Title: Fighting for the Future
Author: Shannon
Rating: U
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Weadon, ME, Fox, UPN, WB.
Distribution: My site http://www.shadesofgrey.us/ NHA, WLS, UCSL anyone else who already has my permission, anyone else just let me know first.
Spoilers: anything up to the current episodes.
Summary: Willow is brought to the future to fight the First again.
Thanks to Tammy and Sara for Betaing.
Author's notes: Fic is set after season 7. It is however, based on my theory of how the first is defeated, not on spoilers for upcoming episodes.
I'm also assuming everyone will survive the battle.


Part 1

“Giles you have to help her.” Buffy and Xander said, pulling the bedroom door closed behind them as they left Willow's room, and facing the Watcher.

“I'm trying,” Giles said nervously, “I told you all that this wasn't a good idea. We needed to find another way. The magic would be too strong.”

“There wasn't another way. You know that.” Buffy responded angrily.

“Yeah. And you didn't tell us it could kill her.” Xander began pacing nervously.

“Can you help her?” Dawn asked quietly from the top of the stairs.

Taking a deep breath Giles turned toward the teen-ager, “I don't know. I've contacted the coven. They're trying to find… something.”

“What about a hospital?” Kennedy asked moving to stand behind Dawn.

“And tell them what?” Buffy asked facing the younger girl. “That the world was going to be destroyed by an evil so big you couldn't begin to comprehend it, and she used magic to stop it, but now she's in a coma? Do you think they'd believe us? And if they did, do you think they could fix it?”

“She's right,” Giles said interrupting. “Magic caused it, magic has to fix it.”

“Can we go see her?” Dawn asked gesturing to Kennedy.

“Yes, of course.” Giles answered, “We'll be downstairs if you need us.”

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!

Willow could hear her friends talking, even after they left the room. She knew they were worried about her but she couldn't seem to respond to them. She couldn't get herself to move at all. Did they defeat the First? Was everything okay?

“What happened back there, Dawn?” Kennedy asked. “I mean I've never seen anything like that? Willow was so… different.”

“Yeah. That was nothing. You should have seen her last year, when she was the one that wanted to… I knew something bad was going to happen when she agreed to use magic to fight.”

“Why did they let her do it if they knew…”

“They didn't know about this. I mean last time she was… She was dangerous but she was okay. I don't think Buffy or Giles knew it could do this to her.” Dawn looked down at Willow “They wouldn't have let her do something they know could kill her.”

“Not even if it was the only way to…”

“Buffy would have found a different way,” Dawn insisted.

So they did win. They had defeated the First, Willow thought, but it killed me? No not dead, couldn't hear them if I was dead. But then why can't I talk to them, or move? I need Giles.

“Girls I think it's time to let Willow rest.” Giles said quietly opening the door. “I should hear from the coven soon.”

Dawn and Kennedy quietly followed Giles out of the room.

Giles had called the coven, Willow thought, so this had something to do with magic. Too much magic, maybe. So why do I feel magic now: not my magic, someone else? Maybe it's the coven, maybe their trying to help. Shouldn't fight it, she thought as she felt the magic pulling her away.

Part 2

Willow blinked her eyes open slowly, not entirely sure what had happened. She didn't hear her friends talking anymore. When she was finally able to focus on her surrounding, she realized she wasn't home, or any place else she recognized. The room was bare except for the bed she was on and a small dresser in the far corner. Then she noticed the woman sitting in a chair near the door.

“Um, Hello?” Willow said her voice hoarse.

“Oh my, I'm sorry I'll…” The woman stuttered before leaving the room pulling the door closed behind her.

“Okay. So guess she's not going to tell me where I am.” Willow attempted to sit up and immediately became dizzy and laid back down. “Hopefully she's not evil and will be back.”

!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!

“Excuse me.” The woman said entering the small sitting room then waiting patiently for the two men to turn their attention to her.

“Yes?”

