The Summers Residence, alternate reality; 2145 hours.
The Summers house was quiet ever since Willow escaped from the confines of the room she was being kept in. All of them were confused, not least the Potential Slayers who were still being bandaged up following the incident at the Shadow Valley Vineyards. Kennedy, who was being bandaged by Dawn and another younger Potential, could only look at Buffy's younger sister before looking at the picture on the mantle of Buffy, Giles, Tara, Xander and Dawn laughing together with Willow's arms around the shoulders of both Tara and Buffy. She then saw another picture taken in a club where Tara and Willow were in a deep kiss as Xander looked on with a grin, while Anya was giving the dark haired man a dangerous stare. Kennedy then looked back at Dawn who finished putting bandages on her arms and forehead and gave the girl a nod, telling her that she was alright.
"Alright" said Dawn as she stood up and prepared to help Anya with another Potential before Kennedy called her back, "Yeah?"
"She died, didn't she?" said Kennedy nodding towards the picture of Willow, "I thought you guys said that she died… and before that she was a witch addicted to magic and…."
"She was… is…" said Dawn as Kennedy interrupted her.
"Well" said Kennedy, "she's here now.. supposedly a demon and…"
"I don't believe that" said Dawn as she looked at Giles who was talking to Oz and the others in the sitting room, "I'll never believe that."
"Maybe you shouldn't be fighting her if it came to that" said Kennedy as Dawn looked back at her with furrowed eyebrows, "I'm being honest with you. Having feelings for someone will get you killed; you hesitate and you die. I overheard what the old guy said, that she would most likely be a demon and… look, even if she's not; you guys said that she's an extremely powerful witch who was once addicted to magic. And if this is that same Willow? Then she needs to go before she…. I mean.. it doesn't seem as if she has magic since she didn't use any; but that's probably because she's trying to give us a false sense of security."
"I'm telling you she's not" said Dawn as she glared at Kennedy, "I trust Buffy's vision and…"
"Sorry, Dawn" said Kennedy, "she just led us into something none of us were ready for; and you know that. We've got injured Potentials, Rona is down.. Xander lost an eye because of the creep Caleb. And you know that's because of her. I'm sorry but Buffy's judgement is just…. Look, let's find out more about this Caleb guy alright? We'll talk about Willow, and Buffy, later."
"I…." said Dawn as Anya interrupted her.
"Dawn" said the vengeance demon as she tried to wrap a bandage around the arm of another Potential Slayer, "I need your help."
"Yeah" said Dawn as she turned around and headed towards Anya.
It was then that the phone in the living room rang, and Andrew went to pick it up while Dawn glared at Kennedy before kneeling next to Anya and helping her take care of the injured Potential Slayer. Once the phone was picked up, Giles walked into the room with Tara, and Oz as they looked at the surprise on Andrew's face.
"Oh" said Andrew as he looked up at Giles and the others, "ummm… I guess if she stole your motorcycle then….."
"Spike?" asked Giles as he walked towards the young man and reached out his hand for the phone.
"Yeah" said Andrew before telling Spike that Giles wanted to talk to him. Andrew then handed the phone to Giles before walking away and standing next to Anya with his hands in his pockets nervously.
"Spike" said Giles the phone as the bleached Vampire was walking back to the Summers house, "what happened?"
"She stole my bike" said Spike as he kicked a small pebble on the road as he continued to walk, "I found the house that Tara told us about, went in to check it out…. Caught a bit of her scent so I knew she should be still around. Went up to the second floor and next thing I know, my bike's been started. Ran down the stairs and saw Red riding off on it. Chased her for a few minutes but lost her.. and.. yeah."
"I see" said Giles as he rubbed his forehead before looking up at the worried look on Tara's face.
"Rupert" said Spike, "the house was abandoned, just like many others but it seemed as if she made a call."
"Hold on" said Giles as he covered the microphone portion on the phone and looked at Tara, "Tara, Spike lost the thing trying to be Willow. Please perform another locator spell?"
"Al… alright" said Tara as she nodded her head before looking at Oz who told her that he'll accompany her so that she could perform the spell.
Nodding his head, Giles then went back to talking with Spike and told him to return to the Summers house. He told him that he'll call Principal Wood and talk to him about going after the demon Willow once they find out where she is.
"And that's the thing" said Spike as he rubbed his head in frustration, "if Red.. I mean this Red really is a demon as you think, then how did the location spell work the first time? If the demon is taking on Red's image to lower our guard, then how did it work? Because it shouldn't have."
"The First has many resources at its disposal, Spike" said Giles, "it could have gotten one of its many minions to somehow find a way to make this demon exactly like our Willow, even have it thinking that it really is Willow. Giving it a bit of her so that our location spell would work, so that we'd drop our guard in the knowledge that yes… she is our Willow and take it in. In the meantime, just get back, alright."
"Yeah, yeah" said Spike. He was getting ready to disconnect the phone when he heard Tara shouting on the other line. He then got back on the phone and asked the Watcher if Tara was alright. However, Giles didn't answer him before Spike heard over the open line Tara telling Giles that Willow was heading towards U. C. Sunnydale. Spike then disconnected the call and turned around before starting to run as fast as he could towards the university.
"Yes, but Spike…" said Giles after Spike disconnected the call; he then looked at the receiver before he put it back down onto the cradle. His instincts were telling him that the vampire was going to rush to U. C. Sunnydale, so he frowned before picking up the phone and making a call to Principal Wood.
U. C. Sunnydale, 2150 hours.
Willow just rode through one of the entrances of the university and heading towards the computer sciences building. She remembered that in her own reality, that building had a computer lab that was open for twenty-four hours; she just hoped that what she feared wasn't true. She knew that General Kelley didn't outright say that there was no such thing as Project Chappa'ai, Willow suspected that he was trying to find out how she knew about the project. However, in her heart, Willow knew that she was alone in this world. She knew that the SGC didn't exist and she hoped that gaining access to a computer would prove it either way before she came up with a new plan of action.
Parking the motorcycle in one of the stalls, Willow stepped off before she made her way down the walkway and towards the computer science building. Looking around, she was relieved that there weren't that many people walking about at night.
