Time Of Your Life, Part IV

Plot

New York, future:

Dark Willow comes to this initial realisation. Not about the subject, mind you – she always liked it at school. History: it is all romantic adventure stories… unless you live in it; live long enough to become part of it.

Dark Willow is in the “library” with Fray and Erin. Buffy, still unconscious and in chains, is sitting on a chair. Gates watches from the ceiling.

Dark Willow kneels in front of the chair and looks at Buffy – she had completely forgotten what a pretty nose she has.

Meanwhile Fray and her sister stand behind her, and Fray asks what exactly is supposed to happen now; because she still does not kill Slayers – whatever Dark Willow has shown her.

They only have to keep her here. The time rift will open again tonight, and she expects… she remembers… there will be an attempt to bring Buffy back, Dark Willow explains.

Then they should send her back, Erin suggests. If she means so much trouble, how could that be a bad thing?

Fray looks at the floor as she explains that Buffy means the end of the world – she will change the future now that she has seen it. No more now. No more us. If she goes back, then a moment later all this will only be what might have been.

Nobody has been paying attention to Buffy, who has come round. She cannot believe she is seeing Willow – least of all that she has gone evil again. That gets her into so much trouble, how could she… Then Buffy asks, as if the thought has just occurred to her, whether Kennedy is okay.

It has been two hundred years – how does Buffy think she is, Dark Willow asks.

All right, on to the next points then: why is she tied up, why is Willow evil again and why is nobody here on her side?

Strictly speaking he has a few questions too, they hear Harth’s voice from above.

Harth and his vampire troop are standing up at the long-broken panes of the skylight, looking down at the little scene.

First he wants to know why all his “friends” are throwing a party without him. Second, he wants to know what the witch has told them.

He should have been patient, Dark Willow sighs.

Why, Harth asks back.

Meanwhile Buffy whispers to Erin that she really should untie her now.

Dark Willow told Harth that Buffy’s appearance here would bring this future about – and told his sister the opposite. She is playing with all of them.

Well, that is why she is evil, Dark Willow defends herself.

What does the end look like, Harth wants to know.

Death, of course, Dark Willow replies.

Whose, Fray now cuts in.

Meanwhile Buffy notices her chains being loosened. She sees Gates fiddling with the lock.

She has seen what she has seen, lived through it all and understood that the most important thing is not who dies but by whose hand, Dark Willow explains to Melaka, ignoring Harth.

Fray has her scythe in her hand as she explains once more that she will not kill a Slayer.

If Buffy gets back onto that roof, she (Fray) will never have existed, Dark Willow points out – but Fray believes she is lying.

She is lying to someone, Dark Willow admits. Would Melaka really bet her whole world on it being her?

Harth has a “solver”: he simply kills everyone and… well, he does not care about the rest.

This is not his night, Dark Willow explains, without even looking at him.

He does not give a damn about her predictions of the future, Harth says nastily.

He should really be careful whom he makes his enemy, Dark Willow says calmly.

She has no power and cannot stop a whole army alone, Harth notes.

She does not intend to.

The next moment Harth’s vampire army is attacked by Gunther in a kind of flying “gunship”, supported by two more such craft.

Three?! Did he really think three lurks could beat him in his own element, Gunther asks furiously, firing on the vampires, who are turned to dust in rows. That is a personal insult!

Buffy calls to Erin to listen to her. Erin turns – and the next moment Buffy knocks her down; that was for “Puffy”. And now she is leaving; she is not interested in this world, she has to save her own. Buffy has grabbed Erin’s ray gun and shoots Fray with it before snatching her scythe and running outside.

Dark Willow stands in the shadows watching her. Not so fast; she is not finished here yet, she says.

Scotland, present:

By now the flame demons have pushed into the “forbidden forest”. Lorelahn has gathered the (strangest) creatures of the forest to fight the intruders together. They want to show them the forest’s vengeance.

Yes, directly followed by denial, bargaining and finally brief, painful acceptance, Xander mutters. He has a dagger in his hand and a ridiculous helmet on his head. Dawn, standing next to him with a sword, thinks Lorelahn is right: at some point they have to fight back.

She only says that because she currently has a thing for guys without a lower half.

He is disgusting.

She surely wants to cuddle with his roots.

Dawn hopes Xander dies first, with the most wounds.

He pretty much expects that.

The flame creatures have almost reached them. Lorelahn and the others throw themselves at them. Xander beheads one of the creatures – but since they consist only of magic, the heads simply grow back.

Well, if they cannot do any lasting damage, this will be a very quick confrontation, Xander notes… does Dawn still remember his suggestion of simply running away?

A flash of light shoots through the forest and the flame creatures are transformed.

Huh, Xander wonders.

Rowena appears in the forest with the other Slayers of the squad and a group of witches. Witches to the rear, she orders. The Slayers… are to finish off the demons.

Lorelahn calls to his “people” not to let any escape – the demons are flesh and blood now.

Dawn and Xander watch the scene. Xander is quite moved that his girls have shown up. Then the two of them throw themselves back into the fight.

