tkheaven, Emily First - Thanks! Well, here’s another part. Hope you like it as much as the first two!
This part is a bit longer than I intended. It kinda ran away from me. I hope there aren’t
too many conversations, but there’s a bit of action at the end. Although this, as always, is mostly played for laughs – or maybe quiet smiles – there are some serious moments. Please enjoy.
Title: WtVS: Pilot Episode: Hellmouth High
Author: Mike of the Nancy Tribe
Feedback: Yes please.
Rating: PG/PG 13 maybe.
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Joss Whedon and ME. I’ve taken liberties with them. So sue me.
Distribution: I don’t mind, but ask first, okay?
Pairings: Willow & Tara at a very early stage. Plus another couple, that I want to be a surprise.
Spoiler Warning: Not really since it’s AU, but I’ll be using bits from all seasons.
Summary: Willow and Tara learn more about each other, and the Harvest draws nearer.
WtVS: Pilot Episode: HELLMOUTH HIGH
ACT 2FADE IN
EXT. A QUIET STREET IN SUNNYDALE - EVENING
Oh boy. Willow’s head was in a whirl. The way to Buffy Summers’ house was new to her – as was most of the town – but she was buzzing too much to notice her surroundings anyway. Today was shaping up to be one of those days you mark in your diary with a highlighter, and think back on as a turning point when you’re a little blue-haired old lady.
If I get to live that long, she thought. Her diary since Monday was filled with highlighter.
Over slices of yummy angel cake, and cups of tea that Giles poured from a vacuum flask, Willow had learned something of Tara’s past. And she found that she loved listening to Tara-talk. The smoky richness of her voice, the quirky little pursing of the lips, the nervy stammer that was just
so cute!
Oh god, I want to hear her voice right now, she realised.
What’s wrong with me?Her mom had died when Tara was fourteen, and Willow just wanted to hug her, to take away some of the pain that was in her face when she said it. All the women in her family had been witches, she said. Just something they were born with. Her dad and brother Donny never liked it, but they just called it ‘women’s stuff’, and steered clear of it.
“I-I-I only ever tried little spells,” she said. “Y’know, for f-fun and blessing, stuff like that.” She smiled, remembering, and Willow’s heart skipped. “On m-my fourteenth birthday, my mom showed me how to l-light the candles on the cake with, with magic. But they wouldn’t go out. I-I blew really hard, but they wouldn’t go out. We h-had to put it in the shower.”
“Aww, poor Tara,” Willow had said. “No birthday fun with soggy cake. But, but didja have little hats and party favours? And, and those little plates with, with….Okay, shutting up now. Go on.”
After her mom’s death, Tara had found all her old magic books, and had been trying to teach herself the deeper spells. Giles had frowned at that, and Tara had caught it. “Oh, oh no, i-i-it’s okay really, Mr. Giles. I r-r-respect the power. I wouldn’t do anything bad.” Willow grinned, suspecting Tara hadn’t got a bad bone in her body. But when Tara looked at her sidelong and murmured huskily “I’m very seldom naughty,” she got a feeling that made her toes curl.
Shower. Now I need a shower. Very cold. Lots of ice. Titanic-sized iceberg. Dear god.Tara knew a lot about the history of magic, and the good (and bad) things it could do. And – an even bigger marvel to Giles – she knew just where to go on the internet to find out the most obscure and arcane information.
She’s got magic fingers, thought Willow, and a little shudder popped up between her shoulder blades.
“W-W-Well,” Giles had said. “Since our Miss Rosenberg has, has seen fit to drag you into this, this situation – against my
explicit instruction - I suppose it’s only fair to ah, come clean, as it were. Please try to ah, keep an open mind if you can and, and try not to be shocked by what I’m about to tell you.” He took off his glasses and began waving them about to gesture with as he paced back and forth in front of them. Willow felt like she was watching the ball at a tennis match.
“Sunnydale,” he announced, “is not exactly what you would call a, a, a normal town. The Spanish used to call it ‘Boca del Infierno’, which means –“
“M-M-Mouth of Hell, mm,” said Tara.
“What?”
“I-I-It’s a kind of gateway,” said the blonde witch, “between this world a-a-and the world of demons.”
After one of those open-mouth moments from both Willow and the librarian, Giles put his glasses back on, and said “Dear lord. W-W-Where did you, I-I-I mean how do you….?”
Tara looked slightly embarrassed. “There’s a w-w-website. Called ‘Hellmouths and Hotspots of the World’. I-I-It lists all the w-worst places to be for, for the weird and wacky and, and general Bizarro World mayhem. Sunnydale’s number one. And two through five.”
“Wow,” said Willow.
“Strewth!” said Giles, coming over all Australian for a moment. “I-I-I think we’d better investigate this website later. Does it, does it go into detail?”
“N-nothing specific. Just, y’know, steer clear of graveyards after dark, ‘cos there might be v-vampires. And zombies. Oh, and w-w-werewolves and general demony type things. But mostly vampires.”