"The great Sunnydale fear" said Willow to herself as she continued to walk, "never go out at night, and if you do; then go out as a group."
"And maybe you should follow that" said a familiar voice from behind Willow as the redhead turned around, only to come face to face with the Buffy she had seen earlier that night; a Buffy in a purple top and wearing cream trousers.
"Who are you?" asked Willow as she looked at the Buffy in front of her before she looked around her to make sure that there weren't any other surprises.
"The question is" said Buffy as she folded her hands around her chest and circled Willow, "who are you?"
"I asked first" said Willow as she turned around and followed this Buffy, "who are you?"
"You know me, Willow" said Buffy as she stopped, "I'm Buffy."
"No" said Willow as she glared at her best friend while she transformed to the form of Miss Calendar, Mayor Wilkins, Glory, Angel, Spike, Adam and then finally; it transformed into the form of Willow.
"I'm everyone" said Willow's doppelganger as she approached her, "I'm part of the First.. the First Evil."
"Uh huh" said Willow as she raised an eyebrow and took a step towards her doppelganger, "and that means what?"
"No, no" said the First in the form of Willow, "your turn, you tell me who you are. I mean I already suspect that you really are from another reality. The others are idiots when it comes down to things like this, but it really takes people like us to imagine trillions of alternate realities out there where any slight deviation can change the course of the world."
"Looks like you know where I'm from" said Willow.
"D'uh" said the First, "like I said, I'm Willow; I'm not stupid, so who are you? I know you're not a demon despite what dear old Giles seems to think… so…. Come on. Don't leave me hanging here."
"Major Willow Rosenberg, USAF" said Willow as her doppelganger smiled.
"Can't believe I joined the military in another reality" said the First, "especially after the whole Initiative fiasco and…"
"What do you want?" said Willow.
"Where do you stand in the war?" asked the First, "what if I told you I was here to destroy the entire Slayer line, would you try and stop me? Me? The thing that created evil? The thing that's been here since the beginning of time and…."
"Yeah" said Willow as she rubbed her forehead in frustration, "I'm not here to listen to long winded speeches and all that bull, my goal is to go home. I'm already fighting a war; I have no intention of interfering in another one."
"Huh" said the First with a grin, "aren't you supposed to defend the weak, and all that goody goody stuff?"
"Like I said" replied Willow, "not my reality; don't care what happens."
"I surprise myself" laughed the First in Willow's form, "I really do."
Willow then saw her doppelganger's demeanour change from laughter, to rage.
"If you interfere" said the First, "I will bring my army to bear on you; and your…. Well… my friends. Sunnydale will be the site where the line of Slayers is destroyed for all time."
"I don't care" said Willow as she walked towards the First, "I don't care if you destroy the line or not, I don't care if you think you are this so called evil that created other evil… I don't care. But let me ask you this though… one final question."
"What the heck?" said the First as she shrugged her shoulders in Willow's form, "what is it?"
"Prove to me that you are this First Evil.. the evil that supposedly created other evil" said Willow with a smile.
"Little girl" said the First as it took on the form of Buffy again, "I've existed since the Big Bang, before the Word was even spoken and…"
"Yeah, as I thought" said Willow, "just words… no proof. You think just words will make me fear you? Do something. Why don't you do something."
Willow saw the dark look that the First, in Buffy's form, was giving her before she came to a realization, and thought back to the events of earlier that night with the strange robed creatures.
"You can't do anything, can you?" said Willow, "you can't do a single thing. Instead, you have those weird things do things for you. You're a joke."
"My army will move soon" said the First as she walked towards Willow, "my army will move and when they take over this Earth, the balance will tilt in my favour and I will be made flesh. And if you are still here, I will find you and feast on your bones."
"Again" said Willow, "no proof. There may have been a time when I believed you, but you know what, you can tell me you're the First and all that; but that doesn't mean a single thing to me. You say you've been here since the beginning and you have no proof, so… guess what, they're just words to me; meaning that I don't fear you. So, get the hell out of my way and…"
"Make sure you leave this place" said the First as it changed into a huge spectral form of a horned, robed demon while Willow looked up, "or else you will pay when the end of days comes."
Willow frowned when she saw the demon vanish before her very eyes before looking at the clock tower. Seeing that she wasted time talking to the First, Willow ran as fast as possible towards the Computer Science building, aware that Giles would have told Tara to perform a location spell on her.
"Betting that's how Spike found me at that house" said Willow to herself as she ran up the stairs and into the building. Upon going through the doors, Willow entered a smaller room on her left side, and into the twenty-four hour computer lab. As she walked by the rows of empty computer terminals, she noticed little card readers next to the computers and signs on the walls that said an U. C. Sunnydale student card was required to access the computers.
'Damn it' though Willow to herself as she glanced at all of the camera's that were still activated in the room. As she walked around in the lab wondering what her next move would be, she looked into the office of the administrator; the individual who takes care of the lab while it's open. Knowing that the camera's had already seen her face, Willow ducked into the small office and headed to the table where she found the administrator's laptop. Walking to the door of the office and looking around, the redhead headed back into the small office and hurriedly put the administrator's laptop and charger into the laptop bag that lay under the desk. She then looked around and saw two hooded sweatshirts that were hanging on a rack in the corner.
'Yay' though Willow to herself as she took the grey coloured sweatshirt and hurriedly put it on and zipped up, 'I'm now a thief.. officially. I can see the headlines now, 'Dead Woman Comes Back to Life and Steals Stuff'.'
Glad that the sweatshirt was loose, Willow covered most of her face with the hood before she slung the bag over her shoulder and rushed out of there. As she walked out of the lab, she heard footsteps coming from another hallway behind her; and it was those footsteps which encouraged her to get out faster. As she rushed out of the doors and ran down the stairs with the laptop, she walked past a dark-skinned bald man who rushed right past her. Looking behind her as he walked up the stairs, Willow saw him take out a phone which he turned on before he entered the building. Once the doors closed, Willow went into a dead run for Spike's motorcycle. It wasn't long after Willow reached the motorcycle that she looked behind her to find the dark skinned man looking at her from the stairs. Willow concentrated on the man as he ran towards her while she started the motorcycle. However, she didn't notice someone else coming from the other side while she was distracted.
