Chapter 159: Villains

Xander ran toward the parmedics, the phone still in his hand. "She's in the back, This way—" he said as he directed them to the backyard where Buffy continued to try and stop the flow of blood from Dawn's wound.

"She was shot?" the paramedic asked.

Buffy glanced at Xander pleadingly asking him to answer their questions as if her voice would fail if she responded.

"It's in the chest, we think she may—" Xander said.

"Accidental?" the paramedic asked.

Xander shook his head. "No. No—it was ... He was trying to kill both Buffy and Dawn. Buffy barely managed to get out of the way in time."

The paramedics rushed to Buffy and Dawn. "It's okay ma'am we got her," the paramedic told Buffy as she let Xander pull her out of the paramedics way.

Xander held Buffy to him. "I called Piper, Phoebe and Paige," he told her indicating the phone. "Paige is orbing over to watch Celia."

"Leo," Buffy asked quietly.

"It's not magic," Xander said. "So Leo can't do anything. But Piper and Phoebe will be waiting for us at the hospital."

"Thank you," Buffy said as she kept her gaze on Dawn. "Baby, please, don't leave me."

"Is this how she felt," Xander wondered. "When you …"

Buffy only nodded in response to Xander's question.

Xander nodded as he looked at Dawn. While it was weird to him to know of two sisters being in love with each other. Looking at Buffy now, it no longer bothered him. He could see in her eyes what Buffy and Dawn had was real, and that was enough for him.

They watched as Dawn fought for every ounce of air she took in, it was a horrible sound.

"Pulse is 100 and weak. Lung sounds are wet—" the paramedic said.

"What does that mean?" Buffy asked. "Is she going to—"

"You need to stand back, okay? If you want us to help her we need some space."

"Just please, she's my girlfriend."

"We're doing everything we can, ma'am," the paramedic said.

Xander felt Buffy trembling in his arms and knew she felt what he had felt when he had seen Anya and Spike having sex. Anger at Warren. But also sadness. Sadness because she was watching her beloved very possibly die in front of her.

The paramedics put Dawn onto a gurney and wheeled her out into the front yard as Buffy and Xander walked at her side.

"San Francisco Memorial, do you copy? We have a caucasian female, twenty, GSW to the chest—" a paramedic said.

Buffy held Dawn's hand and, despite that Dawn looked lost and disoriented, she whispered sweet nothings to her lover.

"Come on, Dawn," Xander said. "Hang on. We're going to get you to the hospital—" He stopped as he spotted Willow walking out the front door. He noticed the blood on the front of her shirt.

The Paramedics continue on with Dawn, loading her into the ambulance as Buffy climbed in behind her.

"Willow. God, are you okay?" Xander asked.

"How did this happen?" Willow asked ignoring Xander's question.

"Warren. He had a gun—" Xander started.

"Warren?" Willow asked.

Xander nodded. "It went down too fast. Buffy grabbed me and flamed out barely in time. Dawn wasn't as lucky." Without another word. Willow started to walk off. "Hey—" He watched as Willow walked off in seeming shock. "Will?"

"Sir, we have to go! Are you riding with us or not?" a paramedic asked.

Xander nodded as he sprinted for the ambulance and climbed in next to Buffy as the paramedic climbed in behind him and closed the door moments before the ambulance sped off.

Later at the hospital Xander, Buffy, Piper and Phoebe stood at the window looking into the emergency room operating facility. They watched as the medical team worked frantically to save Dawn, who lay unconscious on the table hooked up to all kinds of machines.

"How did this happened?" Phoebe asked.

"Warren," Xander said. "Had a gun."

"I know that," Phoebe said. "But what led up to his shooting Dawn?"

"Willow and Tara found out what he and his pals were doing last night. We went to stop him.," Buffy said her voice small and almost childlike. "Just before he flew off on his jetpack, he threatened me and Dawn, told us he would make us pay."

Suddenly, the lights in the operating room started to flicker.

"What's going on in there?" Piper wondered having noticed that the electrical monitors had started to go haywire.

Buffy was the one to spot Willow at the door to the operating room, just inside the room. "Willow."

They moved quickly into the operating room and up behind Willow, stunned by the change in Willow's appearance, the black hair and solid black eyes.

"Willow—" Xander said.

"Now," Willow said as the doctor and nurses silently filed out of the room.

"Will! What are you doing?! She's going to die—" Buffy said histerically.

"No she isn't," Willow said as she moved to Dawn and focused. The lights dimmed and a glow of mystical energy gathered around her and Dawn.

"I thought her powers were bound?" Xander asked looking at Buffy, Piper and Phoebe.

"Dawn gave her the unbinding potion," Buffy said softly. "When she and Tara got back together."

