fic- Do Your Best and Don't Worry

[hermitstull]

Okay here it goes-



Disclaimers: The usual. Not mine, they belong to Mutant Enemy and Joss Wheadon and all those folks. But they are fun to watch and mess with. ER people belong to Costantc and John Wells and those fun Warner folks. But they're even more fun to mess with.



Crossover alert: There is a slight crossover with ER, another show that tend to watch. Mostly I just poached a couple of characters that I like and put them in this story. As for that show's storylines and what not, as far from cannon as you can get.



Willow/Tara=Angst Alert: Being set after season six, there is some w/t angst, but ultimately they will get back together.



Authors big note: This is sort of set in an altverse based on the end of season six and a little on the start of season seven. From there, it's all new and fun. Same thing as for the ER touch that's tossed in there. This story will be kind of dark at some points and doesn't always put everyone in the best light. There will be some violence and naughty words as well as we get into it, so be careful. And maybe a little same sex action for added flavor too.



Flame away or praise away. I'm tough. (I hope)



Edited to add: If you're just tuning in to this tale, I want to add an extra warning. It takes a while to develop and to get Tara and Willow back together all the way. It's a long journey, but it's worth it.







Part 1

special note on part one: dialogue taken from grave courtesy of buffyworld.com









Fifteen or so years ago



“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?” A small blonde haired girl asked. She was sitting on the steps of her house with her best friend. Her blue eyes filled with worry. “I d-d-d-don’t want you to go.”



“Hey,” a soft voice said as strong arms swept the young girl onto her lap and into her arms.



“I’m scared Bigun,” the young girl’s voice choked, “What if I don’t see you again?”



“You’ll see me, Littleun,” Bigun leaned back to catch her young friend’s eyes, “I’ll always be your best friend. I’ll always know how to find you.”



The front door to the house opened and the young girl’s mother appeared.

“Tara, Jay’s got to go now. Come inside.”



“It’s okay Mrs. McClay,” Jay replied. “I have a few more minutes.” She looked down at Tara and back up at her mother. “I’m just as sad to be going myself.”



“Okay,” Mrs. McClay nodded and silently went inside.



“Tara…Littleun….listen to me,” Jay looked down at the girl who had become like the little sister she never had. “Cleo and Billy Joe and I will be just fine. We’ll take care of each other like we always have.”



“Promise?” Tara asked.



“Promise,” Jay smiled and squeezed the young girl one last time.



As Jay made her way down the dirt path to her car, Tara shouted, “I love you Jay!”



The young woman turned and waved at her young friend, “I love you too Tara. Don’t forget I’ll always be there to take care of you.”









May 2002

“Hey black-eyed girl….watcha doin’?”



“What is that idiot doing?” Max asked. He was across the street in an abandoned gas station, watching some human take on the most powerful force on the Earth in almost a millennia.



“Trying to save all our asses,” Claude replied. He was parked on the road in a beat up Gremlin watching the same scene unfold.



“Jay, Billy Joe, report!” Cleo barked from the command center.



“Her friend, Xander, appears to be trying to talk her out of destroying the world.” Billy Joe paused and winced. Willow had just knocked the young man down again. “Looks like Lone Ranger cracked some ribs that time.”



“Jay, are you ready?” Cleo barked.



“Ready for the Vikings to have a decent season or ready to suck Dark Phoenix and myself to one of my favorite hell dimensions? Because the answer is yes to both. Although, I would be happy with just number one.”



Jay and Billy Joe moved into position. If Xander wasn’t able to talk Willow down they didn’t have any choice. Jay looked at her best friend, a boy who she had grown up with in a small midwestern town, just down the route from her other two best friends. Once who was barking orders from a van downtown, the other who was now cold in the coroner’s office waiting for an autopsy. Jay pushed down a wave of grief and focused. Billy Joe laid a hand of Jay’s shoulder.



“Are you sure?” he asked.



“There’s no other way.” Jay smiled weakly. “Hey, it’s not like I haven’t spent quality time in a hell realm before. Added bonus is that I know the way out of this one before I go in.”



“What about… ” Billy Joe asked.



“Don’t, okay, because it’s hard enough having to send Tara’s soul mate to hell, dooming her from ever seeing Tara again. Don’t bring mine into it as well, okay? I need to focus.”



Willow’s voice caught the pair’s attention.

“Still making jokes.”



Xander, hunched over in pain, replied, “I'm not joking. I know you're in pain. I can't imagine the pain you're in. I know you're about to do something apocalyptically evil and stupid and hey, still want to hang. You're Willow.”



“Don’t call me tha-”



“Dear God, it’s working. He’s talking her down,” Billy Joe whispered to Jay.



“….too afraid to tell anyone. You've come pretty far, ending the world, not a terrific notion but the thing is, yeah. I love you. I loved crayon-breaky Willow and I love scary veiny Willow. So if I'm going out, it's here. You wanna kill the world you start with me. I've earned that.”



One pair of life-long friends watched another pair struggle to come to terms with soul shattering death and the end of the world. Xander reminded Jay so much of Billy Joe at that moment, talking his best friend down from the edge. After either nearly ending it all or saving the day.



Xander, slashed and beaten, continued to move toward Willow, “I love you.”



“Shut up!” Willow screeched, hitting him again with a weakening wave of magic.



“I love you. Willow.”



“Jay! Billy Joe!” Cleo’s strained voice cracked in the pair’s earphone.



“Cleo,” Jay’s voice was firm, but filled with emotion, “she’s backing down.”



“Confirm that,” Billy Joe echoed.



“Stop!” Willow’s voice called out faintly as she collapsed into Xander’s arms. Jay’s eye’s filled with tears for Willow, Xander, but most of all, for Tara.



“Look,” Billy Joe pointed, “her hair’s red again.”



“Yeah,” Jay smiled weakly through the tears, “it is.”



“I guess we’re out of the woods,” Billy Joe replied, wiping the corner of his eyes.



“Cleo, it’s over. Xander was able to talk Willow out of it.” Billy Joe spoke into the small mic at his mouth.



“Jay?” Cleo asked.



“Confirm. Willow has powered out. We can stand down, but I recommend we hang around for a few days, just in case.”



“Yes,” Cleo agreed. “We can’t afford a relapse.”



“And we can go the funeral.” Billy Joe added sadly.

Edited by: hermitstull at: 1/2/03 12:18:28 pm

[hermitstull]

See all disclaimers in part one



Authors note:

just thought I'd split this first section into two parts, sort of like a then and now kind of thing.



special note part 2: Scar Tissue belongs to those crazy Red Hot Chilli Peper guys. Have you seen their Behind the Music?





Part 2



September 2002



“So why exactly are we here again Giles?” Willow asked, looking around nervously at the somewhat seedy Chicago neighborhood. The watcher had told the young witch that they were making a stop in the windy city to visit some acquaintances.



Willow thought.



“There are some people who I’d like you to meet Willow,” Giles replied, looking over at his young charge. the older man thought. The pair was returning to Sunnydale after several months in England. Willow had finally rid herself of her magic addiction and the coven’s binding spell had greatly limited the powerful red head’s casting abilities.



Willow was about to respond when she noticed the taxi slowing down in front of a large warehouse. It looked in slightly better shape that the buildings around it, which meant it wasn’t condemned or burned down.



“Great,” Willow responded unenthuascticly



Giles paid the cab driver as Willow collected their bags. “I know you said we’re on a budget, but come on Giles,” Willow joked, motioning to the building.



“Very funny,” Giles replied, picking up his carry-on.



Willow picked up her bag and followed Giles into the building. Surprisingly, the door was open.



“Not big on the security, are they?” Willow asked. The pair began to climb a set of wooden stairs.



“They don’t need to be. These people knew the second we landed at O’Hare. No one could enter here without consent.”



It was then that Willow began to feel it. Power. Magical power and a lot of it. Yet it was very controlled. She paused half way up the stairs.



“You feel it, don’t you?” Giles stopped and looked closely at Willow.



“Yes, but it’s strange,” she replied. “It’s not bad, but not totally good either. I thought white and dark magic never could mix?”



“Well, yes, normally they are like oil and water,” Giles agreed. “It’s hard to explain.”



As the pair continued up the stairs, the red head could hear the faint strains of music coming from behind the door at the top of the stairs. It sounded like a live band was playing. She glanced down and noticed an assortment of cars and trucks barked on the lower level near the stairs. Some rather expensive cars and trucks.



Before she could ask, Giles pushed the door open the music hit her full force. A band was playing, or practicing, a cover of some heavy metal song. Willow, not big on the hard rock, didn’t have a clue who it was but it sounded vaguely familiar.



The first thing Willow noticed is that it looked exactly like she had pictured it. Some beat up furniture was scattered around the large room, with some empty food containers as added adornment. The walls and floor looked like they hadn’t been painted in decades, since they were dingy and cracked.



“At least it doesn’t smell quite as bad as I thought it would,” Willow said sarcastically to Giles.



“Do hush,” Giles replied, watching the band in performance.

Willow rolled her eyes and focused on the other people in the room. Her breath caught and her eyes bulged slightly.



“Oz,” Willow said out loud.



Giles looked down at her, “Oh, no. His name is Max. He does bear a striking resemblance though, doesn’t he?”



“Yes, yes he does.” Willow steadied her nerves. Even though she and the werewolf had left on good terms, she wasn’t emotionally ready to deal with seeing him again. Especially after.



Mentally shaking herself she moved past the Oz twin on guitar. The lead singer was a well-built man in his mid-thirties with short brown hair and deep blue eyes. He locked eyes with Willow for a second but quickly she looked to the bass player. The man was tall, taller than all the others. On his lanky frame were well-defined muscles that showed through the tight T-shirt he was wearing. His hair was almost shoulder length and a darker shade of brown that the lead singer. He was looking at Giles and smiling.



Willow thought.



Behind the bassist, the drummer was a woman. Willow couldn’t tell her height, but she looked tall and powerful, just sitting. She midnight black hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail behind her head. Her piercing blue eyes met Willow’s green and held them. Willow was intrigued and a little turned on. Guilt washed over her like a wave.







“After her” a soft alto purred behind the red head, startling her.

“Hey!” Willow spun, full of anger. “How dare you!”



“Sorry,” a woman with dark brown eyes replied. She was about Giles’s height, but probably about ten years younger that the watcher. Her skin was a light brown, but Willow couldn’t place her ethnic origins. Her black hair was cut short and looked as if the tips had once been a bright color, maybe yellow.



“I could tell that you were having the typical reaction to Cleo,” the woman motioned in the direction of the drummer. “She gets a lot of that look you had on your face. Minus the guilt, though.”



“What do you know about guilt?” Willow asked defensively. “It’s okay to appreciate an, an attractive woman. Especially if you’re a gay type person like me.”



“Hey Jay!” The lead singer of the band was calling. The group had finished the song and were about to start another. Giles’s bass player friend was handing his instrument to the Oz doppelganger.



The woman Willow was talking to, now with a name, winked at the witch and strode to the other musicians. Picking up a guitar, she nodded.



Cleo, the goddess on drums, counted them off.



Willow thought.



“Scar tissue that I’d wish you saw, sarcastic Mr. Know-it-all, close your eyes and I’ll kiss you, cause with the birds I’ll share, with the birds I’ll share this lonely view, with the birds I’ll share this lonely view….”



The lead singer, who had just screamed his way through the first song, captured the Red Hot Chili Peppers perfectly. The whole group did.



“That’s pretty cool,” Willow admitted to herself.



“Thanks,” the tall bass player replied. He was a good six inches taller that Giles, but was also about ten years younger. “We try. I’m Claude Vale, but my friends call me Ice.”



“Um hi,” Willow smiled weakly and shook the offered hand. “I’m Willow. My friends call me Willow.”



Claude laughed. “You didn’t tell me she was so sassy Giles.”



“Yes, well,” the Englishman replied. “She can be quite a firecracker.”



Willow fought the eye roll that welled up inside her.



“So Willow,” Claude’s voice pulled Willow out of her zone, “has Giles told you anything about us? About why we asked to see you?”



“No. No he hasn’t. Although I hope it’s not because you need a keyboardist or something cause I gave up piano at age eight and haven’t looked back.”



“Max has the job covered pretty well, but we’ll keep you in mind.”



The song finished and the room filled with a sudden awkward silence. The band members were setting down their instruments to take a break.



“So,” Giles said, trying to fill the silence, “will you be playing tomorrow night as usual?”



“Yep,” Claude replied, a questioning look on his face. “Every Friday night at Erin and Billy Joe’s place. I thought that you were coming by with Willow.”



“Ah, yes,” Giles replied. The rest of the group had joined the trio. “Willow, this is Billy Joe Peterson,” Giles motioned to the lead singer, “Max Redding,” Oz’s nearly identical twin, “Cleo Dotzler,” the striking woman on drums, “and you’ve already met Jay.”



“Sort of,” the guitarist replied. “Jay Reed. It’s nice to finally meet you Willow.”



“Finally?” Willow asked. Recognition his Willow like and acme anvil falling from the sky. “You’re Tara’s best friend! She that picture of her and you on her nightstand next to a couple ones of us.”



“I know the one,” Jay smiled warmly. “But I was a lot younger then, and what, she was like five or six when we took that shot.”



“Jay was young?” Max asked. He even sounded like Oz. Sort of. “When was that?”



“Laugh it up fuzz ball,” Jay replied.



“Tara used to read me your emails. She was excited about seeing you this summer…” Willow trailed off as a fresh pang of grief hit her heart.



“I know,” Jay’s voice held a sadness similar to the one Willow felt. “Did she tell you why I asked her to come to Chicago?”



“I thought it was just a visit.” Willow looked at Jay

questioningly.



“Yes, and no.” Jay replied.



“We were going to offer her a job,” Cleo spoke for the first time. “Both of you jobs actually.”



“Doing what?” Willow asked, looking at Giles and then back at Cleo.



“Doing what you have always done, help the slayer with the fight against evil.”

Edited by: hermitstull at: 9/10/02 9:01:29 pm

[tommo]

Ooh I like stories set in Chicago! Excellent. And bring Tara back soon!



Just a couple of points about this; it's an interesting fic considering it relies on the actions of originals, rather than the Scooby Gang themselves. But I like the ideas you've set up here. You might want to try and flesh out the narration somewhat though, as it helps to create a real atmosphere and tone for the reader. It also helps when you merely placing people in an unfamiliar location, as well.

----------
Darlin' theres no way out, nothing can help me now. Love's got a hold on my heart...

[hermitstull]

Hey Tommo!



Thanks for the imput. My big thing has always been dialogue, so sometimes my descriptions are lacking. Hopefully as the story progresses more, you'll get a better feel for the atmosphere of the tale.



peace out-

hermitstull

[hermitstull]

Part 3



author's note:

Here is the first visit of the crossover ER character. Remember to ignore all that's happened on that show in the last two seasons, except for the addition of a certain blonde head-shrinker.



Edited to Add: Hey, look what I forgot to post in August, the real start of part 3. Sorry I just caught this now. (Of course if you're reading this for the first time, hey, you can skip over this little lame edited to add section.)





“To borrow a phrase from a friend of mine, a what with a huh?” Willow asked. “Buffy’s the slayer and she’s in Sunnydale.” Willow’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not friends of Faith, cause if you are the answer is a definite no.”



“Faith does work with us Willow,” Cleo replied, “but she’s not based in Chicago.”



“And I won’t work for the Watcher’s Council. Sorry. I know they helped me a lot this summer, but I still can’t forgive what they did to Buffy.”



Everyone in the room, except for Willow and Giles, began to laugh.



“Believe me,” Billy Joe said, catching his breath first, “there are only a handful of people involved with the Watcher’s Council that we’ll deal with. And most of them have already left the council.”



“Then who are you?” Willow asked.



A pager suddenly went off. Five sets of eyes and hands reached for pockets or waistbands.



“It’s me,” Jay replied. “Shit! I forgot. I’ve got to go.”



“The old ball and chain,” Billy Joe quipped.



Jay shot her friend a glare. “Hey, Willow, why don’t you come with me and I’ll explain as much as I can on the way. I can drop you off at your hotel later.”



Willow looked up at Giles who nodded.



“Um, okay. I guess if Tara liked you, you can’t be evil.”



“You’d be surprised,” Jay said under her breath and the pair headed towards the stairs.



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



Jay and Willow waited at the stop light for what seemed like an eternity. Willow looked out the window, watching the fading afternoon light play off a series of reflective office windows. People walked along the street, oblivious to the light around them. Willow thought to herself.



She looked over at her now silent partner in the car. Willow could now make out the yellow highlights in Jay’s hair. Almost like a halo, but not quite.



The shrill ring of a cell phone cut the silence. Jay pressed the answer button on the phone attached to the dashboard.



“Hey, I’m on my way.” Jay said as a greeting.



“I hope so,” a slightly irritated female voice replied. “Abby is going to get sucked into another shift if you don’t get here soon and I’m not putting this thing off again.”



Jay gave Willow a weak smile. “I know, sweetie, I know. There’s some sort of accident on the road. I’m almost there.”



“Did they make it in okay?”



“Yes, in fact. Willow Rosenberg I’d like you to meet Dr. Kim Legaspi.”



“Um hi,” Willow said to the disembodied cell phone voice.



“Hello Willow.” Kim’s voice was warm. “It’s nice to finally almost meet you. I’m so sorry to hear about Tara.”



”Thanks,” Willow replied.



“Jay told me so many wonderful stories about their childhood together. And Tara’s emails and calls were always filled with such love for you. This may sound weird but if you ever need to talk about it…”



“Thanks,” Willow cut Kim off.



“Kim works at County. She’s the ER’s psych attending and one helluva doctor.”



“Thanks honey,” Kim’s voice filled with mirth, “but I don’t think yours isn’t the most objective opinion.”



“Kim, I’m gonna go. Traffic is starting to move and Willow and I need to talk job possibilities.”



“Okay. I’ll tell Abby to sneak up to the roof.”



“I’ll meet you guys up there in a few. I love you.”



“I love you too Jay.” There was a click and the line disconnected.



“She sounds nice,” Willow said. “Tara told me you were dating a doctor.”



“Almost three years,” Jay replied. “She turned it all around for me. She’s my everything.”



Willow smiled for her new friend, despite the hole she felt in herself.



“So I bet you want to know about the other slayers and how we all fit into the mix,” Jay asked. Willow nodded. “Well, it’s more of a cross country that cross town car trip kind of story but I’ll give you the cliff notes version. I’ve got a whole packet of info for you at the hotel dealing with our history and such.”



