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TITLE: Aeternus Eternus Donum (1/?) AUTHOR: Kimber (feralspirit@xxxxxxxx) DISCLAIMER: All BTVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Grr, argh. SUMMARY: Different Ending for 'The Gift' and everyone involved. This picks up 2 years later. SPOILERS: Everything up to 'The Gift'. Then it diverges into a 'Kimber' world. Just the way I like it. ;) DISTRIBUTION: E-mail me and let me know where it's living so I can come visit. AUTHOR’S NOTES: *denotes emphasis* <denotes thoughts> {denotes flashback}
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She saw the shadow move slightly and froze. Stalked. She knew shewas being stalked. And in a graveyard with, regrettably, no stake or holy water or cross or anything. Good thing this wasn't the usual type of stalking where there was running and dust and general havoc involved.
Willowrolled her eyes and muttered, "Wonderful." She turned around slowly as if feigning loss of direction, muttered something incoherent, and a body landed at her feet with a great thud.
A large body.
With dark brown hair and, "Nice to see you too, Will." Came the familiar voice. "Think you could just yell out *who's there?* next time?"
Xandersmirked and stood with all the dignity he could manage after being unceremoniously dumped in front of the red headed Wicca.
"Xander." Willow's eyes narrowed at her best friend "What are you doing here?"
"I think I'll be asking myself that same question tomorrow when I wake up sore." He rubbed the back of his head to emphasize the point. "Buffy sent me. She was worried." He lookedat her then dropped his head subtly. Kicking at nothing in particular on the ground, he added softly. "We all are."
Willowtried to scowl, but it came off as more of a smirk. She crossed her arms in front of herself and responded. "I'm fine, Xander. Really."
"Then what are you doing walking around a graveyard in the middle of the night with no weapons?" He quirked his eyebrows up when he saw her get into a defensive stance. "Don't. . .stand like that at me, Will. I know you. I know you have the wiccy stuff on your side, but still. You're better safe than sorry. Ya know?" He put on the full puppy-dog face for her.
She softened a bit. "I know, and," She stopped mid thought. It was crazy, he was right. It was totally insane to be out here at this hour with no form of protection other than spells. Especially since things had been so quiet. Deathly quiet for weeks now. "Why not walk me back to the house?" She tilted her head and smiled. "I'm done here." She gestured behind her.
His eyes
couldn't help but go to where she'd gestured. The grave. The
headstone. All the fear and
helplessness she must have felt. . . he suddenly felt it too and was
embarrassed for having intruded on her in the middle of it. "I'm sorry, Will. I shouldn't have,"
The headstone of Tara McClay stood against the full moonlight, sheltered under a willow tree.
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Willowcrept into the Summers' home and placed her keys on the table by the door. She slid her shoes off and crept upstairs to check on Dawn. Once she was satisfied Dawn was sound asleep, she crept back downstairs and towards the back porch where she knew Buffy would be waiting.
Willow couldn't help but smile when she saw the Slayer. The screen door opened with a moan and Buffy turned to regard the redhead. "Weaponless much?"
Willowsighed and opted to sit down on the steps rather than the porch swing next to Buffy. "I was fine, Buffy. You know that." She frowned a bit. "Why do we always have to go through this?"
"We can stop going through it, Will, when you stop your death march every month." Buffy respondeda bit sharply. "Every month on the same day for the past two years you wander off to that graveyard without anything on you." Buffygot up and sat down next to her. "Why?" She whispered.
Willowclosed
her eyes. <Buffy just doesn't
understand. I'm not sure sheever
will.> "Buffy, it's,"
"Buffy,
I," She shook her head. Words were failing her once again. When Tara was taken from them so
suddenly. . .taken from her, she felt as if she'd never be whole again. That's when she moved in with Buffy and
Dawn. Dawn was amazing. She kept Willow occupied with helping
her with homework, teaching her the in's and out's of geometry and
physics. Buffy was great too, but
a just a little different. Stand
offish. Distant. She didn't know what to make of
it. Still after all this time, it
was still a mystery. "Ineed
to do things, my way. The way I
promised. . .her I would. That's
all." She turned to reguard
the Slayer. "I wish youwould
try to understand. Try to bemy
friend."
Willownodded slightly and squeezed the slayer's hand. "I know." She whispered quietly. "Lets go to bed, okay? I'm tired and I have to be at the Magic Box early tomorrow." She breathedin some fresh air and smiled at her friend. "You all done with patrol?"
"Patrol? What's that?" She scoffed. "This place has been deader than deadville." The Slayer rose to her feet and pulled the Wicca with her. "I suppose I should be thankful for the time off, but we both know that something evil is just waiting to spring out of no where while our guard is down. I think it's just a matter of time till we're back on track."
Willow
smiled. "That's my Buffy,
cynical till the bitter end." "Fine. I promise." The Wiccan responded. "Fine and. . .tired. I think I'm gonna turn in."
"I've had some help you know."
"Well, allow me to be of some help again and remind you that your 'little' sister is seventeen and will be totally mortified if you pack her a lunch." Willow smirked.