“Anything about the Slayer?” asked Willow.
“W-What’s that?”
“Aha!” said Giles with a flourish of his finger. “Ahem. Into each generation a Slayer is born, one girl in all –“
“He loves this part,” said Willow to Tara.
“- the world, a Chosen One, one born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil er, um….their evil….ways.” He noticed their looks. “Well don’t blame me,” he said, “I’ve never actually managed to get to the end of the line before and, and I’ve forgotten how it goes. I’m usually interrupted with ‘blah blah blah.’” He finished with a mild glare at Willow.
“The Slayer’s a good thing? S-s-so where is she? Wh-wh-who is she?” Tara had asked, hoping desperately that Giles wasn’t suddenly going to point at her and say in a thunderous voice ‘It’s
you!’
“Um?” Willow slowly raised her hand.
This time it was Tara’s jaw that dropped. “W-W-W-Willow? Oh my god. So y-y-you have to fight vampires? D-d-does that mean, you m-m-might get h-h-h-hurt?”
Those beautiful blue eyes pierced her, waves of concern washing over her from every inch of Tara’s body. Willow was touched (and realised she wanted to be right at that moment. Hugs were becoming a serious need.) “I-It’s okay Tara,” she said, trying to reassure her.
But who’s going to reassure me? “I’ve already killed one vampire. And, and I’m stronger than I look….and Giles is going to train me. Sometime. He’s my Watcher!”
“One? H-how long have you been the S-Slayer?”
“Um. Four days. Counting today.”
“Oh.”
*A passing pickup truck honked its air horn at her, shaking Willow loose from her memories of that afternoon. She’d only been walking for a few minutes, but she was already losing her bearings.
Marbles not far behind, she thought.
Now was it three blocks up and two across, or two up, three across? The sun was dipping below the roofs now, sending shadows across the whole street. She took the plunge and pressed on, not seeing the dark figure following in the shade behind her.
*After being brought up to date on the whole Master/Harvest mess, Tara had been visibly nervous. “S-S-Saturday night?” she said. “If, if we can’t stop it, the world ends S-Saturday night?”
“W-W-Well,” said Giles, “the end begins, at any rate. If, if the Master rises with his full strength restored, there may be no stopping him.”
“Th-That sucks,” said Tara.
We, thought Willow.
She said ‘We.’ I’ve known her less than an hour, and she’s already a part of ‘Us.’ This is one special girl.Giles had set her to work straightaway on the library’s computer. She soon found what they were looking for by following links to various websites, including some with hidden addresses. It wasn’t good news. Three humans bled, three vampires dusted. The Sacrifice of Six. It
had to have happened by now. They had missed the boat. Nothing for it now but to stop the Harvest – somehow.
But where would it happen? What event would trigger it? Tara offered to come back in sixth period, which was free for her, and try to find out more. Giles’ eyes shone, and he accepted in an instant. Oh yes, Tara was definitely something special.
Never mind the end of the world, that wasn’t the cause of Willow’s current head spin. It was thoughts of those soulful blue eyes, of a gulp-making smile, of a hand in hers that seemed to send electricity pulsing straight to her fusebox.
Oh that’s not good, she told herself.
I don’t think of girls that way, no sirree. (Well, actually there had been that little crush on Miss Patterson in eighth grade, but she quickly glossed over that.)
She remembered having the odd fuzzy feeling for a boy, but that was in junior high. Not that they’d ever been interested in
her. Only Frogboy Harris, and that, well….urrgh! She shuddered at the memory.
I was a real mouse then. Heck, I’m still a mouse – only now I can kick kitty’s butt! She didn’t like the image that gave her, and pushed it away. What was it about that girl? Willow didn’t know what on earth she was feeling, but it felt remarkably good.
She shook her head to try and clear all these thoughts out, put her hands in the pockets of her jeans, and looked around her. Revello Drive was only a few blocks from her house, but she seemed to have gone way past the turn.
Oh that’s just great, she thought.
Straight A’s in everything except drama (hate drama, phooey on drama) and your brain has no compass at all. She sighed, and headed for a back alley that seemed to go in what she thought was the right direction.
A few steps in, the back of her neck began to tingle, and not in a good way.
Not in a Tara way. Oh now, stop that!She heard soft footsteps behind her, pacing her.
Human or vampire? she wondered. The adrenalin rush she was starting to get didn’t seem to care.
Is this how the Slayerness kicks in? A blast of spidersense and a rush of blood to the head? Neat! Scary, but neat! She risked a quick backward glance, which showed her a tall figure ducking into a doorway.
What would Xena do? she asked herself.
Hmm. No sword. No chakram. Scare him with a yodelling battle cry? Um, maybe not. She hurried ahead, and hid behind a stack of wooden crates next to the wall.
Great plan, Will.
Now if I was a proper Slayer, she thought,
and had actually been trained instead of being lectured on the finer points of the ‘Watcher/Slayer dynamic’, I might know how to get the drop on this guy from, say, that bar goin’ across up there. Holy moly, I’m gonna die right here. But she swallowed hard, and steeled herself to pounce.