"Spike!" said the man as Willow looked behind her in surprise when she saw the bleached Vampire running towards her, "get her."
Willow hurriedly swung the bag to her front before she moved the bike forward so that the stand would retract. But it was too late as she felt arms from behind her as they wrapped around her waist.
'Hold her, Spike!" shouted the man as the redhead looked behind her at a frowning vampire.
"Spike" said Willow, "this isn't my reality… I need to go home. Please."
"Go" said Spike as he leapt onto the back of the motorcycle, mush to the surprise of Willow and the dark-skinned man, "I believe you, so go."
"Thanks" said Willow as she throttled out of the parking lot with Spike hanging on to her. The dark skinned man just reached the parking lot panting after the motorcycle had left. He then took out his phone and dialled a number before bringing the device to his ear.
"Mr. Giles" said the man, "this is Robin. Sorry, I had it but…. but Spike helped it escape. Maybe he thinks that she's the real deal and wants her to prove it.. or something. But you need to call Buffy. This is getting out of hand. We already have this thing with the First and we can't afford any side fights."
"You're right" sighed Giles from the Summers house as he put the phone down and looked at the Potentials and the other remaining Scoobies, "it escaped with Spike. Principal Wood seems to believe that Spike wants Willow to prove that she's not a demon and…."
"Why don't we already kill the vampire already?" asked Kennedy as she stood up.
"Spike's the strongest fighter we have" said Dawn, "Buffy said so and…"
"With all that's going on" said Kennedy as she looked at Giles and the others, "Buffy's compromised, you know it, and I know it."
"Watch what you say" replied Dawn, "she's saved the world enough times to…"
"She just carelessly placed us in an ambush" said Kennedy as Giles stepped forward.
"Girls!" said Giles as he looked at Dawn and Kennedy, "call Buffy, please. Tell her what's going on. And Kennedy, now's not the time to fight each other… we still have the First and this demon Willow to worry about. But with the First being the greater threat right now…"
"We deal with the First" said Oz as Giles nodded his head.
"I… I'll get another location spell done" said Tara, but Giles shook his head and asked her to wait until Wesley and Connor had come into Sunnydale.
"If Spike hasn't come back by then" said Giles as he shook his head, "then we have to assume that he was either killed, or he ran off with the demon."
While everyone was talking, Oz could see Tara shaking her head before he put his arms around her shoulder and walked back into the kitchen where he helped her to sit down next to the island.
"You alright?" asked Oz as he looked at the dark haired witch.
"She's not a demon, Oz" said Tara, "she's not a demon… I know I'm supposed to feel that she is, so that it makes it easier to….. please, I know she's not a demon."
"I want to believe that she's not, Tara" said Oz as he kissed her forehead before talking to her softly, "but Cordelia's dream was very detailed. Willow standing over Sunnydale, watching it get destroyed while she smiled. From that description of her behaviour, only a demon would have that kind of a reaction to the deaths of people; to the destruction of an entire city."
"I.. I.. I need some rest, Oz" said Tara softly as she looked down, "I'm so tired, I…. I need some fresh air."
"Alright" said Oz he watched Tara open the door to the backyard before he walked into the living room. He made sure that he stood at the doorway between the sitting room and the kitchen while listening to what Giles was talking about. He didn't want to lose Tara's scent like he had lost Willow's.
The Espresso Pump, Sunnydale, alternate reality; 2215 hours.
It was five minutes since Willow and Spike arrived at the Espresso Pump and took their seats at a table near the pedestrian walkway outside. Willow had her hood covering her face, and was sitting away from lights so that shadow would cover her face. She told Spike that she didn't want anyone, especially any of Willow's friends outside the Scooby circle, to find out that she was miraculously alive. As she took the laptop out of the bag, she looked at Spike who was staring at her like a hawk. The redhead frowned as she placed the laptop on the table and opened up the screen before looking up at the bleached vampire.
"You're staring" said Willow.
"You're dead" replied Spike as he leaned back on his seat, "I have a right to stare, don't you think?"
"Fine" said Willow, "you know you didn't have to come with me, now the others think that you're aiding and abetting a demon."
"Nothing new" said Spike as he put his hands and interlocked his fingers at the back of his head, "so… let me understand this now. You are a Willow Rosenberg from another reality; a reality where you joined the Air Force and I'm guessing you've got special training? Special forces? Special Operations?"
"Major, my rank is Major and I was trained by the best" said Willow as she looked at Spike while the computer was still loading, "black ops, special forces, Marines, a Slayer… like I said. Trained by, and with, the best."
"A Slayer, huh?" asked Spike nodding his head, "Buffy?"
"Faith" said Willow as she leaned forward when the desktop showed on screen. Willow then looked up at Spike and told him that there was a camera at the far upper left corner of the Espresso Pump, and that she needed him to stand by her shoulder and block the camera, and what it could see, "just make it casual would you?"
"So you do need me" grinned Spike.
"Since you're here" said Willow as she gave Spike a small smile while the vampire stood up and blocked the computer screen from the camera, "and since this place has the best Wi-Fi signal."
"Yeah" said Spike as he watched her open a browser before typing in some numbers in the search bar. The Vampire looked on as she pressed another button as the screen became black, with only a curser blinking in the top left corner of the screen. Curious, Spike tapped on the redhead's shoulder as she typed some numbers on the screen.
"Hold on" said Willow as she continued to type when the logo of the Department of Defense showed up on the screen, "huh, I guess the backyard keys are the same thing."
"What the hell did you do?" whispered Spike as he looked at the screen while a cursor moved to a link called 'special projects'.
"I have one of the highest clearances on the planet in my reality" said Willow as she typed on the screen, "whenever I have to submit designs after my superiors sign off on it, I have to access a special section of the D.O.D. I know my own access credentials… and I know the backdoor keys, code that anyone with my level of clearance would know to access a backdoor so that we could check progress of our projects. So, yeah…. And.. oh boy…"
"Oh boy?" asked Spike, "oh, boy?"
"Yeah?" squeaked Willow as Spike saw her clicking link after link while she pointed at a number on the top left of the screen, "I've got like a minute before they trace me and…. crap."