Buffy closed the refrigierator door and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. She'd kill me." Buffy chuckled a bit. "Okay, so. Bed then?"
Willownodded and followed the Slayer up the stairs. Buffy took the room her mother once had and Willow took Buffy's old room. It had been a great arrangement after Tara passed away. Willow just couldn't bring herself to sleep alone in their room. Fighting Glory and winning was the most amazing feat any of the scooby gang had had the chanceto do. And it was still fresh in all of their minds. Especially Willow's.
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{"Dawny. Are you okay?" The blonde wiccan approached her and began to unbound her hands and feet.
"Tara! You're better. No more babble? Where's Buffy? Is she okay?"
"No, Dawny, no more babble. Willow fixed it." She smiled at the younger girl as the rope fell to the ground.
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Glory fell to her knees. She looked up at Buffy, gasping and on the verge of tears. "Stop it."
"You're a god." Buffy hit her again hard. "Make it stop." She knelt besideGlory and hit her several more times, slamming the hammer into the God over and over.
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"Tara look out!" Dawn screamed.
Tara spun around and narrowed her eyes. "Don't come near her."
Doc smiled widely. "And what if I do, witch? Are you going to turnme into something? A rat, or a mouse, or a bird or a louse?" His smile became larger. "Or perhaps a lizard?"
Suddenly, Doc's long tongue appeared from his mouth and shot out at Tara. She ducked aside but Doc was quicker as he dropped to his knees and pulled Tara's legs out from under her.
She dropped to the ground, twisting her ankle in the process. Doc rose to his feet and pulled her up by her hair, twisting one arm painfully behindher back.
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Glory morphed into Ben suddenly and Buffy stoped. "I'm sorry." He gasped.
"Tell her
it's over. She missed her
shot. She goes. She ever, *ever* comse near me and mine
again,"
Buffy gave him one last look, dropped the hammer and hurried away.
Ben laying there, gave a small cough and smiled painfully. "Guess we're stuck with each other, huh baby?" He coughed again.
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Dawn shook her
head at the scene before her.
"Buffy, help!"
"No." Tara whispered. She looked at Dawn with a sad, pained _expression_ as Doc shoved her off the top of the scaffold.
"No!" Dawn screamed and shook her head again. "Tara!!"
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Giles knelt down beside Ben. "Can you move?"
"Need a . . . . .minute. She could have killed me." Ben swallowed hardand opened his eyes.
Giles shook his head. "No she couldn't. Never. And sooner or later Glory will re-emerge, and make Buffy pay for that mercy. And the world with her. Buffy even knows that." He reached into his jacket and pulled out his glasses. "And still she couldn't takea human life. She's a hero, you see." Giles put his glasses on. "She's not like us."
"Us?" Ben questioned as Giles suddenly reached down and put his hand over Ben's nose and mouth, holding them shut.Ben struggled weakly as Giles kept him still. Keeping his _expression_ calm, Giles watched as Ben's body went lifeless before him.
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Buffy reached the top of the scaffold just as Doc let her go. "Tara!" The Slayer narrowed her eyes at him. "You bastard."
Doc turned around. "Slayer. I would have thought Glorificus and her minions would have—" He didn't get to finish his sentence.
With amazing speed, Buffy snapped his neck, took the knife out of his hand and sliced him through, neck to naval. She let his limp body fall off the edge of the scaffold.
Dawn ran into her sisters arms and didn't let go.
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"Tara." Willow whispered as she knelt next to her body. She smoothed some hair away from her face. "Wewon, baby. We won."
Tara smiled slightly. "Won?" She coughed violently and blood trickled out of the side of her mouth.
Willow wiped it away
quickly. "Yeah, we won. It's over." She placed feathery kisses across
Tara's face. "We won."
"I love you too. And you'll be just fine. As soon as an ambulence gets hereand we get you fixed up we can go back to the dorm, our dorm and," Willow looked into Tara's face. "Tara?" She touched her cheek softly. "Tara, no. Come on. No. You can't . . .you can’t do this, you can't leave." Willow broke down and sobbed into her lovers hair.
Buffy and Dawn raced down the steps and gasped at the sight before them. Leaving Dawn with Xander, Buffy knelt next to Willow. "Will?"
She can't, Buffy, she can't
go." Was all she could
manage. She looked up into the
Slayer's face. "She's, she's,"
"Oh, god." Willow collapsed into Buffy's embrace and cried.}
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Willowsat bolt upright in her bed, tears streaming down her face and a cold sweat drenched her nightshirt. Before she could let out another sob, there was someone next to her.
"You okay?"
"Uh huh, and the tears and sweating are a side effect of the chili peppers you had for dinner?"
Willowlaughed a little. "Dawn. What are you doing out of bed?" She tried to be scolding and parent like, but it wasn't working.
"Where else would I be when I hear someone screaming 'no, god, no' in the next room? Right next to them of course."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."
"Yes, please." Willow nodded.
TBC. .. . .
~~Kimber
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