See, it's so much prettier when its all one post. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Reflections in Raindrops (12/?)
Authors: Shadowriter (shadowriter@kc.rr.com) and TrueXena
(truexena@columbus.rr.com)
Rating: R
Couples: W/T
Spoilers: Through this season
Notes: This is us trying to get beyond the W/T rift, kind of.
Archiving: Sure, but please talk to us first.
Feedback: Please. Pretty please? Public or private, either one.
Copyright: The characters in the story are the property of Joss Whedon (much
bowing in his general direction) and Mutant Enemy. We are borrowing them for
a short time, but will return them in perfect condition. The plot, however,
is ours.
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Reflections in Raindrops
Part Twelve
The energy flowing through her was primal, seductive, and very powerful. She had felt this before, on a smaller scale, and had reveled in the feel of the power moving through her veins. It had been so long since she'd given the magic free rein, and now it called to her, singing in her mind, in her body......
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The first thing Tara felt was the rain on her skin. She opened her eyes and sat up, looking around in a daze.
All three of them were lying on a sidewalk, not far from where they had run into Amy. It was dark, and appeared very late at night. A storm had developed while they were gone, and Tara shivered from the cold. She was soaked to the skin, her leather jerkin heavy from the water it had absorbed.
She could see Amy lying close to her, in between Tara and Willow. After a glance to make sure the woman was breathing, Tara crawled around her and went to check on Willow, who was lying on her side, curled up in a ball. At first Tara thought she was asleep, until she noticed that Willow was shaking, and her hands were clenching and unclenching.
"Willow?" She touched the redhead's shoulder and was surprised when the woman flinched at her touch. "Hey, come on, it's Tara. Are you okay?"
Slowly, she rolled Willow onto her back, and saw that she was definitely not okay. Her eyes were still black, with sparks flying through them. All of Willow's muscles were tensed, and her jaw was clenched so hard that the veins stood out on her forehead.
"Willow, no. Let it go, let the energy go."
Untamed energy flowed through her now, and it was inviting her to use it, to take hold of it. It was darker than she had ever expected, and more powerful than she had dreamed. She knew, somehow, that if she reached out to it, the darkness would give her whatever she wanted.
Willow showed no sign that she'd heard. Tara grabbed hold of her shoulders and pulled her into a sitting position, then wrapped her arms around the shaking woman.
"Let it go, Willow. You're safe, I've got you. Just let it go."
Still no reaction. Tara was frightened now, and she put her hands on either side of Willow's face, shouting at her. "Willow!"
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She could feel every part of her being, every cell touched by the power that surged through her. It called to her, asking her to stay and be one with it.
But there was another voice calling, one that she would have to give up if she took hold of the magic. The price was more than she could pay, and Willow struggled to break through the darkness she was swimming in.
======
There was a flicker of movement in Willow's eyes, but nothing more. Tara could feel the darkness swirling up through her friend, and she knew she had to break the stranglehold it had. She thought about slapping the woman, but then did something completely different.
She kissed her.
It wasn't a kiss of comfort, nor of passion, but one of possession. Tara held onto Willow, forcing a connection between them. After a long moment, Willow's mouth gently opened, and Tara deepened the kiss with a moan.
They stayed that way for a several long seconds, until Tara's lungs demanded that she breathe. She pulled away with a gasp and stared at Willow, whose eyes were now closed.
"Willow? Come on, sweetie, come back to me."
Slowly, she saw Willow's eyelids flutter up and down, then stay up. Those beautiful green eyes looked at her in fright.
"T-Tara?"
"Yes, darling. Yes." Tara wrapped her arms around her love and held her, whispering her name over and over.
There was still a great deal of tension in Willow. When Tara finally looked back into her eyes she could see sparks still surging through them. "Willow, are you all right?"
Willow nodded. "I -- I --" She took a deep breath and tried to relax. "I'm okay. I think." She shook her head a little and the sparks disappeared. Her muscles relaxed just a little. Tara hugged her, holding tight.
