Warren carried the helpless Slayer over toward Willow and he didn't seem to
be needing any effort to do so. He held Buffy in front of Willow and
laughed.
"Do you know how long I've waited for this moment, Red?!" he exclaimed in
triumph. "Do you know how much I've longed to kill the Slayer? This is
like a dream come true and I owe it all to you!"
"No," Willow said to him with a tremor in her voice, her face stained by her
own tears and blood. As she hung suspended between two trees, she glared at
her tormentor. "Y-you leave her alone."
Warren dropped Buffy onto the ground. "Or...you'll do what?"
Willow didn't say anything.
Buffy gasped for air and looked up at Warren who was standing in front of
Willow with his hands on his hips. She tested the vines that had her wrists
bound behind her back and she felt them loosening. She quietly began to
work against them as she kept her eye on Warren.
Warren tossed his hands into the air in front of Willow. "Well? What are
you going to do? Zap me with X-Ray vision? Control my mind? Burn me to
dust and ashes?" He frowned. "Well, wait...you already did that one. I'd
appreciate it if you didn't do that again." He put his hand toward her
face...slowly.
Willow tried to back away, but she couldn't. She tried to turn her head.
He put his hand on her forehead. "Feel what I felt...but only in your
mind."
Willow's body suddenly went rigid and her eyes opened wide. In her mind,
she experienced the same horror that she had caused Warren to experience.
It had felt real, and she screamed a horrible scream.
Buffy used all of her strength and she managed to break free from the vines.
Warren's attention was on Willow. He was watching her closely as he
continued to keep his hand on her forehead. He did not see Buffy rise to
her feet, and he didn't see her moving toward him. He didn't notice her at
all, until she got his attention.
"Hey, Warren..." Buffy said calmly as she stood a few feet away from him.
Warren turned his head and he moved his hand away from Willow. "What...?"
"Do you remember those balls of power we were talking about?" Her foot
suddenly flew up and crashed hard between his legs. "It's time you learn
that you don't have any."
Warren doubled over and moaned in agony. That gave Buffy the opportunity to
send a flying kick to his face. The impact sent Warren crashing back into
the woods, and Buffy went after him. She wanted so badly to stay in help
Willow get free from the vines, but she knew that she had to keep Warren off
balance. If she didn't, he would quickly regain control of the situation he
started.
As Buffy ran into the woods after Warren, Willow hung her head and cried.
Giles and Anya were working on freeing themselves from their vines. Since
Buffy started in on Warren, they had begun to loosen up.
Buffy ran up to Warren as he was struggling to get back on his feet. He
just managed to turn toward Buffy when she sent a fist into his face. He
stumbled back and tried to block another blow, but he failed and Buffy hit
him again. She kept a flurry of blows after him with her fists and her
feet, and she never gave him a break. Finally, she slammed him into a rock
and clubbed him over the head with a branch.
Warren went down. And he appeared to be out cold.
Buffy looked down at him. Then she took a few deep breaths and ran to
Willow. As she got there, she saw that Giles and Anya were just getting
free from their vines.
She waved at them. "Go check on Xander!" she called to them.
Giles nodded, and he led Anya to where Xander had fallen.
Buffy turned to Willow and she raised her head gently. She wanted to see if
she was conscious.
"B-Buffy...?" Willow inquired as she tried to focus her eyes on her.
Buffy fought back a parade of tears as she touched Willow's face. "I'm
here, Willow. I-I'm going to get you down." She reached for the vine that
was bound around Willow's broken arm. As she touched the vine, she froze.
The vine seemed to squeeze into Willow's flesh at Buffy's touch.
Willow moaned. "B-Buffy...you can't..."
Buffy looked at her. "Willow, I have to get you down from there."
She shook her head. "You can't...H-he's too strong, Buffy..." She looked
at her fearfully. "Go...Run away...please..."
Buffy looked appalled. "I can't leave you here!"
"Warren i-is playing with us..." She shook her head. "Y-you didn't hurt
him."