"Based on what I am seeing right now," Piper said. "It may have been too early to give her back her powers."

Willow concentrated on Dawn's chest as the bullet that had nearly killed her rose out of her chest and the wound closed magically.

"How?" Phoebe asked as she looked at Piper.

"I don't know," Piper said.

Willow contemplated the bullet which hovered before her. "It's so small." After a moment, she covered the bullet the with her hand and when she opened it, the bullet was gone.

As the mystical energy started to dissipate Dawn's fluttered open. Buffy ran to the table followed by Piper, Phoebe and Xander.

"Dawn, baby?" Buffy said.

"What happened?" Dawn asked a tad bit confused.

Buffy cried in relief. "Are you okay?" she asked as Dawn sat up.

"Sure," Dawn said as she looked up at Buffy. "How'd I get here?"

Buffy hugged Dawn close to her as she planted a kiss on her lover's lips.

When Buffy pulled back Dawn looked at Willow. "Willow?" Dawn said.

"Dawnie," Willow said as a smile graced her lips. "Hey—"

"What's wrong?" Dawn wondered.

"I'll explain. But we've got to go—" Willow said as she moved toward the door. Piper, Buffy, Dawn, Phoebe and Xander moved keep with her.

"What? Why?" Buffy asked.

"It's time to find Warren," Willow said darkly.

Moments later Piper's jeep sped down a fairly deserted stretch of highway. Buffy sat next to Dawn, who's head laid on her shoulder, and Willow in the back seat as Piper drove the jeep down the highway.

"Faster—" Willow said.

"Willow," Piper said. "I don't know what your doing. But I'm not breaking –"

"Faster—" Willow ordered, her tone becoming commanding.

Piper jumped as the gas pedal magically hit the floor. She glanced at Phoebe who glanced over her should at Buffy and Dawn.

"I know," Dawn said quietly.

"Willow. We need to stop. I don't like this—" Buffy said.

"We're close. I can feel him," Willow replied.

"And we'll catch him - and he'll go to jail. Believe me, I'm finding the whole my lover getting shot very motivating. But you're using way too much magic—"

"If I wasn't," Willow said. "Dawn would be dead."

"Maybe. But this isn't right," Buffy said. "It isn't how I want it—"

"Sometimes you don't have a choice," Willow replied.

"I think Buffy gets the tie-breaker on this one. After all Dawn is her lover and Dawn was the one on the ouchy end of that bullet—" Xander said.

"And you do have a choice. This isn't good for you, Willow," Phoebe added.

Willow sat up. Alert. "Turn! Go right!"

Piper searched the highway, there was no exit. "Go—where?"

"Over there! Go the other way! Now!" Willow said.

Piper looked across a wide wash that divided two highways, each going in a different direction. "Willow," she started.

"Turn," Willow ordered as the wheel magically turned itself.

Piper's jeep started off-roading over the wash as Piper released the wheel. The moment they were stopped she was going to try something.

The jeep skidded to a stop on the edge of the highway as a bus approached.

Willow got out of the car followed by Buffy, Dawn, Phoebe and Piper.

"Will! Wait—" Buffy said as Willow moved toward the edge of the road.

Piper motioned with her hands and Willow froze.

"How?" Phoebe asked as she looked at Piper.

"Because either she's no longer good. Or whatever is fueling her is …" Piper said.

Suddenly Willow started moving again as she walked into the middle of the road.

"She fought through my freeze," Piper said astonished.

Willow focused her energy on the advancing vehicle and the bus came to skidding halt in front of her.

Piper, Phoebe, Buffy, Dawn and Xander started toward Willow.

Without turning to look at them, Willow motioned at them. "Stay back."

The five of them froze in their tracks, unable to move.

"We're frozen," Phoebe said.

"Only partially," Piper said. "We're still conscious but we can't move. Kind of like when I freeze someone and only release their head."

"Where did she get all this extra power," Buffy wondered. "To freeze the Charmed Ones, to fight through Piper's freeze. It shouldn't be possible. We're supposed to be the most powerful in our generation."

"Obviously," Dawn said. "That's no longer true."

Willow moved around the side of the bus and stared at the door. "Get out."

The bus doors opened as Warren, confused and apprehensive, got off.

Willow moved to him and grabbed him by the neck, lifted him off the ground. "Please. Please. I'll do anything—" he said as she started to squeeze his neck.

"Willow—NO!" Buffy shouted.

Willow continued to squeeze as Warren's face contorted. And then he popped a gasket, literally as a glass eye popped out of its socked and the skin around the empty socket sagged revealing sparking wires underneath.

"It's a robot," Willow said disgusted as she cast the WarrenBot aside.

Piper, Phoebe, Buffy, Dawn and Xander found themselves finally able to move again. They walked over to Willow, who stared at the WarrenBot, dumbstruck.