Jay paused, collecting her thoughts.

“Slayers, as you well know, have been around since the dawn of humanity. For most of that, there were Watchers as well, although they were more helpers at first. Kind of like your Scooby gang.”



Willow smiled at the nickname she and her friends had given themselves in high school.



“Anyway, the Watchers began to notice that certain unique traits were showing up in their slayers. About two thousand years ago, they figured out that certain slayers were either being reincarnated or came from the same family linage. Actually, the more powerful slayers came from one of the first ten lines of slayers. Buffy, for example, is from the line descended from the first slayer.”



“Wow.” Willow was impressed. “But wait. If all of the slayer’s lives generally end in death, how does the line go on? I though that the slayer gene wasn’t hereditary.”



“There are several ways. The main way is usually because not every slayer who is trained is called. There’s a time frame involved. Say if there are three slayers, A, B, and C. A is 15 when she’s called, B is 14 and C is thirteen. Slayers are never called past the age of 18, so if A makes it five years, B is 19 and too old, and they go to C, who is right on the boarder. B has all the skills and powers, but is left to lead a mostly normal life. And until recently that was as a housewife wtih kids. If A makes it six years, now C is too old as well and it would fall to the next generation. So now you have two permanently inactive slayers free to reproduce.”



“You make it sound so clinical,” Willow interjected.



“Let me again say, this was all researched by the Watcher’s Council for millennia. I didn’t come up with any of this crap” Jay’s tone became terse. Pausing, she began again in a lighter manner. “Because, soon after this discovery, the Council began to find slayers just to keep from slaying. They wanted them to reproduce.”



“They tried their own version of natural selection,” Willow said, disgusted.



“Yep. Of course, life still has certain randomness, and they weren’t totally successful, but they were able to isolate the linage of the first ten slayers by the year 1000. That’s when it happened. That’s when we broke free and learned a few things about the slayer.”



“Broke free?”



“Yes, my clan, along with the clans of Billy Joe, Cleo, Max and Ice were able to break free from the council, forever separating ourselves from them.”



“Five lines of slayers broke with the Council? I bet they were pissed.”



“You could say that." Jay grinned. "It took several hundred years to actually become fully autonomous from the Council. It’s then when the Clans learned several things. One-that there can be more than one active slayer at a time. It’s puberty that activates slayer powers, not the death of another slayer.”



“Kinda figured that one out already.” Willow added.



“That’s right. Kendra then Faith. They already had their powers and some training when they came to Sunnydale. Anyway, two-other members of the slayer line have powers. For example, Max is an amazing seer and heeler, Ice is a true adept with the magicks, which leads me to point three-some men can be the slayer.”



“What!”



“Not the slayer in the truest sense, but they have some of the same natural skills and strength as the slayer. Billy Joe isn’t a slayer, but he has similar types of powers as Buffy. We call him a warrior, not slayer. Cleo would techically be the slayer, but she’s gifted with incredible leadership ability, too, and slayers tend to be the foot soldiers against evil.” Jay trailed off.



“What about you?”



Jay’s casual demeanor faded a little. “I’m…I ….I used to be a warrior. In that picture with Tara, that’s what I thought I was. Tara knew, that’s why she was so scared for me. I’d already lost both of my older brothers and she didn’t want to see me go away and never come back. I did come back, but not as a warrior.”



“Then what?”



“I’m called an assassin. I’m the third assassin in the last two thousand years. I combine all the supernatural powers and skills that the linage can provide. Slayer strength, skill, and speed. Strong magical ability, and my special skill. The ability to travel through hell dimensions at will.”



“Oh my,” Willow was intrigued.



“You see, my line, they had a run in with a hell god around the time of Christ. My clan's reward is that only my line can give birth to an assassin. It's my destiny to take this god down.”



“How did you find out you were an assassin?”



“Simple. I spent four years in prime and made it out.”



“Prime?” Willow was shocked. “The prime?”



“The one and only. The first, and by far the worst, hell dimension ever created.”



Willow’s mind was a whirr with information and questions.



Something about what Jay was telling her was nagging at her brain, as if she had heard all this before. The red head’s eyes went wide.



“Oh my goddess, the prophecy!” Willow’s face paled slightly.



“You know,” Jay’s voice was bitter. “That’s right. Your chauffer today will one day be the newest hell god, and not just any hell god, the ruler of prime.”

Edited by: hermitstull at: 1/7/03 12:25:20 am

[willntlover]

Awesome story!!



::bows down:: Sorry that i havent written before, but i am lazy Your story is so entertaining and cool!

-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."

[xita]

Interesting crossover... Poor Willow is really walking around empty. I find myself wondering where Tara is and mentions of hell dimensions .. are like a warning.



One bit of advice, if you leave a space between paragraphs and each line of conversation it makes things easier to read! Thanks for the story!

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

Childie -"Not all girls are raving bloody lesbians, you know!"

George - "That's a misfortune of which I am perfectly well aware."

The Killing of Sister George

[hermitstull]

Hey Willntlover-

Thanks for the praise! I always love to be showered in positive comments!

I was definately trying to come up with an angle that I hadn't seen before, so I'm glad that this one seems to be working. I always have characters bouncing around my head that need a home.



hermitstull

[hermitstull]

Wow Xita!

Thanks for taking time to check out my tale. I'll take your spacing advice for my next post. I was wondering how I could get everything to not be so scrunched together.



Willow is definately alone and sad in this tale, and unfortunaley, she will be for a while longer. It does have a happy ending I promise.



hermitstull

Edited by: hermitstull at: 8/28/02 10:00:12 pm

[hermitstull]

Part 4



author's note:

Another ER appearance and a few more mentions of Tara, including a flashback. And a couple of hints of what's to come.





Dr. Kim Legaspi looked down at her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes and sighed.



“Come on Kim,” Abby said, lighting another cigarette, “cut Jay some slack. She’s usually never late.”



“I know,” Kim looked out over the late afternoon Chicago skyline. The doctor and the nurse had slipped away to the roof to wait for Kim’s partner and Abby’s good friend. “I’m nervous, that’s all.”



Abby chuckled. Kim shot Abby a look. “What’s so funny shorty?”



“You,” Abby grinned as she took a drag from her smoke, “being Miss All-American Gay Pride and all, I thought all of this lawyer stuff would have been taken care of long ago.”



“Stuff got in the way Abby,” Kim replied. Kim thought.



“Like her visitors,” Abby asked. “They sound like they’re in the business.”



“They are,” Kim looked down to see Jay’s dark green GTO pull into the parking garage.



Abby didn’t know all of the details of Jay’s other job. The real one outside of her successful nightclub and restaurant business. All she knew is was that some things were beyond description, and Jay worked in that area. Like the one night Jay had saved her from what had looked to be a vampire.



“Jay’s looking to expand in that area then?” Abby asked.



“Yes. She wants out, I think.” Kim added mentally.



“Good,” Abby smiled and snuffed out her cigarette. “You two need to settle down and start a family.”



“I don’t think she’s quite ready for that,” Kim replied with a grin.



“You’d be surprised,” Abby said, looking up at her friend.



Before the doctor could respond, the door to the roof opened with a bang.



“Should my ears be burning?” Jay asked with a wide grin.



“So paranoid,” Abby said, pushing off the wall next to the edge. “’Bout time you showed up. Weaver was ready to give me another shift because Chuny was late.”



“There was an accident on the Ryan,” Jay explained. “Caused backup all over the place.” Jay looked at Kim. The sinking sun caught the blonde in Kim’s curly locks just right and Jay’s breath caught. No matter how many times she looked at her lover, Jay never saw the same thing twice.



“Hey you,” Kim drawled. She sauntered over to a slightly dazed demon fighter, “you’re late.”



“I’m sorry,” Jay replied with a small smile. “Are you ready?” She asked, taking Kim’s hands in her own.



“Yes,” Kim replied softly. She looked into Jay’s eyes and felt herself falling. Kim had been around the block a few times, even falling in love every now and then. Nothing had ever come close to the emotions she felt when Jay took her hand. Her skin had never been so sensitized as when Jay caressed her. Life had never been so vibrant until Abby had said “Kim, I want you to meet a great friend of mine, Jay Reed.”





Willow watched as the pair of lover’s embraced. Their individual auras were strong, but together it was almost blinding. She looked over to the other person on the roof. She was about Willow’s height with brown hair swept up loosely above her head. She was wearing light blue scrubs and was heading Willow’s direction.



“You must be one of Jay’s visitors. I’m Abby Lockhart.”



“Willow Rosenberg.” Willow shook Abby’s hand.



“Willow. That’s an interesting name.” Abby smiled. “Parent’s hippies?”



“Um no.” Willow laughed mentally at the image of her conservative parents sporting love beads and Nauru jackets. “I don’t really know why they gave me Willow, but that’s my name.”



“And don’t wear it out,” Abby completed. “So, have you known Jay long?”



“Not really. She was a friend with my girlfriend, Tara. They grew up in the same town. But Tara told me about Jay lots of times.”



Abby sized up Willow. The red head was young, probably early twenties, but her eyes were old. Willow had seen a lot in her short years on the planet. , Abby thought.



“You’re in the business, aren’t you?” Abby asked after a moment of silence.



“Business? Like mob business? Or just regular old commerce? No, no to business. I’m not even a business major in college. I’m a computer nerd mostly. But I do help out at a friend of mine’s business. She owns her own shop. Well, she shares ownership with Giles but he’s now more of a silent partner…”



Abby’s chuckle stopped stream of Willow babble. “No. Jay calls it the family business, you know. Taking care of things that go bump in the night?”



Willow was surprised for the umpteenth time that day. “You know? You know about all that stuff?”



“Not that much, really. Jay and I have been friends for a while. She used to live across the hall from my ex-husband and I when she first came to Chicago. I’m seen her after a night of work and she’s been in here enough to have a wing named after her. All her buddies too. They’re quite a motley crew.”



“We’ve got that too back home in Sunnydale. Not an actually wing or anything but they know us all by sight.” Willow caught Jay and Kim approaching out of the corner of her eye.



Abby turned and smirked at the pair.

“Are you too finally done? It’s like an episode of Red Shoe Diaries when you to get in the room together.”



“Funny,” Jay replied, then added sarcastically, “that’s the same thing Susan told me about you and Carter.”

Abby’s face turned slightly pink in the setting sun.



“Let’s go,” Kim pushed Abby and Jay towards the door. “And hi again Willow. It’s nice to see you.”



Willow nodded and accepted Kim’s offered arm. The tall doctor reminded the red head a little of Tara. The feeling of comfort, something that Willow had been missing, wrapped around her like an old blanket. She fought back a tear as the pair headed down the stairs.



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



“So Giles,” Claude opened. The pair had left the warehouse rehearsal space and headed to a nearby bar. The Englishman looked older, much older, Claude noticed as he waited for his friend to respond.



Giles, in his trademark maneuver, started to clean his glasses. “So Claude,” the older man looked up. “How is the restaurant? I’m sure it’s doing quite well.”



“It is,” the younger man replied. “But we’re not here to talk about that business.”



“No, we’re not I suppose.”



Rupert Giles had once decided that nothing could come between him and his destiny, to be a Watcher. Not just any Watcher, but the best Watcher in the history of the Council. Of course, he was twelve at the time and had just watched his father lose the one of the most successful Slayers in history. She had lived to almost twenty-two and had died saving the world. It was all so noble, so romantic, to the young boy, that he never noticed the human side of fighting the occult. Giles was twenty-five when a fourteen-year-old Claude had entered his life and changed all that.



“So tell me about Willow. She’s looking much better since the last time I saw her.”



“I bet,” Giles smiled ruefully, “since at that time she was trying to destroy the world.”



“Grief can make you lose your mind.” Claude spoke from personal knowledge.



“I know. She’s better, though, but she’s still grieving, of course. As if a summer holiday in England will taking away the pain of losing someone you love.”



“But she’s better, that’s what’s important.” Claude paused, looking closely at the man who was like an older brother, “Why didn’t you tell her Giles? She needs to know.”



Giles took a long drink from his Guinness. “I..I just didn’t have the heart. I’m sorry,” Giles looked up, slightly irritated, “but you couldn’t know. You don’t know what it was like after. Willow needed some time to return to herself, and pushing this on her too soon would have been a huge mistake.”



“I may not know the details Rupert,” Claude said calmly, “but I was there. I have eyes.”



___________________________________________________



Claude thought as he shifted uncomfortably in his expensive shoes. The suit was hot, despite a relatively cool day in this part of California.



The tall man looked over the casket to his friend, dressed in the same Armani black suit and bright tie that they all wore, leaning heavily on a tombstone. Her face was an ashy color and her eyes were red with tears. Billy Joe, only slightly better, stood next to her, holding her hand. Only Cleo looked relatively normal, but Claude suspected that the dark sunglasses hid her bloodshot eyes, swollen from crying. The trio stood away from the main group, as if unable to accept the fate of their childhood friend.



Claude looked over and made eye contact with his mentor, Giles. The older man wasn’t in the best shape either, but concern for the young red head seated in front of him helped the Watcher keep it together. The redhead, Willow, was thin and pale, and looked to be in shock. Her friend, Buffy the vampire slayer, had a protective arm wrapped around her shoulders. Xander, her other best friend, held sat on the other side, holding her hand.



Claude thought. Claude looked again at her



“No, you don’t,” Max said from next to him.



Claude looked down at his best friend, “Getting some insight?”



“And not liking what I’m seeing.” Max looked at the distraught trio and then at Willow. “Not liking it at all.”



___________________________________________________



“I had forgotten that you attended the service,” Giles said, pulling Claude out of his memory. “We never spoke.”



“I left as soon as it was over. And you’re right, then wasn’t the time. But since then…”



“Fine. I’ll tell her tonight when we get back to the hotel.”



“Jay will give her some of the information, but she needs to her the rest of it from you. Jay’s a stranger and something this big needs to come from a friend.”



“Life changing news often does.” Giles replied softly.



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



“That was so cool,” Willow said. “Thank you so much for letting me tag along.”



“I’m glad you were there,” Kim smiled. “And you weren’t a tag along. Jay had planned on having you there.”



Willow looked over at the silent woman. The trio had dropped Abby off at home after the lawyer’s office and had invited Willow out to dinner. The trio sat in a corner both at one of Jay’s friend’s restaurants. The interior had a southwestern look and supposedly served the best salsa in town.



“Really,” the young woman was amused. “Why didn’t you say anything in the car?”



“Some things are best kept a surprise,” Jay said, cryptically.



“Hey,” Kim looked over at her partner, “are you okay?

Because if you’re having second thoughts..”



Stoic Jay suddenly came to life. “Oh no. Oh GOD no Kim.” Jay’s eyes filled with devotion. “I’ll never be sorry. I’m just, I don’t know, still a little surprised myself. I never thought things could be this good.”



Kim leaned over and gave Jay a kiss. “They can, they are, and they will be.”



Willow averted her eyes to the tender scene. she thought sadly. Not a moment went by when she didn’t miss her fair-haired goddess. At least the pain didn’t make her want to go off on a magic bender like it used to. Now it was more of a dull, throbbing ache in her chest.



“Earth to Willow,” Kim’s merry voice pulled her back to the present.



“Sorry,” Willow blushed a little. “Just got a little lost in the memories.”



“It’s okay,” Kim nodded. “So Jay tells me you’re a whiz with the computers.”



“If ever a whiz there was,” Willow smiled sadly. “I’m almost done with my degree in computer science.”



“Do you have a job lined up yet?” The doctor asked.

Willow felt Jay watching her intently.



“Um, not really. Some tech firms have approached me, but I haven’t had anything concrete. That is until today.” Willow met Jay’s eyes. “And I’m seriously considering the offer.”



“Make sure you keep all your options open,” Kim advised. “And make sure you get all the information before you make any decisions.” She exchanged a look with her lover.



“Okay,” Willow said, unsure. Willow thought.



The arrival of dinner abruptly ended the line of conversation.



“Willow” Jay’s voice spoke in her head.



The red head kept eating but nodded slightly.



“Kim’s right. You do need to know all the sides before you consider our offer. Working for the clans will alter you life in ways you never could have thought possible. Even after all your years working with the slayer.”



Willow nodded again. “So where was everyone else today? I thought you both would have wanted more friends and family for such a big event.” She said out loud.



“Today was just the legal stuff,” Jay said. “We jazzed it up some, but really all we needed were witnesses. We’ve got a bigger event planned for a few months from now.” Jay thought.



“And your invited,” Kim added. “Even if you don’t accept Jay’s job offer.”



“Thanks,” Willow smiled. “We’ll have to keep in touch.”



“Definitely,” Kim replied, eyes sparkling.



TBC:

comming up: Sunnydale, the Scoobies, and unexpected visitor, and Tara!

Edited by: hermitstull at: 9/10/02 9:12:27 pm

[hermitstull]

Sorry it's taken so long for me to get this part up. I've had it done for awhile, but life's gotten in the way.



I'll be posting another part tonight as well to try to make up for lost time.



Part 5



Authors Note:

Warging: Nauty language alert.

Summary: A break from Willow to check up on the gang back in Sunnydale. And we learn a littel more about Jay and her friends.



Buffy walked through the cemetery. “Come on now,” she said to herself. “Someone’s got to be looking for a tasty treat tonight.” Her slayer senses told her that nothing of the living dead variety was in the area.

“Another night and I ain’t staked nobody,” she sang slightly off key.



Buffy’s slayer sense started to tingle. Something was heading her way. she thought.



The slayer continued her meandering way through the graveyard, seeming to be oblivious to her surroundings but acutely aware of something following her. She waited until the creature was right behind her before she spun, stake raised, witty pun on her lips. Which died there quickly, replaced by shock.



“Hey B” Faith said nonchalantly.



“Faith!” Buffy screeched. She hadn’t seen the other slayer since a trip to LA. Buffy had heard that Faith was in jail.



“Guess the grape vine’s a little withered. I heard you were in jail,” Buffy asked, taking a defensive stance.



“I got out,” Faith replied. “B, look, I’m not her to fight or swap bodies or anything like that.”



“Then why are you here?”



“She came at my request,” an older man with a British accent said, stepping out from the shadows. He was dressed in a sharp looking black Armani suite, cut to highlight his fit physique. He was older than Buffy originally thought as he stepped more into the light. Early sixties, Buffy guessed. His face was kind and Buffy didn’t sense any evil.



“So Capitan Picard,” Buffy quipped, “you and Troi on some wacky away mission or did you just bring Faith here to completely ruin this year for me.”



The man laughed, as did Faith.

“Hangin’ with Xander much these days B?”



