Chapter 16
How Soon is Now


Returning to work wasn't as hard as Willow expected. Her co-workers were
still afraid of her, but by Tuesday afternoon things were almost back to
normal. Willow was sure she wouldn't be invited to any more office parties,
but she was never good at parties any way.

The only real problem was with Ellen, who wanted to ask Willow questions
non-stop. Questions the witch had few answers for. Willow was still trying
to find the truth herself. Find Herself.

Wednesday was her night to cook dinner. Buffy was out working but due home
any minute, so Willow was enjoying the quiet, cooking, just stirring the
sauce. It was mindlessly peaceful and she was enjoying it.

The doorbell rang, disturbing the witch's peace. "This better not be
Xander." Willow said on her way to the door. Dr. Ellen Pierce stood in the
doorway, dressed casually in jeans and an old Star Con Denver tee shirt.
"Ellen?"

"Dr. Rosenberg, ah, Willow. I hope I am not disturbing you, but could I come
in and talk to you for a while?" Ellen almost whispered, staring at her
feet.

"Why not, but I can already tell you the answer is I DON'T KNOW." Willow
left the door open and walked off to the kitchen, mumbling, "Why couldn't it
have been Xander."

Willow returned to the stove and her stirring. She liked stirring, it was
peaceful, and it helped drown out that internal scream that was saying AH!

Ellen followed Willow to the kitchen, then moved to stand next to Willow at
the stove. Ellen watched Willow stir the sauce for a while silently. The
silence was wearing at her nerves. Dr. Pierce had never been good with
silence.

"So who is Xander? Wait, don't answer that. Actually, I came here to say I'm
sorry. I just can't help myself sometimes; I ask questions about everything.
I don't mean to be nosey. I just, *I am sorry."

"Willow turned her face to look at the woman. More of a girl really. Ellen
was sincere. Even when she was driving Willow crazy with questions there had
never been any malice in them, just curiosity. Looking at her face Willow
just melted.

"It's ok, I am just not ready for questions. I really don't know the answers
yet."

"Willow, before, at work, I thought we were kind of becoming friends. I
don't have many friends, and well I was hoping we could maybe still be
friends. I will try to not ask so many questions."

"Ellen, I need all the friends I can get. Would you like to stay for dinner?
I made enough for an army. Well, Buffy eats enough for an army sometimes,
but there's plenty."

"Really?"

Willow and Ellen talked about work and research projects. Ellen was a
competent Chemist and had been analyzing spell ingredients and comparing
them with modern medicine.

Buffy came home during their talk, and kissed Willow before heading for the
shower. She had taken out a large nest and was covered in dust.

When she finished she changed into street clothes and returned to the
kitchen for dinner.

"Buffy, do you remember Ellen Pierce from work?"

"One of the bullies and spies."

"More of a spy than a bully, I ask to many questions." Ellen said, smiling
from ear to ear.
"Ellen, wait, Ellen, Ellen, from last night Ellen?" Buffy asked confused.

"Maybe, let's just eat now." Willow whispered.

The night before Willow was still agitated about returning to the office. So
Buffy invented her own form of therapy for the witch. Buffy gave Willow the
thick red paddle, then bent over the couch. She had Willow hit her while
counting from 100 backwards. Before every strike of the paddle Willow had to
name something that was frustrating her at work. Ellen had been one of the
names most mentioned. By the time Willow reached 30, Buffy knew this
whipping wouldn't fade in an hour or two. Willow had become frustrated by
work, Martha, Ellen's constant questions, her non human status, and Buffy
was helping her work through it. When Willow reached zero she was closer to
her old self. Buffy had made love to her on the couch after their therapy
session. Tender, slow love, then she had gone on patrol.

When Buffy returned, Willow was in a restless sleep. Buffy had woken her up
and they had done a second therapy session in the dark. Buffy had insisted
it be in the dark. She had not wanted Willow to see the bruises had not
faded from their earlier session. Willow was becoming stronger everyday.
Buffy had noticed this, but had not said anything about it. Even her magic
was stronger. Since the crazy spell that unleashed their inner demons,
Willow had been growing stronger.

Buffy had been tortured too many times in her life to count. The Slayer had
been hit thousands of times by strong demons and vampires. So the Slayer
could gauge a punch. Willow was still in the human range of strong, but she
was not in the 'I am a little woman' range of strong. At times when Willow
had spanked her over the Frank's grave, she had actually lifted the Slayer
off the ground with her swings. It normally took a large or very strong man
to do that to the Slayer. It was one of the reasons Buffy liked Willow
taking her in the cemetery over the past few weeks.

And Buffy did love it when they played. Even now, as Buffy remembered the
hard spanks she had taken with Ellen's name on them, her sore bottom tingled
and Buffy longed for Willow to stroke it with her hand or paddle. Buffy had
become addicted to being spanked. She could not make it an hour without
thinking about Willow. It made her slaying go faster. Well, slaying always
made her horny, so directing it to finishing up to make love to Willow just
gave her a reason to fight harder, longer and stronger.

After the shaky start dinner had gone well. Ellen was a very lonely person
and really just wanted friends. Buffy had started liking her in spite of, or
maybe because of her sore bottom. After Ellen left, Buffy said, " We have
got to introduce her to Kir."

"Buffy, I think she is straight."

"So? She is lonely and likes Dr. Who. Sound like anyone we know?"

"Kir, I guess they could do the cons together."

"Yeah, Kir loves the whole not having to wear a costume thing, Ellen would
go crazy with her." Willow and Buffy were laughing and holding hands. They
did that a lot.

"So, do you want to play Dr. Freud on the couch? I'll get the paddle."

"You are really weird, you know that, right?" Willow said, trying to look
stern but failing.

"I am getting the paddle."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Friday night and they both had headaches. Just getting tickets and boarding
passes for the airplane had been trying. They both were thinking the same
thing. Will this trip to Santa Fe be worth it or were the files nothing but
a lie. Willow do have a fear of her own. What do you say to a biological
parent who may not know you exist..

Then there had been the two CIA agents at the airport. Willow recognized
them immediately. Buffy had handled them beautifully. She had grabbed
Willow and walked right up to the two men. Willow had to force herself not
to laugh as the two men tried to hide. Then Buffy said, "Hey, you work with
my wife, right?"

They both continued to fidget and stare at the ceiling. "So what is the CIA
doing hanging at the airport? Anything you need some help with? Somebody you
want me or my wife to slam into the wall, or whatever? Yeah, Wills here is a
really powerful witch. She can pick a bad guy off the ground and throw him
into a wall from across the room. But mostly she leaves killing the bad guys
to me. Yeah, I can put a stake through a bad guy's heart from 50 feet away.
Always keep a stake on me, so you need any help?"

The speech had been funny, but its message was clear. The sunglasses and
trench coat wearing men were in over their heads. If the Slayer or witch
wanted to kill them, even from across the tarmac, the two men would be dead.
Even without Buffy's keen slayer hearing, Willow heard the order for the two
men to retreat, over their headsets on the back of their glasses.

The Slayer and witch with headaches had put away their carry on luggage and
taken their seats. Once the plane was in the air, Buffy realized something
she had not thought about. All week she had played Dr. Freud over the couch
with Willow to relieve the witch's tension. Every single day of the week
Willow had given her at least 100 strokes across her bottom. On Tuesday
night she had had two sessions, so the Slayer had received 200 spanks across
her ass. Even tonight before they left the house they had played the game.
The Slayer had loved every minute of it, and the sex after the sessions was
fantastic. Only now she was going to have to sit for two hours in an
airplane seat, buckled to the chair with a bruised and reddened butt, next
to the woman she loved. Her bottom still stung from earlier that night, and
the pressure from take off had sent her mind right to her ass. The Slayer
looked at Willow and grew wet.

After twenty minutes in the sky, Buffy was sure the wet spot was showing
through her skirt. She was so very wet, her bottom ached, and all she wanted
was to place her face between Willow's legs. She couldn't stop thinking
about it. So the sex-crazed Slayer unbuckled her seat belt, and grabbed one
of their carry on bags. She bent down, unbuckled Willow and practically
carried her up the aisle. Thankfully, they were in the back, and the late
night flight was not that crowded.

Buffy shoved Willow into one of the bathrooms, followed her in, and snapped
the occupied sign. She then picked Willow up and pushed her back on the
counter. The Slayer was fast and she used her speed. She had the redhead's
dress pushed up and her panties moved to the side, in seconds. The first
thing Willow realized before she could protest was that the Slayer was
sucking her clit hard. The sheer brutality with which her lover had dragged
her up the aisle had started wetness to flow between the witch's legs. Buffy
was shoving three fingers into her, ripping the crotch out of her panties to
make room for her hands. Willow simply moved her hips up and her legs apart
in the small room. Buffy was rough, not even kissing her, just pumping into
her as she tortured her clit. Sucking and licking the tender piece of flesh.
Buffy somehow managed to force all of her small hand into the redhead,
pumping her hard, almost to the point were it hurt.

Willow felt alive, on fire, the absolute power in the Slayer was turning
her on. She began to have small orgasm, but she didn't want Buffy to stop,
so the witch was holding back. It took all her will but she held back the
orgasm. Riding the power of Buffy's trust. The force of her clit being
sucked by the Slayer.

Then Willow knew she couldn't hold back and she somehow managed to loosen
the Slayer's lips from her tender flesh. The witch pulled the Slayer to her,
tasting herself on the blonde's lips. Buffy still had her whole hand
slamming in and out of the witch. Willow pulled Buffy tightly to her and
came, moaning into the Slayer. Shaking the whole of her body as the Slayer
held her firmly. Somewhere in the shaking Willow realized Buffy too was
shaking and had joined her on the dive into bliss.

They clung together, holding each other for what seemed like a lifetime. The
plane hit a pocket of turbulence that only made them cling tighter. Then
Buffy carefully pulled her hand out of Willow, smiling as the witch moaned.

"Ok, that was fun, but what brought on the CaveSlayer attack? Not that I
minded."

"Yeah, I could see that was you not minding. "

"So what brought this on?"

"Couldn't sit still." Buffy smiled.

Willow thought about it and was still puzzled. "Need more input?"

"A little to much therapy, which led to remembering said therapy when
buckled to seat, which in turn led to horny Slayer." Buffy said, blushing.

"Sorry" Willow said, a little ashamed.

"I said it made me horny, Willow, horny is not a sorry thing."

"Oh"

"Oh is right."

"Still horny?" Willow asked with a devilish grin. Pam was right. They really
didn't think about anything else anymore.

"Let me see, I guess we could return to our seats and eat bad airline food.
I would be sitting on my bottom, and well, God yes Willow, I am horny."
Buffy couldn't even finish her thought the wetness between her legs taking
over her mind.

"Trade places with me, then."

"Ok, but first let's get something out of the bag."

"Like what?" Willow said, wondering what Buffy had brought on the trip.

Buffy pulled out her favorite belt and a butt plug.

"You have become addicted to those plugs." Willow was really worried. Buffy
really was becoming addicted. She begged Willow to use them all the time.

"Yes, well, it's better than drugs." Buffy said, as she wiggled out of her
underwear. "Please put it in."

"I will have to wet it first." Buffy grabbed Willow's hand and pushed it
under her skirt, and between her legs. The Slayer was beyond drenched.
Willow could now see the wet stains on her dark skirt. Buffy was clearly
aroused. "The problems one is forced to solve in life." Willow thought.

Buffy was already rubbing both Willow's hand and the plug through her
wetness. Willow turned the Slayer around facing the mirror. The fit was
tight in the bathroom. Moving the skirt out of the way, Willow roughly
shoved the plug into the Slayer. Buffy moaned and Willow guessed she also
came. Willow then picked up the belt, hoping the fan would drown out the
noise it made.

"How many?" Willow asked as she snapped the belt across the slayer's bottom.