“She's awake.” She said then quickly retreated from the room.

“It worked?”

“We'd better go see her. She must be frightened.”

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!

“Come in.” Willow said hesitantly when she heard the knock on the door.

“Spike!” Willow smiled trying to pull herself to a sitting position as the door opened, “Angel!” Her smile widened, “You're both here, uh where is here?”

“Let me help you.” Angel said moving to the bed and helping Willow adjust her pillow so she could sit better. “How are you feeling?”

“My question first?” Willow insisted.

“We'll answer you, Luv, but are you okay?” Spike asked pulling the chair from the corner and sitting next to the bed.

“I'm fine. I guess. A little dizzy if I try to get up and very confused. Now where am I?”

“The doctor's on the way.” Spike assured her. “You're still in Sunnydale.”

“What doctor? Doctors can't cure magic,” Willow argued, “and this isn't any place in Sunnydale that I know.”

“Well that's the thing. Sunnydale's uh, changed.” Angel said quietly.

“Changed how? How long have I been uh, sleeping?”

“Well, see, pet, it's been a hundred or so years.” Spike said looking down at the floor.

“I've been in a coma for a hundred years?”

“Not exactly, you, well, you died not long after the battle with the First. They sort of brought you back.” Angel explained.

“The magic? It killed me?”

“Yeah. They tried to save you. Giles, Buffy, the coven, Giles even let that Amy person try but no one knew what to do.” Spike said, “The magic was too strong.”

“So you brought me back from the dead. After what it did to Buffy, how much it hurt her you…” Willow said becoming angry.

“I told you she'd be angry.” Spike said facing Angel.

“The Council brought you here, but not from the dead Willow.” Angel explained, “We wouldn't have allowed that. They took you from the time while you were still in a coma. Do you remember being dead?”

“No. I remember being in my bed, and everyone worrying. Then I could feel magic. The next thing I knew I was here.”

“They needed you here. They believe you're the only one that can fight it.” Spike said, “So they brought you here to help them, then they'll send you home.”

“But how, and you said Council, I thought they blew up? And why would they bring me to Sunnydale instead of England?” Willow's mind was racing with so many questions she couldn't stop from asking all of them at once.

“How is complicated so lets start with the Council.” Angel suggested, “They did blow up. The old Council. This a new one, very different. You are in Sunnydale because that's where they're now based. After you… well, Slayer's still existed and there needed to be someone governing them in some way, so Giles started to rebuild the Council, contacting the remaining Watcher's and bringing everyone to Sunnydale. With the help of Buffy, Dawn, Xander and Anya they built a new stronger Watcher's council. With a lot of new ideas.”

“New ideas?”

“Yeah. Your Scoobies had a lot of influence on the new organization.” Spike said, “You lot proved that separating the Slayer from family isn't always the smartest way to go. Slayer gets a paycheck now too.”

“Really?” Willow said smiling, knowing how much that would have helped Buffy.

“Yeah. Increases every year. Big increase when they reach eighteen, or if they ever have to support themselves.” Spike assured her.

“Being a Slayer isn't such a secret anymore either.” Angel added.

“Never was to the evil anyway.” Spike added, “We always knew where to find them.”

“It was decided that keeping people in the dark about demons, and vampires wasn't helping anyone. If people were more aware, they could do something to protect themselves.”

“Makes sense.” Willow said, “Now how did they bring me here?”

“Magic. A lot more has been found of the old magics and the information to bring you here as well as heal you has been found.” Angel explained.

“So I still don't understand why I'm here. What am I supposed to fight?”

“The First.” Spike began pacing the room. He had never believed this was a good idea, and he was sure the witch was going to agree.

”I can't fight the First. They need Buffy or Giles or… what about the current Slayer?”

“She's new. Not strong enough. And it was magic not slayer strength that beat it the first time.” Angel assured her.

