A Higher Power (5/?)

[the keeper <keeper444@xxxxxxxxx>]

Okay this part is kinda of long but I really couldn't find a place where
I could break it up an still make sense.
As always hope you like it.
Alex
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Title: A Higher Power (5/?)
Author: Alex
Feedback: Please any comments or suggestions to: keeper444@xxxxxxxxx
(please be kind for the first time in over 30 years I'm a virgin at
something!)
Summary: Ancient forces are forced to take a hand in Buffy & Willow's
relationship.
Spoilers: I don't know I put them in college because that's where they
are now.
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy Willow Giles and any others from
BTVS are the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy etc. No
infringement of any kind intended.
..............................................Title A
Higher Power
Author: Alex
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Giles slammed the ancient book shut and in anger and frustration threw
it across the room. It had been nearly a week and still Buffy was no
better in fact despite of the injections she was getting progressively
worse. His inability to help her enraged him and the look of agony and
fear in Willow's eyes every time he failed to report a cure was killing
his soul.

"Damn it!" he raged "All that great watcher training is worthless. All
this fabulous resource and they can not even tell me how to cure a
simple bloody bug."

He glared at the stack of books he had already gone with disgust, for a
moment he considered setting fire to the entire lot.

<> Get a hold on yourself old man. <> he berated himself <> You better
find that cure you promised Willow damn fast If you don't hurry you will
lose them both.<>

Giles took off his glasses and began cleaning them then with a sigh of
resignation he turned back to a stack of books he hadn't checked yet
chose one and returned to work.

He had no alternative.
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Willow wept quietly as she looked at the frail body of the person she
loved most in the world laying on the bed wasting away. So far no one
was able to help her . The sun had long set and soon the full moon of
the equinox would rise.
Willow remembered for a fleeting moment that this was a rare and
powerful convergence when the full moon and the Vernal Equinox occurred
simultaneously. At the fringes of her mind she seemed to recall an
ancient Celtic legend involving this occurrence and a sect of Druid
warrior priests that were also powerful wizards. She tried to recall he
story if for no other reason than to occupy herself.
These thoughts were erased from her mind when she heard Buffy begin to
moan and move weakly.

"It's alright Buffy" Willow said softly "Your Wills is here"

She gently brushed a few wayward strands of hair from her patient's
forehead. That seemed to quiet the agitated girl for a while. Willow was
able to relax enough to observe the strange weather. The sky was crystal
clear with the stars shining brightly and mystical light of the full
moon was rising in the black velvet sky. What was unusual was the
flashes of blue-white lightening that streaked across the sky along with
the rumble of thunder.
Suddenly an especially loud clap of thunder struck very near the dorms
shaking the doors and rattling the windows. Buffy screamed and sat up
grasping Willow's arm.

"Willow !"she cried in an anguished voice

"I'm right here Buffy" Willow said to reassure her friend "Your Wills
isn't going anywhere"

"No! Wills they know " the delirious Slayer said panic rising in her
voice "they found out and now they're coming"

"Who Buffy who found out" she asked patiently "and what did they find
out."

"Oh Wills"Buffy cried "I tried so hard t hide it from them but now they
know and they're on their way here now!"

Lightening was striking faster and closer and the moon neared it's
zenith illuminating the room with it's soft light.

"I've got to stop them"Buffy cried desperation and panic causing her
voice up an octave

"Who is it Buffy?" Willow asked in a soft soothing voice "Tell me who's
coming."

"All of them." Buffy said tears beginning to flow from her eyes "The
master Angelus Spike the demons all of them "

"But Buffy their they're all dead or gone" Willow tried to convince her
friend "Why would they come back?"

"Oh Wills they've come back because they know how to hurt me." Buffy
sobbed fear and panic pushing her "They know I love you and they're
coming after you. They're going to get you because they know I can't
live without you. I've got to stop them!"

Willow was stunned unable to speak or react. After all this time trying
to hide her feelings for fear of rejection and possibly driving Buffy
away and now when Buffy was so sick that she was delirious now she finds
out that Buffy felt the same way all along.

"It's alright Buffy I l-love you too." Willow said softly her voice
quivering

"I know that Wills, I've known for a long time" Buffy stated "I couldn't
tell anyone not even you because if anyone knew about our feelings you
would've been in more danger than ever."
  

Willow was stunned, all this time her friend had not only felt the same
urges and desires as Willow but she had known all along how Willow would
have returned her feelings. She didn't know whether to be angry or sad.
Even though it angered her that Buff had known all along and had denied
he the love she'd ached for for so long but she also knew that meant the
Slayer had also been forced to deny her self the same love. Tears filled
her eyes as she thought of how many times Buffy must have yearned to
seek comfort in Willow's embrace only to force down her feelings to
protect her friend.

