Ages Apart
by dawnm
Playing Hooky
[reviews]
Title: Ages Apart
Author's Note: Please read and review. I'd love to know what you think of the story. Also, feel free to email me with any questions or comments if you like. Email: dawnm92@yahoo.com.
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Chapter 12 - Playing Hooky
Little more than an hour later, the obligatory call to Giles was done and Willow was scrambling about, gathering everything that was needed for the spell. In preparation, the warrior and bard changed back into their own clothes. Xena smiled, feeling like herself again, as she put on her armor and snapped her chakram into place at her side.
When they descended the stairs once again, Willow looked at Xena, now dressed in full battle dress, and realized then why she had found the warrior so intimidating at first. "I'm gonna need to take a picture of you two...for the spell." The redhead informed them. "And maybe one or two for Buffy and I to remember you by...if that's okay." She added with a shy smile.
"Why don't you guys stand here in front of the hearth?" Buffy suggested.
The warrior and bard followed the slayer's direction and Willow snapped the first photo. When the picture rolled out of the instant camera, the redhead held it for a moment until it finished developing, then handed it to Gabrielle who looked at it in disbelief. There they were, she and Xena, in living color. She passed it to the warrior who was equally impressed that the object in Willow's hands could produce an instant likeness of them.
"You can keep that one if you want." Willow offered. "I can make more." She said, indicating the camera in her hands.
"Thanks. This is amazing. Can you make one of you and Buffy? It would be so nice to have one...to remember you." The bard explained, with a note of sadness in her voice.
"Sure. Let me just take a few more of you guys first." Willow replied. After snapping a couple more shots of Xena and Gabrielle, the redhead asked, "Okay, which one of you wants to take our picture?"
"Go ahead, Gabrielle." Xena offered.
Willow showed Gabrielle how to use the camera before joining Buffy on the couch. Gabrielle took a minute lining up the shot before taking the picture. When it emerged from the camera, Xena held the photo, watching in amazement as the image appeared on the paper in front of her.
With that done, Willow laid out the necessary items on the living room floor while the others looked on. When everything was ready, she stood up and turned to Xena. "Okay, I think we're ready to begin."
"When we do this, that's it, isn't it? We won't be seeing you again?" Gabrielle asked.
"If it works right, you should be back home, pretty much when and where you were before Kronos sent you here." Willow clarified. "So...I guess this is goodbye." She said reluctantly.
"We'll miss you." Gabrielle said hugging first Willow and then Buffy. "It's been so wonderful getting to know you."
"I miss you already." Willow pouted, throwing her arms around the warrior who graciously accepted the hug, even though she rarely hugged anyone.
"Take care of yourself." Xena said, looking into Willow's eyes. "And take care of Buffy. She needs you to keep her in line."
"Hey, I resent that." Buffy interjected, feigning hurt. "It's true, but still..."
Buffy looked from Gabrielle to Xena. "I have to say...these past few days with you guys have been...well...strange." She joked. "Seriously though, it's been nice having you around, more than nice actually...really great." Buffy confided, genuinely sad to see them go. She extended her hand to Xena, who shook it before pulling the slayer into a fierce hug.
"I guess we should get started then." Buffy said sadly, stepping back a minute later.
"Right. What do you need us to do?" Xena asked.
"First, we have to sit in a circle, here on the floor. I'll light the candles and mix a few ingredients. Then we'll all join hands and close our eyes. I will recite the incantation. This spell should open a temporal fold, a portal, sort of like the one that brought you here but not exactly. You should know...it might be pretty intense. I tried a spell that opened a temporal fold once before and I saw all of these images...it's pretty powerful magick. Try not to be afraid. Just relax and focus on going home. Then Buffy and I have to pour the sacred sand over your picture. If all goes well...you'll be home. So...are we ready?"
Seeing nods all around, Willow showed them where to sit, then walked around lighting each candle before taking her seat on the floor between Buffy and Gabrielle, completing the circle. She added the eye of newt, chicken's feet, and other ingredients to the brass bowl in front of her. Then, she held out her hands and the others followed suit, all joining hands.
