Slayer Power Author: Bonanza1438 Universe: Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Slayer Power", AU starting at the end of "Grave." Author: Bonanza1438 Rating: PG13 Character(s): Dark Willow, Buffy & A surprise character. "Persa Plexa, of the cleansing fires from the depths. Burn away the suffering souls and bring sweet death." Staring up at her newly magnificent creation, Willow Rosenberg knew that she was no longer Willow Rosenberg, the sweet, honest, lovable girl, everyone in Sunnydale all knew and loved. The girl who for six years, fought on the side of good and won every battle with The Slayer and her friends. The power that flooded her brain and surged through her veins made her very being tingle and delight and her grand plan was finally coming to an end. Her ears thudded as blood pounded at her temples, and her body shook with all the rage running through her body. Her head ached from the voices of thousands of people in the world, whispering and screaming and crying from their pain within, their pain all over her. It was ten-no, a million times more painful than her initial pain an sorrow...Tara. She shuddered at the power that coursed through her veins and held out her clawed hands toward the temple in supplication. The wind picked up. Violently they began to swirl around her and it dawned on her that she was the most powerful being on the face of the planet, she was beyond evil, and nobody could compare. That fact alone, gave her a sense of accomplishment. All her little friends, were busy. She had sent Xander and the rest of them on a goose chase, so they could no longer follow her. And she sent Buffy alittle present to slow her down from stopping what needed to be done. None of them could stop her now. This world was hers now. Power surged up through the earth, and funnel into Willow's overpowered body. She felt ultimate supremacy as the green energy she absorbed shot out of her outstretched hands and filled the statuesque goddess before her with absolute power. The power to end the world. And as soon as it started, it stopped. "Huh?- What?" As the dust began to settle Willow- no, she wasn't Willow any longer, looked up in confusion, to see what blocked the channel between her and the destructive temple that would soon bring this planet to it's end. "Willow, you need to stop this." Willow sneered. It couldn't be. How the hell did she find her. Her little decoy obviously didn't keep her from finding her. But if she wanted another fight, she would give her one. "Get out of here Slayer." She spoke with contempt. Buffy seemed confident and in full force. She had underestimated Buffy's ability to fight, she wouldn't let that happen again. "I know you loved Tara, I know what kind of pain your feeling, I've felt it before too. You can end this." Buffy told her friend. "You have no right to speak her name!" Willow hissed. "Pain is a part of life, we have shared a lot of that in the past, it's just part of our destiny." Buffy continued, inching her way towards Willow slowly. "Pain? You know nothing of pain, you know nothing of MY pain." Willow snapped, her body raging with anger, the power still surging through her entire body, just itching to be let out loose. "Get out of my way. Now." Buffy gaped at her and continued strolling towards her, un afraid. "I don't know about pain? When I had to kill Angel, when I stuck a sword right through his heart and watched him be sucked into hell, that wasn't pain?, Buffy waved her hands in the air in exasperation, "Or when my mother died, or when Dawn was kidnapped by Glory, I thought she was dead, that wasn't pain?" Buffy reminded her, stopping only inches from her best friend. "You trying to stall me wont stop me from doing what needs to be done. I will end this world, Buffy. And if you don't get out of my way, I'll end yours too." Willow replied evenly, raising her hands in warning. "No." Buffy said harshly, "I'm leaving the best for last. Pain is when someone tears you out of heaven, and then being stuck in a world you hate. That certain someone was you, you tore me out of heaven. So yes, I know what pain is. Don't you dare tell me I don't." Buffy said her voice low. That revelation certainly got to the young, black eyed girl as Willow in an effort to get Buffy and her words away from her, she threw out her a hand. A black purple cloud of energy swirled forward and hit her squarely in the chest. She stumbled and collapsed. Even her slayer strength couldn't prevent the fall. Willow hadn't hurt her. But next time she would. She righted herself, stared up at Persa Plexa's temple and felt the shudder, the rush of power once more. Her jet black hair fluttered around her as the wind picked up again and her energy filtered into the temple ahead of her. -------------------------------------------------------- Giles eye's snapped open and he sighed, a slight grimace in pain. "She's there." He whispered barely a sentence, but Anya caught it. "What? Buffy's there?" Anya asks, arms firmly around him as if to keep him bound to the world. He looked up at her with hopeful eyes. "She's there. It's not over." ------------------------------------------------------ The rush was invigorating, she saw her fingers, threaded with black veins, ahead of her, working their destiny, what was meant to be. This was how it was supposed to be. All these years, she was on the wrong side. The power was hers finally, and she was going to