Between Darkness and Light, part 15

By Isis Osiris

After the lively chatter of the dolls, the absolute silence of Sunnydale High School is deafening. I make no sound as I walk down the once familiar halls. Now they seem foreign, a reminder of who and what I once was. The lack of my own pulse pounding in my ears only serves to increase the dramatic tension I feel.

As I near the library, I can make out a few sounds. Namely, heartbeats. There are two, and I recognize one as Xander. I assume the other is either Giles or Cordelia. From the lack of other… sounds, I can assume that it is Giles. Their pulses are racing, from fear. But why should they be afraid? And why aren't they discussing a prophecy or something else Hellmouth-y?

"Giles? Xander? Are you there?" I know they're there, but they seem to be trying to hide. They probably don't know that it's me, but now that they do, they'll come out. Nothing. "Giles? It's me, Willow." I reach the Library. Still nothing but heartbeats. I push the doors open and step inside. The lights are off. "Giles, I know you and Xander are in here. I can hear your heartbeats. Why is it so dark? It's bad for your eyes to read like this." I scold them gently as I walk to the light switches. Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain in my shoulder and then all is dark.

* * * *

"How much did you put in there?"

"I didn't have time to load a new dart. I used one of the old ones."

"You used a werewolf dart on Willow? Giles, what were you thinking? She could be out for days. She's not - "

"A creature with supernatural abilities, including accelerated healing?"

"I still don't see why you had to shoot her like that. She came here to talk. I told you that."

"She bit you."

"Yeah, but she didn't even drink from me. And she did warn me."

"But you don't know why she did that, do you?"

"She didn't have time. There was something wrong. I could tell. She tensed up, and she got really scared."

"Xander, that's one of the demon's best tricks, especially for young females. Act scared and helpless and win the trust of - "

"What is it?"

"She's waking up."

"She's been awake." I reply. "And now she's fighting a horrible headache. I think I'm the first vampire to ever suffer from migraines." Keeping my eyes tightly shut, I slowly pull myself into a sitting position. "It feels like one of the Dingoes' drum solos is being played on my skull." There shouldn't be that much pounding. One, two, three… four heartbeats? "Okay, either the two of you have cloned or there's more people here."

"Um, yes. It's… it appears that the… second choice would be correct."

"What he's trying to say, Willow, is that you're really lucky that no one ever comes in here." Cordelia is one, then the other must be…

"Oz?"

"I'm here." I slowly open my eyes to look at them but am greeted by… a metal grate?

"Giles, what's going on? What are you guys doing in the book cage?"

"We're not."

"But then… you locked me up?"

"Gee, *somebody* catches on really quick today."

"Cordy…"

"No, Xander, don't 'Cordy' me. Here she is, the brains of this group, ad what does she do? She willingly goes to a vampire… one that has tried to kill us several times, I might add… and gets herself killed. Then she shows up at the Bronze, looking better than she ever did while she was alive and attacks her boyfriend. Then she comes here and pretends to have a soul before disappearing for a week. The next time she shows up, she bites you. And last night, she had the audacity to come here as if nothing had happened. For someone who's supposed to be so smart, she sure is doing some dumb things."

"Cordelia, tact. Use it."

"What? Did I say something untrue? Or did I just hurt your girlfriend's feelings? She - "

"Can hear every word you're saying. When you put it that way, Cordy, I did some really stupid things, but it wasn't that simple. I - "

"Had to do it to save us, I know. I've heard the story."

"Giles," I turn to the librarian. "Why am I in here? Do you trust me so little you have to knock me out and lock me up to tell me what you've found?"

"No, of course not. We… that is to say, I…"

"After you bit me, Giles thought maybe you pulled an Angelus again."

"I did promise to lock you up if it happened again."

"Yes, you did." I reply absently, recalling our prior conversation. "Xander said you might have found a cure for me. Did you?"

"Well, not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"I found a mention of a similar case in one of these books." He gestured to a large stack of leather-bound volumes on the table behind him. "And then I found mentions of what I think may be the same problem in a few of the Watchers' Diaries, but nothing certain. And it wasn't a cure that I found."

"What was it, exactly?"

