New Story: Welcome to the Jungle

[BurningWhiteRose]

Title: Welcome to the Jungle

Rating: R for gore…I think…

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my plot, and if it weren’t for things that I didn’t own, I wouldn’t have the plot!

Summary: Willow’s spell to make all the potentials slayers unleashed new evils on the world, so as to keep the balance. However, Buffy and the gang have yet to run into them, and that’s saying a lot. But when Angel and his crew murder the Circle of the Black Thorn, these evils begin to appear. Slayers begin to die faster than live. An unbalance unfolds, and the Powers that Be step in, as do the monks.

Authors Note: Everything that has happened in BTVS happened. The last episode of Angel happened. This fic is set after it all.

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

“Every thousand years, the leaders in Hell decide to figure out which Hell dimension is the strongest. Or, so they say. Really, they just want an excuse to see all the people in their dimensions pitted against each other in an all out Melee. So here we stand, watching people kill other people who already died. I’ve got the right idea, don’t I?”



Two young men stood together, watching chaos below them. Currently, two ancient criminals were the center of attention. They were trading blows with the sharp teeth of a slain dragon, dripping in blood from their opponents. Suddenly, an anonymous person decapitated one of the two. The victorious smiled for a moment, before cutting off the murderers ear.



“That’s basically the gist of it. Except you left one teeny tiny part out. The winner…well, last…”



An obese demon slowly ate the leg of its latest victim, only to have its guts blow out by a close by opponent.



“…Thing…standing gets one chance to go to the cave. If they overcome the tests given them, they receive their life.”



There was a roar of cheering as a dragon ate five of the leading warriors.



“And if they don’t overcome?”



The dragon suddenly jerked forward as a small group wrenched at the chain around its neck.



“Then they come back here in another thousand years.”



The first to speak slowly nodded, and dropped his cigarette into the fighting below him. With a last exhale of smoke, he sat down and said,



“Lets just hope our Ladies can overcome this.”

*****

Below, in what was know as the Pit of Eternal Damnation, two women stood back to back, fending off every creature that came their way. They were a team, neither wanting the other to die. If one came close, the other would cease her fight and come to the first ones aid. They must have been doing something right, because neither had died yet. They were badly burned and bleeding, but not once did they slow down.



The fighting was lessening, as more and more were dying each minute. If they just held on for a little longer, they might only have to kill the now obese dragon that kept eating people and demon alike. If they defeated him, they would only have to fight each other.



Slowly, Anya and Tara backed into a wall nearby, waiting for the next attack, hoping they could just get to kill each other and get this over with.

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

Shall I go on?

Edited by: BurningWhiteRose at: 6/3/04 7:27 am

[Sean Gaffney]

Dear Ghu... um, I mean yes, go on. You wouldn't want to leave them like that, would you? It would make people sad! Plus I love Anya and Tara bonding stories, even after death. ^_^

[RoseWitch]

BurningRose,

wow! when i got on the board today to see updates to stories, to my suprise I saw u had started one today! sweet... i haven't read many fanfics from the beginning when they are starting to post. I must say you got me curious and afraid for Tara and Anya though they are dead. Tons of questions popped into my head, like why are Tara and Anya fighting when I thought it was supposed to be bad peoples? They aren't bad spirited people! Why would they get so cruelly put to be fighting even when dead, they faught as heross tell there last days, then more fighting????

lol...keep going and writig more please! and i'm requesting for it to be soon please

ok....byes

-Rose aka Muse

Quote:

---

Willow: Hey Buff. One more thing. Buffy: Yeah? Willow: I’m gay. Buffy: Okay, Will. Xander owes me ten bucks.

~Remember to Breathe by Yellow Crayon

---

[BurningWhiteRose]

RoseWitch: Yes, they are good, but Anya hasn’t always been, and…well, all will be revealed.

Sean Gaffney: lol! Thanks

Title: Welcome to the Jungle

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my brain

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

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, England



Rain fell in torrents onto the roof of a small one story home. The house was dark, due to the lack of electricity that had swept the small countryside community. Wind blew a tree in front of the house to and fro.



