Disclaimer: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and all characters from the show are the property of Joss Whedon, 20th Century Fox, and the UPN Television Network. The Cthulhu Mythos material is loosely based on the "Call of Cthulhu" role-playing game (copyright Chaosium Inc.) and the book "Encyclopedia Cthulhiana" by Daniel Harms.
Tuesday March 26, 2002, Afternoon
Buffy and Dawn are talking in the kitchen. The phone rings and
Buffy answers it. Her voice quickly becomes excited. "Giles!
Where are you! Why didn't you tell us you were coming? How soon
can you be here?" She tells Dawn "That was Giles. He's at the
airport. He'll be here in less than an hour."
About a half hour later, Buffy and Dawn answer the door. They
both give him a hug and then let him in. Willow, Tara, and
Xander are waiting inside. Buffy says "It's really great to see
you. How long can you stay in town?"
Giles smiles "It's great to see all of you. I'll be here for a
few days." He turns serious. "I have some news. A prophecy I
found."
Tara asks "Prophecy?"
Giles replies "I discovered it when I was researching various ...
events." He pauses and begins reciting. "The Ultimate Gate
shall open and the Lord of Space and Time will emerge to cast the
universe into the Last Void. The Thriceborn and the Renunciate
will stand in his way." He pauses again. "This is supposed to
happen in the next few days. I believe that Buffy and Willow are
the Thriceborn and the Renunciate that the prophecy refers to.
There are a few books in the Magic Shop that I want to check. I
still have my key, so we can start right away if everyone is up
to it."
Tara says "Could this prophecy have anything to do with a vision
I had? I did this searching spell earlier this afternoon. I saw
this cloaked being and then a chasm opened and swallowed the
Earth."
Giles replies "It's likely the two are related. Lord of Space
and Time is another name for Yog-Sothoth. One of his forms is a
cloaked figure."
Wednesday March 27, Afternoon
Giles, Willow, Tara, Buffy, Xander, and Dawn are gathered in the
Magic Shop. Willow is checking through files on her laptop,
while the others are looking through various books. Suddenly she
sees the prophecy Giles mentioned. With one additional line:
"The Renunciate must fully reclaim her power or doom is certain."
She stares at the screen for a moment, then tells the others "I
need to check on something" and goes up to the loft.
Thursday March 28, Morning
Giles is in the living room of Xander's apartment. He answers a
knock on the door. Willow is there with a determined look on her
face. They walk back to the guest room to talk.
Willow begins "Thanks for agreeing to meet me before we go to the
Magic Shop. I need you to memorize this spell." She hands Giles
a picture of her, a small figure that resembles her, and a large
pin. Finally, she opens a spellbook and hands it to him.
Giles glances over the spell and says in alarm "Willow, this is a
death spell. And from what you've given me ..." He pauses.
"Are you absolutely sure about this?"
Willow responds "I found the last line of the prophecy. It was
in one of the books that you had me scan the summer before last.
And I can feel how powerful this Yog-Sothoth is. I think in
order to stop it, I'm going to have to completely let loose.
Even more than I did before. I don't think I'll be able to get
back in control. And if I can't, I need you to stop me. Before
I start hurting people."
Willow cuts a finger with a pocketknife and drips some blood on
the figure, then dabs a small amount of saliva on it. Finally
she cuts a lock of her hair and attaches it to the figure. She
tells Giles "Everything's prepared. The only other ingredient
you need is a candle." She pauses. "Giles, please don't tell
the others about this."
Giles looks at her for a moment, then asks "Don't you think this
is something they should know about?"
Willow responds "You mean like the complete text of the
prophecy?"
Giles considers. "I'll keep the ingredients here. I won't
promise anything more than that." He pauses. "Prophecies are
tricky things, Willow. We'll find another way."
Thursday March 28, Night
Tara sits at a table in the Magic Shop, with Giles, Buffy,
Willow, Xander, and Dawn gathered around her. Tara's eyes are
closed in concentration as she slowly chants. A map of Sunnydale
is unfolded on the table. After a few moments she opens her
eyes.
Giles asks "Did you find anything?"
Tara nods wearily "A concentration of power, somewhere below
there." She points to a spot in the map.
Willow responds "I'm on it." She works on her laptop for a few
minutes. "There's a tunnel that leads right there." She points
to the screen and then prints out the tunnel map.
After everyone examines the map, Giles says "We should call it a
night. Everyone needs their rest. We'll meet back here at eight
and head to the tunnel entrance." He pauses. "Tara, the closing
spell is very difficult. Are you sure you're up to casting it?"
Tara replies firmly "Yes. I have to be." Willow glances at
Giles but remains silent.
Later that night, as Giles is about to go into the guest room,
Xander says hesitantly "I'm a little worried about Willow. She
seems a bit ... distant."
