THE POWER OF THREE
Book 1 Part 05
By DragonWriter17
 

Rating: PG-13 through Part 10, R after that

Disclaimer: All of the materials borrowed from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel belong to Joss Whedon and to the entities and companies associated with their creation.  I have borrowed them for creative and entertainment purposes only.  No compensation has been or ever shall be received for the writing below.  No copyright infringement is intended.

My Website: http://www.dragonwriter17.net/

Feedback: Yes, but only if it’s of the non-flamey variety: DragonWriter17@aol.com

Distribution: The Mystic Muse, Near Her Always  (If you are interested in posting my story on your site, please contact me first for permission.)

Spoilers: The end of BtVS Season 4’s “Wild At Heart” and beyond.

Pairings: Willow/Buffy/Tara

Author’s Notes: I have kept to the BtVS/Angel canon in some ways, borrowing directly from aired episodes; however, I have also made significant changes: deleting certain storylines, moving some, changing others, as well as adding some completely original plots.  You may want to read my stand-alone story “Out Of Shadow Into Light,” which tells my version of Tara’s life prior to her arrival in Sunnydale; it is the backstory for Tara for this series.

Number of Chapters: 13

Complete: 1-12

Series Summary: After Oz leaves Sunnydale, Willow turns to best friend, Buffy, and new friend, Tara, for comfort, resulting in a remarkable new relationship for all three.  Amidst the daily dangers of life on the Hellmouth, the three women forge bravely ahead, unaware that their relationship has been predestined. 

Chapter Summary: Buffy and Riley put their relationship on hold after their secret identities are revealed.  Wanting to avoid the same troubles, Willow tells Tara the truth about the Scooby Gang.  A huge demon proves extremely difficult for Buffy to slay.  Meanwhile, Lindsey McDonald continues following the trail of the “power of three” prophecy.

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PART ONE       PART TWO       PART THREE       PART FOUR       PART FIVE      

PART SIX       PART SEVEN       PART EIGHT       PART NINE

PART TEN       PART ELEVEN       PART TWELVE       PART THIRTEEN

PART FIVE

As the afternoon sun shone in their dorm room window, Willow and Buffy sat quietly doing school work, Willow at her desk and Buffy on her bed.  After preventing the latest near-apocalypse the night before, the two roommates were actually grateful for the innocently mundane task of simply doing their homework. 

Their attention to their books was interrupted by a soft knock.  Willow rose to answer the door.  When she opened it, Riley was there.

“Riley,” Willow said, surprised.

“Hey, Willow,” Riley said. “Is Buffy here?” he asked.

“Ummm…yeah,” Willow said, opening the door to let Riley in.

“Hey,” Riley said to Buffy.

“Hey,” Buffy replied, setting her books aside and moving to the edge of her bed.

Willow stood behind Riley, unsure of what to do.  She felt a strong urge to stay, to protect Buffy from the discomforting and possibly painful conversation that was certain to follow.  The ensuing silence between Riley and Buffy convinced Willow that she should leave the two alone.  She moved to her desk and started packing her books and papers.

“You know what?” Willow said, “I’m just gonna take this study session to the library.  I’ve got some research to do anyway.”

Riley and Buffy looked in Willow’s direction, then back at each other, then down at their feet.

When Willow got to the door, she turned around, and Buffy looked up.  “I’ll see you later?” she asked out loud; then she mouthed silently, “Will you be okay?”

Buffy nodded, and Willow slipped out of the room.

*     *     *

Willow closed the door to her dorm room, but didn’t leave right away.  She touched the surface of the door and listened.  Then she shook her head and moved away from the door, deciding that she shouldn’t eavesdrop.  She sighed and walked away.

*     *     *

Again, Riley and Buffy looked at each other and then away.  Another long silence fell between them.  Riley finally sat on the edge of Willow’s bed.

“I guess we have to talk,” Riley said.

“I guess we do,” Buffy replied.

Instead of talking, they looked at the floor and the wall and the window, only occasionally glancing at each other.

“Somebody should speak before one of us graduates,” Buffy said.

Riley sighed and got up.  After a moment of pacing, he turned back to Buffy.

“What are you?” he asked.

“Capricorn on the cusp of Aquarius,” Buffy said, annoyed.  “You?”

“Sorry,” Riley said.  “That came out a little blunter than I intended.  It’s just…you are amazing!  Your speed, your strength--”

“Also passionate, artistic, and inquisitive,” Buffy added.  Then she asked bluntly, “Who are you?”

“You know who I am,” Riley insisted as he sat back down.  “The rest…what I do…I can’t tell you.”

“Well, then let me,” Buffy said, standing.  “You’re part of some military monster squad that captures demons and vampires.  You probably have some official-sounding euphemisms for them, like ‘unfriendlies’ or ‘non-sapiens’.”

“Hostile Sub Terrestrials,” Riley supplied nervously.

“So you deliver these…HST’s to a bunch of lab coats, who study them, do experiments on them, learn how to better deal with the demonic threat.  How am I doing so far?” Buffy asked.

“A little too well,” Riley said.

“Meanwhile, by day, you pretend to be Riley Finn, corn-fed Iowa boy,” Buffy said, staring Riley down.  “Ever been to Iowa, Riley?  God, if that’s even your name!”

