Ghost
by sailor80
5
[reviews]
Willow climbed on a barstool and Buffy stood beside her. Before the others could speak, Willow said, "Our house, our rules. First," she looked at Dawn, "I don't want to know what you found. Second, we're going to do a spell, and you're going to help or you can wait here. We'll decide what to do next after that."
Willow turned to Buffy. "It won't hurt. It's just so I can see what you see." She took Buffy's hand and pulled it against her chest. "All you need to do is be still. Can you do that for me?"
"Willow?" Buffy asked uncertainly. She hated magic, had hated it ever since Willow brought her back. It was one of the things between them that confused Buffy the most. She remembered applauding Willow's magic use, encouraging her to practice. She had wondered many nights, staring at the sky without seeing it, what would have happened if she had been indifferent to Willow's interest.
"I promise, Buffy." Willow held Buffy's palm against her chest, knowing Buffy felt her heartbeat. "I need Faith and Dawn to help, and the others if they want to."
"Not," Buffy said. She didn't want Xander or Giles any closer to her than they were at this moment. Or Dawn, for that matter, who had stood up and told Buffy that it was her house, too, and Buffy had to leave. "Can we do it ourselves?"
"I need the others."
"Just Faith," Buffy whispered, blind to their looks. Faith had been as low as Buffy was, and no longer feared those things about herself. Whatever Faith saw, she would keep to herself. Buffy felt a lingering responsibility for Dawn, and wanted to protect her from that darkness.
Willow looked at Buffy for several seconds. "I'll try," she said quietly, and slid down from the stool, still holding Buffy's hand. They went into the gym, and Faith followed a few seconds later. She closed that door and went through the open one on the other side of the room.
When she closed the door, it became the safest place Faith had ever been. She looked at Buffy and Willow, standing in the center of the room. A blue-green circle shimmered around their feet, and it spread outward while Faith watched. Willow held out her hand and Faith carefully put her own in it before stepping into the circle.
"Damn, Red," Faith said in a low voice.
Willow ignored her. "All you need to do is lay down with your head in my lap," she told Buffy in the same low tone she had used to persuade Buffy to permit this. Willow sank cross-legged onto the floor, and Buffy followed her down. She put her head in Willow's lap and looked up at her. "I love you," Willow said, and leaned down to kiss Buffy.
Buffy closed her eyes and concentrated on Willow's lips against hers. Her body fell away, and she felt like she was floating. She vaguely heard Willow's instruction to Faith, and felt Faith's fingers at her temples. Then, she forgot everything.
It seemed like nothing was happening, but it was one of the greatest rushes Faith had ever felt. She sat behind Willow, her arms around the redhead's waist to reach Buffy. Their hearts fell into the same rhythm, and Willow hummed something so old that Faith knew it in her bones.
When she opened her eyes, they were surrounded by people. Faith didn't recognize most of them, only the two blond women closest to Buffy. She waited for Willow to take the lead.
Willow couldn't say anything for a long time. She looked at Tara's face, and that bit of her heart she thought healed burst open again. She worked to control herself, to stay in sync between the Slayers, but choked on Tara's name anyway. Willow was glad when Faith took over for a second, challenging them, "What do you want?"
"What's ours," came the whispers of dozens of voices.
"She's not yours, not yet."
"Ours."
Willow stepped up. "Mine," she said firmly. She moved her hand under Buffy's sweater, between her breasts, and held it there. She looked first at Tara, and her tone changed, softened. "Mine."
"What's hers is yours," Tara answered.
"Then leave her alone."
Tara's smile, at once gentle and cynical, preceded her answer. "She doesn't let us rest."
"She can't let us to rest," Jenny Calendar said. Her head remained at the angle Angelus left it, but her eyes were the same warm brown Willow remembered, and she looked away, into Joyce Summers' blue eyes, the same eyes that followed her from Dawn's face.
"It's true, dear," she said, looking down at Buffy. "She never liked to get rid of anything."
Willow struggled with the spell again, to keep the power balanced. She felt Faith's steady strength behind her, and Buffy's heartbeat pulsed against her palm, up her arm, to her own heart and back to Faith's.
"She knows where she needs to go," Tara said.