Giles asks "Did you talk to her about it?"
Xander replies "She said she was fine." He pauses. "I'm not
sure I believe her."
Giles considers for a moment. "She found another line to the
prophecy. It says that she has to reclaim her power."
Xander nods. "That means she has to use magic again. But our
plan doesn't have her casting any spells."
Giles replies "No, it doesn't. But if it doesn't work ..." He
pauses. "There's nothing more we can do about it tonight."
Friday, March 29, Morning
Buffy, Willow, Tara, Xander, and Giles are walking through the
tunnels. Buffy is on point, carrying Olaf's hammer and a stake.
Tara is a couple of paces behind her. Xander and Giles,
crossbows ready, are flanking Tara while Willow is rearguard.
They approach the power concentration and see a group of eight
vampires. A cloaked figure stands behind them and motions the
vampires forward. Xander and Giles fire their crossbows, each
dusting a vampire. Buffy charges the remaining vampires as
Xander and Giles reload.
Buffy quickly stakes one of the vampires and hits a second with
the hammer. Two other vampires break from the pack and charge
the party but Xander and Giles each bring down one of them. Tara
looks around for a target and sends an energy bolt at one
vampire, stunning him, then sends another vampire flying
backwards. Buffy stakes her second vampire, then the one that
Tara stunned.
Meanwhile, Willow glances at the cloaked figure. He is standing
in front of a glowing crystal. The crystal seems to be absorbing
energy, possibly from the slain vampires. Willow looks back to
the battle and sees Buffy stake the last vampire.
The cloaked figure begins chanting and gestures toward the floor
of the tunnel. What looks like a portal opens in the floor
behind the crystal. Buffy pauses a moment then charges the
cloaked figure. She hits him with the hammer, knocking him off
of his feet. She then uses the hammer to smash the crystal,
releasing a bright flash of light. Tara begins chanting and the
portal starts to close. Buffy charges the cloaked figure again,
but the figure tosses Buffy against a wall, briefly stunning her.
The cloaked figure turns toward the portal and gestures, stopping
it from closing. Xander and Giles fire their crossbows at him as
Buffy struggles to her feet. The cloaked figure turns toward
Tara. He fires a bolt of energy at her and she falls to the
ground. Willow gestures and the cloaked figure is flung
backwards. Willow quickly makes sure Tara is still alive, then
stands up, points at the portal and says "Close." The portal
again begins to close but the cloaked figure gestures toward the
portal and it starts to open again. Willow concentrates on the
portal for a moment but then her eyes turn black and she sends a
blast of fire at the cloaked figure. She follows this up with a
blast of lightning and then energy bolts and more blasts of fire
and lightning. The cloaked figure bursts into flame and
disappears.
Willow looks around, energy crackling around her. She points at
the portal and again says "Close." After the portal closes,
Willow checks on Tara and sees her begin to stir. She then sends
a fireball into the tunnel, which explodes some distance past the
former portal.
Willow sags briefly in exhaustion. She asks Tara "Are you okay?"
and Tara nods in response. Willow looks around at the others and
tells them "I have to leave Sunnydale." Her eyes are still
completely black.
Buffy, Xander, and Tara begin to object but Willow cuts them off.
"I'm losing control and the Hellmouth makes it worse. I don't
think I'll ever be able to return."
Tara squeezes Willow's hand and tells her "We'll find a way to
help you."
Willow smiles at Tara but then shakes her head. She glances at
Giles.
Giles looks at her and then says "I'll drive you home." He tells
Xander and Buffy "Look after Tara. I'll meet you at the Magic
Shop and we can research this."
Once they're out of earshot, Willow tells Giles "Twelve hours.
You have to cast the spell in twelve hours. I think I can hold
it together until then. There's a place up the coast. Mostly
deserted. I can get there. Relax a bit. See one last sunset."
Giles looks at her. He says hesitantly "Willow, I don't know
what to say."
Willow replies "Just say you'll do this for me." She pauses. "I
have a note for you back in my room. I want you to give it to
the others after you cast the spell."
They walk to Giles' car. Giles drives to the Summers' home and
they both get out. Willow tells Giles "I'll just grab the note
and a couple of other things..." She stops. "Dawn. She'll be
waiting for us to get back. What am I going to tell her?"
Willow and Giles enter and see Dawn sitting nervously in the
living room. Her face lights up when she sees them. "You're
back. That means you must have won." She sees their
expressions, pauses and continues quietly "What's wrong?"
Willow considers for a moment and replies "I'm going to have to
leave Sunnydale."
Dawn stares at her. "Why? When are you coming back?" She
pauses and looks carefully at Willow. "You're not coming back,
are you? Don't you want to be here?"
