New fic: Dark Core

[bluewillowwitch]

Washi ,

Loved the update! I thought that the fight scene was great. YAY! and talked. I love the reaction that had when got hit with the dark magic. I was surprised that could stop herself, what willpower. I hope that will be okay. You are a ! That cliffhanger was . Can't wait to more. Update soon, please?







Grace

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

"Fate keeps on happening."--Anita Loos

[YMKA]

WASHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YA BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I missed ya man!!!!!!!

You are very welcome...really Glad I could help

And I get to leave a reply before Holls....that's a wow...

I really liked the first paragraph of this update......really cool description!

Really loved the whole W/T when they "first" met...so cute...and Willow being distracted...LOL "Someone help me."<------- that's was sooooooo cute

And that cliffhanger....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ARG!!!!! and the part was too damn short....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOL

I WANT MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please.....



M.

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

"..I feel you, I taste you, I cannot forget, everytime it rains I get wet..." (c) Ace of Base

[intricate mirage]

Washi!!!! You. Are. Back!!!

Aww dude missed you mann! The first paragraph was great. It was almost as though I had the whole scene playing out in my head. Anya cutting in to tell Willow she looks like hell Definitely Anya!

Quote:

---

“Yeah, I know, I look like shit. But, I feel better, and hey, if vampires jump us, they’ll probably think I’m dead, so they won’t bother me.” She grinned.

---

Yay! Good old Willow humour is back



Hmm Tara deciding not to read Willow's Aura without her consent, really brought back to focus the angsty struggle for not just Willow, but Tara too. But at least the two of them were doing ok during the patrol. Willow thoughts were so funny! Kinda noisy up there with all those thoughts about Tara's body and all...



The nerds... Jonathan That big meanie! Sending Willow that blast of dark magicks and hurting her like that

Quote:

---

“You son of a bitch! I’m gonna kill you!” she yelled, her voice cold and hard, turning the melodic voice to ice shards. She was about to utter a spell to make his head explode when she felt herself come back to her senses.

---

Ok this bit, part of me was going 'Yay, protective Tara' but the other part of me was saying 'good god! this is Tara speaking' I'm just glad she came back to her senses.



It has definitely been worth the wait for the update. So... Update soon, please? Hehe

~ Cassie

---

My fountain of strength that never runs dry

You are the shooting star across the midnight sky

[willowsgirl]

Yay, Washi's back!!!

Sorry to hear about all your computer troubles,and losing some of your website, thats so harsh. But at least u still have dark core! Fantastic update, although a bit of a naughty cliffhanger there- how dare you! LOL.

Anyways, gotta run, am gonna b late for work cos i was reading the update!!

More soon?



willowsgirl xx

[Grimlock72]

Oh I certainly wouldn't have minded if Jonathan head had been blown to pieces. Trouble is Tara would blame herself for it, which would be a waste of time. Jonathan is actually the worst of the trio, he has been doing stupid things for YEARS remember ?? Would be nice to know how much dark stuff he send to Willow.



Three cheers for Spike for hitting Jonathan with the shovel. Can we give Jonathan to him as a present ?? : --> : -->



I'm not too happy with letting the police arrest them nerds, the reason is simple; there's very little the police can hold them on. Some kids wrecking the a grave won't go to prison. Never mind Jonathan's assault on Willow which can't be proven for a normal court anyway (aggravated magical assault 2nd degree ?? naaah).



Furthermore I'm left wondering if those nerds will ever better their ways. Oddly I think only Andrew can really do that since he just adapts his behaviour to whoever he likes at the time. So get him a nice person as a boyfriend and you're set. Warren will likely be power-hungry forever and Jonathan thinks he's being mistreated by the world in general. (as opposed to solving his own problems, like Willow did/does)



Hmm... nerds in prison after having hurt a witches girlfriend... that sounds familliar : --> .