"Crap?" asked Spike as Willow typed more information on another screen before the screen with 'Special Projects' listed on it shut down, and she was thrown back to the desktop. Spike saw her lean back in defeat as she rubbed her forehead with her eyes wide open, "Red? You ok?"
"No" said Willow softly, "there's no Project Giza, I was hoping that at least they would have found it in 1928 and then done the experiments in 1945 but…. Spike, that repository has every project kept out of the official record. So secret that it doesn't exist and…. no.. there has to be something."
"Red" said Spike as he crouched in front of Willow and covered her face even more with the hood before a patron walked past them, "what's Project Giza, why is it so important to you? And will the guy who owns this laptop get into trouble?"
"No" said Willow shaking her head, "I exited before the trace could be done… which is disappointing. A friend of mine designed the systems in a way that a trace could be done in thirty seconds and…"
"Willow" said Spike softly, "what's Project Giza?"
"Oh, oh" said Willow as she reached for the laptop again and opened another browser, ignoring Spike's question as the Vampire just looked at what she was doing. Willow opened a few windows and typed in some names, "oh God."
Willow looked stunned at the names that appeared on all the open browser windows, names she hoped that would be able to help her in some way or form.
"Colonel Jack O'Neill" said Spike as he moved the laptop screen towards him, "committed suicide following the accidental death of his son. Leaves behind a wife, Sara O'Neill."
"Oh Colonel" said Willow softly as Spike watched her lean back, "the program didn't exist in this reality, so you…. I'm so sorry."
"Willow?" asked Spike as the redhead leaned forward again and closed the window with the Colonel's suicide before getting to the next name.
"Captain Samantha Carter, USAF" said Willow, "just launched two weeks ago for a six month stint on the International Space Station; Dr. Daniel Jackson, controversial archaeologist living in Egypt. Left the University of Chicago four years ago due to his controversial stance on the role of pyramids in Ancient Egyptian society; Major Cameron Mitchell, still with the Air Force. Just completed a tour of duty in Iraq; General Hank Landry lives in Los Angeles and is now retired from the Air Force."
"Willow?" said Spike as he held on to her hand, "you know these people don't you?"
"Colonel O'Neill is now a General in my reality" said Willow as she looked at Spike, "the others, plus two more who aren't on the list, are… are my friends. We work together, and… without the SGC.. without Colonel Carter's help… how do I… I mean…"
"Willow?" asked Spike as he saw Willow's face brighten up as she leaned forward again and typed something on the computer, "Willow? What's Project Giza? What's the SGC?"
"One sec" said Willow as she typed something on the search bar while Spike looked on, "the Langford Expedition? Hathor? Eye of Ra? What is this?"
"Hold on" said Willow as she read out the first new report on the search results, "Langford expedition loses funding following unsuccessful dig at Giza Plateau, only finding was an empty tomb. Looks like they also found what seemed to be cover stones, but nothing was underneath it… oh dear lord. It was never there."
Spike wanted to say something as Willow went on to the next search but decided to stop, he told himself to wait until the redhead was done doing what she needed to do; and only then will he ask for an explanation. He watched as a smile grew on her face when he saw her read a Peruvian news report about a woman who claimed she was Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of fertility. The report said that the woman was looking for something called the Chappa'ai, and that she could sense it very far away. She tried to seduce some men in a nearby village to bring her to the Chappa'ai but police were called after the wives of the men captured, and drowned, her for trying to take away their husbands.
"Couldn't happen to a nicer, gal" said Willow to herself as she smiled at the screen, and then at Spike before she told him that she found a way home. When Spike asked her how, she pulled up a picture of two people standing underneath what looked like Egyptian hieroglyphics on an archway. She then pointed to the people on the picture, and then at the symbols that were written a little above the hieroglyphics, "that's the Langfords, Paul and his daughter Catherine. And you see those symbols on top? The one above the hieroglyphics?"
"Yeah?" said Spike softly, "and?"
"That's a language from a race known as the Goa'uld and…" said Willow as Spike tightened his hold on her hands before looking around.
"What? Di you just say race?" asked Spike as he looked back at Willow as she deleted all the search history, and any signs of the websites she visited. She then put the laptop back into the bag before she walked out of the Espresso Pump, followed closely by a very confused Spike.
"What if I told you" said Willow as they got to Spike's motorcycle before they faced each other with the vehicle between them, "what if I told you that the galaxy was bigger than you ever thought possible? What if I told you that thousands of years ago, aliens came to this planet and kidnapped human beings to seed them to other worlds through an artificial subspace wormhole using a device known as a Stargate?"
"I'd say poppycock" said Spike as he leaned forward, "that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard… no actually.. wait.. yeah, it is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"Spike" said Willow, "those symbols are their language. If the Goa'uld exist in this reality, then… the Ancients exist.. and if they exist.. the outposts… the Earth outposts. I found a way home… I found a way…"
"Red?" said Spike, "look.. honestly.. this is all weird and…"
"Really?" asked Willow as she put her hands on her hips and looked at Spike with an eyebrow raised, "vampires, witches, demons, wish monters; you can believe that but not aliens?"
"We can see vampires and… wait…. I mean we can see all of them" hissed Spike, "we don't see little green men running around."
"Grey, actually" said Willow.
"Red" replied Spike as made movements with his hands.
"Spike" said Willow, "this is my job. In my reality, I'm part of a secret organization called Stargate Command. We go to other planets through the use of an alien device called the Stargate. MY team… SG-1, we've been one of many SG teams fighting a war with the Goa'uld. We fought them and won, and now we're embroiled in another war…. And I need to get back, and I finally found a way back. Look, the reason I got here in this reality is because I ascended."
"Red" said Spike, "that's not possible. Ascension means you become a pure demon, which means that you just proved Rupert and the others right."