“Shut up Faith,” Buffy snipped. She looked at the older man.



“My name is Lucas Pattee, Buffy, and I’m flattered by your comparison. I’m here because of Willow.”



“Oh my God! Is she in trouble? Has she had a relapse? Giles said that she was okay and they would be here in a few days…”



“She’s fine,” Lucas smiled. “In fact she is entertaining a job offer from some friends of mine in Chicago. If she accepts, she’s going to need your help.”



“All the Scoobies help,” Faith added.



“And you’ll need Faith’s,” Lucas looked at Buffy.



“Not liking that aspect much,” Buffy looked at the pair. “Are you her Watcher?”



“I did work for the Council once, but that was long ago. I work with the clans now.”



“The Klan? As in the racist group? Then you can count me out because I’m no…”



“The clans Buffy.” Lucas corrected. “The five free clans of the slayer.”



“A what with a huh?” Buffy asked, confused, yet intrigued.



“It’s so cool B,” Faith said smiling. “They’re all screw the council and fight evil in your own way.”



“It’s a little more than that,” Lucas smiled at his young charge. When Angel and Jay had brought Faith to his doorstep in Singapore a little over two years ago he wasn’t sure that the young woman would make it. How wrong he had been.



“So enlighten me,” Buffy said.



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



Willow plopped down on the king size bed in front of the large TV in her room at the Hilton downtown. The room was nice, she thought. At first she was surprised when Jay and Kim dropped her off at the luxury hotel, but Jay said that this was her treat.



Willow thought as she had entered the lobby



That had been a couple of hours ago. She had tried Giles’s room a few times on the phone, but the watcher must have been out with his friend Claude. Four months ago, the young witch would have dreaded any alone time, but time and training had helped her to feel more comfortable on her own.



“Too bad there’s nothing good on TV,” she said to herself. “I wonder when CSI starts new shows.” It was then that Willow noticed a large manila envelope on the desk next to the television. At closer inspection, she realized that it was the information that Jay had spoke of on the way to the hospital earlier.



“A first hand account of the Slayer uprising of 1127,” she read as she delved into the material in front of her.







An insistent knocking broke her out of full on research mode. Willow glanced at the clock, surprised that almost three hours had passed since she first began reading. Sizing up the papers, she estimated that she was a little over halfway done. she thought as she headed for the door.



After looking through the peephole, Willow open the door.

“Giles,” she greeted, “I was starting to get worried.”



“Sorry,” the older man apologized. “Claude and I lost track of time.” He said, entering the room.



“I guess, seeing that it’s almost two in the morning and all,” she teased.



Giles noticed the papers on the desk, “I see that Jay has given you some information.” The older man crossed the room and sat on the corner of the bed, diagonally across from Willow, who had returned to her seat at the desk.



“Yeah. It’s pretty cool so far. It’s their history, mostly, with a few personal accounts of Jay and some others. Much more revealing that any of the Chosen One chronicles I’ve read.”



“Claude wanted me to give you this,” Giles handed her a file. “It’s your job description and other information. Cleo has set up a meeting for you at two tomorrow afternoon to answer any questions you may have.”



“Cleo?” Willow asked. “I thought Jay was in charge of this thing.”



“Oh, no. Cleo is actually in charge of their operation in Chicago.”



“Okay,” Willow replied, a little crestfallen. She was actually looking forward to spending more time with the assassin. “Is there something else Giles?”



“Yes, actually.” Giles’s tone became more serious. “There are a few things I need to tell you about the clans and about Jay. Things that are not in any report.”



“Okay.” Willow sat down at the desk, facing her friend.



Giles cleaned his glasses and gathered his thoughts. “First, you need to know that Jay and the clans don’t operate by the same code of ethics as Buffy and the Council. They have taken human life in the past and will do so again.”



“Well Giles,” Willow interrupted, “I really can’t be put off by that. I mean, I’m not totally innocent in that regard.”



“Yes, well, that may well be, but you need to know. When Jay said that she is an assassin, it’s not just because of her special skills, it’s what she does. She’s quite good at it actually. Or so I’ve been told.”



Willow filed that information away for further thought. “Okay, what else.”



“The clans have been aware of activities in Sunnydale for some time. They have been watching all of us for several years.”



“They could have let us a hand or ten,” Willow said.



“Yes, I suppose they could have, but they didn’t. Claude told me that until now, our courses never really needed to intersect. Although they have in the past.”



“When?”

___________________________________________________



Giles stood, stunned, unable to comprehend the sight before him. He heard Willow’s gasping sobs and Spike repeating 'no' over and over but he still couldn’t believe his eyes. The day he had feared more than any in his life was here in living color. Buffy’s body lay before him, unmoving. After closing the gap between dimensions, she was gone.



It was too much, too much in too short a time. Tara drew in a shaky breath. Willow was racked with grief over the death of her best friend and she was somehow back from the hell that Glory had sent her mind. Tara glanced at the shell-shocked group around her, all in similar states of distress. Tara would cry soon too, but she had to take care of Willow. A tickle in the back of her head pulled her attention away for a moment.





“What the hell!” Cleo hissed, pulling herself up from the street.



“Where are we?” Claude asked. “This isn’t Chicago.”



“It’s Sunnydale,” Faith replied flatly. “And I’m not exactly friends with the local sheriff in town.”



Jay wiped a fresh wave of blood from her eyes and looked around. They had been in a battle in a hell dimension. The hell dimension that had taken her almost three years to find. The one that held her best friend, Billy Joe.



“How ya doin’ big guy?” Jay asked, standing slowly, clutching her torso. she thought.



“Better than the last three years,” Billy Joe replied weakly. His face was bruised, one eye swollen shut. Most of his hair was gone, singed off. His left leg was twisted in an unnatural angle. The only reason he was standing at all was his wife, Erin, was holding him to her.



“I..I can’t believe it,” Erin said, “you’re here.”



“I know,” Billy Joe smiled, touching her cheek with his free hand.



“Oh my,” Max said, turning to Jay. “We fucked up big.”



“What?” She looked around some more. A giant tower stood across and slightly ahead of the alley they had landed in. The place reeked of mystical energy. Jay could see behind the shoddy metal fencing that a fight of some sort had taken place at the base of the tower. An older man was kneeling down to pick up a young blonde girl who was lying on a pile of bricks.



“She’s dead,” Max said. “The slayer is dead.”



“Buffy?” Faith asked, her voice catching. She started to head towards the tower.



“No,” Cleo said, catching the dark haired girl by the arm. “We’re not supposed to be here.”



“But we should have been,” Max said. His eyes were slightly gazed, telling the group he was having a vision. “We missed it totally. Glorificus was here, all this time and we left it to the slayer to handle alone. The key, the key is no more. A new darkness had been born.”



“A new darkness,” Claude asked.



“Far more powerful than any we have known this millennia,” Max continued. “Our needs let this fate take it’s own course and we can no longer stop it. The slayer should have never been sacrificed.”





Giles carefully picked up Buffy’s body, fighting back the tears. He knew that the police would be there soon and that he didn’t want to leave it to them to take care of her. Dawn came over to help, tears falling freely from her eyes.



“She died so that we could live,” the teenager choked out.



“Yes,” Giles replied simply. He began to lead the group away from Glory’s tower and back to the magic shop.





“Someone’s coming,” Claude said, looking over at the base of the tower. “Giles?” he asked himself.



“We’ve got to go,” Cleo said. “Lucas,” she asked the sorcerer, “are you well enough to transport us back to Chicago?”



“I believe so,” the older man replied. Somehow the dimensional walls falling had altered his spell and sent them all here instead of home. He had almost lost total control of the spell and sent them into oblivion.



“Oh God, B” Faith’s harsh whisper caused Jay to look up.







Lost in their own world of grief, the Scooby Gang had emerged and were making their way down the street. Giles was in the lead with Buffy’s body cradled in his arms. Dawn walked next to the watcher, her head down. Xander, caring and injured Anya next, followed by a sobbing Willow and…



“Tara,” Jay whispered. It had been three years since Jay had actually laid eyes on her unofficial little sister. They had at one time talked on the phone weekly and emailed daily, but those had been trickling off for months. Jay was too consumed in finding Billy Joe and her relationship with Tara had suffered. She knew all about Willow and was hoping that the pair would welcome a visit from her in the future.



“Willow looks nice,” Cleo said fondly.



“Go Tara,” Billy Joe coughed.





As if hearing her name, the blonde Wicca turned her head suddenly, noticing the group standing in the shadows of the alley. She gave a sad smile, locking eyes with Jay.



“I’m so sorry,” Jay sent mentally to her friend. “We should have been here to help.”



“It’s okay,” Tara replied, “you finally found Billy Joe.”



“Yes.”



“I’m glad.”



“She looks nice. Does she make you happy?”



“More than I thought ever possible. She’s my everything.”





Jay gave Tara a brilliant smile as Lucas’s teleportation spell pulled them out of Sunnydale.



“Baby?” Willow’s voice pulled Tara’s head around. She gave the love of her life a kiss.



“Shh…it’s okay.” Tara replied, hugging Willow into her arms. “We’ll get through this.”



“Together.” Willow smiled.

___________________________________________________





Willow put down Jay’s account of her brief visit to Sunnydale.



“Tara never said anything,” Willow said quietly.



“No, she never did,” Giles agreed. “She was too worried about you, about the rest of the Scoobies to say anything. Jay never came to visit because of Buffy’s death. She felt it would have been inappropriate.”



“I guess. Although we could have used her help that summer.”



“She would have never let you attempt to bring Buffy back, Willow.”



“But she could have done it. The clans seem to have a lot of other worldly connections. I would have never had to get so deep into the dark magicks.”



“No. The clans would have let Buffy rest. As Max said, there was another fate started that day and that one has led us here.”



“And led to Tara’s death,” Willow said bitterly. “I’m sure Jay wasn’t too happy about that fate.”



Giles paused. Claude has told him shortly after his brief visit to Glory's tower in Sunnydale that this plan of action was a possibility and that once done, there was no going back. This destiny would be locked into place and all of their futures would be set. It had been a tough decision, Claude had told him, and Jay had been the one to fight hardest against this plan, but in the end, she had lost. The older man looked at Willow, who had drifted back to reading.



“I also need to tell you why they are so interested in you and what they are planning on doing.”



“I sort of already know.”



“Really,” Giles was quite surprised.



“Jay told me about the prophecy,” Willow explained. “Her prophecy about becoming the new ultimate hell god. I’m guessing that they need me to help stop that from happening.”



“Not quite,” Giles paused. He looked at the young woman who was like a second daughter to him, Buffy being his first. A young woman who had grown so much in these last six years, and had almost tossed it away a few months ago. If Claude was wrong and this didn’t work out for the best, he would never forgive himself for allowing Willow to get involved. Giles took a steadying breath.



“They require you, obviously, but they also need..” Giles stumbled. “They also need Tara.”



Willow felt like she had been hit in the gut as a wave of emotions swept through her. She finally settled on half disbelief, half rage.



“What! Tara’s dead, Giles. In case they didn’t notice,” Willow spat. “And she can’t come back. Believe me, I already tried and it was a hard no.”



“They know that already Willow, but Jay and her people have…arrangements, for lack of a better word, with various demons, gods, realities, and dimensions. Jay, being the holder of the Hyruthinaticon…”



“The what?”



“The Hyruthinaticon. It’s a long story, which I believe she included in your information. Basically Jay is owed a few favors, some of which are from some very powerful entities. She was able to use some of her favors to get Tara back.”



Willow’s eyes filled with panic. “Where is she? How is she? When can I see her!?”



“She’s in Australia with a powerful witch and warlock. They are preparing her for the battle to come.”

Edited by: hermitstull at: 9/10/02 9:13:53 pm

[hermitstull]

Here's the second, shorter post of the night-



Part 6

Summary: Buffy learns a little more about the clans and the prophecy. Oh, and Tara returns.



“So let me get this straight,” Buffy said, sipping her mocha, “you guys are all some sort of free slayers club?” The trio had moved to the Espresso Pump to discuss Willow and the new situation in the Scoobies' lives.



“Rogue slayers,” Faith said, he eyes lighting up with glee.



“Yes,” Lucas added. “Some of the clans members are what we call rogue slayers or warriors, not in service of the Council. Other members have different powers, mostly magical. Others have no magical ability, but are adept in certain areas, such as finance, or law, or research.”



“So you have a whole bunch of super lawyers?” Buffy quipped. “I thought you fought against evil.”



Lucas chuckled. He liked this spunky slayer. So different from Faith’s pessimistic outlook.

“Mostly,” Lucas said, after he stopped laughing. “You’d be surprised at the level of mystical evil present in the globe’s legal system. Especially in this country. But we’re getting off track. Rogue slayers, excuse me, warriors, operate in teams. Usually there are four or five in each group. A warrior or two, a magic adept, a healer/seer, and a leader adept. There are several teams around the globe.”



“And why isn’t there one here in Sunnydale? Sure could have been a lot of help. With the Master, with Adam, with Glory…” The slayer looked pointedly at the older man.



“Sunnydale is your territory Buffy. Council territory. The clans usually stay clear of the Council as much as possible.”



“Something about that pesky breeding program,” Faith added.



“That and other issues.” Lucas gave Faith a pointed look.



“So how come you guys hooked up with Faith? She’s a Council style slayer.”



“Sometimes slayers who should have joined with the clans are found by the Council. Many of the slayers who had very short tenures should have, in many cases, joined with the clans. We try to find as many of those slayers as soon as possible. We’ve found that the clans have better resources to help these slayers.”



“Well, Faith is definitely a wild slayer is there ever was one,” Buffy teased.



“Yes well,” Lucas smiled.



“Hey! Sitting right here,” Faith said.



“So, since you already have Faith, why do you need me and what does all of this have to do with Willow?”



“Willow is a part of an ancient prophecy involving the second line of slayers. Millennia ago, a slayer from the second order, Iantha, was sucked into a hell dimension. She was sent there by an evil sorcerer as payback for destroying his zombie army. Iantha found herself in one of the worst hell dimensions possible, prime.”



“Prime?” Buffy asked.



“What is thought to be the first hell dimension ever created. All other hell dimensions have prime as their source in some way. Either a god, or its resident demons, even the landscape. Something always comes from prime.”



“Whoa, that’s like thousands of hells,” Buffy was impressed



“Yes, it is. Iantha soon realized that she was trapped in the hell of hells, and she fought desperately to get out. You see, she had fallen in love with a young farmer and was secretly pregnant. Iantha fought for untold years, trying to escape her prison.”



“So her kid was born in hell?”



“After a time, her son was born. Iantha’s desperation grew as her son began to grow and become corrupted. You see, he was a powerful sorcerer, and you’ve seen first hand the seductive power of black magic.”



“Oh yeah,” Buffy thought of her red headed friend.



“Eventually, Iantha was able to work her way to the top, to the ruler of prime. A very ancient and powerful hell god, Rantaka. Iantha had to face him in one on one combat to win freedom for her and her now teenaged son. But the years had taken their toll and she wasn’t able to defeat him. Until her son gave her some of his power.”



“He hit her with the dark mojo.” Faith interjected.



“Yes, which allowed her to win, but tainted her soul and her line. Her son, flush with victory, stepped into the mantel of the hell god and sent his mother back. But before she could go, the old hell god’s assistant, pulled her aside and warned her that no creature with a soul could rule hell forever. Her son, despite being now truly evil, still did have a soul inside him. He would eventually go insane and allow the barriers between hell dimensions to break. Which would inevitably lead to..”



“Hell on Earth,” Buffy said, sadly. “Why is it always an apocalypse?”



“It actually wouldn’t be an apocalypse B,” Faith said. She had studied the prophecy for almost a year with Lucas. “It would be a hell dimension apocalypse, all those realms bleeding together. The cosmic unbalance wouldn’t actually be in this dimension, but we’d feel its affects.”



“What sort of affects?”



“At best, a rise in reality based television shows,” Faith said with a sardonic grin.



“At worst, global war,” Lucas added somberly. “As you can see, some of the affects of the weakening hell barriers can be felt already.”



“So what now? Did the hell god’s cabaña boy give Iantha any advice?”



“Iantha was told that the only way this hell god could be replaced is by death. And the killer would have to assume the mantel. Since her son was now ruler, the only people who could potentially have the power to over come him would be from the same line. Someone who, despite starting out as a force of light, was corrupted by evil. And not just corrupted, someone who embraced the darkness as the way.”



“It’s Willow, isn’t it?” Buffy’s blood ran cold.



“No, although she would have made an excellent candidate last spring.” Lucas said, remembering. He had been sitting on the veranda of his apartment that overlooked the city reading. Suddenly, a wave of mystical energy so strong and dark caused him to drop his book. “I could feel her rise across the Pacific as if she was only standing in the next room. Truly amazing.”



“If it’s not her, then who?” Buffy asked.



“One of the people she is visiting in Chicago, Jay Reed.” Faith said. “No relation,” she added quickly.



“So you sent black magic junkie to meet with this super evil?” Buffy was pissed. “What kind of do gooders are you?”



“Jay isn’t evil,” Lucas reassured. “But she is descended from Iantha’s line and is the most likely candidate, given her powers and her skills. Jay needs Willow’s magical powers to help her in the final battle with the hell god.”



“She can’t just use her own?”



“It’s not enough Buffy. Just like Iantha’s skills weren’t enough. In fact, she will need the help of a coven of witches to help her destroy this god.”



“Just who’s in this coven?” Buffy asked.



Faith had warned Lucas that given the events of the last few months, that this little bit of information would be the most ill received. The old magician was actually surprised how well Buffy had accepted Willow’s magical role in this.



“Other than Willow, myself, a pair of Australians known as the Wonder Twins, and as the linchpin,” Lucas hesitated, “Tara.”



“Well, that’s not too bad,” Buffy replied rather calmly. “Except that Tara is dead!” She added hotly. “She was killed by natural, well, not mystical, forces. She can’t come back.”



“She already has B,” Faith said with a chagrined look on her face.



“What! Where is she? I want to see her!” The blonde slayer gave Lucas and Faith a hard look. “Does Willow know?”



“She is with the Wonder Twins in Australia. You can see her soon. And I suspect that Willow has been told by Giles by this point.” Lucas answered.



“Giles knew!”



“He just found out a couple of months ago Buffy,” Faith said, trying to calm her one time friend. “He didn’t believe it himself until she visited him in England.”



“You let Tara,” Buffy felt her rage flowing over, “go to England to have some sort of secret meeting with Giles and not tell the love of her life that she was there.”