Amy groaned.
"Hang on, Will, I need to check Amy. Okay?" She looked closely at Willow who nodded and simply wrapped her arms around her legs.
Tara moved over and touched Amy's shoulder. "Amy?" She tapped the woman's cheek. "Amy, wake up."
Another groan and Amy opened her eyes, gazing up at Tara. She closed them again. "My head hurts."
"I know. Do you remember what happened?"
"I think -- I hit the wall?"
"Right."
Amy opened her eyes again and glanced around. "Are we home?"
"I think so. It looks like it anyway. You feel like sitting up?"
"Sure."
Tara raised her up and moved her a little to the side so she could lean against a wall. "Okay?"
"Oh, God, I hurt." Amy clutched her head and moaned. She felt like vomiting and had to swallow several times.
Looking up at the sky, Tara tried to think of how she could get them home. She needed to get Willow to Buffy's house and try to bring her fully out from under the spell of the dark energy. Amy needed rest, and maybe to see a doctor.
"All right, I think we --"
Sudden headlights blinded Tara and she closed her eyes. She opened them again when the vehicle skidded to a halt by them and both front doors opened.
"Willow? Tara?"
It was Buffy's voice, and Tara had never been so glad to hear it. "Thank you, Goddess."
Buffy and Xander both appeared in the glare of the headlights. Xander knelt at Willow's side, and touched her shoulder. "Will? Hey."
Tara gently leaned Willow into his arms. "Xander, help her to the car, please?"
"Is she okay? What happened?" Buffy's concerned voice cut through the sound of the storm, which seemed to intensify. "Tara, we've been searching for the two of you for over 24 hours. Where the hell have you been?"
"Twenty--" Tara stopped and took a breath. "It's a long story, Buffy, and we're all tired. Amy's got a concussion, and Willow's in shock. Please, can we talk about it at your place?"
Xander looked up at Buffy, who nodded. He helped Willow to stand, and when she swayed unsteadily, Xander leaned over and put an arm behind her knees, lifting her and carrying her to Buffy's Jeep.
Buffy picked up Amy and jostled her into place so she could carry her.
"Better be a damn good explanation, Tara."
Tara nodded.
Amy was loaded into the back of the Jeep, laying down. Willow was leaning against the driver's side door in the back seat.
Buffy had already gotten into the car, and Xander was opening his door when he saw Tara go back and pick something up. She held it to her chest and stumbled back to the vehicle.
"What is that?"
Tara glanced at the book in her arms, and then up at Xander. "I don't know, but it had better be important, or I'm gonna kill Amy." With that, she opened to the door to the back seat and climbed in.
Xander raised his eyebrows and looked at Buffy. Her mouth hung open in astonishment.
As soon as Tara was in the backseat, Willow leaned over and put her head on Tara's lap. Leaning down, the blonde witch put a soft kiss on Willow's head and closed her eyes.
Buffy and Xander traded looks, but didn't say anything. Silence prevailed in the car as they drove home.
==========================
By the time they got to Buffy's house, Amy had talked them out of taking her to the hospital. It was agreed, though, that she would stay over night on the couch. She was still very pale and dizzy, so Xander carried her into the house while Buffy and Tara helped Willow, who was limping due to her knee stiffening up.
As they neared the door, Buffy asked quietly, "Willow, what --"
"Buffy." Tara broke in and shook her head. Buffy raised an eyebrow, and Tara whispered, "Not yet. Please." She glanced down at Willow, who hadn't spoken during the ride home.
Buffy took the hint and was quiet. When then got inside, she offered to help them upstairs, but Tara declined, saying she'd take care of Willow. The Slayer nodded, but kept an eye on the two of them as they climbed the steps. Tare looked down at her when they got to the top, and Buffy mouthed the word 'Soon.' Tara nodded and the Slayer turned to go help settle Amy for the night.
