New Fic: Grim Reaper

[chilled monkey]

Title: Grim Reaper

Rating: PG-13, possible R

Spoilers: Post- 'The Gift'

Feedback: Yes Please.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy

Notes: This fic is partly based on Blade 2. I know that there's another fic on this board with a similar theme, but I promise that this one will be quite different.



Miss Kitty Fantastico let out a contented purr as Tara rubbed her tummy. Tara turned her head to look at Willow. The redhead was sitting on their bed, reading a magick book. Except that she wasn't really reading it, Tara noticed. She was flipping through the pages, not really noticing their contents, and there was a slight frown on her face.



"Honey, is there something wrong?" Tara asked gently.



Willow jumped slightly, startled, then turned to look at her girlfriend. "Oh it's okay Tara, everything's fine". She paused for a moment then went on, "I was thinking about that fight we had".



Tara looked at the floor momentarily. She felt ashamed of the fact she had ever doubted Willow's commitment to her. Tara knew now that Willow would have spent the rest of her life caring for her if she had had to.



"What you said, about how it frightened you how powerful I was getting...." Willow continued.



Tara walked over and sat down next to her. "Willow, we talked about this" she said. "It was just us being insecure. Your magick is nothing to worry about".



Willow shook her head. "No Tara, you were right. It is frightening. It frightens me too. Sometimes I feel like I've barely got it under control".



Again she paused. "Tara, you've been trained your whole life in magick". She took Tara's hand and held it firmly. "Could you teach me how to respect it like you do?".



Tara smiled warmly. "Of course". She leaned forward and gave Willow a gentle kiss. "We could go away for the weekend if you want. Maybe rent a cabin in the mountains. You can do your initiation there".



"That sounds wonderful". Willow smiled and kissed Tara.



Miss Kitty meowed loudly and sprang on to the bed. The witches laughed happily and began to stroke their cat.



"So, this weekend?" Tara asked.



"This weekend" Willow replied.



End of Part 1

[saphire tear]

Nice start...

[Centauri2002]

An interesting start... it's good to see Willow has realised how powerful she's getting and is being responsible about it. I'm looking forward to seeing where this is going.



Caz

Tara: I got so lost
Willow: I found you... I will always find you

[4evaWill]

Short but very sweet. Good to see Will wants to respect her magick like Tara, also looking forward to seeing where this is going. Great start!



~Cath~

Tara: No, I-I understand. You have to be with the person you l-love.
Willow: I am.
NEW MOON RISING

[snuggle79]

Very good start!

Can't wait for more!

------------------
"I got so lost"
"I found you, i will always find you"

[chilled monkey]

Thanks for your replies. I hope you like this next part



Grim Reaper: Part 2



Two weeks later;



It had been nearly three months since Buffy Summers had sacrificed her life to save the world. Willow, Tara and the rest of the Scooby Gang were starting to accept the loss and move on with their lives. Willow and Tara had moved in together into a single dorm room, while Giles had adopted Dawn and moved into the Summers’ house.



So far, the Gang had done a good job in keeping the vampire and demon population down. Dawn had recently begun accompanying her friends on patrols, since, after some initial reluctance, everyone had agreed that the experience would help her learn to protect herself. However, although no one would admit it, they were all concerned about how they would fare against an especially powerful foe.



That night, the group, plus Spike, were patrolling in one of Sunnydale’s many cemeteries. So far the night had passed without incident.



Giles noticed that Willow had left Tara’s side for a brief moment and was chatting with Dawn and Xander. He tapped Tara’s shoulder.



“Tara, could I have a word?” he asked. She nodded and they walked a few feet away. “How is Willow faring with her magick?”.



Tara pushed her light brown hair behind her ears. “She’s doing very well actually. I mean, I know it’s only been two weeks, but she’s really starting to show true respect for the rules of Wicca. I think she understands now that witchcraft isn’t just a tool that she can use to solve everyone’s problems”.



“I’m very glad to hear that” Giles replied sincerely. “Thank you Tara. You’ve been so good for Willow, for all of us”.



Tara smiled at that.



The peaceful scene was abruptly shattered when a loud scream pierced the air. “Help me!” someone cried.



Tara ran to rejoin Willow, meeting her halfway. They quickly twined their fingers together.



“What was that?” Dawn asked shakily, gripping her stake tightly.



“I think it sounded like Harmony” Spike remarked casually.



The group ran towards where the scream had come from. As they got closer they saw that it was indeed Harmony. The blonde vampire was struggling with a humanoid assailant clothed in tattered rags. Harmony’s struggles grew weaker and weaker. Then she stopped moving and fell to the ground, eyes fixed open.



The attacker turned to face the Scoobies. All of them stopped running and stood still as they got a good look at it.



