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Part 3

The group of hikers moved through the mountain area quickly and without much trouble for the remainder of that day and they found a nice place to make camp. They made camp next to a small lake, which was exactly what everyone needed.  They all used the lake to refill their canteens and to privately bathe.  Even though they slept on the ground, it wasn't much of a problem.  Willow and Tara slept in a secluded area, cuddled together.  Dawn slept close to the lake with the others sleeping around her as well.

When the next morning rolled around, they were all ready to move on. With the progress they had made the day before, Jacob anticipated them to arrive at the monastery before the day's end.  So just after the sun rose to begin the start of a new day, they were off, away from the lake they had camped at and on their way to the monastery, Jacob leading them.

Jacob had just told them that they had less than a mile to go before reaching it.  Jacob was in the lead with Giles and Thomas, the three talking about the Prophecy of the End of Dayz.  Xander was a little ways behind them, just looking around the greenery as he moved.  Dawn was chatting with Tara behind him and Buffy was walking with Willow, the two bringing up the rear.  Willow noticed something with her friend and she questioned her about it.

"Something bothering you, Buffy?" Willow asked.

Buffy stared ahead for a few moments as she watched Jacob walk.  She then looked at the redhead.  "Can you keep a secret, Will?"

Willow's eyebrows hiked.  "Um, I can try I guess.  But you know me and secrets don't go well together."

The Slayer nodded.  "Will, I think I know the vampire that killed Jacob's mother and made him what he is."

Willow stopped cold for a moment before she started walking again.  She was truly shocked by the news.  "You know?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure it's someone you and I both know.  Jacob told me that the vamp was English, had blonde hair, and that the vamp killed two Slayers in his lifetime." Buffy told her friend, watching for her reaction.

Willow merely looked ahead as they continued to walk ahead.  "So, you think it's Spike."

Buffy nodded.  "Those three things have one thing in common.  Spike.  I can't ignore it."

"Are you going to tell him?" Willow asked.

Buffy looked at the ground.  "How can I?" she looked at the redhead.  "Because if I do, he's going to find out about the whole sleeping with Spike and I definitely don't want him finding out about that.  At least, not yet."

Willow looked at her.  "Buffy, you can't keep this secret much longer.  And I think that Jacob's going to find out about Spike whenever he returns to Sunnydale."

"You think Spike's coming back." Buffy said.

"Yeah, I'm sure of it.  I don't think we'll ever be rid of him." Willow said.

Buffy shook her head but she was unable to argue with that logic.  Ever since that first night with Spike, Buffy had felt changed.  She had made a decision that she knew would change everything and it had.  Ever since that night in the bathroom and learning of Spike's disappearance, she'd started wondering where Spike went.  Was his pain at what he almost did driving him to stay away or was he acknowledging the beast within him?  Those were thoughts she had thought about.

She shook her head, continuing on with the hike.  She changed the subject.  "So how are things with you and Tara?" she asked.

"We're doing great." Willow replied, a smile hitting her face whenever she thought or talked about the blonde witch.  "Yesterday, she kind of hinted at me about having our wedding out here, you know in the country."

Buffy smiled.  "Yeah, it seems like a good idea to me."

"Yeah, it would be nice." Willow said, imagining the wedding being held out in the sun with a grassy field surrounding them.  Just thinking about it made her insides surge with the warmth she felt whenever she thought about Tara.

"So, you two looking forward to having this baby?" Buffy asked, pointing at Willow's stomach.

The redhead grinned at her. "Oh yeah.  Tara's so happy about it, she even suggested going shopping for maternity wear. Wouldn't that be something?"

"Yeah, that would be great." Buffy felt happy for her friend.  At least one of them was starting to have better days in their lives.

The redhead woman and Buffy slowed as Jacob, Thomas, and Giles stopped.  They had stopped at the top of a very high and steep hill.  As they drew near, Jacob turned.  "What is it?" Buffy asked.

Jacob pointed down the steep hill.  "We're here."

Buffy looked down the hill and her eyes widened.  There was a compound made out of wood and stone.  A rectangular shaped fort with a stone gate surrounding it was visible.  Within the gate was many homes made out of wooden logs and other hard materials like stone and rock.  At the front gate where they were facing, they could see two monks standing guard.

"That's a pretty large monastery." Buffy noted.

"Well, a lot of the monasteries have been attacked by different demons and such so the elders of the monasteries have increased the defenses here.  Come on, we need to hurry before Kell finds this place." Jacob said.

"You think he knows about it?" Willow asked as Tara came to stand beside her.

They started moving down the steep hill towards the valley where the monastery was built.  "Maybe not yet, but this Amy's in his blood just like he's in hers.  He can feel her presence and I'm sure he's on his way right now."

They moved down the hill that led to the front gate in only minutes and they soon found themselves facing two monks in yellow cloth robes.  The two guards held quarterstaffs in their hands as the group approached.  "What business have you here?" the monk on the right asked.  He had a bald head and pale gray eyes.

Jacob pulled his black glove off his right hand and held his palm out, facing the monks.  "I am a brother of the monastery.  I seek to speak with Josiah concerning a great matter."

Upon seeing the mark that adorned Jacob's palm, the monks bowed their head.  It was a mark that Jacob had been born with.  It was also the mark that designated the Daywalker.  Most of the monasteries in existence knew of the legend of the Daywalker and that the Daywalker had a mark on his hand.  Without further word, the monks opened the gates to the monastery and the group were ushered inside.

 The semi-large group entered the monastery's compound, seeing the attention they were drawing by the looks on the faces of all of the monks.  Jacob led them to the larges building on the compound, the worship chamber.  Jacob opened the double steel doors and led them inside.  As before, Josiah was sitting on his small throne as they approached.  He didn't look at all surprised to see them, just very concerned.

Jacob lowered himself to one knee and lightly kissed Josiah's knuckles in respect to the older man.  "Josiah, you know why we are here."

Josiah nodded.  He answered, his voice slightly choked as he was battling a fever at the time.  "Yes, the demon has risen from his Hell dimension and you are here for the woman you brought to me."

Jacob nodded, rising to his feet.  "Let me introduce you..."

"There is no need, Jacob.  I know already who these are.  You are the Vampire Slayer." Josiah said.  She nodded.  "And you are...no....you were the Key."

Dawn nodded, surprised that Josiah knew that.  He continued.  "You are Xander, loyal friend to the Slayer.  You...you are her Watcher." Giles nodded.  Then Josiah's eyes flickered to Thomas.  "You....you are a man who's studied this Prophecy that predicts these events."