"I know what ascension means, Spike" said Willow, "I fought the Mayor snake in my reality but that's a bastardization of ascension. That's demonic ascension, what I did was different. I let go of my physical form and became pure living energy. I felt the heartbeat of the galaxy, Spike… for an instance I felt the galaxy; it was alive. But to gain ascension I had to give up all my physical wants, I gave up my life at the SGC, my friends, my family; even my wife. All in exchange for unimaginable power and knowledge. Oh the knowledge Spike, the secrets of the universe was at my fingertips; even if it was for a few seconds. Anyway one of the rules of being an Ascended being? To be one of the Others? No interference in the lower plains of existence, meaning I can't interfere in this level. But between mortality and ascension, I was able to use my powers to kill a very powerful enemy, a very powerful enemy that would have taken control of the galaxy and enslaved everyone. But I knew that killing her wouldn't stop the war but I still made the sacrifice. I knew that we had to take at least one piece off the board which leaves us with possibly two more. The Others weren't able to immediately stop me; but after I fully ascended, I felt their wrath. They kicked me out of my reality and into this one as punishment for interfering, stripped me of my ascended knowledge, and they stripped me off my powers as well. But now, now I have a way to get back home and I intend to take it."
Willow stopped for a breath and smiled when she noticed the look on Spike's face that alternated between shock and confusion at what she had just said. She then saw the bleached vampire shake his head and lean forward.
"As unbelievable as that story is" said Spike, "it's true. I didn't hear your heart jump, or anything to show that you were lying."
"Good" said Willow as she put the laptop bag on the motorcycle seat, "now I need you to get that laptop back to that guy from the computer lab. They won't trace it, they won't even know where the system was accessed from.
"And you said, wife?" asked Spike with an eyebrow raised.
"Yea" smiled Willow as she brushed her ring finger, "I… I married Faith."
"Oh" said Spike surprised, "congrats?"
"You were at my wedding" said Willow as she smiled at the Vampire who has his eyebrow raised, "was… was my alternate in love with Tara?"
"Yea" said Spike as Willow got on his motorcycle, with him sitting on the back much to the surprise of the redhead.
"Spike" said Willow as she glanced over her shoulder as she lowered her hood and put on the Spike's helmet, "I need to go all the way into the Sunnydale desert, and you need to get back to Giles and the others."
"In case you don't know, Pet" said Spike, "evil's coming out of the woodwork, and I intend to watch your back while you're looking for your way home. You may not be this reality's Willow, but I'm gonna be damned if I let you go alone and possibly get killed."
Willow nodded her head knowing that arguing any further will the vampire would be a waste of time. As she started the motorcycle, Willow told a surprised Spike that the First Evil appeared to her and that she told it that she won't be interfering in the war; the war to save the Slayer Line.
"I see" said Spike as he looked at Willow while she told him that that what matter is her own reality; that she's not concerned about what happens in this one.
"Will that be a problem?" asked Willow as she looked at Spike.
"No" he replied nodding his head, "no problem at all."
"Good" said Willow as she started the motorcycle and they rode all the way to the Sunnydale dessert after Spike bought some gas for the trip so that the motorcycle wouldn't stop in the middle of the journey.
The Sunnydale Outpost, an hour outside of Sunnydale; 0000 hours.
It had taken some time for Willow to get to the location of the Ancient outpost, located under the sands of Sunnydale on a motorcycle. The bumpy journey there made her appreciate the Asgard beaming technology even more. They were travelling under the cover of darkness, the only light coming from the motorcycle's headlights, until Willow reached a certain area that she recalled from her memories of using the same outpost thousands of years ago. Stopping the vehicle, she nodded at Spike who got off the back seat before Willow. She walked towards some shrubs and boulders where she knew the hidden panel in the ground was located before she turned around and looked at the vampire who stood next to the motorcycle.
Smiling at Spike, Willow crouched down and placed her hand on the section of artificial ground. The Vampire then stepped forward as Willow pulled her hand up as an off-white coloured pillar that had some sections glowing blue slide out off the ground silently.
"Spike" said Willow, "thank you for believing me. But…. but you need to leave. I'll be calling for help and I'm not coming back to the surface for some time. The sun could come out by the time help arrives for me and… and if you're still here then you could be dusted."
"Red" said Spike as Willow put her hand on the top panel as the hologram covering the palm scanner, the same type of hologram that Dawn put in her report back in Willow's own reality, disappeared. Willow placed her hand on the scanner as it flashed green for a few second just as she knew it did for Dawn.
"I'll be alright" said Willow, "tell the others I'm sorry about their Willow, I don't know if she ascended or not… but I'm sure she's watching over them."
Spike watched as the green light became steady before Willow was covered in a bright white light and simply vanished, leaving the Vampire shocked and alone on the surface. HE rushed towards the pillar and placed his hand on the palm scanner but nothing happened. Frowning, he stood back as the pillar retreated back into the ground before she looked up and saw that he was in darkness.
'Red' thought Spike to himself as he shook his head and headed back to the motorcycle, 'I don't know why you were lying about not wanting to help… but whatever you're gonna do… you better do it fast.'
As Spike rode off on his motorcycle, Willow was transported deep underground into the Ancient outpost. As she took a step forward, she noticed that all the lights on the walls of the outpost started turning on by themselves. She looked around the room she was in and smiled when she recalled the experiments she conducted here, and the creation of the weapon for Sineya. She looked at the destroyed molecular assembler as she walked towards the console at one end of the room.
'Too bad it's destroyed' thought Willow to herself as she reached the console and crouched down. Pressing the side of the device, she waited for the crystal tray to slide out and smiled when everything was intact. After pushing the crystal tray back into the recess it slid out off, Willow stood up and looked at the control columns and grinned.
'Thanks, mother' thought Willow to herself as she pressed the columns, 'thank you for downloading the Ancient language into my mind as a gift.'
After Willow pressed down on a column at the far right of the console, Willow saw a screen in front of her activate with a series of Ancient symbols running in columns. She then pressed a few more columns on the device before she smiled and pressed a button that was on the left-most side of the console, activating the subspace communication system. She targeted a range of subspace frequencies that she knew the Asgard used in her own reality, she just hoped that the range she input into the console in this reality were the same.
'Here goes nothing' thought Willow to herself before she spoke out loud to no one in particular, "my name is Major Willow Rosenberg of Earth. I have a message for Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet. I need your help… I came here from another reality and I need the help of the Asgard to return to my home reality. Please, help me. I can't offer much in return, but I can try. So… please. Help me."