At first glance it resembled a vampire. A closer look showed that it’s skin was colored a sickly yellow and it’s chin was split by a prominent scar. The eyes were pale gray, with blood-red whites. It had no hair at all. A snakelike hiss escaped it’s mouth.



“What the heck is that?” Willow asked.



Everyone was startled by the sound of a crossbow being fired. A bolt suddenly embedded itself in the creature’s side. It hissed angrily as smoke started to pour from the wound. It ripped the bolt out and hurled it away. Another bolt came flying through the air, this one striking the creature in the chest.



The monster turned and raced off into the night. Spike and Xander started to follow it.



“No, let it go” a voice called out. A hint of a South London accent colored it.



All of the Gang turned to see the owner of the voice. The newcomer was a good-looking man in his early thirties, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was holding a crossbow like someone who knew how to use it.



Giles blinked. “Simon, is that you?”.



“Hello Rupert. Yes, it’s me”.



“You guys know each other?” Dawn asked unnecessarily.



“Simon Sheppard is a friend of mine” Giles answered. “Simon, this is Willow, Tara, Dawn, Xander, Anya and, um, Spike.



Simon smiled as he shook hands with each of the group. “I see your taste in friends has improved greatly, Rupert”.



“Bloody hell!” Spike exclaimed. “Don’t tell me he’s another Watcher”.



“No Spike” Giles replied, glaring at the vampire. “Simon is a rogue demon hunter”.



Willow’s brow crinkled. “What makes a rogue demon hunter different from the regular kind?”.



Simon chuckled. “Nothing really, it just means that I don’t work for an organization like the Watchers”. The humor disappeared from his face. “I wish that we were meeting under different circumstances, but I’m here on a serious matter. It’s about that creature you just saw”.



“Why don’t we all go to my home. You can explain it to us there” Giles suggested.



Simon nodded. As they started to move off, he stopped and pointed at Harmony’s still form. “Is she a vampire?”



“Yeah, what happened to”… Xander stopped mid-sentence as Simon drew a stake and slammed it into Harmony’s chest. She exploded into dust.



“Not anymore” he said grimly.



End of Part 2

[willntlover]

Wow! You've got the intrigue part of the story down! So glad that you are sharing this cool fic



-Will

"Hear that baby? You're my always."

"well, you know, when you play a lesbian witch you've gotta get killed in this fun kind of exciting way, so the heart was the way to go..."

"we have the most amazing fans though they LOVE us."

[umadamber]

Nice start. look forward to seeing where you go with it.

Quote:

---

“I’m very glad to hear that” Giles replied sincerely. “Thank you Tara. You’ve been so good for Willow, for all of us”

---

Good job some people can still see that huh!

Anya: Anyway, I took the money from working for Giles, then I tripled it.

Tara: Triple? Like first money, then money, money, money?

Anya: Yes, I'm thinking about buying something very expensive. Maybe an antelope

[4evaWill]

Yay, update! Great second part, loved the Giles/Tara mini talk! Curious to know what the 'sickly vampire thingy' is though. Can't wait for another update!



~Cath~

Tara: No, I-I understand. You have to be with the person you l-love.
Willow: I am.
NEW MOON RISING

[pacou]

Harmony in that fic? Sorry, just that circumstance made me laughing out loud. Oh okay, shes gone now, maybe I should stop laughing.



Um, but I like your fic so far, it gets very interesting and Im looking forward to the next part(s)



Thanks for sharing!



-Viv-

Well, we can answer questions.
Tara - Checkpoint

Dont dream it, be it.
Rocky Horror Picture Show

[snuggle79]

Wow, Harmony was like "gone with the wind"

Nice update!

------------------
"I got so lost"
"I found you, i will always find you"

[LiangFeng]

Will you put Snowman in? PLEEEEEAAAASE? *puppy-dog eyes* Donnie Yen is SOOOOO COOL!

Unfortunately, all my Barbies are out working. --"Kiss of the Dragon"

[Centauri2002]

Oh goodness, Harmony's decorating the floor as a little dust pile! That's shocking! Well, maybe not. It's really interesting though... looking forward to the next part.



Caz

Tara: I got so lost
Willow: I found you... I will always find you

[MissQuirky]

Hey i really love this story! Willow wanting to learn more about wicca and controlling her magick... is really great! Can't wait 4 more!



~Ashley~

Willow: We can come by between classes. Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens. But it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know... insane.
Tara: I said quirky.

[chilled monkey]

I’m glad your enjoying my fic. Here is the next part. The concept of the Reapers is borrowed from Blade 2, I’ve adjusted it to fit the premise of this story.



