FF: Red Moon Rising, Part 3 B/W/T

["carrkjar" <carrkjar@xxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Red Moon Rising 
Part 3
Author: Hunter Ash 
Copyright © 2001 by Hunter Ash. All Rights Reserved.
Email: carrkjar@xxxxxxxxx Feedback welcome!!
Homepage Addy: http://www.hunterash.com 

Disclaimers: The characters and show all belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, 
Mutant Enemy, Kuzui, and God only knows who else. The storyline, 
however, is the sole property of the author. This story cannot be 
sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made 
for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright 
notices.

F/F romance: the story assumes a loving and sexual relationship 
between people of the same gender and may even include 3 at the same 
time <G>. If this offends or is illegal for you, then please leave.  
Come back when you are older, have an open mind, moved, or changed 
your laws. 

Spoilers: Some general 5th season stuff, but nothing major.

Story Summary: OZ is back and causes havoc when he demands Willow 
join him as his mate. Buffy, Willow and Tara have other ideas.  

Rating: R, violence, werewolf attacks, major character injury, angst, 
hurt and comfort. It's Buffy, there's violence.

Author's Note: While this is not my first story, it is my first Buffy 
story. So?.kind words are hoped for?<G>. Oh, and by the way, this 
will be posted in parts. This being part three. Feedback always 
welcome.  

Red Moon Rising
Frau Hunter Ash

Part 3

************************

Two hours later, Willow and Tara knocked on Giles' door and were 
surprised when Spike opened the door. He took one look at Willow's 
pale and pinched face and yanked both of them into the condo. The 
platinum blonde vampire frowned as he took in the sight of the cast 
with the swollen fingers barely sticking out from the cast and sling.

"Spike?" Willow asked softly, her eyes turning immediately to the 
sofa where she had last seen Buffy.

"Word's out on the demon grapevine that the Slayer is on the ropes 
and you are to be the next Ms. Werewolf Oz," Spike said grimly. "I 
bundled up and drove over as soon as all the other little demons 
bedded down for the day."

"I don't know what to say," Willow said simply. It was very much out 
of character for Spike to offer help. Normally, whenever he was 
around he just bitched about not being able to kill all of them and 
feed on humans like he once did.

"Best not to say anything then," Spike quipped and glanced up at the 
hallway where Joyce and Giles exited from the Watcher's bedroom.

Both college students and the vampire growled when they saw the gun 
in Giles' hand and the Watcher began blushing.

"Where's Buffy?" Willow demanded as Joyce moved forward to hug her.

"She ate and went to check out one of Oz' old hiding places," Giles 
explained.

"You let her?" the red-haired witch snapped. "Last night she was 
dying and you let her go out looking for Oz today?"

"Willow," Giles snapped back and then took a moment to take a deep 
breath. "She woke up this morning as if nothing had happened. Her 
arm is still broken but she was insistent on going looking for him.  
She promised that if she found him she wouldn't move against him 
until calling us."

"Goddess," Willow said in a weary voice and sat down heavily on the 
sofa. Tara ignored Spike and Joyce's raised eyebrows as she sat down 
next to the witch and wrapped an arm around Willow. The young 
college student, not noticing the questioning looks, leaned into 
Tara's comforting warmth. "This is so messed up," Willow 
complained. "Tara told me that Oz still wants to trade me for Xander 
and Anya and that I'd know where he was?"

Giles quickly sat down on the coffee table to get a better look into 
Willow's eyes.

"Yes, that's exactly what he said," Giles answered firmly. "Where 
would he have them? Any ideas?" 

"No, I can't think of any," Willow fought back the urge to break into 
tears again.  

"Come on, Little Tree," Spike encouraged. "He's counting on you 
knowing where he is."

"Well, the Chem. Lab where he took out Veruca is too crowded and the 
library cage at the high school is gone with the rest of the school," 
Willow said thoughtfully.

Giles noticed how she was cradling her arm and could see the pain 
reflected on the young woman's face, even with the cast and sling 
protecting the arm.

"When was the last time you took medication for the pain?" he 
questioned.

"Not now, Giles," Willow growled, her green eyes flashing. "I have 
to be clear and figure this out so we can save Xander and Anya and 
keep Buffy safe."

"I know that but the pain can also make you fuzzy and can cause you 
to lose your concentration," he argued.

"Okay, here's my suggestion, kiddies," Spike announced. "Willow 
stays here because of her arm but the rest of us start searching the 
two graveyards."

"Why the graveyards?" Joyce questioned.

"One, I'm betting that's where Buffy is looking and we can keep an 
eye on her," the vampire grinned. "Two, there are lots of crypts 
there and I'm betting that's where Oz would be with his vampire and 
werewolf crew."

"What have you heard about his group?" Giles asked as he went to the 
closet, pulled out a trunk and opened it. Joyce walked over to see 
what he was up to and found herself holding a small satchel as Giles 
rummaged through the trunk.

"He's got himself a pack, sometimes werewolves stick together day and 
night," Spike explained and easily caught the pistol and ammunition 
clip Giles tossed at him. The vampire nodded appreciatively when he 
looked and saw the bullets were silver. "They'd rather live as 
wolves than humans most of the time and learn to control their wolf 
side. It becomes easier for them to shift but the downside is that 
they become more wolf-like than human. Eventually they'll drift to 
the woods or desert and live constantly in werewolf shape."