Willow then stepped back after the message was sent, and waited for a response. She hoped that even if Thor wasn't here in this galaxy, that the message would have reached any Asgard ship and then they would have contacted Thor… or they would come themselves and help her. Willow sighed and turned around, she intended to walk towards the far wall, away from the debris on the floor of the outpost and take a seat. After all the excitement and adrenalin rush of the past few hours, she suddenly felt exhausted; all she wanted to do was sleep for a few days. Walking towards the wall, she heard a beep behind her. Turning around, she walked back to the console and pressed another column down as the screen activated to show a small grey alien who was blinking at her and tilting his head.
"Greetings, I am Heimdall of the Asgard Science Council. You are Major Willow Rosenberg of Earth?"
"Yes" said Willow with a smile, "I'm contacting you from an Ancient outpost, and… and I hope you understood my message. Is Thor alright?"
"Yes, I have" said Heimdall, "as for Commander Thor, he is assisting with the evacuation of our worlds due to a war with a great enemy, a war that we are on the verge of losing."
"Against replicators?" asked Willow who saw Heimdall tilt his head and blink at the redhead, "we faced them together in our own reality. I can help you with a weapon to defeat them, I just need you to help me make a quick stop at a Stargate address. In addition, I have a unique protein marker in my blood that's helped the Asgard in my reality halt, and reverse their genetic degradation due to mass cloning. It was the key that they were looking for in my own reality."
"How is that possible?" asked Heimdall.
"I have both Furling and Ancient genes" said Willow as she watched Heimdall's eyes open wide, "and… and all I ask is that you help me get home. "
"Ancient and Furling genes in one human body?" asked Heimdall, "that should not be possible."
"My father told me that he met the Asgard in my own reality when the Alliance of Four was first formed to fight against the Goa'uld" said Willow as she looked at Heimdall, "I don't know if your people met him in this reality as well. His name was Moros; Moros of Atlantis?"
"You are Athena?" asked Heimdall, surprise evident in his voice, "you have descended?"
"IN my own reality, yes I have" said Willow, "I wanted to help in battling something on Earth, so I was physically reborn. My mother had the Furling gene within her and… yeah. I have both."
"I see" said Heimdall, "If what you say is true… all you ask is help to return to your reality?"
"Yes" said Willow, "and maybe some things here and there… but I will help you. In my reality, the Asgard helped us… and in return, we helped to defeat most of the replicators using Ancient knowledge after a friend of mine had the entire repository of knowledge downloaded into his mind."
"That much knowledge for the human brain is not possible" said Heimdall.
"The Asgard removed the knowledge" said Willow, "but not before he gave your people the specifications to build a large scale version of the weapon. I intend to do the same thing…. My body and my mind is that of a near ascended Ancient, I know I won't be able to hold the knowledge for long.. but it should be enough for you to connect my mind to the computer on your ship and build the weapon."
"Human's are interesting beings" said Heimdall.
"In my reality" said Willow as she stood up straight, "Baldur was the one who removed the information from my friend's mind the first time he downloaded the repository of information; he told my friend that we have the potential to be the fifth race and that's what we're going towards. We've defeated most of the Goa'uld system lords, and now we're in another war that's encompassing the entire galaxy. So I need to get back and help protect my home, I need to get back and help my friends. So please, would you help me? I'll do everything I can to help you… but I need your help in getting back."
"I will be in the orbit of Earth in one of your minutes" said Heimdall as Willow nodded her head.
"Thank you" said Willow as the screen shut itself off. Willow then ran to the transporter and beamed herself back to the surface near the retracted access pillar. Once the white light faded away, Willow found herself face-to-face with the First in Buffy's form. Stepping back in surprise, she then glared at the thing that took her best friend's form. She knew everything about the First since Spike told her about the First and what it was, what its plans were; all the while Willow just listened quietly instead of talking. And now, after Spike was gone and she made contact with the Asgard, here it was… standing in front of her with arms crossed over its chest.
"So" said Buffy as she circled Willow while glaring at her, "an ascended being, huh? Something that's not one of the Powers? How boring you are, how droll."
"And yet" said Willow, "here you are. Spike told me everything about you, how you can take the form of the dead, including their memories. Which makes me guess that my counterpart in this reality didn't know about herself, did she? You can only access memories that she knew… hah… you're the one that's boring to me."
"Please" said the First as she took on Willow's form, "just so you know, I am a very… very powerful witch. And guess what, when I retake my flesh form… I'll be using my powers to slowly.. and I mean very slowly peel the flesh off the bones of your friends. Heck, I'm already torturing Tara, such a fragile mind. Did you know that she went catatonic for a few days after I was gone? Such a pitiful creature that one, so unsure of herself. Honestly, I never know what I saw in her."
"How about you leave me alone and continue torturing her" said Willow as she glared at the First, "this talk isn't really doing anything for me. Like I said, these people don't matter… what matters to me is my reality."
"You're cruel" said the First as she took Buffy's form again and pouted, "and you call yourself an officer."
"Yeah, yeah. Like I said, not my reality.. so not my friends, and not my problem" said Willow as she felt a slight breeze hit her before she sent out a thought, 'help her.'
Just as it was there, the breeze suddenly stopped as the First kept on talking while Willow looked up at the sky. It was then that she heard a buzzing sound as she looked back down at the First who looked genuinely surprised before the redhead vanished in a flash of white light.
Tara's Room, the Summers Residence; 0025 hours.
"Touch'e" said the First to herself as she vanished in a flash of white light as well after Willow vanished, and smiled when she found herself in Tara's room while watching the dark haired woman lying on her bed in the foetal position as tears streamed down her face. The First then took on Willow's form and approached her, "Oh my Tara, baby… I just talked to the other Willow. She said that I can continue torturing you, what do you say about that? So, what would you like to talk about? Oh, how about this? Did you know that the only reason I was ever with you was because I pitied you? I mean, come on; let's be honest here, you were a bumbling shy buffoon and I had the cool friends. And the day I got shot, the only thought through my mind was why it wasn't you. You tired to control me and my magic, you wanted to make sure I couldn't grow and become the most powerful witch on Earth. But no, you told me that I had to keep control and then when I lost it just for a little bit, you left me! You left me, Tara!"
"Stop" said Tara softly as she kept her eyes closed, "please stop."