Grim Reaper: Part 3



A short time later, they were in the Summers’ house. Simon had been filled in on everyone on the way back. He had frowned upon learning that Spike was a vampire, but had accepted that he was no threat.



“So Simon, tell us” Giles said. “What was that creature?”



They were all sitting in the living room. The Scoobies looked at the demon hunter, waiting for an explanation.



“Rupert, do you remember that coven in Devonshire?”. Giles nodded.



“About a week ago, I paid them a visit”. He looked at the ground for a moment. “When I got there, they were all dead”.



“Dead!” Giles exclaimed. He removed his glasses, eyes widening. “How?”



“One of the coven was named Steven D. Knight. He had been capturing vampires and carrying out dark alchemical experiments on them. His plan was to produce an army of invincible vampires loyal to him”.



“How do you know all this?” Anya asked.



“I found his laboratory and his notes” Simon replied. “It seems that these altered vampires, the Reapers, he called them, managed to escape confinement. They slaughtered the entire coven and then fled. I’ve tracked them here”.



Tara nodded in understanding. “The creature at the cemetery. That was a Reaper”.



“Exactly. It’s twice as strong as a regular vampire, twice as fast and it has to feed every few hours. But that isn’t the worst part”.



“What’s the worst part?” Dawn asked incredulously.



“Any human who is bitten will turn within a few minutes, provided they don’t die of blood loss. The same with vampires, especially since blood loss doesn’t kill them, it just immobilizes them for a while. That’s why I staked that one in the cemetery”.



An expression of horror appeared on Giles’ face. “If that’s correct, and they have to feed so frequently then”…



“They’ll multiply exponentially. Within a week, there’ll be hundreds of Reapers, within a month, thousands”.



Soon afterwards, Willow and Tara found themselves alone in the kitchen. Everyone had agreed that the best place to start looking for the Reapers was the Bronze. It was, after all, the only place to hang out for both humans and vampires.



The others were checking and collecting weapons; Crossbows, stakes, axes, super-soakers filled with holy water. Simon had explained that the bolts he had used during the encounter at the cemetery were made of consecrated wood. Unfortunately he only had three left. Since they couldn’t openly carry weapons even in Sunnydale, they were going to carry them in a chest.



Tara was gathering some crystals and pouches of herbs. Anyone looking at her would have thought her perfectly calm. Willow knew better. She could spot the tension and worry that her lover was trying to keep hidden.



Willow walked up to Tara and began to massage her shoulders and neck. Tara felt herself relax. “Mmm, that’s nice” she murmured.



“Are you okay, Baby?” Willow asked.



“I’m a little nervous” Tara replied. “These Reapers sound really dangerous. And what Simon said, about turning into one, it just sounds so horrible”. She shivered slightly.



“We’ll be okay Tara” Willow assured her. “I mean their still vampires, right?”. She started to look a little nervous. “Tough, mean, bald vampires with blechy-looking skin”. She brightened up. “But still vampires. We can handle vampires”.



Tara wasn’t so sure about that. But she did feel more confident. There’s nothing Willow and I can’t face together she thought happily.



“Feeling better?” Willow asked.



“Feeling better” Tara replied, kissing her girlfriend.



Not long after that, the two wiccans were in the Bronze, together with the others. Giles and Xander were carrying the weapons chest, not without difficulty.



“Stay alert” Giles warned. “Spread out, but stay close”.



The group put some distance between each other, looking for anything unusual.



Making her way through the crowd, Tara noticed a man in a red jacket, with a hood pulled over his head. Instantly, her suspicions were raised.



Tara focused her gaze on the man. His aura was a muddy brown color and it gave off an unpleasant feeling of death and decay. The main feeling of the aura though, was hunger.



Raging, all-consuming hunger.



Tara suppressed a gulp. “Guys, I think we’ve got one”.



End of Part 3

[MissQuirky]

Hey great update! They found a lil vamp thingy, hopefully they can kick his ass - i mean how bad can they be. Lookin forward to more!



~Ashley~

Willow: We can come by between classes. Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens. But it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know... insane.
Tara: I said quirky.

[BethanyB3]

Okay, I think I'm enjoying the idea of a coven in Devonshire being destroyed, a little too much.

*********************************************************************

"When choosing between 2 evils, I always like to try the one I've never tried before." ~ Mae West

[pacou]

Very interesting where you left it, Im curiously waiting for the next happenings.



And I loved Willow massaging Taras shoulders. Such a tender moment.



And isnt that guy Steven D. Knight a writer of the Buff staff? (He he Buff staff ) Or I think he was, um, actually I dont know.



