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Between Dreams And Reality by Irishrose
 
One - Discovery
 
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a/n A special thanks to Cat, who beta'd this fic for me. She was very kind and patient and had no tolerance for my writing penchants. But was kind in pointing them out and ways to fix them.

Chapter 1 - Discovery

“Willow!” Xander whispered, jumping back as two Bringers ran right past them and out of the cave complex. “Did I ever tell you this invisibility stuff rocks?”

“Tell me later if we’re not dead!” Willow whispered back. “She should be just up ahead according to the spell. Guess the others took the bait. It doesn’t look like there’s anyone else in here. Let’s find Buffy and get out of here before they come back. I know Spike is better, but I don’t think he can hold them off forever.”

“Oh my God...” Xander stopped short as he entered a large room in the cave.

“What?” Willow asked as she came around Xander and followed his eye line. “Oh Goddess...”

“What.... what’d they do to her?” Xander asked as he looked in revulsion at the spectacle before him. His look of revulsion quickly turned to one of nausea, and he dropped to his hands and knees and vomited the meager contents of his stomach. Willow would have joined him, but she had to keep it together if they were going to get out of this cave. She could puke to her heart's content later.

“It doesn’t matter, Xander, we’ve got to get her out of here. Give me your shirt,” Willow said as she tugged on Xander’s sleeve.

“Is she...?” Xander let the unfinished question hang in the air as he handed his outer button-down shirt to Willow.

“No, she’s alive,” Willow said leaning over Buffy, her hand hovering over the shackles binding her to what looked like an altar that had been carved out of the stone floor. “These chains are magically reinforced. It’ll take me a minute to get them off. Watch the entrance and tell me if you see anything coming.” 

Willow tried four different incantations before she found one that opened the manacles. She bundled the shirt around Buffy while attempting to rouse her.  It would be better if she could walk out of there on her own, but glancing back over her injuries, she was becoming more and more certain that they were going to have to carry her out. Just as she reached her decision, Buffy weakly roused and briefly glanced around, her eyes finally settling on Willow. A tiny smile flashed across her face.

“I like this dream,” Buffy said, weakly reaching up her hand in an attempt to cup Willow’s cheek.

“Willow, we have company coming!” Xander shouted, running back into the room.

As Buffy fell back into unconsciousness, Willow quickly chanted the words that would include Buffy in the invisibility spell as she sprinkled her with the dust she pulled out of the small bag in her pocket.

“Xander, you’re going to have to help me. I can’t carry her by myself!” Willow shouted.

Xander quickly scooped Buffy up in his arms, and the three friends set off through the caves back toward Buffy’s house.
 
As they quickly made their way to the familiar home, Willow mentally scanned over Buffy's wounds again. Runes and other symbols appeared to be carved in various places and slowly bleeding through Xander's shirt. Less elegant gashes were everywhere as well. Her face was battered and a rainbow of various colored scars. She was covered in a variety of colored goos. There was what looked like a barb sticking out of one thigh. But what worried her most was the wounds covered by Xander's shirt, and the ones she couldn't see. She was afraid those wounds might just affect them all.



 
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