"Come back," they all whispered, and Willow came out of the trance with a start. She stared down at Buffy, sleeping, and stroked her cheek. Her other hand remained over Buffy's heart.
Faith didn't move except to breathe. Something had happened, and she had missed it. The pulse in Buffy's temple was strong, but Willow was breathing unevenly. "Willow."
She twitched again, shocked into full awareness by Faith's use of her name. "We're all right," Willow answered.
"The hell we are. What the fuck was that? Who were those people?"
"Not people, not any more," Willow answered. After a few seconds, she said, "You can leave now."
"Not until you tell me what's goin' on," Faith said firmly.
Willow's composure cracked and she laughed hysterically for half a minute. She drew a deep breath and tried to gather her scattering thoughts. "I don't know exactly. Something not good." After a few more seconds, she asked, "What does the prophecy say?" Willow asked.
"Dunno. I don't pay attention until Dawn's talking about what to kill."
Willow concentrated on Buffy again. "She needs to rest."
"So do you."
"You, too," Willow answered.
"I'm good," Faith said, meaning it for the first time in longer than she wanted to remember. Willow's workroom relaxed and energized her. Her fingers remained at Buffy's temples, and Faith realized she was feeding some of that energy into the other Slayer. "Rest," she whispered, and Willow leaned back against her. They would stay there as long as it took.
Two rooms away, Dawn continued to work at the computer while Xander lost the same game over and over. Giles read, and each time the house made a noise, the three of them raised their eyes to the door. Giles tired first, and went up to bed, and Xander followed soon after. Dawn waited two more hours, trying to find the original prophecy to avoid translation problems, before she, too, went up to sleep in a strange bed.
Faith enjoyed the nearness of Willow and Buffy. Except when she fought, she didn't let anyone touch her. She had given up sex after Robin left, and funneled that drive into fighting. Like Anya, she enjoyed talking about sex, mostly because it made the others uncomfortable. She had liked Anya, Faith remembered. She usually hated to reminisce; so much of it made her angry or sad beyond words. She was safe here, and unlike Buffy, memories alone couldn't hurt her.
They stayed there through the night. When Buffy woke, her eyes met Faith's over Willow's shoulder. Buffy nodded, and Faith shook Willow gently. Willow woke immediately and bent down to kiss Buffy. Faith scooted away from them.
Buffy ended their kiss and got up slowly. She pulled Willow up and steadied her. She felt good, and its familiarity was a relief. Again, she looked over Willow's shoulder at Faith. Faith nodded this time, and went to the door first. Buffy gave Willow a tiny push, and they filed from one empty room to the next.
Dawn's laptop was still open on the bar, her note pad beside it. Willow went there first and quickly absorbed all the information Dawn had found. She felt the Slayers waiting impatiently behind her. "Go get breakfast or something," she said, and they went quietly up the stairs.
Willow backtracked through Dawn's research, then went over all of it again. Her experience filled in the blanks Dawn had missed, and Willow stood completely still, uncertain what to do next. Her heart pounded. Everything was clear to her. She took a deep breath and found her center before joining Buffy and Faith in the kitchen.
The others wandered in soon, drawn by the smells of coffee and food. Willow let them eat. Her stomach was in knots, and she stayed beyond Buffy's reach so her apprehension wouldn't transfer.
She would tell Buffy alone, Willow decided. Faith finished eating and stretched before getting up to put her plate in the sink. "I need some sleep," she announced, and left them. Buffy stood up next, and joined Willow near the counter. "Us, too," she said, not caring what the others thought. She pulled Willow along to the bedroom.
They stripped and got under the covers. Willow turned on the electric blanket for Buffy and they settled against each other. Buffy yawned. "Did the spell work?"
"Yes."
"Am I crazy or what?"
"You're not crazy."
"I'm not likin' your tone."
"There's a prophecy," Willow said slowly.
"I knew it."
"I didn't know, I swear."
Buffy looked at her, and saw the truth in her eyes. "I don't want to know about it now. Just shut up and kiss me."
"I love you so much," Willow whispered.
"I know."
"We'll make it better," Willow promised, and Buffy nodded. Willow kissed Buffy gently, and Buffy pulled Willow as close as she could.
