<see Part 1 for disclaimers>

Awakenings Again

Red Moon Series, Book 10

Frau Hunter Ash

www.hunterash.com

Summary: The gang is caught in a fight with Bacchus, bacchae, Rack and Faith. How can they overcome the slight detail that only a full bacchae can kill Bacchus and full bacchae are under control of Bacchus?

Rating: PG-13/FRT

Part 7

# # #

Xena saw Gabrielle trip Bacchus and ram her sai through his throat but the Greek lesser god grabbed the bard by the throat, pulling the sai out with his other hand. Xena saw his grip tighten around her wife’s throat.

Buffy rammed a bacchae into the wall but found herself fighting three more, one being Tara. One got a blow into her already injured nose, stinging the Slayer’s eyes. Suddenly there was a hot pain in her ribs and Buffy backhanded whoever was close to her. Looking down, she could see blood flowing between her fingers from a wound, a bloody knife lying nearby.

The Warrior Princess grabbed up a fallen dryad bone. “Buffy!”

The Slayer caught the dryad bone without looking, spinning it in her hand as Tara charged her, aimed right for her wife’s heart.

Xena turned to help Gabrielle.

Giles felt his eye… shift and Rack fell back away from him, as if his hands burned from touching Giles. The Watcher sat up and looked at Rack as the sorcerer scrambled backwards, a look of fear on his face.

Giles stood up and followed Rack, his hands crackling with energy. The Watcher raised his hands and began blasting the dark sorcerer with lightning bolts of energy, causing Rack to scream as his body writhed.

Buffy closed her eyes, knowing she couldn’t pull the dryad bone back in time to keep from impaling Tara on it, that her wife was dead at her hand.

The Slayer opened her eyes when she didn’t feel a body hitting the bone and didn’t hear a scream. Buffy blinked in amazement, Tara was frozen in mid-air, her face snarling but her body not moving.

Buffy lowered the bone and pulled back, glancing around.

Xena saw Bacchus’ claw-like fingernails digging into Gabrielle’s throat as the bard turned a bright red and Xena sent her chakram flying, slicing across Bacchus’ forearm at Gabrielle’s throat.

The god shouted in rage, dropping Gabrielle at his feet as he drew a sword and raised it as he turned towards Xena.

Xander and Dawn clung to each other as they were overwhelmed and knocked down. They both covered an unconscious Anya as bacchae hands reached for them.

“Enough!” a voice sounded throughout the cavernous room, freezing everyone.

Tara crashed to the ground with a snarl as the magic holding her was released, Willow standing at one of the entrances, her eyes bright green, her red hair blowing as if in a strong wind. Behind her were several werewolves from her pack town of Lupercalia, some all ready in an upright werewolf form.

Willow’s eyes changed to a yellow and her fingernails extended into claws as red fur began growing quickly along her arms. “Buffy!” she yelled, holding out her hand.

Buffy tossed Willow the dryad bone and turned, grabbing Tara and holding her tightly in a bear hug.

In a flash, the room was filled with bacchae and werewolves fighting.

The red werewolf dashed across the room as Bacchus and Xena began trading blows. Xander and Dawn pulled Anya to the side of the room, Xander holding his wife close as she began stirring.

Xena ducked as the werewolf dived at Bacchus, claws and dryad bone extended. The warrior grabbed Gabrielle and pulled her wife away from the baccahe God. She saw the other werewolves driving the bacchae into one of the collapsed tunnels, blocking them from escaping or drinking any blood from the fountain.

Gabrielle shook her head, barely able to raise it as she lay next to Xander and Dawn, sitting against the wall. She heard Bacchus yell in pain and surprise and blinked, not quite sure what she was seeing.

A werewolf with red fur was stabbing, biting and clawing at Bacchus and it appeared to be hurting him. Bacchus yelled and countered with bites, claws and fists.

