FIC: The red headed Slayer 8/?

["jend1205" <jend1205@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hey sorry it has taken so long for this but well life happened. I 
know I kind of leave you hanging at the end but it would have been 
way to long for one part. I will work on the next this weekend, 
hopefully it won't take as long as this one did. The last line of 
this is actually a line in a song called Love is By Stevie Nicks. Jen


Author: Jen D
Disclaimer: I don't own just like it. 
Rating: G-R and all points between mostly language and violence
Pairing: Willow/ Buffy
Spoilers: I guess all of the shows this is A/U but some of it might 
come up.
 
Spike approached the figure sitting on the bench in the 
park, "Slayer."

"Spike, I thought you'd be long out of town by now?" Willow asked, 
not turning to look at the blonde vampire.

"I take it you talked to Angel then?" Spike said sitting down beside 
her.

"Yeah last week. He told me about the rite of sire bullshit, figured 
you'd hightail it back to LA."

"I'm going tonight, not much I can do here if the Master can use me 
against you. I wanted to see you before I left. He told you about the 
prophecy then?" Spike asked shifting beside her.

"Yup, you can just call me prophecy girl," Willow chuckled 
sarcastically.

"Not funny, Red."

"You think! Damn it, Spike, do you think I want to die? Hell no," 
Willow growled. "I mean how fucked up is this. I mean the irony of 
it. All I ever wanted for so long was a family for Dawn and I. Did 
the Power's to be plan this for me. Am I one big joke to them. They 
send me here and then give me everything I want only to take it away 
before I can even enjoy it."

"Irony is kinda ironic like that, Red."

Willow laughed a sad laugh and turned to the vampire, "I hate this."

"I know, kid. It's going to be ok."

Willow jumped up off the bench and turned angrily toward him and 
yelled, "Don't sit there and tell me that. You don't know that."

"No I don't but if anyone can beat the Master you can. I do know 
that."

"Maybe you're right," Willow sighed dejectedly and pulled the vampire 
from the bench. "You better get out of here if you're going to make 
back before sunrise. Spike, you and Angel, take care of each other."

Spike pulled the Slayer into his arms and whispered in her ear, "We 
will. Be careful, Luv. Trust in yourself. You can do this, you will 
do this."

"I know, if I'm going to die I'm sure as hell taking him with me," 
Willow said as she stepped out of the vampire's embrace.

"That's my girl," Spike said as he walked off into the night.




Willow sat in the rocking chair that sat in the corner of Dawn 
room, looking out into the fading sun. Dawn was taking a short 
evening nap lying in the comfort of her sister strong arms. Willow 
knew she should probably put her into her bed but couldn't seem to 
part from the closeness of having her sister in her arms. She glanced 
at the clock and sighed, knowing she didn't have a lot of time left 
to spend with her. "Dawnie," Willow whispered, trying not to wake the 
sleeping girl. "I need you to know that I love you and how much it's 
meant to me to be able to be a mother to you. I wish that I didn't 
have to go but I don't have any choice in this, this is who I am. You 
may never be able to understand it but I hope someday you will. I 
faxed my lawyer papers today giving Joyce and Giles temporary custody 
of you if something happens to me. I haven't told them yet but I'm 
pretty sure they'll be more then happy to give you a good home. Maybe 
then you can have a normal life. There were so many things I wanted 
to show you, so many things I wanted to be there for." Willow choked 
by the tears had to stop and just hold her sister close to her 
heart. "I'll always be here with you. I'll be in your heart, just 
like you will always be in mine. I fight for you and tonight I might 
die to save the world. The world that I hope gives you everything 
that you ever want." Willow felt Dawn stir and decided it was time 
to go.




"I can't believe she kept this from me," Rupert Giles yelled pacing 
around the living room.

"Rupert you need to calm down for a minute. Being upset when she gets 
here isn't going to help anything," Joyce told her pacing husband.