"Oz," Willow said softly, tears beginning to flow as she imagined the 
gentle young musician, she had loved, becoming little more than an 
animal.

Spike frowned as he watched Willow sink her head onto Tara's shoulder 
while being comforted by the other witch.

"Oz obviously found a pack and became their Alpha male," Spike 
continued. "Creepy, actually. Now he's looking for a mate to be his 
alpha female. He plans on taking and turning Willow; the pack will 
either settle in Sunnydale or go somewhere else to prey on humans."

Giles looked up from the trunk when Spike hesitated, lost in his 
thoughts for the moment. "What's wrong, Spike, missing the old days?" 
he taunted.

"Actually, I was," Spike admitted easily with a shrug. "The vampires 
are helping him because he promised them a good shot at the Slayer 
with help from the pack."

"What happens if? if they find out Buffy was bitten?" Tara asked.

"Bitten?" Spike snapped, his face becoming a snarl of anger. "By 
what?" he demanded

"Oz was about to bite Willow and Buffy took the bite instead," Giles 
explained, handing a crossbow to Joyce and opened the satchel to show 
her that there were arrows inside, wooden arrows with silver tips.  
Buffy's Mom nodded in understanding.

"The Slayer was bitten by a werewolf?" Spike whispered. "Not bloody 
good, goddamn it!" 

"No," Giles agreed. "She became very, very sick and we're hoping 
that she fought off the infection."

"Not bloody fucking likely!" Spike snapped. "Especially if the wound 
was deep. How deep was it?"

"He broke both bones in her arm with his teeth," Willow answered 
bitterly.

"Hellfire!" William the Bloody cursed, tucking the gun into his 
belt. "And you let her go?" he shouted at Giles.

"The moon isn't full for another month and it's daylight," Giles said 
somewhat defensively.

"Oh hell," Spike snapped. "And you call yourself a scholar and 
Watcher. Damnit, you silly bastard! She was bitten by the Alpha 
male."

"What do you mean, Spike?" Willow demanded, sitting upright. The 
blonde vampire was surprised and confused but brushed his questions 
about Willow, Tara and Buffy aside.

"She can't hurt the Alpha male unless she challenges him to his right 
to lead the pack," Spike tried to explain. "If Buffy runs into him, 
she'll be subservient to his will. They live like wolves, damnit!  
She can't challenge him unless she's in wolf form and that's a month 
away and she doesn't have control over the wolf-side like they do."

Giles sat down heavily in a chair while Joyce stood holding the 
crossbow, stunned and trying to absorb this new information about her 
only child.

"Oh my God," Giles muttered. "He could turn her against us?"

"Yes, like Dracula commanded Renfield," Spike nodded. "If he gets 
his hands on Buffy he could order her to grab Willow and take her to 
him."

"I've never read anything like this," Giles complained.

"That's because packs don't interact with humans, normally," Spike 
snapped. "You've read some of the tales about two or three 
werewolves attacking villages in medieval times, haven't you?"

"Yes, we always thought those were just half starved wolves," Giles 
responded, still dealing with the possibilities of Buffy being 
controlled by Oz.

"They were packs and there was an alpha male and female," Spike said 
wearily, losing his anger. "We've got to find Buffy before she finds 
Oz."

"And Xander and Anya," Tara added.

"Right, anything you say," Spike agreed reluctantly.

"Spike, there won't be enough cover at the graveyards for you," Giles 
said firmly, getting to his feet and wrapping an arm around Joyce's 
shoulder. "You stay here and protect Willow. We'll find Buffy and 
then see if we can find where Oz is hiding."

"Bloody hell, I want to fight!" Spike complained.

"Spike," Joyce said. "You know how it would hurt Buffy if anything 
happens to Willow and neither of you can fight today."

"You're right, Mum," Spike nodded but still frowned.

"I can help, a magickal tracking spell or something," Willow 
protested.

"Not with that hand and the pain you're in," Giles said firmly. "I'm 
taking my cell phone, as much as I hate the contraption. If you 
think of anything, call me!"

Willow looked into Tara's eyes and saw the compassion, love and 
agreement with Giles in them and the witches' body sagged back onto 
the sofa.

"I'm not going to win this fight, am I?" she muttered.

Tara leaned over and kissed the redhead tenderly and got up, 
accepting a crossbow from Giles.

"Not this time, Willow," she agreed.

"Would someone like to fill me in?" Spike demanded and everyone 
turned to him with questioning faces.

"I know that Tree there has the hots for the Slayer, could feel that 
one a mile away whenever they're together," Spike snapped. "I also 
know that Willow drives Buffy crazy but now these two are playing 
House?" 

Both college students began blushing bright red and Tara's head 
dropped into her normally shy body language. Joyce was also 
alternating her glance from the two young women to the vampire, Spike 
was asking the questions that she and Giles were too polite to ask 
but were dying to know the answers to.

"Sod off, Spike," Giles snapped. "Whatever happens between the three 
of them isn't our concern right now."

"Yes it is, you old gaffer!" Spike shot at them. "Buffy is going to 
need that love right now, more than ever, and no one needs this 
goddamn confusion."