"There is mention of a vampire in the late 1800's. I'm not sure of the exact date, however. Books back then didn't come with publishing dates, especially if they were journals. It makes it terribly difficult to catalogue them properly in the card index."

"Giles, get to the point."

"Yes, erm. Anyway, there was a vampire who would alternate between vicious brutality and confessions to whatever priest she could find. This occurred for several months before the confessions stopped. The later occurrences are not well documented, and it appears that many of the priests were killed at the end of these sessions. It is believed that she went insane and killed herself. The Watcher Journals give a few very brief mentions of vampires who plead for their lives and expressed extreme sorrow and guilt for their deeds before ultimately staking themselves."

"None of them lived?" My voice is a whisper as the impact of my situation hit me.

"If they did, there is no record of it."

"Then there is no hope for me."

"No, I won't accept that! Giles, there must be something that we've missed. Is there anything they have in common."

"Not that I can tell. The first lived in England, near Stonehenge. The others have lived in places such as Jerusalem, Egypt, India, Mexico, and the mountains of South America."

"What about their sire? Was it the same guy?"

"No, Xander. Not that I can tell. I wish I knew more to help you, Willow."

"Wait, Giles. I may have something."

"What are you thinking of, Willow?"

"Stonehenge was a center of Druid ceremony, right?"

"Yes, as far as research has shown."

"Jerusalem is an important place in the histories of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions. Egypt has significance to the Israelites. Buddha is from India, and there are legends concerning the mystical practices of Mexico and the Inca."

"You think this has something to do with religious freaks?"

"No, Cordelia, I think she's looking beyond the obvious. It has been debated that many of the major religious landmarks are actually small Hellmouths. It's really quite interesting, considering the Hellmouth's power to destroy and the tendency for these civilizations to disappear without a trace. Some even consider the missing colony of Roanoke to be the result of this very phenomenon. You think that the gathering of mystical energies in these places may have affected these vampires, Willow?"

"Well, it's all I can think of for now. I know it won't be the only cause, but it's a start. And it's something I have in common with them."

"In that case, I suggest you leave immediately."

"What do you mean? Why do I need to leave? And where do I go?"

"This Hellmouth is dangerous for you, Willow. The power here is inestimable, and if that is what is causing your condition, you need to get as far away from here as possible."

"But what if I'm wrong? How will I be able to contact you? What if something goes wrong? I can't deal with this alone."

"I'm not expecting you to. I want you to take Spike. You said he wanted to get out of here. He's only staying here for you. As strange as it seems, he cares for you. He has, as far as I can tell, been unnaturally kind to you. Take him and leave Sunnydale. If there are problems or further developments, see that you take your computer so that we may contact one another via e-mail. I'll get… someone to show me how to use the dread machine."

"Oz can show you." I say quietly as he unlocks the cage door. "Thank you, Giles. I will come back to help once we solve this."

"Yes, of course. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I'll miss you all. I guess I should say my good-byes now. I doubt that I'll be able to get away again before we leave. Spike won't let me out alone, and if he comes with me, he'll expect to find at least one of your bodies missing a heartbeat when I leave." I turn to look at Xander. "That's why I… bit you the other night. I had to. Spike was coming, and he would have suspected something if I did nothing more than talk to you and you didn't try to stake me. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I already did, Will."

"Oz, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. This really isn't the way I wanted our relationship to end. Take care of yourself for me, okay?"

Never one for unnecessary words, he simply nodded and wrapped me in a hug.

"Cordy, I… I don't really know what to say. Thank you. Your lack of tact often kept us on track when we started to wander. It's been a great help. Take care of Xander, since I won't be able to." I step over to her and give her a quick hug. As I step back, she wipes her eyes carefully.

"Why'd you have to do that, Willow? If I'd known this was going to happen, I would have worn waterproof mascara."

"Giles… I don't even know where to begin. You've done so much for me. You should have staked me that first night I showed up here as a vampire. But instead you've helped me beyond repayment."

"Your assistance has been invaluable, as well."

"Well, I guess I should be going. I will keep in touch. You have my e-mail address, Oz, and I have yours and the library's phone number. If anything turns up, tell me, and I'll do the same."

"Of course."

I walk slowly out of the library and into the night, afraid that I may never see my friends again.