-Viv-

Well, we can answer questions.
Tara - Checkpoint

Dont dream it, be it.
Rocky Horror Picture Show

[chilled monkey]

This update has an R rating, as it’s pretty violent and may not be to everyone’s taste. If you don’t like it, just say so. Also I’ve borrowed some dialogue from one of Lisa Countryman’s fics, although I have changed it a bit to avoid plagiarism. I hope no one minds



Grim Reaper: Part 4



Warren Meers was making his way through the crowd when he bumped into a man in a hooded red jacket.



“Watch where your going!” he snapped, then froze when he saw the ‘man’s’ face.



The Reaper’s lower jaw split open into a grotesque, insectlike feeding apparatus, including a thick, barbed tongue. Warren stood, rooted to the spot as the monstrous jaws bit into his neck and began to drain him.



Warren convulsed as the blood was vacuumed out of his body. The crowd had fallen silent and watched, horrorstruck, as the Reaper let it’s victim’s bloodless corpse fall to the floor.



Another Reaper, wearing a furry coat, threw back his hood and looked around, smiling broadly. “Dinner is served”, he announced.



The crowd screamed and began stampeding for the exits as two more Reapers emerged from hiding.



Tara quickly produced a vial of powdered sorbis root from her pocket as Red-jacket turned his attention to her. She blew the powder into the Reaper’s face. A look of confusion crossed his gruesome features.



Giles ran up and staked Red-jacket. The Watcher’s triumphant look turned to alarm as his stake hit something hard and unyielding, failing to pierce the heart.



Red-jacket shook off the powder’s effect, grabbed Giles and hurled him through the air. He crashed into a table, breaking it, and lay still.



“Mr. Giles!” Tara cried. She focused on the Watcher for a moment and was relieved to see that he was alive. Her attention was diverted as the Reaper in the red jacket came running towards her.



Willow sprinted up to Tara and took her hand. The two witches levitated a table and launched it through the air. It slammed into Red-jacket and knocked him to the ground.



In a corner, an Asian vampire found himself facing off with another Reaper, the same rag-wearing one that the Scoobies had encountered earlier. The vampire leapt up and, in mid-air, delivered two powerful kicks to Rags’ chest. The demon stumbled back and slipped on a puddle of juice that had been spilled in the chaos. He lost his footing and fell. The vampire, still with his human face, landed easily on his feet.



Xander swung an axe at his foe. The Reaper, a female, snapped her hand up, stopping the blade with just her palm. She grabbed Xander’s arm and twisted it, forcing him to drop the axe. The young man was paralyzed with terror as the monster’s lower jaw split open.



Simon fired his crossbow, hitting her in the arm. She screeched and threw Xander at Simon. The two of them collided and went down hard.



The female turned to see Spike. The bleach-blond vampire was gripping a broken pool cue. He drove his improvised spear into her chest.



Nothing happened. Again, something had shielded the heart.



“Everyone listen!” Spike yelled. “Stakes don’t do sh”…



He was cut off as a fist smashed into his face and knocked him onto his back.

The female stood over him, hissing loudly.



The Asian vampire ran up and drove a high kick into the Reaper’s face, driving her back. He reached into his coat and drew a katana sword. One stroke sliced easily through his opponent’s neck, decapitating her. The head turned to dust.



Spike looked up at his rescuer. “Snowman! Is that you, old mate?”.



Snowman nodded as Spike got up. The blond vamp’s eyes widened as he looked at the beheaded Reaper. A new head was growing from the stump of her neck.



Dawn and Anya aimed their super-soakers at Rags. The demon shrieked as holy water burned his skin. He charged forwards, grabbed the barrels and ripped them out of the girls’ hands. Contemptuously he threw them away and advanced. The burns on his skin were already healing.



“Help”. Anya screamed.



In the midst of the carnage raging all around her, Willow was thinking;



I could fix this so easily with just one dark spell. If I could hurt a God then surely… No! I can’t do that. Dark magic isn’t something to use lightly. It’s dangerous, darn it. I don’t need it to help the people I care about and I certainly don’t need it to make myself feel good. Tara is all that I need for that.



The red-headed witch snapped back to the matter at hand when she heard Anya’s cries.



“Hold!” Willow and Tara called out. Instantly, a shimmering field of golden light appeared around Rags, holding him immobile. Dawn and Anya scurried to safety.



Willow and Tara looked at each other. They both knew that the Scoobies had only one chance.



Willow sent her thoughts into the vampire’s mind. .



Spike ran for the window. Willow noticed Snowman. she sent. .



The samurai vampire nodded at her, then jumped through the window. As he did so, Rags broke free of the magickal field



Willow and Tara quickly sprinkled some herbs onto the ground, then placed some crystals around the herbs. As they did so, the rest of the gang formed a circle around them, Simon and Xander dragging a semi-conscious Giles. The Reapers closed in on them, opening their jaws to maximum capacity.



