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Witch's Faith
Willow awakened alone, and her heart skipped a beat. It had been a terrible blow to her when Faith had not returned her confession of love the previous night. And now, she feared, the Slayer might actually have left her!
Then, with a sigh of relief, she remembered that Faith was meeting Elise in her crypt this morning. She awaited the Slayer's return apprehensively. What mood would she be in after what Willow had said?
Willow cringed involuntarily at the sound of Faith bursting through the door. A moody Slayer was a dangerous thing. But Faith lifted her off the floor in a hug, wearing a satisfied smile. Willow smiled too. Maybe Faith just couldn't bring herself to say what she really felt. Faith needed to present herself as strong, tough, uncaring, even callous. Willow knew better than anyone how artificial that mask was. But that didn't make the mask easy to take off. So maybe, just maybe, Faith did love her in return.
Faith put Willow down. "Everything is set!" she said excitedly. "The plan is going better than we'd ever hoped!"
Willow's heart sank. Faith was happy just because their climb to power was still on track? It couldn't only be that!
It wasn't. "Wait until you hear what Elise and I have planned for Buffy!" Faith said with an evil grin.
Willow was now officially depressed. "Tell me," she said without enthusiasm.
Faith didn't notice the witch's tone. "We have nine demons and twenty-six vampires. That's not counting Elise–she's too valuable to involve in the attack. On Tuesday, your potion will be ready to trigger. We'll ignite it just before 4 AM, and then proceed to Buffy's house. We'll break in, and then all thirty-five of Elise's band will attack–with us present to invite them inside before Buffy even knows anything is happening! And when she realizes she doesn't have the power to slay... We'll both be there to witness it!"
Willow was appalled. She had prepared her spell against Buffy only to scare her. She even thought they might be able to threaten the Slayer with it and not have to trigger it at all. But Faith's plan was downright lethal. And Dawn and Tara would be in the house! All three might be killed! Because of Willow's magic!
Willow came face to face with the reality that she and Faith had not truly been working towards the same goal. She had to persuade Faith to take a less extreme course. She had to. She clung desperately to the feeling in her heart that Faith was not truly evil. She might be the only person in the world who believed that. But she would make the Slayer she loved see reason, no matter what it took.
"Faith," she said slowly, "I can't be a part of that plan. Let's think about this and take reasonable action to scare Buffy off and protect our band."
"Don't get weak on me now, Willow!" said the Slayer, annoyed.
"Faith, those people were my friends. I would do anything to protect little Dawn, and... Tara... you have no idea how close we were. Even Buffy... I'm mad at her but she's my oldest friend. They need to be taught a lesson... but I can't let them be put in danger. Can't you see that?"
"We're not doing this halfway!" Faith hissed. She had thought Willow could be counted on for anything. And now even Willow was letting Faith down. The way everyone turned on Faith in the end. There was no way in hell Faith was going to be gentle with Buffy. Never.
Willow saw something very like madness in Faith's eyes.
Willow sat in silence for hours while Faith fumed. The witch pretended to be busy studying spells, but she was actually trying to come up with some way out of this situation. The Oracle had said that soon there would only be one Slayer left. Who would die? Buffy, at the hands of this brutal attack, or Faith, if Willow warned Buffy of the threat? Willow clung to the belief that a third option existed. That the Oracle might be wrong. She needed to believe that, and so she did. Nobody she loved could die. She would not let it happen. She would warn Buffy, and somehow persuade her not to fight Faith. To flee, anything, but not fight her.
She waited until Faith was in the shower, and then hastily packed her things and took them to her car. Most of her things had never been taken out of the car in the first place. She could not take her magic potion away–it was with Elise, and Willow didn't know where.
When Faith emerged, achingly beautiful in her untied bathrobe even with her hair in wet disarray, Willow fought to hold back tears.
"Faith," Willow said quietly, and her tone caught the Slayer's attention at once. "I really do love you." Faith blinked but remained expressionless. "But I can't do this with you. I'm going to warn Buffy. I have to. Please, please don't go through with this! I couldn't live with myself if either of you got hurt."
The change in Faith's expression was subtle, but rage emanated from her like a hot coal. Her fingernails dug into her palms and every muscle in her body shook. This was the moment that summed up her entire life. This was the moment when Buffy took the last thing she would ever take from Faith. This was the moment when Buffy took her Willow away.
Buffy would die for that.
"I don't want us to be enemies, Faith..." Willow was crying now. "I want to be with you. I want..." she was choking on her sobs now. "I want you... to... hold me..."
"Get... out... now..." Faith felt the urge to kill something, and she was using every ounce of willpower not to attack Willow. Letting the girl escape to warn Buffy was weakness, and every instinct was telling Faith to be strong. Unflinching. To stop Willow from leaving. "NOW!"
Willow bolted quickly out the door and let it lock behind her. Faith slammed against the door right behind her, breaking it partway off of its hinges. "Willow!" the Slayer's voice betrayed tears.
Willow paused for an instant and looked back. She could see a sliver of Faith's face in the gap beside the door. The Slayer's shriek echoed down the hallway. "I hate you!"
