Fic - Tar Lin AU - And other Stories

[jixer]

Title: Tar Lin

Author: Jixer

E-mail: jixer@attbi.com

Feedback: Please. Bouquets and brickbats welcome.

Distribution: Any free fanfiction site

Spoilers: It's AU. Finally.

Rating: R, eventually, unless I chicken out.

Pairing: W/T

Disclaimer: All characters of BtVS are owned by Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon. All I own are tattered books, the love of a good woman, and a few pots of tomato plants.

Summary: Miss Rosenberg is finally realizing she's missing something wonderful, but it's Samhain and the faerie are about...

Note: Blame it on a night shift discussion about Halloween, Scotland, and four coffees.

WARNINGS: Low Kitten Angst Level. Season 6? What's that?

Dedication: This one is for all of our valiant number miners. They help keep us sane through season severed by showing we're not the only ones lost to the vagaries of ME.





Tar Lin



Willow Rosenberg looked across the table at her mother and tried to breathe normally. This wasn't going to be an easy discussion. They never were with Sheila. She didn't yell, she just had a hurt look that could stop a rampaging bull.



"Mom, I've made my decision," she said tremulously. "I'm going to UC Sunnydale."



Sheila sighed and looked at her red haired daughter with a gentle level of her wounded look. Willow squirmed but didn't speak.



"Why, dear?" she asked finally. "This isn't because of Daniel or that reactionary Summers girl, is it?"



"Not, um, really," Willow said evasively. "I mean Buffy's my best friend. I know we're supposed to be all with the Demonic American rights but vampires? And Oz is, he's Oz and I don't care if he's a werewolf."



"Fur enabled," Sheila said automatically. "Dear it's not that. There's just no good way to put this. Dear, he's a musician. One day he's going to find a girl that will answer that part of him and my little girl's heart will be broken."



"It's not like that!" Willow insisted. "We're in love."



Sheila just sighed and looked at Willow, this time not holding back but rather relishing the guilt. Willow looked down.



"What other reason are you using to go to UC Sunnydale instead of Vassar or Stanford?" she asked softly.



"They're the only school I can double major in both Magic and Computer Science," Willow said steadily.



"Oh, not magic again!" Sheila said in an exasperated tone. "Why with the magic? You're so good with the sciences. Why dear, you could be an anthropologist. Take a minor in Magic. Didn't Harvard offer you a full scholarship for that?"



"Mom, I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an anthropologist," Willow said more firmly than she felt.



Sheila let out her best sigh. When it didn't seem to work she realized Willow's mind was made up.



"Dear, how about taking the prerequisite courses this summer before you make a final decision?" She said resignedly.



When Willow looked up excitedly Sheila knew she was in for a long summer.



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Six weeks later Willow was seated in a circle with her Wiccan Basics lab partner. Their rose was smoldering and both women were coughing. Nina glared at her.



"You are so lame at this, Rosenberg," she snapped. "How the hell did you get by with challenging Conjuring and still be able to fuck up the easiest basic spells? I'm demanding a new partner before you totally screw up my scholarship."



"Sorry," Willow coughed as Nina stormed off.



"Um, it's not you, not really," a soft voice said. "You're very powerful, you just need to ch-channel that, you know, power."



"Thanks," Willow said glumly. "Aren't you the TA for Ethics?"



"I'm Tara M-Maclay," she said nodding in such a way that her hair hid her face. "My f-family is very, um, traditional."



"You think I'm powerful?" Willow asked, somehow aware that this girl's opinions mattered to her.



"You are," Tara said emphatically.



Willow noticed that when she wasn't hiding them Tara had the most beautiful blue eyes. Her hair had been highlighted in a away that told Willow this girl was a stranger to some basic skills of California life and her wardrobe made Willow look like a fashion maven, but her eyes spoke more than anything else about Tara.



And for the life of her Willow couldn't explain why she knew what the shy girl had been dressing in nor why those blue eyes held her attention so much.



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



"Studying again?" Buffy said with a smirk. "Let's see, the B tree thingee is done for Comp Sci extra credit so this must be Wiccan Skills 101 with Tara?"



"So, we're just studying!" Willow said quickly. "All we do, study. That's us, busy little students with no other plans but the advancement of knowledge and making basic magic in a safe and balanced way oh God where did you get that?"



Buffy was holding up a napkin from the Espresso Pump with hearts and "W+T" doodled on it and smiling.