"I am." Thomas replied.

Josiah nodded as his gaze flickered to the witches, watching him.  He smiled.  "You are witches.  Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay.  I have been told much about you by the Powers That Be."

"Yo...you have?" Tara stuttered.

"Yes, but now is not the time to discuss that.  Mikas?" he summoned one of the other monks.

"Yes Josiah." Mikas said, kneeling down.

"Bring Amy here." the older monk said.

"At once." Mikas said, turning and disappearing around the corner.

Josiah turned back to the assembled group.  "You do not have much time."

"What do you mean?" Giles asked.

Josiah let out a breath.  "The alignment of the planets isn't happening at the time the Prophecy predicts.  The alignment's happening tonight."

"How do you know this?" Jacob asked, concerned.

"I receive visions from the Powers.  They showed me a rather powerful vision last night.  It involved all of you being here.  But it also involved Kell, the Dark Son, being here as well.  The only observation I can make is that he's followed you.  He's not far from here as we speak."

Looks of dread and worry passed over their faces.  "What are we going to do?" Buffy asked.

Josiah looked at his old hands.  "I have already explained this to the girl.  She knows the words to be true because recently, she has began seeing Kell in her nightmares.  She knows he's coming to sacrifice her in order to open the Gates and she's ready to help you in any way possible."

"Amy," Xander spoke up, "how is she?  I mean, have you reached her while she's been here?"

The older monk looked at Xander.  "It has been a difficult experience, but she has finally seen the damage of her actions and she's ready to atone for them.  She may still be difficult at times, but she's ready nonetheless."

The door behind Josiah opened and Mikas returned, Amy following behind.  The entire group looked surprised at her appearance.  She looked much different than when Jacob took her from Sunnydale.  Her skin had the darker shade to it that comes from being exposed in the sun.  Her hair was slightly longer than it was before and she was wearing an orange cloth robe tied at the waist by a yellow silk sash.  She looked nervously at them, trying to smile but knowing the memories of what she did to them.

"Hello Amy." Buffy said, trying to be polite to her.  But with all the memories of what Amy had done still fresh in her mind, she was having a difficult time.

"Hi." Amy said, still not sure if they were going to be civil with her.

"Amanda, please come here." Josiah said.

She obeyed at once, moving over and kneeling next to the monk.  "Yes Josiah."

"Do you remember that conversation we had earlier about your nightmares?"

She nodded.

"That time has arrived.  The Dark Son will be here momentarily.  I want you to do whatever the Slayer and Daywalker tell you.  They will keep you safe from his evil." Josiah said.

"Okay." Amy replied, looking at the two of them.

Thomas moved forward. "May I see your mark?"

Amy rolled up her sleeve and showed the symbol that she was born with to Thomas.  He nodded and sighed at the same time.  "Then it's true.  He really is coming for you." Thomas said with a tone of regret.

"Listen to me," Josiah said, motioning to all of them, "I have enough mystical energy to teleport six of you to a far off destination.  But Buffy and Jacob must remain to protect Amy from the Dark Son."

Buffy looked at her friends and looked at Josiah.  "Alright, teleport them to the vehicles that we left.  We'll get Amy there on foot."

"Buffy no!" Giles said angrily.

"That's suicide!!" Willow urged.

"Willow there's no room for argument here.  Jacob and I need for all of you to be somewhere safe.  We can't constantly be worrying about you when Kell gets here." Buffy said to her friend.  She looked at Tara for support.

As much as Tara didn't like the idea of Buffy and Jacob going up against Kell by themselves, she knew this was the way things had to go.  And she felt an inner peace that told her everything would work out in the end.  She grabbed Willow's arm.  "Will, it'll be okay.  Buffy and Jacob can take care of themselves."

"I...I know....it's just..." Willow stammered, "Buffy....I don't......want to be leaving here thinking I won't see you again."

Buffy held Willow's hands.  "You won't.  Me and Jacob are going to get through this.  We'll see you in Sunnydale, I promise!"

Reluctantly, Willow nodded.

A monk came running in through the entrance.  "The Dark Son is here!  He's just gotten through the front gate."

Josiah stood on his weak legs.  "Alright, let's get you there."

"What about Amy?  I mean, shouldn't she come with us?" Dawn asked, looking at the nervous former witch.

"No." Jacob said.  "If we did that, Kell would know the moment the teleportation takes place.  He wouldn't even waste his time with us.  We need to keep her with us."

Giles looked at Buffy.  Without saying anything, he walked up to her and embraced her with all the emotion he felt towards her.  "Take care of yourself and of Jacob." Giles said in a tone so low that only she would hear.

"I will." she whispered back.

Walking over, Giles gave Jacob the type of hug that only a father would give a son, full of caring and love.  "Don't let yourself get killed, Jacob.  And watch out for Buffy." the Watcher whispered.

"You know I'll do my best." Jacob said, releasing the Watcher.

Giles nodded and returned to the group.  Josiah raised his hands into the air and closed his eyes.  His lips were moving, but he wasn't using his voice.  He was mouthing an ancient Arabic language based spell that was created to shift living beings from one place to another.  The only thing about the spell was that the person doing it had to be very powerful and be able to withstand the exhaustion that doing the spell causes.

The air around Dawn, Willow, Tara, Giles, Thomas, and Xander cackled and began glowing different colors.  Moments later, the energy surrounded their bodies and a flash of light filled the entire room.  When the light ended, they were no longer there.  Josiah's legs buckled and he would have fallen to the floor had Mikas not been there.  The monk carried the older monk from the room as Buffy and Jacob looked at each other.  Their friends were safe and now, they just had to wait for Kell to show up so they could begin to keep Amy safe.

Less than ten seconds passed since Mikas took Josiah out of the room when the double doors were pushed open and there he was, the Dark Son Kell, standing in the center of the entrance, his hands on the two doors, watching the Slayer and the Daywalker before letting his eyes gaze at Amy.  The demon in human form was wearing a pair of dark pants with a deep black colored robe over his upper body.  It was tied together at the sides and there were four flaps.  There was a black flap on the side of his right leg, the side of his left leg, a flap in front of his legs, and a flap at the back of his legs.  He had a sword in it's sheat at his waist on his left side and on the chest of his robe was his symbol, the eyed triangle inside of the perfect circle.  Kell let his fingers slide off the door as he walked down the aisle towards the three. Amy visibly cringed and moved behind Jacob and Buffy, who stood at the end of the aisle.