"I would say forever, or at least a hundred, but you better make it 20"

Willow gave her twenty-five. The Slayer moaned and twitched in ecstasy.
Every time Willow hit the plug the Slayer's moans were deepened. Buffy
really enjoyed this kind of abuse.

After the spanking Willow turned Buffy around, pushing back her skirt and
forcing her to sit on her bottom, on the plug. Willow snapped the belt
against the Slayer's clit before putting it away. Buffy bit her lip to
avoid crying out in pleasure. Willow stood between the Slayer's legs and
kissed her hard, invading her mouth with her tongue. The kiss was hard and
meant to conquer. She kept the kiss up while resting her hand against the
Slayer's sex. Feeling the wetness in her damp curls. When she was sure the
Slayer was only thinking of the kiss, Willow inserted first two fingers then
a third. Pumping, she shoved in her whole hand.

It had worked; the Slayer was caught off guard. So off guard, her body was
racked in orgasm. Willow loved the feel of Buffy contracting around her
fist. Willow didn't stop, though. She pumped the Slayer hard, swallowing her
moans of joy as she came. Willow brought the Slayer to two more earthshaking
events. When she pulled out the Slayer was crying. Not tears of sorrow or
pain but tears of pure joy. Soon after this the stewardess asked them to
return to their seats.

Willow blushed when she heard the two stewardesses talking to each other.

"Dykes, can't they do that at home?"

"Gloria, you're just jealous."

"Maybe."

Willow had left the plug in Buffy. Not that she could have gotten the Slayer
to take it out. They buckled up and rode the rest of the trip in silence
with great big smiles on their faces.

When the plane bounced on landing, Willow noticed Buffy's eyes roll back a
little and her body shake. Their hotel room could not be close enough.
Willow still had a lot of work to do with Buffy, and the thought made her
very happy.

---------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 17
Landing Lights On

Breakfast was actually very pleasant in Santa Fe. It was a lovely city with
lost of pink adobe houses and bright sunshine. Light was the on word that
described Santa Fe. They had been walking across the street to a small café.
They were only a block from the palace. Everything in the city had a feel of
warmth. It was a feel of goodness. For two people who lived their life on
the hellmouth and fought evil most of their young lives the feel of the town
was over whelming.

Since both Buffy and Willow were creatures of magic the mystical center in
the town flowed through them like a flood through their soul. They were
giddy and drunk with the power of the magic surrounding them.
Santa Fe stood on the sight of a heaven's gate. It was the exact opposite of
a hellmouth. The Indians of the area had lived and guarded it for centuries,
before Coronado conquered and destroyed the southwest looking for Eldrodo.
The conquestor had been fools. They were looking for gold and walked right
through the golden city of light. The power Santa Fe had was far more
valuable then gold.

The lovers had felt the power right away when they landed. Renting a car
Willow almost fainted from the power she was absorbing. They both forgot
about the plans to finish the games they started in the plane's bathroom. It
was simply to strong for them.

When they checked in to their room they curled up against each other and let
the power roll over them. They were wordless but happy. It was the most
peaceful night of sleep either had since they discovered vampires were real.

Breakfast too was silent. Though Willow did giggle a little when Buffy sat
down and remembered she still wore the plug from last night. It was so very
peaceful. After breakfast they both walked around the city, looking at the
churches and the people laying out blankets with jewelry to sell. After that
they walked back to their room. Willow waited out side while Buffy removed
her toy.

Then they pulled out the map and headed off to find Willow's only living
relative, if the records were to be believed. Catherine Putnam lived in the
desert in a small house. She owned one of the many new age book and crystal
stores in town. If Willows information was right she would be opening her
store at 10 AM. The lovers planned to be her first customer of the day.

They arrived 10 minutes to ten. Both the slayer and the witch could feel
people inside of the store. It took all Buffy's will not to rip the door
open. Willow too was struggling not to use her magic to open the door.
At 10:15 a girl about 20 opened the door and let the women in. Buffy was
struck by the girl's eyes. They were the piercing green of Willows.

After making it inside they just stood there not knowing what to do. Then
they began to wonder around the store not really knowing what to do or look
at. Most of the store had little to do with magic and a lot to do with new
age hype. Both Willow and Buffy knew too much about real magic not to know
the difference.

"Is there something in particular you are looking for". The green eyed 20
year old asked.

Buffy who was never good at under cover or patience stated "Yes, we really
would like to speak to the owner."

"She's not here now. But I can help you." The girl said fear in her eyes
"Is she at home now." Willow asked anxiously

"Ah no she is away for the weekend."

Buffy knew when she was being lied to, " Stop lying, we are not going to
hurt her we just want to talk to her." Buffy was swelling with the power of
the heaven's gate. The magic was filling her as her anger and tension grew.

"Look what ever you are just leave." The girl drew out a cross holding it up
to protect her.

"Leah put the cross down, it will not protect you from these women. This one
draws her power from the light. I have never seen such anger, ....or power.
You are one of the warriors of light?" The older women stepped out of no
where, to stand behind Buffy and Willow.

" I am not sure what you mean?" Buffy said feeling the power from the woman,
letting it wash over her, calming her. Easing the wash of power from the
heaven's gate.

"I would guess from your size, sex and relative age you are the slayer?
Though you must be one of the older slayers. Not many make it to there late
20's." It was more of a statement then a question.

"What are you doing to us?" Willow asked letting her witch self-follow the
flow of magic.

"Ah little one, you are also a warrior of light, though unlike your friend
you choose this path. Or did you. You are strong little one, fire. But you
have been practicing the craft to close to the dark side. You both have been
touched by the dark side, though you are stronger for it."

"And that still doesn't answer my question!" Willow asked.

"Do you think what I am doing is harming you?"

"No" Willow said pouting. She knew the woman wasn't harming them she just
wanted to know what she was doing. Visions of Ellen dance in her head for a
minute.

The women laughed. "Curiosity is neither evil or good little one. It just
is. I am washing some of the magic of the land out of your systems. It has
overwhelmed you both. Your bodies have spent so much time in the darkness
fighting it, when brought to a place of light your bodies were overwhelmed.
It is like taking in too much oxygen. I have just helped you slow down you
intake of the land. Are you not feeling less light headed?"

"Yes, now who the hell are you." Buffy said impatiently. She had the
wiggins. Plus she had liked the light-headedness.

"You two are too much, she is helping you and you still come off as, thugs
ready to beat us up." Leah said.

"Leah, she is the slayer, it is her nature, what allows her to survive, you
would not find fault with the wolf for eating the rabbit. Leah, study them,
see there light, they are frightened, and are seeking wholeness. They are
hungry like the wolf."

"So mom, we are the rabbit and should just roll over and let them eat us? Or
worse, do you think we should break into 1980's song flashbacks?"

"No we should ask them into the back room for tea and then find out why they
are here."

In a few minutes they were in the back drinking green tea, and staring at
each other.

"Are you Catherine Putnam?" Willow asked

"Yes, and this is my daughter Leah."

Both Buffy and Willow just stared at Leah and her green eyes, so like
Willows.

"What is with you two" Leah said as they stared at her.

"It would be nice to know your names." Catherine said before taking a drink
of tea.

"Sorry" Willow said bowing her head. "I am Dr. Willow Rosenburg and this is
Buffy Summers." Willow wondered why she used her doctor title, but she knew
this woman was somehow related to her and she wanted to impress her.

"A doctor, of what may I ask." Catherine already had guessed why the women
were there. The red heads eyes were not only those of her daughter Leah but
of her mother Rachel. The blond was a mystery. She could have been one of
her nine missing children. She had been told one of them was a slayer. But
this girl's light was too bright, even for a slayer, she was not a produce
of a lab and cruel men playing god. No, there was no demon trace in this
one. Catherine reached into the blond farther. Her light could be addicting
but it was a light she had felt before. Then it hit her. This girl may have
been a slayer but she could not have been more then a generation or two away
from an angel. Her light was that of the angels. Well if demons made plans
for humanity over centuries so must the angels.

"Pathology"

"Interesting, Where do you work?"

"I ah, " Willow always had a hard time when people asked her this. She was
already digging into her pockets to find her ID's. "I work for the CIA"
Willow finally said embarrassed dropping both her FBI and CIA badge on the
table.

Leah picked them up and just laughed. Willow wasn't sure if she believed her
or not but it was definitely amusing her. Willow was struck by how
Faith-like her laugh was, her mouth as she smiled. Leah handed the badges
over to mother.

Catherine looked at them and smiled, then she asked, "I take it you do not
like working for the CIA?"

"I do sometimes, many of the projects help people and stuff, it just, Oh I
didn't have much of a choice, It was kind of work for us or go to jail."
Willow babbled.

"I see" Catherine said as the visions of Willows arrest, her work at the
CIA. The girl did like much of her work and she did work on the side of
light. But the images of the future were the real concern. Catherine closed
her eyes and let the images rush through her. She could see the love the two
women had for each other. Love was a key to the future. Much must be done.

"You and Buffy are lovers correct. You have gotten married." Catherine asked

Willow took Buffy's hand and held it before answering, "Yes, I love Her. I
pretty sure she loves me." Love poured from the slayer and witch as they
looked in the others eyes.

"Yes that is easily seen, but Willow you need to let her bottom heal for a
few days before you spank her again even though she loves for you to abuse
her this way. Your power is growing, You are far stronger now then you have
ever been. If she wasn't a slayer you might have hurt her. And she loves the
feel of the leather so much she would never tell you to stop. The pain you
give her takes the darkness away with it as it fades. So much darkness, so
much blame. She will always need you do discipline her. To take the blame,
self-hatred, and more importantly the anger away. You two are a very good
match. Still, now is a dangerous time for you. Your friend .....Doyle....his
visions are right. You are playing a game. Even finding me was part of the
game. Pawn takes knight. It is a dangerous game little one. The spell was
not an accident. But its purpose was not what you have assumed. It made you
face your own dark demons. The caster knew it would bring you together.
Teach you the act of master and servant. The name Donna Reed keeps popping
up, but I don't think it's important. They knew you would both be lost in
your demon and your adjustment to the lifestyle the spell forced you to
confront. You both would have reached this point in time with your
relationship just not all at once. But the changes were a distraction. The
search for me is a distraction as well. You are becoming little one. Where
your sister failed and chose the dark side before returning to the light,
you walked in the shadows always on the side of light. And Now you are
becoming. It is a dangerous time for you are and your sister. You need her
help, she can take you where your lover can't. You must complete the
circle." Catherine grew weak and she fell deep asleep.

Buffy carried the woman to a near by couch covering her with a blanket.

"So you guys are really into the whole S & M thing. I guess you really are
CIA." Was all Leah said.

They waited around the store for Catherine to wake too afraid to talk to
each other. Willow did managed to write most of what she remembered down.
Buffy left and picked up food for all of them. The store was mildly busy and
Willow found herself studying the entire store. Buffy just kept leaving and
coming back. The Slayer never was good at waiting, age had not improved
that.

"Your girlfriend is really wired." Leah said

"She doesn't like waiting." Willow answered

"What exactly is a slayer? Mom takes about them all the time. Mostly in her
sleep. She is always taking about this crazy daughter of hers" Leah didn't
get to finish

"Faith" Catherine said. "Is she still alive. She walked in the dream world
for such a long time."

"Yes, alive and kicking. She was in a coma for a long time."

"Was your wife the one who put her there. She spoke with me often in the
dream world. Succubuses are almost as good at dreamwalking as dreamwalkers
or slayers. It's how they first take the hearts of men."

"Does she know who you are to her." Willow wondered why she asked the
question. But she had the blood of a dreamwalker. She had walked in Buffy's
dreams, in the shadows of her dreams. Had she too spoken with her mother.
More and more Willow was beginning to see this woman as her mother.

"Some little one. More when you were a child than now. You have questions?
Ask them."

"Who am I. Why? Are you my mother? Well, one of them? Faith's too? What do
they want, why did they do this. How does it go back to Auswitz and the
Nameless place " Willow babbled out.