"I could feel his essence. He tricked me..." Willow said as she headed back toward Piper's jeep. "We'll find him another way."

"And then what?" Dawn asked warily.

"Then we'll kill him," Willow said.

"What?" Xander asked.

"Willow, stop. You need to calm down—" Piper said.

Willow turned to face her friends. "Calm down?" she said.

"You're angry. I am too," Piper said. "What Warren did, there's no excuse, but—"

"He hit Tara," Willow said. "When he shot Dawn, he hit her too. Upstairs. In my room."

"Oh my goddess," Buffy said as she put a hand to her mouth. She looked at Dawn wondering what she would have done if she had been in Willow's place and it had been Dawn who was dead.

"Guess the last shot was the charm," Willow said bitterly.

"She's dead?" Piper asked.

Willow nodded. "She's dead. And now he's dead."

Dawn leaned into Buffy as her lover hugged and tears came to both of them.

"Tara," Phoebe said unable to believe it.

"Christ, Will. Why didn't you say anything?" Xander asked.

"I'm busy," Willow said as she headed for Piper's jeep again.

Piper motioned at Willow again and froze her. She knew Willow would fight through but it would long enough to get in front of her. "Willow," Piper said when Willow had fought through her freeze. "Listen to me. You have to stop."

"Don't –" Willow started.

"We love you," Phoebe said as she moved to join Piper. "And Tara. But we don't kill humans. This isn't the way—"

"How can you say that?" Willow asked. "Tara is dead."

Buffy handed Dawn to Xander as she moved to join Piper and Phoebe. "I know and believe me I understand how your feeling. If it had been Dawn … But if you do this—Warren destroys you too. There's no coming back from it."

"I'm not coming back," Willow said as she moved around Piper, Phoebe and Buffy.

Buffy grabbed Willow's arm, wanting to hold her, stop her somehow. "Don't. Please. We'll get through this together—"

"We won't," Willow disagreed. "Not your way."

"Willow—" Buffy started.

"No. No more talking," Willow said.

"But—" Phoebe said.

"It's done!" Willow said and she waved her hand and knocked Buffy, Piper, Phoebe, Dawn and Xander off their feet.

When they looked up – Willow was gone.

Later they entered Buffy's house as Buffy flicked on the lights. "Paige?" Buffy called out.

"In here," Paige said from the living room. As they entered the saw her sitting with Celia on her lap.

"Did you find her?" Buffy asked.

On their way back to town the had called Paige and filled her in on what had happened.

Paige let out a sigh and nodded. "She's in Willow's room. She was shot through the chest. I already called the police. They've already come and taken her body. They'll be back later with the do not cross tape."

Buffy nodded as she sat Dawn down.

"How are you, Dawn?" Paige asked.

"Okay I guess for being shot," Dawn said. "And then magically healed by a witch that shouldn't have had that kind of power."

"So Willow has had a magical boost," Paige asked.

"Yes," Piper said. "We don't know how though. Leo!"

"Piper?" Leo said as he orbed in with Wyatt. And then he noticed Dawn. "How? You said she had been shot."

"Willow," Piper said. "Somehow she got a magical boost. Healed Dawn, fought through my freezes. She's powerful now Leo, she was even able to use a limited freeze on us. How I have no idea."

"I couldn't tell you either," Leo said. "As you guys know power expands over time. As was recently demonstrated by Buffy. But Willow didn't even have active power to our knowledge, she was Pregenitor."

"The beginnings of a new magical line," Buffy said. "We know. What if she somehow jump started what would have happened with her children. What if she is now gifted?"

"It's possible," Leo said. "But to jump start like that is rare. But it would explain how Willow could fight through Piper's freeze but freeze you all also."

"We need to find Willow," Buffy said.

Xander nodded in agreement. "Warren's a dead man if she finds him."

"Good," Dawn said.

"Dawn, baby, don't say that—" Buffy said.

"I know I shouldn't feel that way," Dawn said. "But Warren needs to be punished for what he did to me and to Tara."

"Out of the mouths of babes," Xander said softly.

"Xander—" Piper said.

"I'm just saying—he's as bad as any demons you all have vanquished," Xander said.

Leo sighed. "Xander, being a Charmed One or the Slayer doesn't give them the license to kill. Warren is after all human."

"So?" Dawn asked.

"Dawn, you know better than that," Leo said. "You can't use your powers to punish the guilty."

Buffy nodded. "Prue, Piper, Phoebe and I found that out. Remember our trip to the future?" Dawn nodded. "We learned then that we couldn't punish the guilty. That is not what our powers are meant for. The normal world has it's own rules for dealing with people like him—"

"And we all know how well the rules work," Xander said.