Inside the home, Willow Rosenberg shivered, and added another log to the fire. It provided much needed warmth, and light. She walked back to the small coffee table in the middle of her living room, on which her laptop was resting. She was playing a game of Solitaire, having nothing else to really do. She sat for a while, playing the game with caution, obviously not caring how long it took.



A teapot whistled in the kitchen. Willow sighed and closed her laptop, deciding she was done for now. She walked over into the small kitchen. The teapot was whistling uncontrollably, so she chose to turn off the fire first. Then she took the pot, and poured hot water into a cup with cocoa mix already in it. Willow smiled as she inhaled deeply the scent of chocolate.



After putting the teapot into the dishwasher, Willow took her cup of cocoa, and went back to her cozy living room. Strangely enough, the fire had completely burnt out. The only thing lighting the room was a glowing green orb.



Willow had a moment to ponder what it was, before it hit her in the stomach, knocking her into her sofa, where she promptly passed out.

**********

Anya slashed through the nearest demons stomach ineffectively. Nothing seemed to be slowing this hulking mass down. Not even the combined effort of her and Tara, who had told her to keep it busy. Whatever your planning, Tare, do it soon… Anya’s body was slowing down; nothing could be done to prevent it. They had been fighting for the better part of two days. Nearly everything was dead. There were 5 demons, two men, an extremely fat dragon, and Tara left with her. Four of these demons were ripping each other apart, but one had enough time to try to kill her. Filthy little Faskinalra…



The demon managed to cut Anya in the arm she was fighting with.



“DAMNIT TARA, HURRY-“



A huge fireball came hurtling towards the Faskinalra. Anya pushed off of it just in time to save her head from the falling flesh.



“You were saying something, Ahn?”



Tara smirked, and offered Anya her hand. Anya looked around, and noticed that only one of the four demons that had been ripping each other apart was still standing, but it fell soon from a blow inflicted by one of the two men. This one had a nasty scar forming over his eyebrow, but then again, so did Tara. Anya smirked as Tara growled at him.



“Well, Witch. I guess today you will remember how I kicked you sorry little-“



The dragon had found it in him to eat the man whole.



It was down to the final three.



Tara and Anya’s eyes met.



“You wanna be bait, or shall I?” Anya asked with a devilish smirk.



Tara just powered up another large fireball.

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

So… do you: Like, Hate, wish I would just stop. Feedback please!

[Sean Gaffney]

Interesting reaction. "Oh. Orb." Hopefully not the same orb as Brisco County, Jr. had.



I wonder if Tara has come to rescue Anya on account of her innate goodness and niceness. Though she seems to be a lot more cynical, but then I'm guessing that battling hell demons for a while will do that.

[robotguru]

This looks real good, thank you for sharing this with us. Keep it up

------------------



"And the glorified bricklayer picks up a spare!" (Xander, The Gift)

[MissKittys Ball O Yarn]

OH! I love it so much! and if you stop....I'll have to....um...I dont know....ask you nicely to continue?



I love the atmosphere you set Willow in....Cause, with the chocolate. I really hope there's an update soon!





xoxo

Emms

[BurningWhiteRose]

Sean Gaffney: lmao…Yeah, Willow was kinda slow on the orb thing, but hey. It was late night; she wasn’t expecting that at all. AND, I will reveal why Tara is in a Hell Tournament, but it isn’t to rescue Anya.

Robotguru: Thank you, and here you go!

Emms: Don’t worry I’ll keep going. Just keep reading.

Title: Welcome to the Jungle

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my brain

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

The two men who had been watching the chaos in the Pit, looked at each other. One took out a cigarette, and slowly lit it. The other removed his hat, and wiped a few beads of sweat from his brow, before asking



“Is it just me, or has this place just gotten a hell of a lot hotter?”



The other took a drag on his cigarette before smiling and replying,



“Is it the dragon, or the fact that Anya there just got her shirt ripped off?”



“I’m thinking it’s the former…but the latter is good too. There is gonna be one hell of a final match, Eh Whistler?”



Whistler nodded, before looking solemnly into a small red crystal ball.