Like a big ‘ol cat, that’s me. Or a terrified kitten. She glanced down at her shoes.
Solid heel, solid toe, look out evil, I’m good to go. Oh that’s great, scare him to death with bad verse, why dontcha?She heard a soft approach, took a deep breath, tried very hard (and failed) to look menacing, and leapt out – straight into a large and manly chest.
“Wuf!” she said, as the air left her lungs, and she rebounded from the contact.
So much for the macho approach. “Okay mister stealthy! Mind tellin’ why you’re stalkin’ me – and, and it had better be good!” She frowned, put on her resolve face, and folded her arms.
The tall stranger raised one eyebrow above a pale, angular face, and cracked the tiniest of smiles. “Just watching your back,” he said quietly.
“Oh. Oh really? That’s, that’s nice, I guess – hey! My back’s doin’ just fine! Now, just you be telling me who the heck you are and, and what you want!”
“The same thing you do.”
“And, and what might that be?” She thrust her chin forward in a threatening way. Not.
The man stepped towards her. “To kill them. To kill them all.”
Uh uh, psycho, thought Willow. “Well, well that wasn’t the first thing on my list, b-b-but I’m sure it’s a valid point of view and, and why don’t you just be going and, and doing that….then?”
“It’s okay, I don’t bite.” Willow would have been more reassured if she hadn’t seen him crossing his fingers when he said it. “Just call me Angel.”
“Of the morning? Hah. No. Sorry. Guess not. Gotta go now.” She turned and started to walk away.
“You can’t avoid it, you know. The Harvest. The Slayer’s gotta be ready.”
She paused and turned back to him. “Huh? What?”
“You were slow. You missed the Sacrifice. Now he’s getting ready to rise.”
“Now you’re j-just trying to freak me out. Did Giles send you? Are you in his Weird Book Club or something?”
Angel shook his head. “I’m just here to warn you. Here, you might need this.” She caught the little black box that he threw to her. Inside was a small silver crucifix on a chain.
“Boy, did you ever pick the wrong Vampire Slayer,” she said, lobbing the box back at him. “Hello? Ever so slightly Jewish? The name Rosenberg is a bit of a clue, y’know.”
“Oh. Damn. Just – be careful.” He turned away, and started to melt back into the shadows. “Not all the bad things in this town live in graveyards.” Then he was gone.
Phew. Intense dude. Willow stared after him for a moment as the tension started leaving her body.
And the wackiness that is today just keeps on comin’, she thought.
--------------------------------
She was late, but Buffy didn’t seem to mind. The hyperness that was Buffy Summers managed to show Willow the entire house twice, offer her juice, Coke, Gatorade, waffles, chips and bagels, and tell her which bands, movies and actors she was crazy about, almost before she had a chance to say
Hi!“So, Will, what do you do, where do you hang, what’s the what with Willow Rosenberg, huh?”
“Er, um, well, I-I….”
I slay vampires in my spare time, and then I like to read books. “I-I like to read books,” she said.
“Wow!” said Buffy. “For fun? I’m beginning to suspect you’re suffering a major lack of good times.”
You really have no idea, thought Willow. “Oh no,” she said, “I-I have my books and, and I really like to study, and….”
“C’mon then. Let’s spend an hour with you cramming my head full of trig, and then we’ll hit the Bronze. You can meet my friends. One of them’s in a band!”
At least Willow now knew that the Bronze was a club. She’d told Tara that she was going to be studying with Buffy, and maybe ‘doing the Bronze’ after, whatever that meant. Tara had explained, but looked oddly disappointed at the news.
“Oh, B-Buffy’s super nice,” she had said, “and, and r-r-really pretty, don’t you think?”
“Uh, I guess so, sure.”
“I h-h-hope you have a good time, with h-h-her, I mean.” Tara sat with her head down, looking at her folded hands as she said it.
Willow and clubs didn’t really go together. She’d allowed herself to be dragged to a couple back in LA, but she’d spent half the night wondering why she was there, and the other half scared that she’d be pounced on by sweaty drunks. She hoped that a smalltown place would be quieter and safer.
Well, apart from the possibility of demon lurkage, of course.“Will um, will Tara be there, d’you think?” she asked Buffy.
She frowned. “Tara? Tara Maclay? Never been known. Strange girl. Doesn’t say much. Tends to sit alone in corners. Funny, but every time I see her, I get this weird feeling she’s waiting for something…. or someone. Huh. C’mon Will, let’s hit those books you love so much. My mom’ll go ape if my grades don’t get better this year. She’s always sayin’ I’ll end up flippin’ burgers in a grease joint if I don’t study more. Well, not this Buffster! C’mon!”
Willow was pleasantly surprised. Buffy was all bluff and swagger on the outside, but quick to learn, and really very bright.
Maybe I should call her Bluffy, she grinned to herself.
But only in my head! The hour went by really fast, with the blonde girl taking all the math Willow could throw at her.