I agree with Tara that Willow is in no condition to be out on patrol. She's more of a liability than a help in her current state. I think that extra dose of black stuff will lengthen her detox period, even more cramps... of course there WILL be more magic users around in Sunnydale using dark magic, so Willow should at the minimum be protected against it. Either by using a charm or by knowing defensive spells/shields. Poor Willow... even more cramps and vomitting...



Oh yeah, this line was interesting when the scoobs saw Willow: " at seeing Willow struggle back from the overpowering darkness.". Pretty far off the mark, currently Willow is mostly struggling back from lack of sleep and food. I would even dare say it's not so much the 'darkness' but overall withdrawal of using magic at all. Remember she has been using magic to keep pretty much everybody safe at large scale since Buffy jumped from that tower. Whatever ELSE happened just stopping doing magic at all is a big change for her body, like an athelete suddenly stopping running long-distance.... not fun to do. (and of course in Willow's case it does little to tackle the underlying problems)



I still recommend Willow to move away from Sunnydale for a couple of months, get clean somewhere ELSE. Thats bound to be both easier and healthier. She can take Tara with her if she wants. Locations to avoid: Bath (UK), L.A. and Sunnydale itself of course



Hope you've installed a nice virus-scanner on your pc now (and a firewall while you're busy installing). Make regular backups of changing stuff using a CD-RW (or DVD-RW if you have a dvd writer). Good thing you still have dark core, though loosing part of your website sucks of course. You could ask visitors to your site if they have some of the stuff you lost. Good luck rebuilding!



Grimmy

--
"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

Edited by: Grimlock72 at: 11/1/03 4:12 am

[LostWithoutTara]

Hey Washi, sorry to hear about your computer being a pain. My laptop did something similar a little while ago, although admittedly that was my fault (I knocked a glass of water onto it ).



Anyway, feedback time!



It's good to see Willow making some tentative steps back into her old world, although maybe she's being a bit hasty. Her magic (ab)use started with her desire to help the Scoobs, and the last thing she needs is to be faced with a situation where she *has* to do magic to help her friends. I hope she'll manage to stay strong and hopefully the physical withdrawal symptoms will fade with time .



Tara was great, so protective of Willow. I was pretty alarmed by what she said to Jonathon, but I respect her degree of self-control in not hurting him. I can imagine it would take a lot to manage to control yourself in such a situation. I hope that magic blast didn't harm Willow .



Also yay for those damn nerds being caught. I wonder why exactly they were digging up graves, and hope they get some kind of punishment for it. Did the events of 'Dead Things' still occur? If that's the case, there's a chance the nerds could get sent down for murdering poor Katrina. I hope they get their comeuppance (preferably in the goriest way possible).



Anyway, great update, and the cliffhanger has me anxiously awaiting more.

Every time you walk away, I pretend that I'm okay

[Karmah]

Washi

Hey hun loved the new update. Wow check out Tara. I love this fic. please update soon I need to know how Willow is and what that lil weasel Johnaton did to her. Ok sweetie great job and update soon like ummm very soon please.

Arron

[SJ]

Great update

[sabina]

Hi Washi



I had no idea you were reading my story. I'm glad you're liking it though, you're such a terrific writer



I was really sorry to hear that you lost part of your work when your computer crashed



Now back to dark core:

This was a great update

Your exchange of words between Willow and Anya made me smile. Anya speaking exactly her mind and Willow accepting it for what it was, a sign that things were coming back to normal



I'm sorry that Tara changed her mind about that spell to make Jonathan's head explode

All right, I know Tara would never do that... but still it was nice to see her so protective of Willow



I'm really curious to know what happens next...



More soon?

---

"I know I was born and I know that I'll die.

The in between is mine.

I am mine!" - Pearl Jam

[Spot]

Hey Washi!

Glad to see you're back! Loved the update, especially WIllow and Tara talking again. Sorry about you're computer and your website.

Evil cliffhanger arghhh! O well

Can't wait for the next one!

-michelle

"Love is giving someone the ability to destroy you, and trusting them not to."

[WillowPowered]

Ohhhhhh now see that was mean leaving me all worried.



