Complement

XXII – Even With My Eyes Closed
(Part B)

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Buffy walked right over to Faith when she left the training room. Faith was still rummaging through the weapons chest with enthusiasm. She looked up at Buffy, the expression on her face was one of pure childlike joy, and Buffy had to force herself to breath. Again, she was amazed by how such simple things seemed to bring the Dark Slayer such joy.

Faith straightened up and opened her arms to Buffy, who eagerly went into them. They stayed holding each other tightly, listening to each other's heartbeat. Warmth, love, safety lay within the arms of the of the other for the Chosen Two. Reluctantly they separated.

"B?"

"I'm okay. But thanks for asking."

"Whatever you need, and I mean whatever you need. You only have to ask me. I'll do it B, no matter what it is, no matter what the cost. You know that don't you?"

Buffy knew it, as sure as she knew she loved the woman standing in front of her. She knew if she told Faith, the only way to stop this was for Faith to take a gun and blow off her own head she would do it. Without an argument, without a word, she would do it for her, for Dawn, probably for all of them. And just because Buffy asked her to. It scared her to have that kind of power over someone, she needed to be mindful of it, she had already taken advantage of it once during her General B mode, she needed to make sure she never did that again. Whether she realized it or not, Buffy had come a long way from that person, a long way even from the Buffy, Faith had met two years ago. The person she was now would never do that; the person she was now would do the same thing for Faith if Faith asked her to.

"I know. But all I need is you here with me. It's all I need, all I want."

"You've already got that."

"Let's go see if Willow's found anything." Hand in hand, they walked over to the table where Willow had her nose deep in a book, while Tara was napping in a chair behind her.

"Will, what do you got for me?"

"Some ideas..." Willow paused and waited for Faith and Buffy to get settled on the ladder that led to the loft. Faith put her arm around Buffy who leaned into her warmth. "Well, notions. Or theories, based on wild speculation. Did I mention I'm not good under pressure?"

"I need you, Will. You're my big gun."

Fear, panic streaked through Willow. "I'm your... no, I-I never was a gun... Someone else should be the gun,." Willow looked to Faith for help, and didn't find any there. "I-I-I could maybe be a... a... cudgel. Or pointy stick..." Willow had a hopeful look on her face and in her eyes.

"You're the strongest person here. You know that, right?" Buffy told Willow, thinking of what she saw in Glory's apartment the day that she had sucked Tara's brain.

"Well, no..." She frowned, her brow furrowing in concentration, wondering what Buffy was talking about. She had never thought of herself as a force to be reckoned with. Not her, not Willow, Buffy and Faith yes, but not her.

"Will, you're the only person that's ever hurt Glory. At all. You're my best shot at getting her on the ropes so don't get a jelly belly now." Buffy elbowed Faith when she heard her snort when she said jelly belly.

"Well... I, I... do sort of have one idea. But...last few days, I've mostly been looking into ways to help Tara. I-I know that shouldn't be my priority..."

Buffy leaned over and placed her hand on Willow's knee, her whole demeanor was sincere, "Of course it should." Buffy leaned back into Faith, and Willow smiled gratefully at her.

"Well I've been charting their essences." It was something she would never have thought of, if it wasn't for the Chosen Two. Wasn't for the fact that Tara herself had showed her how to actually see/sense essences. The Slayers essences were so strong that it had made her start to wonder if Glory's and Tara's wouldn't be too. Since none of them were exactly normal people. "Mapping out. I think... if I can get close enough, I may be able to reverse what Glory did. Like, take back what she took from Tara. It might weaken Glory, or... make her less coherent. Or make all our heads explode..." Willow had one of those I-really-really-hope-that-doesn't-happen looks on her face. Before she could finish she was interrupted by Giles.

"Buffy!"

All three women looked over at Giles who was standing with Xander and Anya; they were all gathered around looking at something.

"I'll try to work it."

Buffy, gently stroked Faith's thigh before she got up from the ladder. She paused for a second in front of Willow and lightly touched her on the shoulder in a show of confidence in her. She went over to the group to see what Giles wanted.

Faith got up from the ladder and joined Willow, who passed her a book, and grabbed another for herself. She looked up at Tara who was now awake, and sobbed inside at the lost look on her face. God how she missed her, "Don't worry, love. It won't be too long," Willow smiled at Tara.

Tara looked right through Willow, then hauled off and slapped Willow hard across the face. Willow flinched back in pain. Faith jumped up, ready to restrain Tara if need be, only to stop when Willow placed her hand on her arm. Faith looked down at Willow and saw the pain, not from the slap, but pain that comes from the heart, pain for both herself and Tara. Faith felt the frustration grow inside her for not being able to do anything for them. Oh she was so gonna hurt that fucking exiled-god.