"Buffy is about to return and I wish Leah to hear this as well so why don't
we return to the backroom after we close the store."

Once again they were gathered around a table with glasses of tea.

"If you are here then they have lead you to the achieve. I can see parts of
the future. The Putnam witches were gifted this way. Leaving me alive and
the note in the achieves was a test. A chess move. It was not an accident
you found the achieve. It was the same with finding me. In time both you and
Faith would have seen me in your dreams. You would have crossed the
dreamworld and found me. So I am part of the test.
I do not know who or why. That part of my visions is always left blank. But
the chessboard always has white pieces and dark pieces. Like the warriors of
light and dark. Demons and Angels. "
"Fine but what does it have to do with Willow" Buffy asked. She felt the
walls closing in like she did in the museum the first time. The images were
overwhelming.

"Patience warrior, it is a long story. The achieve you read starts with the
Nazi. My story is much older. The bible talks of a great war in heaven. A
group of Angels trying to take over heaven and being cast out of heaven.
What you may not know is they were cast out to the earth, where they became
demons and beget demon, many think that was the age of dinosaurs. At
anyrate, the time came for mortals to live on earth and the demons were sent
to demon realms. Before the last of the demons left earth it mixed it's
blood with a humans making Vampires etc. So to counter the demon blood in
humans Angels were sent to earth and mixed some of their blood with humans,
making slayers, all the warriors of light. So then the demons, decided the
wanted to keep their reign on earth and with the help of their children they
opened dimensional gates to their realm. Do you know what a Hellmouth is?"

"Yes" Buffy and Willow said together.

"It is one kind of doorway. Here in Santa Fe, we have a Heavens Gate. Same
as a Hellmouth only it opens the other direction. In to the land of light,
not really heaven but a place under it's control. Over the centuries these
doorways have opened and closed. Demons have ascended only to be destroyed,
Angels have fallen. The balance is kept. There are even Oracles, beings here
to keep the balance of power. The Yin and the Yang. They are playing this
game of chess between the light and the dark, each side deterred to win.
Only the beings who are playing this game, think in Millennia, not years.
They plot and plan in terms of centuries.

Now comes the fun part of the story. Somewhere along the way they were given
rules for the game. One of the rules is there can be only one slayer at a
time.

"Since there is only one slayer at a time one of the darkside chess players,
came up with and idea to rid the world of the slayer. It was called the
Spanish Inquisition. The Inquisition targeted people with money and power.
They taught people to fear magic. Anything they wanted could be called
magic. Instead of having demons run this little war they used humans. Plan
old evil humans. The money was the key element. The church wanted the land,
power and money of the people the Inquisition claimed. Magic had little to
do with it. The knight's templar was one of the first groups to fall. They
were a group that opened trade routes to the Holy Land. They ended the
crusades by trade agreement. These agreements opened the silk road into
Europe and made the knights very wealthy. The knights used their money for
knowledge. They were the watcher's counselors of there time. They were
warriors of light. They were one of the main targets of the Inquisition,
women were the other. Women were always fun to play with, and the
Inquisition gave evil men the right to torture and rape any women they
wanted. Slayers were women. Strong women. They often were the first offered
to the Inquision. The evil done by men in the name of the church was
.......I don't have words. "

"The bastards got off of torturing little girls, 3 and 4 years old. They
burned 3 year olds at the stake for being witches. They got few real witches
during the Inquision. Lots of slayers but few witches. Then the powers that
be stepped in and set things back in balance. They did this by creating a
second slayer. They used a fallen angel and made a second slayer. A new line
of slayers. They broke their own rules. They broke this rule a few more
times. It helped strengthen the angel blood in slayers lines. They did it
only to restore the balance.

Now lets move to the future. The Knight Templar hid and became the
FreeMasons who in turn became the English Watchers Counsel. The dark and
light continue playing chess. The dark side makes a move again uses humans
to do its dirty work. Its move was Nazi Germany. But instead of killing the
slayer they capture her. Cut off her arms. They also capture and imprison
anyone who could become warriors of the light. Gypsies, witches, anymore
with power in the game, even priest and rabbis' . This time they are going
to keep them alive but powerless. As long as they are alive the Powers that
Be can't restore the order. They can't cheat and have two slayers. Balance
is a lot trickier then that.

Since they are in prison and the Nazi's are doing experiments. They decide
to try and make a slayer. The dark side had left most of these things to
humans so they were not aware of these experiments. Did not understand what
they all meant. Since much of what makes a slayer in divine intervention
there experiments were just cruel. Still they did manage to do some cross
breeding. The only people we need to worry about in this story are 4 people.
The first a slayer, Ellen Jameson, British born. Pissed off her watcher and
woke up in Auswitz with her arms cut off. The next was a gypsy named Rachel.
Rachel was my mother's name and my grandmothers. The next a simple soldier.
Really more of a boy. An SS officer, guard at the prison. Alexander
Heilburg. Last in the story was scientist name Hielg, a geneticist that
started at Liputen House. Ellen was impregnated with good German blood
sliced and diced by Hielg. So was Rachel. Rachel had daughters and Ellen had
Sons. Rachel and Ellen both were young when they had their gene sliced kids.
Then the war ended. Ellen, her sons and Rachel's daughters were taken to
America. Only Alexander fell in love with Rachel, and they were married.
Rachel was allowed to see Ellen and her children for a few years before the
hypnotist erased that memory. They raised a family and lived the American
dream. Ellen was not so lucky. They sliced and diced her trying to make a
slayer. They bread Rachel's daughters to Ellen's son. The oldest of this
union was named Rachel. She is sometimes called subject 5, Just as her
mother was called subject 4. "
"Rachel was my mother. She was bread to James Putnam. The Putnam's had been
part of seemlier experiments in America. They got me. Now they had 3
generations of gene sliced and diced people, in a time of medical expansion.
They could actually clone sheep. Had instruments to see DNA. It was not
guess work anymore. So when I was a girl they took eggs from me. Nine eggs.
And they sliced and diced 8 other creatures, some human some not human and
they made 9 babies. Four they destroyed when in the first 3 years. Too demon
like. One died in a car accident. Two more hand had growth spurts that drew
attention and were destroyed to keep the project secret. Then there were two
left. One of you did become a slayer, fulfilling a prophecy in the codex.
I think it goes, There will come a time of great need when one shall die,
but not die, yet calling the next. Cycle with two complete, then one by
science hand shall be called. Her lack of love will destroy. She will walk
the path of evil all for love. The immortal one will take her down and she
will roam the dreamland for years. Still seeking love."
You are my other daughter, the one with the scientist genes. I see the elf
and imp as well. You blood screams fairy people. The egg you came from was
mine little one. I have longed to meet you for a while.

"Little one, I am a distraction, They would have you stay here and learn
from me and I hope a time for that will come. But the game is being played.
Even now my other child is in danger. They see her as the key to making
slayers, to building an army of light. Since she was once evil they believe
she has forfeited her rights. There is another in danger. A Grandson of
Rachel's that has married a witch. His blood also holds secrets. They are
fighting for the light. They are pieces of the dark side. Knight takes rook.
You must waste no more time with me. You must return and come full circle."

It made sense but didn't. Catherine gave Willow her number but asked her not
to call until the circle was complete. Willow could not get Xander and Faith
on the phone. They caught the next fight out of Santa Fe.

After the two had left Leah turned to her mom and asked,"Ok mom, they are
gone explain."

"It is simple, did you not see your own eyes staring back at you. She is
your sister. I have always told you one of them if not both would come to
meet you."

"Ok, so she is my sister and she is into kink. What the hell was the rest of
it about?"

"A war, one you two will have to fight. Choose your side carefully, my
daughter."

"Do you always speak in riddles mom." Leah said flopping down on the couch.

"Always, my child." Catherine laughed. "Leah, Willow is the one they have
been waiting for, she and the slayer. It has nothing to do with science and
everything to do with love, magic, and righteousness. Science may have put
the pieces together but her coming has been foreseen for generations. Since
the time of Adam and Eve. She is the one who will make the choice. She will
make the right choice I am sure."
Leah just through her arms into the air. She would never understand her
mother.

---------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 18
Interrupted

Willow and Buffy made the next flight out of Santa Fe to LA X. They were
both wordless even when one of the stewardess from there fight to Santa Fe
made a comment to another stewardess loud enough for most of the back of the
plane to hear.

"Red head and Blond were in the bathroom for almost the whole flight
yesterday making enough noise that I think first class heard them."

About 30 minutes before they were scheduled to land the plane was surrounded
by white light and everything on board just froze in place. Buffy Jumped out
of her seat into the empty one in front of her. Willow also jumped out of
her seat and checked the man in the seat across from her. Everyone was
frozen in place. Buffy had made it to the cockpit to find the pilots frozen
and the airplane surrounded by light.

Willow had been working her way forward checking the other passengers
wishing she had brought her medical kit on the trip. The two lovers met in
first class still checking on the people on board when they heard the door
opening.

A man with green like vines and gold skin stood in the door "Come with me
ladies"

It was a command neither wanted to do but the pull of magic made them just
give in and follow the man. They walked out of the door and stood in a white
room. A woman who looked much like the man sat at a white table. The man had
already moved to sit beside the women.

"Please ladies take a seat." The woman said

The slayer and witch looked at each other and then moved to sit at the table
as well.

"Really into the white, ever thought about adding some blue throw pillows."
Buffy said

"The room suits our purpose as it is slayer." The woman said in a kind
voice.

"Who the hell are you!" Buffy said almost flipping the table over.

"Who we are is unimportant." The man said

"What we are is the issue." The women said finishing the man's sentence.

"What are you." Willow asked

"We our the oracles." They said in unison.

"What's an oracle?" Buffy asked Willow

"We our many things" the man began

"But you may want to think of us as chess players."
The young married couple sat up straight waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"I see we have your attention." The man said.

"But are you ready to listen?" the woman asked.

The group was silent for a long moment then Willow said "Yes"

"And you slayer, are you ready to listen." The man asked

"Yes, but could just one of you talk, the whole finishing each others
sentences thing is wigging me out." The slayer said.

Again there was silence.

"We took advantage of a loop-hole of our game rules. We were not allowed to
contact you on earth, but since you are not physically on the earth we could
bring you here to learn your part in the game."

Buffy started to make a remark but Willow but her hand on the slayer's knee
letting her know now was the time to listen.

"We brought you here to fill in the blanks that Catherine Putnam could not
tell you. Few mortals are granted even a glimpse at the eternal plane of
life. "

"What Catherine told you for the most part was factual but limited to such a
small period of time. You will need to look at the patterns of history
eternal. The secret lies there. You will have to discover much of this for
your self Willow Rosenburg."

"You know that demons once inhabited the earth. History would call it the
age of dinosaurs. When their cycle was finished they were sent to other
dimensions. They were changed and weakened before the demon dimensions was
created for them to live in. "

"Why they were moved is complicated. There was a war in heaven. The bible
speaks of it. Lucifer being cast out of heaven and falling to the earth. It
happen just in a far more complex manner."

"When the demons became too strong on earth there was a second war and the
demons were sent to other dimensions. To hell if you believe mythology. "

"Man was created while the demons where changed, evolved if you will and
then sent to away. Some of the demons mixed their blood with man and created
earth bound demons like vampires."

"And as the earth bound demons were created the warriors of light were
created. The chess game in Doyle's vision. The demons different types of
demons being the black pieces and the warriors being the light pieces."

"And the higher powers also made rules for the game. Rules like only one
slayer in the game at a time. Since the game is played in cycles across
eternity there are loop holes and sub routine rules, which allowed you,
Faith and the new slayer called today to be in the game. Just as loop holes
aloud us to bring you here now."

Both Willow and Buffy wanted to ask question but the magic that flew around
them screamed "just listen"

"Oh there are so many rules to the game it would take two complete life
times of listening to learn all rules and you do not have time to learn them
now Willow Rosenburg."