“It is,” Riley said firmly.  “And hey, bulletin: I’m not the only one who’s been a little less than honest here.”

“I thought a professional demon chaser like yourself would have figured it out by now.  I’m the Slayer,” Buffy stated matter-of-factly.

Riley looked at Buffy blankly.

“Slay-er?” Buffy prompted.  “Chosen One?”

Riley seemed lost.

“She who hangs out a lot in cemeteries?” Buffy tried.

Riley still didn’t get it.

“You’re kidding?” Buffy asked Riley. 

When he didn’t respond, Buffy walked a few feet away. 

“Ask around,” she suggested, “Look it up: ‘Slayer’ comma ‘the’.”

“And you fight demons?” Riley inquired.  “I mean, you wailed on those guys last night.”

“You did pretty well yourself,” Buffy admitted.

“But I’m a walking bruise today,” Riley said.  “I don’t see a scratch on you.”

“You’re not looking hard enough,” Buffy replied.

“I’m looking pretty hard,” Riley insisted.

Buffy took a deep breath.  Both of them looked away again.

“So, then…what do we do?” Riley asked.

“I don’t know,” Buffy said. “I just…I really thought that you were a nice, normal guy.”

“I am a nice, normal guy,” Riley said.

“Maybe by this town’s standards, but I’m not grading on a curve,” Buffy said.  “I think we both need a little time to…process everything.  Maybe then--”

“Yeah,” Riley agreed a little too quickly.  “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”

Buffy and Riley made one final long look at each other.  Then Riley headed for the door.  Halfway there, he turned back to Buffy.

“Oh, I don’t think I need to tell you--” he said.

“I won’t say a word,” Buffy assured him.

Riley smiled weakly and nodded.  Then he left the room.

*     *     *

Willow hardly noticed her surroundings as she trudged towards the UC Sunnydale library.  She was too busy worrying about Buffy. 

Buffy hadn’t wanted to talk when they had returned from the old high school, but she had cried—cried like Willow hadn’t seen her do in quite some time.  Willow imagined that it was the sense of betrayal that was upsetting Buffy so.  Buffy had seemed so relieved to have found a guy who was normal, one who wouldn’t hurt her or betray her.  Now she had learned that Riley was one of the secret commandoes.  And who knows what they were really up to?

Secrets, Willow thought as she stopped on the library steps.  Secrets are bad.  They always come back to haunt you.  Willow retreated from the library steps and headed for Tara’s dorm.

*     *     *

Tara’s heart leapt when she saw Willow at her door.  She had just been thinking of the beautiful redhead, remembering the night that Willow had stayed over.  For the last two days, she and Willow hadn’t been able to get together except for a few minutes here and there.  Tara had been finding the separation difficult to handle.  But now Willow was here, and that was all that mattered.

“Hey, come on in,” Tara said with a wide smile.

“Thanks,” Willow said, smiling in return.

Once Tara had shut the door, the two women eagerly but somewhat shyly moved into a deep hug, which was followed by a short but sweet kiss.  They separated and headed for the bed to sit down, linking hands as they crossed the room.

“So, did you and Buffy get your psychology project finished?” Tara asked.

Willow was confused for a moment until she remembered the white lie she had given Tara to explain her tied-up schedule the last two days.

“Oh.  Right.  Yeah,” Willow said. “See, I-I-I’m so over it that I’ve already repressed the memory of it.”

Willow winced inside.  I’m lying to her again, she thought. I just can’t do that.  I’ve got to tell her the truth.  Willow looked down at their joined hands.

“Tara,” Willow said solemnly, “I need to tell you something.”

Tara’s heart lurched, and her smile fell away.  Oh, god, here it comes, she thought. The it-was-all-a-mistake speech.  Tara felt her eyes welling up with tears.

“I-I-I haven’t been completely honest with you,” Willow said, “and some recent events have made me realize that not telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth can have serious repercussions.”

Tara couldn’t look at Willow any more.  She dropped her gaze to her lap and pulled her hand away.

Willow wished that Tara would look at her, but she wasn’t going to push the issue.  She decided to keep going.

“What I have to tell you—it’s  about me and Buffy,” Willow continued, “about what we’ve been doing the last two days.”

Tara inwardly chastised herself.  I knew there was something between them, I knew it, and I still…

“We weren’t working on a psychology project,” Willow confessed.

Of course, you weren’t, Tara thought, you were--

“We were saving the world.”

Huh? Tara thought, looking up suddenly at Willow’s words, not completely sure she had heard correctly. 

“What?” Tara said.

“I know this is going to sound completely insane, but…Buffy and I…we’re part of a team of-of-of…people who...fight demons.”

Willow said those last two words quickly, then cringed slightly, waiting for the backlash of incredulous laughter.  When she didn’t get it, Willow looked up and saw a surprised but not unbelieving Tara.  Tara didn’t speak, though, so Willow continued.

“See, Buffy is the Slayer,” Willow said.  “It’s her sacred duty to defend humanity from vampires and other demons.  And me and Xander and Giles, we help Buffy do that.  We’re like the Scooby Gang, only we fight real monsters instead of fake ones and we don’t have a cool Mystery Van.”