Buffy let two werewolves take Tara, dragging the screaming bacchae into the tunnel with the other infected girls, several werewolves holding them back, containing them. The Slayer turned her attention to Giles and Rack.

The Slayer’s eyes widened when she saw Giles holding Rack by the sorcerer’s collar. The slimy psychic vampire was aging quickly, his hair was now gray and thinning, lines formed on his pained face and body hunched over slightly. Still the glow surrounded them and Buffy knew Giles was draining the man.

“Giles! He’s human!” Buffy yelled, beginning to limp her way towards her step-father but stopped at the growls and yells filling the space from the center of the room where a werewolf Willow fought the huge vampire-like god, Bacchus.

It looked like the werewolf and lesser god were covered in blood and still they fought viciously. The werewolf was wrapped around Bacchus’ shoulders, her legs wrapped around his ribs as she bit his neck and shoulders. Her free hand began stabbing him with the dryad bone into his chest from behind and above.

Bacchus shouted and managed to grab the werewolf, biting her forearm deeply with his own fangs before throwing her over his shoulder into a wall, crashing heavily to the floor.

“Willow!” Buffy screamed.

Xena grabbed Gabrielle, keeping her from jumping up to leap back into the fight with Bacchus. “Wait,” she said softly.

Bacchus screamed, pulling the dryad bone out of his chest as the werewolves circled him, snarling and growling. Werewolf Willow sat up shaking her head. “I will return and kill you all!” Bacchus shouted.

“Go back to your parties with the nymphs and bacchae,” Xena said, holding Gabrielle close. “You’re done here.”

The warrior wasn’t sure how or why but Bacchus was hurt. The werewolf with a dryad bone had hurt him severely.

Bacchus snarled but began fading as Buffy dashed to Werewolf Willow’s side, pulling her wife into Buffy’s arms. “Will,” she said softly as the lesser god faded from sight.

“Buffy! Willow!”

Willow, now changing back into human, looks up and smiled as Tara pushed past several werewolves, rushing to her wives, the three wrapped in a triad hug instantly.

Gabrielle smiled, watching the other infected girls coming out into the cavern tentatively, now returned to their human selves. The werewolves quickly changed back into human, some diving behind the wine barrels, having forgotten to wear stretchable clothes for the change.

Buffy looked past her wives to where Dawn was walking over to Giles, gently touching his shoulder as he dropped the mummified husk that was once Rack. The body dropped to the floor of the cave as Giles stood, looking younger and stronger than any of them had seen before. Buffy wondered what the hell all that negative magic would do to her step-father, Watcher. “Giles.”

Willow stood up with Tara’s help and looked to the tallest werewolf, now a handsome man dressed in sweat pants. “Luke, take the girls out. You and the others get the clothes out of the van and take them to the Espresso Pump. Tell them they were kidnapped by a psycho biker gang and drugged, nothing they saw was real. Flash your badge if you have to.”

The redhead quickly pulled on a coat handed her by Buffy, now dressed in a jacket and sweat pants, matching Luke’s.

The sheriff of Lupercalia nodded, motioning to several of the werewolves to take the confused young girls in tow. “You’ve got it, Red Will. We’ll see you at your house, We’ve got the address. Will you be all right?”

“I’m with my family,” Willow said softly. “I will be now.”

# # #

Xander smiled, bringing Anya into the waiting room in a wheelchair. “Hey guys, doctor says that Anya’s gonna be fine,” he announced to the waiting crowd.

Waiting were Giles, Joyce, Dawn, Tara, several Lupercalians and a pacing Xena.

“Still no word on Buff and the others?” Xander asked.

“Buffy will be fine,” Joyce said, leaning her head on Giles’ shoulder, holding his hand. “She’s in with Willow and Gabrielle.”

Xena looked up, “They’ll be fine, Gabrielle’s fought Bacchus before,” she said firmly.

Xander looked around and nodded. Everyone was scratched, bruised and bloody. Then he noticed Tara looking uncomfortable, almost standing in a corner. Xander leaned down and whispered in Anya’s ear. The former demon nodded and Xander walked over to Tara.