“Lets hope Tara makes a good decision during that final.”

**********

Tara frowned when her plan didn’t work. Anya was getting beaten pretty badly. Her shirt had finally been ripped off altogether. The dragon was proving to be more of a formidable opponent than Tara had planned. Should have planned better…this dragon did kill half of the things on this field…



Cursing herself for being too confident, Tara looked around for anything that might help. She had to act fast, or Anya wouldn’t make it. Neither of them could last much longer. All I have to do is kill that dragon, and then Anya and I can fight…Damnit, Maclay, think! Anya screamed, and Tara looked up just in time to see the dragon descending upon her. She then saw what she needed to destroy the dragon.



The dragon’s pulse was beating erratically, showing where its heart resided.



Tara dropped to her back, sword at her side, until the last second. She then jumped into action, piercing the Dragon right in the heart. In pain, it wrenched backwards, giving Tara the perfect amount of space. She sliced downwards, nearly cutting the dragon in half. As she neared the dragon’s stomach, she wrenched the sword free, and stood back.



The dragon fell dead at her feet.



Tara looked at her hands, hoping its blood wasn’t contaminated. She then turned to look at Anya. The ex-demon was struggling to her feet, using her sword as a sort of cane. Tara took up her sword, and headed over to Anya, helping the woman to stand.



Then the two smiled, and Tara thrust her sword into her own gut.

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

So, I guess now I can stop, right?

[Sean Gaffney]

Still looking quite interesting, in a sort of Buffy meets WWF way. I see you like to write teeny weeny sized chapters, though (what I call Faithful Chickie syndrome). We want more! Longer parts!

[MissKittys Ball O Yarn]

Woo Hoo! the dragon's dead! The dragon's dead! (I'm not too sure what that'll mean....but Im pretty happy about it though.



xoxo

Emms

[Sapphos Dream]

WAIT?...DID YOU JUST SAY TARA KILLED HERSELF?!?...your kidding me right..???...right???...RIGHT?!?...



okay this is the point where you update now or get a very cranky sex deprived teenager on your case...hee hee hee...



just kidding...update soon..I really wanna see where this is going..it's a cool story to know Tara is like..and gladiator or something..hee hee hee...coolios...update soon and keep up the good work...and no stopping either!





Tisha

[onyxsundrops]

I'm guessing Tara killed herself so she could be 'born again'. Maybe?... Sorta close? Thanks for the update.



Yvonne

[BurningWhiteRose]

Sean: I was watching WWF the other day. I then realized…Wrestling really is fake.

Emms: Yep. Dead Dragon. And Dead Tara, but there was a purpose.

Sapphos Dream: She did indeed kill herself. Longer chapter now, lots will be revealed.

Yvonne: Very close. Very, very close.

Title: Welcome to the Jungle

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my brain

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

Lindsey McDonald and his soul, (or lack thereof), waited silently for his either eternal damnation or salvation. It all rested in the hands of some tournament. Since when did I become vulnerable? Those good old Powers that Be should know that I died fighting the good fight. I should be all right…right?



“Yes Lindsey. You would be all right. Except, there is this woman.”



Its always a woman…



“Indeed.”



“Stop doing that. Its more nerve racking than waiting for my fate to be decided.”



“She had to wait. She had to watch her lover destroy her chance at Heaven as she did so. You see Lindsey; fighting the good fight means sacrifice. For a while, it meant the sacrifice of power to Willow Rosenberg. But when Buffy died for the short amount of time that she did, Willow had the power. She was in charge of Sunnydale, the number one Hellmouth in the world. Say it with me Lindsey.”



“Power corrupts.”



“Yes. It did just that. Power corrupted sweet, innocent, Willow Rosenberg. She had the power to raise Buffy, so she did. There is always a price. With the raising of Buffy, she raised the First.”



Lindsey heard a familiar voice in his head…



“That’s the thing about magic. There’s always consequences…ALWAYS!”



“There were. Now, there were four members there to see Buffy be raised. But only once channeled the magiks. So naturally, hers was the first to die.”