“We’ve been doing it since high school.  I-I-It’s one of the reasons that I started practicing witchcraft,” Willow explained.  “In fact, our old high school was built on top of a hellmouth.  The last two days, we’ve been trying to prevent the hellmouth from being opened by bunch of Vahrall demons.”

“You know that earthquake the other day?  The one when our rose spell went crazy?” Willow prompted.  “It was caused by the ritual that the demons were doing.  And last night?  We barely stopped them in time, but as you can see, we’re all here, so no apocalypse.”

Since Tara had seemed unable to form words, Willow had just babbled along.  But now that her babble had reached its end, Willow stopped and waited for Tara to say something.

“You’re a…d-d-demon fighter?” Tara asked finally.

Willow nodded and then shrugged.  “I know it sounds crazy, but--”

“No, it’s okay,” Tara said, interrupting. “I-I-I know about d-d-demons.  I’m just surprised that you…”  Tara didn’t finish that sentence.

“What’s the matter?  Can’t see me as a super-hero?” Willow teased. 

“No, it’s not that,” Tara said, a little embarrassed.

Willow nudged Tara playfully.  “Don’t worry,” Willow said.  “I’m just the sidekick.” 

Willow paused for a moment, then continued.  “Anyway, to make a long story even longer, I just wanted you to know the truth about me, about who I am and what I do.”  Willow took Tara’s hand again.  “Because I don’t want any untold secrets to get in the way of…whatever this is between us.  Because…I want this.”

Tara couldn’t believe her ears.  She smiled and squeezed Willow’s hand. 

“I do too,” Tara said softly.

Willow smiled in return, then leaned in for a kiss.

*     *     *

Riley and Forrest were dressed in their commando fatigues.  They walked down a white-walled corridor in the maze that was the Initiative underground base.

“What’s a Slayer?” Riley asked Forrest.

“Slayer?” Forrest replied. “Thrash Band.  Anvil handed guitar band with delusions of Black Sabbath.”

“No,” Riley corrected.  “A girl with powers.”

“Oh, ‘The Slayer’,” Forrest said.  “Oh, yeah, I’ve heard of the Slayer.”

“Fill me in,” Riley said.

“Well, the way I got it figured,” Forrest explained, “the Slayer is like some kind of boogey man for the Sub Terrestrials, something they tell their little spawn to make them eat their vegetables and clean up their slime pits.”

“You’re telling me she doesn’t exist?” Riley said.

“Oh, wait a sec.  Am I bursting somebody’s bubble here?  Maybe this is a bad time to tell you about the Easter Bunny!”  Forrest laughed.  “Sorry, sorry!  It’s a myth, Ri.  All part of that medieval folklore garbage that kooks dream up to explain the things that we deal with every day.  Why’re you so interested in the Slayer anyway?” Forrest asked.

“Oh, no reason,” Riley said.  “It just came up, that’s all.”

*     *     *

After Willow left, Tara closed the door, but still stood in front of it.  She briefly touched her lips and then smiled and giggled to herself.  She was giddy, just plain giddy.  There was no other way to describe how she felt.  She replayed each touch and each kiss in her mind.  She savored Willow’s words: I want this.  ‘This’ meaning her.  Willow actually wanted to pursue a relationship with her.  The thought still astounded Tara.  She sighed wistfully. 

Then Tara remembered why Willow had come over in the first place.  Tara’s giddiness instantly evaporated.  Willow had come to clear the air so that there would be no secrets between them.  Tara felt her gut wrench.

You should come clean, too, Tara’s logical self told her.  It would be better to tell Willow now than to have it come out later.

No, I can’t! Tara answered. 

It’ll come out eventually, her logical self insisted.  You know that.

I know, but…not yet.  There’s time, Tara countered.

*     *     *

That night, sword in hand, Buffy patrolled one of the smaller, older cemeteries in Sunnydale.  As she did so, she tried not to think about her personal problems.  She failed miserably, of course.  For every step she took, there was a thought about Riley or Willow.  Buffy swatted a nearby hedge with her sword.

Suddenly, Buffy heard a suspicious sound coming from a large mausoleum.  She thanked the powers-that-be for the welcome distraction from her own thoughts.

As Buffy got closer to the crypt, she heard what sounded like growling.  The growling was so deep and so loud that she knew it must be coming from a creature that was big.  Buffy peeked in the broken window of the mausoleum.

It was big.  Huge, in fact.  It was tall and bulky with a large midsection.  A long sleeveless black robe covered most of its body.  It was gray-skinned, with patches of black, and its head was somewhat skeletal in appearance.  Thousands of tiny tendrils came from its head and spilled down its back in a demon’s version of long hair.  It had no nose, only a small slit with fibrous membranes on each side that moved in and out as the creature breathed.  Its eyes were black with a yellow glow in the middle.  Most of its face was taken up by a large mouth, filled with razor-sharp teeth.  The demon seemed to be breathing hard, as if it were in pain.

Maybe it’s hurt already, Buffy thought.  That’d be a plus.  I’m gonna need an advantage with this one.