"Bitch!" Tara's voice came out hard, bitter, angry, "I'm supposed to work on the factors..." Then the anger left her, she became anxious, Willow just smiled at her sadly, her heart breaking even more, as she held back the tears. "I'm, I'm not... I'm not..."

Tara was once again the lost child; deep inside the part that still remembered, that was trapped, cried. The tears started to fall and she gently laid her hand upon Willow's cheek. Wanting to tell her, but unable to get out of the darkness that Glory had plunged her into. Willow looked at her love, the tears flooding her own eyes. She took a deep breath, and Faith could almost feel the determination coming off her, or was she actually getting a faint, very faint echo of it?

"I'm gonna bring you back," Willow was determined her voice daring anyone to contradict her.
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Giles was holding the ornate Dagon Sphere, it was roughly the size of a softball, and not too heavy.

"No. No, no, that's good. That could be pivotal." Buffy turned to look at Anya and Xander, and smiled. "Thank you guys."

Giles nodded, happy that they were all in agreement with this. "Well, um, then you're going to need some..."

"Way ahead of you. We got time?" Buffy quirked an eyebrow at Giles in question.

"Yes. If you hurry."

"Okay. I'll grab some weapons, too." Buffy saw Spike approach them out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm looking for something in a broadsword..."

"Don't be swingin' that thing near me," Spike snarled at Xander. Buffy took the Dagon Sphere from Giles to examine it, testing its weight and girth in her hand.

"Hey, I happen to be..." "A g"A glorified brick-layer?" Spike said sarcastically cutting Xander off.

"I'm also a swell bowler."

'Lame comeback, X-man,' Faith thought from across the room.

"Has his own shoes."

'Way to defend your man Anya!'

"The Gods themselves do tremble."

"Spike! Shut your mouth, come with me."

Spike couldn't help but send a smirk Xander's way at Buffy's choice of him over Xander. Buffy handed the Dagon Sphere back to Giles.

"Faith, will you walk me out? Please." Buffy, Faith and a surprised looking Spike left the Magic Shop.
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Faith and Buffy stood facing each other outside of the shop. Buffy had shooed Spike down the street to wait for her, waving him far enough away so that she knew he couldn't hear them.

"What's up B?"

"What I... I... said to Giles about Dawn. About stopping him, anyone from hur..."

"B... Buffy... you don't think I'd ever h...."

Buffy grabbed Faith's hands, "NO! No... I know you would never hurt Dawn. That's not what I meant. I know that you would stop anyone, including everyone in the Magic Shop from hurting her. I know that. I just needed to... I don't know how to explain it. I know they think she's not really my sister. But she is... It's more than that, it almost like she's my daughter too..." Buffy paused wondering how she could possibly articulate what it was she needed to explain. Explain to Faith, explain to herself, "It's like she is more than just family. When I hold her, it's more than just remembering the memories the monks planted. They... they made her from me. From me... she is me or parts of me... maybe the parts of me that I lost when I got called... It's physical... it's more... I feel closer to her then anyone, anything... I don't know how to explain it... It's like how we can feel each other, me and you... It's like that with her, only even more... I can't explain it any better than that..."

"You don't have to explain it at all. I think I understand it, understood before. Could feel how you felt in those echoes. It's like how we are a part of each other physically because of what makes us Slayers. You know? Even if it wasn't like that. I would never let anyone hurt Gamin. She was the first family I ever had, the first person to see me. Just me, two, three years ago," Faith saw the brief flash of hurt, pain go through Buffy's face, "B... I didn't mean..."

"It's okay Faith... She was and she did. Children see the world as it is. Unlike us as we get older who tend to look only at what's on the surface, not what is really there underneath it. I'm glad that she did. I'm glad that all of her memories of you are good. 'Cause it feels right that they are," Buffy gently stroked Faith's face who leaned instinctively into her touch.

"B... I would give my life protecting Dawn. I would give my life gladly for either of you if it that was what it took to keep both of you safe."

"You know that I would do the same for Dawn, for you Faith. Don't you?"

"Yeah B... I do." Faith pulled Buffy into her arms, both Slayers prayed that it wouldn't come to that. Faith determined that it never would. There was one thought running hidden through her mind from Buffy. She couldn't stop hearing what Xander had said over and over again.

They broke apart, and Faith stood outside the shop and watched until Buffy and Spike faded from her sight.
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Buffy opened the door to her Mother's, no, now her, Dawn and even Faith's house, she headed straight for the stairs yelling over her shoulder at Spike, "The weapons are in the chest by the TV, I'll grab the stuff upstairs..."

