Complement

XVIII - Between The Hammer & The Anvil
(Part B)

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"Buffy... Faith... I think you better listen to this message," Dawn yelled from the living room.

The Chosen Two went running for the living room from the kitchen when they heard the fear plainly in Dawn's voice.

"What? Who is it?"

"It's from Angel. Cordy's missing."

"WHAT?" Faith yelled. Dawn just pushed the play button on the answering machine.

"... Cordy has been gone since yesterday. Wesley is working on solving the scattering problem. As soon as he figures it out, we are going to try to rescue Cordy... Faith... Buffy... I don't know if we will make it back... I... just wanted to let you know... Faith there are papers in the safe here... Bank books... stocks and stuff that Wesley got for you from part of your salary... If we don't make it back make sure you come and get it... That's it... I'm not going to say goodbye... Just know I care about you both and Dawn too... Take care of each other, be good to each other... Later..." Then the impersonal automated answering machine voice came on saying the message was received at Eight-o'clock P.M., the day before.

Faith grabbed the phone and frantically dialed the Hyperion. She slammed the phone down in frustration when no one answered, thankfully it didn't break.

"Why didn't he call me at the Mansion? Whyhy lhy leave a message?"

Buffy walked over and put her arms around Faith, comforting her, trying to calm the fear that was radiating off her in waves.

"Angel was probably afraid that you would want to help. You know how he is. He wants you happy. Probably didn't want to interfere in what was going on with us here. Didn't want to risk everything you have now, knowing there was a chance that they might not make it back."

Faith stared at Buffy her mind racing a mile a minute. She knew what Buffy said was true; Soul-boy was trying to protect her. Protect what she had with Buffy. But how could she not help them? They had been there for her, all four of them. God only knew what would have happened to her if Cordy hadn't taken over where Angel left off when he was going through his Darla struggle. The four of them had pulled her back from the abyss. If it weren't for them she wouldn't even be standing here now with Buffy and Dawn. Wouldn't know what it was like to be loved, have a family, be happy for the first time in her miserable, fucked up life. How could he deny her the chance to repay any of them for that? She knew what she had to do, and she prayed silently that Buffy would agree with her. Either way whether Buffy agreed or not, this was something she had to do, it was the right thing to do.

"B..." Faith paused, gathering her courage, she was risking everything here. She started talking fastt wat wanting Buffy to have a chance to interrupt her, "B, I have to go there. I have to help them if I can... It's the right thing to do. They saved me. I wouldn't be here with you now if it wasn't for them. I owe them more than I can ever repay them. I have to do this. I know I am risking everything here by going. But I have to, I just hope you understand."

Faith held her breath waiting for a reaction, something from Buffy who just continued to stare into her eyes after her hurried speech. God, for once, why couldn't things be easy? For the first time in her life she had people who loved her and who she loved, friends, a family, a home and Faith was frightened, afraid she was going to losing everything if she went running off to L.A.

"I do understand Faith. I want to be selfish and tell you not to go, but I can't. I know you have to do this. It'at Iat I would do if the situation were reversed. I'm just afraid of losing you after just finding you. FUCK! Why can't things just be easy? Why can't we just be normal people?"

"Hey you're not going to lose me! For the first time in my life, I have a home, people, to come back to. I have you and believe me; I would crawl through the depths of hell if that was what it took to come back to you. God herself couldn't keep me from coming back to you."

"Maybe I should come with..."

"No. You know you can't. You have to stay here, have to take care of Dawn. Have to play their game. Have to figure out how to kick that skanky, bleached blond bimbo's ass. I'll be back before you know it!" Faith gave Buffy one of her lopsided grins, and threw in a little of her cocky attitude for good measure as well.

"This sucks..." Dawn wasn't happy. She didn't want Faith to leave, but even she knew what Faith was doing was right.

"Yeah Gamin it does. But you know this is something I have to do. Don't you?"

"I know. It doesn't mean I have to like it." Dawn voice was sullen, but there was also fear in it. "You'll be careful won't you?" Dawn asked in a small voice.

"You know I will. 'Cause I know if I'm not, I'll be tortured by the infamous ticking of the Summers' sisters." Faith told her trying to lighten Dawn's mood a little. It didn't look like it was working.ith ith moved out of Buffy's arms and went over to Dawn. She gathered the young girl's hands intos. \s. "I promise I will be careful. Like I told Buffy, there is nothing powerful enough in this universe to keep me from coming back to my girls. 'K?"

"'K," Dawn practically threw herself into Faith's arms, hugging her tightly and Faith hugged her just as tightly back. Buffy moved over to them and wrapped her arms tightly around both of them. They stayed that way for a few minutes, before Faith moved out of the sisters' embrace.

"I should get going. The sooner I go, the sooner I get back. I need to go back to the Mansion first and pack a few things before I catch the bus to L.A."
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Both Buffy and Dawn took Faith back to the Mansion to pack a few things, then they drove her to the bus station. They waited with her for the bus to come even though she insisted that they didn't have to.

"I, we want to wait with you Faith. 'Sides that means, I... we get to do the long kiss goodbye thing like you see in the movies."