Willow felt as though she had been stabbed through the chest. She was not only leaving behind the good that she had seen in Faith–and fallen in love with–she was destroying that good. She was sending Faith back to her most evil days. And she had no choice. For the first time, she truly understood the terrible consequences of her black magic.
Blinded by tears, Willow ran for her life.
Faith slumped against the damaged door. She was not used to crying. She had just lost the only person who had ever loved her... and the only person she had ever loved. And she deserved it. Because she was bad. Rotten. Worthless. Evil. And Willow was good.
That evening, the hotel evicted Faith. The room had been destroyed–windows smashed, TV on fire, and the bed she had shared with her witch broken into splinters. The Slayer left without argument–if the police were called, they would not be under Willow's spell. They would not see the elderly Mrs. Reese, but Faith. And they had her prints on file.
The Slayer walked out into the night, without Willow's finances, Willow's magic, or Willow's love.
Eventually she found her way to Elise's crypt. As soon as Elise gave her the slightest excuse, Faith beat her brutally. Then she shut herself in another chamber and cried herself to sleep on the stone floor. Buffy would pay for this. Buffy and her sister. And Faith's rival, Tara. And Willow, too! And anyone else who got in her way. In four days, they would all pay dearly.
Then Faith would finish building her empire, without weakness. Without betrayal. Without love.
"Oh, my God!" exclaimed Buffy, recognizing the car that had just screeched to a stop in front of her house.
"What is it?" asked Dawn, alarmed.
"It's Willow."
Something crashed to the floor in Tara's room, and the witch ran out into the living room, her face pale. "Where is she? Is she all right?"
Buffy pointed out the window. Willow had opened the door of her car, but was still sitting inside. Crying.
"She's OK!" shouted Dawn.
Tara fell to her knees, crying with relief. She had doubted she would ever see her dear Willow again.
"I can't deal with this," said Buffy. "I cannot deal with this right now!" She had been under a great deal of pressure, as the band of vampires and demons seemed to be growing faster than she could track them down. And while she too was relieved to see Willow alive, dealing with another crisis from the misguided witch was simply too much.
Willow saw Tara approaching, and suddenly she was crying not for one lost love, but for two. Neither girl could speak for many minutes. Tara collapsed on the ground beside the car, and Willow crawled out into her arms. They held each other, as each witch cried for more reasons than she could even list. Dawn, peering out through the curtains, was crying too.
Buffy and Tara sat on the couch staring at Willow in shock and fury. They could not begin to conceive of what the witch had done. She was behind the vampires and demons they were trying to fight! She had cast the spell that interfered with Spike's memory. She had been using black magic in the most appalling ways. She had been stealing. She had turned against her friends! And she had single-handedly broken Faith out of prison to wreak her revenge on Sunnydale! It almost sounded like she had even been friends with Faith, sharing in some twisted power trip!
Willow had fallen into sobs again. "I'm so sorry... so, so sorry... I know why you don't want me around... you're right... I've been so awful... I'm so sorry..."
Eventually she calmed down a little. Tara had started to cry as well, but Buffy was staring at Willow with cold rage. Willow didn't know how she could tell them the worst part. She almost hoped Buffy would be angry enough to kill her.
"There's more..." Willow choked. The other girls looked as though they could not take one more revelation. But Willow had to tell them. "I... stole a book from the Magic Box... I put a spell on you Buffy... Tuesday night, you won't be able to slay anything or anyone. I don't know how long it will last. And thirty-five vampires and demons will attack you here... you have to leave. You have to hide!... I'm so sorry."
Buffy threw Willow out of the house. Literally. But Tara, despite her own hurt and anger, persuaded the Slayer to let her back in. After all, confessing to all this had not been easy. And Willow clearly wanted to start making things right again. She had promised not to use any magic ever without consulting with either Buffy or Tara first. Tara did not know that even as Willow made the promise, the redhead doubted she would be strong enough to keep it.
Willow slept on the couch. Tara had no inclination whatsoever to invite Willow into their old room. And Willow wouldn't feel right anyway. She was in love with Faith still, despite having just betrayed the dark Slayer.
Tara still had no idea about her and Faith. And Willow had told no one about the Oracle.
Buffy sent Dawn away at once, to stay in hiding at Xander's. And then she, Tara, Xander, Anya and Spike began to prepare for battle. Buffy would still have her Slayer powers, she just wouldn't be able to kill. So the others would be heavily armed. And no matter what, Faith would not be allowed near. She would not be allowed to break in and invite her minions inside. Willow was not excluded from the planning, but she did not participate. She insisted that Buffy should simply flee.
"I'm so afraid you or Faith will get hurt!" Willow was pleading again.
"You're damn right Faith will get hurt!" said Buffy.
"You don't understand, she's not evil, she can change!"
Buffy's jaw dropped open. After everything Willow had told them, she now expected them to conclude that Faith was not evil?!
"Please! Faith and I were... friends. Please don't hurt her if you don't have to!"
"Fine," said Buffy coldly. "I have to."
Continue to Episode 7 – Vengeance.
She prepared spells that could freeze a person on the spot. Spells that could sap strength, induce sleep, cause blindness, or cause excruciating pain. No matter what the consequences, she would fight with every power she could summon. She would protect both of the Slayers in tonight's battle. From each other, if necessary. And from the Oracle that had ordained one of their deaths.
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