Buffy slipped quietly to the front door of the crypt.  She took a deep breath and then kicked in the heavy metal door.

The door flew into the mausoleum, hitting the demon in the back and sending it to the floor.  Before Buffy could even get halfway down the stairs, the door was flung right back at her.  Buffy dove to the crypt floor, rolled, and jumped to her feet.

Buffy jabbed and swiped at the demon with her sword, but never made contact.  She was surprised by how fast and nimble the demon was, given its size.  After avoiding yet another thrust by Buffy, the demon suddenly went on the offensive, smacking Buffy in the face once then twice, then knocking the sword from her hand.  The blade went clattering across the concrete floor.  The demon grabbed Buffy by the neck and lifted her off the ground.  Fear rose up in Buffy’s eyes.

*     *     *

Willow was asleep at her desk, her head resting on an open book, a highlighter loosely held in her grip.

Suddenly, Willow jolted awake and sat up.

“Buffy!” Willow cried in terror.

She turned and looked at Buffy’s bed.  It was empty.  She looked at the clock, nearly midnight.

Then just as quickly as it came, the feeling of terror was gone.

“I must’ve been dreaming,” Willow said to herself.

She shook her head and turned her attention back to the book in front of her.

*     *     *

Buffy pulled at the demon’s hand uselessly as it squeezed her throat.  Then the demon threw Buffy to the other side of the room.  She hit the stone wall hard and fell to the floor, face down, dazed and gasping for air.  The demon came towards her.

Buffy struggled to her knees and tried desperately to find her sword.  She retrieved her blade and stumbled to her feet with her back against the wall.  As Buffy tried to regain her breath, the demon closed in.

Abruptly, the demon stopped.  It hunched over and roared at Buffy in rage.  Then it stood up straight and disappeared in a flash of light.

Buffy stared open-mouthed at the now-vacant spot where the demon had been.

*     *     *

“I know it’s late,” Buffy said, gingerly touching her bruised jaw.  “But this one seemed more important than my usual graveyard fare.”

Giles handed Buffy an ice pack.  She smiled and took it.  “Thanks,” Buffy said, placing the ice pack on her jaw.

“I told her you wouldn’t mind,” Willow said to Giles.

“Quite right,” Giles agreed.  “Tell me everything that happened.”

Giles listened intently as Buffy described in detail her encounter with the huge gray-skinned demon.

“So, it just stopped, mid-fight, and-and disappeared?” Giles asked.

“Yeah, that was what was so weird, Giles,” Buffy said.  “It had knocked the crap out of me, it probably could’ve finished me off right then and there, but it didn’t.  It just roared at me and poof! it was gone.”

“You said earlier that you thought the creature might have been hurt?” Giles inquired.

“I’m not sure,” Buffy said.  “Before I started fighting it, it did seem to be in pain, but who knows?”

“If it was hurt, that might explain why it didn’t stick around,” Willow said.

“We have to find this thing,” Buffy said worriedly.  “I’ve got a very bad feeling about it.”

“Well, clearly, physical tracking is out of the question,” Giles said.

“Yeah, kinda hard to track a teleporter,” Buffy agreed.

“Maybe if we knew what kind of demon it was, we could figure out what it was up to and where it might be,” Willow suggested.

“I guess a research party is in order,” Buffy said without enthusiasm.

“I’ll get started on it,” Giles said, “and then the rest of you can join me after class tomorrow, all right?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Buffy said.

*     *     *

As Buffy and Willow made their way from Giles’ apartment back to campus, they walked slowly, due to Buffy’s post-fight condition.  Willow heard Buffy wince in pain.

“Are you sure you don’t need to go the emergency room?” Willow asked.

“No, I’ll be fine,” Buffy said.  “I’m just sore.  Slayer healing will take care of it.”

“You shouldn’t have been alone out there tonight,” Willow said worriedly.  “You could’ve been hurt really bad, a-a-and then no one--”

“Will, I can take care of myself, I patrol alone all the time,” Buffy said, reassuring Willow. 

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t, it’s too dangerous,” Willow countered.  “You said yourself that this demon could’ve finished you off.  It was just pure dumb luck that it didn’t.”

“Danger comes with the job description,” Buffy said stoically.

“But, you were afraid, weren’t you?” Willow asked softly.  “When the demon came for you?”

Buffy stopped in her tracks.

How did she--? Buffy thought, before clamping down on the memory of the terror she had felt when facing the demon.

Willow stood in front of Buffy and took her hand. 

“Buffy, please,” Willow begged, “promise me you won’t try to take on this demon alone.  Let’s make this a full Scooby effort, okay?”

Buffy searched Willow’s eyes, seeing the love and deep concern that were there.  Buffy wished that the love she saw was the same as her own, but she knew it wasn’t.  Buffy dropped her gaze.

“Okay,” Buffy whispered, pulling her hand from Willow’s grasp.

The two women walked the rest of the way home in silence.

*     *     *

A long black limousine pulled up in front of the condemned Sunnydale High School.  The driver got out, opened the back door, and held the door open.  Lindsey got out.  He straightened his tie and jacket.  The driver handed him a heavy-duty black flashlight.  Lindsey turned to watch as another person exited the other side of the vehicle.

