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Title: IT Chapter: Thirteen/? Rating: R Spoilers: Up to and including the last season shown. Beta Reader: Scotty Welles Shadow Mage. *Sammy* Summary: Alt-Buffy/IT verse and crossover. What if Willow was the seventh member of the choosen group instead of Ben. Disclaimer: Nope, don't belong to me. <><><><><><><> Summer Of 1989 <><><><><><><> Two Weeks Later <><><><><><><> Willow stared at her uncle nervously, unable wrap her mind around what he'd just said. 'He told my mother I was gay...' "You're gonna get it now, you cunt-sucking bitch, oh you're going to get it good. I'm going to fucking knock you around this house until you're begging for mercy, then I'm going to beat you some more." He cracked his knuckles in his hand, and stepped forward with a half smile. "And just you wait your fag ass, because when you get home your mother is going to teach you all about your soul-damned sins." That was all she needed to here to send her sprinting out the door. She took what her mother dished out - hell, she was even an expert at hiding it, but she was not going to close her eyes and take it from her crazy uncle. The bastard was as bad as his sister, and probably just as deadly, given the mood he was in. She could hear him behind her, screaming out insults and threats. But he was also fat and out of shape, and no matter how much he wanted to slap her around, he couldn't keep up. She looked back and stopped at what she saw. The look in his eyes, the way the neighbor simply went inside and shut the door, how the couple walking down the sidewalk kept going without raising their heads. All of it reminded her of something she'd seen in Its eyes, something she'd seen a million times in her mother's eyes. IT. The realization that everything ended here, today, hit her hard. Running again, she knew she needed to get down to the Barrens. Now. <><><><><><><> Stan saw it when the car nearly ran into him and Mike as they tried to cross the street. The older driver he'd known to be kind had stared at him with a saddened statement for just an instant, then it changed into a blank scowl. Mr. Keene stopped sweeping the broom outside his pharmacy, he stormed into his store, locking the door and turning the closed sign around. He glared at them and disappeared into the back. The bright sky darkened, storm clouds racing in over the town. "Come on, we've got to get down to the barrens. Now." <><><><><><><> Beverly dropped to her throbbing, grease-covered knees and punched Henry between the legs. The boy howled in outrage, as she got to her feet and dived down into the underbrush of the barrens. She yanked the trap door of the clubhouse open and jumped down, closing it behind her. "Bev, what happened? Are you okay?" Willow asked as the other girl burrowed into her arms. "It got to my father, and now Henry's gone crazy." Richie snorted. "And he wasn't before?" "No, I mean homicidal crazy. He has a switchblade, and he went after this old man that tried to help me, and he's on his way down here right n--" They went quiet as they heard the voices of Henry and Belch. They were talking to themselves as they searched around the clubhouse. One of them stepped onto the roof, sending a fine layer of dirt to fall onto their upturned faces. "Where the hell are they?" Henry growled. "Look, maybe we should just go..." "NO! We kill those little bastards today." The two boys continued arguing as they walked into the distance. "Bill and the others are on their way down..." Richie said softly. "Damn." Willow let go of Beverly and stood up. "We have to warn them." She pushed the trap door open and peeked out. "It's clear. Go." While Beverly and Richie pulled themselves up, she grabbed her black canvass bag, putting the strap over her arm and head. Moving quickly, she let Richie help her up. "I-I-I'm t-t-telling you, B-b-batman c-could k-k-kick S-s-spider-Man's b-b..." "Bill! We've got trouble, man." Bill entered the clearing with the others in tow. Willow could see in the pale white faces that they already knew. Light rain fell onto them as they walked over the morlock hole, working together to level it up and push it off. She felt the strain of pushing it in the scabbed over cuts on her chest as it fell to the ground. "We don't have any light," Stan pointed out. She reached into her canvass bag and pulled out a waterproof hunting flashlight. "Here." She handed it to Eddie. "L-l-l-lets e-e-end t-t-this." Bill threw his leg over the edge and climbed down, waiting until Eddie had gotten onto the latter before proceeding down, staying close to the small boy. Willow stayed back letting them go down, one by one, until it was just her and Oz standing in the worsening rain. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple leather string with an occult pentagram on it. Lifting up on his toes he lowered it over her head. "I just wanted you to know how much I love you." She hugged the boy close. "I love you too, Oz, just not in that way." "I know, and I only want to see you happy. Whether you're gay or not." "Hey, dipshits, are you coming?" Beverly hollered up at them. Richie cocked a grin and started down the ladder. "Jeez, what's got your bra in a bunch? You got a date with death or something?" "Yeah, and I'm taking you with me, trash mouth!" "Well, you know what they say, doll. Death is the greatest adventure of all." "Yeah, and so is digging up your nose." "You would know, wouldn't you? Hey, Red, did ya know that Bevy likes to go excavating every day for lunch?" She dropped down into the waist-high water and snorted arrogantly. "Yeah, only the best for my Bev." "Cut it out guys, this is seri-- FUCK!!" Stan leaped back, narrowly missing being hit by a brick-sized rock. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FUCKERS!!!" Henry held another brick over the morlock hole and dropped it. "Uh, guys I hate to be petrified and run, but I'm thinking we should get lost. Fast," Willow said as she jumped back from the large splash. "I'm agreeing with Red here," Richie volunteered. They continued to back away, keeping an eye on Henry as he started to climb down. "E-e-eddie, w-w-which w-w-way?" Eddie took his position in the front with Bill, leading them to the left of ladder. Willow waited for them to pass before she pulled the neon yellow spray can from her bag. Carefully she drew an arrow on the wall with a W at the head, then followed after them. She known, since the day they'd realized where It lived, that they would end up down here, and being the person she was, began to make preparations for such an event. There was a lot she could've done to prepare, but she knew most of it would've been useless. The final battle, when it took place, was going to be impromptu, and no time to carry a bag of supplies. So instead she'd opted for three items, which she could carry in the army bag that was a constant on her body. A waterproof flashlight, back up batteries, and a spray can. She was more than aware of how easy it was to get lost in the sewers, and even if they did manage to find their way down, there was no guarantee that they'd find their way back. So she'd bought the can of spray paint. Yellow, so that it could be easily distinguished from the other colors, and quick-drying so that it couldn't be wiped off. "Hey, what's with the paint?" Richie asked as she paused long enough at the next tunnel to put another arrow on the wall. "Just in case." Richie's cocky grin melted. "Thanks. Now come on, we've got us some clown ass to kick." <><><><><><><> Thundering rain pounded through the pipes as they went lower and lower under the town of Derry. The water from the drains and runoffs flooded the pipes that ranged from less than three feet wide to eight feet. Sometimes to the point where they were barely able to keep their heads above the water, others they were totally submerged for up to a minute at a time. The water flowed strongly around them, trying to knock them back and almost succeeding. Willow held her breath and swam forward in the small pipe, her lungs burning against their treatment. The line seemed to move slowly in front of her, but she knew that they were going as fast as they could under the circumstances. 'Oh goddess, don't let me die like this, not down here.' She thrust forward again as Richie swam out of the other end of the pipe. She bit into her cheek and followed, bobbing up above the water line and greedily swallowing the foul air. Eddie triggered his inhaler twice, then pointed to the downward-sloped pipe a foot above the water level. She thanked whatever goddess was listening and painted another arrow pointing down to the pipe they'd just left. Stuffing the wet can into her now-heavy bag, she swam over to the large pipe and hauled herself out of the grey water. Beverly reached down and helped her to her feet. "Eddie says we're almost there." "Good, then we can fight a child-killing monster, with a small hope that by the time we kill the bastard that the whole damned sewer hasn't flooded and drowned us." "Well, it could be worse." Willow smirked knowingly, " How?" "Richie could be telling jokes." Richie glared at them. "Hey, I heard that." The dry pipe tilted dangerously downward, as they turned the corner. The darkness seemed to consume the light, sucking it in until they could barely see more than a foot a head of them at a time. "Do you guys here something?" They listened to the rumbling of water from above them. Willow gripped Richie's arm, keeping a tight grip on Beverly's hand. "I have a bad feeling about this." Willow ignored Beverly for now, her eyes narrowing with understanding. "Bill, give me the flashlight." "W-w-why?" "Because if you don't, we'll lose our only source of light." She quickly turned it off, shoving it back in her bag, and tightening the strap on it. "Hold hands, and whatever you do, don't let go." They listened quietly as the rumbling swiftly grew nearer. She prayed that she was wrong about this, knowing that if she was right that they might not make it. Seconds later, a wave of thick, sticky metallic liquid slammed into them, carrying them haphazardly down the tunnel. She struggled to hold on, but her hands slipped from the others. The tender, sore body slammed into the walls of the tunnel, over and over. Her lungs tried to exhale with every pounding she took, but she kept her lips clamped together. She reached out to find out which way was up, slipped down and twisted in the liquid, until she was going down head-first. Arms cut through the liquid, putting more speed on her already dangerous pace. She kicked out her legs, pushing off the walls. Her badly abused lungs were burning in a cold saturating pain, creating spots in her eyelids. She swam faster, desperate for air. Darkness began to settle over her