"Well..." Kell's voice rang out, "here we are!  The Slayer and the Daywalker, facing OFF with the Big Bad villain!"

Jacob kept his eyes on Kell.  "You know why we're here."

"Yes, I do." Kell replied.  "But it will be of no consequence.  None of you can stop me from achieving my destiny!  I will open the Gates tonight!  And there's nothing either of you can do to stop me!"

"We're going to see about that." Jacob said as he took one step forward.  "Buffy?"

"Yeah?" Buffy replied, making sure Amy was behind her.

"Take Amy and start heading back the way we came." Jacob told her.

Buffy's head snapped to his.  "What!"

Jacob looked at her.  "Just do it.  I'll catch up, I promise."

With a curse, Buffy grabbed Amy's arm and pulled her towards one of the side exits.  Kell watched them leave then looked back at Jacob.  "You want to fight me one on one?"

Slowly, Jacob reached behind him with his right gloved hand and pulled his sword from it's sheath.  Kell did the same by pulling his sword free.  The two fighters looked at each other in silence for long moments before they both moved forward and collided swords.

---**---

Buffy moved through the forestry, holding Amy by the wrist as she pulled the former witch with her.  Less than five minutes earlier, they'd passed through the gate that the Slayer had entered with her friends to find it utterly destroyed, flames covering the ground where it had stood.  The guards had been lying on the ground, not dead, but injured.  It looked like Kell had blasted them with some kind of energy wave.

Amy hissed in pain as her foot stepped on a sharp branch.  "Ow!  Slow down, will you!"

Buffy stopped and looked at her.  It was pretty late in the day and the sun was starting to set, the shadows from the trees already covering the two women.  "Look Amy, we have to keep moving."

Amy rubbed her sore foot.  "I know we do it's just...these are really thin sandals they have me wearing.  My foot's really sore."

"Amy," Buffy said, exasperated, "we really don't have much time to waste here.  Jacob told me of a rendezvous point where he'll catch up.  We have to hurry."

"Where is it anyways?" Amy grumbled.

"There's a train station a couple miles east of here.  The train will lead back to Sunnydale." Buffy answered.

Without further word, Buffy grabbed Amy's hand again and the two began moving down the slopes of the valley they were in and headed towards the train tracks.

Back inside the monastery's compound, the Dark Son and the Daywalker were battling using their swords.  They had been clashing the blades together for long minutes.  Jacob was breathing very heavily as Kell easily smashed his sword into his.  The Dark Son was having no trouble at all.  He was grinning from ear to ear as he moved forward, stepping up his attack and speeding his thrusts up with expert ease.

When this clashing of swords began, Jacob was able to use only his sword hand to meet Kell's strikes, but now he was holding his blade with both hands as he tried to meet each and every thrust the Dark Son threw his way, but he was tiring more quickly than he'd hoped and he was being backed up towards one of the walls, Kell moving in with a flurry of intense strikes.

As Jacob was nearing the back wall, Kell caught Jacob's blade in with his and hooked it under his, bringing both blades towards the ground.  With the opening there, Kell backhanded Jacob across the face with his free hand.  Jacob's body flew back with a solid intensity, crashing through the back wall he was near and hitting the ground on the other side, under the bricks and stone of the wall.  Kell smiled as he began to step through the hole Jacob's body created.

"It seems..." Kell said, "that you are truly no match for me, Daywalker."

The armored vest that Jacob was thankful to be wearing took most of the force from the impact, but his back was still bruised from it.  He held his sword in his right hand as he weakly tried to stand back up.  As he was on one knee, he suddenly realized that he had to buy Buffy more time to get Amy to that train station otherwise everything they were fighting for right now would be over.  All hopes for a future for everyone would instantly be ended.  With a renewed effort, Jacob dove forward, catching the surprised Dark Son with a kick at his chest.  With his increased strength, Jacob was able to move Kell back a few feet inside the worship temple.  He rushed forward to continue his attack.

Kell found himself thoroughly surprised and impressed with the second wind that Jacob possessed at the moment.  The Daywalker was moving forward, clashing their swords together at a fast pace that Kell was ready for, but was surprised at.  Kell met each and every sword thrust head on, countering some and driving the Daywalker back a few steps before the Daywalker forged on and tried harder with his attack.

After several more minutes of their swords clashing, not only had Jacob moved Kell back to where the aisle was, but he also had changed their places.  Kell was now the one with the wall with the large hole behind him.  Jacob wasted no time, he quickly clashed his sword against Kell's one last time with enough force to move it upwards, then he kicked Kell in the chest with his left leg with enough force behind it to move the Dark Son back a few steps.  Jacob stopped and with his left arm, he reached under him for the left sling holster and pulled his shotgun out.  It was already loaded and cocked as he pointed it at Kell's chest.

Kell merely looked amused.  "Jacob..." Kell said with amusement, "you know that no weapon forged by man can destroy me."

Jacob just nodded.  "I know.  This isn't supposed to destroy you."

Jacob opened fire a few times, the blasts from the shotgun hitting Jacob in his chest each of the times.  Jacob's body hit the ground with a solid thud.  There was no blood, it was as if the bullets bounced right off him, but they hadn't.  Even though he was the Dark Son, Kell was using a human body and that human body was feeling the effects of the blasts.

Jacob looked at the front double doors for a moment then looked behind him.  There was a window there shut with carefully carved wooden shutters, no glass.  Jacob reholstered both his sword and the shotgun before turning and throwing his body through the wooden shutters.  He landed on the ground a moment later and he was off running towards the front stone wall.  Inside the temple, Kell was on his feet and heading out the front double doors.  Less than ten seconds later, he was out of the building and looking at the wall.  He saw Jacob diving over the wall and he had a dangerous look to his face.

Even though he was immortal and virtually unstoppable, Jacob had shown him that his body wasn't as strong as he thought.  And he showed him that when needed, Jacob could ignite the flames of fury within him.  Before he destroyed the Slayer and took the girl, Kell wanted Jacob's head.  He sheathed his sword and walked towards the front gates, already knowing which direction Jacob had headed off to.  He was determined to find the Daywalker and put an end to him as night began to fall over the forest.

---**---

Just as night had fallen over the forestry, Willow, Tara, Giles, Thomas, Dawn, and Xander all found themselves materializing right where their vehicles had been left.  Although it was only a day since they'd left them, to the group assembled, it felt like months.  Giles walked around, looking at the area around them.

"We need to get back to Sunnydale." Giles said.

"Yeah, we should.  There's no telling where Buffy and Jacob are right now." Willow replied.