"Give it a rest, Spike," Giles growled. "First we find Buffy, get 
her safely back here and deal with Oz. And don't bother Willow with 
this while we're gone!"

"All right, all right," Spike muttered.

Giles knelt in front of Willow and gently took her uninjured hand 
into his. "We'll find Buffy and make sure she's safe," he 
promised. "I want you to take one of those pain pills and if you 
think of anything, call me."

"Please, Giles," Willow said softly. "I can't lose her or any of 
you."

"I know, Willow," he squeezed her hand reassuringly and stood up, his 
manner becoming firm and one of leadership.

Tara bent down and kissed Willow's cheek quickly. "Get some rest," 
she ordered.

"Be safe," Willow responded.


************************

<The graveyard looked different than it normally did,> Giles thought, 
as they entered the gates. <Then again, he normally saw graveyards 
in the dark,> he mused. Seeing the neat rows of tombstones, grave 
markers and crypts looked almost innocent and peaceful in the daytime.

"We'll skip the newer areas and concentrate on the older crypts," 
Giles informed his fellow hunters, Joyce and Tara. He hesitated, 
looking at both of them. "Please don't go into a crypt alone.  
Vampires can't stand the day but they can move about in the shadows 
and they love crypts. These werewolves might be able to change into 
werewolf form during the daytime too."

"We all stick together then," Joyce agreed, her voice firm and 
determined.

Giles shook his head, mentally beating himself up. He had no 
business bringing Buffy's mom and an untrained college student out 
here. They were facing horrible deaths and possibly even worse fates 
than death. <Course,> he thought, <he wouldn't have been able to 
keep them from coming.> It was Buffy and the kids that were in 
danger and these two people were the closest thing to family that 
most of them had. 

As they began opening protesting crypt doors and quickly looking 
inside with flashlights for recent visitors or hidden passages, Giles 
reflected on how much the small group had in common.

Xander and Willow's parents were almost non-existent in their lives, 
especially now that they were out of high school. Xander's family 
could actually be cruel to the young man and Giles knew how Xander 
hated living at home in the basement apartment. Willow's family was 
always gone but more attentive to their daughter, their blindside was 
that they didn't see their daughter as a young woman and also didn't 
see the adult problems their daughter was facing.

Common to all the parents, except Joyce, and the other citizens of 
Sunnydale was the fact that they didn't seem to notice the horrors 
facing their families every night and even sometimes during the day: 
demons, ghosts, evil sorcerers, and especially vampires.  

An hour later, Giles was frustrated. There was no sign of Buffy or 
Oz and everyone was tired from being tense for so long. Opening a 
crypt door was nerve wracking, exploring a crypt kept the adrenaline 
pumping and then the dust made it miserable.

Giles called a momentary halt to the searching and pulled out his 
despised cell phone to check on Willow and Spike. The Watcher 
frowned when no one answered his phone at home.

Joyce caught his frown while Tara sat down on a tombstone, brushing 
crypt dust off her jeans.

"What is it?" Joyce asked softly.

"No answer," he responded slowly. "Willow is probably asleep from 
the meds, but why isn't Spike answering?"

"Should we go back?" Joyce asked.

"Willow?" Tara suddenly whispered her hand stopping in mid-motion.  
Both Giles and Joyce spun to watch her closely. Tara's eyes were 
unfocused and half closed, as if listening to some far off noise 
inside her head.

"It's Willow, something's wrong!" she declared, jumping to her feet 
and dashing back towards the car.

Giles and Joyce hesitated only a moment and then trotted after her.

************************

It took a half-hour for Spike to finally stop demanding to know what 
was up between Willow, Tara and Buffy. He let Willow retreat to the 
computer that Giles had relented and bought last year, letting Willow 
set it up for research and archiving.

Spike settled into a chair in front of the television, grumbling that 
television was a fantastic invention but the people who programmed it 
and designed the shows were idiots, especially soap operas.

The vampire merely snarled when Willow suggested that he could turn 
it off and read a book instead of watching the soap operas. The 
witch shook her head and focused on the computer.

Spike became absorbed in the television and barely noticed Willow 
getting up and wandering through the condo: into the kitchen, coming 
back with a soda, into the bathroom, and back to the computer. He 
didn't even glance up when she headed for the kitchen again.

He continued to be oblivious until stars and blackness filled his 
vision, unaware that he was crashing out of the chair onto the floor.

"I'm sorry, Spike," Willow said softly. "You're not that bad, 
especially as vampires go, but I can't let you talk me out of this."

The computer hacker tossed the baseball bat beside the unconscious 
vampire and grabbed up the objects she thought she might need.  

Willow bent down and groaned in pain as she moved Spike in front of 
the sofa where the afternoon sun couldn't reach him through any 
possible opening in the curtains.


************************

Buffy was pissed and getting tired. She had already dusted seven 
vampires who had taken refuge in some of the crypts but still hadn't 
found Oz and his captives. She knew the approximate area where Oz 
had built a secure cell for himself for those nights of the full moon 
when he turned into a werewolf but not the exact location. The 
Slayer figured that was where he'd be most likely holding Xander and 
Anya and waiting for Willow.