"You're not really gonna kiss here are you?" Dawn squeaked out. She had already noticed the nasty glares her sister and Faith were getting from people, and all they were doing was holding hands. Who knew what would happen if they actually started kissing in public.

The Chosen Two looked at Dawn in surprise. They had thought she was all right with them being together maybe they were wrong. Maybe they were seeing what they wanted to see and not what was really there.

"Gamin..." How to say this? How to ask? "Gamin is it not okay with you that me and B..uffy are together? You know like a couple together?"

Now it was Dawn's turn to look at Faith in surprise. "No..." Dawn hesitated; she didn't want to say anything about how people were looking at the Chosen Two. She knew they were oblivious to the stares; she didn't want their feelings to get hurt. She saw the fallen look the two of them were giving her and realized that her one word answer had been misinterpreted. "I don't have a problem with it. It's not me... Some other people here do though. I just don't want you're feelings hurt if someone looks at you funny or says something is all. I think you guys fit together. I hope I find someone, someday, who fits with me the way yous fis fit with each other." Dawn blushed when she said the last part.

Buffy pulled her sister into a tight hug. Dawn returned the hug and quickly squirmed out of it, feeling shy all of a sudden. "We don't care what anyone else thinks Dawn. We only care about what you think. Let them stare, let them say something, it doesn't matter. You're all that matters. As long as you're okay with me and Faith then that's all we care about." Over the P.A. system came the announcement for the boarding of the bus to L.A., effectively cutting off Buffy.

Dawn turned her back on them so they could say goodbye in semi-privacy. Shered red down anyone who even looked funny at the Chosen Two. A man who was passing by started to say something and the look the fourteen-year-old gave him, made him snap his mouth shut.

"I'm going to miss you. Miss you a lot. Promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you'll come back to me. You're doing the right thing and I'm proud of you. I'm still gonna miss you. I kinda got used to waking up next to you in the morning ya know."

"I'm gonna miss you too. I promise to be careful. I'll be back, you can count on it. You know Soul-boy; he's probably exaggerating the whole situation. The whole brooding thing kinda makes you look at things in a different way, like the glass is half-empty instead of half-full. And B, I like waking up next to you too. I especially liked the way you woke me up yesterday." Faith gave Buffy another of her goofy lopsided grins and then quickly pulled her into her arms, giving her a tender kiss.

"Hey Gamin. Do I get a hug or what?" Dawn was hugging Faith before she even finished. "Take care of B for me while I'm gone. 'K?"

"'K. Take care of yourself. Remember your promise Faith." Dawn squeezed her tighter.

"I will." They announced 'Last Call' for the boarding of Faith's bus. She squeezed Dawn one more time, turned and pulled Buffy to her again, kissing her a little more lingeringly and then she was off running for the bus.

Dawn and Buffy watched the bus until it disappeared over the horizon. In silence, they drove back to their house. They entered the house to the sound of the e rie ringing, echoing loudly through the deathly still, empty house.
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...Our union ~ Their fall from grace ~ Confession (confess your sins) ~ Will seal them to their fate...
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"This is nice. Just hanging out. Just us girls." Glory's voice was friendly; she was still holding Tara's hand. Tara was looking at Glory with fear and Glory was all but bathing in it. She lived for the fear; it was like food to her. "You like this sort of thing, don't you?"

Glory was referring to the two of them, two women holding hands. Before Tara could answer her, Glory started to squeeze her hand tighter. Tara's look of fear quickly turno ono one of intense pain, and a gasp of pain forced itself out. If anyone had been listening, they would have heard the sound of bones breaking.
"Don't make a sound," her voice soft, menacing, evil. Tara looked around wildly at the crowd, no one seemed to notice them, no one seemed to care. Tara saw two large, burly men nearby, a whimper escaped her lips, Glory followed her gaze.

"Nuh-uh. They won't help you." Three uniform cops passed them by on bicycles, Glory barely spared them a glance before continuing. "I'd kill them. You know that. There's no one here that can stop me." Glory waved her free hand indicating everyone in the crowd. Tara was whimpering low in her throat in fear, in pain. Glory started speaking to her again in a voice that terrified Tara deep down in her soul. "I'll kill her. And them. And I'll kill him. And him. And her. And it'll be all your fault."

Glory waved towards random people as she spoke. When she was finished she began to squeeze Tara's hand again, her nails digging into her skin, blood started to drip from between their hands, and dimly Tara heard the sound of more bones breaking. She whimpered softly again in pain, but managed not to make any other sound. She didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of her. Her breathing was erratic and she idly wondered if she was going to pass out.

"It's kind of funny, isn't it? All these people here and nobody who can do a thing. Not a person who can help you. That's people for you; pretty worthless."

Tara looked up at Glory and the smile Glory gave her made her skin crawl. She couldn't remember ever having seen such pure evil as this. She whimpered again, feeling the bones that had broken through the skin as Glory continued to hold her hand.

"But Keys on the other hand... Keys are worth a very lot." Tara's eyes widen when the realization hit that Glory thought she was the Key. She frantically shook her head in denial, but it was already too late. She watched in horror and fear as Glory raised her hand up, closing her eyes in anticipation and licked the blood that was dripping from between their entwined hands, savoring the blood and the moment. She couldn't help the whimper of fear as Glory's eyes snapped open. Glory gagged, spitting out the blood in disgust.
"You lying little tramp. You're not the Key. You're nothing. Just another worthless human being." Low and furious in that irritatingly, sickly sweet voice.