Spike was standing right outside the door, the invisible barrier that kept vampires from entering without being invited, keeping him out. Apparently, the Slayer had forgotten about the revoking spell Willow had cast. "Uh, Buffy..." Spike was surprised to hear her name and not 'Slayer' come out of his mouth.

Buffy stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned around. She was momentarily annoyed when she saw Spike wave at her, like he was saying hello. What the hell? She frowned at him really not in the mood to play games.

Hesitant, uncertain, not wanting to anger her, "If you wanna just hand them over the threshold, I'll..."

She cut him off, not hesitating, not needing even to think about it. "Come in, Spike."

He stood in the doorway for a beat or two, trying to control himself. Not wanting her to know how much those three little words meant to him. She had just showed her trust for him without the slightest hesitation, without even sparing a thought for it. He tentatively stepped over the threshold. He could more than understand now how the big Poof fell in love with this woman. He made a decision right there and then. If he got out of this in one piece he was going to have a long talk with Red about something he had been toying with for some time now.

"Hmmm. Presto. No barrier." He tried to sound cheery, like the old Spike, play it casual he told himself. But he felt a closeness to her nonetheless. They locked eyes for a brief moment, then Spike moved towards the living room, not wanting to make a fool of himself. "Um, won't bother with the small stuff. Couple of good axes should hold off Glory's mates while you take on the lady herself." He started to set aside what he thought they would need from the chest.

Buffy watched him for a minute, he had changed, and it wasn't all the chip's doing. She knew that. "We're not all gonna make it. You know that."

"Yeah." He gathered up the weapons he had set aside in the chest, and walked back out into the hallway towards her.

"Hey, I always knew I'd go down fightin'." He never thought it would be on this side though. Or because he had actually come to care about the Slayer and her little sister.

'Ah fuck, admit it Spike old man you friggin' care about all the bloody goddamn wankers.'

"I'm counting on you... to protect her." It didn't surprise her that she trusted he would do this. He had already proven his love for her sister. He had been willing to give up his own life to protect Dawn's. He may have said he had done it for her, but Buffy knew he did it because he truly cared about Dawn.

"'Til the end of the world. Even if that happens to be tonight."

"I'll be one minute." Buffy started up the stairs.

"Yeah," Spike watched her go, gathering his courage around him. Him, William the Bloody, needed to gather courage, to speak to a little chit of a girl, Slayer or no Slayer. "I know you'll never love me." Buffy stopped, and slowly turned to look at him, she didn't know what to say to him. He was unable to read what she was thinking, it didn't matter, he was going to say what he needed to say anyway. "I know that I'm a monster. But you treat me like a man, and that's..." He stopped himself, as Buffy continued to look at him silently. "Get your stuff. I'll be here." He finished, it was the first time in over a hundred years, the first time since he had been turned, that he had spoken from the heart of the man that he once used to be.

Buffy hesitated for just a second, she understood on some deep level, maybe it was her experience with Angel that helped her to understand. She turned and ran up the stairs, if he had still been Spike the Vampire, AKA William the Bloody, she would have had a smart-ass remark. But right then, right now, he wasn't, he was a vampire, yes, but it was the man who had spoken to her, and she let William the man keep his dignity.
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They were tying her to the tower with coarse, thick, corded rope. She was scared but still she struggled against them, not willing to give up without a fight. The wind this high up was whipping around her hair, the strands striking her face like tiny whips. She was at the end of the platform, her bare toes hanging over the edge. Faintly she could still hear the sounds of the crazed, brain-sucked people working, still building something, though Dawn didn't want to look down, didn't want to know.

They finished tying her securely to the tower; she turned her head away from them not wanting them to see her tears. They turned and started to walk away from her, intending to leave her all alone on the tower. One turned back to look at her, "She will come to you soon."

They left her there all alone in her terror. She struggled against her bonds even harder, but stopped, they were too strong and she was afraid of cutting herself on them. Bleeding was not part of the plan, not now, not later, not if she had anything to say about it. She was quite sure that both Buffy and Faith would have a few choice words to say about it as well. Dawn closed her eyes and let the tears leak out from under her closed lids.
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Xander and Anya were making goo-goo-eyes at each other, oblivious to the rest of the room. Willow came out of the back from the basement and couldn't suppress the snort of laughter she threw Faith's way. Faith looked up from the floor where all th>new>new toys she had pulled out of the chest where scattered around her feet. She shot a look of confusion Willow's way, then looked back down trying to figure out how many she could actually take with her before they became a hindrance. Tara stood staring into the display case watching all the pretty colors. Giles sat relaxing, well, as close to relaxing as possible given the circumstances.