“You’re a freakin’ professor!” she said to Willow. “If all my teachers were like you, I wouldn’t have to spend half the class hurling spitballs at the dust bunnies! As a reward, you may have trendy but tasty frappaccinos and wild dancing at the Bronze!”
“Actually, I’m more your plain mocha-type girl. And have you
seen the dance of the two-left-footed spaz?”
“Every time I look in the mirror, oh mistress of the mighty math problem! Now, we gotta go change these rags, or there’ll be no drool when we walk through the door.”
“Oh, oh no, no,” protested Willow, “No drool for me. I’m, I’m okay without it, really.”
“Oh come on,” said Buffy. “You’ve got it in you Will, you just don’t know it yet. I’m sure I’ve got a top here that’ll pop a few eyes for ya.” She rummaged around in her closet, and pulled out a green and gold scoop-neck top that actually looked pretty good with Willow’s brown pants. When it was on, Buffy looked her over appreciatively. “There you go, “ she said. “Totally Willowlicious.”
“Um, you don’t think it’s too um….Um?” Willow eyed the neckline in the full-length mirror on the closet door. To her, it looked a little low – but then she saw what Buffy had changed into. She was wearing a blue patterned skirt that only
just stopped at mid-thigh, and a paler blue halter top that showed an awful lot of suntanned cleavage.
Wow, thought Willow,
she’s bouncy in all kinds of ways! And at the same time, relief washed over her that the view had no effect on her. No tingle. Not even a little ting.
But what about Tara? Even when I think her name I get all goosebumpy. Oh god, stop it Will, that way lies madness and sweaty palms.*
The Bronze turned out to be no better and no worse than any LA club, just smaller. Noise, lights, heat, people – pretty much of a muchness. At least in here, she did recognise some kids from school. Well, recognised in the sense of having seen them before. As far as she could remember, none had ever actually spoken to her. Most were clustered in front of the stage, where a band was playing something reasonably tuneful. She couldn’t entirely make out the name on the banner behind them, but the word ‘Dingoes’ appeared to be involved.
Buffy greeted a few people on the way through the crowd, always adding “and this is Will” on the end, but Willow never caught their names. They sat at the bar for a few minutes waiting for their coffee to arrive, Buffy moving to the music and looking around happily.
“So,” said Buffy, “spotted any cute guys you wanna work the wily Willow magic on yet?”
“What? Oh, no, no guys. I’m, I’m not so good with the mouth thing, I just - ” Off Buffy’s wide-eyed look, she hurriedly added “N-n-no, I mean talking! When, when I have to say things to guys” –
or girls, she thought – “I just seem to dribble random words and, and then I have to go away. I’m, I’m kinda like a walking Scrabble set sometimes. I guess it’s probably easy for you.”
“Well,” said Buffy, “I do get hit on quite a bit. Usually by
pervs,” she said forcefully, batting away the attentions of a college boy who was trying to drape himself around her shoulder. “But, y’know, you gotta go where your heart takes you, Will. Seize the moment. Grab the bull by the horns. Strike while the iron….does something or other.”
The coffee arrived just then and Willow sipped at her mocha. Buffy’s frappaccino was half gone in one big gulp. “And, and have you?” Willow asked her. “Gone where your heart took you, I mean? Do you have someone?”
“Um, well, sorta,” said Buffy. “I don’t really talk about….Well, you see it’s like….Oh hell, maybe I’d better -. Hey, the band’s finished their set! Let me go grab Oz, he’s the guitarist, you’ll love him!”
I wouldn’t bet on it, Willow thought, as Buffy disappeared.
Well, that was weird. Buffy struggling for words! I wonder what she –Just then Willow felt a hand touch lightly on her arm, and she turned, to look straight into the clear blue eyes that were haunting her thoughts. Her jaw dropped.
“B-b-better close that mouth,” said Tara, “or, or you’ll suck all the air out of the room.”
Oh god, she was thinking,
I want to bite that bottom lip. It’s just so perfect.“Tara! What are you doing here?”
Oh jeez! “I, I mean, of course you can be here, if, if you want to be that is, but I thought you never, I mean she said you never, I, I mean….How are you?”
Tara smiled. “I’m okay. And, and how are you doing,
Slayer?”
Willow was shocked for a moment that she’d said the word out loud, but no one could hear over the background noise. And Tara was grinning.
Willow smirked back at her. “I’m fine,
witch.”
“Vamp killer.”“Mistress of mojo.”“Vixen.”That last one Tara said with such a look of innocent desire that Willow’s heart did a backflip, a double twist, and dived into the pool with a perfect ten score.
Oh my dear lord, she thought,
she likes me too! How is that possible? She’s so….so beautiful. No, no, I gotta be reading her wrong. She’s just having fun with me. I’m sure she’s….just like I’m….I mean she’d never….and I’d never….oh help!Oh that was stupid, thought Tara.
Look at her face. You’ve scared her. Take it back. She probably thinks you’re a freak.“I, I th-th-think I’d better go,” said Tara. “Th-this really isn’t m-my kind of place and, and you’re here with your f-f-friend.”
