Shades of Darkness
by zingrrrl
Shades of Darkness
[reviews]
Title: Shades of Darkness
Author: Zinerva
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and Fox Television own all things Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'm just borrowing for my own amusement.
Pairing: Willow/Buffy eventually.
Rating: Mature 18 for violence and language.
Author's Note: Transcripts used are from the Buffy vs Angel website.
Author's Note2: This is my answer to a challenge posted on the Buffy Wants Willow list awhile back by Steven Sellnow.
Here's a What If for you: Instead of Tara dying because of Warren's madness, what if it was Dawn?
Must Haves:
1. Dawn dies in front of Buffy in the yard by Warren's temper tantrum. Due to Buffy's injuries from patrol, she's a little too slow to save Dawn. Bonus points for Dawn saying something to Buffy that's meaningful (could be anything from "I love you", to her being happy to be the one saving BUFFY for a change)
2. Buffy goes DARK. She's been hurt, and the only she cares about is killing the author of her pain. She has to kill Warren in a way as bad or worse than what Willow did to him in canon. Whether she manages to kill the other two idiots is up to you, as well as whether she tries to destroy the world.
3. When her friends nearly stop her the first time, she reaches deep and accesses the Primal side of herself; the result is she gains ALOT of Power. The reason she gets this power could be the result of a spell she gets cast for her, or it could be the consequence of her resurrection making her something more than a Slayer.
4. Willow (or Willow/Tara if you're feeling up to an eventual threesome pairing in any possible Sequels) is the only one to be able to stop Buffy at the end. Whether victory entails a super-smackdown or a Xander type saving the world, or something else altogether is up to you.
5. Buffy's tapping of her power the way she did carrying permanent effects. These effects will require Buffy to leave Sunnydale at least for a while in an attempt to understand and master what she has/is becoming.
Optional (please pick at least two):
1. Angel showing up with his crew to try and help due to Cordelia having a vision of Dawn's death and Buffy's reaction. Bonus points for Buffy handing them a smackdown. More bonus points for having Faith and Cordelia getting Visions and Dreams of the sheer scope of the potenial disaster.
2. Buffy needing to 'power up' in a way similar to what Willow did in canon. The result should result in the death of at least three beings that are not scoobies. The beings can be some of the more powerful demons, sorcerers, or both. Major Bonus points for Giles pulling the same trick on Buffy that he did on Willow, trick her into trying to drain him, and feeding her energy that links her to everything.
3. Buffy's recovery including a stay with the Coven; MAJOR bonus points for Willow or Willow/Tara going as well, both to learn things themselves as well as to help keep Buffy stable.
4. Faith being given a shot at proving she's gotten back on track. Bonus points for Faith maybe saying or doing something that helps Buffy start to come to terms with what has happened (After all, Faith's been on the dark side of things, could give insight that you can only get by having been there yourself).
-one-
The late morning sun hung high in the clear turquoise sky, harshly bright and somewhat oppressive to Buffy's already bad mood. She held a long, almost straight stick in one hand, poking a lot of deep holes into the weed infested lawn as she walked slowly around her back yard. I should have staked the bastard! she screamed in her head. Tries to rape me! Who the fuck does Spike think he is? Fucking pig bastard. I'm going to stake his sorry ass next time I see him. As she neared the tree she stopped poking the stick too deep, not wanting to damage any roots. She turned suddenly toward the back door as it swung open.
Buffy's sister Dawn popped out the door and down the porch. "Xander, she's out here!" she shouted over her shoulder as she headed toward her sister.
"What are you doing Buffy?" Dawn asked.
"Just making sure there's no more Evil Trio cameras. Or Evil Uno," Buffy answered.
"The sinister yet addictive card game?" Xander asked as he stepped out into the backyard. He smiled at Buffy, chuckled.
"Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew got klinked, but Warren pulled a Rocket Man. It was a thing," Buffy said, hoping his smile meant he'd forgiven her for the whole screwing Spike fiasco.
"You'll find him. He won't be much good without his friends," Xander said.