The sound of a shattering window flooded the area around Lindsey. He fell to his knees as wave upon wave of sorrow and agony jolted through his body.



“Your Shirt.”



The voice was innocent, yet haunting.



“Willow Rosenberg’s lover, Tara Maclay, was the first to die. She was murdered. Not by Warren Meers, but by the First. The shot that killed Tara would have been a once in a lifetime feat for a trained sniper. The angle at which it shattered the window, the way it went strait through her heart…”



There was a pause, as Lindsey pulled himself to his feet.



“Yet Willow killed Warren. Yes, he held the gun-”



“She had every right to kill him.”



“Alas, she did not. No one has a right to take a human’s life.”



“He took her lover’s!”



“No Lindsey. He did not. The First Evil guided that boy’s bullet. That’s how it works. The First kills either all the people who raised it, or finds an even better alternative. In Willow’s case, there was a much better alternative. Kill her soulmate. So it did. Yet, it wasn’t enough for the First. It wanted to not only take Willow’s very soul. It wanted to make sure that Willow’s soul was destined for Hell.”



“How did it manage that?”



“There are many ways to be condemned, Lindsey. One of those ways is to kill in an innocent’s name. Tara Maclay was a good soul. Destined for Heaven. But she stopped us from putting her there. She refused to enter any one Heavenly dimension without assurance that her lover would enter with her. In the murder of Warren Meers, Willow had condemned herself.”



Lindsey paused, understanding slowly dawning on him.



“So Tara took Willow’s place in hell?”



“Yes.”



“How did the First react?”



“It did not know. We do keep certain things to ourselves Lindsey. We do not prance around and allow Evil to know everything.”



Lindsey smirked.



“Back to the story. Now, the First has forever wanted to rid the world of the Slayer. It goes about this by killing any known potential Slayer. So as soon as the First had finished watching Willow try to destroy herself, it went into action. Potential slayers died left and right, for about 4 months. Finally, the Watchers sent out a desperate plea. They were to call all the potentials together, and send them to Sunnydale. There, Buffy was to take them, and train them.”



“Faith got free to go and help.”



“She did. Faith proved to be a large role in the banishing of the First. She drew away its attention long enough for Buffy to get the Scythe. Although she did not know she was doing so, she did. She also nearly died to keep those girls alive.”



“Yeah, that’s great, what about the First?”



“Patience boy. Besides, you were the one who mentioned Faith. Now then, where was I?”



“Buffy had a Scythe.”



“Ah yes. This Scythe was a key part in the defeat of the First. Its essence could only be used for good, and anyone who tapped into it, would instantly get a clean slate, no matter what they had done in their life. This is how Willow achieved a balance in her acts. She no longer has a place in Hell. As of now, she is balanced. She has a long life to figure out where she will go.”



“So now we are getting to me.”



“Yes. We are. You see Lindsey, when Willow evened out her acts Tara had no reason to stay in Hell. However, there was no escape. Things get rough down there before the tournament. Any semblance of slack ceases to exist. Tara’s only chance was to win the tournament. She alone stood no chance. But Tara had something most do not have when they enter the tournament. A friend. Anya Jenkins. The two have trained hard for the past two years, and together, have excelled far past any expected boundaries.”



“Doesn’t the tournament allow only one to be brought back to life?”



“Very good Lindsey. However, we, the Powers that Be, have found a nice big loophole. If Tara allows Anya to win, therefore receiving her life, Tara will be put up for trade. Not one Hell dimension wants a self-sacrifice type in their dimension. It always leads to trouble.”



Lindsey understood now, but still felt obliged to ask. “What is Trade?”



“Trade is when one being is thrown out in the open, hoping to be taken in by us. If we do take them, however, we must give Hell a soul. We also must give the one who we took in life.”



“So let me get this strait. Because Willow cleaned out her closet, so to say, Tara was given a chance at life. All she had to do was throw the tournament. However, she had to live through the tournament. Anya was the key player in this. Working together, Tara and Anya excelled through the tournament with ease, being the only two who had someone watching their back. It was a win, win situation. Now, I take it Tara killed herself, therefore throwing the tournament, and becoming a trade. I am the one you are giving them in return for Tara.”



