Willow glanced apprehensively around Buffy’s room. It was so different; the girly stuff was all gone. Instead, the walls of the bedroom were a deep blue-- almost the same colour as Spike’s eyes, she realised with a start. Candles of every shape and size were littered over every surface and the scent of jasmine was in the air. The lush golden silk sheets were smoothed flat and a deep crimson velvet throw was draped neatly over the foot of the bed. She could also smell dust and leather in the air, but was puzzled as to the source.

She’d only returned to the house a few minutes ago, having spent the rest of the night and morning searching for the right spell. In the end she had combined two, but gathering the materials for the casting had been hard. Seeing no other option, she’d used the key Giles had given her and broken into the Magic Box, stealing what she needed. Guilt had assailed her the entire way to Buffy’s. Willow had been positive someone could tell she was a big fat thief and had scurried along the sidewalk with her eyes glued to the asphalt.

“What do you need from me?” Buffy stepped in front of Willow and squatted down to look her in the eyes. She was dressed in black leather jeans, chunky heeled boots and a black polo necked sweater. Her hair was pulled back into a neat bun and a leather coat was tucked over her arm. In her waistband were several stakes and a small crossbow swung from her free hand. Willow realised she was dressed in her full on patrol gear, stuff Buffy usually saved for the annual Apocalypse. It suddenly dawned on Willow how serious this was for Buffy.

“I can smell leather and dust,” Willow said. She mentally smacked herself for the stupidity of her remark. She wondered if she was suffering from verbal stupidity.

Buffy’s eyes darted to the ceiling for a moment. She’d decided that Spike’s words and thoughts were much too precious for her to leave for Willow to snoop through, so she had carefully boxed them up and hidden them in the attic. “Guess it’s your books?” she lied.

Willow nodded, completely cowed by the Uber Slayer mode Buffy had going on. “I guess,” she mumbled and fiddled with the rucksack on her crossed legs, unwilling to meet the determined gaze of her friend.

“So?” Buffy leant back on her heels and waited. The hard cast to her face aged her and frightened the frilly heck out of Willow.

“Oh, right ,I guess -- I need to set up.” Willow shifted onto her knees and began to empty the contents onto the carpet. Her hands paused in their task and she looked up at Buffy, her face grave. “You swear you’ll get Tara back for me?”

Buffy straightened and stalked over to the window and looked out into the afternoon sun, nodding briefly.

Willow, thoroughly mollified, continued to empty the rucksack. “The only thing I couldn’t get was a large mirror. I need it for the focus for the spell.”

Buffy moved to her closet door and jerked it open. She curled her fingers round the mirror attached to the door and prised it off. “Is this okay?” She hefted it easily and turned to face the poleaxed Wiccan.

Willow raised her eyebrow and nodded. “Great, can you prop it at the end of the bed?” She gestured with one hand as she assembled the casting circle around her. She pulled out bundles of herbs that were held together with her own hair plaited into twine and laid then carefully at intervals. In-between she placed focusing crystals, quartz and amethyst-- all of which had been soaked in salt water and purified before she brought them with her. The new blue velvet bag of runes--individually carved on shards of a thousand year old Gospel oak-- were laid out in the correct order and position. She had stolen them from the Magic Box and felt sick to her stomach over taking them. She knew Tara had wanted them but had balked at the price. So her taking them felt like a betrayal of Tara’s beliefs and dreams. Her hand shook as she placed Algiz in the main position for her casting; she wanted to use it’s powers for protection against the magics that she would be channelling. Otherwise she was worried she might succumb to the lure. It was too close as it was; the taste was tickling at the back of her throat, calling to her. Willow swallowed over and over, trying to ignore the temptation.

“Buffy, I need some matches.” Willow took a deep breath to calm herself. She placed the four nightlights on the four points of the compass.

“Here.” Buffy tossed the plastic lighter she used for her candles at Willow and set about balancing the mirror.

“Thanks,” Willow muttered distractedly as she lit the four small candles and tucked the lighter into her pocket. Her mind was already beginning to focus on the incantation. A calm filled her; magic was something she was good at and this time she would get Tara with it.

“Where shall I stand?” Buffy rocked on her heels, impatient to get things moving.

“To my left.”

“When will we know if it’s worked?” Buffy moved smoothly into place. She shrugged on her coat and then picked up the crossbow again and stood ready. Her focus was on the top of Willow’s bent head.

“The mirror – it’s the portal. Watch it and when you see the right moment, jump through. I’ll keep it open and you can bring Spike back with you.” Willow concentrated on pouring the grey powder from the hollowed out gourd into four neat piles next to each flickering candle and began to mutter under her breath, blessing the powder and the candles.