"I didn't..." Tara whimpered in fear.

"I hate being lied to. It makes me feel so betrayed!" Glory smiled at Tara again, and Tara whimpered.

"Hey! Do you want to make it all better? If you tell me who the KEY really is, I'll let you go. Think about it. You think your hand hurts? Imagine what you'll feel with my fingers wiggling in your brain." Glory squeezed Tara's hand again breaking more bones to emphasis her point. Tara just whimpered again not saying anything.

"It doesn't kill you. What it does is make you feel like you're in a noisy little dark room. Naked, and ashamed. And there are things in the dark that need to hurt you 'cause you're bad. Little pinching things that go in your ears and crawl on the inside of your skull. And you know that if the noise and the crawling would stop, you could remember how to get out. But you never ever will." Glory voice was quiet, and for a change, it wasn't in that irritatingly, sickly sweet tone, Tara had noticed that Glory had fidgeted uncomfortably the whole time she had been speaking. Glory's voice was that of a person who had experienced true madness herself. Tara looked at Glory terrified, speechless.

"Who is the Key?"

As Tara looked at Glory, she knew that Glory would brainsuck her no matter what. She let her thoughts drift to Willow, her love, her life, her heart, her soul. Her thoughts drifted further to Dawn, Buffy, Giles, Xander, Anya, Faith and even Spike. They were her family, they had stood up to her own Father, brother and cousin when they had come to Sunnydale to try and force her to return with them. Stood up for her even when there was the possibility that she was a demon, she would do nothing to harm them. She loved them and they loved her, unconditionally. She wanted to pull a Faith and tell the ex-God to Go Fuck herself, but she wouldn't give Glory the satisfaction. Instead, she straightened up a little, the fear leaving her face, proudly she faced Glory, jutting her chin out, offering herself to Glory, as the tears silently fell from her eyes.

"Fine," Oddly enough, Glory gently caressed the side of Tara's face, she knew Tara would never tell her who the Key " "Let's go crazy."
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...The burning sermons will survive their curse ~ Between the Hammer and the Anvil...
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"TARA!............... TARA!......" Willow yelled, running through the happy fair goers. Scanning the crowd she spotted Tara and Glory on a bench across the quad, she started heading in their direction, running faster, knocking people out of her way. Glory's hands were on Tara's temples, their face's were side by side, and there was something almost intimate about it. Willow increased her speed and began chanting a spell.

"By force of heart, and mindful power, By waning time and waxing our..." Willow saw Glory's fingers sink a few inches into Tara's skull. She picked up her pace a little more, still chanting, ""I echo Diana, um, when I decree... what is it... what is it..."

Glory plunged her fingers deeper into Tara's skull. A light began to shine from where Glory's fingers went into Tara's head. As Glory's fingers began to go deeper, both cried out. Glory began to writhe in an obscene imitation of ecstasy, while Tara writhed in very real agony.
"No... NOO! That she I love must now be..." Willow screamed at Glory. "Free. TARA!! NOOOOO!"

Willow saw as if in a dream Glory turn towards her and smile. She lunged for her, only to be blocked by the Chinese Dragon puppet. The dragon passed by in a blink of an eye, but it felt like forever, as she ran towards Tara she saw she was alone her head lolling to one side. Reaching her Willow grabbed her by the shoulders, Tara didn't look at her, there was no reaction from her at all.

'Oh Goddess NO! PLEASENONONONONO!'

"Tara! Are you okay?" Willow asked terrified.

"It's dirty. It's all dirty. And all over me. Dirty, dirty, bad. Bad!" Tara whimpered as she started brushing her stomach, brushing at some imagined dirt. Willow began crying pulling Tto hto her, holding her desperately tight. She was too late!

"Tara, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Willow whispered over and over again, rocking Tara, as her tears continued to fall.
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Buffy walked into the hospital room heading straight to Willow pulling her into a tight hug. God she hated this place with a passion. "Will. I'm so sorry."

Over Willow's shoulder, Buffy could see Tara, who was sitting on the bed in a hospital gown, one of her hands in a cast. She looked at Buffy with glazed eyes and smiled strangely at her. Willow and Buffy pulled apart. Willow smiled brightly at Tara, but her heart wasn't in it.

"They kill mice," Tara's voice was almost childlike and Willow couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

"Tara," Buffy said a second before she pulled Tara into a hug. Tara didn't react to or acknowledge Buffy at all. Pulling away slowly from Tara, Buffy once again turned around to face Willow.

"I'm sorry it took me so long. But I'm here now and Dawn's safe with Spike so I-I can stay as long as you need me." Willow nodded her gratitude to Buffy before gently taking Tara's uninjured hand into hers.