As always, well written.



Jill

~~~~~~~~

Willow - Say, you all didn't happen to do a bunch of drugs did ya?



My Home Page



“Bite me” - the general, all-purpose response suitable for all occasions.

[littlecrazy80]

That was mean! I need an update asap!!!



*lil´c*

Let´s get happy and let´s be gay. germany´s grand prix song



Check this out

[bla bla bla]

um... no.



see, you don't just leave it there. you can't just update like that and then leave it THERE. you have to update, right now. it's a rule. my rule, that i made up just now, but a rule's a rule.



hm.. can't believe i'm so into this. nice one

"Hey Dykorama!"

"The name's Dyke. O. - and that's Ms. Rama to you."

[thebardgirl]

hmmm now what was i going to do once done reading the last update.....oh yea...





WASHI!!! DUDE! I LOVE YOUR FIC!!! YOU ARE MAKING MAH DAY, MAN!!! seriously now.....i love it....i love your willow, your tara....your anya...i love everything about it!! and i hope your update will not be delayed by evil computers....evil gremlins that make computers be evil or the wombats....*shifty eyes* you gotta watch out for wombats....its so cool though! i really liked the way you handled the three stoogies...excellent so say i!!

-elizabeth

Last night in sweet slumber I dreamed I did see my own precious jewel sat smiling by me.

And when I awakened I found it not so; my eyes like some fountain with tears overflowed.

[ZeFlannelSheep]

Awww come on - you can't stop there - it's tantamount to cruelty to your loyal readers



Love the way this story is going and looking forward to the next (long and in no way cliffhangery) installment.

[TemperedCynic]

hey, Washi, good to see you back online.



This is an interesting twist with Tara's reaction to Willow's being hurt by Jonathon, and I hope to see more. Delving into Tara's traditionally pure character and seeing something more gritty and human is refreshing to me. As long as our girls end up together in the end, I'll happily take this ride with you.

---

More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly. Woody Allen (1935 - )

[Washi]

TITLE: Dark Core 5/?

AUTHOR: Washi (ZWS)

EMAIL: washi@dark-bliss.net

RATING: R, to be safe.

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own the characters, Joss does or whoever. If I owned them, do you really think I would let season 6 happen? And why the hell would I be writing this?

So yeah, all belongs to Joss, ME etc...

The lyrics in this piece are owned by their respective owners.

SPOILERS: Season 6, Older and Far Away. It veers off cannon afterwards.

FEEDBACK: I love it, I live for it, either here or by email, although here is better.

ARCHIVE: It's on Blood and Ink. Ask and ye shall receive.

ANGST: Be carefull kittens, the ride is gonna be really angsty, and I'm not kidding here. Cliffhanger warning!

Thanks: Many thank yous to YMKA and Taras Shadow for their help, and also to bzengo and FIRESIGN.

NOTES: I don't have a beta in the real sense, but YMKA and Holly helped me along. Thanks again girls. All mistakes are mine.



Thoughts are in < > as always. Flashbacks, song lyrics and such are in italics.



Cliffhanger warning! Kinda, Sorta...



NOTE: In this update, we kinda see what each person sees, how they act, what they think. Tell me what you think.



Many thank-yous to FIRESIGN.



*****



“Willow!” she heard Tara shout as she fell.



She felt the magicks in her veins, pumping in her blood with an infinite sweetness. She could taste it in her mouth, and with the sweetness came bitterness. It was too sweet, nauseous even. Too sweet to be pure. It was tainted, and it left a bitter taste in her mouth, the taste of bile.







She felt her muscles tighten, and she knew that her whole body was about to cramp up. She resisted.

The magical lure changed, and it now beckoned her to join it, seducing her to use it, to cast a spell. She suddenly knew what it felt like for Ulysses when the Sirens called to him. The magic in her body was like a sweet song, whispered after making love.



“Use me, take me. Relieve the pain, feel the release.” It told her over and over.



But that voice was overlapped by anther one, a sensual voice that made her skin tingle in a sweeter and truer way.



I’m under your spell,

Surging like the sea,

Pulled to you so helplessly.

I break with every swell,