Faith wanted to sleep, but couldn't. She still felt connected to Buffy and Willow, and ached with wanting to be touched. She closed her eyes, and that made it worse, because her imagination showed what they were doing with each other. She heard footsteps on the stairs, and sat up, grateful for the distraction.
Dawn sat down beside her. "What went on in there?"
"Talkin' mostly."
"There had to be something else. Buffy looks so much better."
"You know I don't know shit about magic."
"You don't have to know to tell me what happened," Dawn said patiently. She had been dealing with Faith long enough to understand how to get information from her.
Faith sighed when she realized Dawn wasn't going to leave the subject. "Red asked to see what B sees, and we did."
"Well?" Dawn demanded.
"People. Lots of people. All talkin' at her all the time."
"Who?"
Faith shrugged. "I didn't recognize most of them."
"Who did you recognize?"
Faith sighed again. "Your mom and Tara."
At the mention of those women, Dawn felt 14 again for a moment. "You saw my mom? What did she say?"
"She said Buffy's a packrat."
Dawn choked a small laugh. "Not any more."
"Guess not." Faith looked at Dawn. "What's the prophecy?"
"I'm still not sure. It has something to do with the Sunnydale Hellmouth, but I haven't been able to get any further. That's why I came down. I'm not bothering you, am I?"
"No." Faith was glad for Dawn's distraction. It distanced her from the back and forth between the couple upstairs. Faith felt one particularly torrid moment, and thought to herself that she would have to have a talk with Willow about how to shut it off.
"Is she ever going to come home?" Dawn asked.
"She is home," Faith answered.
Giles and Xander stayed at the kitchen table even after Dawn left. "Giles," Xander said to get his attention.
Giles looked up from his tea. "Yes, Xander."
"What's going on here?"
"I truly don't know."
"Buffy doesn't want us here."
Giles sighed and removed his glasses, using his habit to buy time before answering. Finally, he agreed with Xander. "No, it appears she doesn't."
"So why are we staying?"
"Are you so eager to abandon her again?"
"I didn't abandon anybody," Xander said defensively.
"Convenient memory lapses," Giles murmured, and looked at Xander. "If you were Buffy, would you want to see us?"
"Yes," Xander answered without hesitation.
"Why?"
"Whaddya mean, why? We're family."
"Do you wish to see your family?"
"This is my family," Xander said firmly.
"Then god help our enemies." Giles replaced his glasses.
"What?"
"If I were Buffy and I saw us coming, I would turn and go another way."
"She did that, and look what it got her."
"Indeed."
"She woulda been better with us."
"Do you truly believe that?"
"Yes."
Giles looked down into his mug, trying to read the message in the leaves settled at its bottom. "I don't think so," he said slowly, remembering when he first became their watcher and guardian. The three of them were children, by turns rambunctious and petulant, always racing from one crisis to another. Buffy, now a shadow of the woman she was supposed to be, wanted nothing to do with him, and he didn't blame her one bit. He knew, too, that Willow was Buffy's only hope, and he would have prayed if he thought any entity gave a damn what he wanted, that Willow could succeed where Buffy alone had failed.
"I said, why not?" Xander repeated impatiently. "We wouldn't let her be self destructive."
Giles just looked at Xander, wondering at his blind spot about Buffy. "When did we ever let her do anything? Or prevent her from doing exactly as she wished and the consequences be damned?"
Xander wavered as he tried to recall any instance where Buffy had done anything except what she wanted, and came up with only one. He knew he should feel ashamed for what he had said to Buffy that night, but didn't. He always spoke his mind to her, knowing as he did so that hers was made up.
"Guys, this is messed up." Dawn said from the doorway. She balanced her laptop in her hands, and Faith trailed her to the table. Dawn put the monitor so Giles could see it, and she and Faith stood at either side of him.
"What am I looking at?"
"It's from the Slayer Codex, the first one," Dawn told him.
"Ah." Giles looked at the pages, but it was in one of the languages he didn't speak, so he looked up at Dawn.
"What does it say?"
"We didn't close the Hellmouth," Willow said from the hallway. Buffy was beside her. They were both completely dressed, holding hands.
