Three's Company

 

Thank you for the reviews all, keep 'em coming please.

A/N: As you read you'll see that I've changed up quite a bit of the story I hope you all can enjoy it done my way.

Having Zander carry Willow down to the curbside and stay with her while they wait for Anya to get there to pick her up and take her back to the house where Giles was trying to help Buffy, Tara stares down into the drooping eyes of Dr. Ben Williams the same doctor who took care of Joyce before and after her surgery, and the human host of one incapacitated Hell-goddess named, Glorificus.

Still wrapped up in the chains of Hephaestus Ben asks weakly, “What are you going to do with me?” already having been told by Zander what Glory had done to Buffy and what Willow had done to Glory in retaliation, the man felt sure – well, somewhat sure that they would let him go after all it was Glorificus not him that did all the damage.

Already having hears what Giles had told Zander on the phone – that by killing the human host they would insure Glory’s death as well, Tara also knew that in order to have become a host for the Hell-goddess Ben would’ve had to invite her in, opening himself to that darkness, that evil willingly and so she had decided that killing the man would be justified after he chose to unleash the demon-bitch on the unsuspecting world.

Turning to pick up the short sword Anya had left behind, Tara thinks to herself, “I won’t have Zander do this necessary but difficult task, he is just too soft-hearted and we don’t need anymore hearts to heal after tonight.” then turning back to Ben who stares up at her with terror-filled eyes but understanding she says, “To rid this world of the Hell-goddess you invited into it, Ben Williams I am going to kill you.”

Through her unstoppable tears of anger and heartbreak the goddess-blessed Wiccan swings her arm down to slice the now wailing man’s throat from ear to ear, silencing him forever before collapsing in a sobbing heap in front of his blood-spurting corpse.

This is how Zander finds her when he comes back from seeing Willow off safely with Anya and he turns to puke into the potted plastic plant next to the door before wiping his mouth rasping to his blood covered friend, “Oh god Tara, this wasn’t yours to do.” as the sobbing witch lifts her head to look him in the eyes she whispers fiercely, “Yes Zander, it was.”

Lifting her to unsteady feet the young man with the biggest of hearts holds her tightly murmuring words of comfort into her ear as she continues to weep and is silently thankful that he didn’t have to kill the man himself, knowing it would have changed him forever and probably not for the better.

At the house Giles is finally able to begin treating Buffy’s many wounds after she succumbs to the sedative he had given her earlier and unwrapping her from the blood-soaked bedspread catches his breath in his throat as he takes in the damage done to his little girl.

Not sure he can actually follow through as his hot tears stream from his eyes the ex-watcher and father-figure several times over startles slightly as he hears from the base of the stairs, “You don’t have a choice, Giles.” and he turns to see Willow hanging onto Anya as she continues, “You have to pull yourself together now and take care of Buffy’s injuries because I can’t help you right now, Zander and Tara are still at the hotel dealing with Ben and Anya needs to take me upstairs so that I can rest and recharge, so that I might be able to help you later. So, do your job as her Watcher, Giles – don’t try to be her father right now.”

Nodding as he turns back to Buffy Giles sounding older than his years says, “I will do my job, Willow. Now, go and let Anya take care of you.” before starting at his Slayer’s most serious, visible wounds and he hears the two women move back up the basement stairs slowly to make their way to Willow’s and Tara’s bedroom on the second floor he whispers, “I won’t let you down – I won’t let any of you down.”

Watching wearily from her bed as Anya reenters her room with a tray carrying orange juice, a small plate of chocolate, a bottle of pain-killers and a syringe filled most-likely with a sedative, Willow can see that the usually annoying woman is straining to smile, but her eyes house a sadness and fear that Willow herself is feeling for their friends after tonight.

Setting the tray down beside the redhead on the bed Anya reaches over to wipe at the blood still seeping from Willow’s nose with a tissue and says softly, “I am so very sorry that this happened to you, Willow.”

Giving the woman a weak sarcastic snort, the petulant young woman says, “Right Anya, it’s not me you should be sorry for when we have Buffy downstairs having to recover from being raped and beaten by the Hell-bitch, and both our lovers are back at that fucken hotel drawing straws to see which of them will have to kill the Hell-bitch’s human host, both of whom should at the very least be last on any list that includes murder. Yeah, I’m not so sure you should waste your sympathy on me, when all I’ve got is a case of bloody nose and exhaustion.”