"No. He won't," Buffy said softly, barely above a whisper.
An awkward silence followed. Buffy looked down at her feet, suddenly captivated by her fire engine red canvas Converse sneakers. Xander's face scrunched up, looking like he was struggling for something.
"How did we get here?" Xander asked, finely breaking the silence.
"Scenic route. Long drive," Buffy answered.
"These last few weeks ..."
"I know." Buffy sighed as she spoke. She was tired, god was she tired. Mostly she was tired of pushing her friends away. She needed them.
"I thought I hit bottom, but... It hurt. That you didn't trust me enough to tell me about Spike. It hurt," Xander said.
"I'm sorry. I should have told you."
"Maybe you would have. If I hadn't given you so many reasons to think I'd be an ass about it."
"Guess we've both done a lot of things lately we're not proud of."
"Think I got you beat."
"Wanna compare?"
"Not so much."
Buffy and Xander looked at each other for a moment.
:I don't know what I'd do ... without you and Will," Xander said.
"Let's not find out," Buffy said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugging him tightly. He sobbed quietly once and Buffy felt the tension ease out of him as he let go of his pain and anger.
"So, you two all right? Best friends again?" Dawn asked, her grin wide.
Xander nodded, said, "yes."
"I love you. You know that. Right?" Buffy asked.
Xander looked at her, his lips parting, words about to spring forth in a reply when suddenly his eyes bugged out in horror. "Buffy!"
Buffy spun around and saw Warren standing about ten feet away in the direction of the back gate, a large, black, automatic handgun in his hand. She took in her surroundings with dismay. Xander was behind her, but Dawn was off to her side, a few feet away, in a likely position to take a stray bullet. Buffy froze, not sure what to do. She didn't like feeling like this, especially if Dawn was the one in danger. Spike had hurt Buffy a lot worse than she'd let on so she was unable to move quickly enough to Warren before he pulled the trigger.
"You think you can just do that to me?" Warren shouted. "That I'd let you get away with it? Think again!"
Faster than Buffy could move he pointed the gun at her and squeezed off three rounds.
Dawn dove for Buffy, shoving her sister to the ground, putting herself in the line of fire as all three bullets slammed into her back. She fell to the ground face first. Warren ran from the yard, sprinting out the gate, not looking back, not knowing whom he'd killed.
"Oh god, Dawn!" Xander shouted.
Buffy jumped to her feet, landing at Dawns side, kneeling beside the bleeding girl and turning her over. The three bullets that had entered through her back left three spurting exit wounds in the center of Dawns chest, quickly staining her light blue top a dark crimson.
"Dawn!" Buffy sobbed, black rivers of mascara colored tears streaked down her cheeks.
Dawn opened her mouth, gurgling blood. Her eyes dimmed, staring blankly up at the turquoise sky as her life spilled out onto the green and brown lawn. Shock paled her skin. Buffy gently stroked Dawn's cheek, repeating the words, "Please, no," over and over. Dawn coughed hard, blood splashing all over Buffy. Eyes fluttering, Dawn whispered,."I love you, Buffy." Her last breath.
"No!" Buffy wailed, sobs wracking her body, her tears turning to torrents. Xander knelt on the opposite side of Dawn, reached over the dead girl, and grabbed onto Buffy's forearm in an attempt at support.
"Buffy?" he questioned. She raised her head. He fell back on his butt when he saw her face. It wasn't Buffy's face anymore, it was different, like a mask twisted with soul wrenching agony and a deep burning anger. Her eyes burned, a swirling mass of reds and oranges.
"Warren must die," she said, standing, shrugging off Xander's arm. She ran in the direction Warren had headed, easily leaping over the fence without breaking stride.
"Oh, fuck," Xander said.
He turned around as the back door slammed open and a petite woman with fiery, shoulder length, wavy red hair came running out of the house. "No!" she screamed as she saw Dawn's lifeless body. She came to a stop at the dead girl's body. "Where's Buffy?" she asked in a panicked voice.
