Chapter 6

The sun had just set. Buffy was in the backyard of the Summers' house, using a stick to poke at the bushes and weeds. Xander came up behind her, feeling awkward.

"No more beautiful sunny days for you from now on, are there?"

Buffy turned to see him. She sighed, "I'm afraid not."

He said, "Time for the Spring Poking already?"

"Just making sure there are no more Evil Trio cameras. Or Evil Uno."

"The sinister yet addictive card game?"

"Warren." Buffy nodded. "Jonathan got clinked, Andrew got dead, and is now on his way to becoming undead, but ...Warren pulled a Rocket Man."

"You'll find him. He won't be much good without his friends."

Buffy said softly, "No, he won't."

They both moved to a wooden bench, where they sat side-by-side. Xander fidgeted uncomfortably, and then he took a deep breath.

He asked, "How did we get here?"

"Scenic route. Long drive."

"The past few weeks..."

She said, "I know."

"I thought I hit bottom," Xander told her, "but ... it hurt, that you didn't trust me enough to tell me about Spike. He paused, then said softly, "It hurt."

"I'm sorry. I should have told you."

"Maybe you would have," he told her, "if I hadn't given you so many reasons to think I'd be an ass about it."

"Guess we've all done a lot of things lately we're not proud of."

"I think I've got you beat."

She said, "Wanna compare?"

"Not so much."

They smiled tentatively at each other.

He said, "I don't know what I'd do ... without you and Will."

Her voice was teary. "Let's not find out."

Xander nodded. Buffy reached out to hug him. He recoiled backward.

She said, "I love you. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do Buffy. I also know that you're now a vampire, so loving hugs are just not gonna be happening from now on either."

Buffy sighed and nodded.

Xander spotted something over Buffy's shoulder and his eyes widened in alarm.

He shouted, "Buffy!"

Buffy turned and saw a very angry Warren striding toward them, fast, through the backyard. He still wore the all-black outfit he'd had on the night before. Buffy and Xander jumped up. They turned to face him.

The defeated Armored Car Robber shouted, "You think you can just do that to me? You think I'd let you get away with that?"

He laughed wildly. "Think again!"

He raised a pistol and fired wildly at them.

Xander frantically shoved Buffy down. Then he tumbled to the ground.

Warren ran off, firing wildly into the air over his shoulder as he ran.

One wild bullet shattered an upstairs window.

Inside the room, beyond the shattered window, Willow stood by the dresser, smiling at Tara. Suddenly, redness splattered across Willow's white blouse.

She looked surprised at Tara who stood with her back to the window. She also looked surprised. There was a large red spot on Tara's chest, right over her heart.

She frowned. "Your blouse."

Tara fell forward.

The shocked Willow, rushed forward. "Tara?"

Out in the backyard. Buffy got up, brushed herself off and exclaimed,

"Do you believe that? He wanted to get even with me, for spoiling his Class A Felony?"

Then she saw Xander lying on the ground, on his back, staring upward.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

She shouted. "Oh god!"

Upstairs in the bedroom. Tara lay on the floor. Willow grabbed her shoulders.

She spoke desperately. "Tara?! Baby?"

Willow rolled Tara over, pulling her onto her lap. Tara lay limp in the arms of Willow who began sobbing.

"Baby, come on! Get up!"

Down in the backyard, Xander had a red spot in almost the same place as Tara's. Buffy knelt over him, holding his shoulders. His eyes closed, and then slowly opened again.

Buffy was also desperate. "Oh god. Xander? Xander!" She shouted, "Xander!"

Buffy pressed her hands against the wound, making more blood well out.

Up in the bedroom. Willow cried harder as Tara continued not responding. Willow rocked back and forth holding Tara in her lap.

"No... no...." Willow began to cry.

In the backyard, Xander lay on the ground staring blankly at the stars, as Buffy continued trying to stop the bleeding.

"There's so much blood!" she said, unable to keep her fangs retracted. "So much blood." Her fangs were fully extended.

Upstairs, Willow looked at Tara's face and the bullet hole in her chest.

Willow the red haired witch, lifted her head and bared her teeth. Her face was wet with tears and her eyes were completely black ... then they went completely red.

Willow continued crying and breathing heavily. Her arms had blood on them, as did her blouse. She gently shook Tara.

Willow cried even louder, making a boo-hooing sound. "Oh god, oh no! Please, please, come on."

She put her hands on the dead girl's face.

"Come on, Tara! Please, come on, baby."

The lighting in the room went dark and blue. Willow looked up. Her eyes were totally black. Dark blue clouds swirled around the ceiling. Lightning flashed inside the room.

Now the red haired witch began an incantation. "By Osiris, I command you, bring her back!"

More lightning flashed inside the upstairs room.

Out in the backyard, Xander lay dead with a bullet in his chest, a pair of deep puncture wounds in his neck, and very little blood left in him.

Buffy stood up, and backed away from Xander. She could do no more for him.

Upstairs in Willow's room, the blue clouds continued to swirl. She continued her invocation.

"Hear me! Keeper of darkness!"

Some of the clouds above her, formed into a huge demon face. It spoke in a deep raspy voice. Lightning flashed around it.

"Witch!" The Demon demanded, "How dare you invoke Osiris in this task!"

She cried, "Please. Please, bring her back!"

He told her firmly, "You may not violate the laws of natural passing."

She pleaded back, "How? How is this natural?"

"It is a human death, by human means."

"But I-"

"You raised one killed by mystical forces. This is not the same. She is taken by natural order. It is done."

"No! There has to be a way!"

His voice shook the entire house. "It is done!"

Willow screamed. "Noooo!"

As she screamed, a shimmering column of energy shot out of her mouth and at the demon. The demon screamed and disappeared in a final flash of lightning.

Out in the backyard, about five minutes later, Buffy spotted Willow coming out the back door, looking blankly at Xander.

Buffy said, "It'll be okay Will. Xander'll be okay. Just give it three days. Then he'll be good as new. No. He'll be better than ever. He'll be the same old Xander, except that he'll be what I've become."

Willow spoke in a dazed voice, "You killed him? You've made him into a vampire?"

"It was the only choice I had. It would've been either a vampire Xander, or no Xander at all."

Then in the dim glow of the back porch light, Buffy saw that she and Willow both had blood all over their blouses.

"Willow! God, are you okay?"

Willow asked quietly, "How did this happen?"

"Warren. He had a gun."

Willow growled, "Warren!"

Buffy told her, "It went down too fast, I couldn't stop him."

Willow wasn't listening any more. She walked away, fast, and went around the corner of the house.

Buffy called out, "Hey!"

She hurried away from the lifeless Xander, and hurried out to the front yard, She saw Willow going along the sidewalk, away from the house, with a determined look on her face.

Buffy stared after her, confused and shaken.

She shouted, "Will!"

The witch continued moving in the direction of downtown Sunnydale. The globes of each street lamp shattered as she walked past them, turning the street darker, as she moved along.