"You've been leaving them behind for three months, Will," Buffy pointed out. "Ever since you practically threw Oz into that girl singer's arms."



"It was the best thing for him," Willow protested weakly. "She has a great voice and they had an animal attraction on more levels than one, if you get my meaning, and they're already working on a CD. I mean, I did it cause I loved him, right? I didn't do it because I've fallen for a girl with the most incredible blue eyes and, and..."



"Cute stutter?" Buffy asked.



"She doesn't stutter around me," Willow said with a smile.



"Sorry, Will," the Slayer said clinically. "You've got Taraitis. It's too early to tell how severe the case is, but it looks like a strong case to me."



"Does this mean I'm, you know," Willow said uncomfortably.



"Gay?" Buffy asked. When her friend nodded in a confused way and looked at the Slayer with big and worried eyes Buffy sighed and hugged her.



"I don't know," the petite woman said with a smile. "But I do know my best friend's in love, so what does it matter?"



"It matters," Willow said miserably. "I don't know what to do, I mean with a girl, I mean with a girl I love and want to be, you know really good for the first time we, you know, not that we're there yet or anything but, but if she let's me know it's okay and there is a first time but there won't be one because I don't know what the signals are, I'm not good with signals, Buffy, what if she's been signaling me and I missed it and she's all hurt..."



"First, breathe because blue isn't a good color for your face," Buffy said firmly, then she gave Willow a wicked smile. "Do what you're best at. Research the problem."



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



It was not the easiest research Willow had ever done. Solstice, Hanukkah, and Christmas passed by before she had her materials in order. For once the Internet failed her. The sites she found were either clinical or lurid in a way that made her consider celibacy. She went back to her first love, and searched for books.



In the meantime she found Tara kissed wonderfully and her hands were soft and warm to hold. For the rest of the school year they increased their skills at magic. Between Tara's shyness and Willow's uncertainty the subject Willow was researching never came up, or didn't in a way she could identify.



Then one night just as the Summer Workshops were starting Willow and Tara slept together. A long day of binding and releasing weather had drained them to the point of staggering. They arrived at Tara's tiny dorm room. Tara crawled onto her bed and fell asleep instantly. Willow took off the sleeping girl's shoes and put a sheet over her. Then she sat on the bed for just a minute. Four hours later she sleepily answered Tara's phone. It was Buffy, looking for her. She just wished Willow a good night.



It wasn't until she leaned back and Tara snuggled up to her that she realized both the time and her location. She was about to move when Tara slipped an arm over her. Willow went back to sleep.



After that Willow's research slowed. She was comfortable where she was and began to take Tara's affection for granted. Then the scandal broke about Professor Richard Ackerman's secret work in blood magic. When Willow admitted the power released in black magic was tempting Tara reacted badly. For Willow it was an intellectual puzzle. For Tara it was a breach of faith that she would rather die than commit.



The fight they had afterwards left both girls in tears. They didn't speak for the rest of the summer sessions. Willow found her control was deteriorating and one day, at the end of the workshop, she reached for power in order to stabilize an illusion. Her innate power tore through the school's shields to touch the Hellmouth itself. The actinic light that filled the workroom blinded her. She felt the blood spilled by the spawn of the nexus point. She was falling away into it.



*Here!* Tara sent along with a strand of power.



Willow grabbed it and together they broke her power's hold on the Hellmouth. Willow fell to the floor and began tearing at herself.



"GET IT OFF!" she screamed. Tara grabbed her hands and forced Willow to calm herself with a touch.



"Don't," Willow sobbed. "The blood, it's all over me."



"No, no, no," Tara sang softly. "You're safe. I have you. I have you,"



"I couldn't see," Willow whispered.



"Neither could I," Tara admitted in a frightened tone.



"How did you find me?" Willow asked with wide eyes.



"I will always find you," Tara said with a shy smile.



Willow let herself relax and bask in the warmth of Tara's arms.



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



Willow found the old man on the sidewalk near the Sunnydale library the next week. In his lap there was a sign-Free Kitten- and a tiny black and white kitten.



"How old is she?" Willow asked. "Err, it is a she, right?"



"Oh yes, but my, err, landlord won't let me keep her," he said as he petted the tiny creature. "Found her on the curb in front of my building. I won't take her to the pound. Don't know how old she is."