use it like it was meant to be. She felt the power, and soon she would feel nothing. It stopped again. Again she looked up angrily, wondering who would be stupid enough to try to stop her this time. She merely saw Buffy. "You can't stop this." She snarled, now thoroughly losing her patience. Buffy's breathing was quite heavy now, Willow's power clearly affecting the slayers powers, it was slowing her down to the point where she could barely move. "You have been my best friend for six years, we have fought side by side through every battle, I will be damned if I lose you to evil now." Buffy yelled. "You can't stop this." Willow repeated her eyes filled with anger. "Do you think that Tara would want this? Do you honestly believe that? If you were on this rampage for some other reason, and she was here, you would be fighting her right now. You know she would never allow you to do this, she would never sit back and allow you to destroy the world." Buffy tried to reason with her, her voice filled with desperation and, what was that? -Love? Buffy's voice shook alittle as she carried on, "I loved Tara too. Maybe not like how you loved her, but I loved her, Dawn loved her. We all did. But we can't change what the future brought. Willow felt a pang, what was that? Guilt. Mercy? Sorrow? Was she breaking her? Trying to get her to feel the feelings she no longer cared to wallow in. She wouldn't let her. No, she wouldn't get in. "Is this the master plan?" Willow began, mockingly, "Your going to stop me by telling me that you love me?" But Buffy saw right through her facade and bit back, "I do love you. I'll always love you. Even now. But you know....You know I won't let you destroy this world." Time was, she could remember, she probably would have grinned at Buffy's confidence and cockiness. It once made her proud to stand by her best friend's side as they fought the next big evil. But now, it just pissed her off. Because it made her remember those times. Those time's when she could just smile. "I know you wont just let me. So I have to do what I need to do Buffy. If that means throwing you back into the earth where you were most happy at. Then, that's where you will go." Willow warned, raising her hands, thundered rumbled above as the ground started opening up. The earth was shaking around the spot Buffy was standing, and she could feel the earth sucking her in slowly. Almost like a sandpit. Buffy tried desperately to pull herself out of the ever sucking hole, but couldn't move as Willow waved her hands and put an invisible barrier between her and freedom. And then, everything stopped, Willow's wrath, the power shooting out of her hands stopped in mind air, the air even stopped. But Buffy wasn't frozen, and the black hole that was trying to suck her into hell, was gone. In front of her stood two men, all in white, both giving her a judgmental stare. Now free to move around as she please, she glided towards them, looking briefly at Willow's frozen body as she passed. "Not that I'm not all grateful for the help, but who are you?" Buffy said suspiciously. The two men stood awkwardly in front of the slayer as the younger man spoke, "We are the cleaners, we have never turned back time in Sunnydale before, we never had a reason too." "What?, she said shaking her head in confusion, "What are you talking about?" The older man sighed. "We are the cleaners, are duties are to watch over the earth for magical..."Mistakes", We only turn back the clock to where it was originally supposed to be." He said. "In case you haven't noticed, Your destiny changed along the way, it's not how it's supposed to be." The younger man added. Buffy laughed. "No kidding. I just have a best friend turning evil and trying to destroy the world", She shuffled her feet around, "Of course I've noticed." They both glared at her for a moment before continuing. "Which means, we are here to turn back the clock so that destiny can go as originally planned. This time without mistakes." He looked at her sternly. This pissed Buffy off. "Excuse me? I'm trying to save this world, what's the point of you turning back the clock, it's going to lead us to the same conclusion. It wont be any better." "It may or may not be better, but the wrong person arrived, the wrong fight happened, it's not supposed to be like this, it shouldn't have even gone this far." The older cleaner replied. Buffy crossed her arms, feeling a chill run down her shoulders, realizing the issue at hand completely now. She raised her chin challengingly. "If I allow you to turn time backwards, will I rest assured things will turn out for the better, this time around?" "No." "Then why should I allow you to do this, if we aren't sure of the outcome?" She demanded, now tired of the games. The younger cleaner supplied her question. "Because you don't have a choice, time will be turned backwards, it's how it was supposed to be, and the way it will be. You have no power to stop us, you won't remember this either. It will be erased from your memory." The wind started picking up again. This time it wasn't due to Willow's power source, it was the cleaners. Buffy watched as the men started chanting a few foreign words and suddenly, she felt herself being swirled around in circles, following the wind on its journey. The last thing she saw was the men looking down at their watches, awaiting the outcome of where their future was to become. -------------------------------------------------------- "And