"I'm so scared." Willow's voice trembled, and Buffy silently cursed herself for ever letting any of them get involved with her. She gently put her hand on Willow's cheek offering what little comfort she could.
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Dawn and Spike were walking through an underground cavern. Spike had been trying to convince Dawn not to be scared. So far, he had been unsuccessful. It was a difficult task considering he was still battered, bruised and limping from his encounter with Glory, which scared Dawn even more. She knew vampires healed quickly like Slayers, so for him still to be this damaged after all this time made her shudder in fear and horror over what Glory could do to Tara. Spike stopped walking when Dawn didn't respond to his last comment. He turned around and saw her sitting on a rock, facing away from him, the fear he felt coming from her making his un-beating heart bleed for her.

"Hey," his voice was soft as he slowly made his way over to her. He reached out gently to caress her hair, wanting to comfort her.

"You want to know what I'm scared of Spike?" Dawn turned around quickly facing him. Spike pulled back his hand making like he was going to run it through his hair all cool-like. Dawn was trying to keep the unshed tears in her eyes from falling. "...Me. Right now, Glory thinks Tara's the Key. But I'm the Key, Spike. I am. And anything that happens to Tara is 'cause of me." Dawn pointed to his bruised and battered face while she continued to speak. "Your bruises, your limp... That's all me, too. I'm like a lightning rod for pain and hurt... and everyone around me suffers... and..." She could no longer hold the tears back and they started to fall silently.. ."..And dies. I... This stupid Key must be something horrible... to cause so much... evil."

"Rot..."

"What do you know?"

Spike paused stly tly before answering Dawn, "I'm a vampire. I know something about evil. You're not evil."

"Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I'm not evil but I don't think I can be good." There was almost a hopeful expression on her face as she looked up at Spike. He paused again before answering her, carefully considering his answer.

"Well, I'm not good, and I'm okay."
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Tara was frantic as the nurse wheeled her out of roo room. Willow silently cursed the doctor, silently cursed the Hellmouth, Glory and the stupid rules that said Tara had to spend the night in the psychiatric ward.

"Don't... please don't with that treachery. I told the cats. And now I beg my mother, sitting all alone." Tara strained to look at Willow as the nurse wheeled her out of the room.

"Bye Tara. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you." Tara reached out for Willow in desperation, fear on her face.

Willow watchor aor a second, but she couldn't let her go. She moved quickly towards Tara, but not quickly enough, Xander caught her around the waist stopping her, holding her.

"Will, no. It's just for one night." Xander told her softly, he knew though the words would offer no comfort.

"Yeah, I-I know. but... it's a whole night and I don't think I can sleep without her."

"You can sleep with me." Anya paused when everyone turned and looked at her. She realized what shet sat said. "You know, that came out a lot more lesbian than it sounded in my head."

Buffy moved closer to Willow. "Will, you just have to rest. Right now there's nothing you can do."

Willow pondered about it for a second, then a look of determination came over her face before she answered Buffy, "Yes, there is." Willow walked out the door into the hallway before anyone could stop her.

"No. No way!" Buffy yelled following Willow quickly out the door stopping her in the hallway before she had gotten too far. "You can't even think about taking on Glory."

Willow looked at Buffy with an expression that Buffy had never seen before on her face. There was strength and determination in that look, and a little something that almost frightened Buffy.

"You saw what she did to Tara. I can't let her get away with it."

"No, you have to let her get away with it. Even I'm no match for her, you know that."

"But maybe I am." Willow started to walk down the hall again, determined that no one would stop her. Buffy moved around her again, grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"You're not. And I won't let you go."

"It's not your choice, Buffy; it's mine."

"This is not the time."

"When,fy? fy? When is? When you feel like it? When it's someone you love like I love Tara? When it's Dawn, is that it Buffy?" Willow's tone was almost accusatory, and laced with red-hot anger.

"No. When we have a chance. We'll fight her when we have a chance. woulwouldn't last five minutes Willow. 's a's a god."

Willow looked at Buffy, suddenly she felt as if the weight of the world had come crashing down upon her thin shoulders. The sadness threatened to overwhelm her. She wanted to rage, scream, hit something, she wanted to rip Glory to little tiny pieces with her bare hands for what she had done to Tara. She wanted her Tara back. And suddenly it was all to much for Willow.

"Fine. I'll wait." Willow's voice was weary.

Buffy tried to make her tone reassuringshe she told Willow, "It's the only choice."

"Yeah," Willow turned away from Buffy and started walking down the hallway in the opposite direction.

"Can I do anything..."

"Just let me be alone." Willow didn't turn around as she spoke, and Buffy watched her walk away feeling helpless.
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She entered the closed Magic Shop moving fast, almost running. She headed straight for the back to the ladder, with an agility that none of the other Scoobs had ever seen, she climbed up the ladder to the balcony. She ignored the sign that said OFF-LIMITS-SECTION just like Dawn had when she was searching for ingredients to perform the magic to raise her Mother from the grave. There was nothing hesitant about her movements or actions, her decisions were quick and decisive, she moved with purpose, not worrying about putting things back the way she found them.

She scanned the shelf looking at the more evil, dangerous potions, things only a very experienced practitioner of Witchcraft should ever be able to access. She found what she was looking for on the top shelf and pocketed a small leather bag that was full of powder and a red glass bottle.