Willow suddenly
was scared. Scared of Tara not being there. “Oh no, please don’t!” This time, it was her hand that sought out Tara’s. “Stay, have coffee, talk to me. Please? There’s, I mean, so much is happening….to me….I need someone who, who knows. I mean, someone who can share. You know?”
Tara nodded, and allowed Willow to lead her over to a small table beneath the upper level that overhung the dance floor. Her own mocha had cooled, but she got another for herself, and one for Tara.
“Um, I
do know,” said Tara. “S-sometimes, things change so fast a-and you find out things, about yourself, and, and the w-w-world’s suddenly a scary place. Scary-
er.”
But I’m here. I can help. Please let me help.“Oh yeah,” said Willow. “Scary-
est. I mean, I’m still
me, y’know? But, but now there’s so much more in my life and, and I don’t really know how everything fits.”
But I think I want you there. Is that wrong?“I, I guess when you found out about, y’know, the whole S-S-Slayer deal that, that must have been -”
“Hey Will!” Buffy suddenly reappeared, dragging a boy with dark spiky hair. Tara immediately seemed to shrink down into her seat.
Damn! thought Willow.
“Sorry I took so long. Had to fight off the groupies to get to Oz! Will, this is Oz.” He wiggled two fingers in greeting, while Willow just twitched her mouth. “He don’t say much, but he’s the coolest! Oz, this is Will, she’s new. Brain the size of a planet. And this is – Oh wow! Tara! At the Bronze! When did hell freeze over?”
“H-H-Hi Buffy. I j-j-just came for Willow. I-I mean to see Willow. How, how are you?”
Buffy breezed into a seat at the table while Oz hovered beside her, trying to look cool and inscrutable. “A-ok, T-Bone!” said Buffy. Willow saw Tara wince at the nickname, but Buffy was just being her usual affable self.
“So Oz,” Buffy went on, “you playing again tonight?”
“Not here. UCS. Frat party. Trying out a new chord. Could be dangerous.” Willow wondered idly if the boy actually knew how to do joined-up talking.
“Oh cool!” said Buffy. “How about it Will, you wanna crash? Illicit booze, wild music,
college boys?”
“Uh, n-no thanks. You go if you want to, though. I’m, I’m okay here, with Tara.” Willow could feel a wave of thanks emanate from the blonde witch.
Then a groaningly familiar voice cut through the noise, and immediately set her teeth on edge.
“Slumming it tonight are we Buffy?” said Cordelia, shimmying up in a dress slashed almost up to her waist. “My, my. All the losers in one spot. Is it a convention, or are you just huddling for warmth?” As usual, her hangers-on were hanging on: Harmony, the blonde bitch-in-waiting, and dark-haired Wanda, the homeroom gossip queen. But they were just satellites orbiting the mother planet.
For some reason Willow couldn’t fathom, Tara had visibly brightened at Cordelia’s arrival. She sat there with a secret smile on her face, totally serene and beautiful. Maybe she was just happy that Cordelia was pointedly ignoring her?
“Cordy! Your mouth is open. Words are coming out. What’s wrong with this picture?” Buffy gave her a cheesy smile.
“Colour me wounded, Miss Perky. So, is this one of your outreach programs for the poor and nerdy?”
Willow began to wish she’d brought sunglasses. The flashing of fake smiles between two perfect sets of teeth was dazzling.
“Ooh, I’m cut to the bone,” countered Buffy. “Quick, get me a Band-Aid. Mouth-sized.”
“Lame riposte,” said Cordelia. “What’s up? Bra too tight for those brains?”
Tara gave a little snort. Willow glanced at her. She was enjoying this!
Buffy nodded at the vast expanse of leg the cheerleader was exposing. “Ass getting cold there yet,
Whoredelia? Or do the legs spread straight from the fridge?”
Tara couldn’t help herself. One of the dirtiest, throatiest laughs Willow had ever heard burst from her, and sent rippling fingers up the redhead’s spine. The oddest thing was the look Cordelia gave her – a combination of
Shut up! And
Don’t give me away! Now what the heck was that all about?
Cordelia flounced round to her followers. “Come on ladies,” she said, looking back over her shoulder at Buffy. “Let’s go find some
boys who can appreciate prime hottie. I need to rack up my score.”
At that, Buffy popped up from her seat, saying: “Cordy! You. Me. Restroom. Now!” The tone was challenging, but there was an odd gleam in her eyes, matched by the one in Cordelia’s.
“Is poor Bunny’s fur ruffled then? Okay, let’s do it, missy!”
And suddenly Willow and Tara were alone again at their table. Cordelia swished off towards the restrooms, with Buffy in hot pursuit. Wanda and Harmony spun away into the crowd. And Oz - well Oz just wasn’t there any more. Willow was shocked that Tara was still grinning.
“Tara! Shouldn’t we go stop them? They’re gonna fight! I’m pretty sure at least one of them’s a hair-puller. It could get ugly!”