"No, he's right. He should be pissed off. How the hell are we 
supposed to help her if she doesn't tell us something like this? Mom, 
she's going to die tonight," Buffy cried fleeing into the foyer. 

Tara followed and pulled the blonde teenager close to her, trying to 
offer some comfort, even though her own heart was breaking, "Buffy we 
knew this could happen, I know that it doesn't make it any easier but 
we need to be here for her. I can't even begin to imagine how scared 
she must be right now."

Buffy pulled out of Tara arms and sat down on the bottom step, "Tara, 
I just found her, I just don't know if I can handle losing her 
already."

"I know, Hon. Me either but we can't stop her from doing what she has 
to do. All we can do is try to stand behind her and offer our 
support."

Buffy started to answer when the doorbell interrupted her. She wiped 
the tears out of her eyes and stood to answer it. All the calmness 
that Tara had brought to her left as soon as she found Willow 
standing on her front porch. 

"Hey Buff, how are you tonight?" Willow asked trying to hold her 
emotions in check.

"How the hell do you think I'm doing tonight, Will?" Buffy yelled and 
ran up the stairs. 

Willow watched the blonde as she stumbled up the stairs and flinched 
when the door slammed, "Umm, what'd I do?" 

Tara looked up the stairs and then back at the Slayer, the tears she 
had been trying so hard to contain finally spilling down her 
cheeks. "Will?," Tara said and just shook her head unable to 
continue. 

"Tara, please you guys are really starting to scare me." Willow 
looked around at the rest of the gang as they came into the foyer.

"Willow, I think you had better come in and sit down," Giles said 
motioning for here to come into the living room. Giles waited until 
the Slayer had made herself comfortable on the couch holding Dawn 
close. "I got a very interesting call from Angel today. Do you know 
what he had to say?"

"Umm?I uh?" Willow stumbled afraid to answer. `Busted,' she thought.

"Yes well as interesting as that was, umm?uh was not what he told me. 
Does prophesy, Master, and death ring a bell?" Giles asked, not even 
trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"Maybe," Willow squeaked out, surprised at his tone.

"Willow how am I supposed to be your Watcher if your going to keep 
things like this from me. Damn it girl, he says that you have known 
for a week now and yet you haven't said anything."

"Giles, I'm sorry, I really am but there's not anything we can do 
about it. I'm going to go out tonight and die. I've come to terms 
with that and like I told Spike last night, if I go I'm taking the 
Master with me. I just need something from you and Joyce."

Joyce who had been quietly sitting beside the Slayer on the couch 
turned and faced Willow, "Dawn?"

"Yeah, I sent paperwork to my lawyer today giving you temporary 
custody if something happens to me tonight. You have two options, one 
you can keep her until something more suitable can be found or two 
you guys could adopt her and raise her. I'm hoping for number two but 
I will understand if you can't. Just do me a favor and make sure she 
will be taken care of by whomever," Willow said hugging Dawn closer, 
her tears rolling down her face onto the toddler shirt. 

"Of course, I don't think Rupert or I would have it any other way," 
Joyce cried pulling Willow into her arms, holding her.

Tara stood in the doorway watching the scene as it had unfolded, her 
own tears falling to the floor.

Xander and Cordy sat on the floor holding hands, regret and sadness 
clouding their face.

Jenny Calender stood leaning on the fireplace, her eyes closed, 
swearing at any god that would listen to her that someone so young 
and with so much to live for had to die.

Rupert Giles stopped his pacing and stood stock still unable to even 
form words to comfort his Slayer.

Upstairs in her darkened room, Buffy Summers her knees to her chest, 
rocked and cried. 


"You're not going," Giles finally said breaking the silence in the 
room.

"Huh?" Willow said pulling out of Joyce's hug.

"You're not going," Giles repeated and begin to collect weapons.

"Again huh," Willow asked confused.

"I'm going. There's no way I'm going to let you die tonight," Giles 
said loading his bag with weapons.