Willow's mind was spinning at the implications of all that had happened. Two months ago she'd promised Buffy that there would be no more magic. She'd sworn it to herself, to Tara, and to Dawn. She'd kept that promise, fighting through weeks of withdrawal, and compulsions. And now she'd broken it. She could say that there was no other choice, but it didn't erase the fact that she'd used magic four times in just a couple of hours. Once, without even meaning to.
She wasn't really paying attention when Tara pushed her against the wall near the bathroom. She never saw her friend come out of their former bedroom with their robes. There was no reaction when she was led into the bathroom. Willow followed orders to shift her body and her legs as the blonde undressed her, but she never spoke. There were too many voices in her head for her to answer just one.
Tara was beginning to get scared. Willow's face was drawn and pale, and her eyes refused to focus on anything. She could feel the waves of pain coming from the redhead, and it hurt Tara to realize just how badly this experience had injured her love.
Mechanically, Willow moved into the shower, leaning against the wall and letting Tara gently scrub her skin.
Buffy's going to hate me. I broke my promise, and she'll be angry. Oh, God, what if she tells me to leave? Where will I go? And Dawn... what will she think? I hurt her last time -- what if I hurt her again? I don't want to, but what if I do?
She tried pulling further into herself, wanting to shut out the voices, but Tara simply stayed with her, talking quietly the whole time. "Willow, it's okay. You're home, and we're all safe. Everything's going to be fine."
Oh, God, what if I hurt Tara? I used the magic without even knowing it. What if I did it again, and I hurt her?
Willow started to turn towards the wall, but Tara pulled her around and held her tight.
"Please, Willow, come back. I can't lose you now, not now." Reaching over, she grabbed the movable shower sprayer from it's holder. With a push of the button, she sprayed it directly into Willow's face, holding it there until she got a reaction.
When Willow pulled away, Tara let go of the sprayer and leaned in to kiss her. Willow relaxed a little under Tara's touch, but then suddenly tensed again, and pushed her slightly away.
"Tara, you shouldn't be here. I -- I don't want you to get hurt."
"What are you talking about, Willow? How would I get hurt?"
"I -- I might lose control, I might hurt you."
Tara felt her tears mixing with the water from the shower. "Willow, you won't hurt me, and you won't lose control. I'll help you, and we'll get through this." She pulled the other woman's chin up so she could look into those green eyes. "I love you. I'm not leaving your side, Willow."
"But --" Willow's breath was coming in gasps as the tumult in her head began to roar louder. "I used the magic. I promised I wouldn't and I did. I didn't mean to, I swear."
"I know you used magic, Will, you had to. It's okay."
Willow shook her head. "No. Before. Before you and Amy came in -- before they even took me into the tower. I -- I didn't think --- I just reached out --"
Tara flashed back to that moment in the hall when Willow's mind had touched her own.
"Oh, Will. No, baby, that wasn't wrong. You didn't cast a spell, you just reached out to me. It's a natural thing to do, Willow."
"But I promised, and I --"
"Willow, I'm not going to let you beat yourself up over this. We all went through a lot in that place." She shuddered, remembering her father's look as he whipped her. "I don't blame you for needing to reach out for comfort. I would have done the same thing in your shoes."
"Really?" Willow tried to get her breathing back under control. "You're -- you're not angry with me?"
Tara's answer was to lean in and kiss her gently once more. "No, sweetie, I'm not angry with you. Not at all."
They held each other under the water until it turned cooler, then climbed out. Tara took her time with Willow, gently running the towel over her skin, and rubbing her hair till it was mostly dried.
She knelt down in front of her love, and took her hands in her own. "Will, look at me."
Green eyes closed, and then opened again to lock onto deep blue. "Tell me what happened in the tower, Will."
Tears began to pour down Willow's cheeks, but she didn't look away from Tara. Her mouth opened and closed a few times and she swallowed. When she finally spoke, it was in a voice so low, Tara could hardly hear her. "He -- he got into my mind. He showed me -- all the things I did wrong. He made me watch Glory -- when she -- " Then she was sobbing in Tara's
arms, tears and words coming in a torrent.