Lost in ecstasy,

Spread beneath my Willow tree,

You make me complete…



Her resolve to not use magic increased and she felt her back arch, her whole body rising off, standing only on her shoulders and heels.



The pain.



The pain was too strong, her jaw was locked tight. She wanted to express her agony, but was unable to. Tears ran down her face as she struggled for air. She saw Xander looming over her, his lips moving, forming words she couldn’t hear. She could only hear the husky sensual voice that made her refuse the magic.



The moon to the tide,

I can feel you inside…



she screamed inwardly as pain filled her blood, it’s strength running through her whole being, igniting fire in all her stiff body. Yet, her body felt cold, so cold.



Suddenly, she felt her leg muscles start to relax, starting a chain reaction as the rest of her muscles followed until her body lowered itself to the ground. The pain in her muscles was quickly replaced by a sharp pain in her chest. The pain was similar to the cramps and Willow’s mind knew instinctively what was happening.



The realization hit her like a train and she slowly unlocked her jaw and whispered to Xander.



“My heart. Cramping up. Heart attack. Tell... tell Tara… I… love her… I’m sorry… Tell her. Please... I... love.. you… all.” she choked out, tears of helplessness falling down her face and settling themselves in her ears.



Her eyes were bombarded with visions of her past. Images swirling around and becoming a twister of emotions.



Her parents, leaving her for another conference, leaving her alone in the house, unresponsive to her good grades and off-the-charts IQ.

Xander getting beaten up to defend her. Her, Jesse and Xander, playing, laughing.

Buffy’s meeting. Jesse dying. The master. Spike and Drusilla coming to town. Ms Calendar dying. Oz becoming a werewolf.

The soul-restoration spell on Angelus, Buffy leaving, then coming back, Faith, Oz giving her the witch Pez, the Fluke, Buffy revealing that Angel’s back, Spike holding her hostage while he talked about Drusilla dumping him. Faith bonding with Buffy. Her, feeling left out. Her doppelganger coming into town. Getting kidnapped by the Mayor. Faith in a coma, her first time. The big fight on Graduation day.

College, seeing Oz and Veruca in the cage together, Oz leaving, her loneliness, the Wicca Group, The Gentlemen, meeting Tara, the soda machine spell, the rose spell, the doll’s eye crystal, looking for Faith with Tara, Tara sensing the body-swap, the nether realm spell, Tara being hurt by a demon, the Lowell House, Oz coming back, the Initiative catching him, making her choice and telling Buffy about her relationship with Tara, coming out to the whole gang.

Waking up in Tara’s arms, making love to Tara, being made love to.

Killing Adam, the first Slayer coming in their dreams. Dawn, Dracula, Harmony, two Xanders, the Magic Shop, Riley being sick, Joyce being sick, Tara’s family and her secret revealed, Joyce being diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Tara and her on a sleeping bag looking at the stars.

The success of Joyce’s operation, Riley leaving, Anya and the Troll, the Watcher’s council, Glory being an actual Hell God, and Dawn being the actual Key. The teleportation spell, Spike’s love for Buffy, Warren Mears and his sex-bot. Joyce’s death, the funeral, Dawn almost resurrecting Joyce. The Buffy-bot and Glory beating Spike almost to actual death.

The fight with Tara that made her love vulnerable for Glory to suck her brain, her inability to cast a spell on time. The hospital, her running out and with dark magicks making Glory scream with pain. Buffy rescuing her. Glory finding them again, them fleeing, the small run-down place they stayed in, the knights, Giles and his injury, Ben coming along, turning into Glory and taking Dawn. Buffy, catatonic and she in her mind, coaxing her out.

Her pulling Tara’s sanity back from Glory, the relief of Tara’s well-being and the grief of Buffy’s death.

The pain. The pressure, the patrols, the magicks.

The pain.

Tara, Dawn and her.

The resurrection, the hitchhiker, Anya and Xander’s engagement. Dawn and the vampires, the first forget-spell. Tara’s love song and the revelation that Buffy was in Heaven.

The pain.

Another forget spell that goes wrong. Tara packing and leaving. Giles leaving. Amy and Rack.