Buffy felt her heart skip a beat when she thought about the redhead.  
Not only was she worried about all of them but she was also feeling 
guilty and mentally beating herself up about it. She had no right to 
even hint to Willow how she felt, not if Willow was drawn to Tara.  
<The other witch had been good for the computer hacker,> Buffy 
reflected. <Better than she had been,> she thought bitterly. She 
had been too hung up on Riley and the Initiative to be around when 
Willow really needed her after the breakup with Oz.  

Buffy hadn't been there and Willow had found someone who was. <The 
Slayer couldn't even really be jealous,> she mentally kicked 
herself. Tara had drawn Willow back into the world and had brought 
back the spark in the hacker that Buffy always found adorable. Once 
you got past the shy exterior, Tara was cute, intelligent, and a 
stabilizing influence on Willow.

"Oh God, Wills," Buffy whispered as she leaned against a crypt. "I 
am so in love with you. I can't come between you and Tara though."

The Slayer put on her `resolve' face and took a deep breath. <She'd 
worry about her love life later,> she scolded herself. <It was time 
to find Oz, kill the little bastard and save Xander and Anya before 
the insane werewolf could get his claws on her Willow.>

************************

Willow almost squeaked aloud and stumbled back behind a large 
tombstone. The young witch cautiously looked around the stone and 
sighed with relief, as Buffy stood up straight and continued deeper 
into the graveyard. Willow was relieved that the Slayer looked 
determined and in fairly good health, the computer hacker just didn't 
want Buffy seeing her. One thing Willow was certain of; Buffy would 
stop her from what she had planned.  

The college student worked her way through the graveyard, surprised 
at how easy it was. She hadn't been to this crypt in quite awhile, 
ever since that morning she found Oz naked with Veruca in his cell.

Willow hesitated outside the entrance to the crypt and glanced 
around, on alert for both Buffy and members of Oz' pack. She angrily 
wiped a tear away from her eye and opened the door.

The place was as dismal as she remembered it; Willow hated crypts.  
Like most of the Scooby gang, crypts meant bad guys, entrances to 
Hell, and usually very bad stuff in general. This crypt was living 
up to that reputation when Willow walked down the steps and into the 
den of werewolves.


************************

Tara skidded to a stop next to the car just as Giles' cell phone 
began beeping at him. The Watcher and Joyce caught up with Tara and 
Giles pulled out the phone.

"What?" he snapped.

"Well, bloody `hello' to you too!" Spike growled. "Red brained me 
with a fucking baseball bat and split."

"You were supposed to watch her!" Giles shouted into the phone while 
Joyce and Tara watched him closely, trying to decipher the 
conversation just from his end alone.

"Sod off, Ripper!" Spike snapped back. "I didn't expect her to whack 
me with a chunk of wood!"

Giles clicked off the connection with a muttered curse. He was about 
to start shouting when he noticed Tara's unfocused gaze.

"Tara?" he said softly. "Where is she? Where's Willow?"

Joyce gasped in surprise and held her breath as Giles held up his 
hand, cutting off any questions.

"Graveyard, in a crypt," Tara muttered. "I can see the blue."

"Blue?"

Tara shook her head and began blushing at the intense stares from 
Joyce and Giles. "Willow did a tracing spell, I can find her."

"Let's go!" Giles urged.

"It's the graveyard a few blocks away from here," Tara responding, 
jumping in the back seat of Joyce's car while Giles dashed around to 
the passenger side. 


************************

"Willow," Oz said simply, jumping down from a sarcophagus as the rest 
of the pack got to their feet and began moving slowly out of the 
center of the room, almost forming a circle.

"Oz," Willow responded, her voice sounding more calm and confident 
than what she was really feeling inside. Her eyes glanced over to 
the cell area of the crypt and she wasn't surprised to see Xander and 
Anya inside.  

Xander was on the stone floor and leaning back against the wall with 
Anya in his arms. At the sound of Willow's name and voice, both of 
them opened their eyes slowly. Xander's eyes widened when he saw his 
best friend walking slowly down the stairs.

He got to his feet and rushed to the bars. "Willow, no!" he screamed 
as Anya joined him, trying to rattle the door open. "Run, get out of 
here! Don't do this!"

"Willow! Get out!" Anya screamed with her lover.

Willow gritted her teeth as Oz merely grinned at their shouting and 
struggles with the bars. She risked another glance in their 
direction and tried not to gasp aloud.

Both of Xander's eyes were black and his nose swollen and Anya had a 
bad cut on her forehead, above her left eye. Their wrists were raw 
from being chained or tied up and bruises and scratches showed 
faintly through the ripped cloth of Xander's shirt. Willow didn't 
like the way Anya was holding her right arm either.

"Make you feel better by beating them up?" Willow snapped.

"Actually it wasn't me or my pack," Oz shrugged, keeping his eyes on 
his ex girlfriend. "I had to pay the surviving vampires who helped 
us."

"No," Willow whispered and she almost dropped the pistol she was 
carrying when her eyes spotted the fang marks on both Anya and 
Xander.  

"Its okay, Willow!" Xander shouted. "They didn't take enough to 
turn us."

"They will tonight if Willow doesn't drop that gun," Oz countered.

"You know I've got silver bullets in here, right?" Willow questioned 
and was pleased when the pack hesitated and didn't get any closer to 
her. She reached the bottom of the stairs and put the stones to her 
back, giving her a clear shot at anything or anyone approaching her.