“No, no, it’s okay,” said Tara. “Th-They won’t fight. Well, they
might but, but only in a good way.” At which she gave another low and dirty laugh, puzzling Willow even more.
“A-Alright,” said the blonde, seeing the look she was getting. “It’s, it’s a game. It’s all a game. It’s supposed to….well, um, it makes them….I-I mean they’re….Oh, it’s supposed to be a secret. They think only me and, and a few others know. But nearly everyone knows now. And, and I don’t think I can hide it from you. Or, or anything.”
Willow was sinking into those blue eyes again, but she had to know. “Okay, ‘fess up girl, or I may have to tickle you till you break. And no one can resist the fluttery fingers of Willow Rosenberg.”
Oh god, I wouldn’t want to, thought Tara. “W-W-Well, Buffy and Cordelia are um, that is, they’re um, well, they’re kinda joined at the hip. At least, th-they probably are right now.” She gave Willow a sweet smile, with one eyebrow raised.
Willow didn’t get it. “You mean, they’re really friends? They’re
not getting heavy on each other back there?”
“Oh yeah,” said Tara. “H-h-hot and heavy.”
“What do you - ? Oh! Oh!” Willow blushed to her roots, and lowered her voice to a loud whisper. “You mean they’re
girl friends? As in, as in girl and, and girl? Wow. Wow. Who’d a thought?”
“Does, does it freak you out?” asked Tara, looking worried.
“What? No! Oh no, no,” said Willow.
With what’s been going through my head today, how could it? she thought. “No, I think it’s kinda….well, I mean it’s….But
Cordelia? Is Buffy nuts? That girl’s just plain mean!”
“A-A-Actually, Cordy can be real nice,” Tara explained to a bewildered Willow. “I’ve known her for years. But she has to be um, top dog. She only
acts mean in front of those, those toadies to stay on top. On her own, she’s cool. Well, unless she wants to
practice being mean on you. But, but I’m fine with her. When she and Buffy face off, i-it’s all an act. Just a game they play. Makes ‘em kinda
hot.” Tara grinned.
“Wow,” said Willow again. “So, so right now they’re….? In the restroom? Wow. Go Buffy! Go Cordy!”
“So, so you’re okay with it?”
“Hey, I’m a big girl,” said Willow. “I’m fine with it. In fact, I’m finey mcfine fine!”
And I’m here with the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, and she’s fine with it too!Tara sighed happily. “S-So, you’re the Slayer, huh? What’s that like?”
Willow laughed. “Non sequiter much? Hoo! Where to begin?” As they were talking, a slow but steady procession of single peanuts had begun landing on their table and bouncing off. She ignored them at first, but when the last one landed smack in her coffee cup, she’d had enough.
Why the hell can’t people leave me alone with my girl! she thought.
Whoa! My girl? When did I start thinking that? Hold that thought Rosenberg, it’s kind of an important one!“Okay, what bozo is - ?” They both looked up and saw the bozo, standing directly above them. Rupert Giles was leaning over the balcony and beckoning them to join him.
“We, we’d better go,” said Tara reluctantly. “He might have some news about th-the Master.”
“Okay,” said Willow with a heavy heart. “But if he keeps me up past midnight again, he’s fixing my grades. It’s a school night!
And I need my beauty sleep!”
“N-N-No you don’t,” Tara said as Willow went up the stairs in front of her. “Y-Y-You’re already beautiful.”
Oh god, did I say that out loud?Willow waited for her, smiling, then linked arms with Tara as they went up the stairs together.
-----------------------------------
The vampire named Luke knelt before the black pool, licking the last traces of blood from a bone. “Good doggy,” he muttered to himself. The surface of the pool was seething.
From it a dark figure began to rise, slowly, inexorably. His fingers were clawed, his face demonic, the face of a vampire so old that it had lost any human aspect. He stepped out of the pool and proffered his hand to Luke.
“Master,” said Luke, kissing the bony fingers.
The Master brushed himself down, wringing the black bloody goo from his coat. “Dry cleaning’s no good you know,” he said. “You just can’t get this stuff out.”
“Good sleep, Master?”
“Not bad. Though I am still weak.”
“’In the Harvest he will be restored.’ So says the scripture.”
“Ah, the Harvest,” said the Master, rubbing his hands together.
“We’re almost there. Soon you’ll be free!”
The Master reached out to touch an invisible barrier that rang and shimmered as it met his claws. The walls of his mystical prison still held, as they had this past sixty years.
“I must be ready. I need my strength. And a change of clothes.”
“I’ve sent your servants to bring you some food,” said Luke.
“Good. Luke?”
“Master?”
“Bring me something….young.”
“Yes Master.”
“And this time, make it a non-smoker.”
-----------------------------------
“Peanut?”
“H-Hi Mr. Giles, thanks,” said Tara, helping herself to a few.
Willow ignored the offered half-full packet of dry-roasted. “Wow,” she said, “this isn’t the kind of place you expect to see tweed. Or leather elbow patches. Not a lot of books here either.”