The young witch was hugging herself, as if she were trying to disappear into the wall.

“Hey, Tare,” Xander said softly. “Wasn’t your fault, you need to be in there with Buffy and Will.”

Tara shook her head, dropping it but Xander lifted her chin gently. “Get in there,” he said softly but firmly. “Come on, let’s go find them.” He took Tara’s hand and led her out of the room.

# # #

“Rupert, what aren’t you telling me? Buffy will be all right?” Joyce asked softly.

Giles looked up and nodded. “Buffy’s wounds are all ready healing. Something… happened to me down there.”

“What, Rupert?” Joyce asked, urging him to talk as she pulled him to the far side of the room, away from the others. She wasn’t surprised when Dawn followed and squatted in front of them.

“Rack had him,” Dawn said softly. “The son of a bitch started draining dad. I could feel it, tugging at my energy lines. Then it changed and Rack was….”

“Afraid,” Giles said, his face stern. “He was afraid when I began draining him. Something… snapped inside. It was like… the past two years just…”

“If was like a wave of pain and hate,” Dawn said, resting her head on Giles’ knee. “Rack paid for hurting dad and that year we spent with the demons.”

“Rupert, you listen to me,” Joyce said firmly, her voice causing Dawn to look up in surprise. “You listen! You are not evil! You are not like that bastard. You’re human and you snapped. You were pushed beyond anyone’s limits.”

Giles winced and wiped at his one good eye, beginning to shake.

Joyce pulled Giles into her arms and held out her hand to Dawn, the teen joining in hugging and holding him.

# # #

Xander led Tara into the emergency area and pulled back a curtain. Buffy looked up and smiled. Willow lay on a gurney, her eyes closed, looking as if she had been through 12 rounds of boxing without gloves. “I didn’t want to leave her but need you here,” Buffy said as Xander drew back.

The Slayer got up and walked around Willow’s bed and took Tara’s hands in hers. “I love you and Willow loves you. This wasn’t your fault. Come on, we need to be together.”

“W-what did the doctor s-say?” Tara asked softly, hanging onto Buffy’s hand as they sat down on either side of the bed, their hands joined over Willow.

“She’ll be okay,” Buffy said, touching Willow’s cheek gently.

Willow opened her eyes and smiled a crooked smile. “I missed you both,” she said softly.

“Where were you?” Buffy asked, her voice almost a whisper. “I couldn’t reach you. Phone or with the mind.”

“I wasn’t exactly in this realm,” Willow said.

Tara laid her head gently along Willow’s arm. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to… become one of them and hurt Buffy.”

Willow nodded. “I know, baby. Both of you, close your eyes.”

The red-haired witch took both their hands and closed her eyes. She mentally “knocked” and felt them both open their psychic shields, Tara hesitating a moment. Willow “connected” all three of them, going past the words, the doubts, and hesitation. The triad had been lost for too long, she had decided.

It became almost a dance between the three, each pulling memories out for the others. Of their love, the struggles, the pain when separated or injured. After a few minutes the three opened their eyes with smiles, feeling content once again, the power and strength of the triangle back in place.

Tara’s eyes widened and Buffy began grinning.

“What?” Willow demanded and then touched her face and looked at her arms.

“Yeah, you’re almost healed,” Buffy said with a big smile. “Just a few bruises. How do you feel?”

“A lot better,” Willow said thoughtfully. “The arm still hurts, that big gash is still there but… a lot better.”

Buffy leaned over and kissed Tara and then Willow. “Feel up to going out and explaining what happened to everyone?” she asked Willow, who nodded. “I’ll get a wheelchair.”

# # #

Gabrielle opened her eyes and managed to smile, seeing Xena’s worried face and feeling her wife holding the bard’s hand. “I’m still alive,” she said softly.

“That you are,” Xena said, kissing Gabrielle’s hand. “You also helped kick Bacchus’ ass.”