Buffy pulled the collar of her jacket up around her neck as the atmosphere in the room began to thicken and take on a cloying feel to it. Magics always made her a little icky, but this time she was all on board the Wiccan train if it got her what she wanted. Everything had been taken from her and now she was getting something back that she needed beyond life itself. Her fingers tightened on the shaft of the bow she cradled in her hands. All those nights imagining how she would save him were finally going to pay off. She had her plan of attack mapped out firmly in her mind. Teeth would die first. She’d realised that he was the one to take out as soon as she got there; the crossbow was saved for him. Vamp on right, and then vamp on left. She knew the stakes she had would be enough as they were soaked in Holy Water and carved with crosses all down the shafts. She’d spent the morning perfecting them as she waited for Willow to come back. ‘Focus on the fight, then get Spike. Don’t let seeing him distract you…focus on the bossman and the goons.’ She chanted the plan over and over to herself.

Let Houros guide me.

I call on his wisdom and power.

Cronos, I seek your power over time and space.

Hear this supplicant’s plea – come and show me the way.

Incantare Incantare – supoidio vaqucht ba man beya.

Willow reached over and grabbed a taper she had laid out next to the circle and lit it using one of the nightlights. Her fingers were steady as she stared straight ahead at the mirror, waiting for it to shimmer. She tapped each pile of sand that was poured on the four points of the compass, East to West – South to North. The sand flared up with a golden glow and a thick greasy black smoke filled the room.

Buffy shifted slightly. It was getting a wee bit Stephen King for her with the black smoke, but it was too late to back out now. She glanced down at Willow and frowned at the sight of her friend’s hair; it was darkening. Buffy shook her head, figuring it was the smoke and missed the black pits in Willow’s eyes.

Cronos – show me the passage of time

Reveal reveal – I need to be shown.

Boaz sho vaqucht boror backwards

Then it began.

A faint mist flickered around the edges of the tall mirror and then it began to move inwards, swirling faster and faster in an anti-clockwise direction. Willow gasped and her head dropped back, her eyes staring upwards and her arms raised as the mystical wind began to move around her. Her face was bathed in an unearthly light and the black smoke twisted and turned in front of her shaking form and then shot into Willow’s gaping mouth. Buffy missed all of this as she stared at the events unfolding in the mirror; the mystical sight of her life on rewind riveted her. All the misery from the past month moving slowly backwards, as if it were being wiped out, the sight filled her with hope, maybe it could all be changed.

Willow had managed to do it. For the first time in weeks, a genuine smile crossed her chapped lips.

Willow grunted as the smoke began to coil through her body, changing her on a basic level. It tingled through her nervous system, making her body sing with power. Her fingers and toes twitched as she let the magicks surge through her. Willow began to pant as pulses of excitement shot from her womb to her nipples and down between her legs. Moisture flooded her panties as the thrill of the power sent a shock of mini orgasms through her. This was part of magic using that very few people talked about, the sexual peaks were so addictive and unlike anything a lover could produce in her body. Her nipples tightened and pressed against the thin cotton of her dress, trying to burn their way through.

Buffy’s nerves tightened as the scenes moved backwards. Closer and closer to the time when she had failed him. Her hands were steady on the crossbow. She was ready.

“Here we go, Wills,” she yelled triumphantly. The image of her running from the cemetery home began to reverse before her very eyes. Slowly the ashes of her Spike began to reassemble and the hand of the vampire who staked him pulled away and downwards, tucking the weapon back in his waistband. Spike was there, she could see him, and he was in the mirror. Excitement filled her and Buffy leapt forward, ignoring the ecstatic moans that were tumbling from Willow’s mouth and the over powering scent of crushed strawberries that filled the air and slowly began to sour.

“You did it! Back in a few.” Hope filled her as she moved forwards.

Buffy leapt through the looking glass and into her own wonderland. A place where Spike was still with her; excitement thrummed through her veins. As she leapt, her heel caught the rune Algiz, the same one Willow was relying on to protect her. It span around, inverting the power around it.

Buffy felt a pricking sensation as she leapt through the shimmering portal. She landed with a thud about three feet to the left of Spike and his captors. She shook her head, disorientated by the sight of her other self standing in front of her. But she pushed it aside, focusing on the fight at hand. There was a twang and thunk as a quarrel was released from the crossbow. It struck the shark headed demon in the eye, killing him instantly.

“One down, two to go,” she muttered under her breath. As she spun towards Spike’s captors, she failed to see the events unfolding in the mirror. The rune she’d knocked out of place had left Willow open to everything she had been channelling. Her hair was darkening to a pitch black and her skin turned ashen with thick black veins snaking their way across it. The swirling image of Willow began to move in a clockwise direction, faster and faster until it was a blur of silver motion.

Buffy moved with incredible speed.

She slipped behind the two goons and before either one could move a muscle, the two stakes she’d created for them dropped down her sleeves and into her waiting hands. Spike stumbled forward and began to cough as dust showered down on him from both sides. A pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him upright.

“I got you,” a soft voice whispered into his ear. Her warm breath tickled his senses. His hand came up reflexively and clasped hers. He could see her in front of him and yet he knew she was behind him as well. Both of them were so caught up in each other that they didn’t see the horrific events unfolding in the portal.

“Slayer?”

“Yeah…Spike, I got you. Come on, time to go home.”

With that, Buffy pulled him with her and they fell through the portal backwards.

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