there's no one in the world who has the power to stop me now." Willow said triumphantly to Buffy. Suddenly, a a bolt of energy hit her and threw her on the floor. Willow touched her nose, which had started seeping blood. "Hey red, I'd like to test that theory of yours." Faith said as she appeared in The Magic Box doorway. The slayer all dressed in black, her hair still jet black, but she had a more older look about her, like time in jail had aged her. Willow looked at the rouge slayer, her eyes glowering. Feeling the hatred inside her that the old Willow felt for the older girl. Which made the current Willow, much more angrier. "Faith." Buffy said shocked stumbling up but fell right back down, "How...?" "Angel busted me out of jail, heard you were in some trouble. Got me some magical powers from Wolfram and Hart, and here I am." Faith said gesturing towards herself. "He sent me here, saying that a Slayer with magic inside her is the best thing to stop the big bad. He didn't say it was you though", Faith said looking the former redhead up and down, "Not in a million years thought it would be you though." She admitted. "Buffy, Anya, leave. I'll handle miss over achiever over here." Faith said stretching her arms out as if preparing for a fight. Anya who couldn't get out of their fast enough, headed for the door and exited out quickly without looking back at the death that was to come. Buffy stood up, feeling her power surging back into her. The sight of faith, although surprising and a bit irritating, she found a new sense of hope, a less of a feeling of being alone in this fight. "Never." Buffy replied looking at Faith across the room. Faith smirked, "Knew you would say that." Faith charges towards Willow and kicks her in the face with her foot, flying over her head as she chants a spell that sends Willow straight across the room. "You never were the waiting type." Buffy grumbled to herself as she was face to face with Willow. Her best friend, her slayerette. Knowing that this was the final moment of truth. "Willow this is your last chance. Please let me help you." Buffy begged the words pouring out of her mouth, "I don't want to kill you." "You are both delirious if you think you can fight me, her magic," Willow said motioning to Faith, "Is borrowed magic, magic I can easily overpower." Faith responded hastily. "Bring it on Slayer", Willow thought for a moment, "Or should I say Slayers..." Willow said orbing out some magic from her hands and sending it towards Buffy, flying her across the room and hitting the bookcase like a ton of bricks. Faith hit Willow in the jaw. Faith had gotten a knife out of her back pocket and held it up. Willow hissed and stepped forwards, ducking from a blow from Faith and tripped her as she came at her again. Faith hit the floor but jumped back up and hit her again across the face. "Fac orsia balaci." Faith chanted, and Willow was inside a barrier, which she waved her hand, chanted her own spell and was free. Whatever power Faith had wasn't good enough to match Willow's, and Faith knew it. But she wouldn't admit that to her. Buffy cornered Willow and threw the bookcase down on her, which slowed Willow down for a moment, but she grabbed the side of the bookcase laying on top of her and tossed it out of the way like it was just a little bit of rubble instead of what it really was. "Give it up, you can't beat me. I will kill you both, and then I will end this sad pathetic of a world. And there is nothing you can do about it. Faith takes another swipe at the girl, but Willow grabs Faith hands, feeling the energy seething through Willow's hand, she wretched her hands free, and lost the knife in the process, Willow held on to the knife and looked down at it, admiring it. Faith face twisted in a grimace in pain, as she realized Willow had broken some bones in her hand. "It's a very pretty knife, isn't this the knife that Buffy once used to kill you?" Willow asked cocking her head to the side, looking at both the girls, they were both gasping for air, and out of energy. Buffy edged her way up to Willow, as Willow turned her attention towards Faith. That was Willow's first mistake as Buffy jumped on her back and hauled her to the ground, they rounded off against eachother, circling eachother as if animals. Challenging eachother. "Dammit Willow, only I'm aloud to hurt Faith." She said sarcastically, "Oh, and that knife is mine, not Faith's." Willow smiled, a completely evil smile, Buffy didn't even recognize her at this point. "Don't worry Buffy, your about to get it back." Willow promised. As she spun around in a what was supposed to be a fancy move, and before Buffy could react, or before Faith could jump forward, runs the knife into her gut and pulls it free again. Buffy hears Faith scream as she looks down and sees the blood from the wound soaking her blouse, and running down her pants. She staggers forward a couple of steps, and falls on her face. "Schilo actro phosiogic." Faith stammers as Willow is sent hurling across the room, and hits the floor with a thud. Her first priority was the slayer down. "Oh my god B." Faith rushes to her. Buffy looks up at Faith. "Don't kill her, this was the only way for her to turn back." Buffy grunted in pain. "What do you mean B?" Demanded Faith, her eyes showed a sign of confusion. Her words now slurring, blood was trickling out of her mouth as Faith held back a sob. "I'll