She knelt down and yanked open the drawer on the bottom shelf. She rummaged through the talismans, runes, knives, until she found the jeweled dagger that she was searching for and pocketed that as well. contcontinued to rummage through the shelves pulling off the bottles and potions that she needed and putting them in her bag along with the rest of what she had taken.

She started scannthe the bookshelf again, searching. She stopped for a moment, thinking, then feverishly started to pull books from the shelf tossing them carelessly to the floor. Finally, after all the books lay scattered across the floor, she saw what she wanted, the giant black leather book with a huge brass lock on its page side. It was in the far recesses of the shelf as if it were hiding. She pulled the book from the shelf struggling with its weight, until it lay upon the ground. She checked it again, reading the title Darkest Magick to reassure herself.

Grabbing an axe, she swung it with deadly accuracy at the brass lock. The lock broke open on the first try, and the evil, dangerous pages began to flutter as if they were being blown by a sudden gust of wind. They continued to flip rapidly in the wind, as Willow stood watching them.
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...Transgression ~ They prey on grief ~ Our mission ~ To purify belief...
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Glory walked down the stairs in her apartment. Her walk a little unsteady as if she had been drinking to excess. As usual, her three minions followed her. She looked out the window and noticed that it was the 'tween hour, the time of the day when it was neither night nor day.

"You know, I think I'm a little buzzed from eating that witch. What a mind she had. Nummy treat."

"...Is your grace not the slightest bit... concerned about..."

"What, about the Slayer? Don't be stupid. I know I'm closing in. The Key's as good as mine. Girl like Buffy's got just so many friends. All I gotta do is rip through 'em, one by one, until I finally..."

Glory trailed off listening. There was a noihat hat sounded suspiciously like thunder, it continued. The floor began to shake lightly, than with more gusto, a vase fell from the shelf, the thunder was getting louder, and more knick-knacks began to fall. The minions looked at Glory in confusion, who returned their gaze just as confused. The room began to get darker, and Glory saw that it was now completely dark. Darkness had fallen over Sunnydale quickly and early.

"Did anybody order an apocalypse?"

Before she had even finished her question, the bolts and the locks on the double doors unlocked themselves and the doors flew open.

Floating in the doorway about a foot and a half above the floor, her palms facing forward, arms extended, her hair and clothes flying around her as if being blown by some unseen wind, was Willow. Her eyes were completely black, there was no pupil, no green, and they were glowing with an unholy light. She began to float slowly forward, towards Glory, an incantation falling from her lips, softly at first, then growing in volume.

"Kali, Hera, Kronos, Tonic..." The minions ran from her in terror, hiding somewhere in the back of the apartment as she continued to come further into the room still chanting. "Air like nectar thick as Onyx... Cassiel by your second star..."

As if a light bulb had suddenly gone off in Glory's head she realized who the redhead was, ""It's the lover............ That's so cute."

"Hold mine victim, as in tar!" Willow chanted as Glory moved towards her.

Glory only made it a few steps closer to Willow before the spell stopped her dead in her tracks. She pushed against the invisible wall in surprise, but it was immobile. Glory snarled at Willow like a wild animal, not wanting to play with the witch anymore.

"I... Owe... You... Pain..." Willow's voice was strange, she sounded almost like the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz. On the last word, her eyes began to glow brighter. She rose up her hands, pointing her fingertips at Glory shooting blue energy directly at her, hitting her in the shoulders.

Glory screamed in pain when the unholy energy hit her.
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Buffy was running, pushing herself harder, faster than she ever had before. She had to get to Glory's, she had to help Willow! How could she have been so stupid? How? It had taken a vampire, Spike, and her fourteen-year-old sister to point out to her human reactions, emotions. How could she have been so blind? Christ! She would have done the same thing if she were in Willow's place. Buffy kept running hearing, her words, Spikes, and Dawn's echoing in her head.

"How's Willow?"

"She was looking to go all paybacky on Glory for a minute there, but I cooled her down a little. Actually, a lot."

"She's not gonna do anything rash, then....... So, you're saying a powerful and mightily pissed-off witch was planning to go out and spill herself a few pints of God blood until you... ...explained?..."

"You think she'd...? No. I told Willow, fighting Glory'd be suicide..."

"I'd do it...... Right person. Person I loved...... I'd do it..."

"Think, Buffy. If Glory'd done that to me..."

As the voices faded Buffy's only thought was, 'Stupid... Stupid... How stupid can I be?'
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Tears streaked Willow's face; eyeseyes were still glowing strangely. She was standing on the ground and she was becoming tired. Glory's apartment was in tatters, trashed, furniture was broken, curtains lay upon the ground. The leather bag and the red potion bottle Willow had taken from the Magic Shop were nothing more then scattered pieces of glass on the floor by her feet.

"Shatter!" A large mirror on the wall shattered at Willow's spoken command. The pieces of fractured glass rained down over Glory.

Glory looked at the witch, she knew she was tiring, she laughed at her, and continued laughing as she spoke, "Is that it? Is that the best you can do?" Glory staggered atle tle as she moved towards Willow. Despite her laughter, she looked like she'd been dragged around the block a few times.

"You think I care about all this? The apartment, the clothes..." To make her point perfectly clear to the redheaded witch, Glory ripped her dress from her, revealing the full black slip she wore underneath.