“Still I can't, I mean, obviously I can't kill it or else it wouldn't be…”

“They know you can't kill it. They simply want you to stop it again.” Spike said facing the bed once more.

“Do they know how dangerous… If I can't control the magic then… I can't do this alone.” Willow said leaning back against the pillow.

“You rest we'll talk to them. See if they'll send you back or if they can do something.” Angel said, “We'll see you later.”

“Right cause I can rest now.” Willow muttered when the door closed behind the two vampires.

Part 3

“What's happening Giles?” Kennedy asked nervously.

“She's not in there.” The woman at Willow's side said quietly.

“How can she not be…” Kennedy began then turned her attention to Giles again. “This is ridiculous. She's can't not be there.”

“Where is she?” Giles moved to the side of the bed, “Can you bring her back?” He chose to ignore Kennedy because he didn't have the answers to give her.

“I don't know.” The woman said looking up at Giles. “I can still feel the magic around her but… Without knowing where she is I can't bring her back.”

“So we just have to wait.” Giles sat on the edge of the bed. He shouldn't have let Willow do this. She was still learning to control her power and now they might lose her.

“I'm afraid so. I'll stay here in Sunnydale incase I'm needed. I'll also contact the coven and let the seer know what I found. Maybe they can find something.” The woman stood up and moved toward the door. “I'll come back tomorrow. If there's any change call me and I'll come sooner.”

Kennedy and Giles followed the woman down stairs and watched her drive away before returning to the kitchen to let the others know what they had learned.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!

Giles walked over to Xander and nudged him gently. No one wanted to leave Willow alone so they had been taking turns sitting with her. “Xander, go to bed. I'll stay with her.”

“Thanks.” Xander said, opening his eyes. “I didn't mean to fall asleep.”

“We're all in need of some sleep right now.” Giles shrugged.

Giles pulled the chair closer to the bed as Xander closed the door behind him. “We are going to find you Willow.” He said quietly.

Watching her carefully hoping to see any sign of movement, or that she was back, he sighed when he saw nothing. “You have to come back to us. You can fight this Willow. Fight whatever took you away. I know you can control your power, you just have to believe it too.”

He was at a loss as to what to do. If she wasn't in there talking to her was kind of pointless. But what if Althenea was wrong? What if Willow was in there? He shouldn't have let this happen. He knew she wasn't ready, now he may lose her because of his own carelessness.

Part 4

Willow was sitting on the bed brushing her hair. After the doctor had been in to see her Angel and Spike had returned and taken her to a different room. This room was larger and beautifully decorated, as well as having it's own bathroom. After all the months of sharing one bathroom with Buffy, Dawn, Xander, Giles, and all the potentials, her own bathroom seemed like such a luxury. They had also given her some fresh clothes and promised that tomorrow someone would take her to buy anything else she might need.

Now, after showering and changing, she was waiting for someone Angel had called, Price, he was the current head of the Council and he was supposed be coming to explain to her why she was there. She knew some of it; she was supposed to stop the First. Angel said that he and Spike had tried to talk to Price about sending her back but he said they needed her. Why couldn't he understand that she couldn't do it alone? Sure she had done the magic herself, but Giles had found the spells, and of course Giles and the others had kept her from losing herself again. What were these people going to do if she lost control, what if she stopped the First only to end the world herself? Spike and Angel were here, but they couldn't stop her, not if… She needed Giles. He was the one that had really known how to stop her before. It had been Xander that had been there, but if Giles hadn't used the coven's magics to make her feel then Xander would've been dead.

“Miss Rosenberg?” A voice from outside the door interrupted her thoughts.

“Come in.”

“Hello, I'm Edmond Price…” The tall thin man said entering the room and extending a hand to Willow.

“You're going to explain to me why I can't go back home.” Willow said taking his hand. “And how you got me here to begin with.”

“Yes.” He said sitting in a chair near the door.

Willow took a chair from the other side of the room and moved it closer to him. “I'm afraid you don't understand how much can go wrong with what Angel tells me you want me to do.”