The pain.

Dawn’s accident.

The pain.

The struggle to get free of the magic.

The pain.

The hurt in Tara’s eyes and how she defended her.

The pain.

Tara’s smile. Tara. Tara. Tara.

The pain.



The pain became too much, pounding at every fiber in her being, like the visions were blasting in her synapses, making her light-headed, squeezing her chest, eating away at the oxygen in her blood.

She drew in a broken breath, gasping as the pain intensified.

She fell into darkness, the last image in her mind that of Tara’s smile earlier that night.



*****



“Willow! Wake up Wills! Oh God! Oh God! Willow!” Xander bellowed, tapping gently on her cheek. Tears sprang to his eyes as he looked at her unfocused orbs, filled with tears of agony.



Her body relaxed and her jaw unlocked. She turned to him and locked her pained green eyes on his.



“My heart. Cramping up. Heart attack. Tell.. tell Tara… I… love her… I’m sorry… Tell her. Love.. you… all.” she gasped out before her eyes became unfocused again, glassy, her widening gaze travelling somewhere upwards, unseeing.







She drew in a shuddering breath and her eyes drifted shut. Her chest trembled slightly as she tried to gasp in an extra breath. Her breathing rattled and her chest shook before stopping, all movement gone.



“No! No! Oh God! No!” he continued screaming as a blind panic seized him.



*****



Tara ran to her ex-lover, tears already streaming down her face at Xander’s keening.







She fell down on her knees beside her lover and cradled her head in her hands.



“Willow, sweetie, please, sweetie, it’s me Tara, say something. Please.”



She looked helplessly at Xander who was crying, bitter tears of mourning already falling down his face. He suddenly looked up and tore Willow from her grip.



“We need to start CPR. Tara, you get the breathing, I get the compressions!”



She tilted Willow’s head back and pinched her nose before she lowered her face to hers, pushing in a mouthful of air. She looked for signs of responsiveness, but didn’t find any. She blew into her again. Not seeing any results, Xander placed his hands on Willow’s chest and pushed down. Again, and again. Her heart just wasn’t responding.



“She said something about a cramp. In her heart. Can you do something?” he said as panic took him over once more at his friend’s lack of response.



Tara pushed down the bile that was building in the back of her throat and nodded. She felt the other Scoobies fall on their knees beside her, but she didn’t take notice of them. All she could see was Willow. Willow’s body, unmoving. The body she loved, the body she made love to, the body she had held at night, the body that held her and that was now motionless.

She shook her head to be calm. She needed to be calm for the spell.

She focused her healing energy on Willow and chanted. Her hand became almost transparent and completely covered in light. She pushed her hand into Willow’s body, focusing her mind on an image of a beating heart. She reached it and began massaging it, trying to make it relax. Sweat formed on her brow, but she didn’t stop.







Suddenly, as if the deity heard her plea, the heart relaxed and took one shuddering compression. Tara quickly took her hand out of Willow’s body as she felt a second one. Her heart beats were irregular, but it beat, her chest moving with each cycle. Tara felt herself being pushed out of the way as two paramedics took over. They checked on Willow’s pulse and loaded her quickly into the ambulance. Tara got in next to her, even though the words the paramedics were saying didn’t enter through her daze. She watched as they cut Willow’s clothing and stuck monitor leads on either sides of her collarbones. They inserted a tube down Willow’s throat and started pushing air in her lungs. The paramedics were still talking, but her foggy mind couldn’t understand. A joyous cry from them made her lift her head for a moment, watching them as they taped the IV tube into Willow’s left wrist. She lowered her head and prayed as the ambulance rushed forward and her tears fell.



*****



Buffy turned to Spike after he struck Jonathan with the shovel, and he understood that he needed to stay and watch the nerds. The police was almost there, the ambulance right behind them. He nodded even as Buffy started running towards her fallen friend. She heard Xander’s screams and ran as fast as she could, her heart pounding with a feeling she hadn’t experienced since the night she came back: fear.