New York, future:

From the roof Buffy jumps up and hangs on to one of the flying cars. She has no idea how long she was unconscious or whether she will make it in time before the time rift opens. Buffy jumps off at the building she only assumes is the right one and climbs onto the roof. But otherwise everything is fine, she thinks cynically. And as for this Fray… um, hold that thought, Buffy thinks, as Fray is already waiting for her on top of the building.

She cannot let Buffy go.

Did she not listen to Willow? It is only about who kills whom. Playing the two of them against each other is her idea of fun. They are just the entertainment for evil.

Can Buffy swear to her that her world will not cease to exist the moment she leaves, Fray asks. She herself? Her best friends? Her sister?

Fray knows Buffy cannot, Buffy says.

The bigger picture, Fray remembers.

It is called the fate of the world.

Makes sense, Fray thinks… if there were only one, or if it were only about one. With that Fray attacks Buffy. Buffy defends herself, and both are watched by Dark Willow.

So close, Willow whispers – she seems to have put herself into a state similar to when she visits the snake demoness Saga.

Buffy knows Fray is stronger than she is. It is her home turf. And she knows what she is fighting for.

But Buffy has dreamed every fight a Slayer has ever fought – Fray has not. She may be outmatched, but in that sense Fray is outnumbered.

Buffy slices open a water tower on the roof with her scythe and jumps aside as Fray is hit by the masses of water and swept down.

Jesu, she is such a “needs”. She let Buffy take her in. Fray realises that she is practically fighting history. Then Fray calls herself to order: stop being intimidated and end it – after all, Buffy is not one of the giant heads on Mount Walmore…

Fray breaks her fall on a flying car and jumps back onto the roof – straight at Buffy, kicking her with the momentum.

She is only a small, whiny, long-dead Slayer… in a damned impractical little dress.

Twilight’s base, present:

Warren and Amy watch the events in the forest in a steaming cauldron.

So, has everyone noticed that it is all Amy’s fault, Warren asks.

Well, technically…, she begins.

“Technical” is his field, and his bomb worked. Her magic, however, was trumped by novice witches.

Didn’t he say the explosion would kill everyone, Amy counters.

The casualty rate was good, Warren thinks.

He was the one who started the blame game…

If she carries on with this crap, he will build an Amy robot without a mouth, Warren threatens.

Fine, then maybe she will conjure herself a love slave with skin!

Ah, young love…, Twilight says to someone standing in the shadows… depressing, isn’t it?

In his experience, yeah, answers the man with the Twilight symbol carved into his chest.

But he did not tell her that, Twilight notes.

He told her he was working for her on the inside – always loyal to her. She is so attached to the past, man… when they had their secret meeting in New York, she even dressed up, Riley explains with a smile.

New York, present:

Kennedy blindfolds Willow. She asks again, just to be sure: Willow is not planning to throw knives at Buffy, is she? Just a precaution, Willow reassures Kennedy and kisses her. She does not want to accidentally see in advance what she is giving her for Hanukkah.

The rift is opening, a girl calls to them, and Willow turns round.

New York, future:

Buffy and Fray see the time rift too. Buffy runs towards it, while Fray rushes after her with her scythe in her hand, screaming only “No”.

No, says Buffy too, and without looking strikes at Fray’s scythe and shatters it. She is sorry, Buffy says, as she knocks her down.

For what, Dark Willow wants to know – standing right between Buffy and the time rift.

The failure?

She knows she will not let her stop her and will get past her, Buffy warns Dark Willow.

And she knows she will have to do that, Dark Willow replies.

Why, Buffy wants to know.

Maybe she simply thinks the twentieth century can manage fine without her.

She may be pretty, blonde and popular, but she is not stupid, Buffy reminds Dark Willow. She brought her here and then told her how to get back. Everything, every lie, to bring her to this point. Why? What happened? Why her, Buffy asks.

Dark Willow only lowers her eyes and says it is a long story.

Buffy drives the shaft of the scythe through Dark Willow’s chest – resulting in an explosion of light and a bang. Willow’s dark self vanishes, and she falls to the ground.

Through the time portal, the present-day Willow reaches for Buffy. Fray still tries to stop them, but the two disappear through the portal.

New York, present:

Willow takes off the blindfold. Goddess, she was really afraid she would bring back the wrong one. She sees Buffy kneeling on the roof, crying, and goes to her – and the next moment Buffy clings to her. Buffy tells a completely baffled Willow that she loves her. Willow returns the hug.

Kennedy stands beside them with her arms folded and reminds them that she is watching their hands closely.

New York, future:

Fray kneels beside the dead Willow when Erin finally reaches the roof too.

Gunther is chasing Harth, but she came as quickly as she could. Erin asks her sister whether Buffy is gone.

She failed again, Melaka just states. Erin puts a hand on her shoulder and finally kneels beside her. Buffy is gone, but they are still here, she explains.

What does that mean, Fray asks.

It means it is a good day, her sister answers.