“Calm down Buffy,” Lucas said. “Willow was in no way ready to hear that Tara was alive. Tara was still adjusting herself. If it’s any consolation, she still hasn’t agreed to help the clans.”



“I’m in agreement there,” Buffy said, cooling a little.



“Tara thinks there has to be some other way than sacrificing Jay,” Faith explained. “She and Jay go way back and she doesn’t want to lose her friend. She told me that….”



“YOU saw her too!?”



“Singapore isn’t too far away from where I am now. Lucas and I popped in for visits regularly. Anyway, she told me it was bad enough the first time when Jay was in hell for like four years, then Billy Joe was there for like three, which strained her relationship with Jay since Jay and Billy are like brother and sister.”



“Who?” Buffy shook her head. “Look, I don’t care. Before I agree to anything, I need to see Tara.”



There was a flash of white light just outside the Espresso Pump. When it faded, Tara stood on the street, looking around. When she saw Buffy, her face light up and she gave the slayer a little wave.



“Ask and ye shall receive,” Faith said under her breath.





TBC:

Tara's back! But there's a catch...

Edited by: hermitstull at: 9/10/02 9:15:30 pm

[hermitstull]

Hey all-

Just a couple of author's notes I wanted to add seperately.



I just went through and respaced and renumbered the first four parts. (Seemed I liked three so much I used it twice.) Hopefully this makes it easier to read and not as confusing.



Secondly, I just realized that I forgot to credit the title. I've borrowed the Morrissey song title "Do Your Best and Don't Worry". This story didn't actually have a title before I started to post it. I happened to be listening to his greatest hits CD as I was posting part one, and it sort of fit. I'll be borrowing another song title of his for the sequel which I am working on now.



Finally, and most importantly, thank you to everyone who has taken time to give this story a once over. I think that it gets better the farther into it you get. (But hey, I'm biased.)



As I said, I will try to post the rest of this over the next couple of weeks. I've already completed part one of the second of what looks to be a trilogy of stories.



thanks again-

hermitstull

[hermitstull]

Part 7



A littel more free time=a little more posting!



WARNING: Angst alert.



Summary:

Tara is back and in Sunnydale. But there's a catch...



Authors Note:

The scenes in this part cut between Sunnydale and Chicago, but occur at the same time, same night.



Special props to Katharyn who's fantastic story, 'The Sidestep Chronicles" is vaguely referenced here.





“There’s something else,” Giles added cautiously. He had watched the emotions flashing across his young charges face as she received the news of Tara’s return. he thought.



“What?” Willow asked incredulously.



“Tara, she’s not exactly the same as she was before,” Giles began.



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



“What!” Buffy hissed. “I want to talk to Tara!”



Faith had pulled the blonde slayer to the back of the Espresso Pump, away from the table where Lucas and Tara now sat. The blonde witched looked exactly as Buffy remembered her, down to the way her hair hung in front of her face.



“Tara,” Faith began, “she’s not..”



“Oh God,” Buffy rolled her eyes, “what’s the catch?”



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



“How is she then?” Willow’s voice rose. “Is she a vamp or something?”



“Oh no,” Giles said, cleaning his glasses. “She has all of the memories, feelings, everything from the last few years. She’s living and breathing, and still gay as far as I know.”



“That’s good,” Willow’s eyes narrowed.



“But she also has more. Jay, despite her best efforts, couldn’t get our Tara’s soul released from the heavenly dimension she was in.”



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



“So what? We’re got a Tarabot?” Buffy asked, almost laughing at the idea.



“No, she’s as real as you and me, B,” Faith paused. “She Tara, but from another reality.”



“So?”



“In her reality, she came to Sunnydale seven years ago, met the slayer, and has been fighting evil ever since.”



“So she was a Scooby from the start?”



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



“They didn’t call themselves Scoobies,” Giles said. “In fact, I don’t think they had a nickname at all.”



“Whatever,” Willow rolled her eyes. “So Tara was part of the team with Buffy and Xander and I all along. Great.”



“No,” Giles paused again. “In her reality, Buffy died in Los Angles before she got to Sunnydale. Kendra was the slayer sent to the alternate me. In fact, it was Tara, Kendra, and Jonathan who fought evil for many years on the Hellmouth.”



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



“JONATHAN!”



“Calm down Buffy,” Faith pulled her a little farther away from the table. “You’re dead in that reality. Tara knew Willow and Xander. She said they were friends in high school, but they weren’t involved as Slayerettes in any way.”



“So she and Willow?” Buffy asked.



“No. As far as I know all they did was cast a few spells together but no sparkage. Willow left Sunnydale and went to MIT in Tara’s reality. Xander still lives in Sunnydale and managers a Stop’N Go.”



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



Willow sank back into her chair. The knowledge hit her hard, pushing her back a little more into her chair.



“So what happened?” Willow finally asked. “Why is this Tara here now?”



“She became sick in her third year of college,” Giles explained. “It was the same type of cancer that took her mother when she was just a child. There was nothing anyone could do since they didn’t detect it until it was too late.”



“How sad,” Willow said quietly. “She was destined to die young even in that reality.”



“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Giles reached out and put a hand on Willow’s knee.



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



“Wait,” Buffy asked. “I’m confused. How did anyone manage to find this Tara?” Buffy pointed at the young woman engaged in conversation with Lucas. “I thought this Jay chick could only travel to hell realities.”



“Dimensions.”



“Whatever,” Buffy said dismissively.



“There’s a difference,” Faith said, looking around. She picked up several straws from the condiment bar and laid them either next to or on top of each other. “Say each one of these straws represents a dimension. This one here,” Faith picked up a straw in a green wrapper, “this is our dimension. It takes up only so much space on the cosmic plane.” She laid the straw back on the pile. “Just like this one, or this one. Each dimension, be it hell, heaven, human filled, whatever, only has a set space it can exist. With me so far?”



Buffy nodded.



“Now, look inside each straw. You know it’s got it’s own space inside, cause it’s hollow.” Faith reached over again and picked up a toothpick from the counter. “A reality is part of each dimension. See how I can fit this toothpick into the hollow part of the straw? That’s one reality. But if I wanted, I could put say four toothpicks inside this straw.”



“So four versions of this reality share the space, all part of the same dimension.” Buffy said, understanding.



“Yep, but not always. Some dimensions are taken up by one reality, like hell or heaven dimensions. They’re no alternates. But the ones like ours, they usually have a few versions.”



“How come?”



“No one really knows,” Faith said, putting back the straws and toothpicks. “Lucas seems to think that key mystical events can create an alternate reality.”



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



“Like the episode where Warf hits this pocket of space on the way back from the Bathleth tournament and winds up on like six different Enterprises.” Willow said, smiling.



“Ah yes,” Giles replied, not quite sure of the reference she was making, “something like that. But some events only happen in one reality, say Glory.”



“So that explains the where,” Willow continued, “but not the how or why?”



“Jay called in several favors to find a Tara close to the one from this reality. When she did, she found that she was dying a natural death. Jay was able to intervene and have her agree to be sent here instead of where ever she was going to go.”



“But what about her memories?”



“Claude was able to infuse this Tara with some of our Tara’s essence. So she has all of the knowledge of the Tara from this reality along with her own.”



“It must be confusing,” Willow thought out loud.



“It was,” Giles agreed. “It took her months to sort everything out in her head. And now knowing what she does, she’s not sure.”



“Not sure if she wants to help the clans out,” Willow completed the sentence.



“Yes, there is that,” Giles paused, looking at Willow with the saddest eyes she had ever seen.



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



"Oh no. No. NO! Now that’s just cruel,” Buffy said, truly shocked for the first time since arriving at the coffee shop.



“I know,” Faith said, looking out the window. “Tara said that she feels all the love that Red has for her, and vise versa, but she feels a lot of pain too. She’s scared, because it’s all so much, and she doesn’t know if she can be the same as the old Tara.”



“So you and the super friends move heaven and Earth to get Tara back here, except it’s not exactly the same Tara, and she might not get back together with her soul mate. She is at least gay, right?” Buffy put her hands on her hips.



“Yeah,” Faith said. “Considering I walked in on her and another girl one time,” the dark slayer laughed. “Oh yeah, into the chicks in a big way.”



Buffy shook her head. “When we’re done saving the world you and I are going to help get Tara and Willow back together again.” She gave Faith a pointed look. “Call it payback for the body swap.”



“Okay,” Faith agreed, not liking the ‘don’t screw with me’ look in Buffy’s eyes. “I owe you that.”













TBC:

Willow learns more about her job offer and Tara reunites with the Scoobies.

[aiscool]

Thanks for the update. I like how Faith was able to break it down into simple straws and toothpicks for Buffy (not to mention for me as well).

I can't wait to meet the new Tara!!

[hermitstull]

Hey aiscool-

Thanks for reading! I always like to hear feedback.



I'm glad you liked the straw scene. I was writing away and suddenly I thought, 'this isn't going to make sense without more explination' and then I thought of the condiment bar at my favorite Starbucks. Suddenly it clicked.



Thanks again-

hermistull

[DallieZeb]

I'm really loving your fic,love the idea of the clans can't wait to see how this story progresses.



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

Cheese - milk's leap toward immortality.

[hermitstull]

Dalliezeb- thanks for the praise! Here's a little more info for you-



Part 8

Summary: Willow has a business meeting with Cleo. In Sunnydale, Tara talks about her past with the gang.



Authors Note:

Again with the split story action. Plus, there's a bit of a cliffhanger.







Willow sat in a comfortable chair in the lobby of Cleo’s office. Willow thought, causing a small chuckle.



The red head sighed. After Giles had dropped the bomb about Tara, Willow had finished all the reading Jay and Claude had provided. The Watcher had been right. The clans, despite fighting for good, weren’t always the best people. And Jay was good at her job. The demon world had nicknamed her ‘Killer’ because no demon had ever escaped her once she set her sights on it. Neither had any witch, warlock, or plain old human for that matter. Granted they had all be evil, but some not as evil as others.



Willow thought. Willow had read Cleo’s report of her team’s most recent visit to Sunnydale and how Jay had almost given hell another resident.



Willow looked over the job offer again. It was everything she could want. It seemed that every team had a shadow member, someone who researched and trained with the team, but was kept on the sly. This member was usually magically inclined. The times had also created the need for someone savvy in the world of computers and new techknowledgy. Chicago’s shadow team member was named Mr. Hahn and was based in Vancouver.



Willow thought. Shadow members only went on a few missions a year at most. But they were the heart and soul of the group in many ways, almost a surrogate parent to some.



Willow thought, looking down at her watch.



“Miss Rosenberg?” A young man asked. He was about Willow’s height and age with light brown hair that hung slightly over his eyes. His gray eyes sparkled with intelligence, matching his good looks with brains. His handshake was firm. Willow noticed the end of a tattoo creep out from under the end of the sleeve of the white shirt he wore.



“Yes.”



“I’m Mr. Dean,” the handsome young man replied, “Miss Dotzler’s assistant. If you’ll follow me.”



Willow nodded and got up to follow Mr. Dean. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said, turning around a little to catch her eyes. “But if I’m not being too forward, I think you should consider her offer.”



“You know about it?” Willow asked.



“The details? Oh no!” Mr. Dean replied. “I just know that working here has been one of the best experiences of my life. It’s challenging and rewarding in many ways. Plus it’s fun.”



“Fun?”



“I’m on the research team, Miss Rosenberg,” Mr. Dean replied. “I thought someone with your background would find that fun.”



“Fun. Yeah.” Willow kept her tone neutral.



“Well here we are,” Mr. Dean stopped in front of a mahogany door. “Miss Dotzler is ready to see you now.”



“Thanks,” Willow smiled weakly as Mr. Dean turned to go.

Gathering herself, Willow opened the door to the large office.



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



“I still can’t believe it,” Xander said, getting up from the table. Buffy had called an emergency meeting of the Scoobies at the Magic box the following day. Because of Xander’s job, it had been set for lunchtime.



“Yep.” Buffy said, grinning. “She’ll be here in ten minutes.”



“How? How is it possible?” Anya asked. “Willow invoked Osiris and he shot her down, but these people were able to get her back? It’s some sort of trick.”



“I thought that too, but Tara and I talked last night, and it’s her, really her. Even if she’s from another reality, she has all of Tara’s experiences and feelings from here.”



“I still can’t believe it,” Xander said. “And how do we know we can trust these people? Come on Buffy, they’re working with Faith.”



“Lucas explained that this person Jay has all these connections so she was….”



“Jay? Jay Reed?” Anya asked, surprised.



“Yeah,” Buffy replied.



“Oh my God, it’s true then!” Anya did her dance usually reserved for money. “If Jay’s involved, it’s on the up and up.”



“You know this person?” Xander asked.



“Oh yes,” Anya replied. “Killer and I go way back.”



“Killer?” Buffy asked, slightly unsettled.



“Jay’s nickname in the demon world. She’s quite famous actually. And she is owed quite a few favors so it is very possible that she and her people could make this happen.”



“If she’s known as Killer, then how can she have all these favors?” Xander asked sarcastically.



“She only kills evil demons. Truly evil demons bent on destruction and chaos. Your average, say vengeance demon, has nothing to fear from her. Jay is actually quite popular in many demon circles. D’Hoffryn considers her a personal friend.”



“Okay,” Buffy said.



“Oh, but you might not like her,” Anya looked at Buffy. “She and her clan have many vampire friends. It’s rumored that Jay was a vampire in a past life, so that’s why she tends not to kill them.”



“She and Spike will get on great then,” Xander added, annoyed.



“No, they don’t,” Anya replied matter-of-factly, “they hate each other. Jay would stake him in a heartbeat.”



“At least we have that in common,” Xander replied, slightly mollified.



The bell jingled, announcing someone’s entrance into the Magic Box. The trio looked up and smiled.



“Hey guys,” Tara’s eyes were bright and slightly teary. “I’m back.”



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



“So Willow,” Cleo began. The lawyer and leader of the Chicago team sat behind a large oak desk in an ornate office with a full view of the Chicago skyline. A large bookshelf packed with legal texts was behind her. A window with a skyline view made up the entire floor to ceiling wall on Willow’s right. On the left was a couch, a wet bar nook, and a door leading to a private washroom. “Have you had time to look over all of the information?”



Willow pulled her eyes from the gorgeous city view and looked at Cleo. Green eyes met blue, unwavering. “Yes, I have.”



“And?” Cleo arched an eyebrow in question.



“And I do find it intriguing. It’s all that I could want. And the salary is more than I could hope for starting out.” Willow paused and looked out at the city again.



“But?”



“If it wasn’t for this pesky prophecy and how you and your people snuck Tara back from the dead, then I would have said yes already.” Willow turned again to look at the older woman. “And Tara, well, that just hurts.”



“It wasn’t done to hurt you Willow,” Cleo’s eye’s softened.



“But it was done for your own selfish reasons,” Willow said harshly. “Where were you the last two years? You could have stopped all this before it started.”



Cleo paused before answering. “You mean where were we when we could have stopped Glory, don’t you? It all goes back to that, doesn’t it?”



“I’ve spent all night thinking about it, and yes, it goes back to Glory. I ready Jay’s account of landing in Sunnydale right after we lost Buffy and how Max had a vision about ‘a new darkness rising’. Well, being said darkness, I don’t appreciate being allowed to happen.”



“It was necessary,” Cleo began.



“Necessary!? It was necessary to set in motion the events that would lead to Tara’s death. One of YOUR oldest and dearest friends, or so I thought.” Willow’s tone was cold.



“Yes,” Cleo’s appearance remained calm, despite the anger building inside her. “Believe me, I was not thrilled at all about any part of Tara’s death, or your rise in power. Tara was like a little sister to me, and I didn’t take her death well. And being such a big part of Tara’s life, you’re almost being sent to hell by my order was not a joyful experience.” Cleo’s tone was bitter. “Jay may seem like some mystical superpower, but every time she travels to hell dimensions, there is a chance. A rather large chance, that she will not make it back." Cleo's tone filled with sadness, " And my gut was telling me that she wasn’t going to make it back if she took you there with her.”



Willow bit back the comment on the tip of her tongue and looked out at the city again. The office filled with uncomfortable silence.



“Look,” Cleo said finally, “these are the facts. We need your help Willow. Not just on this, but in the future. We have a new team in training and we want you to head it up, and not just as a shadow member, but also as its leader. The clans want to move in a new directions and we feel you can take us there.”



“How?”



“Because you now see that things aren’t black and white. Yes, it’s a cliché, but it’s a true one. You have been to the bad side of town, but didn’t like what you saw and came back. But you know that the bad side of town isn’t all bad, some parts are okay.”



“What? Like trying to kill your friends? Or how about the headaches and nosebleeds? Or sucking your soulmate's memories away?” Willow felt her own bitterness and remorse wash through her as she recalled some of the events in the past year.



“No. About how even some aspects of the dark can be used to create light. To do good.”



“Well, I fell for that little delusion too, but look where it got me,” Willow replied, unimpressed.



“You are young and untrained Willow, and yes, you did go too far into the dark magics. Yes, you were an abuser and addicted, but not anymore. We can help you relearn what you thought you knew about magic. In turn, your experience and knowledge can help the next generation of the clans fight the ever changing mystical evil in this reality and others.”



“Whatever,” Willow said under her breath, looking down.



Cleo burst out laughing. Willow looked up surprised.



“You are so like a young Jay,” Cleo said, smiling. “Except cuter.”



“Excuse me?” Willow asked, slightly put off by Cleo’s reference.



“Jay before she found out about her true nature. She went off on a little bender of her own around age eighteen and Billy Joe and I talked her down. She was so disgusted with herself and swore that she was out of the business altogether. Demetrius even approached her and she turned him down. That should have been our first clue.” Cleo trailed off.



After a momentary pause, she continued. “Anyway, after about a year and with training, Jay realized that she could control the darkness inside her. In fact, it’s the darkness that allowed her to survive all those years in prime and not be seduced by it.”



“Okay, who is Demetrius and how did the darkness help her in prime?”



“Jay had tasted what evil could really be already, so she knew that it wasn’t for her. No matter how seductive the power was in prime, Jay couldn’t be swayed.”



“And?”



“Demetrius is the human name of prime’s god and Jay’s ancestor.”



The office filled with silence again, except this time it was a little more comfortable. Cleo looked over at the young woman seated in front of her. Cleo thought,



“I’m going to say yes,” Willow began quietly, still looking out the window, “but I need to know. Could you have prevented Tara’s death? Honestly. I want to know.”



“For things to work out for the best, it had to happen.”