"Can I take her?" Willow asked hesitantly. "I got a second chance and I figure I need to pass it on. I'm not very good with animals and my fish died but that wasn't my fault. I know somebody who moved to a new dorm and was just asking if I was allergic to cats so I kind of think she wants one."



"Let's see if she lets you pick her up," he said with a smile.



Willow reached out for the kitten slowly. A small nose sniffed her and then she felt a tiny rough tongue brush over her fingers. She picked up the animal carefully. It turned in her grasp and tried to climb her. She heard it purring.



"Looks like you got yourself a kitten, miss," the old man said as he stood up slowly.



"Thank you," she said as she wrapped her sweater around the young animal. "I've got someone you're gonna love, and who is way gonna love you."



The kitten mewed her response. The two girls nuzzled each other, but only one purred.



Willow didn't look up in time to see the old man unzip the side of a building and step through. She missed the zipper disappearing too.



She took the kitten straight to Tara's dorm room, stopping only for a cat box, litter, kitten food, three toys, two books on kittens, and a small mocha with two extra shots of espresso. She knocked on Tara's door roughly. Tara looked at her quizzically when she opened the door. Willow held out the kitten as Tara's face lit up in a broad smile.



"I'm not allergic," she explained before Tara kissed her hard and wrapped her in an embrace that had to be delicate. The kitten purred.



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



"I'm just waiting for the perfect time," Willow admitted through her blush.



"It's been almost a year!" Buffy said with a disappointed tone. "All you've got are smoochies and bundling?"



"And a kitten," Willow pointed out defensively.



"Is this what you want?" Buffy asked pointedly.



"No," Willow replied weakly. "But it's a big step, a big gay step and what if she finds out I'm not any good..."



"Tomorrow's Halloween," Buffy said brightly. "Do the Wicca thing for Sam's heinie or what ever."



"Samhain?" Willow asked, using her years of translating Buffyspeak.



"That thing," Buffy said quickly. "Then make it romantic. If it doesn't go as planned blame the holiday."



"Well," Willow said worriedly.



"Go," Buffy insisted. "Talk to her. I kind of think I've seen signals."



"Signals?" Willow almost squeaked. "I missed signals? I've got to go!"



"Or I could be wrong," Buffy said with a grin after Willow tore out of the room. "But I don't think so."



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



Willow hurried along until she saw Tara crossing the quad with a classmate, or so she thought. As she got closer she saw someone she had never seen before. A stunning girl with red hair and emerald eyes held Tara's hand. Tara was smiling at her in that shy way the Wiccan had been using lately. Willow's heart fell. She watched the beautiful woman kiss her Tara. Anger started to fill in the void made by heartache. She was getting ready to confront them when something caught her eye in the afternoon light.



The other redhead had the outline of graceful wings just hinted at in the direct sunlight. The witch looked at her through a square made of her fingers and a spell for Willow alone. In the small square a tall blonde woman of exquisite beauty with wings of golden silk smiled at Tara. Golden light danced around Tara's eyes and ears. Traces of gold showed on her torso. Willow dropped the square and ground her teeth.



"Mine," she growled.



In front of her they parted and Tara gave a small wave to the other woman. The eldritch beauty stopped and smiled.



"So I'll be welcome?" she asked in a voice like a crystal bell.



"Always, love," Tara replied with a blush. "My kitten supplier is always welcome."



"But that's me," Willow said in a panic. She looked up and saw Tara coming towards her. Tara looked at her and stepped back.



"Oh, h-h-hello Nina," she said.

Edited by: Repost Moderator at: 2/23/03 11:38:34 pm

[Grimlock72]

Lotsa stuff happens in this one, ends with a double glamour spell or a katra-spell ? If so, why can't Tara detect that herself ? (and being a TA in Ethics what will she say about it



Makes sense that Tara would be a teacher or TA in a school on magics, I think she would be good at it too .



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: 10/29/02 3:24:36 pm

[barnabasvamp]

Wow, a swap and Willow didn't feel it coming. This is an excellent begining! More soon?

BV

"In front of total strangers won't you kiss me, Flowers for no reason but you miss me - OOH, I wanna be in love"

Melissa Etheridge-Skin

[jixer]

Hello Kittens-





Thanks for your kind words and time. As for the glamour, well, read on.



And the finale comes on Halloween.



J

[jixer]

Tar Lin

Update #2





Willow tore into the library even faster than usual. The magic section was warded and required keycard access. There was little interruption while Willow tore through everything the library had on faerie. When she looked up from her notes somehow hours had passed. She pressed the keys on her laptop and watched the data fall into neat ordered columns. Two things popped out at once.