“Exactly.”



“One question. Why are you going through so much trouble?”



“There has always been a great evil lurking on earth. It has usually been kept at bay, due to the balance achieved by the Slayer. When Willow activated the potentials, this balance was lost. However, this evil still stayed at bay. Five months ago, when Angel murdered the Circle of the Black Thorn, the evil was unleashed.”



Lindsey waited as the Powers paused. Must be a painful subject. These guys haven’t been this involved on Earth for ages…



“Slayers are dying at an alarming rate. Whatever this evil is, the Slayers are no a match for it. We need more fire power, or Evil will consume. Our old friends the monks have already sprung into action. Two days ago, they planted our extra firepower in Willow Rosenberg. In eight and a half to nine months, if all goes well, she will birth the child who will have the ability to vanquish this evil. However, for eight and a half to nine months, Willow will need constant protection. So we have sent someone to gather Buffy, Dawn, Faith, Xander, and Rupert Giles. They will guard Willow for the time. Yet, we need someone who is strong, but will never leave her side. That is why Tara must go back. Two years in hell have toughened that girl up wonderfully. She could probably hold her own in an all out with Buffy. Now Lindsey, it is time. You must go.”



Lindsey only nodded. “I’m ready.”

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

I hope this is okay. Its longer...but not that long. And its mostly information. Im trying to write longer chapters, but bear with me. I'll get there!

Edited by: BurningWhiteRose at: 6/5/04 9:09 pm

[MissKittys Ball O Yarn]

Im happy that Tara's coming back.... but there's something about this update that makes me kinda sad.... I can't put my cute little furry finger on it though.... oh well... Maybe im just....



I loved the update though! great job! More please?



xoxo

Emms

[DreamsToDream]

So Awesome! Really Explained A Lot!! Yay Tara's Coming Back And Shes Strong!! People Better Know Not To Mess With Her!!

D2D



Damn You Vile Woman!!!- Stewie Griffin



I Try My Best To Feed Her Appetite, And Keep Her Coming Every Night... - "This Love" By Maroon 5

[Sean Gaffney]

AAAAH! THE EXPOSITION IS IN MY EYES! IT BURNS! IT BUUUUUURNS!!!



(cough) Seriously, nice chapter, even if it was basically a long 'sit down while I tell the readers the plot' part. And I, being an Anya fan, am happy that Anya is not burning in Hell either. And it was longer, yay.



For a moment I thought the fighting tournament would be the major focus of the fic, which made the anime fan in me shudder.



"You will be given a companion to help you defeat your opponents."

"Oh my God, Cordelia, you're a Pokemon!"

"Just shut up, OK?"

[good2cats]

Hi,
I just found this fic.It's terribly exciting.Please do continue.Thanks and be well,Karen

[BurningWhiteRose]

Sean: Sorry. I promise there is more!

Emms: It gets better.

DreamsToDream: Glad everything is understandable! That was my goal!

Title: Welcome to the Jungle

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my brain

((********************))

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil



Alexander Harris stood looking out at the ocean, dark hair blowing in the breeze. Waves rolled softly onto the shore, before slowly floating back out again. A few people were scattered among the beach, just enjoying the moonlight. He smiled, before continuing his nightly route around the beach. He had always found it weird that the beach was a hot spot for attacks here. Usually you would expect the clubs and bars, teeming with tourists, but no. The beach was the hot spot for vampire and demon attacks.



Sure is different than Sunnydale…



Xander walked on, focusing on all the people around him. It had been a slow night, and that was never a good sign. That always meant that something was coming. When something was coming, it usually meant talking to Abby, his designated Slayer. She was just getting the ropes, being only 18. Giles had sent Xander an expert to teach her some techniques. This “expert” just so happened to be another Slayer who had been in high regard since the activation spell. Nadia Terantino. Nadia had been an avid participator in Kung Fu since she was five. Now, 20 years later, she was a master at the two main types of it. She was very happy teaching Abby, in return for language lessons.



The sound of footsteps snapped Xander from his thoughts. He looked behind him, only to see a very familiar face. He frowned, and pulled out his stake.