"I find it funny you know" said the First in Willows form sarcastically as she looked at Tara while crossing her arms over her chest, "you put up this façade of sanity when you're really just breaking down inside. I told you didn't I, huh? I told you could join me if you killed yourself, but no… you had to prove that you're some big shot. So come on, Tara; make it easier on yourself, take the gun that Warren used to kill me, and then put it in your mouth and squeeze the trigger."
"N… no" said Tara softly as the door to her room opened and Buffy, who had recently come back from the hospital, walked into the room and sat down next to Tara. She looked around when she sat dawn and heard Tara repeating 'no' and shaking her head while tears streamed from her closed eyes. Not seeing anyone, Buffy knew that the First was appearing to only the dark haired witch as she put her hand on Tara's shoulder and gently squeezed.
"I'm sorry" said Buffy as she looked at Tara, "she's gone because of me, our Willow's gone because of me. I don't know what to do. If she hadn't met me then, maybe she would still be alive. Tara, please… I don't know what to do. Another Willow's somewhere out there, Giles and Principal Wood are being….. I don't know, Spike's missing, Connor and Wesley are just an hour away from Sunnydale. I don't know what's happening to us. The Potentials… oh God, I put them in danger, but I know there's no choice. And then there's Caleb and the First, Caleb still has something of mine and I know we need to get it back but, Tara I need you."
Buffy then looked back down at the witch and ran her hand through her hair before whispering, "I need you back with us, Tara. You and Oz are the only stable elements in my life right now… in this crazy life. Please, come back to us."
"Buffy?" asked Oz as he opened the door to Tara's room slightly and saw the blonde Slayer sitting on her bed while running her hand through the witch's hair, "you alright?"
"Yea" said Buffy softly as she looked at the crying Tara, "you go to sleep; I'll stay here for a little while."
"Alright" said Oz as he nodded his head and closed the door while Buffy continued to look at Tara.
Tara could still hear the First using Willow's voice to taunt her, as well as feeling Buffy's hand going through her hair in an attempt to comfort her. This had been going on for the past six months, with the First Evil trying eliminate the Potentials and then the First taunting Tara incessantly in the guise as Willow to fracture her mind so that she would be useless in the upcoming battle. The truth was that the First was right that ever since Willow's death, Tara was hiding behind a façade of normality while she was slowly breaking down in the inside. She knew that it wouldn't be too long before the final battle and she kept on trying to keep as much of her sanity intact as possible. Of course, the coming of the alternate Willow didn't help much since it gave Tara renewed hope… and then to have it crash again when the others kept on telling her that she's either a demon, or a Willow from another reality. Either way, she felt broken again and she knew that the First was taking advantage of that.
All of a sudden, she saw a bright light though her closed eyelids and the voice of the First vanished, along with the feeling of Buffy's hand going though her hair; instead she heard the sounds of birds chirping, a warm breeze that brushed her neck and cheeks, followed by the sounds of a flowing stream. She slowly opened her eyes to find herself lying on some wooden planks. As she slowly got up on her feet, she looked at her surroundings in shock when she realized where she was. Instead of her room at Buffy's house, she found herself standing on a bridge in a park in the afternoon with the sun high in the sky, the same park where a few years ago the former blonde haired witch had sung to Willow about how much she loved her.
Surprised, Tara looked around and called for OZ, and for Buffy, since she had no idea what was happening. Especially since she didn't use any magic to transport her to another place. As she looked around, she caught a glimpse of a glowing white ball of light that landed close to her from the sky above. She stepped back in surprise as the ball of light, with tendrils along the edges, slowly dimmed to reveal a red haired woman in a strapless dress.
"Hi Tara"
"Wil…. Willow?" said Tara as she took a few more steps back while Willow just stood there with a small smile on her face, "n…. no.. you.. you're the First."
"No, Tara" said Willow shaking her head, "I'm not the First."
Willow then took a few steps towards Tara and stopped before reaching her. The redhead then looked around her surroundings, and then at the railing on the bridge before placing a hand gently on it.
"Do you remember this place?" asked Willow as she placed her other hand on the railing and leaned over to look at the stream that was flowing underneath the bridge, "do you remember that day? You sang to me? Said that you were under my spell?"
"Th.. the First came to me before" said Tara as she took another step back, "and…."
"In my form" said Willow nodding her head as she looked at the stream, "I was there. I was so glad you didn't listen to her, I'm so glad that….. that you didn't do what it wanted."
"You…. you were there?" asked Tara, "bu… but…"
"Tara" said Willow as she looked at Tara, "things are changing. What was supposed to happen, it's not going to happen. I can tell you that there are parties that want a certain course for history to take, and they'll do anything to make events go their way… and I mean absolutely anything."
"Willow?" said Tara as she stepped forward.
"I've always loved you" said Willow as she stepped away from the railing and turned towards Tara, "even after I died, I've always loved you… I've always been there watching… never able to interfere in the lower planes of existence."
"Are you an angel?" asked Tara as Willow gave her a little smile.
"No" said Willow as Tara took a few more steps towards her, "it's complicated.. but my alternate can give you the details. Just in case you're thinking? No, I'm not a Power either."
"So she is really from another reality" asked Tara as Willow nodded her head, "then then we need to find her and…."
"No" said Willow as she shook her head, "she'll find her own way, but… but she'll be there for you guys in the end. When you see her again, give her a message. Tell her that they've gone too far this time, and… and limited interference has been authorized."
"O…k?" said a confused Tara as Willow walked the last few steps towards Tara and wrapped one arm around her waist and another under her arms and around her back.
"I'm sorry" said Willow as Tara wrapped her arms around the redhead before Tara brushed her lips with Willow's, "I'm sorry about everything. I know, I know I haven't been able to apologize for taking away your memories and the things I said. I know you were looking out for me, trying to make me see that abusing magic was bad… can you forgiving for saying some of the harmful things I told you when I was alive?"
"Yes" replied Tara as she kissed Willow's cheek, and then her jaw before going down to her neck.
"Tara" said Willow, "there are people watching us."
"Huh?" said Tara as she looked at Willow's eyes and noticed the playfulness there before she looked around and saw non-one around them, "where?"
"Hey" said Willow as she looked up when the sky started to rumble, "some privacy, please?"