"I figured that much," Oz agreed. "Put the gun down already, it's 
over."

"Not until they are safely outside and I have your word you won't 
touch them or any of my other friends if I drop the gun," Willow 
snapped.

"Just give it up!" Oz growled, his scruffy beard becoming thicker and 
his voice harsher. "You've lost!"

"Yes, after they're released," Willow said firmly.

The werewolf hesitated, feeling the questioning looks from his pack 
as they began to shift from human to wolf. Willow tried to ignore 
the sounds of breaking bones, stretching and ripping muscles and the 
whimpers of pain. One of the werewolves screamed and doubled over.

Oz finally nodded and one of the werewolves, still in human form, 
went to the cell door and punched in the code to the button key lock 
mechanism.

"I'm not leaving you, Willow!" Xander said firmly.

"Get Anya safe, Xander, please!" Willow begged, not daring to look in 
her friend's eyes. She kept the gun at eye level and moving slightly 
back and forth, keeping the werewolves where they were. "Please!"

"No!"

"Xander, we must leave! We can't fight all of them!" Anya 
pleaded. "Buffy will return and kill him and we'll save Willow."

"He's going to bite her!" Xander protested. "You heard what he 
wants! Fucking bastard!"

The werewolf who had opened the cell grabbed Xander's arms from 
behind and held the young man back from attacking the smaller 
werewolf in question. Oz merely grinned as his eyes shifted from 
green to wolf yellow.

"She's mine in the end, Xan man," he taunted. "Get them out of 
here!" 

Xander was dragged up the stairs, kicking and protesting with Anya 
stumbling behind him as the two werewolves hauled him out of the 
crypt.

Willow flinched when the crypt door slammed shut and she could hear 
Xander screaming and pounding on it.

"Your turn, Willow," Oz growled, his eyes brightening. "Now, we can 
do it the pleasant way or the hard way, which do you want?"

"I? I'd prefer neither, actually," Willow admitted. "What's the easy 
way?"

"We go into the cell for a little privacy, have fantastic sex and I 
bite you," Oz grinned a grin that sent a chill down Willow's spine.  

"The hard way?" she whispered.

"We grab you, throw you over that stone coffin and I let the males 
have a run at you before I claim you for mine. Then I bite you," Oz 
growled.

Willow fought back the urge to be sick but couldn't help the tears 
escaping from her eyes as she looked at Oz.

"Oz, what happened?" she asked softly. "The boy I loved could never 
have thought of that for anyone, especially me. How can you say you 
still love me if you can do this?"

"Things change and I changed," Oz shrugged. "Hell, you've changed!  
Figure out yet that you've been in love with Buffy all this time? Or 
is it that new chick I saw you with?"

"Neither and both?" Willow shrugged. "What happened?" she repeated.

"I discovered a pack up north," he began to explain. "A group of 
werewolves who have given into the beast and let it rule their 
lives. We give into the change and learn to control it by living 
with it most of the time. We typically stay away from humans unless 
we feel like having some fun."

"Fun? You hunt and kill for sport? I thought only humans did that," 
Willow said bitterly.

"We're still partly human. I became the Alpha male and I want you as 
my alpha female. Once you're bitten and have changed a few times, 
your old life won't matter any more."

"You'll never destroy my love for Buffy and Tara," Willow said firmly.

"No, but you won't be able to get near them again," Oz 
taunted. "You'll be mine. Drop the gun, Willow, you swore."

"Oz, I loved you once," Willow said softly, her tears flowing 
heavier. "It killed me when you left but this hurts even worse."

The young witch lowered the gun slightly and Oz moved towards her a 
couple of feet, motioning the other werewolves to stay back.

Willow's head and gun dropped in defeat. "I can't live with what you 
want, Oz, and I can't let your obsession with me hurt my friends."

Oz screamed as Willow reached inside her sling and drew something 
shiny out. In a moment his scream turned to one of rage.

************************

"Willow!" Tara and Buffy screamed at the same time and fell to their 
knees.

Xander and Anya turned and saw the Slayer a few rows over from them 
and rushed to Buffy's side as fast as they could.

"Xander? Anya? Where's Willow?" Buffy whispered as they pulled the 
Slayer to her feet.

"Inside that crypt!" Xander snapped, pointing at the crypt door he 
had just been pounding on, attracting the notice of Buffy. "She 
traded herself for us!"

"Buffy!"

The small group turned and saw Giles and Joyce helping a groggy Tara 
towards them.

"We heard you scream," Giles said. "We've been following a spell 
Willow cast for Tara."

"She's in there!" Xander again pointed to the crypt.

"Let's go!" Buffy urged and was surprised when Giles slammed his hand 
down on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Buffy," he stammered. "I can't let you go in."

"What?" she demanded. "That's Willow in there! Willow, best friend, 
best bud, as in `I don't want to live without her' Willow."

"I know that but you've been bitten by a werewolf and we don't know 
if you were infected or not," Giles tried to explain. Joyce hugged 
her daughter from behind as Buffy struggled with confusion and 
turmoil. "If you face a pack after being bitten by the Alpha male, 
you'll be under his control. The only way to break that is to 
challenge him to alpha status over the pack on a full moon."