“And they told me you had changed.”

(**********)

Cleveland, Ohio



Faith sat in her small apartment, watching TV over dinner. It had been raining outside all afternoon, and into the night. Tonight was not the time for slaying. If anyone went outside in this weather, it was to get into a car. And if they didn’t, well, they deserved to die. Ok, maybe not die, but at least they would learn not to go out in the rain. Maybe the vampires wouldn’t even go out tonight? They don’t like rain…do they?



She shrugged at her thoughts.



The show was nearly over, and Faith was anxious to see how Tru would handle the victim’s fate. It was a great episode; the twist in the plot was that the two girls were together. “Juliet and Juliet,” as Tru had put it. This show always got to her. She loved how Tru always tried to save the day, but didn’t always succeed. It was very realistic. Plus, the whole deal with keeping her powers a secret just added another element Faith could relate to.



As the show ended, Faith smiled, and began to clean up after herself. Paper plate in the trash, glass and fork in the dishwasher. When all was either washing, or put away, she went back to her couch, where she lay down. It had been a few days since she had slept, and tonight was perfect. The rain was setting a nice melodic beat. She turned off the TV, and threw a blanket over herself. Now was the time for rest.



Just as she closed her eyes, a familiar voice spoke on the buzzer.

(**********)

Rome, Italy



Buffy Summers sat across from Andrew, wondering what his next play was going to be. He could jump her, but then his only remaining king would be jumped. She crossed her finger, doing a silent jig that she had finally beat him at checkers.



But being Andrew, he just jumped both of Buffy’s pieces.



“I believe that is a game,” he said, waiting for her reaction.



Buffy looked down at the board. She hadn’t realized that she was still open. She had almost won. She was this close. Andrew, the guy who had gotten Anya killed. Andrew, the guy who supported the man who killed Tara. Andrew, who was about to get his little nerdy butt kicked.



Dawn Summers walked in from the kitchen, and upon glancing at the board, mouthed to the boy “Run.”



It was too late. Buffy jumped up, knocking the table over onto the smaller boy. She then stood on the table, taking what breath remained in Andrew away.



“THAT’S FOR BEATING ME AT CHECKERS.”



She then kicked him in the chin.



“THAT’S FOR KILLING ANYA!”



Dawn then realized that something was wrong. Buffy never talked about Andrew’s past. Whenever the blonde tried to, she would end up crying. Or breaking something. But Andrew wasn’t a something to break. He was a someone.



“Buffy, stop!” she yelled, running up behind her sister, and grabbing her arms.



The woman seemed to calm down slightly, then burst into tears. Dawn smiled sadly. Two years to the day. She had remembered that morning. She had just finished brushing her teeth, and was about to go make omelets for breakfast, when she looked at the calendar. The day was marked in red. Dawn never went anywhere except work on this day. Yes, it had been two years. But she still mourned the loss of her second mother. She had, of course, grown much since then. But no matter what, the day Tara died was treated with reverence among the Summers. They would never forget the death of a friend.



Buffy stopped crying moments before a knock on the door.

(**********)

Cairo, Egypt



Anya Jenkins and Tara Maclay stood on the outskirts of Cairo, pondering their next move. The master of the cave had left them here as soon as they were seen fit to live again. The two were beaten, and bloody. They reeked of blood and sweat, their hair was an off shade of dirt brown, and their clothing was… well… semi-nonexistent.



“Do you think we can hitchhike when we look like this?” Anya asked nervously.



“Of course we can Anya. They’ll get one look at us and say, ‘Hey, Hooker!’” was Tara’s tart reply.



Anya sighed. Tara sat down angrily.



“Why did they send us back Anya?”



“To help Willow, you know that.”



“Not that Anya. Why did they enter us in a hell tournament, make me kill myself, then drag us through a cave, bring us back to life in the middle of nowhere, THEN tell us that Willow needs us?”



“They have a weird sense of humor?”