Throughout the battle, Jared had kept his distance, watching with interest. He suddenly realized just what the witches were going to do and leapt out of the window. He found himself facing Spike.



“Alright mate” said the blond vamp conversationally.



He threw a punch, but Jared caught his fist with one hand, stopping it mid-thrust. “Pathetic”.



He kicked Spike hard, sending him flying into Snowman. Both vampires were knocked sprawling as Jared ran off.



Willow and Tara joined hands and looked into each other’s eyes. “Spirits of light, we implore thee. May the gloom of darkness part before you” they chanted. “May the moonlight be made pale by your presence. Spirits of light, grant our wishes. As we will it, so mote it be”.



A tiny orb of red light appeared above the herbs as the crystals glowed brightly. The orb flew up into the air and expanded into a brilliant white ball, flooding the Bronze with sunlight. All three Reapers ignited and exploded into ash.



The floating ball of sunlight flickered and vanished.



End of Part 4

[witchbitchwillow]

heya,



i really like the idea that uve used for this fic. i thought that harmony being staked was sooooo funny!



**super-soakers filled with holy water**



hehe they should soo use that on the show! the sunshine spell was a good idea and i like some of the characterisations uve done



hope so read more soon.



xelliex

**"Damn gayly forward!"** Anya- into the woods by blameburner.

[4evaWill]

Yay!! Brilliant update!! I loved the way Will an' Tara worked together to kill the Reapers!! I thought they were gonna be completely invincible but yay!! Will an' Tara save the day!! In case you hadn't guessed, I'm hyper!! I always am when I get updates from my favorite fics!! Yay!!



~Cath~

Tara: No, I-I understand. You have to be with the person you l-love.
Willow: I am.

NEW MOON RISING

[chilled monkey]

4evaWill: this fic is one of your favorites? Thank you, you’ve really made my day. Hope you like this next part.



Grim Reaper: Part 5



“That was so cool” Dawn commented. She turned to Willow and Tara. “Are you guys okay?” she asked, noticing how the two witches were supporting each other.



“We’re fine” Willow replied. “Just don’t ask us to do that spell too often, it’s a little tiring”.



Spike and Snowman came back in, Spike with a face like thunder. “Why didn’t you tell us those things can’t be killed by staking, or chopping their heads off” he yelled, pointing at Simon.



“I didn’t know” the demon hunter shot back.



Giles groaned in pain, carefully raising a hand to his head.



“Got knocked out again, Watcher?” Spike smirked. “You’ve got an almost perfect record”.



“Are you alright, Mr. Giles?” Tara asked gently.



“Fine” he replied shakily.



“We should get you to a hospital. You could have a concussion” Tara went on.



“No, no, it’s not necessary” Giles said quickly. “I’ve taken worse”.



Xander noticed Snowman for the first time. “Who’s this”.



“His name’s Snowman”, Spike replied. “Old mate of mine. Can’t say a word, but he’s one of the best fighters I’ve ever met. Good to have in on your side in a brawl”.



Xander started to puff up with indignation. “If you expect us to work with this guy, then”…



“Xander” Willow interrupted. “We need all the help we can get, vampire or not”. She turned to Snowman. “That’s if you are offering to help” she added bashfully.



The vampire samurai raised his hands and made several gestures.



“Sign language” Giles explained. “You are the comrades of the late Slayer. You are well known and respected. It will be an honor to fight alongside you”.



“I meant to learn sign language” Anya mused. “I never managed to get around to it. Something always kept coming up”.



“Why do you want to help us?” Giles asked.



Snowman made several more signs. “Those creatures are an abomination, a threat to human and vampire alike” Giles said aloud. “Working together is our best option”.



“Um guys” Dawn spoke up. She pointed to her watch. “The sun’s coming up soon”.



Simon frowned. “That means the Reaper’s will go into hiding for the day”.



“But you said they had to feed ever few hours” Anya pointed out.



“At night yes” Simon replied. “Just before sunrise, they can enter a trace-like state in order to conserve blood. To do this they need to absorb a large amount of dark magick. We need to find the biggest concentration of dark magick within the area”.



“I know a place” said Spike.



He told them about their destination as they drove there in Giles’ and Xander’s cars.



“I’ve never been there myself but I’ve heard people talk “ he explained. “It’s a guy named Rack. He’s a very powerful warlock, deals dark magick. People get high on it”.



“People can get addicted to magick?” Willow asked, frowning at the thought.



“It’s very rare” Giles stated. “It seldom happens, but it can happen”.



Willow couldn’t help feeling upset by that. Magick is meant to be a beautiful thing she thought. It’s meant to make a person’s life richer, it shouldn’t be used like that.