"Have you ever looked at the number twelve? It is a very mystic number.
Twelve major gods on mount Olympus. Twelve apostles to Christ. Twelve tribes
of Israel. I could go on for a very long time on the number twelve. "

"But for now we will look at the twelve warriors of light. You are both
warriors of light and should be very proud to be counted among them. At any
given time there must be twelve warriors of light on the earth. Even now
with you here there are still twelve warriors of light. There can be any
number of warriors of light but there can never be less then twelve."

"Each of the twelve has a role to play. The roles can be mixed up, a slayer
can also be a healer, or witch. The roles are more often mixed with many
skills but there are always one of the twelve skills present in each
warriors. "

"The first you already know is the slayer. She is the executioner, the
assassin. She is the chosen one who can move among the people as an unknown.
She has strength and stealth. She is the slayer. " The man then laid
something like a tarot card in front of the couple. It had a picture of a
women in armor, like a painting of Joan of Arc. Only it had Buffy's face and
the words in English at the bottom, Slayer.

"Second is the historian. The priest. The chronicler. The peacekeeper.
Sometimes even the politician. His or Her job is to keep record of the
fight, to find answers to aid the other warriors. Sometimes he is the
general behind the troops others he is Librarian of knowledge. He is the
Historian. " The woman laid a card next the slayer card, again in Tarot
style. The card centered around a monk with stacks of books around him. He
was writing with a quill pen. And he wore the face of Giles. The Girls looks
at each but remained silent.

"Third is the Sorceress. Child of Endora. The mage. The magician. The Witch.
He or She aids the fight with magic. She is the Sorcerer." Again another
card was laid next to the others. It was Amy dressed in all white in a lab
looking more like a chemist then a witch.

"Forth is the Sinner. One who has known evil and seeks redemption. The
sinner knows the working of evil and has become a fears fighter. In this
cycle it is Angelus who performs this role. He is the Sinner."
This time the card was laid above the slayer card. It was Angel dress in
turn of the century clothes, his clothes were torn and he was holding a rat
to his face."

"Fifth is Healer. The Saint. The innocent force of good. She or He saves
lives, cares for those who can not protect themselves. The Healer is seldom
a warrior in the strictest sense rather an innocent who reminds the others
why they are fighting. She is the innocent the warriors need. She is the
Healer." This card was laid below the slayer, who expected to see Willow's
face on. Instead she saw a blond in a lab coat standing in a modern lab. The
face was to blurry to see.

"Sixth is the Jester. The Fool. One blessed with luck. Shakespeare had such
respect for the fool with good reason. The jester makes the others laugh
often-ending feuds with humor. The fool also shows the others what courage
is about. His fear is visible before the battle yet he stills fights the
good fight. He is the heart of the warriors. He is the Jester." The card was
next to the slayer card. It was Xander tripping over on o his sons toys.
Willow squeaked Buffy's hand as the both smiled.

"Seventh is the Warrior. The army. He must learn his skill and practice long
and hard to fight in the battle. He is the power of the warriors, he is the
might. He is the warrior." The card was placed next to angel. It was a
picture of Riley Finn in his commando uniform.

"Eight is the Twilight Warrior. She is just like the warrior only she is not
human but one of the twilight races. Elf, Fairy, Nymph or one of the other
Twilight people. She reminds the others to seek out the difference between
good and evil and not the appearance of the being. In this cycle she is your
friend Kir. She is the twilight Warrior." Kir's card was placed by Riley. It
was Kir in her non human form but dress in her police blues and carrying a
sword.

Willow smiled as she looked at top row of cards. "Buffy look all you ex's
made the top. You really have a thing for warrior's of light." The read
laughed to relieve the stress. Buffy just glared at her, just not very
convincingly.

"Ninth is the Seer. The prophet. She is the one who receives the messages
from the high powers. She is the guide to the world. Both the last seer,
Doyle and the present Cordillia are friends of yours as well. I am sorry
'for the loss of Doyle. He was a fine warrior and her will be rewarded."

"Is Doyle dead?" Willow whispered.

"Yes he died just before we came to you. The game is being played and he was
the first of the causalities."

There was silence. The oracles were washing them with images of Doyle's
death and his prize. His gift to the land of paradise. Then the images ended
and the voice to remain quiet returned.

Buffy looked down and there had been a new card added to the stack. It
looked like a high priestess tarot card only the priestess was crying at the
foot of the stairs and her face was that of the may queen.

"Tenth is the Believer. The one with faith to do the impossible. He is a
tireless warrior. He is the dreamer who can find the way through the maze of
evil to defeat it. He is the Believer. This card was of a robed person,
roaming through a dark maze. Again the person was to blurry to requires.


"Eleventh is the follower. He is blindly loyal and will go to his death with
out question when the battle calls for his sacrifice. He may be the follower
but he knows evil when he sees it. His loyalty is a precious gift and does
not come easily. Your friend Xander is often in this role when is not
filling the role of the Jester. He is the Follower. " This time the card
fell in the middle row. It was Xander dressed as a knight standing need to a
knight Buffy in the middle of battle.

"Last is the Leader, Jack of all trades master of many. The knight who can
wear his armor and fight the good fight, then return home to rule his manor
house. He is flexible. He has many skills. He is the sum of the others. A
warrior with a special skill. He is the one who can change to fit the time
and place of the cycle. The Leader is you Doctor Rosenburg. Healer, Witch,
Follower, Warrior, Lover, Innocent. "
The card was then placed beside Buffy's card. It had a young girl dress in a
miss match of clothes. Armor on one side, priest robe on the other. A
pentagram around her neck. There were books and test tubes, trees and a
sword surrounding her. The card said Jack.

"But that is not all I need to tell you." The female oracle said.

"I must tell of the cycles. The game is played over and over again. Some
times one side winning some times the other. Mostly the games end in a draw.
The games also cerate alternative worlds, alternative possibilities. You
have seen a version of yourself as a vampire. You must have guessed parallel
dimensions exist. It is all part of the game."

Then there are cycles in cycles. The Aztec's had a 5000-year calendar that
restarted the cycles. And they were very close to being right. This cycle is
almost up. The teams are pulling up loopholes to win the game. You are the
end result of desperation on the player's part. An attempt at making slayers
out of cycle. It did work to an extent. You and Faith, and the boy Xander
all are part of there game. Pieces on the board.
You will need to find out how you are playing the game on your own."

"You will also need to study the watchers council. There is much to find in
their journey from Egyptian Priest to Mages in the Ural mountains Then
moving on to the court of the Emperors of China before entering the service
of European Kings. They have also been priest and scribes to the tribes of
Israel. Gypsies Magicians, Knights in the crusades before becoming Free
Masons and then the council. They are a very old group of pieces in the
game. Sometimes players for the light other times players for the dark."

"Their history will give you other answers. Tell you about the end days for
other cycles. The Puzzle is yours to piece together Doctor. The game is now
yours to win or lose."

There was a flash of light and Buffy and Willow blinked. They were back in
the plane with everyone moving around and breathing. It was as if they never
went anywhere.

"Did you see gold and green people that made us shut up and listen to a wild
story?" Buffy asked

"Doyle is dead." Was Willow's answer.

---------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 19

Urgent Interpretation

Two weeks, it had been two whole weeks since Doyle's death. Angel seldom
left Cordelia's side; the visions started a day or two after his death.
Cordelia never seemed to stop crying. Crying for Doyle, for all the people
needing help in her visions. And then there were the messages. Every other
day Cordelia called her on the phone with a message from the powers that be.
Most of the messages went something like this: Willow, it is the time of
sunset and I believe in you, believe too."

Willow paced around her office not really getting any work done. Martha had
given her all the FBI had on Doyle's death. Kate had given her what Martha
didn't get from the LAPD. It was useless; the answer wasn't going to be on
paper or inside a book. No computer program was going to save them now.

"And damn it why did Buffy pick now to go to Norway!" the little witch
shouted at the empty room.

"Well at least now I know why you've been acting crazy all day. You've
finally scared Elaine. Well I think you scared her, she stopped asking
questions for almost twenty minutes today, that has to be a world record."
Pam said before closing the door and sitting in one of Willow's "guest"
chairs.

Willow just threw her arms up in the air before flopping down into her own
chair.

"Do you always get this bitc... ah... well like this, when Buffy goes away
for a while. It is just a while, I mean she is coming back right." A worried
Pam asked.

"Not this bad, but I don't get those warm fuzzy feelings inside either." The
pissed off Witch said.

"Well, while you are already pissed, I might as well ask... Ellen's silence
would not be caused by witchcraft of any kind?" Pam asked putting on her
best light-hearted voice but failing terribly.

Willow began mindlessly flipping through pages on her desk. "And for the
hundredth time I am only going to say, I do not use my magic for personal
gain. Me good witch, not do nasty magic on friends." Willow was too lost in
her own thoughts to even let the question bother her.

Pam was really worried that her question didn't raise a reaction out of her
friend. The dark haired doctor took the time to look around the room. On the
corner of the desk where a small stack of cards. Pam picked up the stack
noticing the back had the words, "Chosen Ones" in a dozen languages or more.
She turned the cards around. At first glance she thought they were Tarot
cards. Seconds before returning them to the desk she saw that the top card
was "Twilight Warrior"

Pam pulled the deck back and began going through them. "Willow, what kind of
tarot deck is this, Seer, Sinner, Healer, Twilight Warrior."

"They're not part of a Tarot deck. They're the Twelve Chosen Warriors of
Light."

"Oh." Pam said still looking at the twelve cards. "So what are the Twelve
Chosen Warriors of Light?"

Willow, still in 'mindless pissed off mood' began to babble the answer.
"There are always twelve people on Earth fighting against the darkness. Like
Buffy, she is the slayer. Look at the slayer card it has her face. Her face
on Joan of Arc's body. I don't think Buffy was real happy about that."

"And that is why she is in Norway?" Pam asked confused

"No she is in Oslo because there is a big bad ugly demon she has to kill, so
people can continue to use their cell phones without the nasty evil demon
eating them when they're dialing." Willow said, now mindlessly floating
pencils in and out of her top draw.

Raising her eyebrows, Pam said, "OK, So where did you get the cards, or is
it something they sell at K-marts."

Willow was now up to three pencils, said, "From a cosmic chess player."

"What?" Pam said totally confused.

Willow floated the pencils back in the draw and turned to Pam. "From the
Oracles." Her face was dead serious.

"I've read vague references to them, why?" Pam asked

"Why what?" Willow answered.

"Why did they give them to you?" Pam stated

"Wish I knew. No, they want me to gather them for the twilight time." Willow
said sadly

"Like the Twilight Warrior?" Pam asked

"No I know were Kir is, well most of the time I know were she is." Willow
stated as she began to levitate her paper clips and connect them together in
the air with her mind.

"You know the Twilight Warrior?"

"Yeah she and Buffy were once a hot item. Kir is ok. You may have met her
when I was under the influence of that sex-crazed spell. Actually Pam I know
most of the twelve and I have a few good guesses about the rest. Most of us
have been fighting evil most of our lives. Well most of them are my
friends."

"Normally I would say you have some serious issues with visions of grandeur,
but having met many of your friends..." Pam didn't complete the sentence.

Both women stayed quiet for a few minutes then Pam asked, "So this twilight
time it has something to do with the twilight warrior."

"Not the way you're thinking. The twilight time is like the end of days in
this cycle. Just think bad and multiply it. Doesn't really matter, it has
been my experience from my other end of the world experiences that unless
you are fighting the evil you don't notice anything outside the norm. Well
Earthquakes and stuff but for the most part you won't notice." Willow
babbled.

"You have been through other apocalypses before?" Pam asked startled.

"A few, we won, not much to tell." Willow had picked up the cards and was
looking at Kir's card. "It is so hard to see Kir as a warrior. First time I
met her she was about two and half feet tall, nothing but blue fuzz.
She was so afraid of humans."

Pam leaned over Willow and looked at the card. "Doesn't look fuzzy in the
picture."