Willow closed her eyes, took a cleansing breath and tried to clear her mind before beginning the incantation.
Aradia, Goddess of the lost, I call on thee.
The child to the mother. The river to the sea.
Images flashed through Willow's mind, signaling her that the temporal fold was opening. Some rather disturbing pieces of Xena and Gabrielle's lives played out before her eyes.
The room crackled with energy as the portal grew. Unsteadily, Willow guided Buffy's hand with her own to the bottle of sacred sand. Together they picked it up and slowly poured it onto the picture that lay in the center of the circle. The images came more quickly then, flooding Willow's mind. She began to shake violently and within seconds, she blacked out, falling to the floor unconscious.
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Xena stirred and tried to sit up. The pain in her head was excruciating. She collapsed back to the ground and lay there for a moment before it registered that she was no longer in Willow's house. She tried again to rise, more slowly this time, and made her way to Gabrielle's side. The bard was lying on the ground nearby, moaning slightly. "Gabrielle, are you okay?"
"My head...is killing me." The bard complained, as she slowly opened her eyes. "We made it, Xena. We're home?" She asked in disbelief, realizing that they were indeed back in the forest where they had been before Kronos had appeared.
"Ohhhhhhhh." Buffy groaned, clutching her head as she tried to open her eyes. "What the...?" The slayer looked around trying to focus. She could make out a fuzzy figure that looked a lot like..."Xena?"
"Yeah, I'm here." The warrior replied, kneeling beside the slayer. "Something went wrong."
"Obviously...where are we?" Buffy asked.
"The Bacchae forest." Xena replied.
"Xena!" Gabrielle cried.
At Gabrielle's cry, Buffy sprang into action. She sat up then and saw Gabrielle kneeling beside Willow, trying, without success, to wake the redhead.
"Willow?" Buffy called, making her way over to the motionless redhead in record time. She fell to her knees beside the hacker, scanning her for any visible injuries. Finding none, she reached out lightly touching the base of her throat, and breathed a sigh of relief when she found a steady pulse. "She's alive." She told the warrior and bard. "She's unconscious. The spell must have taken a lot out of her."
"Is she going to be okay?" Gabrielle asked, leaning into Xena for support.
"I hope so." Buffy answered, cradling Willow in her arms. "Come on, Will, come back to us." She urged, brushing the hair back from the redhead's face and kissing her on the forehead. Buffy rocked Willow gently, talking softly to her, for a few minutes.
Finally, the redhead began to respond, moaning in pain as she fought her way back to the conscious realm. "Take it slow. It's okay." Buffy whispered, gently caressing Willow's cheek.
"Buffy?"
"I'm here, Will." She assured her. "How do you feel?"
"Not so good. My head...the spell...did it work?" Willow replied, slowly opening her eyes.
"Kind of." Buffy replied.
"What do you mean?" Willow asked, finally managing to open her eyes and focus on Buffy.
"Well...let's put it this way...know how you've always wanted to go to Europe?"
"Wha...?" Willow said, looking around as she struggled to sit up. "It can't be. Buffy...It can't. How could this happen?"
"I have no idea. I was hoping you could tell me." The slayer replied.
"I don't know...what are we going to do? This can't be happening. How are we going to get home?"
"Again, no idea."
"We've got to get back. School. The mayor's ascension. Oh, Buffy, you're here...that means..."
"I know. As long as I'm here...I'm not there. No slayer in 1999 means no one to fight the bad guys." Buffy noted.
"If we don't make it back before the ascension..."
"End of the world...yeah, I know." Buffy concluded.
"Aww, Buffy. I don't know what went wrong. I'm so sorry." Willow said, her green eyes brimming with tears.
"It's okay. Don't cry." Buffy urged, reaching out to wipe away the tear that trailed down Willow's cheek. "We'll figure something out. We always do. Right?"
The redhead nodded and tried to put on a brave face. "Well, you did say you wanted a vacation..." Willow pointed out.
Buffy chuckled. "Not quite what I had in mind."
~The End~
------------------------- Continued in the sequel "The Good, The Bad and The Fangy"