get you help." Faith said weakly. "The power to defeat Willow, was love, sorrow. It was the only way for me to-" Buffy's words stopped as she closed her eyes, and her body goes limp. Faith touches her neck to find a pulse. There wasn't any. Faith felt the sob inside her consume her. Hatred, she knew this was what Willow was feeling. She cradles Buffys lifeless body in her arms and cries, she had never cried in her life, but she was now. "Oh god, no...B...Come on..." She lets go of the lifeless body that once belong to the most fearless slayer in the world, and turns to face Willow, her whole entire body trembling with anger. "Look what you did!" Faith screamed, "You killed her." Willow who was now picking herself up off the ground. Coming towards Buffy's body, stopping just above it, looking down, Faith could almost see a bit of humanity showing on her face. Was Buffy right? Was this the key? "You killed her." Faith whispered, taunted her. "Shut up." Willow says sharply. She slashes at the air in front of her with her hands, deep scratches appear on Faith's cheek. Faith stumbles to the ground beside her fellow slayer, "Look at her, you killed your own best friend." She said taunting her again, despite her own pain forming on her face. She gets up again and staggers back toward Willow. Willow slashes the air again, this time deep gouges appear on her stomach as her shirt rips. "Shut up." Willow sends a blast of death to Faith, but her power is draining. Faith still staggers from it's impact. "I killed once. I can help you red." "Stop!" Willow sends yet another blast at Faith, even weaker then her last one. "I can help you." Faith repeats. This time there was no taunting in her voice. Willow tries to blast her again, but she only generates a few sparks around her hands. Faith staggers towards Willow as she tried to blast her again, this time she gets nothing. Willow starts to cry, and pounds on her chest with her fists in anger. Faith allows her to get a few good shots in, as she watches the redhead collapse to the ground in agony, crying. The black flows out of her hair, and it returns fully to red. The veins fade from her face. Faith falls to the ground beside Willow, as she watches the younger girl cry over Buffy's body. Willow leans into Buffys body, holding her, desperately as if she will suddenly appear alive. Faith hangs her head down as she fights the tears about to spiral over. They had won the fight, Buffy was right, sorrow was the key. Willow and Faith sit on the ground together, time passes, and neither of them move from their spot, until the rest of the gang return hours later. None of them say a word, as they walk into the magic box, seeing Buffy's motionless body, lying on the floor of the magic box, with Willows own crumpled body sobbing uncontrollably beside her, all curled in a ball. -------------------------------------------------------- A few month's had past, as the gang holds on to the hope that they can keep the vampire numbers down to a low, Faith moves into the Summers house, vowing to keep Dawn safe, and to take Buffys place in being the town slayer. Even in heaven, she wanted Buffy to forgive her for all the awful things that Faith had done in the past, maybe this was her way of getting redemption. Willow eventually got accepted back into the scooby fold, she learned how to control her magic, and learned how to deal with her grief in a non killing way. But despite all Faith's good efforts, Faith was killed six months later. Faith could never truly get over Buffy's death, and tried to hard for redemption. Without Buffy, life seemed non existent, she couldn't fool herself, or anyone else for that matter, she was never the real slayer. That was Buffys job. She was the slayer, the only one that mattered. She got sloppy and got herself killed by Dracula, who was now back in town. With both slayers dead. The gang banded together, to save the world. They were an army. An unstoppable one, they would all rid Sunnydale of vampires, or die trying. They needed all the help they could get though. After all, they weren't The Slayer. They didn't have the speed, nor the power. But they would do their best. ----------------------------------------------------- "Willow, can you get the door?" Shouts Dawn from her bedroom. Willow smiled as she could hear the beat of T.A.t.U play loudly in Dawns room. The kid had good music taste. "All the things she said, all the things she said...." Willow sang softly as she opened the door, and saw a younger girl, probably about 15, 16 the oldest, staring back at her nervously. The song lyrics died on Willows lips, as she saw the girl, "Hi, can I help you?" "Are you Willow Rosenberg?" The girl asked. "Why yes, I am...who are you?" "My name's Isabella..." "Hi Isabella, do I know you?" Willow smiled. "I was told to come here, to find Willow Rosenberg." Isabella said her arms crossed, as she looked down at the ground more nervously. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, I'm just confused. Who are you again?" Willow said apologetically. The girl looked up at Willow once more, her eyes more confident. It was a look that was familiar to Willow. A look only one certain person could have. "I'm The Slayer..." The words hit her like a ton of bricks as her eyes widen in surprise. Yes... That confident stare could only be from one person alright....The Slayer. Is this the destiny the cleaners had in mind? The end.