"I don't give a rat's ass when it comes right down to it." Glory was standing directly in front of Willow; she backhanded her, flinging Willow across the room, over the couch, where she landed on the floor. "Sucking on your girlfriend's mind, now that was something to treasure."

Willow raised her head, her eyes never leaving Glory as she continued to taunt her. She rose to her feet, her eyes still black, glowing brighter with the unholy light. The leather bag Willow had brought with her slid across the floor fast to her. It untied itself, opening, blossoming like a flower.

Glory shook her head amused. "What's this? Bag of tricks?"

A dozen or so knives, rose up out of the bag, pointing at Glory, they hovered in midair frozen. "Bag of knives." At Willow's words, the knives hurtled towards Glory all at once.

Glory didn't move. In the blink of an eye, she batted the knives away from her, the ones that did managed to get through, bounced harmlessly off her. She laughed again at Willow. Picking up the coffee table, Glory threw it at Willow with incredible force.

The table crashed into Willow knocking her to the ground. Groaning in , Wi, Willow managed to gasp out weakly, "Spirit of serpents now appear. Hissing, writhing, striking near."

The carpet rose up around Glory, forming into a snake. She ignored it walking over the snake, as it dissolved around her feet. "Now this is getting weak..." Glory bent down as she got close to Willow. She reached out and grasped the redheaded witch by the face, like a hunter looking over its prey. "And so are you, honey... Aren't you?"

Willow was weak, in pain, her eyes had returned to normal, but that didn't stop her from spitting in Glory's face.

Glory just stared at her, not flinching, and let the spittle drip off her face, hiding how startled she was by the witch's action. "You're going to regret that."

Glory grabbed Willow by the wrist and with ease started to drag her across the floor to where the knives lay, ignoring Willow's weak No. Without missing a beat Glory picked up a knife, pulled Willow up by her wrist, shoving her against the wall and holding her there by the throat.

"You know what they used to do to witches, Lover?" Glory paused, then raised the knife high, getting ready to plunge it into the redheaded witch. "Crucify 'em."

Glory looked up in surprise when her lowering hand with knifknife was stopped dead.

"They used to bow down to gods." Glory smiled at Buffy as she said this, Buffy answered her smile by kicking her in the stomach. Glory let go of Willow, and Willow, weakened, fell to the floor. Buffy twisted Glory's wrist, eliciting a gasp of pain from her. Punching her Buffy told her, "Things change!"

Cart-wheeling across the floor towards Glory, Buffy hit her hard with a roundhouse kick to the head. The kick sent Glory flying sideways. Pressing her advantage, Buffy let go with a series of punches, in quick succession, landing all of them. Buffy continued to throw more punches. Glory evaded some of them, and countered. Glory captured Buffy's arms and pinned them behind her back, then threw her over the couch.

"That witch barely slowed me down." Glory glared at Buffy, she hated the blond Slayer bitch.

With everything Buffy had in her, she kicked the couch sending it flying at Glory and pinning her against the wall. Like a blur, she ran over to Willow helping her to her feet. Glory shoved the couch aside, purposely she moved towards the Slayer and the witch, her confidence showing in her stride, wang ang as Buffy started to lead Willow out of the apartment.

Willow heard Glory stalking them and over her shoulder with as much strength as she could muster, in a voice belying her weakened condition she said, "Thicken!"

The old cliché, The air was so thick you could cut it with a knife, became a reality, immobilizing Glory.

"This isn't over. Do you hear me? It isn't over!" Glory yelled at their retreating backs, the last few words, louder, angrier, as she screamed them at the empty doorway.
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...This altar ~ Gives power and light ~ They'll falter ~ While we are shining bright...
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Faith slept fitfully on the long bus trip to L.A. From Sunnydale, it took almost four times longer to get there by bus. Her emotions had been running the gamut while she slept, between fear, sorrow, pain, anger, calmness, backfearfear, to anger, to pain. She jerked up out of her sleep, sweat dripping off her skin. She took a few gasping breaths. 'What the fuck?' she thought to herself. It suddenly dawned on her what she had been feeling in her dreams weren't her emotions, but Buffy's. Fear began to coil in the pit of her stomach. What the hell had happened in Sunnydale since she had gotten on this godforsaken bus? What the hell was going on? She started to calm down a little as she felt Buffy's fear and anger start to recede and be replaced by relief and concern.

She closed her eyes again and found her center. She focused on Buffy like Giles had been teaching them, modifying the meditations they used while doing Tai Chi, to further open the connection between them. Faith reached out to Buffy with her concern, her worry, her curiosity. At int instantly, she felt Buffy reaching back out to her, calming her fear, soothing her concern, and in an odd way letting her know to wait. She reached back out sending Buffy her love, lending Buffy her strength, surrounding her in peace, and tranquility. She relaxed against the seat and waited for her cell phone to ring.
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Buffy felt as Faith reached out to her. She had been so concerned about Willow that she had not blocked her emotions from traveling to Faith. That was not good; they needed to get a betgripgrip on this. Giles had been teaching them how to control it, but they hadn't much practice yet. The last thing she wanted was to worry about was Faith rushing back here blind, not knowing what was going on and falling into Glory's waiting arms.