Tara sensed Willow’s discomfort. She took her girlfriend’s hand, squeezing it gently. “Are you okay?” she asked softly.



Willow smiled at her, the simple contact already making her feel better. She kissed Tara on the lips. “Now I’m okay” she said.



“So Spike”, Dawn began. “The guy in the furry coat, who was he?”.



“I’ve spoken to Simon about him” Giles said before Spike could speak. “We think his name is Jared. Apparently he was the first Reaper to be created and is now their leader. He seems to retain more of his intellect than the others”.



“Stop the car” Spike said. As Giles did so, the vampire pointed to a run-down building. “There”.



“Thank you Spike” Giles said as they got out. “The sun’s rising. You and Snowman had better go”.



“Be careful. Even if there aren’t any Reaper’s here, that guy is bad news” Spike warned.



Inside the building, the group encountered a chilling sight. The place was filled with human and demon corpses, bloodless and broken.



At the back was someone whom they recognized from Spike’s description as Rack, the dark magick dealer. He was lying on the ground, crying out in agony, face twisted from the pain. His skin had taken on the sick-looking color of a Reaper and the familiar scar split his chin.



“We’re too late” Simon said grimly. “One of them must have bitten him”.



The sight horrified Dawn. “Somebody put him out of his misery!”.



Willow stepped forward and raised her hand. “Splinter”.



A section of the wall exploded inwards. Sunlight came pouring in through the hole, falling directly onto the newly-turned Reaper. Rack screamed even louder as he burst into flames. Within seconds, he was reduced to ash.



End of Part 5

[MissQuirky]

Caught up with the last 2 updates, Great btw! Its good to see Willow really hating the idea of people getting addicted to Dark magick... i'm really glad she made the decision to clean up her act in the beginning. Rack is dust - that i really enjoyed! Can't wait 4 the next update!



~Ashley~

[4evaWill]

Ooh, course I liked the next part!! I mean, this part. Thought it was so sweet how Will was horrified at the thought of people abusing magick, that's how it should be! Cool update!!



~Cath~

Tara: No, I-I understand. You have to be with the person you l-love.
Willow: I am.

NEW MOON RISING

[chilled monkey]

4evaWill & MissQuirky: Thank you for your replies. It’s nice to know that people are following the progress of this story. I’d like to dedicate it to you both. Thank you also to anyone else who is enjoying this.

Glad you liked Part 5. I liked the idea of Rack being killed by Willow, but not in a vengeful or confrontational way.

Note: I don’t know much about Latin. If I’ve made any mistakes, I’m sorry.



Grim Reaper: Part 6



As the group were tired from their battle with the Reapers, Giles advised them all to get some rest. Later, at mid-day, they met up again at the Summers’ house. Spike and Snowman had just arrived, carrying blankets to shield themselves from the sun’s rays, and everyone was assembled in the living room.



“Right” Spike said brusquely, “how are we going to kill these bloody things? Stakes don’t work, there’s some kind of protective shell around the heart. And if you cut the head off, it just grows a new one”.



“We have to find them before we can kill them” Giles pointed out.



“I can help with that” Simon replied. “When Reapers are hunting, they tend to split into small groups. But during the day, they all mass together in one place. They also prefer to sleep underground. That means we’ll probably find them in the sewers”.



“Eww” Dawn wrinkled her nose.



Willow had her laptop with her. “Oh, I know” she said eagerly. “I can access the town plans” she went on, typing away at the keyboard. “That’ll show us the most likely places to look”.



Tara smiled proudly at her. After a moment, Willow had the plans on screen. Simon pointed to a large chamber. “There, that’s the spot”.



“We should head there right away” Giles said. He looked at the vampires. “You two will have to be careful to avoid the sun”.



Snowman signed ‘once we find them, how do we stop them’.



“I’ve been thinking about that” Giles answered. He left the room and returned carrying a can of gasoline.



Tara frowned. “This doesn’t feel right, Mr. Giles. I mean, killing them while they’re asleep”.



Willow nodded in agreement, as did Snowman.



Giles sighed. “It’s not fair, I know, but these creatures are dangerous. We could barely defeat three of them, now we could be going up against a dozen or more”.



“I know” Tara said, shrugging unhappily. Willow took her hand consolingly.



Soon after that, they were preparing to set off again.



“What is that for?” Anya asked as Giles entered the room, carrying a shotgun.



“Something I’ve been working on” he replied. “The cartridges are filled with finely ground communion wafer. It could prove most useful”.



“What are those?” Dawn asked Tara. The wiccan was soaking several clothes in a bowl of colorless liquid.



Tara lifted a dripping cloth up. “Tie it around your nose” she explained. “They should filter out the worst of the smell, so we can stand being down there”



“Cool” Dawn grinned.