“That’s not an answer,” Willow looked over at the attractive lawyer. “Did you let her go?”



“Yes. We did.”



“Because you weren’t there to help us with Glory?”



“We know now that Glory was Buffy’s destiny, not ours. We could have helped, but I doubt we could have stopped her. Some one would have died that night, Willow. Probably Dawn. Would that have been a better ending?”



“No. But you were supposed to be there.”



“For a time, I thought that yes, the team should have been there. Now I know that this was the way it was supposed to be, because ultimately, the world needs this Willow, not the one from two years ago. And not the one that could have been created if that night had ended differently.”



“And Tara?”



“The world needs her too,” Cleo smiled. “Come on,” she said, standing. “Let’s go get some air. There are a few things we still need to discuss.”



Willow nodded and followed Cleo out of her office. The older woman paused to talk to someone in the hall. Willow spotted Mr. Dean in his office, busy researching. The young man looked up.



“Well?” he mouthed.



Willow nodded and gave a faint smile.



Mr. Dean flashed her a bright smile and gave her a thumbs up.

As soon as the red head moved out of sight, Mr. Dean hit a memory number on his phone.



“Ren,” he said excitedly. “She’s in.” Mr. Dean paused, listening to the person on the other end. “I know. Look I can’t talk right now. How about tomorrow night?” Pause. “Yes. All of us.” Another pause. “Good. I’ll see you guys then.”



Mr. Dean hung up the phone and smiled again to himself. He looked at the picture of himself with his two best friends on his desk. “Willow makes four,” he said to himself. “And hopefully, Tara five.”



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



The Scoobies sat in silence, each thinking about what Tara had just told them about her life, her other life, in Sunnydale.



“It’s weird,” Anya finally said flatly.



“You could say that,” Buffy added.



Tara looked over at Lucas and Faith. Faith sat on the steps leading to the loft, Lucas merely leaning on them. On their faces were looks of encouragement, but Tara still felt shaky.



“So it was you who fell for the Incan mummy girl,” Xander asked.



“Yep,” Tara replied.



“And Kendra led the charge that defeated the Mayor,” Buffy added.



“That too.”



“And I married Jonathan?” Anya asked, disgusted.



“It was a lovely service,” Tara replied, warmly. “Jonathan’s parents were so accepting of the whole demon heritage. And the traditional blood worms and burlap were a big success.”



“I told you we should have gone that route,” Anya said to Xander.



“Not now,” he replied.



“And Dawn?” Buffy asked.



“She’s an original,” Tara smiled as this realties memories of Dawn played for her on the screen in her head. “There is only one key, and she’s unique to this reality. I can’t wait to meet her. There are lots of good memories of times spent with her.”



Lucas and Faith exchanged looks. This Tara had come a long way in integrating this reality with the one she had come from, but she still slipped sometimes.



“But I thought you already knew her?” Xander asked. He looked over at Buffy.



“I…I do,” Tara said quickly. She paused, gathering her thoughts. “It’s hard sometimes…” she trailed off. “It’s….It’s….hard sometimes to keep it all mixed in my head, ya know? Some things seem so natural and it’s like I lived them. Others are like I watched a movie on the subject and studied hard because it’s on the test. But they don’t really feel like a part of me.”



“What about Willow?” Xander asked, his tone cold. “Do you feel for her or did you just watch that movie too? Cause if you don’t, then this just isn’t gonna work.”



“It feels real,” Tara’s voice was full of emotion. “It feels so real some days that I can’t stand to breath because she’s not next to me. Other days, I feel the fear of what she did, to me, to you, almost to the world and I can’t stop crying. Then I think about the Willow I knew and don’t see what Tara ever saw in her. But I didn’t know the college Willow. I never even saw her once.” Tara stopped, realizing that she might have just said too much.



“Look,” Buffy said, standing. “We’ve got other issues to deal with here. Namely helping Willow along in her training and fighting off the baddies here like we always do. Tara isn’t going to be a part of that for the time being. If it’s meant to happen again, then it will.” Buffy looked at Faith she added silently.



“Amen sister,” Faith added.



“Good,” Lucas said, pushing himself off the railing of the stairway and moving across the Magic Box so he could address the group. “Willow is meeting with the leader of the Chicago team as we speak. We will know by the end of the day whether or not if she will need extra help. If she decides to work for the clans, one of our senior members will be present in Sunnydale at all times to work with her. Your jobs, for the time being, will be to help her and support her.”



“What about Tara?” Anya asked, smiling at her newly returned friend



“She will continue to train until she is needed here. How long that may be or where isn’t clear or set in stone at this time.”



“Sounds like a plan,” Buffy said. She looked at the faces of her friends and smiled. “Let’s eat!”



The assembled group got up and headed for the door, breaking off into smaller groups to chat. Xander and Buffy lead the group, followed by Anya and Tara. Lucas and Faith brought up the rear. Suddenly, Tara stopped, as if frozen.



Lucas also swayed, but was caught by Faith before he hit the floor.



“What is it?” Buffy asked, looking at Faith.



“I don’t know,” Faith helped Lucas to a nearby chair.



Anya touched Tara’s shoulder in an attempt to move the girl to another chair.



“Oh my god,” the demon hissed. “He’s here.”



“Who’s here?” Xander asked harshly.



“The energy,” Anya pulled her hand away as if burned. “It’s so subtle, but so powerful. And so, so evil.” She composed herself. “How can they stand feeling that?” she asked to herself.



“Anya!” Buffy barked. “You said he’s here. Who is he?”



“The king of all hells,” Anya said. “The ruler of prime.”



“Here!” Faith’s senses went from code red to code super nova. “In Sunnydale? We’ve got to get moving then. He can’t find Tara. She’s not ready to face him just yet.”



“Not here,” Tara said slowly. The Wicca felt as if she was moving through honey. The magic was sickly sweet and temping, but too much. It made her ill just to be touched by it. She couldn’t imagine what it felt like at its source, half way across the county.



“He’s in Chicago,” Lucas said. The wave of black energy had hit him like a sucker punch to the stomach, catching him off guard. He had thrown up his magical shields as soon as he realized what had smacked him so hard. “He’s in this reality looking.”



“Looking for Willow?” Xander asked, panicked.



“No,” Tara said, slowly pushing away the effects of bad magic. “He’s looking to start trouble. To push things a long a little. Willow just happens to be at ground zero.”







TBC:

Willow confronts a hell god....again.



Author's Extra Note:

Do Your Best and Don't Worry is almost complete. There are still a few parts left to post, and the first three parts of it's sequel are finished. Thanks for reading!

[DallieZeb]

Have just caught up with this part ,it's really intriguing so when does willow get to meet tara soon I hope Also really liking the Jay and Cleo characters .Now all they have to do is face down the hell god oh boy



Can't wait for the next part please



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

Cheese - milk's leap toward immortality.

[hermitstull]

Soon.



It's just a few parts away. I should be able to have an update sometime Tuesday or Wednesday.



hermistull

[hermitstull]

Part 9



Warning: This is the start of the last section of this story which contains violence and profanity.



Angst Alert: There is some Tara and Willow angst also in the mix in the remaining sections.



Author's Note:

This is the start of the last three parts of this tale. Some new characters are introduced that will make an appearance in the second and third parts of my Do Your Best and Don't Worry Trilogy.



Summary:

Willow makes new friends. Giles and Claude have a guys day out. Cliffhanger #1.









“Um, okay,” Willow said looking at the basement door she and Cleo were about to enter. The pair had walked down the street for several blocks and headed around the corner to find a place Cleo wanted to show Willow. “Is this where you hang with the peasants or something? Cause if so, I prefer the castle.”



“It’s okay,” Cleo chuckled. She looked at the faded neon sign that hung crookedly over the stairway that led to the basement of the old brick building. ‘The Spot’ had been the hottest jazz club in Chicago about eighty years ago. It still did well, but headliners tended to play classier venues now, like Symphony Hall down the street. “I have an in with the owner.”



Willow scanned the faded bronze plack next to the metal door. It said something about a historical landmark. “This place is a landmark?” She asked, incredulously as she walked into the dimly lit empty club.



the red head thought as her eyes adjusted to the scenery. The room wasn’t big at all, not even as big as the lecture hall Professor Walsh’s class had been in freshman year. The only windows were two small milky glass pains on either side of the door. Directly across from the entrance was a low stage, barely taller than the jam-packed tables that were cluttered around and in front of it. Where the stage left off a well stocked bar began that stretched over half of the length of the room. Across from the bar on the opposite wall was one unisex bathroom. Willow shuttered at the thought of ever having to go in there, especially on a Saturday night. Pale yellow work lights gave the entire place an unearthly glow and let heartily to the claustrophobia the witch was starting to feel.



“God, what a stupid fucker,” Willow heard Jay’s voice float out from somewhere behind and underneath the bar. “Why in the hell did you let him install this?”



“Because,” a light, female voice said. A short woman with buzzed bright blonde hair suddenly popped up in the vicinity Jay’s rant. She was young, only a few years older than Willow, with a compact, yet womanly body. Willow made out CBGB on her tight black T-shirt, that exposed an intricate dragon tattoo that started somewhere on her right shoulder and ended on the top of her hand. “I felt bad. His people had already screwed up once and wanted to..”



“What!” Jay’s irritated tone cut the woman off, “impress you with his manhood? Get in your pants? Cause last time I checked that idiot had one to many legs for your liking.”



“Shut up!” The woman replied, trying not to laugh. She turned, suddenly noticing Cleo and Willow heading their direction.



“Hey girl,” the woman greeted Cleo warmly. “Who’s your friend?”



“Willow Rosenberg I’d like you to meet Ren Mathers.” Willow shook the offered hand. “Ren's the best bar tender on this side of Chicago.”



“And the biggest pain in my ass,” Jay added. “Hey Willow,” her disembodied voice called.



Willow stepped forward and leaned over the bar slightly. She could see the edge of a trap door was open that must have led somewhere under the floor.



“Hi Jay,” Willow called back.



“Is Max here?” Cleo asked Ren. “I was hoping I could get a mid-afternoon snack.”



“He’s in the back,” Ren replied. “You want your usual?” Cleo nodded. “Willow, want anything?”



“Water? If that’s not too much trouble,” Willow asked shyly.



“No trouble. That’s downstairs trying to fix the keg lines.”



“Shut up Ren,” Jay’s voice floated up, “or all your trendy pals won’t get their quality beers.”



Ren laughed again and headed towards a door next to the bar on the opposite end of the stage. Cleo turned and motioned for Willow to pick a table. The pair moved to one closer to the door and the kitchen.



“So is Ren the owner of ‘The Spot’?” Willow asked Cleo once they got settled.



“No. Max is the majority owner. Jay and I also have part ownership, but he runs the day to day business of the club.”



“How many clubs do you own?”



“I really don’t own any,” Cleo replied. “I just have a small stake. Jay owns her own club, as well as parts of this one, a bar, and a restaurant.”



“Is that your cover?”



“To the outside world, yes. But the people who work in our businesses usually are part of the clans in some way or have earned our deepest trust. Ren is actually Max’s cousin who just happened to need a job. He lucked out that she was so good at mixing drinks.”



“So she’s not part of your team here in Chicago?”



“No. The core team is Jay, Max, Claude, Billy Joe, and myself. People help us out, sure, and we all have separate lives and friends outside of the family business. But when it’s time for a mission, we’re the ones who always go. We’re just lucky that both aspects of our lives have fit well together. Some teams have a lot of problems separating themselves from the job. And it is mostly just that, a job.”



“What about fate? Or destiny?” Willow asked.



“All part of the business,” Cleo replied. Willow sensed that there was more to it that what Cleo was telling her, but the arrival of Ren and food ended their line of conversation.



“So I hear you might be joining the team?” Ren asked, pulling up a chair and looking at Willow.



“I’ve decided to,” Willow replied. She instantly warmed up to the young woman.“I still have some reservations but someone has to save the world, don’t they.”



“Tell me about it,” Jay grunted as she pulled herself up through the trap door and into view of the seated trio. “And you’re welcome. It’s Coors Light and Budweiser for all. Yippie!” She added sarcastically.



“Beer snob,” Ren teased.



“Damn straight! I know my beer, girl, and that crap is shit, pure and simple,” Jay looked over the group. “One time when I was at this bar in Athens. And that’s the one in Greece, not Georgia, I was…”



Max suddenly burst into the room from the kitchen, his face pale, his shaven head glistening with sweat. “Jay, he’s coming…”



Suddenly Max and Jay stumbled, clutching their stomachs in pain. Cleo and Ren stood knocking their chairs onto the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, Ren saw Willow swoon as well.



“I got ya,” Ren said calmly, catching the young woman and helping her sit back down. “Are you okay?”



Willow tried to focus, but everything was becoming suddenly murky and dark. She felt as if she was swimming in molasses. Overly sweet and ultimately disgusting. Just as quickly as feeling hit, it subsided. It it’s place stood a man.



“Who is that?” she asked Ren.



The blonde woman turned and gasped. “Oh god..”



“That’s right,” the man drawled smoothly. To Willow, the man looked like all of the best traits of the men of People’s 50 Most Beautiful issue rolled into one. Neatly trimmed light brown hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a dazzling grin. The dark gray business suit he wore suited his lightly tanned skin and highlighted his fit, slightly muscular physique.



The man turned his charisma towards Willow. “You must be the young witch,” he said in a melodic tenor, “I’ve been watching you. Fantastic work, especially last spring.”



Willow’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you know?”



“Get away from her,” Jay hissed, pulling the young woman’s attention from the attractive man. In the mere seconds since the man’s appearance, Jay had totally transformed. Gone was the causal, easy going demeanor. In its place was the feral Killer, renown on several plains of existence. Street clothes had magically been replaced by form fitting black leather and Kevlar. In her hands were two, what looked to be, Japanese style swords. Three additional shorter swords were strapped to her back. Willow also caught a glimpse of a handgun strapped on either thigh.



“Ah, dear, dear, cousin,” the man greeted, unfazed by Jay’s appearance. “I hope you don’t mind me popping in like this. It’s been far too long since we last spoke.”



“Not long enough,” Jay’s tone was like ice.



Ren, pulled out of her stupor, tugged on Willow’s arm, moving her out of the line of fire. She, Cleo, and Max took up a defensive stance around her, but made no move to interfere with Jay and the man.



“Tsk.” The man ignored Jay’s comment. “But we have so much to discuss. And you’ve been so busy as of late. Or did you think all of your hopping about and deal making would go unnoticed?”



Jay didn’t respond.



“You weren’t counting on me finding out so soon? Silly Jay, your plan is so transparent.”



“If it’s so transparent, why are we standing here talking? Shouldn’t one of us be dead by now?”



“Oh no,” the man’s tone was one of a parent correcting a child, “I don’t want you dead, my sweet cousin, not just yet. You see, I’ve found a loophole in the plan. A way for me to keep both my refreshing sanity and my control of prime.”



“That’s him,” Willow asked Cleo under her breath.



“Demetrious. Yes, it is,” Cleo whispered back.



The hell god smiled coyly. “Let’s just say it still involves insanity and lots of pain. Your pain, lovely cousin.”



Jay felt a sudden buzzing in the back of her brain. Her sense of the world was returning from being overwhelmed by Demetrious’s magic. Jay’s eyes went wide with horror.



“Oh my god,” she rasped, sensing what the hell god wanted her to.



“Too far away, even for someone of your extensive capabilities.” He paused again, relishing the moment. “And think of those others, those innocent friends of yours who are there, working right now. How sad for them too.” The hell god’s eyes blazed with victory. “I wonder how long it will take for them to restaff that much of the ER?”



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



“This place is quite charming,” Giles said to Claude. “And such a selection.” The older man looked at several classic luxury liner posters. The pair had just visited the Art Institute and were in a little shop across the street that specialized in posters of all kinds.



After looking at the large collection of movie and ad posters, the clerk, a friend of Claude’s, had let them go downstairs to where the classic and original posters were for sale.



“I know,” Claude grinned. The day had gone well. After an early lunch, the pair had decided on a little cultural sight seeing. They had spent most of the day at the art museum, discussing the various pieces. Claude, being a huge Monet fan, spent hours describing to his friend each of his favorite works and why in the museum’s large collection.



“I just happened to come over here one day looking for a reprint of something from the Institute and I fell in love. Especially with these ship posters.”



“They are quite lovely,” Giles agreed, looking over an original print of a Cunard ad for the Mauritania’s Europe to America run from the 1920’s. “I don’t suppose they have anything from White Star?”



“They used to have a lot,” Claude replied, then frowned slightly. “That’s until Titanic came out. Anything from White Star during that era is nearly impossible to find, Titanic or not. I had a friend who had a first edition of an Olympic poster he sold in ’97 for triple what he had bought it for. I wish,” Claude’s face suddenly contorted in pain.



“Oh god,” he groaned, clutching his head and swaying.



“Claude?” Giles reached to help steady his friend. A wave of nausea swept through the Watcher, but it passed quickly. “Are you okay?” he asked, swallowing the bile that threatened to come up.



Claude, hunched over, looked up at his friend. “I could ask you that same thing.”



As quickly as the pain hit, the feeling left. The men took a moment to compose themselves. Luckily, the downstairs area of the shop was empty of other customers, so no awkward explanations would be necessary to strangers.



“We need to go,” Claude said, suddenly. “Demetrious just decided to make an appearance in this dimension.”



“The hell god?” Giles asked, surprised.



“Oh yes,” Claude tried to contact Jay or Max telepathically. “He’s with Max and Jay somewhere. I can’t reach them.”



“How about we try something a little more traditional,” Giles offered, pulling out his cell phone.



Claude chuckled at himself. “I’ve got mine.” He pulled out his phone from a pocket in his slacks. Flipping it open, he said “Jay” and waited as the phone dialed.







TBC.....

[hermitstull]

Part 10



WARNING:

Violence and angst alert ahead!



Author's Note:

A) For those of you who don't watch ER: Doc's is a diner across the street from the hospital. Carter and Susan are two other doctors who work in the ER, big wigs on the show, not in this story.

B) The second half of this part is told in interchaging parts. One set in 'The Spot' the other in the ER. Both at the same time. It also starts out as a flashback in Willow's mind. Confusing much? (I hope not.)

C)There will be another note at the end of the story. It would give too much away if I put it here.

D) Sorry for the abrupt cut off. The entire last section of this story was too big to post in only two parts, so I split it up into three. Hence the bumpiness.



Summary:

Verbal sparage: Willow vs Hell God. Jay tries to save Kim. Cliffhanger #2.