mind, she opened her mouth and...breathed oxygen. She struggled to open her eyes, coughing onto the floor were she was thrown out of the pipe. Blood covered the large room, staining their skin and clothes. She scanned the others to make sure that they were okay. Her stomach tightened at the sight of Eddie laying in the far corner, his head turned in a strange angle. "E-e-eddie?" Bill knelt by him and pressed his fingers to the side of his neck. Slowly he stood, his posture tense. "H-h-he's...d-d-d-d-dea-a-a-ad." Willow sat stunned, staring at the body of the small boy. She hadn't known him well, but in the last two months the whole group had developed a bond that was too strong to ever be broken. Salty tears ran down her bloodstained face. Stan sprinted into the pipe, his panicked footsteps reaching their ears. They stared at each other, too tired to go after him. She stood and stared at the pipe, trying to decide what to do. They had to kill It, but without all seven of them it would be hard. Five, instead of six, would be even harder. The piercing scream of pain slapped them out of their shock. The scream cut off and a loud thud of a body falling reverberated through the pipe. "I'M COMING FOR YOU NEXT, FAG!!!" Bill spun to the small door next to Eddie's body and yanked it open, diving in. The four of them followed, knowing they were trapped between two killers. The deep cave was wall to wall in a cocoon of a spiderweb, bodies of half-eaten children and babies hanging from it. The ceiling went up and up, stories upon stories, with no sign of reaching the ground level of the town. She turned her eyes to the tarantula coming from the side tunnel. Its size astonished her, standing as big as a double-wide trailer. Somehow she wasn't frightened, knowing that It was still hiding its true form from them. "YOU KILLED MY BROTHER, YOU BITCH, AND I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!" The spider cocked its head and lurched forward, snapping its jaw down onto Bill's head. Willow clenched her jaws together, as the taller boy fell dead. This wasn't supposed to happen, they were supposed to do the killing, and then they were going to go on with their lives like nothing happened. "Christ, Bill..." Richie backed away from the spider regarding them with a dark humor. Willow stepped forward, determined to finish this now. She stared into the silver eyes of the spider, thrusting her mind out at It. She shuddered helplessly as it latched on, and thrust its own mind out in return. Chud. <><><><><><><> She opened her eyes on the plain and stared at the silver light that was It. "You wish to die, young one." "No, I wish you to die." "Three of your friends are dead, you have already failed." "I won't let myself fail. This ends now." "Very well..." The shape's spiritual teeth sank into her tongue. She pushed down her lurching stomach, and bit deeply into the long, black tongue. "You don't exist, you are nothing but an illusion. This is nothing but an illusion. I belive in the Easter Bunny, and Vampires, and Whistler, and Slayers, and Witches. But you aren't real, you are nothing." "Stop this foolishness. You can't win, you're nothing but a puny child. You will die..." "You are the one who's nothing. You have no power over me, you will never have any power over me, you can not control me because you aren't here..." "NO!!! YOU WILL NOT DO THIS. YOU WILL ROT IN THIS COLD, DARK PLACE AND YOU WILL DIE. I WILL EAT YOUR SOUL AND LEAVE YOUR BODY A LIFELESS SHELL." She chuckled, causing it to scream in pain, all the fear and hate she'd felt melted away. Leaving her a sure, mature girl, forced to grow up too soon. "No, you won't. Now, take me back and leave this world." The spider screamed out, "STOP, IT HURTS! LET ME GO BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!!" "This is over. You're dead..." "Willow!!" Richie screamed out as the spider collapsed to the ground, whining loudly in pain. She walked over to It, taking a small ziplock bag from her pocket. Opening it, she sprinkled it over the dying body and chanted softly, not stopping until a blaze of white fire engulfed it. The mystical light gave out with its last heartbeat, plunging the surviving four into darkness. <><><><><><><> Richie and Mike reached into the morlock hold and helped Willow out. She was feeling the effects of the fight and the magic she'd never practiced before. Her legs nearly sent her tumbling to the ground, but Bev grabbed her in time. Mike pulled a small Swiss army knife from his pocket, and opened the blade. "We may have killed It, but if It ever comes back..." Richie nodded and held out his hands, flinching as Mike cut a line across both of his palms. Willow and Beverly did the same, waiting while he cut his own. They solemnly took each others hands, bonding their promise with blood. If It ever came back, they would be there. <><><><><><><> " I signed the release waiver, so feel free to put things in my slot anytime." - Charles Angels. Odo: Madam Ambassodor, I'm not like you. Every sixteen hours I revert to a liqiud. Lwaxana Troi: I can swim. - DS9: The Forsaken. Aeris Jade Orion list mommy: erslash@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx erslash-adult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx AIM: Aeris Jade ICQ: 51496263 AT&T/Pow-Wow: Jade Pow-Wow Community: Orion Web Site: http://members.fortunecity.com/aerissword/Index.html |