Fic: Never Free IX

["Jophes" <xenarip13@xxxxxxxxx>]

Please see part I for all disclaimers and warnings.



Never Free IX


Buffy trails the group as they head into the local cemetery.  She 
watches as Willow pays mild attention to the slayers in training.  
The red headed witch definitely seems stronger, but she still isn't 
comfortable with her being here.

`I'm not sure why, but I have this feeling this is a bad idea.  I 
know she shouldn't be out here.'  Buffy sighs deeply to herself, `The 
girls look sharp and alert and Willow seems to be holding up.  
Something just doesn't feel right.  This doesn't feel like a simple 
vamp patrol.  There is something heavy in the air.'  Buffy stops 
smelling the air.

"Stop.  Let's hold here for a bit."  Buffy halts the group.

"How does she know we should stop here?" the small brunette whispers 
to the other girls.

"Buffy, maybe you should explain that so they can try to learn that 
skill themselves," Willow offers, "Unless it's something they don't 
have."

"No, they should be able to reach out and sense the slight danger."  
Buffy begins, `However, they can't feel the under current that I can.'

Buffy looks up to see the younger girls looking at her expectantly.  
She shakes her head.  `I didn't sign up to be a teacher.  That isn't 
my job.  I am just supposed to kill things and eventually die doing 
it.'  She sits down on a shorter tombstone.

"Okay, you have senses?sort of like Spiderman really.  You simply 
need to feel when something hits a nerve.  It will feel like 
something is off in the immediate area.  For some I have read it is 
like a chill and for others like Faith it was a buzz in her head.  
You have to figure out how your sense gets sets off.  Try to reach 
out and see if something feels other than it should to you."

Buffy watches as the girls all close their eyes to their 
surroundings.  They shouldn't do that, but this time she will let it 
go.  It is hard to focus on that feeling at first.  It took her a 
long time.  Merrick was never satisfied that she had it, but Giles 
finally became confident that she had it.

"Buffy, what sets you senses off?"  one of the younger girls asks her.

`Hmm?well slayer what sets your slayer senses on edge besides a 
certain red head in trouble?'  Her mind taunts her, `Shut up!'

"Well, for me it's like the bottom drops out of my stomach.  You know 
that feeling that you just went down a hill too fast.  It's like that 
only intensify it by 10 times and you have sort of what it feels like 
to me."  Buffy answers.

"Do you have that feeling now?  Is that why we stopped?"  Willow asks 
looking at the blonde.

"Not exactly."  Buffy evades.  "I thought I felt something, but I'm 
not sure what it was really.  That happens too even to us veterans so 
don't be disappointed if it takes you awhile to figure it out."

Willow watches the slayer as several emotions flicker over the 
scarred face.  They have been apart for so long it isn't easy for the 
witch to decipher all of them anymore, but one she has always known 
is fear.  She definitely saw fear cross the slayer's face as she 
spoke.  The witch walks up to Buffy.

"Buffy, what are you afraid of?  Something has you worried.  I know 
you."  Willow states resolutely.

"Nothing is wrong?I just?I don't want you out here."  Buffy speaks 
rashly immediately sorry about it as she sees the pain cross her 
friend's face.

"I'll go back and leave you be then."  Willow turns to walk away 
alone.

"NO!"  Buffy stops the witch knowing she cannot let her out of her 
sight, "I didn't mean it like that.  I don't want you hurt and I feel 
that it isn't safe for you out here."  Buffy whispers to the witch.

"Buffy, when is it ever safe for me to be out here?for you or them?"  
Willow points to the group of three girls.

"It isn't, but?" Buffy turns away.

"But what?"  

"Something isn't right.  This should be a simple stake and go mission 
but it feels wrong.  We should all be going back.  I don't want 
anyone to get into this."

"Buffy, this is a small hellmouth with minor demons.  There hasn't 
been a big bad here ever that we can find."  Willow offers.

"At least until I got here." Buffy mumbles.  `I know I'm right.  We 
need to get out of here.'

"Buffy, I feel sick to my stomach.  Is that what you mean about 
senses?"  the short brunette calls out.
"Yeah, my ears are ringing loudly!" the taller girl screams as if she 
can't hear herself.

"Shit!"  Buffy runs over pushing the slayerettes out toward the way 
they came.  

She looks to Willow seeing confusion on her face.  Buffy can also 
hear heavy pounding foot steps coming in their direction that she 
knows no one else can hear.  She catches the witch's eyes.

"Willow, I need you to take the girls and run.  I need you to get 
them home safe.  I can handle this, but not if I am worrying about 
these girls."