"Rupert?" Joyce asked and then turned desperate eyes towards Willow.

"Giles there is no way you can win this," Willow said handing Dawn to 
Joyce and standing up.

"Well you're not going, so get it out of your head right now," Giles 
said heading for the door.   

"Hey Watcher," Willow yelled and waited for him to turn around. When 
he had completely turned around, her right fist shot out. The Watcher 
looked stunned for a second and then crumbled to the floor.
Jenny was the first one to react, "Rupert!"

"She hit him," Xander said, turning to Cordy. 

"Thank you," Joyce whispered.

"Yeah better he have a headache then be dead," Willow told the group.

"I'm going with you," Tara said stepping into the room.

"No, I need you to stay here and protect everyone. Can you and Jenny 
do some kind of spell on the house so no one can get in?" Willow 
asked looking between the witches.

"Willow?" Tara started but was stopped by the Slayer.

"Please, keep my family safe."

Tara could see the desperation in Willow face, "Yeah, we can."

"Good ok, Joyce if Giles isn't up and I fail you're going to have to 
get everyone out of here. Go to LA until you sort things out," Willow 
told her.

"Alright," Joyce said.

Tara could see that the Slayer was getting ready to leave and slipped 
up the steps to Buffy room, knocking quietly on the door, "Buffy can 
I come in?"

"Yes"

Tara made her way through the dark room and sat down on the edge of 
the bed, "She's getting ready to go. I think you should come say 
goodbye."

"I don't know if I can," Buffy sniffled.

"Buffy, I think you will always regret it if you don't."

Buffy sighed, knowing that the blonde witch was right but it hurt 
knowing that this could be the last time that she would ever see 
Willow. "I know that you're right but I just don't know."

"Ok but think about it for me, please," Tara said and made her way 
out of the room. She slowly walked down the stairs and found Willow 
looking sadly up toward her.

"She's not coming down, is she?" Willow asked.

Tara could see the hurt and pain all over Willow face, "I don't know, 
sweetie. She's hurting really bad right now."

Willow turned away, took one last look at the group huddled together 
and gave them a sad smile, "Take good care of each other. Tell Giles 
thanks and sorry but I couldn't lose someone else. Joyce always make 
sure Dawn knew how much I loved her." Willow turned, looked up the 
steps one last time, "Tara tell her?tell her I love her and I'm 
sorry."

Tara stood in front of the red head and wiped the tear from Willow's 
cheek, "I will. I love you, Slayer. I know it isn't the earth 
shattering love that we're both looking for but it's love all the 
same and I'm going to miss it. I'll miss you. Please try to come back 
to us?"

"I'm sure as hell going to try," Willow said and kissed her lightly 
on the lips. "I love you too. Thank you for the last few weeks and 
for being honest about your feelings. It could have been so easy to 
get lost in you and that wouldn't have been all bad just not right. 
Goodbye."

"Goodbye," Tara whispered and turned to hide the tears.

Willow walked out into the night, looked up at the sky and prayed for 
the strength to come home to them. She was headed down the sidewalk 
when she heard her name yelled from inside the house.

"Willow," Buffy yelled and came running out of the house.

Willow caught the crying blonde as she flung herself into her 
arms, "Shh, it's ok. I got you."

"I love you," Buffy whispered into Willow ear.

"I love you too and I always will. I'm sorry I have to go like this."

"I know, come home to me?" Buffy said.

"I'll try my hardest but Buffy please live. Live for me. Live for us. 
Promise me."

"I will, I promise," Buffy said and kissed Willow with all the 
passion that she felt for the red head.

"Wow," Willow whispered.

"Yeah, wow, come back to me and someday there will be more of those," 
Buffy smiled.

"Lots more?"

"You can count on it."

"Buffy, I love you," Willow said, turned and walked away.

"I love you too," Buffy whispered, as she stood there in the dark, 
her heart broke down, and one tear slid across her lips to the corner 
of her mouth and dropped to the ground.