“I surprised him,” Gabrielle said slowly. “He realized we could hurt him. Not kill him, but hurt him. Irritated him. How bad am I hurt this time?”

“With your demi-god healing abilities, not too bad,” Xena said, managing to smile. “He clawed your neck pretty good though, almost caught the artery.”

Gabrielle touched the bandage around her throat and smiled. “I’m usually the one leaving the throat wounds. What happened? Werewolves? Why did that drive Bacchus off and what happened with the others?”

“If you’re up to it, I’ll take you to the Waiting Room,” Xena said softly. “Willow, the witch, has an explanation.”

“If you help,” Gabrielle said after a moment, gauging her injuries. “You were remarkable fighting that Slayer, my love.”

Xena lifted Gabrielle into her arms and gently placed the bard in a wheelchair. She hooked the IV flowing into Gabrielle’s arm onto an IV hook above the bard’s head.

“She was good and Rack’s magic brought her up to our level and experience,” Xena said as they began to leave the room. “Doctor says you can go home tomorrow.”

Gabrielle wasn’t surprised at the size of the group in the Waiting Room. She smiled at the sight of a red-head and Tara sitting with Buffy, holding the Slayer’s hands. Everyone appeared injured, bruised and tired but alive and intact.

Everyone gathered closer. Gabrielle didn’t know some of them and waited patiently, leaning her head against Xena’s arm as the warrior stood behind her, arms wrapped around the bard.

Willow got up and went to the wheelchair and sat down in the chair near it and kissed Gabrielle’s cheek. “Thanks for helping keep Buffy sane and alive.”

“Our pleasure,” Gabrielle said with a smile, her voice a little harsh with the throat wound. “You must be Willow.”

“I am,” Willow said with a nod. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here but I’m glad both of you were. You all gave me the key to Bacchus.”

“How so?” Giles asked as everyone moved closer, Buffy and Tara on either side of Willow, taking her hand, the three joining in one.

“When we got… back to Lupercalia, I tried to reach Buffy and got Joyce-Mom,” Willow said. “She explained about Bacchus, Tara, Gabrielle and Xena, everything. On the way here I researched as much as I could on Bacchus and the old Pappas scrolls on Gabrielle and Xena. After reading about their adventures in Siberia, I pieced something together about Bacchus.”

The witch sighed and leaned her head on Tara’s shoulder. “Bacchus isn’t like Faunus or Pan,” Willow continued. “He’s not part of nature, he’s against it and perverts it.”

“And you and the Lupercalian werewolves are connected to nature,” Giles ventured and Willow nodded.

“We’re guardians of nature,” Sheriff Luke added. “Willow thought she might be able to hurt Bacchus with one of them dryad bones in werewolf form, nature going against an enemy of nature.”

“She was right,” Gabrielle said with a smile. “Not… all werewolves… are like you…”

“No,” Luke said with a boyish grin. “We find the ones that are and welcome them in. Train them in control and how to stay connect to Mother Earth. The others… we try and bind them from doing any harm and send them on their way.”

“What happened to Faith?” Buffy asked. “I didn’t see.”

“I knocked her on her ass and she was gone when Bacchus faded,” Xena said with a shrug. “I don’t know if she’ll come back any time soon without Bacchus or Rack backing her.”

Willow shivered and glanced around. “What did happen to Rack?”

Giles shrugged. “I lost control and drained him. Totally.”

Buffy shook her head. “I don’t care, I just wanna go home with everyone and sleep for days.”

“I’ll echo that,” Xander said, kissing Anya’s forehead as she leaned against him.

“I have a headache,” Anya declared. “Can we close the shop tomorrow?”

Giles chuckled and nodded. “I suggest a day of sleep and then a day at the beach. Everyone has been a bit too stressed lately.”

“As long as I have Will and Tara back,” Buffy said gently, her eyes filling with tears.

“And I have my bard,” Xena said softly.

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