A cell phone began to ring from somewhere behind the bar. Demetrious turned, heading toward the sound. He quickly found the phone and lifted up to see who was calling.



“This must be Jay’s phone,” the god smiled. “Not a bad ring actually,” Demetrious put the phone down when it stopped making noise. “Did Mr. Hahn design that ring for you Jay or did you download it?”



Jay didn’t respond, her mind racing, trying to think of a way she could get to County fast enough. Jay had some magical power, but not enough to teleport or fly. Plus, the power drain would be too much and there were still demon minions to face once she got there. She looked over at Willow to gage the girl’s reaction to this turn of events



Willow locked eyes with Jay. She too, had been trying to come up with a solution to Jay’s transportation problem. The red head looked down at her water, and an idea began to form.



“I wouldn’t do that Willow, if I were you,” Demetrious said, looking over at her. “You can still go one with your life. They make their lives seem so lovely, but it’s quite the opposite of that.”



“And I should take advice from you?” Willow asked sarcastically. “Because hell god’s have always had my best interests at heart.”



“Glory,” Demetrious laughed. “She was so young and stupid. Don’t let one negative experience color your perception of us all. Some hell gods can be quite helpful.”



“In a sell your soul for eternal damnation kind of way, yeah I suppose,” Willow replied, unimpressed.



Jay watched the exchange with surprise. No one else had ever challenged the hell god before except for her. Jay’s respect for Willow grew as she continued to verbally spar with the most powerful of all hell dimension rulers. Movement next to Willow caught Jay’s eye.



The water in Willow’s glass was spinning, but just at the top. All of the ice was at the bottom, except for one piece. The solitary piece seemed to enter the spinning water at a certain point, travel the short distance across the cup, then exit.



The movement in the cup had also attracted the attention of Cleo and Max, who after a moment understood what Willow was trying to say.



“Jay, no,” Cleo’s worried voice whispered. “No one has ever traveled there.”



“It’s the only way,” Jay mouthed silently to her longtime friend.



“Enough!” Demetrious’s angry voice startled Cleo and Jay. The water stopped spinning and the ice rose to the top. “Your babble distracts us from the matter at hand Willow.” The demon waved his hand and a television appeared. On the screen was an ER hallway.



“Watch. Learn.” Demetrious said with delight.



“No,” Jay’s harsh voice brought the god’s head around. “You watch this.”



Jay took a step forward and fell face down. Instead of hitting the floor, she hit a pocket of distorted air just above it and quickly disappeared.



Demetrious shook his head. He turned and looked at the remaining three. "A nice, and not unexpected attempt, but foolish. She will not get though any hell dimension quick enough to reach county.” The demon pointed at the screen. “Look. It is already to late.”



The view on the screen followed Kim and she entered an exam room. Three figures, two in white coats, one in blue scrubs, lay on the floor, unmoving. Next to the bed was what was left of a police officer on the wall. Sitting on the bed was a man in brown and black rags with a long stringy brown beard. His eyes were solid red, matching the splatter of blood on his hands.



“Hey there cutie,” the ragman said in a familiar voice. “Jay sure has picked a looker this time around.”



“Jack,” Cleo staggered back.



“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Demetrious asked. “Her own brother. My people were able to capture Jack and pull him into my dimension. He wasn’t that hard to turn either. I guess evil and insanity must run in the family.”



“You won’t win,” Max said angrily. “We can still stop you.”



“Without Jay? I don’t think so little man. "Kim is her anchor, her balance her. With Kim gone, Jay will begin her final descent into evil, which will lead her to me.”



“Who said she went to a hell dimension,” Willow asked innocently. “There are other ways to travel, aren’t there?”



Demetrious looked questioningly Willow. “What? Jay’s powers aren’t strong enough. Not to mention the fact my will has suppressed the heavy magical hitters in the area.” Demetrious’s face contorted in rage.



“Ya see?” Willow said. “This is why you can’t have too much faith in hell gods. They always overlook the obvious, especially since Jay’s travel pass to multiple hells is an inherent ability, probably just as natural as breathing. I’m guessing it’s more like a mutation, based in science, not magic. Sure, Jay can’t leave this dimension, but she can skate along the outside of it.” Willow smiled innocently.



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





Willow looked down the hall at Jay, wonder just how she had done it. They were all there, on the surgery floor of County General, waiting for what seemed like years. It had only been three hours, maybe four, since she’d arrived in the aftermath of what looked to be one hell of a fight. A battle she had watched most of on demon TV, provided by Demetrious.





“You may think you have it all figured out, Miss Rosenberg,” Demetrious replied, regaining his composure, “but no being, especially a human, can travel in the fluid that separates realities and dimensions.”



Willow didn’t reply, too intent on what was happening on the screen. The scene was the same. Three people Willow didn’t recognize on the floor, now in a growing pool of blood. The rest of the room, especially by the bed, was colored in that same shade. What at first looked like an average homeless man, Jack, was approaching Kim.



The doctor, clutching her clipboard for dear life, was backing towards the door, which wouldn’t open.



“It’s sealed sweetie,” Jack said, nodding at the door. “I magically locked it so only you and I could party.”



“Okay,” Kim’s voice was calm, but Willow could see that the she was shaking slightly. “How about we let them go then,” she nodded towards the three people on the floor, “and it’ll be just you and me.”



“Afraid I can’t do that,” Jack replied, smiling. The man, stood and stretched, sighing contentedly. “Big boss doesn’t want any witnesses. But, if it makes you feel better, I’m only supposed to kill you. There just,” he waved at the floor dismissively, “bonus.”



“And who is your boss?” Kim asked, trying to keep the psychopath talking. Hoping that someone would try to come in soon.







“She’s so smart,” Demetrious said condescendingly, “trying to keep him talking and distracted. I can see why our Miss Reed is so taken with her. But it won’t matter, he’ll finish the job.”



Willow shook her head disapprovingly. She knew she was pushing it with the hell god, but something inside her said that if she could just distract him a little longer, Jay would get them all out of it.



“You don’t agree?” Demetrious asked Willow.



“Again, you’re assuming,” she replied, “and you know what happens when you assume.” Willow looked again at the television.







Kim had continued to try to move around the room. She was now standing directly across from the door and at the farthest point away from Jack. Another door was behind her, but she knew it would be locked as well. They had fallen into a tense silence.



“So,” she began, trying to stimulate more conversation. “Why does your boss what me out of the picture?”



“Oh, it’s not you really,” Jack said, leaning casually against the bed. “He’s after Jay.”



“Jay?” Kim asked unsure.



Jack laughed a hearty and full laugh. A hauntingly familiar sound to the doctor. “No silly, your Jay. My little sister.”



“Oh,” Kim replied, still not grasping the entire picture. After a moment, “Oh my God!” she recoiled in horror.



“That’s right,” Jack said, grinning widely. “My name’s Jack Reed, by the way. I’m Jay’s oldest brother, and first to fight for the cause. The wrong cause, I now know.” He did a little bow. “And I’m sure, despite the fact that I’ve been away for almost twenty years, you’re more surprised that I’m here to fuck with her. Coming back from supposedly being dead, that concept is so,” he paused searching for the phrase. Jack snapped his fingers, “So five minutes ago.”



Kim stood dumbstruck.



“But you,” Jack said, suddenly turning more serious, “you I’m afraid have a one way ticket. You won’t be coming back. At least anytime soon.”





Jay thought. She had been swimming upstream in the current of energy that surrounded this reality. It was like muddy water, except everything was gray, not brown. Thankfully it wasn’t very thick, so she could see through to her reality and find the room in the ER Kim was in.



Unfortunately, that same thinness pressed one of the neighboring realities down on her, making it hard to think. That reality, one she had been to a couple of times on accident, was very similar to her own. Except it was dominated by demons and vampires.



Jay thought to herself. Pausing, Jay plunged one of her sword into the reality below her, anchoring her to that spot for a moment. She was almost there, stopped inside of Doc’s, watching Carter and Susan have a friendly meal together.



Despite the hospital being so close, she could feel herself draining. She had to get out of here soon. Jay thought. But those couple of minutes could be the fatal ones between life and death.



Carter and Susan suddenly stood, looking at their pagers. Both tossed down money on the table and began to hurry out of Docs.







“This is it,” Demetrious said with glee. “You care to bet Willow? I can take that pesky addiction away for you. Maybe even change time a little? Wouldn’t you rather have your Tara alive safe and sound instead of that poor copy Jay found you?”



“No that’s okay,” Willow said. “I’ll keep things the way they are. LOOK!” Willow pointed to the screen.





TBC



Author's Endnote:

The concept of a liquid like barrier surrounding our reality is something I modified from Star Trek (I think. I watch/read a lot of sci-fi and it sometimes gets jumbled.) Fluidic Space is kind of what I'm thinking of.

Also, there is one more part remaining in Do Your Best. I'll be posting it sometime next week. It's sequel, Hell Bent, will be starting late in the week.



Thanks for reading!

Edited by: hermitstull at: 9/21/02 12:39:16 am

[XWickedXWiccan]

Holy shit!! how did I miss this!! Love the fic so far but you can't be leaving me hanging here!! Well not for long anways.



-Trinity-

--------------------------
Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love, the clarity of hatred, and the ecstacy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bare. If we can live without passion maybe we'd know some peace. But we'd be hollow, empty rooms, shuttered, and dank, With out passion we'd truly be dead. ANGEL in "Passion"

[hermitstull]

Part 11



WARINING: Violence and big angst alert!



Author's Note:

Again, some of the ER regulars make brief apperances. Robert Romano is the Chief of Staff/Head of Surgery for County. Kerry Weaver is the head of the ER. Luka is another doc there, Pratt an intern. Just there for color folks, not key story players.



Feedback:

I'l love feedback on this part, heck, all parts of this story.



Summary:

The do-do hits rotating blades. Plus,Willow and Tara smoochies!







"Are you sure Jay can't make you a better offer?" Kim asked, trying unsuccessfully to find a way out of the room. "She is your sister."



"Nope. Sorry." Jack said menacingly as he approached Kim slowly. "I only wish that little sis could be here to see how much I've grown."



Suddenly, Jack was next to her, chocking her. He lifted her off the floor. "Give my mom and dad my love okay?" He asked sweetly.



Kim fought but Jack's grip was like iron. Darkness began to creep into her vision as she felt herself starting to pass out. A searing pain across her stomach brought her back momentarily.



Jack was grinning like a little boy. His hand was covered in blood. Her blood she soon realized as she felt it begin to gush from her lower abdomen. Quickly, she began to fade again.



Suddenly, Jay appeared, falling from the ceiling of the room. Still in black, but covered with a slimy gray substance, she quickly flipped up and spun to face Jack. And staggered at the sight.



"Jack," Jay rasped. "Put her down." She said menacingly to her brother.



Jack, regaining his wits, tossed Kim aside harshly. Jay watched powerless as Kim's head smashed into the wall, leaving a red stain and small dent. Her love slide down and settled in an awkward lump on the floor.



"Little Jay. My how you've grown so big and powerful. No matter. I'll still kill her, and you, if I have to." Jack's tone was light.



"May Mom and Dad forgive us," Jay said, glancing at Kim, her heart breaking. She could sense that her lover's life force was at low ebb, almost gone. The pain of loss was quickly replaced by the heat of rage. She pulled out her two favorite Katana blades. Gathering her anger, she attacked.







Willow looked back down the hall again at Jay, still covered in the slime and blood from earlier that day. Jack had been no match for the berserker Jay, who, after beating him senseless, tossed him though the exam room window.



With the spell now broken, Jay causally walked out into the hall to Jack, her one time brother. The older man was trying to pull himself up to face his sister again. He was only managing to crawl down the hallway.



"Kerry," Jay said calmly to the startled ER chief standing a few feet away. "Kim is hurt badly in there. Luka and Abby are unconscious on the floor. So is that new guy, Pratt, I think that's his name." She turned her head, looking at one of Kim's best friends. The look in her eye caused the veteran doctor to take a step back. "Don't interfere in this."



With that, Jay strode down the hall to where her brother had pulled himself. Pulling out one of her short swords, she stabbed her brother in the right shoulder, pinning him to the floor. She repeated the maneuver on the left shoulder.



"Shh," Jay said quietly, leaning down to that she was crouching over her brother's prone body. In the back of her mind, a voice screamed that she shouldn't be doing this in such a public place, in such a violent way. Another part of her screamed that he would have done worse to Kim, given the chance.



"Don't scream," Jay said soothingly, moving to straddle her prone brother on the floor. "No matter what that bastard did to me in prime I never screamed." She paused, thinking. "Tell him that," Jay paused again, leaning closer to his ear. "Fuck it." Jay said, straightening up and reaching down. She pulled her brother up slightly by the head and twisted, snapping his neck.







Willow looked away from the screen in disgust. She asked herself Willow looked over at Cleo and Max, who had very grim looks on their faces.



Lost in thought, Willow didn't notice Demetrious suddenly vanish, taking the TV with him. The trip to the hospital was a similar blur. She had just realized, twenty minutes ago or so, that she was sitting on a hard bench down the hall from Jay, who sat on the floor, alone, just down the hall.



"They say she's unapproachable," a British voice said above her. Willow looked up at Giles, who looked questioningly at the empty seat next to her. She nodded.



"She's alone in her rage and grief," Willow said sadly. "I'm not unfamiliar with that feeling. At least she's not trying to destroy the world."



Giles looked down the hallway at the solitary woman on the floor. "I suppose that's true."



"This isn't the first time either," Willow said looking Jay's friends and various hospital staff gathered in the surgical waiting area. "In the clan information she gave me yesterday I read that something like this happened once before. Soon after she was sucked into prime."



"Claude told me about it, in vague terms of course, on the way over," Giles refocused his eyes on Willow. "He said that they all have had to deal with a huge personal tragedy in their time with the team. All part of the business, as he put it."



"Then I ought to fit right in. I've already had mine." Willow paused. "Sort of, I think." She added, thinking of Tara, but not quite her Tara, alive somewhere in the world. she thought sadly.



The sound of a door opening pulled Willow out of her reverie. Looking at the doors leading to the surgical room where they were operating on Kim, she was disappointed. No doctor had emerged with news. Willow swung her gaze down the hall and gasped.



"Giles," she whispered.



The older man looked down the hall at Jay, and smiled.



Tara knelt in front of Jay, speaking softly. After a few moments, Jay looked up, tears pouring down her face. Tara reached out and pulled Jay into a fierce hug.



"Oh my god Giles," Willow said, softly, starting to rise out of her seat. "She's here."



The doors to surgery banged open and out stepped a tired looking Robert Romano, head of surgery for the hospital. He looked at the assembled group, noticing Jay down the hall on the floor with another woman. Robert paused for a moment, debating on waiting to tell Jay the news now or in private.



"Well," Cleo's harsh voice asked. "Robert, how did it go?"



"I need to go over the details with the next of kin," Robert replied arrogantly. "But since you're all 'sisters' anyway I suppose I can tell you briefly, that Dr. Legaspi has made it through surgery. She's in recovery now and will be moving to intensive care later today."



"How is she Robert?" Kerry asked, concerned at the Chief of Staff's brief report.



"The good news is that we were able to repair her internal injuries. Neuro says it's too soon to know about the extent of the damage to her frontal lobe. They repaired what they could, but she might be in a coma for a long time. Or she might wake up tomorrow."



"And when she does?" Giles suddenly asked.



Robert gave the stranger a surprised look. "You're a new part of the menagerie, aren't you Mr. Belvedere?" Robert looked Giles up and down one time and continued. "When she wakes up she could be fine or an infant. We just don't know."



Dr. Romano's gaze softened for a moment and he stepped forward. He laid a hand on a relatively clean patch on Jay's arm. "I'm so sorry Jay. Come see me in my office later and we can talk in more detail."



"Thanks Robert," Jay replied, nodding at the shorter man.



The group turned to look at Jay. Tara stood slightly behind the taller woman. Willow made eye contact with her, but she quickly looked away.



Tara thought.



"Cleo," Jay asked. "Contact Mr. Hahn. He and I have made arrangements if today's situation ever arose. I'm leaving town for a while."



"What!?" Cleo asked, stunned.



"Mr. Hahn will explain."



"Like hell he will Jay," Billy Joe said hotly. "We need you here. Kim needs you here. Remember the last time you flipped out and went off half cocked?"



"I landed in prime. I remember quite well."



"Where are you going, then?" Claude asked. He looked down at Max, silently asking him if he knew. The seer nodded no.



"I'm going home to bury my brother, now that we have a body, next to my parents." Jay said flatly. With that, Jay turned with Tara next to her, leaving a stunned group behind her.



Willow watched Tara's back get smaller as she headed down the hall. She thought sadly. She turned, unable to watch her soul mate retreat any more.



"So Giles, when are we heading back to Sunnydale?" She asked.



"How about tomorrow evening?" Giles replied. "Cleo has a private jet we can take anytime we're ready to go."



"I'm ready," Willow said, steadying herself. "I need to get back. Make up with the gang."



Willow felt a light hand on her shoulder. Turning, her vision was filled with a smiling Tara. Before she could speak, Tara pulled her face forward, kissing her tenderly.



After a few moments, Tara pulled back and smiled again, a little wider. Without speaking, she turned quickly and headed back down the hall. Jay was standing at the elevator, holding it open. The pair got in and disappeared.



"I guess there's hope after all," Giles said warmly.



"Uh, huh," a dazed Willow replied.



TBC...





Author's Endnote:

And so ends part one of the Do Your Best and Don't Worry saga. Thank you all who have been reading the tale!



Part two of Do Your Best will start on this same thread, probably on Tuesday night or Wednesday night. RL will make the call.



Entitled, Hell Bent (not the orginal title), it will bring our gals closer together in familiar stomping gounds as a parallel to a story from Jay's past.



Again, thanks to everyone who has been reading.





hermitstull



"...and if you've got no other choice, you know you can follow my voice, through the dark turns and noise of this Wicked Little Town..."--Hedwig and the Angry Inch





edited to add:

Crap it! Fixed some typos and a posting mistake during my first editing. Sorry if you read this post while it was having some issues.

Edited by: hermitstull at: 9/23/02 2:40:53 pm

[hermitstull]

XWickedXWiccan-



Thank you for such high praise! I'm glad that you're enjoying the story so much that it inspires profanity. (As an avid user of the naughty words myself, it pleases me to no end.)



thanks-

hermitstull



"...and if you've got no other choice, you know you can follow my voice, through the dark turns and noise of this Wicked Little Town..."--Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Edited by: hermitstull at: 9/23/02 2:06:05 pm

[hermitstull]

Part 1



Hey all! Here it is, the next chapter in the Do Your Best and Don't Worry saga, Hell Bent.