An old crone tottered around the tail of the car and stood facing the old high school.  She rocked in place and shook her wrinkled hands before her.

“What is it, Zephenia?” Lindsey asked.

“Yes, yes,” she cackled, “here it was, yes, yes, down we must go, down we must go, yes, yes, the three, the three…”

Zephenia continued to rattle on as she moved towards the entrance to the school.  Lindsey clicked on his flashlight and followed.

When they reached the ruined library and moved to the foundation level, Zephenia crept about the space, humming and hissing to herself.  She darted to the hellmouth and ran her hands through the air as if she were feeling its very essence.  Then she turned and moved to a spot several feet away, where a burned area could be clearly seen.  She knelt and touched the blackened ashes.

“Yes, yes, the three did die, died they did, right here, right here,” she ranted.  “Died, died…died at the hands of the Slayer.”

“The Slayer?” Lindsey asked.

“She, she, one of the three,” Zephenia continued as she rose to her feet, “but there is no three, no, no, two who love the one, yes, yes, the one torn between the two, yes, yes, the one who once loved the two, yes, yes, but no three, no three, not here, not here.”

Zephenia waved her hand in dismissal and started back up the rubble.

“No three here, not yet, not yet,” Zephenia repeated to herself as Lindsey rolled his eyes and followed her out of the ruins.

*     *     *

The next day, the gang was in full research mode at Giles’ apartment.  Giles was at his desk, hunched over a book.  Xander and Anya were doing the same as they sat side by side on Giles’ couch.  Buffy was alone in a nearby chair, while Willow lay on the floor next to the coffee table, three books open before her.

“I found it!” Buffy cried out.

Everyone looked up from their research when they heard Buffy’s voice.  Buffy stood up and brought the book to the coffee table.  Xander and Anya cleared a space while Giles and Willow both got up and joined them.

“It’s a Shaggy-Tooth Drain-Beak,” Buffy supplied happily.

“A what?” Xander asked.

“A Shagritoth Banesdrake,” Willow corrected.

“And I say again, ‘A what’?” Xander said.

“It’s your basic crush-and-kill kind of demon, although it’s rare in this dimension,” Willow answered, reading from the book.

“When it has appeared in our dimension, it’s been notoriously difficult to kill,” Giles picked up, “due to its strength and speed and its ability to teleport over short distances.”

“I can vouch for that,” Buffy said, raising her hand.

“So, how do we kill this thing?” Anya asked.  “You know, before it decides to crush and kill us?”

“It…ummm…it doesn’t say,” Giles said, checking the passage.  “But it does reference a particular spell…” 

Giles got up and went to his bookshelf.  He scanned the volumes until he found the text he was looking for.  He pulled the book and flipped through it.  He stopped on a particular page and read silently for a moment.

“Giles, what is it?” Buffy asked.  “What did you find?”

When Giles finished reading, his shoulders slumped, and he pulled off his glasses.  He handed the book to Willow.

“It’s a specialized locator spell, designed just for teleporting demons,” Giles said.

“That’s great!” Buffy exclaimed.  “It’s just what we need!”

“Yes, well, unfortunately, it requires two witches to perform it,” Giles replied, returning his glasses to their place.

“And we’ve only got one,” Xander finished.  “I knew we should’ve ordered the double-pack!”

“Why don’t I get Tara to do the spell with me?” Willow offered.

“Tara?” Giles asked, confused.  “Who’s Tara?”

“We can’t, Willow,” Buffy said.  “That would mean letting her in on what we do.  I mean, we don’t even know her, if we can even trust her.”

“Of course we can trust her,” Willow insisted.  “Tara’s a good person, I know it, I can feel it.”

“Ummm…who’s Tara?” Giles asked again, but was ignored.

“Will, I just don’t think it’s a good idea to bring in an outsider--” Buffy said before being interrupted by Giles loudly clearly his throat.

“Will someone please tell me who Tara is?” Giles said.

“Oh, she’s Willow’s new friend from Wicca group,” Anya supplied.  “We met her the other night at the Bronze.”

“She’s a really powerful witch,” Willow said.  “And I know she could do the spell with me.” 

Willow paused and looked down at her hands.  Then she continued in a quiet voice.  “Besides, I kinda already told her about us.”

“What?” Buffy and Giles and Xander demanded simultaneously.

“I had to, okay?” Willow whined.  “I just couldn’t lie to her about it.”  Willow paused again.  “Anyway, it was only a matter of time before it came up.  Anyone who hangs out with us is going to find out eventually.”

Giles put his hands on his hips and looked down at Willow.  “You really shouldn’t have done that without discussing it with us first,” he chided.

Buffy and Xander echoed Giles’ sentiments with twin glares in Willow’s direction.

“I’m sorry,” Willow said, “but I really think Tara could be an asset to the group.  Like now, for instance.”

After a moment of silence, Giles rubbed his forehead and shrugged.  “Well, we don’t have another option at this point,” he admitted.  “The spell itself isn’t dangerous.  If Tara could simply help us locate the demon, she wouldn’t have to be present when we confronted it.  Do you think she would be willing to help?”

“Yes, I do,” Willow said.