Faerie royalty were the only ones with wings of gold. At Samhain the sidhe came to earth looking for entertainment, lovers or sacrifices.



Few faerie took human lovers and always did so appearing to be a human version of themselves at first. Entertainment took on dark aspects for the human would totally at the mercy of their captor for as long as they were amusing. There were reports of humans being dropped back on earth three hundred years after they had been taken.



And then there were the Faerie royalty.



Arrogant and innately magic, they imposed their will on all. It took a wide-awake human to evade one of the fey with royal blood. Nearly always they took humans for entertainment of their court. Only in rare cases would they take a human lover. But once every seven years they were faced with a price for their long lives and power. Then they scoured the earth for one worthy of the faeries' tithe.



The tithe had to be pleasing in form and voice, command magic, and be pure. Eyes of blue were valued by the dark power they placated with the sacrifice. Willow felt her world spin. She looked up the enchantments used by the sidhe royalty. Only a kiss would break the spell, and the kiss had to be taken freely. Willow sagged as she read that for Tara could barely stand Nina.



Willow called Buffy and then her faculty adviser Dr. Rupert Giles. Neither was in. She looked at the news streamer on the web and saw a report of an outbreak of elf shot. The mayor was calling for calm. Halloween activities were being cancelled. It made a horrid sense to her. The sidhe weren't going to wait for the night of Samhain, but rather they were going to make their move in the wee hours of the morning.



Willow looked at the clock and saw it read a quarter to ten.



"I've got two hours to make Tara fall in love with Nina," she said with a grimace. "I'm thinking that's a tall order."



Willow headed over towards Tara's dorm anyway. As she got close to the dorm two stunningly handsome men passed her with a small bundle. As it passed her the bundle mewed.



Willow remembered another note. The faerie royals hated cats.



Willow turned after the two men and hurried up to them. She formed the square of her fingers again and saw their wings-and enchanted silver armor. She took out her laptop. She hurried ahead of them and smiled.



"I'm doing some research and I was wondering if you could help," she said brightly.



"We are too busy, sophomore," they said with the true arrogance of upperclassmen.



"I'm just comparing something," she insisted.



"What?" they asked with a snarl.



For her answer Willow smashed the edge of her laptop into the face of the one on the right and stabbed the other in the throat with her stainless steel pen as he reached for her. Both fell and writhed.



"Titanium versus iron, which hurts the wee folk more," Willow answered as she grabbed the struggling Miss Kitty. "Kind of figured titanium wouldn't be any fun. Thanks for your assistance."



She ran for Tara's dorm balancing computer and cat. She stopped just outside Tara's door.



Willow was trying to come up with some clever approach when she saw Tara walking along the quad looking in the bushes. Miss Kitty struggled in Willow's grasp. Willow took a large breath and walked up to Tara.



"Are you missing somebody cute?" she asked holding the kitten to her ear. "Doesn't she have the nicest purr?"



"Thanks Nina," Tara said in a surprised tone. "I didn't think you liked cats."



"Well, listen to this one purr," Willow insisted.



"I know," Tara said as the kitten nuzzled her neck. The Wiccan flinched just slightly as the kitten licked her ear.



"She wasn't all weaned yet," Willow said evenly. Tara looked at her with a start.



"Don't use her voice, Nina," Tara snapped. "You don't have it down anyway."



As she turned she shifted the kitten, which nuzzled her other ear. Willow took a deep breath as Tara turned away.



"Tara, please, it's me," she said desperately.



Tara froze and then turned quickly, her face angry. Willow felt the touch of her magic and dropped all of her shields. Tara let out a gasp. She clutched the kitten closely.



"But, but h-h-how, w-w-why?" Tara asked worriedly as she came towards her. "Did Nina use a katra spell? W-what's the last thing you remember, love? Are you hurting?"



"Not now," Willow said taking her love's hand in hers. "There was a faerie, I think a royal one. What is it, baby?"



"The sidhe, they've used a faerie glamour," Tara said with a sigh. "Trust me."



With that she leaned forward and kissed Willow as hard as she could. She pulled back reluctantly and opened her eyes.



"Um," she said. "You still look like, you know, h-her."



"Let me try, and close your eyes," Willow said as she leaned forward and kissed Tara's eyes gently. Tara looked at her and sighed. Then she looked away and clutched Miss Kitty as she shook.