"Willow you've got t hide!" Buffy implored still deep in her delirium
"They're coming. I don't know how they found out. Angelus knew he must
have told them."

Willow tried to push her seriously ill friend back down in the bed. For
a few moments Willow forgot that a sick Buffy was still a very powerful
Slayer. Without warning Buffy exploded out of the bed unintentionally
knocking Willow across the room. Before Willow could react Buffy was out
of the bed looking all around the room her eyes rolling wildly.

"Got to stop them before they can hurt my Wills!" Buffy stated and ran
out of the room.

"Buffy no!" Willow yelled as her friend disappeared out the door either
not hearing or ignoring her all together.

Willow leapt up from the floor and pressed the button on Giles emergency
pager then ran after her friend as fast as she could. As she ran down
the stairs Willow heard the exit door slam shut

"Oh goddess protect her," Willow prayed as she sprinted down the stairs
and as she went out the door the young witch began chanting a tracking
spell.

A flash of white let Willow know that Buffy had run into the woods
toward the center of the Hellmouth. A faint blue glowing line showed her
Buffy's trail as the result of her spell. Lightening flashed wildly
across the crystal clear sky and Willow noticed a thick unnatural fog
rising from the ground.
As Willow followed the trail that was leading her to Buffy she wondered
how Buffy could run so fast through these thick woods without hurting
herself.

<>Must be a Slayer thing<> she thought to herself

Soon Willow could hear the unmistakable sounds of fighting close ahead.
She burst out of the trees into a clearing that was brightly illuminated
by the huge full moon. She gasped in horror when saw what was happening.
In the middle of the clearing was Buffy fighting three vampires and she
wasn't doing so well. She was doing her best but the Slayer was simply
too weak from her prolonged illness. It was a credit to her skills and
training Buffy was able to 'dust' two of her supernatural opponents, but
the third one struck her from behind sending her sprawling across the
clearing hitting the ground hard forcing the air out of her lungs.
Seeing that the Slayer was unable to get back up the vampire let out a
roar of victory and launched itself at it's unmoving prey.

'No!' Willow screamed and nearly flew across the grassy field to help
her injured friend.

Willow moved faster than she'd ever had before ad reached Buffy a few
steps ahead of the charging vampire without thinking she threw up her
hand.

"STOP!" she commanded and the vampire stopped as if he'd hit a wall.

Out of the corner of her eye Willow noticed the clearing was enclosed in
wall of thick white unnatural fog. Buffy moaned softly and tried to get
up but she only succeeded in distracting Willow causing her to lose the
barrier that held back the vampire. The night creature sensed the
absence of magic and started to spring on it's vulnerable victims.

"Hold demon!" a deep commanding voice boomed across the clearing.

A blinding bolt of bluish white light streaked through the air that
struck and enveloped the vampire who screamed in agony then burst into a
cloud of dust.
Willow was temporarily blinded by the bright explosion of light then as
her vision cleared she saw three figures standing in front of her. They
were wearing grey robes with vests of heavy black leather and cowled
hoods. Each carried an ash staff covered in Celtic runes and long
daggers hung from their braided cord belts. They were surrounded by
brightly glowing lights that flashed blue green then red When the
reached the two friends they pulled back their hoods revealing their
heads.

It was two beautiful women that Willow guessed were about 25 or 30 the
third figure caught and held her attention. It was a man, he wasn't tall
or particularly handsome but Willow found him irresistible there was an
ageless quality about him, he had long brown hair and a full beard both
streaked with grey and a slight smile that seemed permanent but his most
arresting feature were his kind hazel eyes that seemed to glow with
alight of their own.

"Who are you?" Willow asked finally her voice squeaking from a mixture
of couriousity and fear.

"Relax little Wyccan " the man said his deep resonant voice wrapping
around Willow like a warm comforting blanket
"Our people have been caring for you kind since the age of Chaos."

Willow didn't know why but she felt safe and secure. Her eyelids became
heavy and Willow felt herself drifting off.

"What about the wizard?" Willow heard one of the women ask as she fell
asleep.

"He still denies his true nature" the man's voice answered "We will have
to return for him at another time. They need us more than he does"

That was all Willow heard before she was enveloped by the black velvet
abyss of sleep.

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That's it for now.
I tried a different way of printing it hope it works. Until next part.
Latter
Alex
...............................................................No matter
where you go - there you are.

If you hurt her I'll beat you to death with a shovel. ~Willow~.