"Willow, I--"
Suddenly, something slammed into her and knocked her away from Willow.
Buffy fell to the ground and almost got a mouthful of dirt. She spit out
some dirt and turned her head to look up from where she lay. Warren was
back and he was smiling at her.
He held up the branch he had hit her with. "You left this for me. Thanks."
Buffy got to her feet and glared at Warren. "You won't win. I've hurt
you."
Warren felt the bruises on his face. His mouth was bleeding. "Yeah,
well...I've got insurance." He pointed at his face. "Now you see them..."
He waved his hand over his face. "Now you don't."
The bruises were gone.
It was as if he hadn't of gotten an ass-kicking from the Slayer.
Buffy stared at him.
Warren raised a hand toward her. "My turn."
She braced herself.
Something dark shot out from his hand and whatever it was, it enlarged
itself as it drew closer to Buffy. Then it completely engulfed her and
exploded into a cloud of black smoke. When the smoke faded, Buffy was
standing there on trembling legs. She was coughing and trying to keep her
balance.
Warren smiled.
Buffy looked up at him and she blinked. "Wh-what was that?"
"Oh...let's just say it was a magic sedative."
"You're going to put me to sleep?" she asked in disbelief. "How lame is
that?"
He shook his head. "No. Not you, Slayer." He paused for affect. "Your
powers."
She stared at him, horrified. "What?"
"I put your powers asleep. And now, I'm going to kick your ass." He began
to walk menacingly toward her.
Buffy knew he was right. She could feel her powers shutting down. But she
had to try to stop him from hurting Willow. She took up a defensive
posture...and he plowed right through it. He hit her across the face and
Buffy fell to the ground. Then when she tried to get up, he waved a hand
over her and his magic pinned her to the ground.
He applied pressure to the magic.
Buffy began to gasp for air. "No...c-can't breathe..."
"Oh, this is just too damn easy," Warren said, beside himself with glee.
"I'm going to really kill the Slayer!"
"Which one?" said a voice from behind him.
Startled, he turned around and he saw Dawn, Buffy's sister, standing there
with her hands on her hips and a look of grim determination on her face. He
ignored Buffy and turned to face the new arrival. "Which...one?" he
inquired.
"Didn't you know?" Dawn said calmly.
Warren regarded her suspiciously. "Know what?"
"There are two Slayers in Sunnydale."
Warren looked down at Buffy. Then he looked at...little Dawn. He laughed.
As he laughed, Dawn looked over at Willow. "We'll get you done," she
mouthed. "Hold on." She saw Giles and Anya across the clearing and they
were kneeling beside someone. It had to be Xander, Dawn thought. She
turned to glare at Warren and she clenched her teethe in anger. "You're a
coward," she told him.
Buffy tried to raise herself from the ground but she couldn't. She looked
at her sister. "Dawn...leave. Now!"
Dawn didn't respond. Her eyes were locked on to Warren.
The battle was between them now.
Or was it?
Warren stopped laughing as he turned to look at Dawn once more. "You're
joking, right? I mean, I know that you two are sisters, but there's no way
I'm going to believe that you're a Slayer, too." He laughed. "Two
Slayers?" He waved a hand at her. "Ridiculous. You are no Slayer."
"You are not a man," she told him.
He looked at her. "Are you trying to make me mad? Is that your plan?
Insult me until I loose my cool and make a mistake? Well, that's not going
to happen." He raised a hand toward her. "Except this!"
Suddenly, Dawn found herself engulfed within the same black cloud that
Warren had thrown at Buffy. "Stay still," Tara's voice said within Dawn's
mind. And so she obeyed. She stood still and she waited.
The smoke began to clear.
Warren watched in anticipation.
Dawn looked at him. Then she said, "Was that your best shot?"
Warren's mouth dropped open. He took a step toward Dawn and she launched an
attack at him. Buffy watched as her sister took to fighting Warren, and she
was proud of her. She didn't know what good it was going to do, but all she
knew was that Dawn had come to help the people that she loved.