Buffy thought they all looked pretty calm and relaxed, considering that the fate of the world rested on all of their shoulders, mostly though on hers. "We on schedule?" The question directed at anyone who cared to answer.

Spike dropped the weapons he had been carrying on the desk next to Giles, who looked up from contemplating the axe he was holding to answer Buffy. "Yes, it's time."

"Will?"

Willow nodded to Buffy and went over to Tara who was still staring at the pretty colors in the display case. "Tara... baby? Is there somewhere you should be?"

Tara looked at Buffy, "They held me down..." There was frustration in her voice. And fear.

"No one's holding you. It's the big day, right?" Tara looked at Willow then turned her head away. Willow followed her gaze; both looked at Buffy, who returned Willow's gaze with a concerned, slightly confused look. "Do you wanna go?"

The anxiety rose up in Tara, her real voice wanting to be heard, understood. She looked back and forth between Willow and Buffy, confused, anxious. She turned, faced Buffy and started moving towards both Buffy and the door. She passed by Spike without a glance as he packed up the weapons. Giles took a sword from the pile and pulled it out of its sheath. Tara stopped walking and pointed at Giles, "You're a killer." Both Giles and Spike looked at her in surprise, both from the bitterness of her tone and the accusation. "This is all set down." Tara started moving towards the exit again, whatever she had been trying to tell them forgotten by now as the blank expression settled once again over her face.

Buffy kept her voice low, as Willow came near her, she did not want to distract Tara, "Stay close but don't crowd her. We'll follow in a minute." Willow who had started to follow Tara again stopped when Buffy began speaking to everyone else in the room. "Everyone knoweir eir jobs. Remember, the ritual starts, we all die. And I'll kill anyone who comes near Dawn." Not one person, alive or dead doubted her words. Buffy turned and headed towards the basement, Faith close on her heels.

Willow turned her attention back to Tara, and hurriedly followed her always out of the open Magic Shop door.

Spike glanced at Giles, then where Buffy and Faith had gone off to. He turned his attention back to Giles and noticed that he was clutching his side where he had been injured. Spike had to give him credit; the old Watcher's face betrayed nothing of his pain. "Not exactly the St. Crispin's Day speech, was it?"

Giles rose from his chair and put his axe in the bag Spike had filled with the other weapons. He looked at Spike in agreement and then began mockingly, "We few..." Giles went around Spike and picked up the bag of weapons. "...we happy few..."

Spike finished for him, "We band of buggered..." toge the they headed off.
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"You ready to go?" They stood facing each other, both of their expressions solemn.

"Yeah B," Faith took a hesitant step closer to Buffy, then just flung herself into Buffy's arms, almost knocking them both over.

Faith was holding Buffy so tight she couldn't breath, what Buffy didn't realize was that she was holding Faith equally as tight. They relaxed their death grips on each other; Buffy leaned back in Faith's embrace and gave her a soft, slightly confused, amused look. She lifted her eyebrow questioningly and her smile grew bigger when Faith blushed. Faith ran a shaky hand through her auburn hair, and shyly smiled back at Buffy.

"I... ah... sorry 'bout that..." Faith stammered out.

"Don't be..." Buffy smiled at her own little pun on her name. "I'm not." Then she leaned up and kissed Faith, so softly, so tenderly, like she was a delicate piece of porcelain that would break from the slightest touch. "We have to go..."

"B... there's just... so much I never got..."

Buffy silenced Faith by gently placing her fingertips against her mouth. "I know... me too... Tomorrow Faith, we can tell each other tomorrow."

They linked hands and left the Magic Shop together, tightly clutching the promise of tomorrow to their hearts.
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Willow followed a few paces behind Tara as she made her way through the neighborhood near the Magic Shop; taking them down streets that they were all familiar with. Streets both Xander and Willow had run, and played upon as children. When the most frightening thing the night held for them was the boogie-man that lived under their beds. They didn't know then that the boogie-man was actually real, then they would have laugh at it. Now they would start researching how to kill it.

Tara turned the corner onto another familiar street; she stopped suddenly, and looked upwards. Then she continued to walk at a slow pace.

Willow rounded the corner a few seconds after Tara, Spike a few paces behind her holding a crossbow, the bag of weapons slung across his back. Anya had a baseball bat, which she was slapping against the palm of her hand like a street thug, another thing she had seen done on television. Xander caught up to her thinking once again he was going to have to monitor her T.V. Giles was a half a step behind them, moving a little bit slower because of his wounded side. Faith and Buffy still holding hands brought up the rear.