Willow sees the sincerity in the slayer's eyes and nods taking 
control of shepherding the girls toward the cemetery exit.  She takes 
one look back and sees the blonde woman running full tilt into the 
cemetery.  She hurries the group along listening to them complain 
about being protected, but she knows deep down that Buffy would only 
do that if there was imminent danger.  Soon, she has them out of the 
cemetery and on the way toward the house.  She halts them.

"Girls, I trust you to get home.  Do not come back to the cemetery.  
I mean it.  Resolve face.  See it."  They all nod.  "Now, go run home 
and send Giles back with weapons for the slayer?.GO!"  She waits a 
moment to be sure they are doing what they are told.

`She doesn't want you there.'  Her inner voice whispers, `Since when 
should I care what she wants?  Did she ask me what I wanted before 
she disappeared?  No, and now I will do what I want which is to be 
sure she stays safe.'

The witch closes her eyes tilting her head to the night sky.  She 
begins speaking her relocation spell.  The air begins to crackle 
around her as the power builds.

"I will land where the battle rages.  I will relocate to where my 
heart is fighting.  Take me to my love?.take me now!"  she yells to 
the skies.

In a twinkling flash, the red head disappears from the street to 
reappear only feet away from where Buffy is battling a 12 foot 
Cheitan demon.  Willow has only ever seen one in existence since they 
are one of the First's high level demons.  By all right's this one 
should not be here, not unless the First is close at hand.  Willow is 
brought out from her thoughts as the slayer screams in pain.  Willow 
watches as the demon sends the blonde woman flying into the side of a 
mausoleum.  She sees Buffy get up slowly and spit blood.

"Is that all you got princess?"  Buffy hisses.

"Give me my master!  You useless vessel!" The cheitan bellows before 
charging the slayer horns first.

Buffy quickly jumps up over the demon that crashes through the same 
mausoleum Buffy weakened in her landing.  She however misses the 
spiked tail that catches her in the thigh burying itself deep.

"Buffy!"  the witch screams in a panic.

The slayer's eyes flicker immediately to the red head.  Panic crosses 
her face before her eyes flash red and her faces changes.  Willow 
sees the transformation and recoils from the scene before her.

`The witch.  We want the witch.  With the witch comes freedom and 
destruction.'  The First pulls at Buffy's will.  `Give her to us and 
you shall be free.'

"NO!"  The slayer shrieks, "You cannot have her.  I have that 
balance.  The deal was struck and you will obey me!"  She feels her 
face change again as she channels the power back into freeing her leg 
which has a mangled hole bleeding profusely.

The demon rebounds slapping the blonde aside as he stands to full 
height.  Buffy limps toward the demon.  Perhaps, this is the one time 
she won't come back.  Maybe this is her peace at hand, but it can't 
be.  She cannot let this evil free.  As long as she lives, it is 
trapped within her.  She cannot die without finding away to contain 
it again.  Feeling light-headed and weak the slayer jumps towards the 
demon grappling and tossing trying to get on its back.  She manages 
to get a few great blows into his eyes so that one is gone and oozing 
down its face.

Willow regains her resilience when she sees Buffy's new face instead 
of the demon she saw before.  She cannot get a clear shot to help her 
slayer with her in the demon's space.  She waits watching for an 
opening.  She opens her mouth again in a scream as she sees the 
cheitan gouge another gaping hole in the slayer's shoulder before 
dropping her to the ground in an attempt to save its other eye.  
Buffy bounces off the ground and simply lays there.  The cheitan 
raises its cleft hoof to stomp the slayer into the earth, but Willow 
will not allow it.

"YOU SHALL NOT HARM HER!"  She screams to the heavens as her eyes 
turn to ebony pools and her hair flies around her head.  "BECHAL?
CRUCIAS?SEVERUS!"

Willow drops to her knees as the cheitan screeches before turning 
inside out leaving a pile of gore behind where he once was.  Willow 
breathes raggedly pulling her control back to her.

`Be gone.  I control you.  I am the power and you are merely a 
conduit.'  The red-head chants in her mind as she feels her eyes 
return to normal and her strength slowly returning.  She raises her 
head to look for her slayer.

Buffy pushes herself to her hands and knees placing as much of her 
weight on the uninjured limbs as possible.  She knows Willow saved 
her.  She heard the power crackle around her as the First struggled 
to be free of its fleshy prison inside of her.  Willow watches as the 
blonde struggles to stand.  The witch cannot tell how much of the 
gore on Buffy is from the demon and how much is precious blood the 
slayer is seeping out of her own wounds.  Willow stands moving toward 
her friend.