They left Jacob's Trans Am where it was and packed up in the van.  Giles drove with Thomas sitting in the passenger's seat next to him.  Xander and Dawn sat behind them with the witches sitting behind them.  The drive was mostly silent as they headed back to Sunnydale.  But one thought was going through all of their minds.  They hoped their two friends were alright and they hoped they were keeping Amy safe from Kell.

And while they were thinking that on their ride back to the city, Buffy and Amy were finally arriving at the train station.  The Slayer let go of Amy's hand as she looked inside the only train on the tracks at the moment.  The train conductor walked quickly towards her, his movements awkward and edgy.

"Are you Buffy Summers?" the conductor asked.

"Yes." Buffy replied, looking at the slightly overweight man.  "Who are you?"

"The name's George.  Where's Jacob?"

"He's meeting us here.  He's probably already on the way." Buffy answered as she looked at Amy who was nervously walking towards them.

"Well, he better hurry.  He told me to wait until eleven o'clock tonight.  If he's not here by then, he wanted me to take off for Sunnydale." George told her.

"He'll be here." Buffy promised.  "He better." she whispered to herself.

---**---

He felt like his legs couldn't possibly go any more, but he knew he had to because the alternative was not only death, but death to millions of people around the world.  Jacob panted heavily, moving past tree after tree as he followed the path he knew led to the train station where he'd told Buffy they would meet up at.  He really hoped she was already there with Amy.  And he hoped his old friend George would follow his instructions to the letter and leave at eleven even if Jacob wasn't there by then.

Jacob passed a particularly thick tree and he suddenly found an arm extended out of nowhere, his chest hitting it and forcing his body into the air and twisting around until he landed on his chest, breathing hard.  The arm slowly lowered to the ground as Kell stepped out from where he'd been waiting for Jacob to show up.  Even though Kell needed to get the girl so he would be ready for the alignment tonight, he wanted to end this mess with Jacob once and for all.  Otherwise, he knew Jacob, like Buffy, would stick his nose in his business later on down the road.  And that was something the Dark Son wasn't going to allow to happen.

Jacob rose to his knees as he shook his head.  His vision was slowly blurred from the impact of hitting the ground and after a moment of concentrating, he was able to clear his vision as he stood on his feet.  Kell was standing there, looking at him with menace on his face.

"Did you really think I was going to allow you to live?  Especially after what you've tried to do."

Jacob flexed his fingers, he was only going to have once chance at what he was thinking.  "I know I can't destroy you Kell, but I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure you don't succeed.  And you've only got a certain amount of time left."

Kell slowly pulled out his sword again, surprised when Jacob didn't pull his out.  "Have you finally accepted your defeat?"

Slowly inching his right hand back behind him, his fingers grasped the bazooka under his vest and he slowly inched it outward.  "If dying tonight means stopping you, then I'm willing to do it."

"And why exactly is that?" Kell asked as he tried a sudden sword thrust at Jacob.

Moving quickly, Jacob watched as Kell's sword struck and was stuck in the tree behind him until Kell pulled it free.  He grasped his bazooka again, slowly inching it out of his vest.  "Kell, you've got to understand something.  I may be on a quest for justice, but I also learned something else over the years.  I accepted my destiny as the Daywalker a long time ago.  And being the Daywalker means that I have taken it upon myself to safeguard the preservation of humanity by fighting the forces of darkness.  And dying means very little compared to that."

Kell stayed silent, just watching him and mindlessly moving his blade a little in his hand.  Jacob took a deep breath, he knew what he was about to do would not only give Buffy and him more time, but it was likely to be painful.  Taking another deep breath, Jacob pulled the bazooka from it's sling under his vest and he aimed it first at Kell.

Kell laughed.  "Well, you certainly come prepared, don't you." he snickered before his face turned serious.  "You know that won't hurt me."

Jacob nodded.  "Yes, I know it won't hurt you in any way." Jacob said, then lowering the bazooka's barrel to the ground a few feet in front of Kell.  He knew after he pressed the trigger, the explosion would blow both of them apart by many feet.  He sent a silent prayer to his mother in Heaven that he survive this.  "But it will buy me and Buffy more time." he said before he suddenly pulled the trigger on the bazooka.

As he pulled the trigger, Jacob had his body turned and he ran before the blast even left his bazooka.  But the grenade type explosion happened regardless.  The explosion threw his body up into the air and several feet away as it did the same to Kell's form.  The explosion rising up higher than the tree line and anyone miles away could see the flames in the air.

A few minutes of silence lasted as the remnants of the explosion faded away to smoke and a few sizzling flames on the ground.  Many trees were burned to a cinder and laying on the ground, it's leaves no longer visible.  Several feet from where the explosion happened, Jacob pushed a heavy piece of wood off his chest and sat up, looking around.  He couldn't see Kell anywhere, but he knew the Dark Son wasn't gone.  He would only be gone after midnight tonight, provided he didn't sacrifice Amy.

There was some pain in both his legs and over his forearms as some flames had touched his skin, but he knew within a couple hours, those injuries would be gone because of his supernatural healing powers.  Like Buffy, the healing worked almost instantly.  With a hiss, Jacob was on his feet and he grabbed the bazooka that was on the ground a few feet away and reholstered it, heading towards the train station, which was only about twenty minutes away from him.

---**---

Each and every one of the others were nervous and worried as they stood inside the Magic Box.  Xander was constantly going to the window next to the front door, hoping to see either Buffy or Jacob heading their way.  But each time he looked, the result was the same.  Nothing.

They had gotten back to the Magic Box in record time, Giles driving the van faster than they had ever seen him drive before.  Normally, the Watcher was a very careful and cautious driver.  And to them, that meant slow, agonizingly slow.  Nevertheless, he surprised them with his speed in getting them there.

Dawn was sitting over by the round table with Willow, both looking worried and not knowing what to do.  Giles and Thomas were behind the counter with Anya, just waiting for something, anything, to do.  Tara walked up to where Xander was standing and stopped a few feet from the construction worker.  "How are you doing, Xander?" Tara asked.

"Well, considering everything that's happened today....I have to say I'm as nervous as a kid going to see the dentist." Xander replied, rubbing his eyes.

Tara looked at the floor.  She was trying so hard to get to know everyone and she thought trying to start a conversation with Xander might be a good idea but right now, she couldn't really think of anything to say, considering what's happened.  But there was something she wanted to say to him, something she'd been wanting to say for a while now.  Well, since she'd been brought back.  "Thank you." she said.

Xander looked up.  "Thank you?  For what?"