Willow walks over to Dawn. "Dawn, look at my eyes. Remember the
last time they were like this? This time is much worse. I ... I
still have some control over what I do with my power. But even
that won't last much longer. I'm going to miss you ... miss
everybody, but I have to leave." She goes into her room.
Dawn looks pleadingly at Giles. "She's going to die, isn't she?
Can't you do something, anything?"
Giles shakes his head. "I don't know of anything we can do.
After Willow leaves, the rest of us are gathering at the Magic
Shop. If there's anything we can do we'll find it there."
Willow comes out wearing a backpack and carrying a note. She
gives the note to Giles and then gives both Giles and Dawn a hug.
Giles says "We might still find something."
Willow replies "If you find something that will help, Tara can
get in touch with me." She says "Travel" and disappears.
Friday March 29, Night
Giles is in Xander's guest room. The figure of Willow is in
front of him, along with a picture, a bowl, a candle and a large
pin. He looks at his watch anxiously and says "Twelve hours and
thirty minutes. They said they'd call immediately if they found
anything." He pauses for a moment and then lights the candle.
Giles begins chanting, sticks the pin in the figure and uses the
candle to light the picture on fire. He places the burning
picture in the bowl and says softly "Goodbye, Willow."
Willow is sitting on the beach, looking up at the stars. A
stationary fireball is in front of her and several small air
vortexes are nearby. Every once in a while she shoots a fireball
out over the ocean. She looks at her watch and says to herself
"I'm having to do this more and more often. Hurry up, Giles."
She smiles as the pain starts and quickly cancels all of her
spells.
Shortly afterwards, Giles walks slowly into the Magic Shop.
Tara, Buffy, Xander, and Dawn are sitting around a table, looking
through stacks of books.
Tara tells Giles "We still haven't found anything to help Willow,
but there has to be something somewhere."
Giles says slowly, "I'm afraid I have some very bad news. Before
Willow left, she asked me to wait twelve hours and then cast a
specific spell. She was about to lose control but thought she
could hold on for that long. She left a note for all of you."
Giles hands the note to Buffy and she begins reading it out loud.
"If you're reading this note, Giles has carried out my last
request. I knew that losing control of my powers would probably
be the price of stopping Yog-Sothoth, so I made sure Giles could
stop me if I did lose control. I love all of you so much. I
couldn't stand thinking that I'd harm any of you. I'm sorry that
I couldn't tell you about this earlier. Goodbye to everyone.
Love, Willow."
Buffy stands up and says angrily "Willow's dead. You killed
her."
Giles replies "I'm sorry. It was what she wanted. She didn't
want to harm you or anyone else."
Xander says grimly "Willow must have planned this beforehand.
How long have you known?"
Giles tells him "She came to me yesterday morning. She asked me
to memorize a spell and gave me the necessary ingredients. She
said that, to stop Yog-Sothoth, she would likely have to go so
far that she couldn't get back in control."
Xander continues in the same tone "And you didn't tell us any of
this."
Giles replies "Willow asked me not to."
Buffy interjects "Then fix it. Help us bring her back."
Giles shakes his head. "I can't. I'll do almost anything else
but I can't do that."
Buffy takes a step forward. She says angrily "Then get out."
Tara turns toward Buffy. "Buffy, I ... I hate to say this. But
he's probably right. I don't ... don't think we can bring Willow
back."
Buffy glares at Tara for a moment, then asks her "What about the
spell you used for me?"
Tara replies "We don't have an Urn of Osiris. Even ... even if
we did, I ... I don't think I could cast the spell
successfully."
Buffy says determinedly "Then we'll find something else." She
pauses and continues. "Giles, you can either help or you can
leave. Your choice."
Giles replies firmly "Buffy, what you are planning is insanely
dangerous. This could easily get all of you killed. Even if it
works, Willow could come back insane or about to lose control.
You might have to kill her again just after you bring her back.
This is a very, very bad idea."
Buffy repeats "Help or leave."
Giles looks at her for a moment, then turns and walks out.
Sunday, March 31, Morning
Buffy is in the kitchen of the Summers' house. Tara walks in and
says hesitantly, "I just saw Giles off at the airport. Don't
bite my head off, but I think ... think you should call him when
he gets back to England."
Buffy glares at her. "I don't want to talk to him. I thought
you'd understand."
Tara says quietly "I do. But I ... I also felt something of what
Willow was going through Friday morning. And I've been looking
through some of the stuff she left for me. Especially the
journal. If ... if she had come to me instead of Giles, I might
have done the same thing he did."
Buffy looks at her, stunned. "Does this mean that you're not
going to help us get her back?"
Tara replies "I'll help. I'll do the best I can. But I ... I
don't think we'll be able to bring her back. Not in any way that
she'd want to be brought back."