"You mean like if I was turned by a vampire I'd be servant to my 
Sire?" Buffy questioned.

"Yes, I can't let you go down there and be used against the rest of 
us," Giles said firmly, hating the situation.

"Against you?" Buffy said softly.

"If Oz ordered it, you might have to attack us," Giles choked.

"We're wasting time!" Xander yelled, grabbing the crossbow from 
Buffy's hands.

"Stay here, we'll get her," Giles instructed his young 
Slayer. "Joyce, stay with her."

"Anya's hurt, she stays," Xander suggested and the Watcher nodded, 
reluctantly agreeing to let Joyce accompany them into the dusty crypt.

"Hurry!" Tara and Buffy both urged at the same time.

************************

Giles felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up and 
out when an enraged howl sounded through the door. The Watcher 
steeled himself and shot the lock to the crypt door, thanking the 
fates that he didn't get hit with any flying wood fragments.

Xander and Tara shoved past the Watcher before the smoke had cleared 
from the pistol and were dashing down the stairs, ignoring the lack 
of light to guide their hurried progress.

Giles and Joyce followed quickly behind, Joyce carrying a flashlight 
and trying to shine it in front of the two students ahead of them 
before they hit the lighted area of the inner crypt below.

The two older adults almost ran into the backs of Tara and Xander as 
they stood at the top of the stairs leading to the inner crypt 
looking down.

Giles felt the pistol almost slip from his hand as he looked down and 
saw Willow.

"No!" Tara screamed and rushed half way down the stairs and then 
jumped the rest of the way to the stone floor of the crypt, Xander a 
moment behind her.

Giles closed his eyes, trying to shut out the sight of his kids.

Willow was lying on the stone floor with a pool of blood spreading 
around her. The computer hacker's skin quickly turning deathly 
pale. Xander and Tara knelt beside her, trying to decide what to do 
about the silver knife sticking out of the young woman's chest.  

Tara gently raised Willow's head into her lap and wiped at the blood 
flowing from Willow's mouth as tears began to flow.

"No, please!" she begged quietly as Xander reluctantly felt for a 
pulse at Willow's wrist and then her neck.

"She doesn't have one at the wrist and the one at her neck is faint," 
he said softly.

"Giles, what can we do?" Joyce asked, causing the Watcher to open his 
eyes again.

"She stabbed herself in the heart with a silver dagger so Oz couldn't 
touch her," he muttered. "If we pull the knife out, she'll die 
instantly. Another minute or two and she'll bleed to death anyway."
Rupert "Ripper" Giles knew about wounds, it came with the territory 
of being involved in the Dark Arts and then with being a Watcher. He 
knew the different colors of blood and what parts of the body they 
came from. He knew a heart wound when he saw it and knew even a full 
Operation room staff of surgeons, nurses, and blood couldn't save his 
young Willow.  

"Go get Buffy," he said softly, glancing around and noting for 
certain that all the werewolves were gone, probably through one of 
the many underground tunnels under the city.

Joyce sobbed and ran for the stairs leading to the top of the crypt 
while Giles began walking slowly down the stairs.

"Tara, can't we help her?" Xander asked, tears flowing down his face 
unashamedly.

"I don't know," Tara whispered. "Willow, please don't leave me!" she 
begged.

Xander kept his finger on Willow's pulse and whimpered, as it got 
weaker and faster. "Giles, please!" he begged.

The Watcher knelt by the young adults he considered his children and 
looked at the wound carefully and felt Willow's pulse as well.  

"No!" Xander screamed when the Watcher shook his head, his own tears 
beginning to escape his eyes.

"Willow!" Buffy's voice caused them all to look up in time to see the 
Slayer launch herself from the top of the stairs, somersault in 
midair and land next to the small group. Xander moved aside as Buffy 
knelt beside Willow and assessed the amount of blood on Willow's 
clothes, her mouth and the floor as well as the look on Giles' face.

"She used a silver knife so Oz couldn't touch her and change her," he 
said softly.

"Buffy?" Tara questioned and the blonde looked at the mouse-brown 
blonde witch, both pairs of eyes tormented. "Do you love her?"

"Of course I love her, she's my best friend," Buffy snapped.

"No, do you love her?" Tara pressed.

"Yes," Buffy whispered. "But, I?"

Tara shook her head and laid Willow back onto the stone floor and 
reached out her hands to Buffy. The Slayer interlaced her fingers 
with the witch without a thought or hesitation.

"Willow, think of Willow," Tara muttered, closing her eyes and 
letting her head drop back.

Buffy shut her eyes and began to think of Willow, not as she was 
lying in a pool of her own blood on a cold stone floor, but as she 
always thought of Willow: <the red head glancing up from a computer 
keyboard, shouting with joy when she discovered something new in an 
old book, Willow concentrating on a candle flame as she began casting 
a simple spell to help Buffy with Slayer duties, Willow sleeping 
peacefully only a few feet away from Buffy.>

Somehow Buffy knew that the hand suddenly resting on her left 
shoulder was Xander and the one on her right was her mom's. She knew 
intuitively that Giles and Anya had their hands on Tara's shoulders 
and they were completing a circle of love.

Absolute and unconditional love for the young woman dying in their 
midst.