"You didn't, I mean it wasn't you, oh God, why would you want to..." Tara said as she stepped away from Willow.



"Take you someplace wonderful and have my way with you?" Willow said trembling. "But only if you wanted! I mean I'm not good at getting signals and I've been with exactly on other person and he got fuzzy and was, you know, a guy and all I know is what I've read and, well, there was this video but let's not go there and I want it to be perfect for you-"



Willow had little breath left when Tara kissed her hard enough to take the last of it away.



"You silly girl, don't you know anywhere is perfect with you?" Tara asked softly. Then she kissed Willow again. A moment later she broke it and blushed. "Your hands feel nice there."



"Uhm?" Willow said with a sigh. "Oh. They do? I mean they do for me being all touching you...and, and this is a leftover from the glamour, isn't it?"



"No," Tara said throatily. "It's, um, not. It's all Willow goodness but I don't know what to do either, love. The books were okay and, umm..."



"The video?" Willow asked wickedly as Tara nodded and turned even redder. "You vixen."



Tara just smiled. The clock struck ten. Neither girl even noticed.



"Tara, I want you, not just what we have, but, but what..." Willow lost herself in blue eyes.



"Come with me," Tara said gently and took Willow by the hand. They walked back to the dorm and to Tara's door. Willow stopped at the door. Tara gave her the shy smile that seemed to make all of Willow's clothes too tight. The no longer so shy girl lifted Willow's hand to her lips and kissed it, then opened the trembling hand and kissed her love's palm gently and then not so gently.



Willow followed her inside.

[barnabasvamp]

Leave it to *research* Willow to discover the problem.

Nice that she was able to convince Tara that it was really her, they always find each other.

Now, off to the room?

More soon?

BV

"In front of total strangers won't you kiss me, Flowers for no reason but you miss me - OOH, I wanna be in love"

Melissa Etheridge-Skin

[jixer]

Hello Kittens-



Yes, barnabasvamp, off to the room. This is my version of Tam Lin, so they have to go off to the room.



And this is as sensual as I could make it and not blush. I think that's what made W/T so sensual on WB. Kittens have good imaginations and filled in the scenes. I hope I don't offend with my attempt at capturing R rated scenes.



Thank you all and Happy Halloween.



J

[jixer]

Tara Lin

Update #3



It was the scent that made this room Tara's for Willow. Everything in the room seemed to combine to make a perfume that gave the hacker/witch comfort and strength. Tara looked at her with a smile. She placed the kitten on the chair near the door.



"You're feeling better about, um, this?" Tara asked hesitantly.



"I'm not sure," Willow said, then she framed Tara's face gently with her hands. "Feels good so far."



The kiss that followed lasted and Willow finally tried something she'd loved. Slowly she took the kiss down Tara's chin to her neck. Her hands ever so gently cupped treasure both soft and hardening. Tara's words had already faded away to be replaced by soft noises of urgency. Willow slowed her kiss and opened the soft cotton blouse her love wore.



This is it, she thought Gay now. Somehow all the other thoughts that had seemed so important vanished with her decision. Now all that was important was the happiness of her girl. Tara leaned forward and kissed her while reaching behind her own back. Her bra fell away and Willow looked at what Tara had offered her. Willow met her blue eyes with a grateful smile.



"Thank you," she said.



It was so different with her. There were few words now, but rather gentle touches until both were free of their clothing. Part of Willow was surprised that she felt safer now than she had in years. Willow took her time exploring Tara and guiding the shyer girl's explorations. She trusted and loved and it was returned without hesitation. Willow found the witch to be a quick study, matching her slow exploration of a new world of pleasures.



Touch led to touch and soon both were responding to the other's need as if they knew in their souls what their lover desired next. Finally the redhead touched her love's face and Tara placed a finger over Willow's lips before she could speak.



"Yes, I'm sure," she said. "Please."



Willow took care, perhaps too much as Tara finally bucked under her touch and made a wordless plea. Then Tara gasped and would never be the same. Willow waited, now thanking her first lover for being so gentle. She knew what it felt like and she had advantages Oz hadn't had with her. Finally she began to take advantage of those differences and Tara found her words once more as she called out Willow's name again and again. Then Tara lost even her love's name and had only pleasure to cry out before she shattered on Willow.



Willow took Tara in her arms and sheltered her as her new lover shook with the echoes of delight. Finally Tara gasped enough air to speak again.



