Choose
by sailor80
Ten
[reviews]
Quentin Travers carefully closed and locked the door behind himself. He had the Slayer's witch. That was sure to make her compliant. He smiled to himself and spun the key ring on his finger as he climbed the stairs. Before opening the door to the hall, he composed a dispassionate face. He didn't notice the faint blue glow behind his knee.
* * *
Dawn was asleep when the sun first touched the tree line. Buffy carefully moved her arm. When she tried to move Tara's the witch resisted. "You need to rest," she said.
"I need to find Willow."
"It's only been two hours."
"Tara please don't do this."
"Do what?"
"Try to stop me."
"I'm not stopping you. Just d-delaying you."
"Why?"
"I'm not ready to go yet."
"You're not going. One missing witch is plenty."
"I am going." Tara was firm without being argumentative. "You're going to need my help. And Dawn's. At least she has sense enough to sleep."
"I won't hurt her." Buffy looked at her sleeping sister.
"We won't hurt her," Tara agreed. "And we'll get W-willow back."
"How? We don't know where to look."
"I think I do."
"Where?"
"The n-nether realms. Like W-willow did when Faith changed bodies with you. I th-think that's what the prophecy means."
"Let's go." Buffy tried again to sit up.
"We need to get ready first."
Buffy groaned, and Dawn stirred next to her. Tara reached over smoothed her hand across Dawn's forehead and she stilled. Tara sat up, then got out of bed. Buffy followed her. They walked to the table to talk quietly.
"We need a circle. And someone outside it to watch for us."
"Xander," Buffy said. Tara nodded. "Where does Dawn fit in?" Buffy asked.
"I'm not sure." Tara looked across the room, then back at Buffy. "Go get ready. Take a shower, put on something comfortable, come back with something you associate with Willow." Buffy nodded. "Go," Tara urged.
She picked up the phone when Buffy left and dialed Xander and Anya's room. She told Anya, briefly, what they had planned.
"You might want to check with Giles first," Anya suggested. "He translated more of the prophecy."
"Bring him when you come," Tara told her, and hung up the phone. She went to her room to shower and change.
An hour later, everyone was assembled in Dawn's room. The door was locked behind them. Anya and Tara were drawing the circle. Xander and Dawn watched. Giles continued reading. He had made little progress in deciphering the rest of the page. It looked like it was separate from the prophecy. He hoped he was correct and continued to study.
The circle nearly complete, Dawn, Buffy, and Tara entered. Anya closed it behind them. "Stay awake," Tara told Dawn. She began to chant, lighting incense at certain points. Before long, she and Buffy fell against each other.
Buffy had been in complete darkness only once before. She looked around, and saw Tara next to her. They clasped hands and began to walk.
"Where are we going?" Buffy asked.
"Where our heart leads," Tara answered. "Don't let go." She squeezed Buffy's hand.
Tara's next step started their descent. They fell silently. Buffy tried not to think about the last time her body had done this. She had wanted Willow, then, as well. The warmth of Tara's hand in hers stopped her from being scared. Tara loved Willow, too, and together they would get her back.
Tara took another step and they were walking again. Buffy heard voices, but couldn't make out what they said. She saw a point of light in the distance. She squinted at it and pulled Tara forward.
It was so far away. They ran only a few steps and were there. It was a column of light, mostly white, but every other color, too. "The one you seek is not here." The sound was everywhere, and the words made Buffy tense up.
"We'll wait," Tara said mildly.
"She cannot come to you."
"We'll wait," Tara repeated.
"She is beyond your reach."
"We'll wait."
"She cannot come here."
"That so?" Tara asked calmly.
"She is prevented from coming."
"But not barred."
"Her path is clear, when she reaches it. The one who holds her does not understand."
"Who has her?" Buffy demanded.
"She is not here."
"I got that. Where" Tara tugged Buffy's hand, drawing an irate, "What?"
"We need to go. It won't tell us anything else." Tara took a step back and pulled Buffy with her.
Not seeing any choice, the Slayer followed her.
* * *
Willow was shaking. The itch for magick scrabbled at every nerve and caused her to shiver. It called to her with each heartbeat. She refused to give in. She had promised Buffy.
The door opened and Willow hoped it would be Buffy. But it was Travers again, smirking at her.
"Miss Rosenberg."
She ignored him.
"The Slayer is quite distraught at your absence. All of your friends are researching feverishly."
"What do you want?"
"The Slayer. She'll come to me in good time."
"I wouldn't want to be you when she does."
Travers chuckled. "She won't hurt me."
"I will." Willow raised her hand. A purple ball left it and moved toward Travers. It bounced away from him. Willow caught it easily and folded her hand around it. It disappeared.
"You really shouldn't have done that." Travers smile was gleeful. He took half a step closer to the door. Something dark slithered past him, and he stepped into the corridor, pulling the door closed behind him.
Willow swallowed hard. Whatever it was circled her slowly. She put up a shield and it flowed over it, then into the stone. She felt the coldness half a second before the pain began at her ankles.
* * *
"They're not waking up." Dawn's voice was tight with panic.
"They will," Anya assured her.
"I'm awake, Dawnie," Buffy said groggily.
"Well?"
Buffy ignored the question while she moved. Her butt was numb and her shoulders ached. She reached her hands up to massage Tara's.
"Mmmmm." Tara slowly moved her head around. She opened her eyes. Buffy's were the first thing she saw. Tara pushed hair off Buffy's face. "You ok?" she asked, so quietly that only Buffy heard.
Buffy nodded once. She squeezed Tara's collarbones once and pulled back. She stretched, leaning backward and looking up. She blinked once to clear her vision but it was still there. "Tara, are you doing that?"
"Doing what?"
"That."
Tara looked up. "It's not me." She got to her feet hastily and dismissed the circle. Buffy took the hand she offered and stood, too.
"Willow?" Tara asked uncertainly.
The blue light bobbed, then dimmed.
Buffy's eyes widened and she looked to Tara. Tara was frowning. The blue light flared brightly, then disappeared. Tara frowned.
"That's not good, is it?" Buffy asked.
"No." Tara drew a deep breath. She needed time to think, but she didn't think there was much before something bad happened to Willow. They had experimented with the spell hundreds of time, and it had never done that. Still, Willow had reached them once, even if she couldn't get to the nether realms. First, she realized, she had to calm Buffy. She felt the panic rolling off her. Tara squeezed Buffy's hand as hard as she could. "We'll find her," she said in a voice far calmer than she felt.