Tara gazed in his eyes, biting her lower lip.  For some reason, that made him squirm.  "Xander, while I was....in that limbo place, I could see and feel and hear everything that was happening with Willow and with all of you.  I saw everything she did and everything you did."

Xander watched her, his eyes intent now.

"And, facing her when she didn't care about anything was a risk." Tara continued, her eyes falling on Willow for a moment.  "But you faced her and brought her down from the dark place she'd allowed her heart to go to.  And I want to tell you thank you for it.  Because I've been thinking about it and I think that even if you hadn't succeeded in saving her and even if she failed in destroying the world, I still think Sonya Baxter would have brought me back, she just would have found another way."

Xander looked away before returning his gaze to her.  "What would have happened if she was still on her vengeance trip when you were brought back?"

Tara rubbed her hands.  "I don't think she would have believed it was me.  And she probably might've tried to destroy me and she would have succeeded.  And I don't think she would have wanted to live if that had happened.  But in any event, I just wanted to say thank you for saving her.  She means everything to me."

Xander smiled at the blonde, grateful to know her.  "Willow's my best friend Tara.  It's like I told her, if the world was going to end, there was no place I'd rather be than with her when she did it."

Tara looked down.  "Well, I just wanted to say thanks." she said before she slowly walked back over to Willow, Xander watching her move back.  His eyes closed for a moment, then he renewed his watch over the window.

"I found it!" Thomas suddenly yelled inside the Magic Box.  The others gathered around.

"Found what?" Willow asked, walking forward.

"I found the answer to the question that's eluded me for years." Thomas said.  "I've always wondered how the Dark Son could be defeated.  This page makes reference to the Prophecy.  According to this, if Kell fails in his attempt to open the Gates, then it will be over.  It says that because he is a being of immense power, if his reason for being on Earth is gone, then the Hell dimension he comes from will pull him back as soon as the alignment passes."

"So," Xander said, "if we keep him from getting Amy until this alignment passes, we won't have to worry about him."

"Exactly." Thomas replied.

"Let's just hope Buffy and Jacob are keeping her safe until they can get back here." Willow said, looking at all of them.

---**---

At the location of the explosion, there was little to no movement.  However, a moment later, large pieces of wood and bark were roughly shoved out of the way as Kell sat up, looking around the now deserted area of the forest.  The Dark Son snarled as he rose to his feet.  "Jacob!!!" he yelled in an angry tone.  He wasted no time, he moved forward, walking with purpose, he wouldn't let Jacob outsmart him again.

Several yards ahead of him, Jacob moved with purpose, passing every tree he passed.  He was only a few yards from the train station now.  He was tired and more than that, his body was sore from the amount of abuse he'd already taken and he knew it was only going to get worse as time went by.  As he moved forward, he quickly checked his watch to see the time.  His eyes widened at the time.

It was getting close to eleven and that meant that Kell would probably be trying get to Buffy and Amy by now.  Jacob sped up his movement as he finally broke free of the forestry and hit the tracks, running as fast as he could.  He could see the train less than fifty feet from him and as he moved quicker, he saw Buffy standing on the railing of the last car, her eyes widened as she saw him.

"Jacob!" Buffy called out upon seeing him.

Moments later, Jacob was there, climbing onto the last car, Buffy gripping his shoulder as he breathed hard from the exertion of his energy.  "Are you alright?" Amy asked, seeing him.

He nodded once as George came into the car.  "Jacob, I was wondering when you were going to show up."

"George, thanks for arranging this in so little time." Jacob hugged his long time friend.

"I'm just glad I was here to help you." George returned the hug.

"Alright, we need to get moving, now!" Jacob said, pushing the other man towards the conductor's area.  George wasted no further time, moving from car to car until he was starting the train forward on the tracks.

"I heard that explosion and I didn't know what to think." Buffy said, looking at him and noticing how exhausted he seemed.  "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little winded." he answered her.  "I'm afraid I'm responsible for the explosion.  I needed to buy us some time."

Buffy looked past his shoulder and her entire body jerked, pulling the Daywalker around.  Down on the tracks was Kell, walking towards them with purpose.  And as the train began to pick up speed and move further and further away, they saw the Dark Son begin running towards the train.

"Oh crap." Jacob said, watching Kell.  He unsnapped his pocket on his lower right side and pulled out his cell phone.  He handed it to Buffy.  Get to the very first car and then call Giles at the Magic Box.  Tell him where we are and have him get here as fast as he can."

Buffy nodded, not used to being ordered around but willing to go with it for now.  Jacob ushered them ahead of him as the three of them moved from car to car until they were at the first car.  There were only four cars so it wasn't a long trip.  After they were all inside the first car, Buffy began making the call and Jacob went out to the area where the cars were connected.  With his left hand, he held the handle and reached his upper body down.

"What are you doing?" Buffy demanded as she waited for the rings to happen.

"I've got to separate the cars.  I have an idea that might give us all the time we need." Jacob answered as he grabbed the steel lever that held the cars together and he started to pull as hard as he could.  Kell, in the meantime, was running closer and closer to the last car of the train.

As he was within reach, he suddenly dove off the ground and his body flew through the air, his legs raising high as he landed with a solid thumping sound on the railing of the last car.  He snarled his lips as he moved forward in the cars.  Up at the first car, Jacob was still pulling the lever.  With a loud and audible grunt, the lever moved free as Jacob let go of it.  The front car and the three other cars was released as Jacob watched the distance being put in between them.  He and Buffy, still on the phone, watched as Kell moved to the end of the car watching them with a rising rage.  Jacob reached behind him and once again removed his bazooka and popped the loading barrel open.  Reaching down, he took a shell out of his pocket and loaded the bazooka.

"Where the hell did you get that?" Buffy asked him.

"I have many contacts, Buffy." Jacob replied.  He pulled back the loading mechanism on the bazooka and aimed it at the car where Kell was standing.  Making sure his aim was perfect, he waited a second and pulled the trigger.

The powerful blast left the bazooka and traveled through the air before it crashed into the car, Kell watching it come closer as it did.  The car exploded, the force of it sending the other two cars crashing off the tracks and tumbling over and over until they too exploded into waves and waves of flames.  Jacob and Buffy watched it all happen.  Both saw the initial explosion and the two explosions that followed.  Amy was huddled in one of the seats, too scared to say or do anything more.

Buffy glanced at Jacob.  "Is that it?"