Buffy reached back out to Faith, letting her know she was all right, that everything was okay. She then tried something new; she sent her the thought or the feeling of Wait. She was a little amazed when she felt Faith sending her back her understanding. While helping Willow get comfortable, Buffy smiled as she felt Faith surround her with her love, giving Buffy her strength, enveloping her in peace and tranquility. God she loved that woman!
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"B!" Faith practically shouted into the cell phone answering it before it had even finished its first ring.

"Faith."

"You okay? Dawn okay? What happened? I felt you! Is everyone okay?" Faith rushed out and even without the echoes of emotions they shared, her concern, worry ced ced clearly over the phone to Buffy.

"Promise to stay calm baby, 'K?"

"'K," F sai said hesitantly not really wanting to make a promise she didn't know if she could keep.

"First everyone is okay. Well not everyone... Tara... Let me start over... There was a little problem after you left..." Buffy began.

By the time Buffy had fini tel telling Faith everything that happened, she was livid. She desperately wanted to perform one of her ranting tirades, which was impossible to do on the bus. Instead, she just settled for the verbal part of it, "I'm gonna fucking rip that skanky ass, ugly, fucking, bleached blonde..." Faith trailed off lowering her voice as she saw the other passengers glaring at her. "That's it! I'm getting off at the next stop and coming back... That bitch better hide cause when I get my hands on her..."

"Faith... Faith! FAITH!" Buffy yelled interrupting her ranting.

"WHAT?"

"I don't want you to come back..."

"What? What do you mean you don't want me to come back? You don't want me back B?" Faith's voice became small, her insecurities taking a firm hold of her.

"I mean I want you to come back... come home to me... but, I want you to go to L.A first. Find Angel... Bring him back, bring the whole crew back... We can use the help. Glory is going down. Can you do that baby?"

"Yeah... I can do that... Sorry I just had a lapse into insecurityville..." Faith grumbled out a little embarrassed.

"It's okay baby. I wish you were here too. More then I can even possibly begin to tell you..." Buffy's voice was soft, tender, loving, soothing. "I miss you. Miss seeing you. Touching you... Just miss you..."

"I miss you too B..." Faith's voice was husky, the longing in it clutched at Buffy's heart.

They talked a little while longer, then Buffy had to go and check on everyone. She needed to make sure they were all okay. They hung up agreeing that Faith would call Buffy if she found out anything that couldn't wait until the morning, otherwise Buffy would call Faith after they got Tara home and settled down from the hospital.
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Faith enter the hotel, it was dark and empty. She yelled at the top of her lungs hello and only got the echo of her own voice as an answer. She walked over to Cordy's desk and picked up the phone. First she called Cordy's thinking that if they had found her that was where they would be. She stayed on the line until she heard Cordy's voice or rather Queen C's voice when the answering machine picked up. She hung up, not leaving a message. Next, she triesleesley's, same results, then Gunn, no answering machine but no one picked up. Last, she tried Angel's cell phone and was told the cell phone was out of range. More like out of this dimension, Faith thought to herself.

She started nosing around the desk looking for anything that could give her a hint as to where they were. She noticed a lined pad on the desk with just a torn corner of paper; it looked a lot like someone had ripped the paper off in haste. She looked for a pencil on the desk, and whispered Eureka under her breath when she found one. She lightly shaded the paper with the pencil like she had seen in one of those late, late, T.V. movies. She smiled when she saw two street names in Angel's handwriting, and doodles of Cordy's name around them. Faith left the hotel quickly heading in the direction of the streets on the pad, silently praying that she would find them there.
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r>

After hours of searching, first at the two streets that were on the pad, then over to the Host's club, which was curiously enough, closed, Faith went back to the hotel with the only thing she had found, a big black book.

She climbed the stair to to her old room, and sat down on the bed wearily. She pulled off her Doc's and rubbed her aching feet. Stripping out of her clothes, she crawled up the bed and under the sheets, thinking that the bed was way too big and lonely. She reached out from under the covers and pulled the large black book up towards her and under the sheet, not trusting that her only clue wouldn't disappear into the night like the L.A. crew. Sighing she fell asleep her hand holding the book whose name Shrsqwrn, she couldn't even begin to hope she could pronounce.
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Tara was sitting crossed-legged on her bed in her Dorm room, her expression blank. Buffy, Dawn and Willow sat on the edges of the bed by her. They all looked a little exhausted. They were eating and chatting. There was an air of peacefulness, a sense of being safe. As if the four people in the room had found a safe haven from the brewing storm. They were enjoying the calm, joking but in more of a teasing sort of way that only true friends can share.

The subject turned to Tara, how she was doing and what Willow would have to do in order to care for her until they found a way to undo what Glory had done.

"It's okay. I can do this. I'm gonna take care of her. Even if she never... She's my girl."

"I understand," and Buffy did, because without a single doubt she knew she would do the same thing for Faith.

"I know you do." Willow locked eyes with Buffy, letting her know that she believed her. Willow leaned in close to Tara and whispered for her ears only, "Hear that, baby? You're my always."

Willow kissed Tara's forehead, and Tara smiled sweetly back at her a second before all hell broke loose.