Disclaimers:

Willow, Tara, all the Scoobies, belong to Mutant Enemy and are not mine. (But they're fun!) ER people belong to John Wells and Constant C. Everything else is my own creation.



Warnings:

Hell Bent is darker than Do Your Best. There is violence and profanity scattered about and it's not too nice.



Feedback:

Yes please! Good, bad, I'm the one with the keyboard.



W/T alerts:

There is some angst still going around, but it does get resolved by the end of Hell Bent. And yes, the will get back together, just not right away.



Author's notes:

a)There is an interplay in most parts between the now and stuff from the past. The past is all Jay and the clans. The now is Willow, Tara, and the rest of the Scoobies.

b)The story starts out elsewhere, but the bulk will take place in Sunnydale.

c)The title, Hell Bent, comes from the the song, 'Hell Bent' by Kenna. (It's awesome!) Some snipits of the song may make their way into the story, or be used to frame different parts.





Summary:

A few weeks after Chicago, Tara and Jay visit their home and discuss the future.









“How’s your ice cream?” Jay asked, looking over at Tara. The pair were seated outside of the local Dairy Queen in their small Minnesota hometown.



Pine Nook seemed even smaller these days. The paper mill had closed in ’99, taking most of the jobs out of the immediate area. Farming was still the biggest business, but the slow economy and lure of the city had taken many of the pairs’ childhood family and friends out of town. In this reality, Tara’s farther, after being laid off from the mill, moved to Fargo and drove a truck for his brother’s milk delivery business. Donny, her only sibling, ran a bar in St. Cloud, where her cousin Beth was a waitress. On this trip, Tara and Jay were pretty much on their own.



“As good as always,” Tara smiled. She looked down the main street to one of the two stoplights in town. It was almost four, but rush hour was non-existent in a town of just under two thousand people.



“Cleo’s mom’s touch still lingers,” Jay replied.



“I can’t believe they finally got her to retire,” Tara bantered back. “She was the manager her for like forever.”



“A true business adept,” Jay chuckled. “It’s still the best DQ in the state.”



Tare looked at Jay. It had been almost a month since the pair had returned to Pine Nook to bury the body of Jack Reed. Jay called County General several times a day to check on Kim’s status, but there had been no change. The charming doctor’s injuries had healed quite well, but she still hadn’t woken from her coma. She was now in a private room, off of all life support, surrounded by family and friends, except for Jay.



“Have you called today?” Tara asked.



“This morning. No change.” Jay took off her sunglasses. “Ask. You’ve been itching to for the last week.”



“I just don’t understand,” Tara said slowly. “How can you be here when she’s there? What if she wakes up? What if she takes a turn for the worse? Don’t you want to be there if”



“No.” Jay’s tone was flat. “She won’t wake up until all of this,” Jay waved her hand in the air, “this prophecy crap is over.”



“How do you know?”



“I just do.”



Tara scowled at her friend. “That’s not an answer Jay. You’re not a seer. I talked to Max the other day and he didn’t see anything like that.”



“He can’t see anything in this area, one way or another. That’s the fun of dealing with Demy. He can cloud almost any vision. Or block it entirely.”



“Demy?” Tara asked surprised. “Are you two best buds now?”



“Demetrious is too long to say. Since we’ll be talking about him a lot in the near future, I figure it’s time to simplify. Plus, it’s a bitch to spell.”



“Back to topic. How do you know about Kim?”



“I saw her, right before we left,” Jay remembered. He face became a mixture of love and grief. “I snuck into recovery. Shirley, one of the nurses, owes me a couple of favors. Anyway, I could tell her vitals were strong, but there was a shadow surrounding her essence. I should have had Max or Claude check it out, because it was fading as I stood there. The shadow, not her essence.” Jay added quickly. “After a few minutes, it was gone. But I knew that somehow Demy had a hold of her and that either I win and she wakes up or I don’t.”



“And he takes her,” Tara added sadly.



“That’s a possibility,” Jay reached for the table and put her sunglasses back on. “So that’s why I’m here. Away.” Jay looked at Tara. “I know myself. If I sit there, looking at her trapped in her own head every day, I’ll do something rash. And we don’t need rash right now.” She paused, and then added. “I’m sure that Willow would be able to sympathize with my plight. Given what happened between you and Glory.”



Tara thought for a moment. Glory had been part of this Tara’s experiences, not hers. She quickly ran the cliff notes version of what happened in her head.



“I suppose so,” Tara replied. “But, technically that didn’t happen to me. That happened to your Tara.”



“But you know what she did for Tara?” Jay asked. “That was some trick.”



“She’s very powerful.” Tara paused. “It’s weird. So much of this stuff is the same. You, Pine Nook, Cleo, Jay, Sunnydale. Even the bad parts, like mom’s cancer, the abuse, and the pain of dying.”



“That part is never fun,” Jay said sagely.



“But some stuff, BIG stuff is so different,” Tara shook her head. “ Moving to California freshman year of high school never happened. The Slayer gang is totally different here, and the entire Glory experience. It’s like I’m watching a TV show in my head about it.”



“And Willow?” Jay prompted.



“That,” Tara collected her scattered thoughts. “That’s the best and worst part of it all. I, Tara, we loved, she loves, I mean I love her so much, but the betrayal. Taking her, my, memories after what happened with Glory. Part of us never totally got over that.”



“But the bond won out.”



“Yes it did. And this Tara’s final days were so filled with joy and love. It warms my soul remembering, watching them in my head. I never had anything like that where I was.”



Tara paused again. Jay just looked at her, waiting, not judging.



“But she was there, her spirit, watching what Willow did after she died. Just for a little while. Enough to see her fill with rage and grief. And she knew. She knew what would happen and it chilled her, even in heaven. It chilled her to know that Willow could be so evil.”



“And you loved her anyway.”



“Yeah,” Tara gave a small smile. “She did. She also knew that Willow would stop before it got too bad. She had faith that Willow’s humanity would win in the end.”



“And she was right,” Jay smiled warmly. “So what about you? Where does that leave you and Willow.”



“I don’t know,” Tara replied honestly. “I want to be with her, but I’m afraid.”



“Her dark days are done,” Jay tone was confident. “She tasted it like I did and she knows it’s not for her.” Jay looked at Tara closely. “It’s not the evil, is it? You’re afraid of losing yourself in someone so much you forget who you are.”



Tara looked away, back at the town’s main intersection.

“Perhaps. I wasn’t the shy wallflower that this Tara was, Jay. You taught me how to stand up for myself, despite what Dad and Donny did to me after mom died. Even before I met Kendra and Jonathan, I knew who I was and where I was heading.”



“Your so strong Tara. My Tara was too, she just didn’t realize it as quickly as you did. If you can take this huge leap of faith and come to this dimension to take over the life of this Tara, then don’t you think you’ll be able to be with Willow? To be with her and still keep your sense of self? Or are your worried that your feelings just echoes of this reality’s Tara and you don’t think you’ll be capable of feeling that way on your own.”



“That’s the rub, isn’t it? Given what I know, objectively about Willow, I think that I could be with her long term. But, you’re right. I need to feel the way I do about her on my own, not based on someone else’s memories.”



Jay gave Tara a teasing smile. “So that kiss in the hallway, that was all based on memories?”



Tara blushed slightly. “That was emotion.” She slapped Jay playfully on the leg. “And how did you see that? Weren’t you busy worrying about other things?”



“I was, but I’m still observant.”



Tara looked down at the empty paper wrapper that had once held her dipped cone. “Are you ready to go?” She asked.



“Next week,” Jay replied. “I’m going to Sunnydale to relieve Billy Joe. Do you want to come with me or return to Australia? I know the Twins miss you. And you still need more training that I can’t provide.”



“Um, I just mean head home from the Dairy Queen but okay,” Tara replied, caught off guard. “And I’ll let you know about where I’m going in a couple of days.”



“Fair enough.” Jay replied standing. “Let’s head home. The Farscape half season cliffhanger is tonight.”



“Geek.” Tara laughed.



“We all need a little escapist entertainment every now and then.” Jay smiled.



____________________________________________________



1991



“Oh fuck,” Jay hissed. “Why does it have to be zombies? I hate those fucking things.”



“Gee, I hadn’t noticed.” Billy Joe replied sarcastically.



“Shut up.” Cleo turned and looked at the pair. The trio was dressed in black combat gear with a wide assortment of modern and ancient weapons, hiding on a water tower ledge overlooking one of the largest zombie farms in Africa.



Cleo looked through her night vision binoculars, surveying the large open area filled with wandering zombies between them and their goal. Across the field was the main house where one of the most feared witch doctors on the continent lived. Their mission was to take out the zombie master, a man known only as Bob.



“And what’s with that name? Bob?” Jay scoffed. “Who’s scared of someone named Bob?”



“Jay,” Billy Joe chided. “Will you focus please? This is a big mission for us.”



“Yeah,” Jay replied.



“Team two, are you in position?” Cleo spoke into a small walkie-talkie.



“Yes.” Claude replied. “Max, Devon, and I are in position behind the house. It looks clear of zombie traffic.”



There was a crackle of static and a new voice spoke. “Excellent.” The voice said. “Proceed with caution.”



“Okay out.” Cleo and Claude replied.





TBC....





Endnote:

I made up the town of Pine Nook, MN. If there is such a place, it's purely coincidental.







"...and if you've got no other choice, you know you can follow my voice, through the dark turns and nosie of this Wicked Little Town..."--Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Edited by: hermitstull at: 9/25/02 11:05:16 am

[hermitstull]

Sorry for the delay, big week at work and school. Lots of people not acting their age and such. Anyway, without further ado, I give you:





Part 2:



Disclaimers: See Hell Bent Part one



"she called out a Warning:" There is violence and profanity in this tale.



Feedback: Yes please!



Author's note:

My secret enjoyment of a certain boy band is revealed! I will say that I haven't purchased a single CD, but their music is a guilty pleasure.



Summary:

Another blast from the past. Willow and Billy Joe have an unorthodox training session.







1991

The head of what was once an attractive businessman from New York sailed through the night sky. It landed with a squish at Max’s feet.



“Yuck,” the young man said with disgust. “So much for this route being zombie free.”



“Shut up.” Claude huffed, dodging the sloppy swing of a nearby zombie. The tall man used his wiry body like a whip. He spun, cutting another zombie’s head cleanly off, killing it.



“Devon, are you okay?” Claude asked, looking over at the third member of their strike team.



A young man, a teenager really, fought back to back with Max. He was average height, with shoulder length sandy blonde hair pulled back into a tight pony tale behind his head. His normally piercing green eyes were nearly invisible in the near darkness, but Claude could feel Devon’s intense glaze hit him.



“I’m fine,” he replied calmly. “Just trying to hold my own sir.”



“Don’t call me that,” Claude replied, dispensing with another zombie.



Max chuckled as the three hurried down the narrow path towards the main estate. Every couple of dozen feet, the men had hit a pocket of wandering undead, slowing their progress towards the house.



“I hope that’s the last of them,” Claude said, as the trio moved. “I hate those things.”



“You sound like Jay,” Max pointed out.



“Team 2, report!”



Claude and Max secretly rolled their eyes. “Not much to report control. Jungle. Heat. The living dead.” Claude responded sarcastically. “We’re still moving towards the house.”



“Team one has already made it in,” control responded hotly. “Get you ass moving!”



____________________________________________________



2002



“Boom…de-de deet, ahh deee, ‘would you be my girlfriend?’…de-de deet, ‘uh, hey hey, de-de-deet, ahh, ‘ uh, would you be my girl…’…”



The music blasted from speakers on all sides of the dance floor. The Bronze normally would be packed with young people shakin’ it to this popular boy band song. Instead it was empty at two pm in the afternoon. Except for three people.



A man with light brown Caesar style hair cut wearing a faded ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’ black T-shirt and brown cargo shorts was moving on the dance floor. The shirt and shorts were loose, but couldn’t hide his well-defined chest and leg muscles. His blue eyes were focused intensely on his dance partner.



The young woman, about fifteen or so years his junior, stood next to the man, trying to match, step for step, the pattern the man’s body was making in time with the music. Her red hair was pulled up above her head, in a vain attempt to stay cool. She, too wore a loose black T-shirt, except it had ‘Dingoes Ate my Baby’ written on the front. Gray sweat shorts and aggravation completed her attire.



Willow watched as Billy Joe shimmed from side to side, his feet in a doing a seemly impossible dance pattern across the floor. He had given up on teaching Willow any of the arm movements that accompanied his feet an hour ago.



“Arrgh!” Willow growled in frustration and she tripped over her two left feet for what seemed like the millionth time that day.



Billy Joe stopped and walked over to a nearby chair. He picked up a remote control and hit pause, shutting of the loud music.



Willow put her hands on her hips and glared at her tormentor. “Tell me again, why in the hell are we doing this? Buffy never had to train this way.”



The tormentor, aka Billy Joe, grabbed a water bottle that had been sitting next to the remote. After taking a long drink, he replied. “You need to learn to control your body.”



“But does it have to be like this?” Willow voice rose. “Can’t we do Tai-Chi or something?”



“No.”



“Why? And don’t you dare bring any sort of Fame reference into this.”



Billy Joe chuckled to himself. He tossed Willow water bottle and motioned for her to sit down on the chair next to him. The pair had been meeting at least once a day, every day, for almost a month. They had been working on Willow’s physical conditioning and stamina in various ways, even touching some on the use of weapons. But Billy Joe, much to Willow’s chagrin, insisted that one of the ways they work on coordination was by dancing.



“You’ve seen Buffy fight, haven’t you?” He asked.



“Of course.” Willow replied.



“But have you really watched her,” Billy Joe asked again, causing Willow to think. “I know that you probably had your hands busy, either with fight or flight yourself, but have you every really watched?”



Willow paused thinking. “No, I guess I really haven’t.”



“There is, or at least I like to think there is, a rhythm to a fight. Sure it may be a post-modern chaotic rhythm, but it’s there. People who fight, really know how to fight, like Buffy, or myself, we have a tempo, a way, that we do things. It’s all about control, your control, in time to the music of the fight.”



“Okay,” Willow said, unimpressed and a little confused.



“I’m not talking about vampires, they just brawl.” Billy Joe explained. He paused, thinking. “Pretend your heart is the bass. Every move you make. Walking, breathing, blinking your eyes, is all based on that. You just don’t realize it. Why do people seem to always walk in a rhythm? They march to their internal beat without realizing it. I want you to tune into yours. Except that I want you to do it in a more complicated way.”



“Dancing,” Willow said flatly.



“Don’t think of it as dancing,” Billy Joe offered. “Think of it as synchronizing your body to the beat of your heart. Once you get in sync with your internal beat, you’ll be able to move much better, and it’ll be much easier learning more complicated fight moves. Plus, you’ll really impress Tara on the dance floor.” Billy Joe gave Willow a wide grin.



“Okay,” Willow understood where Billy Joe was coming from.

She actually thought his reasoning had been quite clever. Then he had mentioned Tara and it all turned blue.



Billy Joe had noticed some time ago that when ever he, or anyone, brought up Willow’s one time girlfriend, she seemed to retreat into herself. He, frankly, was starting to get a little tired of it.



“Willow stop.” Billy Joe said a little more harshly than he intended to.



Willow’s cloudy green eyes looked up at her teacher. “What?” her voice broke slightly.



“Stop,” Billy Joe paused, waving his arms in the air for emphasis, “this. This sudden plunge in your mood whenever anyone mentions Tara. It’s not good for you.”



“I know,” Willow replied. “not good for my training.”



“No. I meant for you, Willow.” Billy Joe eye’s looked into Willow’s. “I know that you miss her and that you constantly wonder if you two will get back together. I see you always looking for her, just a little, hoping that the next person coming through the door will be her. And she’ll sweep you into her arms and kiss you senseless and say forget the past, all we have is a future.”



“Pretty much,” Willow gave Billy Joe a wry grin and looked away.



“But Willow,” Billy Joe’s voice was soft. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You’ve got to accept that, as much as you want it to happen, it won’t. You and Tara may or may not get back together, but if it happens it won’t be in some huge romantic way. It’s gonna take time and work. And even still, it won’t be the same.”



“I know. I’m not the same now. And she’s not even really my Tara.”



“In all the ways that count, she is,” Billy Joe reassured. “She needs to figure things out for herself too. I know she cares for you. Jay told me she sees it every time she mentions your name. Tara just doesn’t know how much.”



Willow nodded, feeling a little more hopeful than the moment before. she thought. She sighed quietly.



“Come on,” Billy Joe said, standing. He offered Willow his hand. “Ready to try again?”



“Okay,” Willow replied.



The pair moved onto the floor. Billy Joe paused, letting silence descend on them.



“Listen,” he said softly. “Feel your internal beat. Relax.”



Willow relaxed and listened. It was barely audible at first, but Willow could hear, no, finally feel her internal beat. Soon, she started to sway slightly to its tempo.



Billy Joe looked over at Willow and smiled.



“Ready?” he asked.



Willow nodded.



“Okay, here we go.” Billy Joe pressed play on the remote.







On the balcony a short, balding man with glasses made a call on his cell phone. Despite his attempt at a causal, somewhat street look, he still screamed pencil pusher.



“It’s me,” he said quietly. He watched as Willow finally seemed to be getting the moves that Billy Joe had been trying to teach her. He shook his head. It was all very Karate Kid meets Dirty Dancing to him. And the combination was not a blockbuster.



He looked away and listened to the voice on the phone.

“Yes ma’am. Everything is falling into place. The preparations for your arrival are nearly complete.”



He paused again, and nodded to himself. “She is on her way. As for the other, it’s not clear where she will be going. Although,” he looked down at Willow, “if Tara feels a fraction of what Willow feels, she’ll be here soon with bells on.”



The man paused again and grimaced.



“Yes ma’am. I won’t use that phrase again.”







TBC...





"...and if you've got no other choice, you know you can follow my voice, through all the dark turns and noise of this Wicked Little Town..."--Hedwig and the Angry Inch

[hermitstull]

Hey all-

Hope you're either a-enjoying watching the new season of Buffy or b-enjoying not watching the new season of Buffy. Either way, it's okay.



Part 3



Disclaimers and Warnings: Not mine, but fun. Naughty words and bad things can and do happen. Be careful.



Feedback: Yes please!