The Daywalker put his bazooka back under his vest.  He glanced at his watch.  "That didn't destroy Kell, but it's bought us a little time.  Kell's got less than an hour left to do the ceremony, otherwise, it's going to be too late for him."

"What are we going to do now?" Amy asked from her huddled position.

"I got a hold of Giles.  He and the others are at the Magic Box.  I told them where we are and they're on their way." Buffy told Jacob.

Jacob nodded, leaning against the side of one of the seats.  "It's almost over." he sighed.

She sat down and padded the seat next to her.  Jacob sat down next to the Slayer and closed his eyes.  The day had been filled with so much activity that he was having a hard time dealing with all of it.  As the train continued on it's way, Buffy gently laced the fingers of her right hand through the fingers of Jacob's left hand, silently trying to give him comfort in the only way she could.

---**---

The moving train slowed to a stop as Giles drove the van a few feet ahead.  When Buffy had called them at the Magic Box, the Watcher had been relieved and overjoyed to hear her voice.  He was even more relieved and joyed when he learned that Jacob was relatively fine as well and that they still had Amy away from the Dark Son.  And as soon as the call had ended, they loaded the van and headed back out to the woods where she told them they'd be.

As he slowed the van to a stop, they all exited and waited for the train to come to a complete stop.  Before the train completely stopped movement, however, they saw Buffy hopping out the car with Amy behind her.  The two women hurried over.

"Buffy!  Are we ever glad that you're alright!" Giles said, embracing the Slayer.

She smiled through her relief.  "Yeah, we're fine."

A few moments later, they looked over and saw Jacob hitting the ground with the conductor of the train just behind him.  Jacob turned to George.  "Thank you for what you've done George." Jacob thanked him.

George clasped his hand.  "Take care of yourself Jacob."

After a few more goodbyes, the train left the assembled group there.  A few minutes after that, they turned the van around and headed back to Sunnydale, knowing the battle wasn't over yet, but knowing that within an hour, it would be, one way or another.

As they were driving away, about a mile back where the three cars of the train had collided, Kell threw a huge piece of the train's roof off his body and stood on his feet.  His face was full of rage and hatred as he realized the alignment was already in place and he had less than ten minutes to kill Amy before it was too late and all his hard work would be for nothing.

He raised his eyes to the night sky and he screamed one word with an intensity that frightened the birds and animals in the forest around him.  "Daywalker!!!"

Just minutes later, the group were back at the Magic Box, entering and keeping check over the time as they all waited impatiently for the midnight hour to ring so Kell's chances would pass by and he would no longer be a threat to the world.  It was six minutes before the time was too late and Jacob was staying stock still in the center of the Magic Box.  He knew Kell wasn't gone yet and he knew that he'd eventually get here before the six minutes were up.

"Are you sure he'll come?" Buffy asked, watching Jacob's intense face.

"He'll come." the Daywalker said, his whole body tensed and ready for the attack he was sure was to come.

Only moments passed since Jacob said those two words when the front door of the Magic Box suddenly flew inward and Kell was standing there, no longer with all the confidence, no longer with all his cockiness.  He was angry, rage was filling his entire soul and he was here for one purpose, to open the Gates of all Hell dimensions.  He didn't bother speaking.  Rasing his right hand, he sent an energy wave at Amy, knocking the former witch into a wall.  Then, he aimed his fingers at Giles, Dawn, and Thomas who were standing there the round table.

Kell twitched his fingers and the three of them were suddenly airborne, being thrown where the counter was and colliding into Tara, Willow, Xander, and Anya who were already there.  Once that happened, the Dark Son created a blue tinted energy wave that acted as a force field to keep them from interfering.  That left Jacob and Buffy to fight Kell and protect Amy from Kell's threat.

Realizing they were on their own, Buffy quickly ran to the back of the shop and opened a weapons chest and removed a sword before running back to where Jacob stood.  Jacob was still standing motionless as he watched Kell.  "We're not going to allow this to happen, Kell." Jacob spoke up.

Kell pulled his sword out.  "You are not going to stop me.  I should have just destroyed both of you in the beginning.  Instead I wasted my time on you."

Kell advanced, striking his blade against Buffy's with a flurry of intensity that Buffy was impressed by and was able to match, strike for strike.  Jacob stepped back and pulled his sword out from behind him.  He waited until Kell was completely facing his back to Jacob, then the Daywalker moved.  He attempted to drive his blade right into Kell's back, but the Dark Son had expected the move and he quickly moved his body around and caught the blade in his left hand.  Grasping the metal, he yanked it from Jacob's hands and tossed it away from both of them.  Turning back to the Slayer, Kell grabbed her by the neck and tossed her against the far wall.  Buffy hit the wall and fell to the ground, grimacing and aware of her friends faces as they watched helplessly as this happened.

Amy was huddled in the corner, too frightened to know what to do.  Turning to Jacob, Kell wasted no time with his sword, he raised his left hand up and sent a powerful wave of energy at him.  The blast knocked the Daywalker down to the ground with enough force to put a dent in the wall.  Kell sheated his sword and quickly walked over and grabbed Amy by her long hair.  He walked over to the round table and with a swipe of his arm, knocked whatever was there off.  He put her body on the table and chanted a quick chant to make her immobile.

The Dark Son reached with his left hand and slowly pulled a ceremonial dagger from his robe and held it out, the flatness of the blade facing Amy, not the point.  He looked towards the ceiling.  "Dekhleti, ruler of the darkness.  Mephisto, lord of pain and misery, I the Dark Son of Dekhleti call upon you to open the Gates of Hell with this sacrifice.  When her blood flows, open the Gates to all Hell dimensions and unleash your armies upon the Earth under my control!"

"Jacob, Buffy!" Willow called over, looking at the clock.  "There's only two minutes left.  You have to stop him!!"

Buffy nodded and rose form the floor, running straight towards the Dark Son.  She had gotten right within his reach when he suddenly turned and hit her with a back hand, using her momentum to send her flying back against one of the other walls.  He knew that would keep her down for longer than the two minutes.  He smiled as he raised the dagger to embed it into Amy's chest, therefore completing the sacrifice.  The dagger began moving downward.

A single bang interrupted the ceremony and with widened eyes, Kell found half of his dagger was blown straight off.  Turning to see what happened, he saw Jacob on one knee, holding his shotgun in one hand, steam slowly rising off the barrel.  "You can't sacrifice her without your dagger." Jacob hissed.

There was still enough of the blade left to kill the sacrifice, so Kell didn't answer.  Instead, he just started lowering what was left of the dagger again.  Another loud bang rang out and the remainder of the blade was blown out of Kell's hand.  Snarling his lips, Kell spoke out.  "I don't really need the knife to sacrifice her, she just has to die."