One minute they were bathed in the soft glow of the dorm room's lamp, and the next they were blinking, blindly, rapidly into the raw light of a bright sunny day. Where there used to be a wall, there was now only the open expanse of the sky. They were totally exposed, and suddenly the blinding light of the sun was blocked, and in its stead stood their worst nightmare.

Dawn and Buffy jumped up, Buffy quickly crouching into a fighting stance.

\old old you this wasn't over."

"No! The place is cracking. It's cracking. Cracking, no, no, no..." Tara pleaded, frantic.

Willow anxiously tried to calm Tara. Dawn just stared at Tara, still feeling it was her fault this had happened to her.

"No, Tara, it's okay." Dawn's voice was soothing. Tara stared at her transfixed.

"Oh, look at that, look at that. The light!" Buffy turned her attention away from Glory to look at Tara as she continued to speak. "Oh, it's so pure! Such pure green energy!" Tara began to cry as she looked at the beauty that was Dawn. Dawn turned and gasped in horror looking at Glory, and Glory smiled at her, it was pure evil. "It's so beautiful." Tara continued to cry.

Glory evil smile became impossibly large. Dawn turned to Buffy, fear screaming from her in waves. Buffy looked at her sister for a split second before turning to glare at Glory. Who just smiled back and Buffy knew Glory knew Dawn was the Key.

In that second of knowing Buffy went into total Slayer-Mode. Grabbing her sister, she ran towards the back door, she crashed through it, running down the hall, dragging Dawn with her, her adrenaline pumping, her fear boosting it even more.

Willow held Tara tightly to her, kneeling beside her on the bed. Glory started after Buffy and Dawn, only to be stopped by Willow who held up a hand at her, chanting a spell in Latin. Glory stopped moving, she was pissed, then she was flying backwards out of the building into some bushes. Willow and Tara got up running after Buffy and Dawn.

They were running through students, Buffy still dragging Dawn by the hand. She slammed through the door to the outside. Glory crashed through the wall into the building they had just exited. Students started screaming and running away. Glory stopped, looking arocarecarefully, and then saw the door the blond bitch and the Key had just ran out of. She started running again becoming merely a blur, moving faster than the human eye could comprehend.

The students stared at them, as Buffy and Dawn ran across the lawn.

"Buffy!" Dawn gasped out to her sister.

"We have to keep moving!"

"I can't!" Dawn stumbled and fell. Without a thought, Buffy hauled her back up and scooped her into her arms, and started running again, jumping over the bench that was between her and the street.

Just ge the the street was all Buffy could think and then she was there. But so was Glory, standing right in front of her. Buffy put Dawn down, they both stared at Glory. This time Buffy couldn't control the terror that rolled over her, almost making her knees buckle.

"Last words, slay-runt?"

"Just one............ Truck."

The sound of an eighteen-wheeler's horn blared out. Whipping her head around Glory saw the truck bearing down on her, but it was too late for her to out out of the way. It slammed into her at full speed, rolling right over her, the semi's brakes squealing in agony as the driver tried to stop.

Grabbing Dawn's hand again, Buffy took off, heading for the park across the street running through it, the terror right behind her nipping viciously at her heels.

Glory landed a few hundred yards from where the truck hit her on the roof of a parked car with an ear crunching crash. The windows exploded, the car alarm sounded, she snarled. Glory was in a rage! She started to get up to go after Buffy and Her Key but stopped suddenly, her face twisting in pain.

"No! Not now, you idiot! Let... go... of my..." She yelled out to no one, to Ben, the human whose body she shared, her prison in this world, this dimension.

The transformation began, they yelled out together, "...BODY!"

Then there was just Ben collapsing to his knees, his body exhausted. He was feeling the pain from what Glory had been through.

"Oh god..."
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Faith staggered, dropping the coffee pot on the floor and almost fell as the fear, the terror crashed into her with more force than a tidal wave.

"B!" She choked out. "OH GOD B...DAWN!" She was frozen in place, her own fear joining with Buffy's; she hadn't felt this kind of fear since she was a child living in Boston with her Mom and Johnny. That thousobesobered her up. With the strength of character that at one time only Angel could see, she straightened up and pushed the fear down. Using the strength of will that had enabled her to survive for so long, Faith blocked out the echoes she was getting from Buffy, leaving only a small opening so she could feel faintly any change. She didn't like doing it, but Faith knew she would be useless if she didn't.

Turning she ran for the stairs, not noticing as the glass from the shattered coffee pot sliced her feet. She was dressed and out the door in a minute flat, pausing only long enough to leave a hurried message on Angel's answering machine. Letting them know there was big trouble in Sunnydale, to hurry up and come, they needed help and apologizing for taking Wesley's Harley, which she had been forbidden to drive.

As she jumped onto the Harley, the bag with the book on her back, she thought for some odd reason about the movie The Perfect Storm. And she had the eerie feeling that the storm that was brewing in Sunnydale would make the storm in the movie look like child's play...
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...The burning sermons consecrate their sin ~ Between the Hammer and the Anvil ~ Storm warning ~ But there's no fear - Judas Priest
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Continued in Chapter XIX – Sounds of Silence