Buffy felt tears of sadness and joy flow down her face as the emotion 
became almost solid, like a cloud flowing from all of them. Each of 
them would give their lives for Willow and each of them felt that 
depth of love flowing from each other. Buffy realized that Tara 
loved Willow as deeply as she did. The Slayer also felt a new 
emotion enter into the whirlwind they were creating, a new 
realization that startled her and almost snapped her out of the 
trance.

Tara loved Buffy as well.  

Buffy felt the energy waver and eased her mind back into 
concentrating on Willow and felt it build again.

"Channel what you're feeling to Buffy and Tara," Giles instructed 
softly. "At the countdown from three to one, send it all to Buffy 
and Tara."

Buffy cried out slightly at the intensity of the building energy and 
felt Tara tighten her hold on Buffy's hands and the Slayer squeezed 
lightly to reassure the witch.

"Three? two? one!" Giles whispered firmly.

Buffy and Tara dropped their hands at the same time, laying them on 
Willow's ribs. A moment later, both were shaking their heads, having 
been tossed back into the legs of the others behind them.

"What?" Buffy whispered and quickly regained her balance, on her 
knees next to Willow, as Tara quickly began checking the red-haired 
witch.

"Oh my," Giles whispered and pointed to the silver knife that was no 
longer buried up to the hilt in Willow's chest, now it was lying on 
the young woman. He quickly bent down, pulled it away and ripped 
away Willow's shirt. 

Instead of a gaping wound that pierced through the heart, there was 
only a slight wound that was bleeding lightly.

Xander knelt beside Buffy, one hand on her shoulder and the other 
checking Willow's pulse.

Giles had a strange urge to hug the frequently annoying young man 
when he saw the familiar goofy grin on Xander's face.

"It's stronger," Xander said softly and drew Anya into his arms as 
she began crying with relief.

"Giles, call for an ambulance," Joyce said softly, wrapping her arms 
around him as she leaned over.

"Yes, of course," he mumbled.

Buffy and Tara both held Willow's good hand and were smiling at each 
other.

"Thank you, Tara," Buffy said softly, feeling exhausted but calm and 
hopeful.

"For both of us," Tara responded and began blushing, her normal shy 
reaction.

"All of us," Buffy corrected with a smile.


************************

Willow opened her eyes slowly and moaned when she tried to move. <It 
felt like everything hurt!> She frowned as she tried to remember 
what had been happening and then her green eyes widened when she 
did.  

The computer geek felt through the hospital gown and wasn't surprised 
to feel a large bandage on her chest. Her hand still hurt as well.

"Hey," a voice said softly and Willow turned to see Buffy and Tara 
both standing in the doorway. "Thought we sensed you waking up," 
Buffy grinned.

"Sensed it?" Willow questioned, her voice sounding very harsh. The 
two young women entered the room and Tara moved to grab a plastic cup 
and began filling it with water from a pitcher while Buffy worked the 
controls on Willow's bed and slowly raised the witch to a sitting 
position.

Tara held the cup to Willow's lips while she drank slowly.

"What happened? I feel so weak," Willow asked softly. "I remember 
the knife, it felt so strange. Like a coldness filling me, and the 
look of rage on Oz's face when he grabbed the knife and it burned 
him."

"He and the pack were gone when we got to you," Buffy explained, 
taking up a chair on one side and Tara took one on the other side of 
Willow's bed. "Wills, you? you were?" Buffy suddenly mentally cursed 
the tears trying to escape as she felt her head drop, overcome with 
the emotion and the memory of seeing Willow on the crypt floor.

"I was dying," Willow said gently, wishing she had both hands so she 
could touch Buffy and Tara's hands at the same time.

"Yes, we couldn't do anything," Tara agreed and moved Willow's hand 
to her stomach and then reached for Buffy's hand to join her in 
holding Willow's.

"What happened?" Willow asked again. "Not that I'm complaining that 
I'm here and you're both here and I don't think I'm dead. No, that 
would be a bad thing because that would mean you were both dead. No, 
I wouldn't like that, that would be bad thing?"

Both Buffy and Tara looked at each other and grinned. Willow 
catching the amused look on both their faces began blushing as she 
stopped a trademark ramble.

"Tara did something and saved you," Buffy answered.

Tara's blush grew bright red as Willow turned to look at her. "It 
was all of us, somehow. I didn't know what I was doing."

"What did you do?" Willow asked.

"We joined hands and everyone else formed a circle with us, a hand on 
each shoulder and we thought about how much we love you," Buffy 
explained.

"We joined hands after I got Buffy to admit that she is IN love with 
you," Tara clarified and Buffy suddenly wanted to crawl under 
Willow's bed.

"I, uh, look," she stammered as both witches looked at her. "I know 
you two are working on the couple thing and I would never come 
between that. Forget anything was said, okay?" she pleaded.

"I don't think so," Tara said gently. "It was our love for Willow 
that was the focus of the energy. Neither of us could have done that 
alone, I don't think."

"What do you mean, Tara?" Willow asked, keeping a firm grip on 
Buffy's hand as well as Tara's.

"Somehow it just felt like what was needed. We needed total honesty, 
no hesitation and Buffy was holding back on admitting her feelings," 
Tara said softly. "Everyone loves you so much; we poured that love 
into you."