With that, Kell held his hands out over Amy's body, his palms facing her.  Invisible waves of energy began touching her body and Amy's body convulsed, her screaming out.  "M...my bll.....loooddd is on fire!" she yelled in pain.

Jacob realized within a moment what the Dark Son was doing and he reacted immediately.  He dropped the shotgun and ran right at Kell.  His body hit Kell's in a tackle that took them both to the ground and broke the Dark Son's concentration.  The energy he was using on Amy was over and she began breathing deeply, the pain settling down to a dull ache.

Kell moved to his feet as Jacob was getting to his knees and he walked forward, kicking Jacob in the gut.  Jacob's body skidded across the floor, his back hitting the wall behind him.  Jacob gasped at the solid hit and Kell moved forward.  He reached down and grabbed Jacob by the neck with his right hand and lifted him off the floor, Jacob's oxygen being constricted.

"You have messed my plans up for the last time." Kell roared as he threw Jacob's body to the other wall.  After the Daywalker's body was on the ground again, Kell moved forward.  "Why do you insist on protecting them?  If they knew about you,  a man that was half vampire, do you think they would welcome you to their society?"

Jacob got to one knee.  He breathed deeply.  "No, I know they wouldn't.  Humans fear what they do not understand.  But I made an oath when I accepted my destiny as the Daywalker.  No matter how they feel about me or how I feel about them, I vowed to protect them and this world from the forces of darkness and if it means my death to do that, then so be it."

Jacob's eyes glanced over Kell's shoulder to where the clock was.  Less than a minute was left.  Kell turned to the round table to see that it was empty.  He turned quickly around and saw Buffy standing in front of Amy, an axe in her hand.  His eyes widened in shock.  He knew he could get past Buffy, but he knew it would take longer than one minute and then, it would be too late.  With a snarl, he turned and shoved his palms against Jacob's chest, sending hot tendrils of firepower into the Daywalker's overworked body.  "Since my destiny has been delayed, I won't leave this planet until you're gone!"

Jacob's face registered the pain he was experiencing as the power surged through his body, making him forget about everything else except for the pain he was in.  His thoughts of the possible future with Buffy were gone as were the memories of his quest.  All he could feel and think about was the process that Kell was doing to him.  It was the same one he'd tried on Amy moments ego.

Buffy was already moving forward when she heard Jacob's cry of pain and she lifted her axe, ready to impale it into Kell's back.  She had gotten halfway when a dark red vortex suddenly opened out of nowhere and powerful winds blew her right back.  When the red vortex opened, all of the supernatural powers that Kell possessed fled his body and Jacob's body hit the ground with a solid thud, his eyes closed.  Kell screamed out in outrage as the force field holding the others behind the counter evaporated into nothing.

"What's happening?" Giles whispered to Thomas, watching.

"Kell's mission on Earth has failed.  The Dark Forces cannot allow a demon of his supernatural power to remain here.  So, they're taking him back." Thomas answered.

"Will....will he ever be able to return?" Tara asked, concerned.

Thomas nodded.  "In another hundred years, the Eye of Bane will reappear.  When that happens, it will be another twenty three years before Kell can re-enter Earth and by then, there will be another Daywalker and another Slayer to stop him."

Demonic looking claws began exuding from the vortex and grabbing various parts of Kell.  Some grabbed his shoulders, arms, and hands, while others grabbed his neck his thighs and legs and began pulling him back into the vortex that he originally came from.  Kell was being pulled back in from his position on the ground, crawling desperately to stay away from them.  The Dark Son yelled out as his feet started to re-enter the vortex.  More of his body was pulled in.  Long moments passed before his body was completely inside the vortex, him screaming out in outrage at the failure of his plan.  The vortex slowly closed, leaving it all in silence.

It was a moment after it all ended when Bufy looked over and saw Jacob's body lying on his back, not moving.  She ran over to him without even being aware of doing it.  She pulled his shoulders over her thighs.  "Jacob!  You're not leaving me yet!  You hear me, we still have a lot to talk about so don't you even think about dying." she warned him, her voice raising.  Her open hands were hitting him in the chest and shoulders.

For a few moments, nothing happened, then his eyes began fluttering open, his body moving as he took deep breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart.  "Ow." he said, "Buffy, I know I'm a strong guy, but that still hurts." he mock joked at her.

She smiled in relief when she saw and felt him start to move up, sitting up.  He turned and looked at all of them.  "Did we do it?" he asked after a moment.

Giles clasped his shoulder.  "Yes you did Jacob."

"Me?" Jacob asked, breathing deeply.

"Oh yeah, it was you my man." Xander said to him.

"You saved us all." Willow said, smiling.  "Usually it's Buffy here that does it, but it's nice to have someone else be the hero for once."

Buffy smiled at that.  "I'm just glad that you're okay."

Jacob glanced at her.  "Well, we do still have a lot to talk about, right?"

Buffy chuckled, hearing the words thrown back at her.  "Right."

With multiple sighs, they helped the Daywalker get back to his feet.  And another apocalypse was averted through the teamwork of many and the courage of a Daywalker.

Epilogue....

(Two weeks later)

"Buffy, I look ridiculous!" Jacob sighed as he stood in front of Buffy.  The two prophesized ones were at the Summers House.  It had now been two weeks since Kell the Dark Son had been defeated and his goal to open the Gates of Hell had been averted.  Since then, Buffy and Jacob had started talking more and hanging out with each other a lot more. 

And they were at the Summers House because Buffy was pretty sick and tired of seeing Jacob wearing just his fighting gear and she wanted to see him wearing more comfortable clothing.  "You look fine." Buffy assured him.

Buffy looked at the man that was rapidly beginning to mean more and more to her.  The two of them were well on their way to becoming involved and she couldn't be happier by the prospect.  He, on the other hand, was still slightly nervous about it because of his quest.  At thinking about the quest, she frowned.  She knew he needed to know what she believed and she didn't want their relationship to shrouded with secrets because the Slayer knew that secrets had almost ruined what Willow and Tara had.  She was thankful their love was still strong.  Looking at him, Buffy conceded that Jacob did look somewhat silly.  The Daywalker was wearing one of Xander's Hawaiian button up shirts with a pair of blue shorts.

Why Buffy had let Xander give him some clothes was beyond both of them, especially considering Xander's choice in clothing.  Buffy took a deep breath as she stood from dining room table where they were at.  "Alright, it does look a little silly, but sometimes silly is good."