Buffy looked at Willow curiously as they entered the kitchen. "We saw it," she said.
"*We* didn't close it," Willow repeated.
"And an earthquake wasn't enough to do the job?" Faith asked.
"No." Willow sighed.
"What do we have to do?" Buffy asked. Just before Willow said the words, Buffy heard them.
"Go back to Sunnydale."
"Oh, fuck me," Faith whispered while they all stared at Willow.
"You're not going," Willow said. "None of you. You can stay here as long as you want before you go home."
"I'm coming," Faith said firmly.
"No," Willow said.
At the same time, Buffy said, "Yes."
They looked at each other, Willow frowning a little. "Are you sure?" Willow asked.
"Hell, yeah," Faith answered, while Buffy nodded. Faith left the kitchen, taking the stairs two at a time to the basement to grab her things before the other two snuck off without her.
Willow looked at Dawn. "You did good, Dawnie. I never would have found that."
"Willow, you can't be serious. Let us take care of it."
"I can't do that, Dawn," Buffy answered. "I can't let anyone else die because I didn't do my job."
"Buffy, no," Dawn insisted. She reached for her cell phone, but Giles stopped her from removing it from her pocket.
"The prophecy says she must close the Hellmouth," Giles guessed.
"They, actually, but it isn't clear who the other person is," Willow said.
"We're covered either way." Faith reappeared, holding her bag and coat. "Three's always a lucky number."
"You're going now?" Xander asked incredulously. "Buffy hasn't said three words to anybody, and now you're taking off?"
"Be careful," Giles said.
Willow nodded, and she and Buffy left the room, Faith behind them.
"We on a deadline?" Faith asked.
"Aren't we always?" Willow gave Faith her keys and got in the back seat with Buffy. Her courage wavered as Faith drove down the lane, and Willow lay down and put her head in Buffy's lap. Buffy began to stroke her hair, and wished for the heat to come on. They had been warm in bed. Buffy felt herself beginning to thaw as she realized that Willow wouldn't leave her again.
Once they were on the paved county road, Faith looked into the rearview mirror. Buffy looked back at her while her hand continued to move in Willow's hair.
"We shoulda known, B."
"My bad," Buffy offered.
"Nobody's fault, just a mistake. We were running for our lives," Willow said. She didn't want either woman accepting more blame. They had taken so much all ready. Faith was better at hiding her guilt than Buffy, but they needed to stay focused on what was to come, not what had been.
"Mine, too," Faith said. "I shoulda sent a team out to check it. They're at all the other hellmouths, even the dormant ones."
"It doesn't matter," Willow said. "We'll close it and then we can get on with our lives."
"How do we close the hellmouth?" Buffy asked, her voice nearly a whisper because she feared she all ready knew the answer.
"There's a spell," Willow said, not wanting them to worry yet. She closed her eyes and wondered exactly what would happen if they turned around and got back in bed and pretended they'd never heard of these things. If she let someone else do the dirty work, would she have Buffy for that much longer?
Willow's hair was soft against Buffy's hand, softer still when it trailed down her body behind Willow's kisses. Buffy wondered why she had to be chosen again, and saw the answer when she looked at her free hand, coated in blood. It was always about blood, who had it and who needed it.
Faith drove and pondered her life, why it led back to Sunnydale, and whether she could leave it for good this time. It was the darkest place in the world to her, darker than Boston, darker than prison. Every time she went to Sunnydale, she got her ass handed to her on a platter with a side order of getting the shit kicked outta her. She had wanted to hurt them so much when she woke from her coma and found the world changed, and had been surprised to find she had limits to her wanton destruction. Instead of seducing Willow, and Faith wanted her badly, she had fucked Riley, figuring that was the next best way to hurt Buffy.
They hadn't been on the road long when the sedan pulled up behind them, lights flashing and horn blaring. Faith sighed and pulled over. They always had to have this final scene. Faith got out of the car, but Buffy and Willow stayed in the back seat.
Buffy heard the discussion clearly. It wasn't so much a discussion as Dawn telling Faith she had dispatched a team and Faith ordering her to call them back.
"It doesn't say you have to do it," Dawn insisted.