“I’m not wearing one of those” Spike shook his head. “I’ll look daft”.



Tara shrugged. “Suit yourself”.



The group was soon trudging through the town sewers. The dank walls dripped incessantly into the filthy water.



Spike was the only one not wearing one of the cloths Tara had prepared, and so was looking a little nauseous. He did occasionally use the sewers to travel during the day, but they were passing through a particularly foul section and the stench was getting to him.



At the back, Dawn was talking to Simon. “How did you get to be a rogue demon hunter anyway?”



“I was in training to be a Watcher” he replied. “They threw me out for disobedience. I’ve never been one for authority”.



Sounds a little like Buffy Dawn thought sadly.



“Is something wrong?” Simon asked, seeing the look in her eyes.



Dawn shook her head. “I’m okay” she answered.



Xander and Giles were having their own conversation. “Giles, can we trust this Snowman guy? He doesn’t have a soul or a chip”.



“I think so” Giles replied. “Snowman is well-known for his sense of honor. As long as he’s fighting alongside us, we have nothing to worry about”.



Before Xander could respond, they entered a large chamber. Twenty to thirty Reapers were lying still in the water, eyes closed.



Giles held up the can and carefully doused each one of them. He tossed the now empty can away. “Spike, hand me your lighter”.



As Spike did so, the nearest Reaper’s eyes snapped open. It jumped to it’s feet, roaring loudly, as water cascaded off it’s body.



Surprised, Giles dropped the lighter and hurriedly backed away. Snowman stepped forwards and swung his sword in a diagonally upwards slice. The Reaper fell back with a loud splash, but the others were already springing to their feet.



Willow and Tara joined hands. “Septum, cancelliorum, claustra” they shouted



The air around the group shimmered and formed a protective dome. The Reapers surrounded them, beating their fists against the barrier, their mouths opening into the feeding configuration.



“Ignis incente” the witches shouted.



At once, the gasoline-doused Reapers were alight. The deformed vampires howled as they were consumed. A wall of fire encircled the Scoobies . They could feel the heat even through the magickal barrier.



Suddenly it was over. The fire went out as a great mass of dust settled down onto the water. The protective dome disappeared.



For a moment, they all looked around in shock.



Anya broke the silence. “Can we go home now?”



“What, oh yes I suppose so, that seems to be all of them” Giles replied. “Well done” he added to Willow and Tara.



“Seems a bit anticlimactic really” Spike complained as they started back the way they had come.



A splash and a cry of alarm from the back caused them to turn around. Giles was struggling with the Reaper leader, Jared. A punch to the gut doubled the Watcher over, and the shotgun he had been carrying slipped from his grasp. Jared lifted him onto his shoulders, turned and ran.



“Giles!” Willow cried. They gave chase, but with his incredible strength, Jared could run at great speed even weighed down. Before long, he had lost them.



End of Part 6

[MissQuirky]

Oh NO Giles!! Poor guy! Damn that Jared dude! Hope they find him soon! Lookin forward to the next update!



~Ashley~

Willow: We can come by between classes. Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens. But it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know... insane.

Tara: I said quirky.

[chilled monkey]

This update is rated R for violence. It also has a Cliffhanger Warning. Enjoy.



Grim Reaper: Part 7



“What are we going to do?” Dawn asked worriedly.



“We should go back to the Magic Box” Tara advised. “Willow and I can try some kind of finding spell”.



“Yes” Anya readily agreed. “Anything that gets us away from here”.



Back at the Magic Box, the wiccans’ were seated at the table, their hands joined over a map of the town. Both were murmuring quietly under their breath.



The others watched from around the shop. No one spoke. Tara had explained that the spell they were trying was difficult. It required several rare herbs and complex incantations.



Willow took a handful of black sand and scattered it over the map. Several grains began to glow white.



“It worked” Tara said.



It was three o’clock by now. Spike complained about having to go out in daylight again (“damned Watcher had better appreciate this”), while Snowman, if he had any complaints, gave nothing to indicate them.



The gang found themselves outside a large, derelict, boarded-up old house. Glancing up, Willow noticed that the upper windows weren’t boarded over but had thick velvety drapes behind them, like the kind used in old theatres.



“Is this the place?” Simon asked.



Willow nodded. “This is the place”.



The front doors were unlocked. Spike and Snowman, from their place in the shade, threw blankets over their heads and quickly followed the others inside.



Inside was a fairly large hallway, the walls covered in cobweb and mildew. There was a staircase in one corner and no furniture.



What attracted their attention though was in the middle of the hallway.



“Giles?” Anya questioned, unable to believe what was in front of her.



Dawn’s eyes began to tear up as her friends stared in horror. Spike looked at Dawn with concern, and Snowman was expressionless.



