer have access to my powers and he would have no choice but to leave"
"And you chose.." said Angel
"Death" said Willow as she looked at a surprised Dawn.
"Why?" asked Dawn, "You could have fought him, you took the easy way out"
"Dawn" said Faith, "you need to listen"
"You're right Dawn, I could have fought him for control" said Willow, "but he's too powerful and I couldn't have kept up the fight for long. He's a half ascended Ancient with knowledge of advanced Ancient technologies. What do you think would have happened to the galaxy when he took full control of my body and my powers, along with his knowledge?"
"It would have been unthinkable" said the General.
"He would have taken over the galaxy and then come to Earth with the full power of his fleet" said Willow, "and he would have been successful"
"How do you know?" asked Dawn
"I think I saw the future in a dream I had when I was in D.C, a few days after you guys were arrested" said Willow, "he had taken over my body and burned the planet. The entire SGC was massacred, Colorado Springs as destroyed, D.C was gone and Anubis, in my body, had started a new generation of the Goa'uld. The first of which, took over Buffy"
"What?" said Dawn and Angel together.
"No way" said Dawn, "that's a lie"
"Anubis told me that she fought hard, that I'd have been proud of how hard she fought and how tough she was" said Willow as she looked at Dawn, "But she was fighting alone against his best forces; she eventually fell. He had already taken down every magic user. He captured the leaders of the resistance. I was there when he used my body to coldly murder them; something that he transmitted live over the entire planet so that people could see what would happen to anyone who went against him. He held me in place helpless as he killed General O'Neill, Daniel and the President. And then….. Oh God….. and then….."
"Willow" said Tara softly, "what happened?"
"He gave Anhur, the Goa'uld who took over Buffy, the honour of murdering the last person; the final leader of the resistance" said Willow as tears started to flow down her cheeks and into the coffee.
"Who?" asked Angel.
"Dawn" said Willow as she looked at Buffy's younger sister.
"No" said Dawn stunned, "No"
"I saw Anhur point the staff weapon at your head, and then activate it. All I could do was look on helplessly as he mentally held me in place. I told you to close your eyes, and you cried as you did everything you could to reach Buffy" said Willow, "I shouted for Buffy to fight, to come to her senses and fight the bloody, fucking snake. Then I shut my eyes as I saw a bright orange light leave the staff weapon and then I heard the thud of a body falling on the floor. He murdered everyone using my hands Dawn"
Everyone just sat there in silence as they absorbed what they had just learnt. No one dared to speak as they looked at Willow as she looked down at her cup of coffee that was virtually untouched and had gotten cold. Finally, it was Faith who broke the silence.
"Red, you should finish the story you were saying" she said, "about what happened after Anubis went into your body a few months back"
"Right… where was I? Oh, so I accessed the Stargate and established a wormhole to a planet of ice and snow" said Willow as she wiped some tears from her eyes, "there was no way to get home as the SGC didn't know where I was going. Badly injured due to the pummelling by Faith, and my healing ability stopped by the extreme cold, Anubis finally left my body and escaped. I won, he was defeated."
"You were alone there?" asked Angel
"Yes" said Willow, "all alone until I was offered ascension"
"Wait what?" said Dawn, "you were offered ascension and you didn't take it?"
"What did I tell you earlier Dawn?" said Willow softly, "I wouldn't be able to interfere if I ascended. How could I when the Goa'uld are still out there ravaging the galaxy. I had help fight this war and, no, I don't have any regrets"
"And with Anubis out of your body…." said Angel
"All I had to do was survive" said Willow, "I eventually made it back to the SGC after a few hours of struggling against the cold to access the Stargate directly and send myself home. It took me a few days to recover"
"Especially after she had severe internal injuries I caused" said Faith.
"You did what you had to do" said Willow softly, "I thank you for that"
"Then after her debrief with the IOA, Red went on to heal Carter and the CMO" said the General with a downcast face.
"That's great news" said Cordelia as she noticed the looks that the General and Faith had, "right?"
"You didn't hear her scream in pain" said Faith.
"What happened?" asked Angel and Tara
"She collapsed" said the General, "a few hours later; we learned that all her organs were failing. She was put immediately on the transplant list but by that time, her kidneys had already failed"
"We were there when she was put on dialysis" said Faith.