"I don't know, Willow. She said Warren must die and ran off," he answered.
Willow kneeled next to Dawn and began softly chanting in archaic Latin. Though the day was brightly sunny, thunder could be heard in the distance and thick gray clouds swirled over the backyard. A face - dark and terrible, a mask of power - slowly coalesced in the clouds.
Willow looked up at the face as tears streaked her own. "By Osiris, I beg you, restore the slayer's sister, please!" she pleaded. "She'll break. She can't handle this so soon ..."
"Witch!" the god of death's voice boomed. "You were allowed to storm the gates of heaven for the slayer because she died a mystical death. This is a human death by human hands. You will not interfere!" The clouds disappeared as the god of death vanished.
"Oh goddess, Xander. What are we going to do?"
"Will, you shouldn't be using magic," Xander said.
"I have to. We have to save Buffy."
"Will, she's not the one needing saving."
"From herself?" Willow sounded angry. Xander was being dense, as usual, and Willow had no patience for his inability to grasp the situation at the moment. "She'll destroy herself if she kills him. Our Buffy won't exist anymore. At best she'll be like Faith. Is that what you want for her?"
He shook his head. "I think I'd better go call Giles," he said, heading for the house.
"Don't forget 911," Willow said. "And you should probably call Angel too. We're probably going to need the back up."
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
"I'm going to the Magic Box, get some supplies. Try to do a locater spell."
He nodded and went into the house. Willow left through the side gate, hoping that she'd find Buffy before it was too late.
*---BtVS---*
Faith Lehane laid face up on the only bunk in her cell, sleeping restlessly, tossing and turning, her sheet and blanket kicked off her body, wrapped chaotically around her legs. Sweat beaded her face, dampening her long dark brown hair, the afternoon heat making its oppression felt. Small moans escaped her lips as her eyes rapidly fluttered under her eyelids in a speed freak's version of rem. She dreamed a Slayer dream, prophetic, a warning shot from the Powers That Be that a doom was coming, maybe even an apocalypse.
Disembodied, she found herself slowly walking the dark and dusty ruins of the old Sunnydale High. With visibility almost non existent, she relied on her Slayer senses to paint a picture of her surroundings. Deep in the basement, she new she was approaching the Hellmouth.
Faith stopped as just up ahead she made out the faint illumination of a battery powered lantern casting light over a small figure clad in black with collar length black hair kneeling beside the fissure in the basement floor that led directly to the Mouth of Hell. She heard the person — she was fairly certain it was a human woman — chant softly in what sounded to Faith like archaic Latin. The woman stood and picked up a small knife from the floor beside her, held the sharp end of the gleaming blade against her left palm and cut deeply. She held her hand over the fissure and let the blood drip down into the Hellmouth. Rays of light shot from the fissure as the ground shook. The woman turned towards Faith and Faith could finally make out her face. Buffy! Buffy was opening the Hellmouth! Oh God! What happened? Faith looked at Buffy's face, into her eyes, trying to read anything about why Buffy would commit this atrocity, violate everything the formerly good woman believed in. All Faith saw was a mask of insanity and rage. And a hatred she wasn't aware could exist in a human being, a hatred of all life, everywhere. Looking into that face, Faith knew Buffy was here for the sole purpose of murdering the world.
Faith sat up with a jerk, breathing heavily. I've got to get out of here, she thought, trying to shake her head awake. B's gonna fuck it all up!
*---BtVS---*
God, this place is great, Warren thought as he descended the stairs leading down into the dingy demon bar. Warren strutted to the bar, and with his shiny brown suit and dark shades, gave off a cocky attitude. "Whiskey, straight up," he ordered of the demonic bartender. Warren removed his shades as he sat on the barstool. "And get a round for the house. I'm feeling expansive."
The bartender looked at Warren without moving till Warren slapped two hundred dollar bills down on the worn bar. Nodding, the bartender turned to the alcohol and began pouring drinks.
"Hey," Warren said to the vampire in face sitting beside him, trying to make conversation. "Bet you don't get a lot of humans in ..."