“All right, then,” Giles said.

“I’ll go see her right now,” Willow said excitedly.  “If she agrees and I can get the ingredients, we can do the spell tonight.”

Willow turned to Buffy and looked at her hopefully.

Buffy was still a little put out, but she nodded at Willow, giving her approval.  Willow smiled broadly and got up.  She put the spell book in her bag and went to the front door.

“I’ll call you when I know something,” Willow said as she headed out the door.

*     *     *

After leaving her fellow Scoobies, Willow went directly to the magic shop.  She was pleased to discover that the store had all of the necessary supplies and ingredients that were required for the spell.  She completed her purchase and exited the store with a skip in her step.  She went directly to Tara’s dorm.

She knocked on Tara’s door with a perky five-knock staccato and waited anxiously for Tara to answer the door.  Within a few seconds, Tara appeared.

“Howdy!” Willow said cheerfully.

“Hey,” Tara said, her face lighting up at the sight of her favorite redhead.

Tara stepped aside, allowing Willow to come in.  As Willow passed by, Tara noticed the bag from the magic shop.

“You must want to do a spell,” Tara said.

“How did you know?” Willow asked.

“The bag from the magic shop is a dead giveaway,” Tara said, pointing.

“I hope you don’t think that I just come over for the spells,” Willow said nervously.  “I mean, I really like just talking and hanging out with you and…ummm…doing other stuff.”

“I know that,” Tara said reassuringly.  Then she added, “But…you wanna do a spell.”

“Yeah,” Willow admitted sheepishly.  “But only because it’s really important!”

“No, you don’t have to explain,” Tara insisted.  “I don’t mind, really.”

“It’s not dangerous or anything,” Willow said, “but it does take two witches to do it, and naturally, I thought of you.”

“What’s it supposed to do?” Tara asked, leading Willow towards the bed so that they could sit down.

“It’s a demon locator spell,” Willow answered as she sat at the foot of Tara’s bed.

Tara froze in place as she was clearing some books off the head of the bed.  She recovered quickly, hoping that Willow hadn’t noticed her hesitation.  She finished setting the books aside and sat down.

“A…ummm…demon locator spell, huh?” Tara asked, trying to steady her voice.

“Yeah, see, Buffy encountered this really bad demon last night,” Willow said, “but she couldn’t slay it.  Now we have to find it before it does some serious damage to Sunnydale.  So, you wanna help us out, maybe be an honorary Scooby for the day?”

“I…ummm…I guess,” Tara mumbled uncertainly.  “I don’t know h-h-how much good I’ll be.”

“You’ll be great!” Willow insisted.  “You should have more faith in yourself.”

*     *     *

The sun had just gone down by the time Willow and Tara had finished going over the spell together.  The spell itself wasn’t that difficult, but the timing of it was critical.  Willow stood and looked out the window.  Then she turned back to Tara.

“Ready?” Willow asked.

Tara nodded silently, and Willow joined her on the floor in the center of the room.  There they had laid out an altar cloth, on top of which they had placed a strand of twine in the shape of a circle.  At the four points of the cloth were clusters of crystals, but the circle itself contained nothing.  Both Tara and Willow had a small bowl before them.  Tara’s contained a shimmering green sand; Willow’s contained a silvery white sand.

“Okay,” Willow said, “if we do this correctly, a mist should form above the altar, and in it, we should see a vision of the demon’s location.”

“But timing is crucial,” she continued.  “Once we complete the incantation, we have to blow the sands upon the altar at the exact same time.”

“Got it,” Tara said.

“Let’s do it,” Willow said.

Willow and Tara both scooped up a handful of their individual potions and then closed their eyes.  They breathed deeply for a moment to center themselves, and then Tara began.

“Thespia,” Tara intoned, “we walk in shadow, we walk in blindness.  You are the protector of the night.”

“Thespia,” Willow continued, “Goddess, Ruler of all darkness, we implore you.  Open a window to the world of the under-beings.  Reveal to us that which we seek.”

With her eyes still closed, Willow lifted her hand and opened it so that the white sand lay flat on her palm.

At the same moment, Tara opened her eyes, looked at Willow, and frowned painfully.  Then she dumped her green sand into her pocket.

“With your knowledge, may we go in safety.  With your grace, may we speak of your benevolence,” Willow said, completing the incantation.

As Willow began to blow her sand onto the altar, Tara pretended to do the same.  When she had finished, Willow opened her eyes and watched the altar in anticipation.  Nothing happened.

“Or not,” Willow said, confused.

Tara looked down at her hands, then back up at Willow.  I’m sorry, Tara said to Willow in her mind.

*     *     *

Willow paused outside Giles’ door and took a deep breath.  Time to face the music, Willow thought to herself.  She pushed the door open and went inside.

Buffy was surprised when she heard the door and saw Willow walk in.  Giles and Xander and Anya were surprised as well.

“Will, I thought you were gonna call,” Buffy said.

“I was,” Willow said, shrugging, “but I decided I had to deliver the bad news in person.”

“What bad news?” Buffy asked.

“The spell…i-i-it didn’t work,” Willow confessed, hanging her head.  After a moment, she raised it again.  “I’m sorry, Buffy.  We tried, we really did, but it just didn’t work.”

