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"Your friends reflect who you are. Your enemies determine who you are
not" "The Phoenix rises from the ashes." ~~~~~~ Willows POV "It seemed like a lifetime, before they noticed I wasn't there. My name is Willow Rosenberg, and I watch the people I love most in the world, disintegrate before my eyes." ~~~~~~ "She's NOT breathing!!," screamed Cordelia, leaning over the still figure of Willow Rosenberg. Giles and Xander, temporarily forgot about Angel and rushed to her side. Buffy stayed her ground although she wanted to be with the rest. Angel made a move only to be stopped with the threatening saber held by his true love. "Stay where you are, Angel. We're not finished yet!" Panic seemed to fill the air, as Xander suddenly removed himself from Willows side, and jumped the prone Angel. He slammed his fist into Angels face, grabbing him by the lapels and hauling him to his feet. "What did YOU do to her, you son of a.." he yelled, fear rolling like waves around him. There was a desperate urgency to both men. Angel could only look at him dumbfounded. "Nothing! I, I..." Xander's eyes narrowed and he was about to take another punch, when Cordelia stopped him. "It's the barbs!" She cried out, before Willow's body was in the grip of a spasm, so violent that Giles called Xander back to hold her down. He let go of Angel, with a snarl, allowing him to fall back hard on the ground. Buffy held the sword in her hands tightly, a grim look turning to one of panic, as she watched her best friend loosing the battle for life. "Giles," Buffy gasped, when Willow finally settled. He felt for a pulse at the neck, then came down and searched for one on her wrist. "GILES!!!", Buffy called out, her voice a panic driven shriek. "Damn it!!". Giles hissed, as he stripped off his coat quickly, before he said anything. "Buffy, stay there, if this goes wrong we may need Angel after all." Then while the others looked on confused, he looked at Cordelia and Xander in distress. "Which one of you knows how to do CPR?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A primeval castle Angel Island San Francisco. Dr. Derek Rayne, Precept of San Francisco Legacy House, looked over the sprawling estate. 650 acres of the most exotic gardens. Phoenix palms, native ferns and Rata trees threw a dappled splendor over the lawns and quadrant outside the window of his very own personal San Francisco Island. To be precise - Angel Island. Usually, this inticing view helped to clear his mind. But not today. Thoughts turned to his friend, Father Philip Callaghan and the girl he had brought into Legacy House. His peace of mind was unsettled by the events of the last few days. In particular the Jamacian beauty named only "Kendra". He had had a chance to speak with her on brief occassions since her arrival and found her to be every bit as intriguing as he knew she would be. And frankly, Dereks curiosity to who she was, was peaking every moment. A hand gently rested on his shoulder, unexpectedly severing the dark thoughts scrambling into his minds eye. He turned slightly to see his prodigy, Head Researcher Alexandra Moreau, smiling somberly back at him. "You know who she is, don't you?" She said feebly, the knowledge of 'sight' making it unnecessary for either of them, at times, to guess at the outcome or not know the dangers they met. Derek simply nodded, turning back to the window. "The Vampire Slayer? Yes. I was unconvinced until a few hours ago, but now there is no doubt in my mind. To what she is now, however, I am still uncertain." Their conversation was interrupted by Phillip walking in. "You wanted to see me?" Derek motion him to sit down, to which he did. Alex waited to be asked to stay, which Derek did silently, motioning for her to sit opposite himself. "Where are Rachel and Nick?" "They stayed with Kendra, while I came down." There was a moments hesitation, as if he debated the next question. "You know what she is, don't you?" "What she was," Derek corrected gently, watching with concern, the handsome young mans features be drawn into a myriad of confusion. "Philip, this is important. If the chosen can *seem* to be compromised, we are in need of the whole truth to help her, you, and us as well. You don't have to carry this alone." The Precepts words touched his heart, but he still debated his loyalty to them and to her. In the end, his decision was already made. "What do you want to know?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Willows POV "The fire is gone, put out my the tears that are shed. I feel the astral plain slow and ebb around me - calling me to destinations unknown. It is then, that I push from this mortal coil and find my way home." ~~~~ Sunnydale, Angels burned Mansion. 15 minutes passed. "One thousand-one. One thousand-two, One thousand-three.." Giles counted out the CPR thrusts, before Xander breathed a puff of air into her mouth and down into her lungs. "One thousand-one. One thousand-two..." Cordelia threw the phone to the ground. "The lines are down!!, I can't get through!" Buffy erupted into anger. Xander held back his tears as best he could, but Giles was loosing the battle and he dared not even look towards Buffy. His world narrowed to his friends breathing. He lent down, his mouth barely inches from her forehead, placing a kiss there and a wish. "Breathe, Willow. Breathe." Giles cast a quick glance at Angel, backed into a corner with Buffy shaking, barely standing guard. He didn't know how to tell her, that the sweet girl they struggled to revive - had already gone. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Angel Island San Francisco. "My grandmother rang me the eve Philip brought her to the house." she explained. "Being from New Orleans, children knew well of the Vampyres, Demons and Warlocks that lay in wait for them. We were breastfed on the nightmare legends and ghost stories told to us to make sure we did as we were told, as only bad children would get taken away. Of course that wasn't true. But in these tales, these wild and dark desires, the hero would always be the chosen one. None of the children would know who it was, but they knew she was protected by the elders of every village, every city and town. Nan told me, the night she arrived, that it was now my turn to look after her. The Chosen." "I don't like the sound of that" Derek asked, leaning forward with worry. "What did she mean by 'up to you to look after her?'" Alex sighed. "I never truly believed in those legends, but when I got my 'sight' I soon did. Those old folks, the mages of our community who were always frightening to me as a child.. who represented 'superstition and nonsense' when I was a knowitall teenager - were the heroes and heroines that kept us from harm. And I knew I would be apart of that." "You *are*." Derek insisted, taking her hand in his to affirm his words. Alex met his eyes sadly. "If the future holds just a little of what Kendra is to face.. then I have not yet begun. You see, Nana wasn't placing Kendras safety and security on my shoulders only..." Alex' eyes sparkled brillantly, speaking volumes of her certainity. "She was speaking of all of us." ~~~~~~~~~ Sunnydale. "NNoooooooo!" Buffy cried out angrily, as she dropped the sword and rushed to Willows side. Giles tried to hold her back, but it was no use. It was Cordelia who restrained her. "Buffy! Damnit, would you listen... Angel is her only chance!", she argued, trying to calm her fellow slayer down. "If Angel can stop the poison, he can reverse her shutdown." Buffy stopped fighting, but she looked like she'd just been slapped. Xander came beside his friend, caught between revulsion at what he was about to suggest, and desperation for his friend who lay dying. "Look," he sputtered crossly, "you don't think this is tearing me up inside? You don't think that Giles is going through hell after what that 'monster' did to Jenny? To Kendra? - to you?" Buffy shook him away outraged. "She'll be a vampire! Have you thought of this?!" Giles was beside her then. "Yes, and no. If Angel can drain her blood with the poison in it, we can replace it with the pints of her blood that was taken today, for the blood drive, she will only be half-immortal. Amy has the power to curse her with a soul, if she has lost hers on awaking. But she will be alive!" Giles gathered her to him, and Buffy surrendered everything. Angel was allowed to kneel beside Willows still body. He took her up into his strong arms and let her head fall back, revealing her neck. Closing his eyes - he morphed into vampire face and descended. Truth, inescapable. Xander held Cordelia and they wept together. Giles held Buffy, buried in each other arms pretending not to see. Only Amy stood vigil and witnessed the most horrific and beautiful thing of all. A vampires tears, talking life.. and giving it in turn. ~~~~~~~ Willows POV "I am here.. on an island that bears his name. It is cast in stone and ruled by this age of knights honor. She is here also, and above her - I take my place. She knows that I am I near, in the way that only Kendra, The Slayer can know. Her senses were always more refined and tuned to the paranormal because of her isolation and training with Mboto. She paces like a caged panther, back and forth in Phillips small room. Anxious. Nervous. I settle on the bed, unseen by her but 'felt'. I wonder if she can hear me? And what I could say to make her realize that the guilt and darkness she is feeling is because of me. That if she had not cursed Angel and came for revenge, I would not have had the sword to open the portal. That if not for her dried blood on the sword, which bonded him to the earth and to her, that he would have been sucked back into hell. And that now, a few miles away in Sunnydale, our actions caused my heart to stop and destiny to change course. Angel is trying to save me and unknowingly, bonding me to him, as he now is bonded to Kendra. Three of us making up the unholy truce. Kendra; his immortal enemy born to take his life. Angel; reborn as a vampire, reborn as hero. And myself, Willow, Wiccan mage and friend, made to stand between them. Even now; Angels dark blood is pouring back into my body and this soul that is with her, must return to battle for the Willow vampire in Sunnydale. And with his dark blood, I feel Kendras life force seep into my bones making me stronger. It is as if that triggers in her a weakness. She halts and crumbles to her knees on the floor. I realize that I can feed or starve her by being so near to her, causing our bond to draw from. I finally have a way to make a difference to the woman I owe Angels and my life too. I have little time though. Angel calls me. Concentrating hard, I let her see, her honor didnot die with the Slayer all those months ago, or even at the church three days ago - it remained as she sought both revenge and then redemption. And it shone like a guiding light, when she helped others to find theirs in her journey to Sunnydale. And if she chose to take the offer that was being talked of, down stairs right now, she would surpass even that which the Slayers council could dare imagine. Hope. I see her smile. So pure and beautiful, my heart crys out.. as I'm carried away back to my newly awakened Sire. Angel calls. It is not until I am back in Sunnydale, near my broken body - that I feel myself scream into life once again. Only then do I discover, it may have been Angel who called.. ..but it was Angelus who replied." End part 4. |