She saw Tara falling on her knees in front of Willow, her face stricken as she tried to make Willow wake up. She saw Xander and Tara start CPR and then, she too fell down on her knees, just in time to see Tara's translucid hand sink into Willow's chest. She felt the shadow that was clouding her feelings lift, and she felt something, deep inside, as the feelings of fear and plain terror found their way into her sheltered heart. The emotions that she hadn't been feeling fell into her at once as she watched Tara work. She felt alive and raw, and so afraid that she was almost paralyzed by fear.

Turning her head, she saw the ambulance stop and she jumped to her feet as her tears fell. She swiped at them angrily and she ran to the paramedics and pointed towards Willow's fallen body, not trusting her voice.







*****



Anya ran to Willow’s body as Xander cried out his disbelief. She couldn’t believe what was happening and didn’t know what to do. She needed someone to explain. To explain to her why Willow was on he ground, not moving and why a blast of dark magic did that to her. So, she ran.







She saw Buffy fall to her knees and her own legs gave out from under her body.







She saw Buffy get up and run towards the ambulance that had just pulled up and she pondered at whether or not she should call on D'Hoffryn for vengeance. She watched as the paramedics literally pushed Tara out of the way and loaded Willow into the ambulance, Tara going in the rig with them before the doors closed and the ambulance left, it's lights flashing in the night.



*****



TBC...

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



"See? I've mastered this tact crap." Anya in Tears Of The Goddess by Lisa



The course of love doesn’t always run smooth, especially for the neurotic and accident-prone. ~ LadyB



.:Dark-bliss.net :..:My blog:..:Blood and Ink:.

Edited by: Washi  at: 11/3/03 2:12 pm

[Washi]

Hey all!



Thanks to everyone for reading! Here are the replies, and the update will follow.



bluewillowwitch: Hey you! I'm glad you liked the update. And yes, I'm evil plenty. Thanks for r&r. I hope you like the next update.



YMKA: Hey you, yep, I'm back. The first paragraph of the update was inspired by Stephen King's Salem's lot. Thanks for r&r and hope you like the next part.



intricate mirage: Hey! You know, it's funny how many people were shocked or weirded out from what Tara said. When I was writing it, I thought many times that I should change it, but then, I used my brain cells.

No matter how calm, quiet, peaceful, pure you are, when someone hurts someone you love, you can't control it. And Tara has already shown her protective nature in OAFA. It will be explained though, so no worries. Thanks.



willowsgirl: Hey, thanks for r&r. I'm glad you liked the update, and hehehe, I love being evil!



Grimlock72:Hey. First of all, thanks for r&r.

The nerds stuff will be explained later on. Now, I gotta disagree with you on one point:

Quote:

---

Oh yeah, this line was interesting when the scoobs saw Willow: " at seeing Willow struggle back from the overpowering darkness.". Pretty far off the mark, currently Willow is mostly struggling back from lack of sleep and food.

---

The whole lack of sleep and food, the cramps, the vomiting and all that are all linked to the darkness she has used. It's all linked together. Like a bit spider web.

Thanks for your thoughts, and I'm getting a ton of stuff back. Hope you like the rest of the story.



LostWithoutTara: Hey! Water and computers don't mix.

Yeah, the thing is that Willow needs to feel like she's needed to feel worthy. And, how about a big 'no comment' to the rest. Most of that will unfold in time. Thanks, and I hope you like the next part.



Karmah: Hey Arron! Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you love this.

I hope you'll enjoy the rest.



SJ: Simple and concise, I love your feedback. Thanks, and I hope you'll like the next part.



sabina: Hey! I read most stories on Pens, and I'm loving yours and I'm waiting for an update. Aww, me, a terrific writer? Shucks, you're making me blush. Thanks.

I'm glad you like it, and hope you'll love the rest. Thanks.