“N-Now Willow, don’t be testy,” said Giles. “I’m sorry to interrupt your evening out, but this is important.”
Just then Tara nudged Willow in the ribs and murmured in her ear. “M-M-Maybe this is his secret life. He
is a Watcher. M-Maybe he just comes here to, to y’know, oogle the hotties!”
Willow giggled. “You said ‘oogle!’”
“Mm. I prefer it.”
“Oh, so do I. It’s, it’s so much ooglier!”
“I heard that!” said Giles. “I-I-I’ll have you know this isn’t my idea of fun. Listening to a-a-a road drill is more my type of music than this, this cacophony. And, and the lighting is definitely bringing on a migraine, I can feel it. I’m here because this kind of place is a perfect breeding ground for vampire activity and, and because I knew you were going to be here, and I have some information that could be crucial to our mission.”
“Okay, brief me,” said Willow. “Only I hope it’s more useful than what your friend told me on the way to Buffy’s. He was
so redundant.”
“Friend? Who - ?”
“Tall, dark hair, way too much gel. Called himself Angel. Freaky kinda guy – though he did sorta back up what we found about the Sacrifice of Six.”
“Angel?” said Giles. “Never heard of him. Did he say anything else?”
“Nothing that wasn’t disturbing in a we-already-knew-about-it kinda way.”
“Um, are you okay sweetie?” asked Tara. “H-H-He didn’t try to h-hurt you, did he?”
“Nah,” said Willow, “he was all talk.”
Sweetie! She called me sweetie! Oh gulp!“Hmm,” said Giles, “anyway, I-I followed some of the um, link things that you left for me Tara, on the, the computer. Extraordinary device. Tomorrow you must show me how to ‘log off’. Um, I found that apparently, one vampire from among the Master’s brood will be named his ‘vessel’, and through him or her, through their feeding, the Master will gain enough power to, to break his bonds and ascend into our world.”
“And this will happen Saturday night?” asked Willow. “So, so who’s the vessel, and where will this happen?”
“Ah. Th-Th-That I don’t know as yet,” said Giles apologetically. “We, we must research further tomorrow.”
“Great,” said Willow. “So basically….still clueless.” The librarian looked a little hurt. “I’m sorry Giles. I know you’re doing your best. But, but we need more. How am I supposed to tell one vampire out of god knows how many?”
“Can you tell one vampire even out of a crowd of humans?” Giles looked down from the balcony at the mass of people below. “Even without their demonic visage, th-the Slayer should be able to see them. Look at them. Can you sense if there’s a vampire in this building?”
Willow looked uncertain. “Well try!” said Giles. “R-Reach out with your mind, focus on the task at hand.”
They all looked. Just then Buffy emerged from the restroom, combing her hair with her fingers, adjusting her top, and looking extremely pleased with herself. She threw herself into the dancing with enormous energy. Cordelia appeared a minute later looking flushed, and ignoring her cronies, moved towards the door. Where a young man blocked her path.
“There’s one!” said Willow.
“Wh-Where?” asked Giles.
“Right there. Talking to Cordelia.”
“H-How do you - ?”
“Are you kidding me?” said Willow. “Pale face, hungry look – and he’s wearing a ‘Grateful Dead – Tour from Hell’ t-shirt! Obvious much?”
“W-W-Well, I-I happen to have - .”
“Oh-oh.” The young man had grabbed Cordelia’s arm, spun her round, put his hand over her mouth, and was dragging her backwards out of the door. “Gotta go!” said Willow as she headed for the stairs.
“Willow, wait! You don’t – “
“He’s got Cordy!” Willow shouted over her shoulder. “Tara, stay here!”
“No way!” said Tara, and rushed after her.
Giles stared after them. “But, but I haven’t honed you yet.”
Willow sprinted down the stairs and across the dance-floor, teenagers scattering in her wake. She paused only to grab a pool cue and snap a length off.
Gonna have to pay for that! she thought.
But wow! Where did those muscles come from?Once outside the door she screeched to a halt. Cordelia and the vamp were gone.
Oh come on Slayersense, where are you when I need you? At that moment Tara burst out of the door and piled into her, closely followed by Buffy Summers.
“Tara!” said Willow. “You shouldn’t be here!”
“I-I-I might be able to help. I’m a w-witch, remember? If, if you w-want me, that is?”
“Hey guys, what’s up?” asked Buffy. “Will, you came through there like a snow plow! And you’re a
what?” The last one was aimed at Tara.
“No time!” said Willow, an edge of panic creeping into her voice. “A vam – Some guy grabbed Cordy and dragged her out here!”
“What! That’s my girlfriend!” said Buffy. “Oh hell!” And she promptly clapped both hands over her mouth.
“I-It’s okay Buffy,” said Tara. “Willow knows. She’s cool.”
“Never mind that!” said Willow. “Where would he take her? Gotta be somewhere dark, quiet, lonely - ”
“The graveyard!” exclaimed Tara. “Th-The other side of Hamilton Street! It’s only f-five minutes away!”