Author's note:

This next part involving Tara's decision is another scene framed in music. (Unlike part 2, I worship Bjork and have traveled cross country to see her live. It's so worth it! ) Anyway, the CD I was listening to really seemed to work with the scene so I worked some of the music into the scene. I guess you could call it a song inspired scene. It's one of my favorite ones in the Do Your Best saga.



Summary:

A little more from the past. Tara makes the big decision!











1991



Jay, Cleo, and Billy Joe carefully made their way through the main foyer of the large colonial mansion. A hundred years ago, this estate had been one of the largest in eastern Africa. Now it was a run down shadow of it’s former self.



“Uh, that smell,” Billy Joe’s eyes began to water. “Guess those were the candidates that didn’t make the cut.” He motioned to various decaying corpses strewn across the floor and on the main stairway, leading to the second floor.



“Don’t. Go. There.” Cleo bit off.



Jay made a cutting motion across her neck and the pair fell silent. She was in her element now. Fighting zombies, that was just hack and slash. This, the approach, the surprise, the clean kill. This is what she was best at, was known for. And her growing reputation in the demon community as one of the top assassins rested on this kill. Bob the zombie master, despite his inane name, was a big wig in the land of evil.



The trio reached out with their senses, trying so locate Bob in the house. Jay’s magically enhanced senses found him first. She pointed towards a door underneath the master stair.



“Basement.” She whispered. “A recent addition.”



“We should wait,” Cleo said, moving up next to Jay. “The entire team needs to be here.”



“No. Bob probably already knows that we’re here. We can’t let him escape another team.”



“Cleo’s right,” Billy Joe added. “We can’t handle another zombie armada. It could be that or worse down there.”



Jay didn’t have to respond as Claude, Max, and the team’s newest member, Devon, came through what had once been the kitchen.



“Hey,” Claude greeted.



“Better late than never,” Billy Joe replied.



Claude gave him the finger.



“Zombie master is down there,” Jay pointed to the door. “Let’s go. Stay behind me. Kill anything that isn’t us.”



Jay pulled out her favorite short sword with her right hand and reached for the doorknob with her left.





____________________________________________________





2002



The early fall sun was setting as Tara made her way down the front steps of the two story red farmhouse that she and Jay had been living in for the last month. She looked around briefly, taking in the peaceful late afternoon. Several buildings, all in the same color red, stood mostly empty, but well cared for around the house. The lawn was freshly mowed and the dirt road was well maintained from the house to the main road. The two were a vibrate contrast of green and light brown in the early evening sun as she walked by.



Tara inhaled, enjoying the fresh pine scent given off by the ten or so tall skinny trees that stood next to the house. She looked around again, wondering where Jay had gone off to. The demon fighter tended to wander off on her own to work out at various times of the day, but Tara needed to speak with her now. She was ready to let Jay know her decision of what she wanted.



The stillness of the country allowed Tara to pick up on the faint sounds of music coming from the direction of the river. At this point, the Mississippi was really just a large stream, but she still could only think if it as a river. Tara headed east, towards the banks of the smaller Mississippi. She knew that Jay loved a large, flat spot that overlooked the river just downstream from the farmhouse. It was perfect for working out. It also happened to be close to the small family cemetery that the Reed family had used for the last six generations.



The sun danced along the top of the water as Tara headed towards Jay. The music, the same music Jay had been working out to for weeks, became louder. To Tara, Jay’s choice of motivational tunes didn’t really make sense, but she wasn’t the one who was training to physically defeat a hell god.



Tara thought as the song’s lyrics became clearer.



Tara caught a glimpse of her first real friend on top of the small plateau. Jay was dressed in a black t-shirt and shorts with big black combat boots rounding out her attire. Her newly clipped short hair looked like someone had put a black brill-o pad on her head. The fighter was going through a complex set of routines with two of her swords, one in each hand.



Tara lost sight of Jay when the path she was on dipped down and around, bringing the Wicca almost to the river’s edge. Tara slowed and stopped, seeming to look into the murky waters, but not really seeing. Something in the music Jay was listening to touched her, causing her to reflect. To think about her decision once more and make sure she was making the right one.



“I wish I knew who I was, for sure,” Tara said softly to herself. “I always thought I knew who I’d be, but now I know that I haven’t seen it all. I haven’t seen anything.” She mentally shook herself and began to walk again. She listened again to the words of the song as they became even louder and Tara’s mind became clearer. She sang along softly as she rounded the last corner and started up the hill towards Jay.



“I’ve seen it all, I’ve seen the dark, I’ve seen the brightness in one little spark, I have seen what I choose, and I’ve seen what I need, and that is enough, to want more would be greed. I’ve seen what I was and I know what I’ll be, I’ve seen it all, there is no more to see.”



As she reached the top of the small hill, Tara saw Jay’s mouth silently singing along with the music as her body did the dance of a devastating killer. It was almost art, Tara thought as she watched Jay move fluidly from one maneuver to another. But through out it all, Tara could feel Jay’s sadness over what she had become, over what she had seen, and what she was destined to be.



The song ended and Jay’s movements stopped. She bent down and hit stop on the portable CD player, setting her blades down next to it. Jay stood and turned, fully looking at Tara for the first time.



Their eyes met, and an understanding passed between them. A certain sadness, yes, over what had been lost, over what was ahead of them. But for Tara, the moment also held the promise of a new future, one that until that moment, she had been unwilling to fully accept. And she was happy.



“You’re going to work for the clans then,” Jay said as a statement of fact.



“Yes.” Tara replied simply.



Jay looked at Tara more intensely. This young woman in front of her may not be the exact same one who had walked the path to this spot along the river hundreds of times as a kid. Or the same one who had stood by her, even at such a young age, and simply held her hand as she watched her brother Jason placed in the small graveyard behind them. Understanding and helping the morose teenaged Jay cope with the first death of many in the older woman’s life.



This Tara was, though, the one who stood by her as she watched her brother Jack, her idol, be laid to rest next to her parents and other brother. The young woman who had held her hand and understood, and accepted, what Jay had become in order to kill him. This Tara would be the one who would find a way to help Jay escape fate and find some sort of happiness at the end of the yellow brick road.



“And what about your happiness,” Jay asked, suddenly, as if reading Tara’s mind. “You’ll be going with me to Sunnydale?”



“Yes,” Tara gave a crooked smile. “I have to know. I have to know if I can be happy.”



“You will be,” Jay replied and turned, reaching down for her swords once again.



Tara, seeing that the conversation was over, retreated back down the path toward the house. She paused, suddenly, hearing a new workout song for the first time in weeks, and smiled.



“If living, is seeing, I’m holding my breath. In wonder, I wonder, what happens next. A new world, a new day to see…”



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



In a private room in the busiest hospital in Chicago, Cleo sat reading aloud to Jay’s partner, Kim. The blonde doctor hadn’t shown any signs of response to outside stimulus, but Cleo wouldn’t give up. It pissed her off that Jay wasn’t here, taking care of this, but she understood. Cleo knew her friend couldn’t handle another heartbreak of such magnitude, and that if Kim didn’t make it, Jay would be lost.



Cleo signed and continued. She shook her head in disgust, scanning the article she was about to start to read aloud.



“Described as a work in progress by director Curtis Johansen, rap star Eminem’s new movie 8 mile garnered rave reviews at the recent Toronto Film Festival. Many critics say that given this year’s crop of movies, the controversial rap star may be in the lead for an Academy Award nomination…”



“No.” Kim’s raspy voice stopped Cleo in midstream.



Cleo dropped the magazine and moved closer to Kim’s bed. The doctor looked up at her for a moment, and then closed her eyes.



“Kim?” Cleo asked. “Kim, can you answer me?” Cleo raised her voice.



Kim was as before, unmoving and unaware.



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



Willow gasped and flinched as if something had jumped out in front of her and yelled ‘ooga, booga’. Billy Joe and Buffy looked at her with concern. The trio were sitting at a table in he Espresso Pump, talking demon-fighting strategy before Willow went to a late afternoon class.



“Will,” Buffy asked, “are you okay?”



“Yeah,” she replied, a tad unsure. “I just felt something.”



“Demetrious?” Billy asked, glancing around the café.



“No,” Willow tried to gather her thoughts. “It’s definitely not him. But it’s not too good either.” She looked at the pair across from her. “And I think it’s headed this way.”



“Looks like we’ve got this week’s creature feature,” Buffy quipped. “I was worried things were getting too slow around here.”



“I guess,” Willow replied.



“I’ll get Mr. Hahn to start researching any mystical events that are coming up,” Billy offered. “Or see if any of hell’s prisoners have broken out and are looking for payback.”



“How long does he have for research?” Buffy asked. “Cause I’ve got a pretty long list.”



“We do too,” Billy looked at the Slayer. “But either we’ll find it or be ready when the bad guys ride into town.”



“Well, it can’t be any worse than..”A stern look from Buffy cut Willow off in mid sentence.



“Will! You know the rule.” Buffy shook her head.



“Hey!” Willow chaffed under Buffy’s stare. “I didn’t finish.”



“Doesn’t matter,” Billy said calmly, sipping his iced mocha. “Even if you start to say it, sometimes even just think it, the whole thing gets worse.”



“Great.” Buffy and Willow replied together.









At a table Outside the Espresso Pump sat the balding cell phone man from the Bronze. He was, again, on the cell phone, talking and watching Willow and Billy Joe. Buffy just happened to be there.



“It’s me,” pause, “yes.” The man pushed his prescription sunglasses back up to the bridge of his nose. Today the man more jeans and a red ‘I love LA’ t-shirt. “Yes,” another pause. The man took a sip of his iced grande vanilla latte, enjoying the smooth mix of coffee, milk, and vanilla.



“No. This Demetrious thing has most of their attention. They don’t suspect.” Another pause. “I’m sure. Willow and her crowd don’t even know the story.” Balding man smiled, running his free hand over his short black hair and bare skin on top of his head.



“Come on,” the man scoffed. “Is there ever a good time to tell your latest recruit about what happened to the last one? Especially when it involves death. Never a strong employment selling point.”



The man watched as Willow, Buffy, and Billy Joe exited the Espresso Pump and went their separate ways. The man’s eyes lingered on Willow as she headed towards the UC-Sunnydale campus.



“It won’t matter,” the man smiled into the phone. “Even if Willow stays with the clans. Even if Tara goes with her, the Chicago team will die. Demetrious or not.”





TBC





Author's Endnote:

In case you're wondering, the two songs that are used in this part are: "I've Seen It All" and "New World" from Bjork's Selma Songs CD aka Dancer in the Dark soundtrack. Both the CD and the movie are most excellent.







"...and if you've got no other choice, you know you can follow my voice, through the dark turns and noise of this Wicked Little Town..."--Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Edited by: hermitstull at: 10/1/02 8:39:37 pm

[Roseriotgrrl]

I totally love this brilliant fic of yours. Can't wait to see Willow and Tara together. Pretty please post more soon?



~Roseriot~

[hermitstull]

Roseriot-

Thank you! I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long!



Part 4



Disclaimers and Warings: Not mine but fun. Violence, profanity, and general angst make appearances. Watch out.



Feedback: Yes please!



Author's Note:

Just a little bit of filler and a big set up in this tale. This part is again split into the past and present.



Summary:

The mission hits a snag. The gang reconciles with talk of Tara.















1991



Billy Joe had been right. It was a zombie armada in the basement. Bob had known they were coming and had been stocking. Every team member had at least three zombies a piece to fight off. Bob, a short bald black man with midnight eyes and an evil grin, sat on a dais away from the fray, enjoying the show.



Jay and Devon were the closest to the witch doctor, but neither had a clear shot at attacking the master. Suddenly, one of them caught a break. Devon swung both his blades at the zombie he was fighting, cutting it in two. He turned and kicked another, sending it flying into a third that was stumbling his direction. The young man leapt up and over the head of another zombie and onto Bob’s platform.



“This ends now,” Devon said triumphantly, raising his sword to strike the shorter man.



“Yes it does,” Bob replied in heavily accented English.



“No!” Jay shouted, to late.



Bob moved before Devon knew what hit him. One hand was on the young man’s chest, the other on his mouth. Devon’s body began to shake and sway and Bob drained his life force.



Claude chanted a phrase in Latin, knocking the zombies surrounding Jay to the ground. The assassin didn’t waste anytime, leaping up to the dais and pulling Devon away from Bob’s grip. The young man tumbled off the platform and hit the packed dirt floor hard.



With a lightning quick motion, Bob reached for Jay as he had for Devon, but she was too fast for him. Bob grasped at empty space. Jay had flipped neatly over his head, landing behind him. Without turning, she thrust her sword into his back.



Bob cried out in agony as the blade severed his spinal cord. Jay spun quickly, pulling the sword from his back and decapitated the zombie master as he fell. The zombies in the room silently toppled and joined their master in death.



“DEVON!” Cleo shouted, racing to where the young man lay. She took his vitals.



Billy Joe was next to reach the young man. Max shoved the pair out of the way.



“Come on Devon,” Max coaxed. He began the healing trance, trying to bring the teenager back from the brink of death.







2002



The core Scoobies, the originals: Buffy the Slayer, Willow the witch, and Xander sat in the living room of Casa de Summers. They were trying to have one of their famous video nights, but no one was really paying much attention to what was happening on the screen.



Willow had been back in Sunnydale for a little over a month and picked up pretty much where things had left off. She was back in school, completing her spring incomplete classes as well as taking her new fall ones.



Buffy was back to regular slaying, sometimes even with Dawn as help, without the complications of running into Spike. The platinum haired vampire hadn’t been seen since May.



Xander was Xander. Still working hard, leading his construction crew who were currently putting the finishing touches on the new Sunnydale High School.



Only Giles was missing. The watcher had accompanied Willow back from England and was spending an extra few weeks in the States to make sure her transition back was successful. He had opted to go on patrol with Billy Joe to give the remaining Scoobies a chance to reconnect with each other.



Willow looked around the room at her closest friends and sighed softly. Willow sent a puff of air upward, displacing her bangs for a moment. < And I know they all got to see her, before she left with Jay. >



“It was hard,” Willow said not looking at anyone in particular. “It was so hard in the first few days, I thought that I would die.”



Xander reached for the remote and hit pause. “What Will?” He asked.



“This. Living. It was so hard. I barely remember those first few days after….after she died and I went crazy.” Willow’s tone was sad, but her voice was strong. “I have flashes of what happened. Xander,” she smiled at her long time companion, “talking to me about crayons on the hill. Buffy holding me up at the funeral.” She looked at the Slayer. “I couldn’t have made it though the thing if you hadn’t been there. And Giles,” Willow thought of her mentor, “who stayed with me those first nights in England. Holding my hand every time as I cried myself to sleep. It was so hard. Coming back.”



“We know Will,” Buffy said warmly. “We’ll always be here for you.”



“Thanks,” Willow smiled. “I know. But it’s better now. A little. I still feel an ache in here,” Willow put her hand on her chest. “But it’s a little better.”



“Well sure,” Xander said. “Especially now that Tara’s back.”

Willow paused, still not really looking at anyone.



she asked herself.



“It was better, even before I knew she was alive.” Willow clarified. “And who am I kidding? I’m ecstatic that Tara is alive. Even if it’s not exactly the same Tara I knew. I love her, no matter what.”



“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Xander asked. “But what happens if it doesn’t work out with this Tara?”



Willow looked at him for the first time. “Then I move on. Slowly. Painfully. I move on. I already had a second chance. I can’t be too greedy, ya know? I can’t keep looking for her to round the corner and sweep me off my feet. She’s alive. I’m here. If it’s meant to be, it will happen.”



“Wow.” Buffy was impressed. “I can’t believe you’re so calm about the entire thing.”



“That’s the little speech I always give myself before the emotional roller coaster starts up,” Willow replied, looking at Buffy. “Then it’s back to watching the door and waiting.”



The gang chuckled softly at Willow’s joke.



“Tell me more about Jay,” Buffy asked. “Billy Joe seems pretty cool.”



“He is,” Willow replied. “And, well, I really don’t know Jay all that well. We only had a few conversations before she fought Demetrious. But she seems really cool."



“Because one hell god in this life time isn’t enough.” Xander chimed in.



“Oh yeah,” Willow readily agreed. “At least this one isn’t after us directly.”



“Good thing,” Buffy responded. “I don’t think my wardrobe can survive another godly showdown.” The group shared another laugh.



“So, back to Jay,” Buffy returned to the topic she had started. “She must be pretty torn up about her girlfriend. How can she just leave her in a coma and come here?”



“I don’t know,” Willow said. “I asked Billy Joe about it and he said that it’s the only way she can cope right now. There’s a big Samsonite bag involved there. Plus, she’s got this thing, saving the world, and she’s got to stick to it, no matter what happens.” She looked at Buffy. “Sound familiar?”



“I guess,” Buffy replied. “But if that was someone I cared for, my soul mate, I don’t think that I could be so..I don’t know, detached?”



“I don’t think she is, really,” Willow said. “But I guess we’ll find out. She’ll be in Sunnydale in a few days.”



A comfortable silence fell among the four friends. The movie started itself, but Xander hit stop. He stood and made his way over to the chair Willow was seated in.



“Um,” Willow looked up at her friend. “Better door than window?”



Xander knelt down and pulled Willow into a fierce hug. “I’m so glad that you’re back and that you’re okay.” His voice full of emotion. “I was worried that you wouldn’t come back. Or that you’d come back…”



“Wrong.” Willow supplied, returning the hug.



“Or something.” The young man stood and wiped small tears from his eyes. “I’m glad your back and your okay.”



“You already said that,” Willow joked, wiping away her own happy tears.



“I can’t say it enough,” Xander replied, smiling. He moved back to his place on the floor a few feet away from the TV set.



“So Buffy,” Willow looked at her other best friend. “Tell me about seeing Tara.”



“It was great,” Buffy beamed. “I mean it was okay.” She quickly said, not as brightly.



“It’s okay,” Willow smiled. “I’m sure it was great. It was great when I spoke to her in Chicago. Well, not really spoke. More like lusted at from down the hallway…”



“Boy, that girl travel’s fast,” Xander said.



“Private jet,” Buffy said. “She hopped on one of their private jets. Only one teleportation a month she said.”



“Tara teleported?” Willow was surprised.



“It was cool. I was all ‘I want to see Tara now’ to Faith and poof, there she was,” Buffy explained.



“Wait,” Willow said, shaking her head. “Tell you what. You catch me up on Sunnydale and I’ll fill you in on Chicago.” She grinned at Xander and Buffy.



“Deal.” The pair replied.



TBC





"...and if you've got no other choice, you know you can follow my voice, through the dark turns and noise of this Wicked Little Town..."--Hedwig and the Angry Inch