"No when she started puberty the fuzz fell off. She grew really fast. She
looks human most of the time. With the glasses I gave her she can keep her
eyes human for most of the day. Honestly I have always liked Kir. Even when
Buffy was sleeping with her. She is a nice kid. Odd but nice. She works as
an undercover cop, LAPD. She still helps out Angel and Buffy at the drop of
a hat."

"So why is she the twilight warrior?" Pam asked. The curiosity was more then
she could bare.

"There are peaceful demon races. Not really demons. Kir is half elf and half
human. She lives in the gray between the human world and the demon world. It
some ancient writings it is called the twilight. Basically Kir has lived
most of her life in the gray, part of the human world and part of the demon
world but not really belonging to either. But that is not why she is the
Twilight warrior. She fights on the side of light yet belongs to the
twilight. Kir is Kir" Willow explained

"So you are gathering the people you know and you're like the general." Pam
asked

"Maybe, I am not sure." Willow asked puzzled

"Well what do the others say?" Pam asked

The question hit Willow like a ton of bricks. She had never considered just
asking them. "Stupid, I am so stupid, with Doyle's death I haven't even
talked to them about it." Willow screamed turning off her computer and
grabbing her coat. Pam just watched as Willow picked up her cards and left
the office.

Pam just continued to sit there soaking up information she didn't want to
believe and didn't understand. She had no idea how long she was lost in
thought when Martha stepped into Willow's office.

"Please tell me it isn't magic?" Martha asked

"What? I mean no, I was just thinking." Pam answered in a fuzzy haze of
thought.

"Well Elaine is talking off Herb's ear so I figured it wasn't magic. But now
looking at you I might have to rethink that statement. So where did
Rosenburg take off to?" Martha asked

"To save the world. And Martha I mean it literally. She has to save the
world and not for the first time. If I didn't see the things she is capable
of I wouldn't believe it. " Pam babbled

"It gives me brain lock too. I suppose I will have to list her on assignment
again. Come on Pam lets go get a couple of beers." Martha said pulling up
her colleague.

*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(

Several hours later Willow was nervously pacing circles around the Franks
graves. The Franks were not happy to see the little witch again; her lover
wasn't even there for entertainment value.

"Why on earth would you pick this spot for a rendezvous?" Kir asked from
almost beside the witch.

"Can you make noise when you know it's a friend or something." Willow
scalded.

"Sorry, so what's so important. And we really should move away from here.
There is some weird couple the PD keep hearing about that do... well I don't
really know what they do but it's supposed to be kinky in the extreme." Kir
said.

"Oh, I didn't think about that." Willow nervously said.

"What?" Kir asked confused by Willow's expression.

"Kate must have mentioned something and I must have forgotten." Willow lied.

"You never forget anything...You mean you forgot why you needed to see me."
Kir asked puzzled

"Sorry. Let's go to the café down the street they have good coffee and their
bagels are fresh."

"Leave it to you and Buffy to know were all the good restaurants are near
the cemeteries. "

"What can I say, marry a slayer, know all the hot spots next to graves."

"So has Buffy ever bumped into hot crazy sex couple. From what the guys at
the station told me they aren't exactly quiet. So has Buffy seen them?"

"Possibly, I don't really want to talk about it."

"Which is a good thing, do you know the visions I have had about 'that'
couple, Willow Rosenburg." Cordelia Chase said as she tapped Willow to move
over.

"Do you know how painful my visions are, and I do not appreciate having to
watch the slayer witch S & M channel visits the graveyard. So if 'that'
couple knows what's good for them they will knock it off."

"God I am stupid, graveyard, kinky sex, I'm a cop, I should have guessed, Hi
Cordy." Kir laughed while hitting her head in a jester of stupidity.

"Happy now Cordelia?" Willow asked while blushing.

"Not really, instead of getting a simple phone call from one of my oldest
friends, I have to get yet another stupid head ache to get invited. Plus I
had to ditch dead boy. Have you ever tried to ditch Angel? Hey can I get
some coffee over here." Cordelia shouted the last sentence at the waitress.

"I'll take some coffee too." Faith said to the waitress as she came around
the counter. "So what the hell was so important I had to 'be on time for
Cordy?" Faith then shoved Kir over and took a seat across from Cordelia in
the booth.

"You called Faith?" Willow asked Cordelia.

"Part of the vision. Hey she's your sister." Cordelia said as she checked
her spoon for cleanliness.

"That she is, actually I should have called you myself." Willow said to
Faith's surprise.

"Ok, we are all happy Miss 'Aggression 2010' is here, can you please tell me
why I am here and not at home doing homework." Kir asked.

"I need some advice. The Oracles gave Buffy and I these cards." Willow then
laid the cards on the table. "They want me to gather the twelve warrior of
light. Well I think that's what they want."

The waitress was standing at the table with her tray of coffee and bagels.
In the next second Faith had grabbed the waitress around the neck and was
knocking her into the booth on the other side of them. Kir and Willow were
helping to pull the people sitting at that booth out of the way while Cordy
grabbed the cards and stood out of the way. When the waitress knocked Faith
out the window Kir jumped in and threw a few punches before getting thrown
out the window as Faith was trying to come back through.

When Willow saw Faith go back down with Kir on top of her, She extended her
mind and the waitress was pinned against the wall.

"Who were you after?" Willow asked.

"Does it matter little witch, one dead warrior of light is as good as
another."

"You're hiding in there, come out." Willow ordered

The demon obeyed and crawled out of the waitress body shell. The waitress
was long since dead.

"That was a foolish move little girl. I am so much stronger in my natural
form." And the seven-foot tall green slug leaped at Willow. Only to go smack
against a hard mental barrier.

"Actually seeing you in your true form makes it easier for me to do this."
And with the blink of an eye, Willow crushed the demon like he was a
cockroach.

The sound of police cars in the distance caused the group to look around.
"You'd better let me handle this." Kir said pulling out her police badge.

"Don't forget Willow has a couple of nasty badges too, Ms FBI slash CIA
thing." Faith said.

"I'll stay too, but Faith honey, with the whole in and out of prison thing
you better go." Willow said

"You knew?" Faith asked

"Hacker thing, will talk later. Would you take Cordelia back to my house and
wait for me. And stay close to her. The dark side likes the idea of taking
out our seer." Willow asked.

"Well that's not a pretty thought. Come on slayer chick we'd better go out
the back way." Cordelia said while tugging Faith's jacket.

Once Faith was out of ear shot Kir asked "In and out of prison?"

"Yeah, she just did 6 months in Denver before she showed back up here. Bar
fight. You know her walk abouts; a lot of them were short jail stays.
Nothing big. To be honest, if I were a psychiatrist, I would say she liked
prison. And with her history it makes sense. "

"Yeah well I never did 'get' Faith. Five years in a coma. Permanent brain
damage, all because Buffy wouldn't fuck her. Man, she was a slayer. How cool
is that."

"Not as cool as you might think. I know Buffy would have given it up for a
shot at a normal live in a heartbeat many a time. Beside it was a lot more
than just a Buffy issue."

"All right everybody freeze." Came the voice of a uniform member of the
LAPD.

"It's alright office, everything is undercontrol. I am detective Dinovich
and this is Dr. Rosenburg of the FBI." Kir said holding up her badge.

"Right kid, you know impersonating a police officer is a federal offence."
Said the second patrolman.

"Do you think I will ever look my age?" Kir whispered to Willow. Then said
loudly, "Just check it out, Dinovich, Kir badge number 354672, Narcotics
division, under Captain Mitchell. Current assignment undercover opt. # 357"

"357? Is it this week Kir." Kate Langley said as she climbed in through the
broken window, gun in hand.

Kate then moved over to the uniformed officers. "So what happened here."

"Don't know yet, before we could find out your nut case friend tried to tell
us she was a cop and get this, the red head is a feebee doctor."

"Yeah don't say." Kate said with a smile. Then Kate walked over to the
corpse or rather husk of the waitress and said, "So Willow have you looked
at the body yet? From the look of her, we will probably send this to your
department. It has project Raven written all over it."

"Actually I haven't had a chance to take a look but you're right, Raven
would be the right place to send the body. Want me to call Pam or do you
want it done through channels?" Willow answered moving over to the body.

"Channels would be better. Thompson get on the horn, call the murder crime
scene desk and tell them they will need to call the FBI's occult unit out
for this case."

"You're kidding right?" The officer said.

"Thompson, Harris I would like you to meet one of the FBI's top
pathologists. Dr. Willow Rosenburg Summers. Her specialty is weird. And I'd
also like to introduce to you one of LA's finest undercover narcotics
officers, Kir Dinovich. Her youthful appraise is a big plus undercover. And
yes I am serious."

After a great deal of police protocol, Kate made it over to Willow. "So what
really happened?"

"Slug demon took over the waitresses body, killing the girl in the process.
Slug then tried to kill one of us. Faith and I fought it, got knocked around
a lot. See broken window. Willow did witch thing. Slug is now dead. See
large green smushed object." Kir explained.

"You really need to spend some time outside of high school." Kate said

"I need to call home and check on Faith and Cordelia." Willow added as she
pulled out her cell phone.

"You know were Cordelia is? Angel is going crazy, I was looking for her when
I ended up here." Kate said.

"I'll tell her to call Angel." Willow said as she started to dial.

"Don't bother." Angel said from behind the police lines. "We've got
problems" Kate waved Angel through and the patrolman guarding the line let
the vampire in.

"Angel it's almost dawn." Willow said concerned.

"Yeah I know. Cordelia called me from your house. When I got there, it was
pretty messed up, they left a note, and they have Cordelia, Faith and
Xander. At least that is what the note said. Oh, and your cats in my car."
Angel said in his quiet tone.

---------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 20

Requiem in a Minor Key

She had been through her house about a hundred times. Kir, Angel and Kate
were still in there looking for evidence and in general cleaning things up.
Not that it was worth cleaning up. The Scooch demon left most of the house
with fire damage. Not that Willow was worried about the house. Being married
to Buffy meant excepting the lose of cars, books, high schools and houses.
They could be replaced. No, what Willow was worried about were her friends.

She had called Amy and had her pack her kids off to Tara's in San Francisco.
Giles and Joyce would meet them there. Between Tara and Amy and the natural
magic of the bay area, they should be able to keep themselves safe. At least
Willow hoped that was the case.

Amy would probably turn her into a frog if she didn't bring Xander back.
Kate had used her pull to discover Xander had been taken from his car lot.
About seven of his cars were torched so it looked like the demons grabbed
him first then Cordellia and Faith. From the events in the house Faith put
up a hell of a fight. She might have won if she didn't have a seizure
disorder. Faith could only fight at full speed for a certain amount of time
before she had a seizure and from the blood around the house Faith was badly
hurt in the fight, if not burned. Scooch demons were not lightly messed
with. "And Faith is so bull headed." Willow said to her empty back yard.

Willow had gone out in the backyard to think. She was no closer to figuring
out who 'they' were. And 'they' had Xander, Cordelia, a pregnant Cordelia at
that, and her sister. Willow was surprised at the comforting effect thinking
of Faith as her sister gave her. A piece of family. She just hoped Faith
would live long enough to regret having her as a sister. "And if she thinks
she is going to drink her life away well she hasn't seen resolve face."
Willow announced to her apple tree.

"Ok, what to do, I need to do something." Willow said as she started to pace
around the yard. "Three of the warriors are prisoners. One is in Norway.
'Does it matter little witch, which of the warriors of light I kill?' That
is what it said. I wonder does it matter? Doyle was killed and Cordellia got
his power. Buffy died and Kendra was called. Then Kendra died and Faith was
called. Faith gets guttered by Buffy, does a header goes into a coma and
Mary was called. And so on. One slayer per generation. What is a generation?
How many slayers have I meet and I haven't lived a generation yet. Does it
matter?" Willow babbled as she paced.

"Dr. Rosenburg may I have a word with you?" Came the voice of her nosey next
door neighbor.