“Let’s go!” shouted Willow.
*
Willow was ahead of them both and not even breathing hard when they exploded into the cemetery. Down the path a ways they heard the creaking of a hefty wooden door, and cut across the grass to see Cordelia being manhandled into an old and very large mausoleum. The door slammed against them, and they heard a bolt being rammed home.
“Ow!” squealed Cordelia as the hand was taken from her mouth, and she was thrown against a tall stone tomb. “Buddy, what the hell did you wash your hands with last? Eww! Tastes like Lysol!”
“Shut up, bitch!” said the man, who morphed into his vamp face and snarled at her.
“Extreme Eww! Hey, you
really need a good plastic surgeon. I’ve got a list somewhere. Not that I’ll ever need one of course. Some of us are born to be pretty. Guess you lucked out, huh?”
“Thomas? Couldn’t you have bitten out her tongue before you brought her here?” The vampire called Darla emerged from the shadows along with another, both wearing their game faces. “I know the Master likes them screaming when he feeds, but they don’t need a tongue for that.”
“”Wow!” said Cordelia. “What
is this? A club for the facially challenged? Even Max Factor won’t help
you, girl.”
With a crash and a cloud of dust, the door suddenly burst inward and off its hinges.
Damn! thought Willow.
I should kick for the Razorbacks! “Un-Unhand that girl!” she said, realising with a grimace that no one was actually touching Cordelia at that moment. Tara and Buffy edged in behind her.
“I-I-I guess those are v-v-vampires, then?” said Tara.
“What?” said Buffy. “Cordy, are you okay?”
“Rather be in a hot tub right now, but yeah, I’m okay Buff!”
“Not for long!” growled the third vampire, who leapt in front of Cordelia to face Willow. With lightning speed she whipped the makeshift stake out of her back pocket and pierced the demon’s heart before he could move. As the dust cleared, all the others looked at her in stunned surprise. Then Tara beamed.
That’s my girl! She moved in to stand beside Willow.
“So,” hissed Darla, “I guess you’re the Slayer we heard was coming. Doesn’t matter. Humans all die the same way.”
Um, now what do I do? Willow thought.
Is this catfight time, or am I supposed to go all Jackie Chan? I guess that’s moot though, since I can’t do either! “Tara! Buffy! Get Cordelia out of here! I’ll, I’ll handle these two.”
Somehow! Darla and Thomas began creeping towards her, from opposite sides.
“I-I-I won’t leave you,” said the blonde witch.
“You’ve
got to, Tara, please! Save Cordy!” With that, she gave Tara a push towards Cordelia, just as the two vampires rushed her. The best move seemed to be, to not be there, so she sprang upwards and twisted in the air, landing out of reach on top of the stone tomb.
Nice move! she crowed to herself.
Now how the heck did I do that?Buffy and Tara grabbed Cordelia, skirted round the action, and made for the door. While Darla prepared to jump at Willow again, the vampire named Thomas lashed out, striking Tara on the side of the head. She fell, taking the two girls with her.
“Oh god, Tara!” cried Willow.
The witch was dazed for a second, but showed Willow that she was okay by throwing up her hand, and calling out a word the redhead didn’t catch. Instantly a bright white flash filled the room, forcing the two vampires back against the far wall, their arms thrown across their eyes.
“Go, Tara, go!” Willow shouted. The three girls scrambled up and out the doorway, into the night. But Thomas managed to sweep Willow off the tomb and onto the dirt floor, allowing Darla to run out in pursuit. Thomas knelt over her, pummelling her, trying to grab her by the throat. She gritted her teeth, bringing her knee up into his groin with a dull thud. He groaned and fell forward off her, but was up in an instant, sending a foot straight at her jaw as she rose. Willow hit the wall hard, rebounded, ducked, and smacked the vampire in his stomach with her head. He fell back against the tomb, and Willow followed through with her stake in his heart. This time, the stake was still in him when he dusted, taking her only weapon.
She fell to her knees, panting hard and with her head still ringing from that last kick.
“Tara!” she cried, looking towards the empty doorway.
“Forget about her, little girl,” said a voice, “Daddy’s here.” A rough arm wrapped itself like a vice around her neck from behind, choking her. Her left arm was pulled up behind her back, and the vampire called Luke breathed in her ear. “The Master is getting hungry. I guess you’ll do as a starter.”
“C-C-Can we….talk….about this….first?” gasped Willow as the air began to leave her body.
There was no answer but a foul laugh, and Willow’s world turned into darkness.
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT 2
--------------------------------
Always.........
by Magrat70 » Mon Aug 12, 2002 7:00 pm 
And all the little things that made me laugh:
OMG this update was great! Between Buffy on a skateboard, Willow's babbling and Tara thinking what the stake might've been 
Oh My! This is just a GREAT way to start the series! Please, Please continue!! 
I Loved this update!! It is really funny!! Whatta shocker Buffy and Cordy, I totally didn't c that comin! But i totally like the idea of them together! 