“I've read Mr. Giles diaries. I'm well aware how dangerous this plan is.” Price said leaning forward. “His diaries also indicate that you can stop the First.”

“Why is it here anyway?” Willow said curious, thousands of years it was silent now two big appearances in a hundred years. “What does it want now?”

“We don't know.”

“You don't know?” Willow repeated, “You bring me here and you don't even know why it is back?”

“Well no. We do know that it's killed our last three slayers.”

“So it wants to end the slayer line again?”

“No, it hasn't touched potentials. We believe its goal is to open the Hellmouth.” Price said nervously.

“Great! Another apocalypse.” Willow leaned back in her chair, “Even if I do try to stop it. It's only a temporary fix. It'll come back again.”

“A local coven believes there could be a way to seal the Hellmouth permanently and with luck trap the First inside it.”

“If I knew how to do that, I would have done it a hundred years ago.” Willow sighed.

“We know more about magic now than we did before.”

“Fine. Then why doesn't this coven do it?” Willow suggested. She was tired and missed her friends.

“They say they don't have the power.”

“And I do?” Willow asked.

“We believe so, yes.”

“After I do this I can go back home to my friends?” Willow asked still not sure she should agree to this.

“If you wish.” Price replied then hesitated, “But you should know, your friends don't have the means to save you. If you go back you'll be in a coma until you die.”

“Look, I'm not even sure I can do this. And if I can, I can't do it alone. I need help, someone to keep me grounded, keep me from losing control.” Willow said, “And I'm not eager to help you so I can go home and die anyway.”

“Angel and Spike told us you said you can't do it without your friends.” Price said, “We can't bring all your friends here. But I have discussed it with the coven and they are willing to bring one person to help you.”

“Only one?” Willow said, “And still the dying thing. Can't you tell me how to fix myself when I return.”

“You couldn't do it from a coma anyway.” Price said, “We did discuss that before bringing you here, if there was a way to send you back to live a full life.”

“Well if I'm bringing someone here, what if you tell them? They'll return to the way they were right? They could save me.”

“That's a possibility I suppose. I could discuss it with the coven.” Price replied after a moments thought, “Do you want to bring someone here then?”

“Well yeah. If I'm gonna do this, I'll need to have someone.”

“Who?”

“Um well, can I think about it for a minute?” Willow asked nervously.

“Yes. Can you have a decision by dinner?”

“Yeah.” Willow replied.

“I'll send someone for you in two hours. After dinner and your decision Spike has offered to show you around.”

“Thank you.” Willow said as Price left the room pulling the door closed behind him.

Willow turned on the stereo in the corner. She didn't recognize the music but at least it was noise. She had to decide whom she wanted to bring here to help her. Whoever it was would have to know enough magic to help her when they returned to their time. That ruled out Xander, Dawn, and Kennedy. The only reason it didn't rule out Buffy was because the Slayer strength thing could be an asset even if she didn't know magic. She could find out if they could go back a little further and bring Tara, but that would hurt too much, she couldn't do that. That left Anya and Giles. Anya knew magic but could Willow really depend on Anya to keep her grounded, to keep her sane? That left Giles, who was honestly her first choice anyway, he was always the one she could depend on the most. He knew magic, he could handle her if she lost control again and she missed him already.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

“Why the Watcher, pet?” Spike asked after Willow had announced her decision at dinner. The question was more just to keep conversation going than anything else. He knew how she felt about the Watcher; he also knew how the Watcher felt about her. Giles had taken her death hard, he had blamed himself, and he had barely spoken for weeks.

“He's really the only choice.” Willow explained setting her fork down. “I need someone that knows magic. That only leaves him and Anya.”

“Anya's probably not a good choice.” Angel replied. He had met the former demon and knew she wasn't likely to be that helpful in controlling Willow should the need arise.