“What did it do?” Giles asked.

“Nothing,” Willow replied.  “Nothing at all.”

“Maybe Tara’s not the witch you thought she was,” Buffy commented.

“She is,” Willow insisted.  “I don’t know what went wrong with the spell, but it wasn’t Tara’s fault.  It was probably written down wrong or something.”

“You’re blaming this on a typo?” Buffy accused.

“No, Willow’s quite right,” Giles said, “it’s entirely possible that the original spell was recorded incorrectly.  It’s happened before.”

“So, we’re back at square one,” Anya said.

“Not square one,” Giles countered.  “We do know what kind of demon we’re dealing with, what its characteristics and abilities are.”

“Okay, we’re at square two, when square ten is where we need to be,” Anya amended.

“You know, we are overlooking one possibility here,” Xander interjected.  When everyone looked at him expectantly, he continued.  “The commando squad.  They’re bound to have some kind of database on demon-kind, right?”

“Ummm…yes, I imagine they would,” Giles admitted, “although I’m not sure we can trust them.”

“Hell, they might even have a weapon that would work against this thing,” Xander added.  “And since one of us happens to be tight with a certain one of them--”

“No,” Buffy said firmly, cutting Xander off.  “We leave Riley and his commando friends out of this.  I don’t trust them.”

“Well, what do we do now, then?” Willow asked.

“You keep looking,” Buffy said to the group as she went to claim her weapons bag.  “Find a way to kill the thing.”  Buffy pulled a walkie-talkie from the bag, turned it on, and clipped it on her belt.  Then she threw the bag’s strap over her shoulder and went to the door.  “I’ll patrol, see if I can find it again.”

Buffy left before anyone could object.

*     *     *

Buffy didn’t get far before she heard someone following her.

“Buffy!” Willow called out.  “Buffy, wait!”

Buffy stopped, and Willow joined her.

“What?” Buffy said in annoyance as she set the weapons bag down.

“Buffy, you said you wouldn’t try to take on this demon alone, you promised me,” Willow said, her face creased with worry.

“I’m not,” Buffy said.  “I’m just going to find it, not fight it.”

Willow moved closer and touched Buffy’s arm.  Buffy tried not to feel anything, but she couldn’t help it.  Her heart began to race.

“Please be careful,” Willow pleaded.

“I will,” Buffy said.

Willow pulled Buffy into a hug.  Buffy didn’t immediately return the hug, but after a moment, she couldn’t resist putting her arms around Willow and feeling the warmth of her body once more.  She nuzzled her face into Willow’s hair.

I wish I could stay here forever, Buffy thought.  But I can’t.

Buffy gently pulled out of the hug, but not completely.  She and Willow were still touching, still holding, neither wanting to let go.  They stared into each other’s eyes, lost, motionless.  They both felt it—the heat rising between them and in them.  They both knew that if they stood there long enough, they would kiss—the sheer magnetism of their attraction pulling them together in some primal way.

Buffy stepped away, and without another word, she picked up her weapons bag and strode off toward the cemeteries, leaving a saddened Willow behind.

*     *     *

Lindsey walked into his hotel suite with an exhausted look on his face.  He pulled off his jacket and set it on the recliner.  He loosened his tie and then removed it.  Then he unbuttoned his shirt.  He drew his hand through his hair and exhaled.

He sat on the sofa for a moment.  Then he leaned forward and picked up the phone and punched in the numbers.  He drew a deep breath as he listened to the phone ring.

“Yes?” the Senior Partner answered.

“I have a report, sir,” Lindsey said.

“Ah, Lindsey,” the Senior Partner said. “How are things in Sunnydale?”

“They’re fine, sir,” Lindsey said.

“What have you discovered?” the Senior Partner asked.

“ ‘Three shall die’—I’ve discovered what the prophecy refers to,” Lindsey explained.  “Three Vahrall demons attempted to open the hellmouth via the ‘Sacrifice of Three’.  They failed.”

“The Slayer?”

“Yes.”

“And the three that shall rise?”

“I…haven’t confirmed that as yet, sir,” Lindsey said nervously, “but it appears that the Slayer is one of the three.”

“Oh, my,” the Senior Partner said, chuckling, “I suppose she’ll have to die then, won’t she?”

“Yes, sir,” Lindsey said, swallowing hard.

*     *     *

A few hours later, Willow and the rest of the gang were still pouring over the books.  Willow was finding it very difficult to concentrate.  She knew she had started reading the same sentence on the page before her at least twenty times and had never made it to the end.  She would always stop and look at the front door or glance at the clock and think of Buffy.

Willow shook her head in frustration.  She decided to meditate for a moment to clear her mind.  She closed her eyes and freed her hands so that they were lying openly on her lap.  She breathed deeply, inhaling and exhaling in a regular pattern.  She imagined a calming scene: the park, the one with the trees and the lake and the little stream with a wooden bridge that—

Willow’s pleasant scene was shattered as a crushing pain struck her chest.  Her whole body jerked in reaction.