"Willow?" asked Tara as she looked at the sky which had no clouds, but she could hear rumbling from the distance.
"Yea, I know… you guys said limited interference" said Willow frowning before she looked at Tara and shrugged. They heard more rumbling before Willow grinned and then looked up into the sky again, "oh come on Melia, you take that back. Anyway, don't you have another galaxy to visit or something? So move it… yea… yea… I'll meet you there."
"Willow?" asked Tara as she watched the redhead smile into the sky before looking back at Tara, "who were you talking to?"
"Some friends" said Willow, "they allowed me to interfere in your plane of existence so that, so that what was supposed to happen, doesn't happen. But… but I cant directly interfere… I know it's complicated but I need for you to trust me. There was a certain series of events that was primed to likely occur but now,with my alternate coming into this reality, those events are considered null. They're not supposed to happen, but… like I said, there are parties who want the previous events to occur and they did a massive amount of interfering. Since I know you guys, the Others have given me authorizing to perform some limited interference…. But I'm saving the big thing for last. The first thing I wanted to do was come to you."
"Willow" said Tara, "I…"
"Remember the day I died" said Willow as Tara started to tear up, "remember just before the bullet went through my heart what I told you? That I always thought you'd look better with short black hair?"
"Uh huh" said Tara as she laughed, and cried at the same time, "I remember.. I said that you have to be kidding and then…. And then your blood was on my shirt."
"Tara" said Willow as she ran her hand through her hair, "I like it… I like the hair but.. but I miss the old you… the strong woman who…"
"I was never strong" said Tara as tears flowed down her cheeks, "I was never the strong one."
"You're wrong" replied Willow a she caressed Tara's cheeks, "you were always the strong one; the one who was level headed in our relationship and I'm sorry for everything that I did to you. I hope you know that I mean what I'm saying, I mean each and every single word."
"I know" said Tara as she looked down on the floor of the bridge as tears drops stained the wood.
"Tara" said Willow as the witch looked up at the redhead, "I love you, I will always love you and I need you to be happy. I want you to be happy because a great battle is coming… and.. and you will play a key role. In the meantime, as much as I like your hair…"
Tara felt the hand that was on her back travel up, and cup the back of her head. She felt warmth as Willow leaned forward and gave Tara a deep kiss before the red head gave her a tight hug and whispered something in her ear. It was just then that Tara felt a gentle breeze hit her cheeks, followed by the feeling of Buffy running her hand through her hair, which was followed soon by a loud gasp as she felt Buffy get off the bed. Tara opened her eyes and looked at the surprised look on the First's face before turning to look at the surprise on Buffy's face.
"What?" asked Tara as she felt another light breeze that blew strands of long, light blonde hair as she ran her hands through her hair surprised. Tara shot out of bed and turned on the light as she looked at the mirror while Buffy held both of her hands over her mouth in shock.
"T.. Tara?" asked Buffy.
"My hair" said Tara with a smile, "Willow said she loved my black hair, but this…. She gave me back…."
"Tara?" said Buffy as Tara looked back at her with a grin before she looked behind the blonde Slayer, at the First, who was standing there in the form of Willow.
"You are not my Willow" said Tara as Buffy stood back slightly while the blonde witch's long locks started to flow as a breeze swept through the room, "leave this place."
"You put back your façade" said the First as she appeared to both Buffy and Tara. Upon noticing it walking towards Tara, Buffy rushed to Tara's side and got into a defensive stance to protect the blonde witch, "when the time comes. Buffy wont protect you, neither will my alternate who's gone…. All of you are dead, just you wait. And my dear Tara? I'll be saving you for last, I'll have that façade broken until it reflects who you really are; A broken shell of a witch, a witch who could never be as powerful as me. See you soon, baby."
Tara and Buffy saw the First leave in a flash of white light before Buffy put her hands down and turned towards the witch.
"Tara?" asked Buffy as she reached for her hair, "how?"
"It was our Willow" said Tara with a smile, "I saw her, she did this."
"Tara" shouted Oz, Faith, Andrew, Giles, Anya, Kennedy and Dawn as they flung the door open and rushed into the room after they heard noises from downstairs. Suffice it to say, the seven of them were shocked at Tara's look.
"Before all of you speak at once" said Tara as she looked at the others, "Willow asked me to give you guy's messages."
"Tara" said Giles, "I'm sorry but…"
"She was here, Mr. Giles" said Tara as she grabbed some of her long blonde hair and pulled it towards the watcher, "she told me to tell you that she always thought of you as a father. She wanted to tell you that she's sorry that she betrayed the trust you placed in her when you left Sunnydale; she's sorry that she made you upset because of her own foolishness. She said that after she died, you wrote a song for her. That you played it a few days after the funeral when there was no one present because…"
"Because I didn't think it was good enough" said Giles as he stood stunned while looking at Tara, "it was just something I came up with that day and.. oh dear lord… I never thought that she'll like it if I had played it in front of everyone. So that night, I went back with my guitar and I sang."
"She was there, Mr. Giles" said Tara, "she was there sitting next to you.. she wasn't allowed to interfere with us so all she could do was watch. And she watched you sing, and she was happy. She told me that she watched all us. Dawnie, she's sorry she left you like she did but she's proud that you're becoming a beautiful and smart young woman and she says that you need to start playing chess again; Anya, she misses you and told me that Xander's gonna be alright. Faith, she says that she's sorry that she never got to know you. She would visit you in prison so that you were not alone some times, even watched Glitter with you. Oz, she misses you a lot but says that she misses you playing with the Dingo's and she says that she wants you to be happy."
"Oh" said Oz as he and Buffy glanced at each other.
"Buffy" said Tara as she looked at the Slayer, "she said that what happened to her isn't your fault, and that she's happy that she met you. She cherishes your friendship out off all others."
"Tara" said Giles as Tara interrupted him.
"There are some other things she told me" said Tara, "I think there was a lot more but, she said something about unable to interfere with us. She said she's not a Power either. But anyway, I think we need to talk."
"Al… alright" said Giles as he closed the door as everyone stayed in Tara's room, while Andrew ask if there was anything said about him, to which Buffy asked him to sit down and listen.
TBC.