Chapter 15 - Smashed
 

I was so proud of them. They were fighting back, and getting no support from anywhere. The whelp tried, but .. . Tara was too upset about breaking up with Willow, and too concerned that Buffy would automatically take Willow's side, and Willow .. she'd become so convinced of her own invulnerability and was resenting anyone who didn't seem to see the world the way she did, that she wasn't thinking about Buffy at all.

Still, something must have pushed through her awareness, maybe it was just sympathy for Dawn, I don't know. About a month after Buffy started her job, Willow found herself in the house alone with Dawn. The Bit'd been really good, her homework was all done, but she was bored. There wasn't any money for extras, and a regular diet of burgers brought home from Buffy's work had pretty much killed any enthusiasm she'd ever had for burgers of any description. So, when Willow suggested that she take Dawn out, that they'd get something to eat and go and see a film, she agreed. Dawn left a note for Buffy, and they went into town.

Willow claimed she just wanted to run an errand first, but what she had in mind was a long way from being a simple errand. She took her to a bloody dangerous place, run by a bloke named Rack. He dealt in dark magic, and he could do some pretty impressive tricks with it. He could give you a high like you wouldn't believe, better than anything drug-induced, and Willow wanted another fix. In fact, the only reason Willow was free to take Dawn there, was because Amy had been burnt out by visiting Rack with Willow the night before.

Dawn was left for hours, in a waiting room, scared and confused. When Willow came out, she was drunk with it. There was nothing wrong in her world, and she felt wonderful. Dawn was angry at being left for so long, and told her so, but Willow just laughed, and offered to go and get something to eat then.

Buffy got home late from work that night. She'd done what should've been a quick patrol on her way home, but things'd got a bit complicated, and by the time she got home and found Dawn's note, well, let's just say it was well past Dawn's bed time.

She was about to go out looking for them when she heard someone moving upstairs. She found Amy skulking around in Willow's room, and knew she'd climbed in through an open window. She was clutching a bag with some of Willow's magic supplies in it, and she looked really rough. It didn't take too much for Buffy to 'persuade' Amy to tell her what Willow was up to, and to tell her that she'd probably gone to 'Rack's', and then she wished her luck finding the place.

Buffy called Tara, hoping she'd be able to help. Her first reaction was shock that Willow would have taken Dawn to such a place, then resignation because of what Xander had already told her. She agreed to help, and the two of them trawled the town looking for Dawn.

Unfortunately, like I've always said, magic has consequences. Willow's nice high had created a monster. It was following her and Dawn after they left Rack's, but Willow didn't take Dawn's concerns seriously until it was almost too late. Willow stole a car, and drove off with the thing in pursuit, but she wasn't in any condition to be driving anyway, let alone trying to get away from something that fast. She crashed the car, and it was a bloody miracle Dawn got away with just a broken arm.

Buffy and Tara came across them just after the crash, and fortunately something of seeing the whole situation through the eyes of her friend and of her lover sobered Willow up enough for her to know how to destroy the monster.

For the first time in weeks, Willow could actually see what a mess she'd made of things. I think it was something in Tara's expression, the disappointment she could see, coupled with the obvious evidence of Dawn's injury that did it.

Tara and Buffy took Dawn to casualty to get her arm seen to, and eventually got home after the sun was up. Willow went home alone, and spent several hours huddled on her bed, the joint effects of guilt and the aftermath of her high making it impossible to do anything else. Tara dropped my girls at home before going back to her dorm. She didn't want to see Willow then, convinced that she'd say something that'd never be mended.

Buffy was angry too. Despite Willow's attitude since she brought her back, Buffy honestly thought that Willow was still the same person deep down. Her friend had always been responsible and reliable, and it was a shock to see that that was no longer the case.

Unfortunately, because of the supervision order on Dawn, Doris Keller was informed of the accident. It was all she needed. As far as she was concerned, Dawn shouldn't have been out at that time of night anyway, let alone getting hurt in an accident in dubious circumstances. She took immediate steps to remove Dawn from her home, steps which resulted in exactly that later the same day. Buffy had called in sick so she could spend the day with her sister, but at about five that evening, Dawn was taken, crying hysterically, from the house to a temporary foster carer on the other side of town.

Let me tell you, if I'd been able to, I'd have killed that witch with my own hands. I've done a fair bit of killing, but I've never really enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong, I love to fight. There's just this satisfaction you get from fighting someone who's a good match for you. That's why I had this thing about Slayers. Other demons're good too. Anything, just so long as you know there's a chance you're not going to come out on top.

I've killed humans too, but that was just necessity. Got to kill to feed, so .. I've never really got that thrill from giving pain. That was Angelus' trade-mark, or Dru's. Just not my thing. But, put Willow in front of me that night, and I'd have put my grandsire to shame.

Dawn did everything she could to get out of leaving. She argued, she cried, she pleaded, but it made no difference. The order had been signed, and there was nothing she could do.

As soon as Dawn had gone, Buffy walked to my crypt. She didn't even make a pretence of patrolling. She pulled out a couple of bottles of whisky, and sat on my chair to make the most of them.