Tara chunked a rock at the nearby water. About an hour ago, she had been dead, and going back to hell. Then Whistler had given Lindsey to her Hell dimensions leader, in return for her. Soon, she was being dragged through a cave by some uber-vamp. Next thing she knew, she was on the outskirts of Cairo. Willow needed her. Something was going to hurt Willow, but Tara couldn’t do anything. And why? Because some people with more power than her decided it would be fun to strand her in the middle of nowhere. Well, not really nowhere, but they might as well have. She would have been no better off.



“Tara…I know things seem hopeless, but why don’t we go into the City. Maybe we can get a bath, some clothes, and a place to stay for the night. Then we can look for a pay phone, and call the new Watchers council. They gave us the number.”



Tara sighed, and then stood up. “We might as well. Maybe then we can get a job, save our money and get a plane.”



“That’s…going to take forever. You’re being sarcastic!”



Tara chuckled. “We could always steal a map, do a locator spell, beat up a vampire for information on the nearest magic place, find the magic place, and beat the owner until he or she gives us free teleportation.”



Anya’s jaw dropped.



“Why didn’t I think of that?”

(********************)

Willow’s Home in the Middle of Nowhere, England



Rupert Giles stirred a little sugar into the hot tea he was about to serve to his “daughter”. He new exactly how much she liked in her tea. What he didn’t know, however, was what had Willow so shaken up. Two days ago she had called him, asking him to come and visit her. Never one to deny the woman, he had agreed. Things were going slow enough in London, so the man had seen it fit to leave Amaura Lee, his latest slayer, in charge of things. She was a good listener, and was growing on her Watcher of the 16-year-old fast.



Slowly, Giles sat next to Willow, handing her the tea with caution.



“I do hope you aren’t ill.”



“I’m not.”



“So why did you call me here then? Is someone attaching you? Is something attacking you?”



“No Giles. Nothing is after me. But…”



“Yes Willow?”



“Two days ago, I was sitting right here, watching to fire. I got up to go make myself some cocoa, because it was cold, raining, and the power was out. When I came back, there was this green orb floating right above my fireplace. Then it started moving, and the next thing I knew, everything went blank.”



Giles looked at Willow, a pensive look gracing his face. Upon seeing it, Willow went full on into babble.



“I swear it wasn’t me Giles. Why would I hurt myself? I mean, it was just floating there and then WHOOSH! I was flat on my arse. I don’t even know what spell would conjure a big green orb thingy. I’ve been looking since I woke up two nights ago, but I have nothing to show. I looked through all the magic books in my library! Nothing! And-“



“Willow, I know you didn’t do it.”



“-You know I didn’t do it…”



The red headed woman sighed in relief, before taking a sip of her tea. For a while, neither spoke. They just sat, sipping their tea, and watching the carpet as if it was the most innovative thing since peanut butter.



Giles was about to suggest calling the Coven, when the doorbell rang.

[Sean Gaffney]

I think the intriguing thing about this fic is going to be seeing the relationship between Willow, who so far seems basically the same as we left her post-series, and Tara, who is New Clorox GrumpyTara (TM). A lot of what Willow (and us, to a degree) found so lovable about Tara seems burned out of her. It's going to be an interesting ride.



I see Buffy hasn't lost her chirpy optimism.



Enjoyed it as always. Looking forward to plot threads being drawn together...

Edited by: Warduke at: 6/7/04 3:07 pm

[MissKittys Ball O Yarn]

Oh yay!! Tara and Anya are alive!! Woo Hoo! (Okay...now that that very embarrassing display of emotion is over with...)



great update! I can't wait for the next part.



xoxo

Emms



oh and ps... “They have a weird sense of humor?” <-------this part cracked me up! Great job.

The people I'm furious with are the womens's liberationists. They keep getting up on soapboxes and proclaiming women are brighter than men. That's true, but it should be kept quiet or it ruins the whole racket.----



Anita Loos

[DreamsToDream]

Who's There? Great Update!!! Getting The Low Down On Where Everyone is And What They Are Doing It's Great!!!

D2D



Damn You Vile Woman!!!- Stewie Griffin



I Try My Best To Feed Her Appetite, And Keep Her Coming Every Night... - "This Love" By Maroon 5