Spot: Hey Michelle! I gotta tell ya, I'm also loving your newest fic. Waiting for an update here.

Oh, and I gotta warn you, there'll be a bunch more cliffhangers in the future.

Thanks a lot.



WillowPowered: Hey! I gotta tell ya, I'm waiting like an eager puppy for an update to Expensive at Half the Price.

Anyways, thanks for the feedback and the compliment, and I'm glad you're liking this.



littlecrazy80: Hey you! I'm glad I left ya hanging.

Thanks for r&r and update's coming along, when I finish the feedback.



bla bla bla: Hey! Your post made me

I'm glad I got ya hooked! Thanks for your feedback, and I hope you enjoy the rest...



thebardgirl: Hey Liz!

Wombats? nah, I'd say evil ferrets that jump on your head.

I'm glad you love it. Thanks a lot for the reply, and I hope you enjoy the rest.



ZeFlannelSheep: But, you see, Teasing is nice!

Hey! I'm glad you're liking this, but, sorry, the next installement is cliffhangery.



TemperedCynic: Hey you! I'm glad you liked Tara's reaction. Thanks for all your compliments, as always, and I hope you'll like the rest.



Ok, gimme a few minutes to tweak the update a bit, and then, it'll be out there!

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



"See? I've mastered this tact crap." Anya in Tears Of The Goddess by Lisa



The course of love doesn’t always run smooth, especially for the neurotic and accident-prone. ~ LadyB



.:Dark-bliss.net :..:My blog:..:Blood and Ink:.

[Kerrison20]

hi,



That was wrong on so many levels. update soon?



ETA: Just read the update again. I still can't believe you left us hangin' like that. So evil. But in a good way. I can't wait to find out what happens.





Lisa

Edited by: Kerrison20 at: 11/3/03 4:03 pm

[LostWithoutTara]

Whoa. That update was so full of painful, yet delicious angst. And that was a truly evil cliffhanger. You can't leave it there!



Anyways, aside from the sadness of the Willow-pain, yay for Buffy finally feeling *something*, that's definitely a very good experience for her.



Anxiously awaiting the next update (and hoping Willow will be okay )!

Every time you walk away, I pretend that I'm okay

[Spot]

Ohhh another update yay!

ahh also another evil cliffhanger, but you warned me, and i can deal, so long as you keep updating.

loved willow's memories during the heart attack, very powerful and well written.

oh, and also, glad you're enjoying crystalline snowfall.

Cant wait for the next part!

-michelle

[BFR from Paris]

call Dr carter, SAT!!!!!

[snuggle79]

Oh my!

I have missed two incredible updates!

That damn Jonathan!!

I really hope Willow's going to be okay!!

That whole flashback thing was huge!

Very dramatic!

Great update!

snuggle79

This is how everyday should end and start ..and all the stuff in the middle

The greatest thing you'll learn, is just to love and be loved in return.

[YMKA]

Hey Washi

Wow....that's....wow....I'm speechless...really...

I loved it how Willow was able to fight the magic....hearing Tara's singing...that was cool....and with difference between sweetness. The whole paragraph of her life....and the pain.. really loved the ending...and it's so true to real thing (I think you know what I mean).

And Scoobies reactions....gotta love Anya ....

As always...lovely update and I love it, keep it up girl

Oh..I kinda forgot to mention it last time, but it was intresting to see Tara reaction when she saw that Jonathan sent Willow black magics...it was unique....hehe.

Thank you,

Love,



M.

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

"..I feel you, I taste you, I cannot forget, everytime it rains I get wet..." (c) Ace of Base

[undertheirspell]

Loved the update.....grrr evil cliffhanger but it was worth it



ETA: Thank you for telling me what fic I was looking for.

Gina



----------

"The only thing that matters is just following your heart and eventually you'll get it right." ~~~ In This Diary, By - The Ataris

Edited by: undertheirspell at: 11/3/03 6:01 pm

[TemperedCynic]

hey, Washi