Tara whimpered quietly while her hands became agitated, twisting at her clothes, as she looked up again. She continued walking away from them looking up at the sky, while Willow had stopped dead in her tracks after she had looked up into the night sky.

Willow looked up in awe. Uneasy, she knew what she was seeing now had not been there two days ago. Xander and Anya moved up next to her on her left, Giles next to them. Spike walked up and stood to her right. All five stood staring up into the night skynkinnking their eyes hoping that they weren't seeing what they were seeing. Buffy and Faith came around the corner last and paused but a second when they saw everyone standing staring up into the sky, they joined them. Buffy lightly nudged Spike aside and stood next to Willow, Spike moved a little further and let Faith in between him and Buffy. They followed their gazes up into the night sky and gaped openmouthed at the ominous black tower, that stood stark, surreal against the bright night stars.

"Shpadoinkle..." Xander groaned out his version of yikes.

"What is that...?"

"The portal must open up there." Giles of course ever the Watcher answered Anya.

Faith and Buffy were both assessing the situation, the tower, Giles words. Buffy glanced quickly at Willow, "Will, you're up."

Willow put on her best Resolve/Determined Face and took a deep breath.

"Need anything?"

"Could use some courage..." Spike shoved a hand with a flask in her face his answer to her request to Giles for courage. "The real kind." Spike looked at her and she looked at him back, a little smile on her face, he had tried after all. "But thanks." He nodded his acceptance and put the flask away, moving back to his place in the rank and file.

Willow took another deep breath. She closed her eyes and began mumbling an incantation under her breath. They stood together shoulder to shoulder, this odd little family, thinking of the two that were missing. Tara who had wondered ahead lost in the world that Glory had plunged her into, and Dawn who Glory had snatched from their midst only two days ago. Side by side in silence, eyes closed as if in prayer, the six of them waited for Willow to finish her spell, so they could go and take back from the lunatic exiled god that which she had stolen from them.
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Young girl in my younger girl days, thinking I could live for always. ~ But like an ocean tide I'm drawn back inside and I know. ~ Seasons pass like sand inside a glass and nothing, nothing returns. ~ Standing with the friends I've made, I'll race them to the grave. ~ Well who won, won the extra days? ~ When you take away the years toll on the waters wide, shallow high and low. ~ In the autumn sky, happy to know I'm going home. ~ Even with my eyes closed, funny how I know it's fly, ly, has it finally begun?
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The Crazies were still performing a few tasks, but no longer building anything. Still they gathered, holding saws, linked metal chains, metal bars, anything that could be used as a weapon. A few minions stood milling around with swords keeping an eye on the Crazies, keeping them in line if necessary. Tara joined in; she pulled the cast off her broken hand and threw it aside. She walked through them muttering to herself, she spied a pile of bricks, headed over and picked one up.

Tara jumped a little when a hand clamped down on her shoulder and spun her around. She looked blankly back at the eyes that stared at her suspiciously.

"You. What are you doing here?" Glory sneered at the blonde Witch she had thought was the Key. She barely finished her sentence before the brain-sucked blond witch's redheaded lover appeared virtually out of nowhere, stepping between her and the blond witch.

Before Glory had a chance to react, Willow snarled, "She's with me," and shoved her fingers into both Glory and Tara's heads.

The two witches and the exiled god screamed in pain, in agony, as blue-white energy, electricity akedaked between them, around them. A stream of blue energy flowed from Glory's head, through Willow's fingers, down her arm, across her shoulders, up her other arm, through fingfingers into Tara's head. The three were paralyzed, caught in the grip of the energy stream, then the energy expanded out in a sudden blizzard of white and exploded around and out from them. The energy surge sent the two witches and the exiled god flying in different directions. Willow flew into a pile of wood and slipped into unconsciousness, the spell having taken everything out of her for the moment.

Glory landed on her back on the hard concrete. After a second, she sat up and shook her head to clear it. "What the frickin' hell did that bitch do to me?" She asked the minions that had rushed over to her.

The minions looked at each other then at her, then back at each other. One finally found the courage to say something, "You look fine! Truly!"

Glory grabbed her head in pain, in confusion, she almost had the same blank look of the Crazies, "She made a little... she made a hole... Uh... I need a brain to eat..."

"Oh... take mine, oh groove-tastic one..." The minion, who had found the courage to speak before, groveled and bowed to her.

"I said a BRAIN, you worthless dirt!" She stood up and began walking aimlessly, appearing even more like one of the Crazies, she raised her hand to her forehead in confusion. Her human-ratlike minions followed her in concern. "Big day... I got places to be, big day. Need a brain..." Glory dropped her hand to her side; she smiled snidely at the woman in front of her. "Suppose I could always use yours."