“Buffy!” Willow screamed in anguish, frightening everyone in Giles’ living room.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Will!” Xander exclaimed, holding his hand to his heart.  “Are you trying to--”

“Oh my god,” Willow said, scrambling to her feet.  “It’s Buffy, something’s wrong!”

“How do you…how do you know this?” Giles asked.

“I-I-I felt it, just now.  We have to find her!” Willow said frantically, beginning to cry.

“Did you get any sense of where she was?” Giles asked.

“No, just her and-and pain,” Willow said.

“Okay, weapons, radios, flashlights,” Xander said, going to Giles’ wooden chest.

“I’ll call Tara and take the campus area,” Willow said, moving to the phone.

“Anya and I will take the other side,” Xander said.

“I’ll start here and circle my way out,” Giles said.

*     *     *

Willow and Tara worked their way through the wooded areas between the university and the town itself.  When they reached the top of a knoll, they scanned their surroundings.  Once again, there was no sign of Buffy.

“Oh god, we’re never going to find her like this!” Willow said, choking up.

Willow plopped onto the ground and held her head in her hands.  She began to cry. 

Tara knelt beside Willow and stroked her back.  Tara stifled a sob as she felt Willow’s pain and frustration.  This is all your fault! Tara screamed at herself.  If you hadn’t sabotaged that spell--   Tara shook her head to clear the damning thoughts from her mind.  She didn’t have time for self-condemnation.

“Willow?” Tara said softly, “M-M-Maybe you should try to meditate again.  I mean, that’s how you connected with her before.”

Willow looked up at Tara’s suggestion.  “Yeah, I should,” Willow said with hope in her eyes.

Willow rearranged herself so that she was sitting in a cross-legged position, her forearms relaxed on her thighs, her hands palm up and open.  She closed her eyes and began.

Then she stopped and opened her eyes.  She turned to Tara and took her hand.

“Help me?” Willow asked.

“Are you sure?” Tara countered.

“Yes,” Willow said.

Tara took her place across from Willow and duplicated her position.  They joined hands as they had done in the rose spell.  They closed their eyes.  With Tara adding her energy, Willow repeated her calming preparations.  Soon she was at the pleasant park scene once again. 

As before, intense pain quickly hit Willow.  Willow jerked once and began shaking.  Tara kept her grip on Willow’s hands.

“Stay with it, Willow,” Tara said.  “Concentrate.  Is she close?  Is she nearby?”

Willow’s brow furrowed.  “Yes, yes!  She’s close!”

“Which way?” Tara prompted.  “In front of you, behind you…?”

Again Willow’s face creased.  “In front of me, the way we were going.”

“Okay, now open your eyes, but keep the connection,” Tara instructed.  “We’re gonna go down the hill.  I’m gonna do the looking, and you focus on what you’re feeling, okay?”

Willow nodded.  Tara helped Willow to her feet.  Then, holding hands, the two witches started down the hillside.

About halfway down, Willow said, “It’s getting stronger.”  She paused and tried to concentrate.  “More to the right,” she said.  “Oh, god, she’s hurting so bad!”

“I know,” Tara said sadly, feeling it too.

When they got to the end of the hill, they crossed a wide meadow and found a large craggy gulley on its right edge.  Tara shined her light into the gulley, sweeping slowly from side to side.  Then a flash caught her eye.  She moved the beam back to that spot.

“Oh, god,” Tara said.

“What?” Willow said frantically.  “Do you see her?”

Willow looked where Tara was pointing.  Then she saw Buffy.  She was lying face down at the bottom of the gulley next to pile of boulders, and she wasn’t moving.

“You go on down,” Tara said, “I’ll call the others, and tell them where we are.”

Willow nodded and started to pick her way slowly down the side of the gulley.

“Buffy?” Willow called.  “Buffy, can you hear me?”

Willow got no response.

“Buffy, I’m almost there!  Help is on the way, so just hang on,” Willow encouraged as she climbed over a series of rocky formations.

Again, Willow heard no reply.

Finally, Willow was able to reach Buffy, and she fell on her knees at Buffy’s side.  When that wasn’t good enough, she lay completely down on the ground right next to Buffy.  She pushed Buffy’s hair out of her face.  Tears sprang to Willow’s eyes when she saw how bruised and battered it was.

“Buffy?” Willow whispered in a choked voice.

Buffy’s eyes fluttered open and met Willow’s.

“Oh, thank god!” Willow cried.  “You’re alive!”

Buffy’s eyes filled with tears.  “I’m sorry, Will,” Buffy said, “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Willow said, “don’t be.  Everything’s gonna be fine now.  You’ll see.”

Willow heard a helicopter in the distance, and she turned over and looked up the hill at Tara.  She saw Tara move into a stance of supplication, and she felt Tara pulling energy from the earth.  She saw Tara look up and point at the sky.  Willow was amazed when a sphere of light exited Tara’s hand and shot up into the sky, just like a flare.  It came straight down and landed on a nearby boulder, still shining brightly.  Willow heard the helicopter get closer.  Then she saw its lights clear the trees.  It was landing in the meadow.

Willow turned back to Buffy, smiling.  But her smile fell away.  Buffy’s eyes were closed now. 

“Buffy?” Willow cried, touching Buffy’s shoulder but getting no response.  “Buffy!”

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