"Now," Faith answered impatiently. "You do some more research. It'll talk bullshit about the slayer divided and the witch balanced between the dark and the light, and it'll be almost too late because you won't listen."
Buffy closed her eyes. This same discussion had played out so many times over the years. She wanted them to skip the drama so she could do her job and let whatever had to happen, happen. She pushed a button and the window lowered. Buffy yelled, "We're wasting time."
Faith nodded. "Go home, Dawn." She turned and came back to the SUV and returned to the driver's seat. She put it in gear and pulled back onto the road before buckling her seatbelt. The next time she looked in the mirror, the road behind them was empty.
They didn't talk for a long time as Faith drove west, knowing by instinct where to go. She looked in the mirror and saw Buffy's closed eyes, and checked to make sure the other Slayer was sleeping before asking Willow, "What's the deal with the spell?"
"We'll talk about it later," Willow said. She was deep in her own thoughts, trying to find a way to meet the requirements of the prophecy and have all of them survive the encounter when something occurred to her. "I thought you said you didn't pay attention to prophecies until it got to the part about killing."
"Oh, please. What else would it say? That's who we are, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"So, you wanna hear my guess?" Faith kept her voice low, unwilling to disturb Buffy.
"Sure."
"We need to find a way for the slayer to be whole, and you need to get back on the right side of the fight."
"All right, idea girl, how do we do that?"
"That's your department. I just kill things."
Willow smiled. "I have some ideas, but we need to talk about them together. Let me know when you're tired and I'll take over."
"We can switch when we stop for gas. Won't be long." Faith shifted in the seat glad that Willow had purchased the deluxe model.
They stopped within an hour. While Willow filled the tank, Buffy and Faith hit the restroom. Buffy relieved Willow at the pump, and when the tank was full, joined she and Faith in the convenience store. They left with a bag each, mostly drinks and junk. Faith got in the back seat this time, and shrugged when Buffy joined her there.
Willow drove this time, the cruise control set to keep them in traffic. Buffy and Faith ate and drank, but didn't talk. When Faith began to fade out, Buffy pulled her down so that her head rested in her lap as Willow's had done before. They joined hands, bloody palm to bloody palm, and while Faith slept, Buffy stroked her hair. She and Willow looked at each other in the mirror. Buffy couldn't read her expression, but there was no mistaking the affection in her voice when she said, "You need to sleep, too."
Buffy nodded, and turned up the heat before putting her head back and closing her eyes.
Each time they stopped, they changed drivers. The front passenger seat remained empty, The next time she was in the back, Willow made Buffy lay down. Willow looked out the window, seeing nothing. She hoped they would arrive before Dawn's team. Willow wasn't certain that Buffy could handle the carnage they would find if they were late.
Just before 11 a.m., Faith pulled off the road. They were just outside the last town before Sunnydale, having passed half a dozen warnings about the road ending. She turned and looked at Willow. "What now?"
"Hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, anything."
Faith nodded and pulled back onto the road. Buffy looked at Willow. "Why can't we just go and do it?"
"There's something we need to do first."
"After," Buffy said firmly.
"Something else," Willow answered, keeping her face neutral.
Faith pulled in at the office of a Motel 6. Willow jumped out and got them a room. When she returned, she directed Faith to the rear of the building. There were no cars back there and no one nearby to hear what they were going to do.
Willow led them into the room and locked the door. She pointed at the one queen size bed, and Faith and Buffy sat beside each other. Their expressions were identical, and Willow allowed herself a small smile.
"Faith had a point," she began, "when she was talking to Dawn about the prophecy. It does say pretty much what Faith said it would. The second part has to do with how we close the Hellmouth. We can't go in without a plan, and we can't go in with the slayer divided."
"I don't think we really have time for a heart to heart," Buffy said with a small frown.
"We need to take a little time now. You two need to work it out. I don't care how. I'm going out for a while to do what I need to do, and when I come back, there better be two healthy, happy slayers."
Buffy got up and crossed the room. She stood inches from Willow. "What are you saying?"
Willow didn't answer. She flooded her link between both women with the love that supported her relationships with them, then kissed Buffy quickly and backed out of the room.