`I know what I saw.  It was not an illusion.  Buffy is carrying some 
evil inside her.  What price is she paying?'  Willow remembers the 
fiery red eyes boring into her, `It is going to kill her if she 
doesn't let me help her?perhaps that is what she wants.'

Buffy manages to get to her feet as Willow gets close to her.  They 
stand simply staring at each other for a moment.  Giles rushes into 
the area with Xander right behind him.

"My God.  What happened here?"  Giles takes in all the fleshy gore.

"It looks like something rained guts."  Xander offers grotesquely.

"Willow saved my ass."  Buffy gruffs out.

"From the looks of you, she did so in just the nick of time."  Giles 
breathes out taking in all the damage to the blonde that is slowly 
healing.

"Yeah, I thought I had him, but he was little bigger than I was."  
Buffy tries to smile.

"What was it?"  Xander asks in awe as he continues to look at the 
pile of guts.

"A cheitan demon."  Willow answers, "One of the First's higher level 
demons."

"The First?"  Xander asks confused.

Before Willow can answer, she sees that Buffy's eyes are rolling up 
into her head.  Without thinking, Willow rushes toward the slayer 
catching her as she falls. She wraps her arms around the semi-
conscious woman lowering them both to the ground as her body 
stiffens.  Immediately, Willow's head fills with images from Buffy's 
soul.

<<Willow sees Buffy fighting her way through several Turok Han.  
Then, suddenly she watches as the slayer takes a fatal wound falling 
to the ground.  Her vision spins as she realizes she can hear another 
voice inside Buffy's head.  One that no one else is aware of as they 
continue to battle.

"There must be a balance.  What you ask the witch to do will have a 
great price.  She has already unbalanced the scales to bring you 
back.  We cannot allow this to happen without her life."

"NO!"  Buffy screams back.  "There has to be another way.  This was 
my choice.  I should pay the price."

"There is but one other way the scales can be balanced.  Are you 
willing to pay the price for her?"

"I have given my life before what would be so different this time?"

"It wouldn't be your death we seek, but your life.  You must carry 
the balance within you as it has always been and there is only one 
way to do this without her life to balance the scales of power over 
life and death."

"I don't care what it is. I will pay whatever the price.  She cannot 
die.  I cannot do this without her."  Buffy offers.

"So is shall be.  You shall carry the balance within you.  Your witch 
shall be safe as long as the balance is within you and contained.  
You shall carry the First's evil within your flesh.  If it isn't free 
upon the land then the balance is struck and the witch shall live 
freely.  But for you this will be a great struggle of power?you shall 
suffer with this burden?you shall forever fight to remain a bastion 
of good over evil for now that balance lives within you."

"Any struggle?any burden is worth it for her to live."  Buffy 
answers, "I shall be your balance."

"So it shall be done."

Willow watches as Buffy jumps back to her feet joining the battle.  
She slays and protects the new slayer's as their powers come to 
them.  She flashes to where Spike is channeling the fires of hell at 
the First.  Buffy leans in close taking his flaming hand.

"I love you."  She whispers to him as she feels the First slide into 
her soul.

"No you don't, but it's nice to hear."  He smiles back sadly.  "GO, 
you have what was agreed to."

Buffy nods to him as a single tear slides down her cheek.  She lets 
go and runs up the stairwell and out above ground.

Willow watches as Spike burns alive.  She hears him say he wants to 
see how it ends.  She feels the love he has for Buffy.

"She is worth it, Pet.  The world needs her like it needs you.  I 
love you Buffy.  I wish that I could be there to help you with this 
evil you have taken on.  I'm sorry Buffy.">>

Willow sees Spike turn to ash as she feels herself fall back into her 
own mind and body.  She looks down and sees he unconscious slayer in 
her arms.

"My Goddess, Buffy."  Willow feels the tears fall freely down her 
face.
"Willow, let me help you with her."  Giles offers.

"No," Willow stands cradling the broken slayer to her chest as she 
feels her muscles tremble, "I will not relinquish my burden to 
another soul.  She is precious to me."

Quietly, Willow murmurs a strengthening spell to help her carry her 
love home.  Giles and Xander follow silently behind.  Giles seems to 
have an understanding and Xander will ask him about later.  They 
watch as Willow gently croons to the unaware blonde slayer held 
lovingly in her arms.  

"Now you know, Lil' Bird.  Now, you have a chance to save her if you 
fight hard enough."  Spike forms behind the group.  "Perhaps, you can 
save us all."

TBC




Willow: "It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
Buffy:  "I kinda love you."
                      --'Choices'

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