Buffy sighed. "Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't. We can't control the universe. If we were supposed to, the magic wouldn't change Willow the way it does. And we'd be able to bring Tara back..."

"But we can bring her back," Dawn said. "We can summon Tara just like we do Grams, Aunt Patty or mom."

"That's their spirit," Buffy said. "And as you know. Willow can't see Tara yet, for this very reason. Even though if Tara could come down, it would be temporary fix. When Tara left again for the heavens."

Leo nodded as he smiled. Maybe that was the answer. Just not in the way they were thinking. What if they made Tara a Whitelighter and made sure that Tara and Willow were not forbidden. "I have to go. I need to talk to the other Elders."

"Okay," Piper said as Leo orbed out with Wyatt.

"Warren's going to get what he deserves," Piper said. "I promise you both that. But we won't let Willow destroy herself."

"So where do we go? She could be anywhere." Xander asked.

"Maybe the Magic Box," Buffy said. "If she did empower herself. That would be the first place she might have gone." She looked at Xander. "You don't have to go."

"No. I'll go. It's okay," Xander said.

Moments later Dawn shimmered into the Magic box with Piper and Phoebe as Buffy flamed in with Xander.

They found Anya frozen.

"Anya?" Piper said as she motioned with her hand hoping that she could release the freeze.

"Thank you," Anya said as she moved a step. "Willow was here earlier. Put the whammy on me. Then she went straight to the dark arts books. Sucked them dry."

Phoebe moved over to the books and looked at them. "That explains her power boost," she said. "The books are empty of everything. She absorbed the knowledge written in them."

"Look, Anya, something terrible happened—" Xander said as Anya sat down.

"I know. Tara," Anya said.

Xander nodded gravely. "Willow's out for blood, big time. We need to find her before she finds Warren. Do you know a way of finding her. That's quicker than scrying."

Anya thought it over for a moment and then nodded. "I don't need a spell. I can feel her."

"You can ..." Phoebe said not liking that answer.

"Feel her. Her thirst for vengeance, it's overwhelming," Anya said.

"Is that like, left over, from your vengeance demon days? That you can sense her?" Xander wondered.

Anya shook her head. "Not left over."

They all got the meaning of Anya's words. She had become a vengeance demon again.

"When," Xander wondered.

"When do you think?" Anya said bitterly.

"So Willow's all wrathy—why don't you go to her? Isn't that your gig?" Xander asked.

Anya stood and face Xander. "Normally, I'd have to—but she doesn't want me.

"She wants to do it herself," Phoebe said.

Anya nodded. "Yeah."

"Anya. We don't have much time," Buffy said. "Which side of this are you on?"

"If you know where she is - you can help us," Xander said when he noticed Anya hesitate.

"I'll help. But I'm helping Willow," Anya said. "She's close to him. In the woods." She looked at Dawn and Buffy. "Can you track me?"

Buffy and Dawn nodded as they grabbed ahold of everyone as Anya flashed out. Buffy, with Xander flamed out and Dawn, Phoebe and Piper shimmered out.

They arrived at the edge of the forest and made their way through it toward Willow.

"What's happening? What do you feel?" Piper wondered.

"She's stronger now. Close," Anya replied.

"What about Warren? Has she—" Phoebe asked.

"He's still alive. She's not done," Anya said.

"Let's move," Buffy as they raced against time toward Willow.

Anya stopped as she sensed Willow. "Over there," she said taking off in a new direction.

In a clearing Warren writhed and shouted in pain. But his cries were muted by stitches magically sown into is mouth. Willow watched his agony. Her eyes grow colder. "I said - can you feel it?" she said.

With wave of her hand the stitches unraveled. And Warren half-crazed with pain screamed and cried.

"Please, God... I did wrong, I see that now. I need jail. I need ... But you - you don't want this. You're not a bad person. Not like me—" Warren said.

From a distance behind Willow could hear Piper, Buffy, Dawn, Phoebe, Xander and Anya crashing through the forest toward the clearing.

"Willow!" Buffy yelled out.

Willow glanced at them as they appeared at the edge of the clearing. She then glanced back at Warren.

"When you get caught—you'll lose them too. Your friends," Warren said. "You don't want that. I know ... You're in pain but—"

"Bored now," Willow said as she motioned with her hand and sent bolt of fiery energy toward Warren as he was flayed alive.

And suddenly - everything was still. The only sound was Warren's sizzling body, which hung from the vines.

"Oh my God," Xander said.

"Willow—no ..." Buffy said.

"What did you do?" Piper asked.

After a moment, Willow turned to face her friends. "One down," she said as she waved her hand at Warren's corpse which vanished.

Then Willow blinked out.

"She's a warlock now," Dawn said as everyone looked at her.