A heart attack, caused by overexposure to black magic. What a simple idea. Still the concept has never been explored before. The physical toll that black magic takes on the body. Willow's flashback was well done and very powerful, as was Willow's interaction with her best friend. Poor Xander, always so powerless in the face of such horror. His grieving was raw and believable. Tara's courage saves her ex-girlfriend before Willow succumbs to the heart attack. Buffy has won the battle but the cost is almost too much to bear. The fear she feels introduces her to the real world again, and more discussion about the difficult transition may be needed. Anya sees the actions around Willow more clearly. She cares for Willow, but is not blinded by her emotions to the events around her - very good characterization!



Much angst, but much to hope for in the future. The Scoobies are beaten up, but not defeated yet. Wonderful, Washi!

---

More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly. Woody Allen (1935 - )

[willowfan13]

what a powerful story you've got here...and willow's flashback of her life - you willow-babbled the first six season's

i really liked hearing everyone's view of the situation.



thanks for a great story.

[intricate mirage]

Hey Washi



Erm. reading the previous replies to your latest update, I think I'm gonna feel kinda silly saying this but... I cried Yeah, the tears started falling when Willow first realised her heart was cramping up Then my brain registered the fact that I was crying and went 'Aww crap.' So the tears dried. Then when Tara's pov came into the story, I cried again **blushing hot red right now**



And along with that may I add a 'good god woman you're good!' cause it takes quite a bit to get me all teary eyed. All I can say about this update is that I got so lost in the wave of emotions running through the story and Washi, that says a hell load of stuff about your skills as a writer, but I'll sum it up in three words - damn bloody good

~ Cassie

---

My fountain of strength that never runs dry

You are the shooting star across the midnight sky

[russ]

Washi, to say this was intense is to be guilty of gross understatement. It makes good sense that the magic addiction would have severe physical consequences, in the same way as any other addiction does. It seems that it was actually the act of resisting the siren call that stressed Willow to the point of convulsions, then heart attack. I'm so impressed with Willow's strength and determination not to give in again. Her memory of Tara's love, as expressed through the song, enabled her to not give in to the temptation or the pain.



I like the multiple points of view of this chapter. You've done a good job of capturing each person's essential character as they react to what is happening.



Xander is overcome at first with raw grief, but quickly sets it aside in favour of practical action.



Tara's reaction belies the label of "ex-lover," as she prays, "Don't take away my Willow." She helps Xander with two-person CPR (and isn't it a good thing that your Scoobies are CPR trained), then shows us how magic should be used.



Buffy is shocked out of her depression by Willow's near-death, and poor Anya is once again confused and distressed.



At least you've left us with a glimmer of hope, as Tara's magic plus the paramedics' treatment seems to have gotten Willow's heart started again. Perhaps now she will be forced to stop ignoring the physical effects of her addiction and turn to her friends, and especially Tara, to find her way. And perhaps Tara will be forced to face the fact that she still loves Willow, and will do whatever it takes to make her well.



You mentioned before that I don't leave a lot of feedback around, and unfortunately you're correct. While I really enjoy discussing these stories, there's so little time, and it takes me a while to get my thoughts written down. So, yup, when I write it means I really like.



Russ

[thebardgirl]

dear....now i'm kinda fussing about my room not knowing what to do with myself...my favorite character seems to be constantly hit with the emotional pain and heavy duty stuff....and now, a heart attack. hmm...i needa get me a less-likely-to-be-attacked fav character...i wonder if Clem's got some support groups i can look into?...hmmm....

that was a brilliant update by the way, only it's certainly angsty, i'll say that times ten...and then some...all i can say is wowzers alot right now...you almost broke me, and then, i realized that if you didn't let willow live i'd have to come at you with those evil ferrets and force you to rewrite...so, i didn't feel as bad then.

thanks washi!!!

-elizabeth