In front of them was indeed Giles, his mouth gagged and his arms raised above his head, tied together by a rope that went up to a hook in the ceiling. He was shirtless and was completely bald, with yellowed skin and red eyes that glared at them, full of hunger and rage.



Tara shook her head, a look of realization crossing her face. She stepped forwards.



“Tara no” Willow cried, trying to pull her girlfriend back.



“Willow, it’s okay “ Tara assured her. “I know what I’m doing”.



Willow reluctantly let go. Tara walked up to Reaper-Giles and removed an amulet from around his neck. Instantly the illusion ceased to exist and it was Giles in front of them. His glasses were missing and he was covered in bruises, but he was still himself.



“Thank God you came” he mumbled as the others hurried over and untied him.



In response to the group’s puzzled stares, Tara held up the amulet, a black stone set in gold. “This stone helps create illusions” she explained. “I could tell Mr. Giles was alright because his aura was normal”.



“Is he okay?” Anya inquired.



“Badly beaten, but he’ll be fine” Simon replied.



“Oh God!” Dawn exclaimed. “He, he was going to trick us into killing Giles”.



“We should split up” Simon suggested. “Two of us wait here and protect Rupert. The rest search the house”.



Spike and Dawn remained to protect Giles. Willow and Tara went in one direction, Anya and Snowman in another, while Simon and Xander went upstairs.



Sweat ran down Xander’s forehead as he tightly gripped the shotgun Giles had prepared earlier. He imagined Jared hiding in every shadow.



Without warning, the door in front of them burst open and Jared leapt out, carrying a circular saw blade. He threw it straight at them.



Simon cried out as the blade sliced his thigh, leaving a deep gash. He fell to the ground as Jared ducked back into the room he’d emerged from.



Xander ran after him and froze, looking around the room. It was large and had probably been the master bedroom at one point. There were thick velvet drapes on the far wall. There was no sign of Jared.



Then, Xander heard something drop to the ground behind him. He spun around and tried to lift his weapon, but the Reaper was too fast. His hand shot out and grabbed the barrel, holding it pointing away from him. He tightened his grip, crushing the metal and rendering the shotgun useless.



“You want me so bad, here I am” he said. “Now make your stand, punk. Show us what you got”.



He punched Xander in the face. The young man spun away, blood streaming from his nose and mouth. Jared grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground with just one hand. Another punch loosened Xander’s teeth and then he was dropped to the ground. The head Reaper licked him in the chest, cracking several ribs. A second kick lifted, this one to the stomach, lifted him off the ground and sent him flying into a far corner. Xander threw up.



Jared’s laughter was interrupted as something hit him in the back of the head. He whirled round to face Anya, Willow and Tara. Anya and Willow each had a metal pipe that they had found lying around, while Tara had a length of chain.



They moved in, landing short, sharp blows. Surprised by the ferocity of the assault, Jared stepped back, crouching slightly, and raising his arms to protect his head. The girls hit him a few more times before he abruptly straightened up, hurling them all to the ground.



Willow held her palm out. “Obfuscate”. A ball of gray, sticky material appeared in her hand. She threw it and it stuck to Jared’s face. He let out a muffled roar, trying to pull it off.



Anya hit him twice with her pipe, before he ripped the glob off. He viciously backhanded her away.



Tara ran forward and swung the chain, hitting Jared in the face. He took a step back, then shook it off and grabbed her. His jaw started to split open into feeding mode.



“Let her go” Willow shouted. Electricity crackled around her hands as her eyes started to darken.



End of Part 7

[willntlover]

Go girls go! That was wicked cool The big jerk tried to fake them out, but Tara is much too smart.



But Willow going all dark magicky? I hope it;s an allusion.



I am really enjoying this, i love it in fact



-Will

"Hear that baby? You're my always."



"well, you know, when you play a lesbian witch you've gotta get killed in this fun kind of exciting way, so the heart was the way to go..."



"we have the most amazing fans though they LOVE us."

[MissQuirky]

Great update! They found Giles!! YAY!! Tara was great with the whole reading aura and figuring out all the problems... very handy and sooo smart - gotta love her!



I still say Jared needs some more ass kicking, maybe we'll see that in the next update.



Can't wait 4 more!

~Ashley~

Willow: We can come by between classes. Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens. But it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know... insane.

Tara: I said quirky.

[chilled monkey]

Thank you for not pointing out my spelling mistakes in the last part. I was pretty embarrassed when I noticed them. Next time I'll be more careful. I'm glad they didn't spoil it for you. The next update should be up soon.

I have a question; I am really enjoying writing fic and I would like to do more. For my next one, should I continue to post on this thread or start another.