"Thank you," Willow said softly, her own tears streaking her 
face. "I don't know what to say. I love you both."

"We've got a lot to figure out when you get out of here," Buffy said 
softly.  

Willow pulled her hand loose and began wiping her face when the door 
to her room opened again.  

Brad Santiago walked into the room slowly with a smile on his 
handsome and rugged features.

"Evening, Ms. Rosenburg," he said easily.

"Evening?" Willow squeaked. "How long was I out of it?"

"Uh, Wills," Buffy stammered and looked away.

"Buffy? Tara?"

"You were in a coma for four days because of the loss of blood and 
the injury to your heart," Tara answered. "That's why you feel so 
weak."

"Four days?"

"Yup, and I've been waiting patiently," Brad grinned.

"And you are?" Willow smiled slightly back at him.

"I'm Brad Santiago, Detective Santiago," he said, shaking her 
hand. "I'm investigating the kidnapping of your friends Xander 
Harris and Anya Smyth and the attack on you by Daniel Oswald."

"Xander and Anya!" Willow exclaimed, attempting to sit up and falling 
back, gasping for air as Buffy and Tara both held her back.

"Both of them are fine!" Buffy said quickly. "Xander has a broken 
nose and Anya has a broken arm but they're both okay. Nothing 
permanent, not even the RAT bites were infected, they'll be fine."

Willow caught the emphasis on the word "rat" and realized Buffy meant 
the vampire bites hadn't hurt them too badly and sighed with relief.

"Now that Ms. Rosenburg is awake, can I get my statements?" Detective 
Santiago asked, noting the look of pain on Willow's face and the 
rapid breathing as she attempted to deal with it.

"Easy, Willow," Tara said softly. "You had a knife in your heart.  
It's going to take a little while to recover."
Buffy turned to the Detective.

"Giles, my Mom, Tara and I received a call from Oz saying he left 
Xander and Anya tied up in the graveyard. We left Willow behind 
because of her arm and we didn't want Oz to see her if he was 
watching."

"Why didn't you call the police," Brad growled.  

"We should have but he warned us not to," Buffy agreed.  

"Go on," Brad instructed, pulling out a notebook and writing in it.

"Oz called? me, right after they left," Willow said, gasping for 
breath still. "Said? he lied to them? he was going to kill Xan and 
Anya if I? if I didn't? come to him."

Tara frowned and held onto Willow's hand as Buffy touched her arm 
where the cast ended.

"So you didn't call the police either and ran off to meet him?" Brad 
asked, his voice expressing his disapproval.

"Yeah?" Willow said, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry? I know I should 
have?"

"Let your friends talk to me for a bit," Brad instructed softly.

"We were in the graveyard," Buffy said, continuing the story. "We 
heard Xander and Anya yelling. They were pounding on a crypt door."

"They said Willow had gone to Oz and he forced them out of the crypt 
at gunpoint," Tara continued. "He locked the door. Giles broke in 
the door and we found Willow hurt on the floor. Oz was hiding and 
ran out when we went to help Willow."

Willow opened her eyes and smiled at Buffy and Tara.

"Oz and I fought, I wouldn't go back to him and he got angry," Willow 
continued the tale that was now deviating from the truth a bit. "He 
put the gun down but he had a? he had this? he stabbed me."

Both Tara and Buffy whimpered slightly.

"Okay, that's all I need for now," Brad smiled as Willow closed her 
eyes again.

"Doctors said she'd be weak for awhile," Buffy whispered.

"She's going to be okay though?" Detective Santiago frowned. He 
wanted Daniel Oswald very badly and he especially didn't want young 
Ms. Rosenburg or any of her friends hurt.

"Eventually," Tara responded. 

"If any of you hear from Oz again, I want your word that you'll call 
me instead of playing heroes!" Brad growled.

"You got it," Buffy said easily. "I don't think he'll be back, he 
was screaming that Willow was dead. If he goes on thinking she's 
dead then he won't have to come back, right?"

"I hope so, also the fact that he's wanted for kidnapping, first 
degree assault, attempted murder, and whatever else I can think of 
charging him with," Brad tried reassuring the young women and handed 
them his card. "Call me if you need anything, hear or see him, or 
remember anything else that might be useful." 

"Thank you, Detective Santiago," Tara said softly and Brad nodded 
with a slight smile as he left the room.  

Buffy reached up and brushed a lock of red hair from Willow's 
forehead as the computer geek dozed. She looked over at Tara and was 
surprised that she didn't see any hint of jealousy, only warmth.

"We've got a lot to figure out, don't we?" Buffy asked softly and 
reached across the sleeping Willow to gently stroke Tara's cheek. "I 
felt something in that connection, something you didn't admit to out 
loud."

Tara leaned her face into Buffy's hand and nodded.

"This is going to get complicated," Buffy muttered, looking down at 
Willow, unaware of Giles closing the door to Willow's room.

"Very complicated and we still have three weeks before we know if we 
have another problem, Buffy," he said softly, to no one in 
general. "Another three weeks to the Full Moon and a very big 
problem if you were infected."

He tried to smile at the sight of Joyce, Xander and Anya walking down 
the hall towards him.

<The thought of a werewolf Slayer wasn't a pleasant thought.>