“I know.” Willow smiled, “How soon can we do this?” She turned to face Price.

“If you're sure of your choice the coven will do it tonight.”

“I'm sure.” Willow said, “What will happen to him in my time?”

“He'll appear to be in a coma. Until he returns, that is.” Price said, “That isn't a problem is it?”

“I, uh, I guess not.” Willow said. “So he'll be here tomorrow?” Willow asked deciding not to think about how worried the others would be when Giles also fell into a coma.

“Yes.” Price said rising from the table, “I'll inform the coven right now.”


Part 5

“Buffy!” Kennedy yelled from the doorway of Willow's room. She had come in a few minutes before to take over sitting with Willow for Giles but found she couldn't wake the watcher. “Buffy! Xander! Anya!”

“Loud enough?” Dawn emerged from the bathroom still holding her toothbrush “Is something wrong with Willow?”

“Willow? No.” The panic was rising in Kennedy's voice, “It's Giles.”

“What's going on?” Buffy said reaching the two teenagers.

“Giles?” Dawn ignored her sister and headed to Willow's room. “He's just sleeping.” She looked at the other girl in confusion.

“That's what I thought but he won't wake up.”

“That's ridiculous.” Buffy pushed past both girls. “Giles, wake up.” She nudged the watcher.

“I told you something's wrong with him.” Kennedy insisted.

“Dawn go call Althenea, then call Xander and Anya get everyone over here.” Buffy said, “Kennedy help me move him on to the bed.”

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!

“What's happened to him?” Anya asked as soon as Althenea emerged from the bedroom.

“Is he sick?” Dawn asked.

“He's not sick.” Althenea chose to answer the easier question first. “He's gone, like Willow, I don't find any trace of him in his body.”

“How can that be?” Xander asked impatiently, “He didn't use any magic just Willow.”

“I can't be sure. I'll contact the seer again, have her search for both of them, but I don't know how it happened.”

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

“So what do we do now?” Dawn asked as she closed the door behind Althenea. “If this was magical the only one's that might know how to fix it are the one's that need help.”

“I don't know.” Buffy was pacing the living room. She didn't like dealing with these things. Vampires and demons she could handle. Hell she could even handle the occasional Hell God. Those things she could fight. You can't fight a coma, so she was out of her league here.

“Red any better?” Spike asked emerging from the basement.

“Same.” Xander replied, “Only now it seems Giles has joined her.”

“Giles?”

“Coma too.” Kennedy said quietly.

“Problem is the coven is only looking for magical answers.” Buffy said thinking out loud. “What if the problem can't be fixed with magic, what if it's something different?”

“Great theory Buff.” Xander began pacing with the Slayer. “But our best researchers are gone.”

“He's right.” Spike took a seat next to Dawn on the couch. “To research something this magical we're going to need some magic knowledge.”

“So we're screwed?” Kennedy asked.

“Looks like…” Anya began.

“Wesley!” Buffy began searching for the cordless phone.

“What?” The others all responded.

“Wesley, in L.A., “Angel.” She explained, “Wesley is hardly at Willow's level; hell I doubt he's at Giles level but he knows some anyway. Maybe he can help.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

“Of course, we'll do whatever we can Buffy.” Wesley said into the phone. He should have realized there would be no down time between problems. “I've recently obtained some books not, uh, exactly available here and maybe I can find something there.”

“Have you ever heard of anything like this?” Buffy asked hopefully.

“Sorry. But I'll let you know as soon as I find anything.”

“Thanks, Wes.” Buffy said before hanging up the phone. “He's never heard of anything like this but they'll see what the can find.” She said, turning to her friends.

“So now what?” Kennedy asked.

“We wait.” Buffy sighed, she didn't like that idea any more than Kennedy but they really were out of options, “We can try doing some research ourselves too. Dawn why don't you and Anya start on the Internet and Xander and Kennedy hit the books and Spike you come with me. Maybe we can find some one with some information.”

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