"What! I mean yes." Willow said walking over to the fence.

"Look, I know you live a different life style. And normally it is none of my
business, but last night, maybe if you had your parties on the weekend it
would be different, I have children. And... it would be nice for them not to
hear you yell profanities at each other while you tear your house apart."
Mrs. Wesley asked in a way that said 'You people make me sick.'

"At least Faith didn't go quietly." Willow muttered. Then Willow let her
head click into detective mode. Maybe her time at project Raven had not been
wasted. "You heard what happened at my house last night?"

"The whole neighborhood did Dr. Rosenburg."

"Wait here." Willow said as she ran into the house. A minute later she ran
back out with Kate and Kir in tow. Kir was still trying to get her badge out
of her coat pocket. It was a little too sunny for Angel to go outside.

"Mrs. Wesley this is detective Sergeant Langley and this is detective
Dinovich of the LAPD. I need you to tell them everything you remember about
last night. Even something little might help." Willow explained.

"But I have seen both of these women at your house before." Mrs. Wesley
protested while examining Kir's badge. No one ever questioned that Kate was
a cop.

"That's right Mrs. Wesley we are both friends of Dr. Rosenburg. But now we
need to piece together what happened last night. Dr. Rosenburg was working
on a case in her official duty as a FBI pathologist when last nights events
occurred. Since she was in the presence of several police officers she could
not know what was happening at her house which is why we need an eye witness
account from you Mrs. Wesley." Kate knew most of what she said was pure
bullshit, but she was a good judge of people and this woman needed this line
of bullshit to get her to speak.

"Wasn't your wife home?" Mrs. Wesley asked

"Buffy is in Norway on business." Willow explained. She could see the walls
weakening.

"Well... A little after midnight I saw that woman that stays at your house
sometimes." Leaning forward Mrs. Wesley whispered. "The one that drinks a
lot and has that medical problem."

"My sister Faith. And its epilepsy." Willow said patiently

"I thought it was alcoholism." Kir said only to be stared down by both Kate
and Willow "Sorry. Go on Mrs. Wesley."

"Yes, I remember, you introduced us. Anyway your sister Faith and her
friend. A brunette woman dressed like a model. Actually kind of looks like a
model. I have met her before too, she is kind of..."

"Bossy" Willow said

"Ah, yes."

"So the two of them went in to the house?" Kate added to help things along.

"Actually there were three of them." Mrs. Wesley said as she tried to
remember the events.

"Three, who was the other person?" Willow asked, Kate had been sure Xander
was taken from his car lot.

"The woman doctor from your office. The one you have over to dinner ever so
often. The one you tried to set up with her." Mrs. Wesley was now pointing
at Kir.

"Elaine!" Kir stated.

"Ok Mrs. Wesley the three of them went into the house." Kate said trying to
get everyone back on target.

"Yes, I think they were surprised to see her too."

"She was waiting for them?" Kate asked

"Yes, now that I think about it. The other two came in a car and she was
waiting on your front porch."

"And they went inside?" Kate cued

"Yeah, all three of them."

"Ok, then what happened?"

"Nothing at first then there was a lot of profanity and breaking of glass.
Well it was after that, the people from the costume party showed up. It must
have been a monster theme." Mrs. Wesley explained.

"Kate, can you see what else you can find out. I have a something I need to
do." Willow suddenly asked.

"Willow, you're not going anywhere alone." Kate said firmly.

"Kir can come with me. It's still five hours until sunset and she is the
closest thing to a slayer our side has now. Plus she can move fast. I need
you to stay with Angel; he is still a target. I'll call you before
nightfall." Willow said resolve face in place. "Oh and can you keep Sarah at
your house for awhile?"

"Sure, but you know how much Angel hates cats. The poor thing must have been
frightened to death." Kate said.

?????????????????????????

"Ok explain this to me again. We are just going to bust the door down
because your neighbor, who is clearly the nosiest human being on the face of
the earth, thinks Elaine might have been at your house last night?" Kir
asked. She had liked Elaine and was hoping to have another date with her.

"Pretty much, yeah." Willow said as her eyes began to glow. With the force
of an explosion Elaine's front door blew apart. Kir ducked to avoid flying
wood splinters. When Kir looked up, she saw Willow levitating into the
house.

"What? You can't just walk like the rest of us?" Kir complained.

Elaine was calmly waiting in the living room drinking wine. At least Willow
hoped it was wine. "What, not going to keep up the pretense of being
harmless little Elaine?" Willow asked before taking a seat in a large
comfortable chair facing the couch.

"Since I've been sending you all the clues to figure it out, no. Did you
know how hard it was to pick out which noisy neighbors to use to plant the
clue to send you here? Do you know how hard it is to plant ideas? Frankly I
was so tired of our little game. At least you brought the little mongrel
half-breed along so I can gloat. You don't know how hard it was not to snap
your neck when we were in bed together."

"Kir, you didn't mention you slept together." Willow said

"Yeah well, under the present circumstances that might be a good thing." Kir
replied a little hurt.

"Please! Can you two make with the drivel later." Elaine shouted. "We have
things to discuss."

"Does it matter little witch, one dead warrior of light is as good as
another. It's an interesting message." Willow said before she pulled a
kitchen chair into the living room with her mind. "Kir please sit down."
Willow asked calmly.

"It is an interesting message, what is your interpretation, Willow?"

"Knock down one of the warriors of light and another will rise. There are
never less then twelve warriors of light on the planet at any given time.
Which also means there are never less than twelve warriors of the dark on
the earth. Our battle is eternal. So if I were to, lets say, break your neck
another warrior would rise up and take your place."

"And to think I actually thought of you as nothing more then a control
subject. A failure." An evil smile spread across her face as she spoke
sending shivers down both Kir's and Willow's spines.

"I am glad to disappoint you, mother. It is mother right. It was your
experiment. It was you who manipulated my genes. Does it matter which
warrior you kill, the answer is no. Imprisoned or weakened yes it does
matter. It was you who cut the arms off of Xander's Grandmother and my great
grandmother, Ellen Jameson. It was you who tortured Rachel. In my visions, I
have seen pieces of the story, but I never saw your face. It was you."

"You haven't been having visions long. Or should I say your visions are
rather short sighted. Do you know how long I have been manipulating the
human race? Changing the fate of mankind. My name is Prometheus. It was I
who brought man fire. I knew it would lead to the atom bomb. It was I who
taught a bunch of primitive apes to make stone axes. They thought it was for
hunting, I knew, sooner or later, one of them would use it against another.
Do you think Cain wasn't coached before he killed his bother? And when that
wasn't enough I used subtler methods."

"Alexander the Great thought I was just a simple cook. That was until I
poisoned him. Helping dear Brutus with his anger control, or is that anger
'mismanagement', was so much fun. I loved the look of betrayal on Caesar's
face as he fell. The asp in Cleopatras' bath I thought was a nice touch. She
thought I was a simple washer girl."

"Look are you going to drop names all night or get to a point. I already
understand that you're evil." Willow said in a bored voice.

"Fine. After a while I got tired of assassination. So I began manipulating
the human gene pool. The Spanish Inquisition was some of my best work. The
glorious sounds of women screaming as they were tortured. It was during that
time that I managed to invent the watchers counsel. I simply had to get
slayers into the hands of Christians. It was so easy to do anything evil
when you simply did it in the name of Christ. It's why the Inquisition
worked so well."

"The trick is to avoid big names. Yes, I gave up name dropping after a
while. The trick is to start with people no one likes. It doesn't matter who
it is either. The Jews were a convenience in Germany, nothing more. People
were hungry and frightened and needed a scapegoat. Adolph, my lovely son
Adolph, hated his father, a Jew, so I let him choose Jews."

"Hatred is the easiest emotion to work with, to manipulate. When humans hate
they don't think first. Love is hard for humans. To love, to give. To hear
others out. To let people speak or say things you don't agree with. In China
most of the Internet is banned. And not for the reasons you might think. For
example the government is afraid of people reading fanfiction with gay
charters, far more afraid than they are of people reading the Washington
Post. The reason is clear. If people see that humans can live side by side
with people of other orientations, be it sexual, spiritual, or political,
without killing each other then the foundation for their government would
crumble. If the Chinese people find out sameness is not necessary for
survival then why would they need that kind of leadership."

"Interesting, and if you were coming over for dinner I might want to hear
more on the subject but it doesn't get me any closer to why I am here?"
Willow interjected.

"Did you know when Faith took her trip to the dark side, her spot wasn't
filled right away. It was only when Buffy gutted her and threw her off the
building that another slayer was called. Even though Faith didn't die."
Elaine said with her evil grin.

"The 'talking a lot' thing wasn't a cover right? Yes I knew that. But Buffy
didn't throw Faith, she jumped. "

"Then think about it."

"I got it already really, black and white chess pieces. Kill one and it's
replaced. If you injure a piece like Faith, it is also replaced. So you are
left with imprisoned pieces, which also has its drawbacks, or getting the
pieces to change sides. So you manipulate the gene pool and play games to
weaken the pieces. Like Faith. Lots of demon blood, the right background.
Having her raised by a heroin addict mother and a child molesting stepfather
was a nice touch. Faith still won't talk about her childhood, I wouldn't
have known if it wasn't so carefully kept in those microfiche cards you left
for me. By the time you sent her to Sunnydale she was perfect for the mayor.
When she turned back to the light you must have been crushed."

"Disappointed. I knew I shouldn't have used Succubae genes. As if mankind
needs a demon to make them lust. Do you know most Succubae end up being
marriage counselors instead of, well, whatever the hell it is they are
supposed to be doing. As demons go they are almost as pathetic as your
little friend sitting there."

"And yet you slept with her." Willow reminded her.

"Will, do you mind." Kir whispered.

"Yes well she does have some talents in that department. You really should
have her lick your pussy sometime. Maybe you can make Buffy watch as she is
tied up over that tombstone you two love so much."

"While I would love to talk to you about voyeurism, can you just get to the
point Elaine." This time Willow's eyes glowed and a strong wind started
blowing around the apartment.

"Nice temper you have. I just guessing, asking you to change sides is out of
the question?" Elaine asked

"Yes"

"Even if I kill Faith and your other two friends if you don't?" Elaine said

"If you were going to kill them they would be dead already. You need them
alive, uninjured, and imprisoned. I am learning the rules of the game."

"Fine, I will return your friends in exchange." As Elaine spoke her eyes
glowed just as Willow's were and the wind in the room increased turning in
circles.

"I am not sure I can open it." Willow stated calmly. Kir just looked at them
both confused as the air formed a wind funnel.

"Then your friend will be staying were they are. But at least they won't be
alone." Elaine laughed evilly, as a picture of Tara's house was show to her
across the twisting air. Pictures of Amy, Giles, Joyce, Tara and the kids
being carried out of the house by Scooch demons played across the air. Then
the picture switched to an unconscious Kate, and Angel being dragged to a
car in chains. Angel's hands and face burning as he tried to fight back.
Next a picture of two nuns being dragged outside of a burning church.
Pictures of three more people Willow had seen in visions but didn't know.
Then a picture of Leah and Katherine's shop exploding and them being carried
away by Drongian demons. The last picture was of Buffy fighting off seven
Trolls.

"We haven't captured your wife yet but it really doesn't make any
difference. I'll even allow you to keep the Twilight Warrior. Outside of her
talent in bed she is of little value to me."

"That's big of you." Kir said sarcastically.

"And you think you can end the game by opening the gate?" Willow asked.

"Don't you?" Elaine smiled.

"I will meet you in two days at the site. If you hurt one of them you will
live. I promise you that you will live." Willow said

"Live?" Kir asked

"You really are dense little one. She means I will live and suffer, isn't
that right daughter?" Elaine retorted.

Willow just got up and started out the door.

"Oh, and Willow dear, it isn't wine. It's Faith's. Very tasty." Elaine
added.

????????????

Once by the car Willow said, "Don't ask me to explain, I need to think." She
then handed Kir the keys and said. " Would you drive?"