"Then-- I saw you die. Over and over, he showed me pictures-- you were dying and I couldn't stop it. I couldn't save you -- I just -- he said -- if I used the spell, he'd help me save you -- and I wanted to save you, but I couldn't -- and it hurt so much..." Willow trailed off, her voice breaking.
By that time, Tara was crying as well, her arms wrapped around Willow and her jaw clenched tight against the pain inside.
"I love you, Willow. I'm here, and we're home, and you're safe. It's over, love, it's okay."
They stayed like that for several minutes, Tara rocking Willow and talking softly to her. Even after the tears had ceased, she kept rocking and whispering, trailing off to a soft humming and then silence.
Eventually, Willow sighed and pulled back. She managed a tiny smile, just a little one, but it brightened Tara's heart immensely.
They slipped into the robes that Tara had brought from the bedroom. The blonde witch was glad that she had left hers in the box of things she never took when she moved out of the house.
Before they left the bathroom, Tara tipped Willow's chin up and looked carefully into her eyes. "Still with me?"
Willow nodded. Her eyes were focused again. Breathing a sigh of relief, Tara opened the door.
They found Buffy waiting for them in the bedroom. The Slayer was sitting on the chair at the desk, fingering the leather jerkin that Amy had been wearing.
"Feeling better?"
Tara nodded. "Clean at least." She helped Willow over to the bed and pulled down the covers for her. Willow slipped under them and curled up on her side. She didn't think she could face her best friend just yet. Leaning down, Tara kissed her, then jerked her head and motioned Buffy into the hall. The Slayer raised an eyebrow, but didn't object.
"Sleep well, Willow. We'll talk tomorrow, right?"
Willow squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. Her voice was very soft as she spoke. "G'night, Buffy."
Tara stroked Willow's red hair. "I'll be back in a moment, darling, okay? Just want to talk to Buffy for a moment." She sensed Willow cringing at the prospect of Buffy learning she'd used magic, and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Everything will be okay, Will. I promise."
Buffy waited quietly, eyeing the blonde witch. With a sigh, Tara pulled the door closed and leaned back against it.
"Tara, what happened? Where have you guys been?"
"It's -- a really long story, Buffy. Can I just give you the basics tonight? I don't want to leave Will alone for too long."
"Why not? What happened?"
Taking a deep breath, Tara hesitated for just a moment. "We were kidnapped. Taken to another dimension. Willow had to use dark magic to get us home." She watched as Buffy's eyes went wide. "She's okay, really. She's just -- kind of in shock. Things were -- pretty bad for a while."
"And Amy? What happened to her? And why was she with the two of you?"
"She --" Tara hesitated, not sure whether she should admit Amy was the kidnapper. "There was a battle with a sorcerer. Amy got tossed against a wall. She's actually lucky; the spell could easily have killed her."
"A sorcerer? Willow faced a sorcerer in a magical battle?"
"No. I did." Buffy's eyebrows rose. "With help from Willow and Amy. Listen, Buffy, please, can I just tell you the rest in the morning? Willow -- she's really hurting inside." Tara glanced at the door, her hand twisting the knob but not opening it.
"From the magic?"
"Well, that too, but --" She bit her lip, then faced Buffy, letting her see the tears. "She was tortured. Mentally. Images of people she loved suffering and dying. It's like -- her mind was raped." She dropped her gaze, the power of her statement hitting both of them in the face.
Buffy was still for a few moments, then leaned forward to give Tara a hug. "I'm glad you all got home safely." Releasing the blonde, she nodded towards the door. "Now go take care of your girlfriend.
Tara smiled. She watched Buffy go down the stairs, and stared at the floor for a moment.
"My girlfriend," she whispered to herself. She realized with a smile that it was true, and always would be. With that thought, she opened the door and went back into their bedroom.
End Part Twelve.
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13 should be along shortly
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Later dayz,
TrueXena
"I'm so evil, and skanky...and I think I'm kinda gay."