Shaking her head sadly at the ignorant witch Anya lifts the glass of juice to her lips to have her swallow some saying, “Buffy’s trauma though horrible is something she can and will heal from physically, mentally and emotionally. Zander, bless him his heart is so big will come away from tonight to experience some pretty bad nightmares for a while, but will also come away with a stronger sense of maturity and it will make him only want to protect and cherish his friends all the more. Tara is stronger than most everyone realizes, even you I think. The Goddess’s mark is on her and she is wise beyond her years, so though she too will be heart sore she will heal and move past whatever she has to do or go through tonight.”

Setting the glass back on the tray as she sighs heavily Anya continues while looking into pain-filled green eyes saying, “But you Willow have opened yourself tonight to such utter darkness in your need to beat Glory and you don’t even realize what it means for you, what it can do to you. You loathe that part of me that was a demon but tonight you showed the ability to go from mild mannered Wiccan to Dark Witch with a flip of an emotional switch. It seemed to come so easily and when you opened that gateway into the realm of dark magic you opened it straight onto your very soul.”

Not wanting to believe what she did tonight could have that big of an affect on her, especially not her souls Willow argues lamely, “But all I have to do is rest up then recharge my witch-y batteries and I’ll be fine, Anya.” and the 1100 year old woman her eyes showing the knowledge of those many years as a demon says firmly, “No Willow that is not all you have to do. You will be tempted every time you use your magic to go just a little bit further, to use just a little bit more of that power you know now is there for you to use. It will be small things at first but before you even realize it you will be using magic for everything! Washing laundry, doing research, writing out your school papers with a swish of your hand and that’s not all!”

Standing to pace in her frustration Anya continues loudly, “You will begin feeling superior to everyone around you. You won’t care if they don’t like the power you misuse you will only believe they are jealous of those powers and you will lose them and every good thing in your life! You will lose Tara who would never be able to stay with you if you’ve sunk so deeply into the Dark! Don’t you get it, Ms. Brain? You have opened yourself to the most seductive, influencing, addictive power out there and the Dark doesn’t ever take kindly to being spurned, so you Willow Rosenburg will have a fight on your hand the likes of which you’ve never known before! It will be a battle for your soul and now that the door is opened you will never be able to close it completely. My friend, everything you’ve ever hated about the Dark forces and demons will be something that if you are not very, very careful you will start opening your arms to and welcoming in. So, you better think long and hard about what you really want here Willow – magic, corruption, the loss of your soul and all you hold dear – or – sanity, peace of spirit, goodness and love? Right now, is your time to choose my friend before it can get a real foothold on your soul, but the choice is yours.”

Panting softly after her rant Anya stands looking down on Willow’s tear-streaked face seeing that she may have actually gotten through to the stubborn witch as she sits back on the bed to gather the weeping woman in her arms saying, “So, you have my greatest sympathy, Willow, but you also have any help I can give you in your fight ahead.” and she rocks her friend gently offering words of comfort and understanding as Willow cries into her shoulder for her lost innocence and the battle that she understands now she has ahead of her, but thankful she won’t have to go it alone.

Standing outside her bedroom door in the hallway Tara cries silently into Zander shoulder once more having heard Anya’s rant to Willow and the Wiccan thinks “Oh, goddess, she’s right – Willow can’t even use her magic to help Buffy without being tempted by the dark powers that she has tasted. Oh my poor, love.” as the young man who holds her securely allows his own tears to fall freely knowing that this would only be the beginning of so much heartache and pain for he and his friends in the ensuing weeks ahead.

Downstairs as he finishes suturing all the tears in Buffy’s tormented vagina and cleaning her as much as he’s able to Giles moves to wrap her broken ribs carefully as he cries openly having heard Anya’s entire speech to Willow through the air duct leading from their room down into the basement and he whispers to himself, “Oh my children, what pain you have endured and what more is to come as each of you strive to heal from your many wounds?”

Laying her back down on the bed just as carefully as he had lifted her the Slayer’s father-figure runs his hands over Buffy’s matted hair soothingly as the small blonde whimpers and twitches in her sleep, the many nightmares that plague her mind running rampant and he wipes at his face ineffectually as the tears continue to fall from his eyes.

TBC