"I'm tired of people like you!" Dawn said as she hit Warren in the face with
her fist. "Every time someone I love is happy," she sent a kick to his
abdomen, "you creeps come along to make them hurt!" She picked up a branch
and sent it crashing on his back. "Why can't you leave them alone?!" She
kicked him in the face, causing him to roll over onto his back. "Let them
be happy!"
She stood over Warren and suddenly knelt beside him.
Stunned, Warren looked up.
Buffy managed to get to her feet.
Dawn pressed her hands against Warren's chest and he screamed. Light
engulfed Warren and in the blink of an eye...he was gone.
Buffy stared. "Dawn?"
Dawn rose to her feet and stumbled. Buffy ran to catch her, and then she
looked at her curiously. "Dawn...what did you...?"
The vines loosened their hold on Willow and she fell to the ground. Buffy
and Dawn ran to her and they knelt beside her. Willow was crying, and she
couldn't stop.
"Willow, it's okay," Dawn said as she put Willow's head on her lap. "You're
okay now, and we'll keep you safe."
Willow looked up at Dawn and she gasped. Her eyes widened. "T-Tara?"
Buffy looked at her with concern. She thought Willow was becoming
delirious. "Will...it's Dawn. Dawn came and--" she stopped as she saw a
ghostly image kneeling beside them. "Oh my God..." She blinked. "Tara?"
Tara was there. But she was just a transparent ghost. She looked down at
Willow with affection. "Warren can't hurt you any more, Willow. He is
gone."
"Tara...Tara..." Willow tried to sit up but Dawn tried to keep her still.
"I-it is you!" She reached toward her.
Tara held out her hand, but Willow's hand only went through it.
Willow began to cry again. "Tara...no..."
"You have to let me go, Willow," Tara said softly.
"B-but I need you!"
"No. You don't. Not any more." She turned her head toward the clearing
where Giles and Anya were with Xander. Then she looked down at Willow.
"You can be happy, Willow. I want you to be happy."
Willow closed her eyes. But she understood and she knew that it was the
right thing to do. There had been too much heart ache in tragedy in their
lives. It was time for that to end. Besides, she had no right to keep Tara
here. Not now.
"I'm sorry, Tara..." Willow said as she looked at her face. "I-I just miss
you so much."
Tara smiled. "I'll still watch over you." She looked toward the clearing.
Giles and Anya were supporting Xander and walking him toward them. "I have
to go." She lowered herself above Willow. "Will you release me?"
Willow hesitated, "I release you. Rest peacefully."
Tara's ghostly hands hovered over Willow's face. "Go with Xander. Be
happy, Willow, and I'll be happy, too."
"I love you."
"And I love you."
Then she was gone.
Willow sat up with Dawn's help.
"Are you okay?" Dawn asked her.
She nodded. "Help me...get to X-Xander..."
Buffy and Dawn helped her up and they headed for the trio in the clearing.
It was a sight to see. On one end of the clearing, Buffy and Dawn help
support Willow as they walked in the clearing. On the other end, Giles and
Anya helped support Xander as they moved into the clearing.
They met in the middle.
Xander assured Giles that he could stand on his own. They let him go and he
took a hesitant step forward as he looked at Willow.
Buffy and Dawn let go of Willow and as she held onto her broken arm, she
took a step toward Xander.
They looked into each others eyes.
It was as if the others had gone.
They both drew closer to each other until they were standing inches apart.
Xander brought his hands to Willow's face and he kissed her lips. With her
broken arm dangling at her side, she put her good arm around him and her
hand ran into his hair at the back of his head. She returned the kiss.
Giles held Anya to him as they watched. Buffy and Dawn kept their distance
as well, but they were both smiling and crying.
From somewhere above, Tara was smiling, too. She was happy for Willow. And
she intended to keep a watch on her to make certain that Warren or Wrack or
any one else for that matter did not come along to ruin that happiness.
If they did, they would not be happy when Tara got through with them.