Buffy stood facing the exiled god calmly. Her hands clasped behind her back, the embodiment of cool. "Okay then." She smiled slightly, with raised eyebrow, totally battle ready, she taunted, beckoned the exiled god, "Come and get it."
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Glory and Buffy stood facing off against each other. Glory smiled at Buffth dth disdain, regarding her more like an annoying little gnat, than a Slayer.

While Buffy watched Glory waiting, she caught a flicker of something in her eyes before she looked away. Glory took an unsteady step, and flexed her arms as if in pain. Buffy smiled at her innocently, and said with feigned concern, "You don't seem very well."

"Your little witch-bitch... gave me kind of a headache there." Glory shrugged off her ceremonial gown, it was too hot, she had a simple skanky black dress on underneath. "But if you think this is gonna last more than eight seconds..."

"I notice that you're talking, whereas in your position I would attack me." This time Buffy smiled at the exiled god with disdain.

A minion took Glory's ceremonial robe, concern on his face. "Oh most sweaty-naughty-feelings-causing one, should we..."

"Go guard the girl! This is a... a..." Glory stumbled over her words, that redheaded bitch had really done a number on her.

"Diversionary tactic?" The minion smiled proud of his deduction.

"Go! Guard!" Glory snarled at the minions.

The minions scrambled away from her in fear, they grabbed as many Crazies as they could and positioned them around the bottom of the tower, their job to guard the stairs leading up to the Key.

Glory kept a careful eye on the blonde Slayer-bitch, she was still a little unsteady on her feet, her mind still foggy, her head pounding. Glory moved towards the Slayer, hesitated, not bothering to hide the confusion on her face. Cautiously she took another step closer, but it took a very concentrated effort.

"It's strange... You're not as blurry with speed as usual, either," Buffy continued as if Glory had never interrupted her before.

"The witch..." Glory began, wondering why she was even bothering to give any type of explanation at all. Only to be cut off by the meatbaggy-Slayer in front of her.

"It's not her," with a smirk, Buffy brought the Dagon's Sphere out from behind her back. "It might be this..." Glory growled in alarm at the sphere. "I heard it was supposed to repel you. So my guess is... that you probably shouldn't touch it."

Buffy tossed the sphere at Glory quickly, who reflexively caught it. Energy glowed from the sphere, distorting the air around where it touched Glory's hand. Glory's face contorted in agony, she dropped her hand with the sphere to her side. Buffy followed her hand down and watched as Glory crushed the sphere, watched as the energy glow slowly died.

Glory's breath came in pained gasps; she looked down one last time at the crushed Dagon Sphere. Slowly she trailed her eyes up the blonde Slayer bitch. She waited murder in her eyes, for the bitch to look at her. When the Slayer's eyes locked with hers, Glory snarled at her, "You're gonna wish..."

The Slayer cut Glory off with a right-cross to the jaw. Glory stumbled back. Not giving her a chance to recover, the Slayer hit her with a roundhouse kick, then a left-cross to the face. The Slayer began hitting Glory with a series of lightening fast left and right crosses stunning the exiled god.

Glory could barely defend herself or return any of her own punches.
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The Crazies and the minions around the stairs nervously watched as their god was getting her ass handed to her by the Slayer.

"Stand fast!" A minion commanded. "Kill anyone who dares approach! This will be our day of glory!"

"Well punned!" Another minion told his fellow minion-in-arms.

"Well, it just called out to me..." His thin lips cu up up into a smile, then quickly turned down into a grimace of pain. The punning minion looked down and stared dumbfounded at the arrow sticking out of his chest, before he crumbled to the ground.

Spike smiled hugely at Giles and Anya who were standing next to him, showing them his fangs. Damn he liked this crossbow, no fuss, no muss. Giles and Anya rushed the 'Crazies' and minions alike.

Ignoring the pain in his side, Giles swung his sword like Errol Flynn...

Anya meanwhile started swinging the bat, pretending to be Babe Ruth. She went for home runs just like The Babe had, trying to hit as many as possible, using the minions heads as her baseballs.

Spike literally jumped into the fray with an ear-splitting battle cry that would have made Genghis Kahn proud. He tackled two minions at once, tumbling them all to the ground. His striking fists were merely blurs that only Faith or Buffy could have seen.

"YEA FUCKIN' HA!" Faith screamed as she ran straight into the thick of the battle, swinging her Labrys, having picked it because it was appropriate for her as a Slayer, as a Warrior of the Light. The Neolithic Amazons, warrior women of the first order, had used the doubled-bladed axe. It also had been used as a scepter by the Amazonian goddess, Gaea, besides, it felt right in her hands.