"Maybe if the person saying it is someone you have feelings for." Jacob muttered.

"What was that?" Buffy asked, having heard him clearly.

"You heard me, smart ass." Jacob smiled at her.

Seeing his smile helped her be reassured about what she had to tell him.  She grabbed his larger right hand in both of hers and gave it a squeeze.  "Jacob, there are some things about me you need to know."

"Is this about Angel?" Jacob asked, already having knowledge about the vampire with a soul.  In fact, Jacob was privately wondering if he should tell her about his run in with Angel when he was in LA.  He decided not to.

Buffy shook her head.  "No, this is about a vampire.  A vampire named Spike."

She felt his arm tense up at hearing the words and she wondered what that was about.  She shook the thought off.  "Spike." Jacob said.

"Yes." Buffy replied, hearing his voice laced with venom.

"Alright." Jacob settled in his seat to hear some of what he already knew.

And she told him about her history with Spike, otherwise known as William the Bloody.  She told him about Spike's obsession with her, the shrine he'd made, about the Buffybot, then about the affair that lasted for months and finally about the attempted sexual assault that she'd stopped.  After she explained all that, she said the most important words he knew he would ever hear.  "Jacob, Spike has killed two Slayers in his life.  He's English and he has blonde hair.  I think he may be your mother's attacker."

Jacob's face didn't even twitch, he just stared ahead for several long moments.  She did notice tears building in his eyes, but he didn't let them drop.  "I see." he murmured.  And the cold intensity at which he said those two words scared even Buffy and it took a hell of a lot to scare her.  She was suddenly scared for Spike should he ever show his face.

---**---

Tara Maclay sat in her Science class, listening to the professor explained the day's lesson and she was jotting down as much notes from his lecture as she could.  She'd already filled two pages full of notes and she was almost out of room for her third page.  She also knew that all this was going to be on the exam that was coming up pretty soon.

"Alright, don't forget about the paper that's due on Friday, people." the professor said.  "Get out of here."

With class over, Tara put her things back in her bag and headed out of the class.  She felt a familiar presence before she saw her and smiled when Willow was there as she left the classroom.  "Hey." Tara said, putting her arm around Willow's waist.

Willow gave her a kiss on the lips.  "Hey baby."

"How long have you been standing here?" Tara asked her fiancée.

"Just about fifteen minutes." Willow replied.

Tara and Willow began walking down the hall.  Tara was dressed in a white blouse with lacy material and a pair of black jeans.  She had her hair hanging loose as she moved down the hallway.  Her fiancée was wearing her red Chippewa Bay shirt and a pair of blue jeans.  Both women looked relaxed and very happy as they walked outside of the Science building.  There was a bench nearby and they both quickly walked over to it and sat down.

Xander and Anya were supposed to be picking them up at the college for an early dinner at Antonio's, a new Italian restaurant that just opened up.  They were going to pick the witches up at exactly three o'clock and as they saw the time, Tara and Willow both knew they still had a good thirty minutes before the two of them would get there.  Tara turned to her lover noticed the relaxed lines around her face.  "How are you feeling?" Tara asked.  Her concern about their first child together was evident.

Willow turned to her and grabbed the blonde's hand.  "I'm good Tara.  In fact, I'm very good."

"I'm glad." Tara replied.  "Hey listen..."

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking....we've been doing a lot of planning on our wedding and everything, but when are we actually going to have it.  I mean, do you have any ideas of when we should have it?" Tara asked.

Willow leaned back on the bench.  "Sure, I was doing a little thinking about that lately.  We could always have it this Christmas.  You know, some time in December."

Tara looked at her, squeezing the redhead's hand.  "Yeah, around Christmas time.  That sounds like a wonderful time."

Willow leaned forward and gave her a kiss.  "Yes, a wonderful time."

Tara leaned back with a satisfied sigh.  She loved it when Willow kissed her, but seeing Willow's efforts in public were doing wonderful things to her insides.  The past two weeks were good for the witches.  They had gotten a lot done with their wedding planning.  The only things that they had yet to do was have the location and the time of the wedding.  They had just decided when the wedding was going to take place, all they had to do now was find a good place for it.

Willow widened her eyes as she forgot something.  "Oh!  Um, this came in the mail this morning.  We had already left, but Buffy tracked me down and gave it to me.  It's addressed to you."

Tara took the envelope.  "Will, you can open my mail if you want."

"Tara, that's like an invasion of privacy.  I wouldn't have felt right about it."

The blonde nodded as she opened the envelope and took out the small piece of paper that was inside.  Unfolding it, she felt Willow scoot so close that their entire body's were touching and the redhead put her arm around her shoulders and Willow leaned her chin on Tara's shoulder.  Tara began to read the letter aloud.

My Dearest Tara,

I understand that there is much bad blood between us right now.  I also understand that I am the reason for most of it.  But I want to make amends for the mistakes I have made against you.  You are my daughter and I do love you.  In fact, I love you very much.  I hope this letter finds you and finds you well.

I am writing this letter to you for two different reasons.  Number one, I am letting you know that I will soon be in Sunnydale to visit you and I hope we can have a chance to speak.  I do want to make up for what I've put you through.  I only hope you can give me that chance.  The second reason is that I'm afraid I may not.....well, this is not the way I wanted to tell you, but...Tara, I don't have much time left.  I can't go into details now, but when I am in Sunnydale, I will explain everything to you.

I hope you will allow me to see you because I want to see you.  Very mucy.

With the Warmest Regards,
Richard Maclay, Your Loving Father.

As Tara's voice slowly faded away at the last word, the letter was no longer in Tara's hands as they were shaking slightly at reading a letter sent to her from her father.  Willow had taken ahold of the letter and read the contents again.  "Tara?"

The blonde looked at her.

"You okay?" Willow asked.

Tara swallowed.  "My father....my father coming here......he's really coming here?"

Willow rubbed her hand up and down Tara's side.  "I guess so.  Are you okay with that?"

"I think so.  It's just....the last time I saw him.....you know was when you guys stood up for me." Tara said.

"I know."

Tara remained silent as Xander and Anya finally did arrive.  The redhead and the blonde got in the car and the four of them left the college.  Tara was quiet during the ride and Willow privately conceded that she'd have to wait until they were in the safety of their room before she could talk to her lover about the letter.  She knew the letter had rocked Tara and she wanted to ease her lover's nerves.  Willow was determined to do it and soon because she wouldn't have Tara upset for any lengthy amount of time.

The End.