"An ally of ours used a Goa'uld healing device we managed to acquire to heal Red" said the General, "and it worked since her vitals were all back to normal"
"Until we turned it off" said Faith, "then her vitals started to crash again"
"You mean she healed?" asked Dawn
"And her organs started to fail again once the device was off" said Faith, "there was nothing anyone could do"
"Until our last hope beamed us on board of their ship" said the General.
"You mean these Asgard?" asked Angel
"Yes" said Willow
"They did everything they could" continued Willow, "but the same thing kept on happening. They healed my body but once my body was healed, it would fail again. They said that my body was undergoing Catastrophic Cellular Breakdown"
"Why?" asked Tara who was still stunned at what she was hearing.
"My Ancient powers" said Willow, "they said that Anubis unlocked all the powers of near ascended Ancients and my body was incapable of holding all that power"
"Oh" said Dawn
"To save my life" said Willow, "they cloned me a new body, genetically engineered to be biologically similar to the 'near ascended' Ancients. Then they transferred my consciousness and my memories from my original body to this one. They said that this body would be able to hold all the power of near ascended Ancients safely, although I will have to forever remain in control"
Willow looked on as the four people in front of her stared at her with their eyes wide open.
"Someone please say something" said Willow.
She then noticed Angel get up and crouch in front of her and hug her tightly, "you're still our Willow"
"Thank you Angel" said Willow as she gave a smile and Angel sat back down across from her.
"After they ran tests on me" said Willow, "they gave me a tablet. The Asgard collected data that was important to them from my original body, and after they were done, they asked me to destroy it"
"Oh" said Tara as she realized what that meant.
"I pressed the button that disintegrated my original body" said Willow, "you have no idea what it's like looking at yourself, someone who is you… dead… just lying there peacefully…. Dead. And I pressed the button, I watched myself disintegrate… I knew it was something that needed to be done so that no one else could have access to my body. But… I still died… a part of me died"
Willow then stood up and walked to the window as Faith followed her. Dawn looked on as she noticed Willow's shoulders started to tremble, and Faith then hugged the red head.
"A little over seven months ago" said the General as he stared at Dawn, "after a night where she drank a lot, Red suffered a mental breakdown"
"No" said Dawn as she got up, "I didn't know"
"What do you mean?" asked Angel as he looked at General O'Neill.
"Red couldn't accept that she killed her original body and that she was a clone. She dreamt that her original body had told her certain things…. That she was an abomination that should be destroyed, among other things" said the General, "the Asgard were monitoring her vital signs and immediately took her to their home world in the Othalla galaxy to help her in her recovery."
"Remember she was gone for about a month?" said General O'Neill as he stared at Dawn.
"I didn't know" said Dawn softly
"Well" said the General, "you know now"
"General" said Willow as she walked back to the seating area with Faith by her side, "if it's alright with you, I'll like to get back to my hotel room now"
"Wait" said Angel, "Why are you staying in a hotel and not here? Didn't Kennedy arrange your room?"
"I guess she might have made a mistake" said Willow as she looked back at the General, "Please Sir? I'd really like to go back"
"Sure" said the General as he got up, "I'll give you a ride"
"You didn't drive Sir" said Willow
"I know" said the General as he grinned.
"I'll see you tomorrow Faith" said Willow as she looked at the Slayer.
"Ditto Red" said Faith, "I'll be training the potentials from seven in the morning, and you should join us"
"Maybe" said Willow as she turned to the General, "I'm ready Sir"
Angel and the others saw General O'Neill press a button on a device as two columns of bright lights engulfed Willow and the General and they disappeared.
Faith looked on sadly at the now empty space where Willow once stood before staring at Dawn.
"She's been through hell" said Angel.
"You have no idea" said Faith as she continued staring at Dawn before she turned around and left Cordelia's office, "I'll see you guys in the morning, I'm tired"
After Faith left the office, the others just sat in silence as they tried to absorb what they had learned this day and to reflect on the new reality that they had just been witness to.
Willow's Room, Hotel Sunnydale
A single beam of light suddenly appeared out of nowhere and deposited Willow in the middle of her room. The General had told her that she was already checked-in and that her keys would be inside the room.
Looking at the bed, she saw that the General was right. Her key was left on the bed which she then picked up and put on the side table. Not even bothering change or freshen up, Willow took off her BDU's and slipped under the covers naked and fell asleep as tears continued to fall from her eyes.
TBC