As Faith attacked, she was careful not to seriously injure or kill af thf the Crazies there would be enough blood on her hands before the night was over, she didn't need to add anymore. While she was focused on the fight at hand, she was keeping careful track of what was going on with Buffy. Also making sure that the nonstop thought that had been running through her head all day was not being sent out to Buffy in an echo.
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Dawn opened her eyes when she heard two shouts from somewhere down below her. She stretched her neck as far as she could trying to peer over the edge of the platform. She squinted, she could make out a fight going on below her by the stairs, and thought she saw both Spike's bleached-blonde head, and Faith's long, auburn hair down there. She scanned around them looking for Buffy, and then spotted her off to the side, facing off against Glory. From what she could see, Buffy was kicking Glory's ass.

"You go, Big Sis! Kick that skanky-bitch's ass!" Dawn whispered into the wind. She watched wide-eyed, hope pounding through her veins.
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Glory was stunned as the little blonde Slayer-bitch flipped her over and slammed her down hard onto a pile of bricks. The breath was knocked out of her, and Glory felt the bricks crack and crumble beneath her. She rolled to her side, barely escaping the punch coming at her face. She smiled in satisfaction when she heard the Slayer's fist smash into the bricks. The little Slayer-bitch hadn't even worked up a sweat yet, while she, a god, was tired, disoriented, and out of breath. This time Glory anticipated the punch from the Slayer-bitch, she grabbed Buffy's arms and tossed her across the way like she was made out of nothing more than paper.
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Willow sat up bleary eyed, pieces of broken wood poking into her. Her head hurt, she looked over and blinked, bringing both Glory and Buffy into focus. The sound of them fighting seemed distant and far away, though they were only a few feet from her. Franticly she looked around, her eyes searching, looking for... "Tara!" Willow started crawling towards Tara, who lay unconscious a few yards from her. She managed to stagger to her feet, "Tara?" Relief flooded through her as Tara opened her eyes and looked at her. Did the spell work? "Tara?"

"W... Willow?" Tara voice was weak, but Willow couldn't stop the rush of hope that swept through her. Tara knew her name!

Willow smiled at her. "Tara?"

Her eyes filled up with tears as she looked at her lover, her Willow. "Willow... I got so lost..."

"I found you." Willow couldn't have stopped the ear-splitting grin if she tried. She started raining kisses all over Tara's face, pulling her into a fierce hug. They smiled happily at each other. "I'll always find you..." They clung even tighter to each other, glad to be home again in each other's arms.
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"You know what?" Glory caught Buffy's fist er her hand as she threw a punch at her. "I'm feeling a little better. And now... I'm a little bored."

"Oh, I'm sorry. 'Cause you're about..."

Glory decided to cut off Buffy's remark with a vicious kick to the face. Her eyes went wide with shock, 'Oh Shit!' she thought as the Slayer's head went flying off her shoulders. Squinting at the headless body, Glory stared in confusion at the black, yellow, and green wires sticking out of where the Slayer's neck should have been. Gleefully she watched as the Slayer's headless body fell over, loving the little light show from the sparks that flew out of the neck hole when the Slayer hit the ground.

Glory stared at the fallen robot trying to contain her confusion and amusement. "Hey! Wow! The Slayer's a robot!" Glory looked around wanting to share her discovery. "Did everybody else know the Slayer was a robot?" Glory whined, then smiled proud of her victory over the pain-in-the-ass-little-blonde Slayer...

"Glory..." The smiled faded from her face. How could this be? Glory spun around to face the dead Slayer and was greeted by Olaf the Troll-god's hammer right in her face.

It was a Grand Slam for Buffy, which meant an out-of-the-park for Glory who went flying backwards across the yard and into a wall, where the exiled god then proceeded to slide down in a bemused heap.

"You're not the brightest god in the heavens, are you?"

Buffy's head snapped up when she heard her sister screaming, "BUFFY! I'M UP HERE!" Buffy stared spellbound at the small barely discernable figure of her sister at the edge of the platform at the top of the tower. "BUFFY!" Dawn screamed again, breaking Buffy of her immobility.

She ran at neck-break speed towards the tower, leaping over a pile of bricks in her way and landing on the bottom stair. She barely noticed the minion who tried to block her path up the stairs. She dispatched him with a hard punch to the face and then tossed him like a sack of grain over the side.

Glory shook her head, clearing the sluggishness from it. She looked around quickly and spotted the Slayer heading up the stairs of the tower. Jumping to her feet she went after the Slayer screeching, "Oh no, you don't..."