"I need to know were?"

"Airport, we need to talk to an Oracle about getting a new deck of cards."

---------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 21

Open Gate

Kir never trusted airplanes. She really didn't trust the small Cessna and
it's pilot that Willow had hired to fly them, where? Kir had no idea where
they were flying or why. She guessed they had to be near the Grand Canyon
but it all looked like desert to her. Not that she could see the ground all
that well. Her eyes were designed for night vision not bright desert light.

"Ok, so can you tell me one more time what we are doing up here?" She asked
for the thousandth time.

"Waiting!"

"Oh well that explains everything." Kir said, the small space was making her
nervous.

"They're here." Willow said quietly.

The plane ceased being in the air and was now outside of time. Kir
automatically checked the pilot.

"He will be ok Kir, he is just suspended in time so he won't know what
happened to him." Willow explained while she opened the door of the plane.

"Lucky him." Kir replied. She did not want to go for a walk 30,000 feet up
in the air.

"This way I think" Willow said pointing off toward a group of clouds. Kir
carefully stepped out of the plane and was amazed she didn't fall. The two
women made their way over to a cloud with a door. Willow opened it and went
through, Kir jumped in behind her grabbing her shoulder. She wasn't going to
let go of the witch. Willow just slid her arm out and took a hold of Kir's
hand. "You're safe, at least for now." Willow explained while moving
forward.

"Doctor Rosenberg, I hope there is a good reason why you have come today."
The male oracle asked.

"Like you didn't know I was coming. I need to know the truth." Willow said
sitting herself down in a chair that Kir didn't even see a second before.
Looking around she found a second chair and took a seat, after she moved as
close to Willow as possible without sitting in her lap. Hell Kir would have
gladly sat in Willow's lap even when they weren't in trouble.

"Truth is a delicate matter. One Truth is another's lie." The female stated.

"From a certain point of view. I saw The Empire Strikes Back." Willow
replied angrily.

"Then you already know that which you seek." The male said.

"No I don't know anything." Willow said as her own fury washed over her. "I
am more confused now than when this all started. Not that I exactly know
when that was either. The Spanish Inquisition maybe? Or what this IS! Who am
I? What I am? I thought I got that together in high school. God was I
wrong." Willow babbled. "Just when I think I can handle things bam it's
cosmic joke time."

Seeing that Willow was building up for one hell of a rant, and also noticing
Buffy wasn't there to handle the building rant, Kir slowly but methodically
moved her hands over Willows month. "Willow, hey the green vine twins are
turning a little brown and since we had to walk on clouds to get here I am
thinking not a good thing. So maybe you can just get to the point and then
maybe we can get back to the plane or land. I am thinking land - Good.
Floating on clouds - bad."

Willow pushed Kir's hand away and said, "And you say I babble. Ok I'll get
to the point. There isn't one. There never seems to be a point. I mean it
can't just be this cosmic chess game right?" Willow asked pointedly.

"It is what it is. And what will be also is. What has been is also what will
be?" The oracles answered before fading out of view. And then Kir and Willow
were back in the plane.

"Did I just?" Kir started to ask wondering not for the first time about her
own sanity.

"It was real." Willow stated as she pulled out her cell phone from her
pocket. "I need you to head toward Santa Fe and I need your radio." Willow
said to the pilot.

After several minutes of codes and protocol Willow was put through on the
radio to the LA FBI office. "Martha, this is Willow Rosenberg. I am in a
plane somewhere near the Grand Canyon on rout to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I
can't really explain but I need you to trust me, I need you to get a hold of
everyone you can, You will need Simon on the Military end. You are going to
need to evacuate the city in a fifty-mile radius. The threat is a massive
sub T kind. I want it emptied. Use whatever cover story you need just get
it empty. I'll contact you on the ground. I also need you to refuel the
plane I am on and get it and the pilot out of harms way." Willow knew that
Martha would understand that also meant out of the news as well. The pilot
would not be hurt just held until everything was over. And he would be safe.

"So you're with the FBI" The pilot asked not for the first time today. When
he took her money Willow knew he had not really believed her.

"Actually, I am Willow Rosenberg, CIA." Willow said finally understanding
Buffy when she announced she was the Slayer. Buffy once had trouble
excepting that title, now she wouldn't want to be anyone else. It was the
simple truth. Buffy was the slayer and the slayer was Buffy. She was Willow
Rosenberg, Wife, witch, lover, sadist, Doctor, CIA. She was Willow Rosenberg
CIA and for once she liked it. This was the path she was meant to travel and
she was happy with the journey.

"Hey I am LAPD." Kir said from the back sit.

"The Red head I buy kid. But come on you're what sixteen?" The pilot
answered. Willow just laughed loud and hard.

"Don't laugh, You know I am going to look this age for about two hundred
more years. I'll be five hundred before some one takes me seriously." Kir
muttered crossing her arms. Willow just laughed harder.

((((((((((((((*))))))))))))(((((((*)))))))))

The city had been evacuated of its human residents anyway. The army had
conveniently turned over a train and done the smoky harmless chemical trick
for the news media. They had also allowed a corridor for demons to enter. In
fact a small army was gathering on the West Side of town. Willow and Kir
were gathering their own army on the East Side. The fact that their army
consisted of Willow, Kir and Willow's laptop with satellite photos of Santa
Fe courtesy of the CIA spy network didn't worry them.

"So tell me again what am I doing here?" Kir asked picking at the latest
photo's of the small army. "Ewe Blue things" Kir added looking at the
picture.

"And green things and one really big red thing. And FYI you're the side
kick." Willow added pulling the photo's back and studying them.

"Great I'm the comic relief." Kir said bouncing around the room the way
bored elves sometimes do.

"Actually I think you're more like the tragic side kick who gets killed
before the end of the picture." Willow joked.

"No way, I am the comic relief!" Kir said doing back flips back and forth
across the beds.

"The comic relief never gets the girl." Willow pointed out as she made more
notes.

"Ok so I am the tragic side kick. I get laid first, right?" Kir said
flipping into a perfect belly flop on the bed closest to Willow's chair.

"Not by me." Willow said bringing up another picture.

"Come on, it might be fun. It's not like we have to tell Buffy." Kir whined.

"Why not?" Buffy said from the door. "I might want to watch."

"What took you so long." Willow said looking up from her computer then
turning her head back down.

"And I love you too." Buffy said. "You know I just took an 18 hour flight to
get here." She added a little hurt that Willow didn't rush into her arms.

"I know. Now give me a minute." Willow replied. Buffy just looked at her
like she had two heads.

Kir and Buffy both sat down wordlessly still staring at Willow not saying
anything. Without looking up from her computer, Willow said. "Kir I need you
to go down to 5th street and pick up two nuns and a priest."

"Sure, what's the punch line." Kir said looking at Buffy as if to say, I
think your wife has lost her mind.

"Bring them back here and have them help fix food for about forty people.
Better make it fifty. Oh and call Pam. Tell them I am sending them a list of
people to admit into the area. The last will be coming at just after
sundown. Also a list of equipment we will need. She'll see that everything
is ready." Willow said pushing the printer button on her computer.
"Everything you need is printing out now."

Kir turned to look at Buffy. Willow's eyes were glowing green in green.
Completely inhuman in their gaze. "It's ok Kir just do what she says." Buffy
said quickly.

"You still want me to go pick up blue nuns and beer."

"Two nuns and a priest." Willow corrected handing Kir the pages from the
printer. "And Kir don't come back in this room until after dark. Keep
everyone off the floor." Normally Kir would be eager to leave the lovers
alone. But something in Willows eye or maybe in her soul scared the little
elf. She honestly didn't want to leave Buffy alone with her.

"It's ok Kir. I think we need some alone time." Buffy said half-shoving Kir
out the door. She was seeing the same thing Kir was and in truth she didn't
like it either.

(((((((*)))))))

Once Kir was gone, Buffy took off her jacket. Locked the door. Took off her
shirt, pants, underwear and shoes. Laid them carefully on the second bed.
Pulled up the covers on the first bed. Moved over to the chair across from
the desk Willow was working on and said, "Now we talk."

"And you had to get undressed for that?" Willow asked looking up from her
computer.

"No, but after we talk I don't want to waste time. It's going to be a long
battle tonight." Buffy said just barely above a whisper.

"If you know that then you must have had the same vision." Willow said
flatly still working on her machine.

"So it's true." Buffy asked.

"Truth is relative. Like time. It depends on how fast you're moving, your
point of view. The limits of your sense you observe it through." Willow said
clinically.

"Willow I am not some doctor from work. I am your wife I have a right to
know the truth." Buffy said standing up and shouting.

"I am who I am." Willow said coldly her eyes almost burning through the
room.

"And who is that, Willow? Who are you?" Buffy said full of angry tones.

"I am Willow Rosenberg, CIA." Willow said, "And I actually like to say that,
just the way you like to tell people you are Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You
like to say it because for you it means something. It means that you are
greater than the sum of your parts. I am Willow Rosenberg of the CIA. And it
means something to me too." Willow said coldly.

"So it's true." Buffy said just above a whisper.

"You're not letting go of this anytime soon are you?" Willow asked.

"I am Buffy the Vampire Slayer, what do you think." Buffy said but she
smiled as she said it.

"Then you will just have to trust me, Buff." Willow answered.

"Will, do you know what you're asking me to do?" Buffy said staring Willow
down.

"Yes, I am asking you to do nothing. For once in your life, I am asking you
to let me take care of the world. Hey it's got to be my turn by now. I
stopped counting the times you have done it." Willow said turning off her
computer.

"Willow this isn't something to joke about."

"Who is joking. I need you to trust me. And let me do what I was born to
do."

"Open the heavens gate?" Buffy asked.

"Maybe."

"Maybe? Willow!" Buffy said but she had closed the distance between them.

"Ok, only after I have done my wifely duties. That seems only fair." Willow
said letting her eyes grow human again.

"You know this is nuts." Buffy said before lifting her out of her chair and
tossing her on the unmade bed.

"Shut up and fuck me." Willow said taking off her shirt. Buffy was already
tossing her shoes across the room.

"Someone has a potty mother." Buffy said yanking off the redhead's pants.

"And someone is about to get whipped because of it." Willow said as one of
her bags open and sex toys flew across the room.

"Promise!" Buffy said flipping around with her ass in the air over Willow's
lap.

"Until you beg me to stop or Angel breaks down the door." Willow replied
before the belt began a steady stream across the slayer's bottom.

(((((((((((((*)))))))))))))))))

Several hours later the sound of the door crashing in and Cordelia Chase
voice saying. "God not another sex spell." Got the couples attention. Didn't
stop them, just got their attention.

"Can we get back to you in a minute?" Willow screamed while pumping the hell
out of Buffy's red and blue bottom.

"Oh Please, OH OH OH, YES, OH YES, YEAH HONEY JUST LIKE THAT, YEAH OH
PLEASE...." Buffy screamed completely out of breath.

"We'll wait outside." Angel said gripping Cordelia and pulling her out of
the room. Then re entering the room and pulling Kir out.

(((((((((**))))))

"Ok, I know there aren't enough chairs so some of you will have to stand."
Willow announced to the army of light.

"Let Buffy stand. I think she need too." Kir muttered half under her breath.

"I know many of you are tired. Many of you just escaped from the other side.
Some of you were tortured and this is not the ideal time or place for
battle. Nevertheless, now is the time we were called to war." Willow said as
the crowd went quiet.

"Many of you I know, some I don't. Many of you are good friends. Many of you
have wives, husbands or children. Many of you don't. And yet we all know the
stakes. We fight and win, good wins. We don't fight, and the gate is open
and not only will darkness rain on earth but in heaven. We can't let that
happen. The bottom-line. We fight and some or all of us may die, but we
fight. Each in their own way. Each in their own time. Or as the bible put
it, "Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,
each of us is to exercise them accordingly" Roman 12:6. And that from a
Jewish girl." Willow said smiling.