The vampire turned to face Warren, his anger at being interrupted while watching his favorite crocodile show evident even through his demoniacally twisted features. "I'm watching my program," the vampire stated, grabbing Warren by the front of his jacket.
Warren shrugged and sat up straight, shoving the vampire's hands from his lapels. "Wouldn't want to interrupt your 'me' time. Not even to buy the guy who killed the Slayer a drink!"
"Huh?" questioned the vampire. "What's that?"
"Took her out myself," Warren bragged as the bartender sat drinks down in front of him. "I figure, now that Buffy's out of the picture, some things have got to change around here." Warren picked up his glass of whiskey and downed it in one gulp. He turned to bartender, signaled for another. "I need a real gang, you know, not a, not a couple of wannabes."
"And you killed the Slayer?" asked the bartender.
"With these hands," Warren said, holding his hand up for display.
"What are you, a warlock?" asked the vampire.
"It's funny you mention that," Warren said, smirking. "You know, I've explored all the dark arts ... witchcraft, demonology. You name it, I tried it against the Slayer. But you know what I found *really* works?"
Warren's smirk was diabolical as he whispered, "Gun."
The vampire grinned, revealing the tips of his fangs. "You killed the Slayer with a gun?" he asked.
"In her own backyard," Warren said. "Don't underestimate science, my friend. Good old-fashioned metal meets propulsion."
The demon bartender and the vampire laughed. Warren laughed with them, thinking their laughter was in celebration.
"Man, this is gonna be good," the bartender said to the vampire.
"Oh, the best. This town is ours," Warren said, clueless.
"Ours, maybe," the vampire said as he managed to stop laughing. "You are screwed."
"Huh?" Warren looked confused,
The vampire laughed uncontrollably.
"Metal meets propulsion, yeah," said the bartender. "But you still better be a good shot"
The bartender joined the vampire in laughter.
"This isn't the evil laugh of victory, is it?" asked Warren.
"More like the evil laugh of 'you're a dead man,'" the vampire wheezed between laughs.
Warren, visibly rattled, asked, "Okay, uh ... what, what's the joke?"
"It was just on the news. Girl was shot," said the bartender.
"In her back yard," the vampire added, grinning.
"Only, it was the Slayer's kid sister that bit the dust," the bartender said.
"Hey!" objected the vampire.
"Sorry," the bartender apologized.
Warren looked surprised. He felt stunned.
"I was gonna eat you myself during the commercial," the vampire said. "But now I think it'll be more fun to let the Slayer de-gut you."
Warren paled. Sweat beaded his forehead.
"Last one that went after the Slayer's sister was Glory," said the bartender. "Glory was a Hell God. Slayer killed her anyway."
"Might want to get a head start, my friend," the vampire said. "Cause this girl is gonna be coming for you, big time. What do you think someone who's earned the title 'God Slayer' is going to do to the likes of you?" The vampire asked the question with mirth. This human was facing an ass kicking of the ages, one the vampire longed to see. But he hadn't survived the last two hundred years by being stupid. He wasn't about to stick around and wait for a Slayer off the deep end to pop. Highly entertaining, sure. But volatile. Likely to end in death for all involved. He stood up and left.
*---BtVS---*
Cordelia Chase looked down at the brunette Slayer speeding up the pacific coast highway on a bulky old Harley Faith had stolen shortly after her escape from prison. From her viewpoint on a higher plane, Cordelia saw most of what was happening around Buffy. She'd never been able to communicate to Angel or any of her friends since she'd ascended, but Faith was different. A Slayer. So Cordy sent her a prophecy in the form of a Slayer Dream.
Cordy knew that as hard as they might try, a Slayer could not ignore a Slayer Dream. The vision would eat at Faith till she acted. A future that could still be changed, avoided, but only if the right pieces fell into place. Cordy had no idea what Faith's role would be, but as the Slayer she had rights, would play a role. As she watched Faith head for Sunnydale, she felt the shear boredom that was her plague here in the higher planes fade. This was going to be interesting.
CONT