"BUFFY! I'M UP HERE!" Dawn's terrified screams came down to her again, and Buffy forced her legs to move faster.

She was only one level below her sister when the stairs ended, changing over to ladders. As she reached for the ladder, Glory appeared out of nowhere in front of her. She swung the hammer at her again, connecting but not knocking her away. Glory returned the blow, kicking Buffy hard in the chest sending her crashing into the scaffolding. They began exchanging blows, quick, hard, punishing, lightening fast, so fast that only another god or Slayer could have seen them.

Glory landed a blow on the arm that was holding the hammer, it loosened in Buffy's grip. A second blow knocked the hammer from Buffy's hand, sending it over the side only to get snagged in the chains that were hanging from the tower.

Buffy grabbed onto the tower and swung out reaching for the hammer. Glory countered her move by grabbing onto a piece of chain and swinging around, knocking Buffy out of the way and away from the hammer.

The Slayer fell to the side. She scrambled to her feet quickly, taking a kick from Glory in her abs. Grabbing onto one of the poles, Buffy used the momentum from the kick to swing her around the scaffolding returning Glory's kick with one of her own.

Glory swung, cursing as the Slayer ducked and she felt only air. Buffy spun as she ducked, putting herself behind the exiled god. She kicked Glory in the back with all of her might.

"BUFFY!" Dawn screamed frantically as she watched the fight.

Buffy ran for the ladder again, turning her back on Glory. Growling, Glory went after her, smashing Buffy across the legs, smiling and licking her lips when she heard the little Slayer-bitch gasp in pain. Buffy turned and they began exchanging blow after blow. Buffy finally gained the advantage and knocked Glory away from her. She turned quickly and started climbing up again.

Climbing up the ladder off to the side of the Slayer, Glory kicked out at the Slayer who was now climbing up a pipe. One of those little hysterical giggles that had made Dawn's skin crawl escaped Glory as Buffy lost her grip and slid back down to the level below.

Spying a ramp, Buffy ran up it, hitting Glory in the face with a jumping-front-kick when she reached the top. Buffy whirled around not giving Glory a chance to retaliate and ran back down the ramp, heading for the hammer. She managed to get the hammer free just in time. Standing up quickly, Buffy spun around, she held the hammer like a baseball bat as she spun and caught Glory solidly across the face. Buffy started hitting Glory in rapid succession. Glory struggled to get her bearings again as blow after hammer blow hit her.

Buffy focused whole-heartedl bea beating the 'god' into the ground, into submission, wanting to end this here and now.

After what felt like a thousand hammer hits, Glory managed to finally duck, the hammer whooshed over her head harmlessly and hit one of the ladders hard, knocking it over, breaking Buffy's concentration. Glory came up swinging, catching Buffy with a hard undercut to the jaw.

Buffy stumbled backwards, losing her balance. Glory smirked at the Slayer-bitch as she began to fall off the scaffolding.

'Smirk at this you skanky-ass-bad-hair-bitch!'

Buffy reached out and grabbed Glory by the bad black dress she had on and took Glory with her over the side.

The Slayer and the exiled god landed on the concrete a few feet away from each other, with bone crunching force. The hammer flew out of Buffy's hand and landed outside of her reach.

Buffy gained her feet first, Glory a second behind her, who got right up into the Slayer's face. Buffy pushed Glory from her by the shoulders, sending her a few dozen yards away from her, right next to a section of drywall.

Glory smirked thinking the Slayer-bitch wasn't all that and taunted her, "You lost your hammer, sweet cheeks. What're you gonna hit me with now?"

Something caught Buffy out of the corner of her eye; she looked at Glory then looked at the wall. Glory who was proving to Buffy with each passing second that she really wasn't the sharpest tool in the tool shed turned around and looked at the wall.

Turned around just in time to be caught dead on by the giant wrecking ball that came through it. It sent Glory soaring through the air into another wall, as the wrecking ball followed. Glory went through a second wall, the wrecking ball still in pursuit, as it dropped her on the other side. Buffy saw with a smile that the wrecking ball swung back out from the second wall without Glory.

Unable to help herself Buffy yelled out to the exiled god on the other side of the wall, "Whatever's handy," finally answering her question.

Without another glance, Buffy turned and took off running. She ran past Xander who was sitting in the operator's seat of the crane's control booth. A Faith-shit-eating-grin plastered on his face.

"And the glorified brick-layer picks up a spare..." Xander told the air as he shut off the crane's engine and climbed coolly out of the cab.

Still running Buffy slowed long enough to pick up the hammer, then she sped up again.
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Continued in XXII – Even With My Eyes Closed (Part C)