"So are we agreed?" Willow asked.

"We fight." Angel answered followed by the room shouting; "We fight." Only
Kir noticed that Buffy alone said nothing.

((((((*****)))))

The white army was worked up into frenzy. Weapons were handed out. Vampires
were dressed in U-V protected suits. Priests blessed tanks of water. Nuns
laid out bandages. Witches studied spells. Elves sharpened swords. Slayers,
Ok Faith, fixed crossbows. Soldiers opened crates of the Armies last
weapons. Everyone was busy. Everyone save Buffy.

Buffy quietly sat across the room. Arms crossed watching Willow. Just
watching her. "Ok, pouting Buffy I can deal with. So you two didn't get to
finish 'The slayer abuse hour" on the S & M network. What she didn't bruise
you enough?" Cordelia asked standing next to Kir and Xander.

"Buff, you do seem a little distracted?" Xander said

"Sorry, just plotting." Buffy answered.

"Buffy can I talk to you alone." Kir asked suddenly. Then Kir had an
advantage most humans don't. She could see auras. And the one she was
looking at now didn't inspire confidence.

"Sure, why don't we take a walk." Buffy said, after a few seconds of staring
in Kir's eyes.

They left the hotel they had taken over and started down the street.

"I have never been able to fool you have I?" Buffy asked her long time
friend.

"No, then you have never tried before today." Kir said flatly.

"Until you said that, I had no idea which side I was going to side with."
Buffy said smiling sadly.

"That's what I was thinking." Kir said before breaking into a run. Kir's one
special gift was her speed. And she almost made it back to the hotel door
before being hit in the head with Mr. Pointy.

Buffy ran over to her friend and knelt down. "Thank god you have a hard head
or you really would have been the side kick that dies before the end of the
picture." Buffy whispered into her ear as she picked the girl up. "Too bad
no matter which side wins you're still not going to get the girl." She added
looking around the street.

(((((((((****)))))))))

Five minutes later Buffy entered the hotel lobby alone.

"Were is Kir?" Xander asked.

"Bathroom." Buffy lied.

"Ok, well we are saddling up. The sunset awaits." Her friend said eager for
the fight. Buffy realized that Willow must have cast some kind of crowd
spell. They were all just a little to eager for the fight and her warm up,
go kill-em speech wasn't that good Buffy reasoned.

A few minutes later the whole of the army, fifty people strong, was marching
down the middle of the street in Santa Fe. Buffy was so surprised that even
Angel didn't see through the haze of what must have been one hell of a
spell. They were just marching off, no plan, and few weapons. How Willow
managed that she still wasn't sure. Oh sure they had locked and loaded
weapons. Laid them out ready to go but then just happen to leave them
behind. The dark side wasn't taking chances. She just hoped Willow was
right, and she hadn't killed Kir hitting her so hard on the head. Buffy knew
absolutely that Kir could easily die of her head injury, and she had left
her with no one to care for her.

They marched right out into the high school football field. The stands were
full of demons. And the crowd stopped. Just stopped right there in the
center of the field lambs to slaughter. Slowly the white team began to
realize what was happening. Buffy heard Giles ask, loudly, "Why aren't they
attacking." Angel asked, "Why are we standing in the open?"

"To make it easier." Willow announced as she floated above the crowd, eyes
glowing, skin green against her red hair. Her demon blood showing completely
now.

"Easier for what, may I ask?" Giles asked alarmed for the first time.

"To kill you." Willow said flatly. "Don't worry Giles it won't hurt much."
With that, Willow blasted the whole group with enough magic energy to level
Manhattan. And the whole of the group save one dropped dead. Not pretend
dead. Not, oh I am going to wake up later dead. Biologically dead. Angel's
ashes swirled around Buffy's feet. The whole of the army was dead save the
slayer.

"This is my sacrifice. Let it's blood open my way. Let it free my mind and
soul. May it allow me the gateway that I seek." Willow said casting her
spell.

"Wait." The demon Elaine screamed.

"What now grandmother?" Willow asked in a bored tone.

"You did not kill the slayer." She stated red glow pouring from her eyes.

"Actually I did. I killed Faith and I think one of the others was the
current slayer. Never can keep up with them. Die too quickly. What you
really want to know is why I didn't kill my wife?" Willow corrected.

"Well?" Elaine asked impatiently.

"I was never going to kill Buffy. Just not going to happen. Besides I need
her as the final sacrifice. And then she will rule by my side mother. I can
already see keeping my family tree straight is going to be a pain. So how
about I just call you Frankenstein, or grand sire or something." Willow said
landing on the ground, next to Elaine.

"Fine but she stays here with in the void until we are done. I don't want
her switching sides again." Elaine consisted. "Now open the gate."

"As you wish." Willow said her eyes glowing again. "This is my sacrifice.
Let it's blood open my way. Let it free my mind and soul. May it allow me to
open the gateway that I seek? For what I bring forth from me will define me.
What I bring forth out of me shall be of me. And there was a void, the
chaos, and god brought forth what was good. And then void became substance.
The void became truth. The void became word. And the word became god. And
God was the word. And now I open my heart to the void, and bring it forth
out of me. And the void becomes the lie and I become the word. And the word
is the void. And I speak the secret name of god. **********" Buffy could not
make out the sounds coming from Willows lips but as she spoke, the earth
trembled. The sun and the stars disappeared. A tunnel of light formed on the
field. And everything outside of the football field ceased to exist. Willow
entered the tunnel and as she did every soul, mortal or demon entered the
tunnel with her. Save one.

"If you bring for that which is inside you, then you bring forth that which
will save you." Buffy quoted.

"And if you do not bring forth that which is inside you. Then what you do
not bring forth will destroy you." Willow said as the tunnel began to close.
Turning back to Buffy she said as the tunnel closed "I never knew you read
the gospel of Saint Thomas."

"I never knew you would destroy the world." Buffy said seconds before she
and the earth flickered out of existence.

Epilogue.

Willow Rosenberg tossed her favorite belt to the ground rubbing her hands
over Buffy's very red bottom. "Bad Slayers don't get lube." Willow said
before roughly shoving her favorite toy deep inside the slayer. Buffy pulled
against her bonds and tried to work her gag loose. She hated when Willow
gaged her.

On the other hand Kate had almost run them in for making to much noise in
the cemetery last week. And they did say they would be quieter.

Willow began a fast paced ride. She was going to make the slayer suffer.
This just made her smirk. Buffy wiggled under her trying to get some
pressure on her clit. Good luck Willow thought. She had entered the
gravesite into her computer. The fact she had the Williams' tombstone
measurements in her computer should have bothered her more. But she had done
a thorough study of the site and the best way to punish her wife. Buffy was
tied up like a turkey over the headstone and there was no way in hell or
heaven that Buffy was going to get the smallest amount of pressure on her
clit anytime soon. Oh how Willow loved being bad.

"I see we are disturbing the dead again." The archangel Gabriel said forming
a solid form in front of the woman.

"What is it now?" Willow screamed. She hated being disturbed during sex.
Buffy was also mumbling through her gag. Gabriel waved his hand and the gag
disappeared.

"I just thought the two of you should know. Everyone who should be back on
earth is now where they are supposed to be." The Angel said amused by the
women.

Willow grunted, but slowed her invasion of Buffy's ass. "And we are the only
ones who still remember?" Willow asked though she continued to pump slowly
in and out of her wife.

"For now. I will take your memories when I go." He stated.

"He's right. He can't just leave someone on the earth who knows the secret
name of god." Buffy said between grunts. Willows slow long thrusts were
harder to take than the fast ones. Especially without lube. The slayer
realized she was going to be sore as hell tomorrow and was incredibly happy
about it. Mostly because there would be a tomorrow to be sore in. A tomorrow
with Willow.

Willow slapped Buffy hard across the ass and went back to slow hard thrusts.
She knew exactly how to punish her wife. "It's not something I want to know
and keep anyway."

"How did you know." The angel asked. He had wanted to know how a mortal had
gained knowledge he himself would never have.

"I was meant to know Gabriel. It was one of my gifts. All creatures, human,
angel or demon were given gifts by god. Or the void or however you wish to
visualize him or her. Maybe he is just the atom. The scientific spark in the
primordial soup. The truth is the truth, from every perspective. I saw the
truth I was meant to see." Willow said completely stopping her forward
motion.

"My wife. Got to love her. Goddess, sex addict, and speaker of words of
knowledge. Now fuck me while you play with the angels." Buffy was hit hard
several more times across her ass but Willow started pumping in and out of
her hard. Very hard.

"Still I am uncertain how you knew the army would be defeated. Or that god
would bring back those you destroyed." Gabriel asked

"Mostly a lot of Faith, a little knowledge and that that little visit from
you just before the oracles sent me on my way.

"You got a visit from an angel and didn't tell me." Buffy complained between
groans.

"Didn't have time." Willow explained.

"Still I do not understand how the message I brought helped." Gabriel said
puzzled.
"Ok I will bit." Buffy was then slapped for her question. "Ow, I mean what
did you say, Gabriel?"

"I was told to tell the witch 'Nothing can look into the face of God and
live, not even Angels'."

"Before you ask I didn't look. Mine was a delivery job only." Willow said
slapping Buffy's bottom again.

Gabriel froze the slayer in mind point. "I still do not understand sister."

"Nor do I my brother. Truth is far stranger the any would believe. So many
possibilities." Willow smiled taking his hand.

"I will not be able to remove your memory of what has happened." He said
squeezing her hand.

"I know. I have always known." Willow said sadly.

"Still you will be allowed to live out the rest of her life with her. It is
not long. Though I have been told her life is long in mortal standards."

"Where she goes I go. That is why I did not kill her with the rest. Not even
Elaine would have believed I would willingly kill her."

"She has no idea does she?" He asked.

"None. Then how do you tell someone they were left on earth to die for
everyone's sins." Willow said touching Buffy's frozen hair. I know that it
has always been that way. And this is not the first time Gabriel still?"
Willow mused.

"I know you say she doesn't know. I think in some way she must have known.
She knew you would leave her behind. She knew to fill the void." Gabriel
asked.

"Yes. And she had some idea what it meant. But she still doesn't understand
it. I am not sure I do?" Willow said.

After a moment of silence "I must be going. And I wish you well." Gabriel
said before he moved away.

"But you have one more question." Willow replied back.

"Doesn't that hurt her?"

"Oh yeah, just the way she likes it to."

Gabriel smiled. Waved his hand into Buffy's mind taking from her only those
few memories he needed. He then left.

Buffy unfroze and began to wiggle underneath Willow. "Were we talking to the
ghosts again?" Buffy surmised. They were a popular sight for ghosts to
watch.

"Yeah. But we are about to get a human visitor." With a wave of her had
Willow put the gag back in place. Smacked Buffy hard a few times across the
ass. And started riding her harder than the winner of the Kentucky Derby.
Buffy just moaned into the gag and wiggled trying to get pressure on her
clit.

"You two promised." Kate said hands crossed over her chest.

"We promised to be quieter. See I used a gag." Willow said not letting Buffy
off.

"Fine. Then I am forced to use the big guns." Kate said loudly. Xander and
Amy with a picnic basket entered the area followed by Angel, Cordelia, Pam
and Kir.

"If you insist on public sex. Then by damned it will be public." Kate
announced. Xander pulled out chips and open them sitting down next to Amy.

"Fine. It adds to her humiliation." Willow said floating her belt back in
her hand. Kate had no idea what she was up against.

"I can't believe you." Kate screamed, storming off in a corner to yell at
other grave markers.

Buffy mumbled loudly and Willow loosened her gag. "Angel go after her. There
might be something undead about to rise. I don't want her hurt."

Angel went after the very pissed off Kate who could still be heard screaming
obscenities. Xander, Amy and Kir watched and ate chips and soda. Cordelia
and Pam talked about clothes. And Willow fucked the hell out of Buffy. And
the world went right on in its normal way as if nothing had ever happened.

THE END