"Is, is it always like that?" she asked with unfocused eyes.



"Let's find out," Willow said lowering her head.



Later Tara clung to Willow, her head pillowed on the redhead's shoulder.



"What...about...you?" she asked.



"This is your night," Willow explained as she cuddled Tara closely. Tara kissed her in the pit of the throat and caressed the lean redhead's thigh.



"But I want it all," Tara whispered as Willow gasped. "Please?"



Willow leaned back tried to let Tara give her what ever she wished, but the touch of Tara's skin was irresistible and soon Willow's hands and lips indulged in the silken bounty. Finally both voices faded into an age-old wordless song of passion and desire fulfilled.



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



Willow looked at the clock as she and her everything caught their breaths. Tara sighed as a tear fell. Willow traced the silvery track. Tara nuzzled her hand and Willow sighed and shivered.



"Thank you," they said together.



"I'd like to do a spell, if you'd let me," Tara said softly. Willow pushed away her unconscious shielding. Tara touched her, her finger just slightly wet. The touch was powerful in primal way that echoed in her very bones.



"Yours?" is all Tara said.



"Mine," Willow nearly growled. Then she blushed. "I think I've just peaked my butchness."



Tara exploded with soft laughter and Willow didn't try to hold back as she usually did. Suddenly a tiny furry head butted her hip. She reached out and covered Miss Kitty with a sheet.



"Oh no, we've been corrupting a minor," Willow said shaking her head. Then she smiled as the kitten happily tussled under the sheet.



"No, we've just been showing her how important mutual grooming is," Tara said with a lopsided grin.



"Where's my innocent girl?!?" Willow said after gasping.



"She found a lover and gave her innocence away," Tara almost purred as she kissed Willow hard.



"A pity," a melodious voice sneered. "I don't like losing, especially to mortals."



Willow sat up in bed and tried to get in front of Tara, who had the same instinct. Somehow the bed had arrived in a moonlit glen without their noticing it. The cool air was only part of the reason Willow shivered. Around her a dozen courtiers lounged with indolent smirks. Their collective magic was greater than anything she had touched. They seemed to draw it from the very air. She knew she was in the land of the faerie.



"Leave h-her out of this," Tara said pleadingly as the elegant creatures tittered at her stutter.



"You should h-have known better, Maclay," the princess mocked. "Yours is the seventh generation, daughter to daughter. You have voice and talent both in equal measure."



"Me?" Tara asked unbelievingly.



"You, you sexy doofus," Willow said with a tight smile.



"Is that a new mortal word for strumpet?" the blonde asked archly. "I was just getting used to slut."



"Bitch!" Willow snapped. She went for the blonde. Tara grabbed her.



"They can't touch us here," Tara said and then blushed. "After, um, that and the, um..."



"Are you okay?" Willow asked urgently.



"Great, or maybe wonderful, but not okay, never just okay," Tara said smiling.



"Hello, still here!" snapped the royal. "I think you'll get out of that bed. Something fierce and now fiercer, no, fiercest. And immune to magic, little witches. I will this done."



There was a shaking and the bed rocked. Willow was knocked out of bed. The sidhe royal made a gesture and Willow found herself immobile.



"Be bound!" laughed the princess. "Watch your lover be devoured."



"No!" Willow begged. "Please, your majesty, I'm the one who ruined her. Take me!"



"Oh mortal, you knew what you were doing," she laughed. "I'll let another take her and then you can go home to weep and grow old alone with your memories of the cost of your love."



She heard a sheet rip and used all her strength to look to Tara as her magic crackled uselessly against the binding spell.



A huge form moved on the bed and pushed its muzzle towards Tara. It was sleek and deadly, five hundred pounds of predator. It would have been the perfect example of a female panthera tigris altacia in her prime, a killer capable of taking down a bison but for one thing. Siberian tigers are never black and white. The Wiccan held up her hand. The massive head butted it and purred like a chainsaw as Tara scratched her behind the ears.



"Tigers can't purr like that," Willow said as she stopped struggling and looked at the creature with a confused expression. "We saw that on the Learning Channel."



"This one can," Tara said with a wicked gleam in her eye.



Willow heard a strangled squeal and in her field of vision she saw a courtier try to fly, pull a silver sword, and run all at the same time. He accomplished another feat that ruined his silk knickers.



"We've always had cats," Tara said brightly. "Horses and dogs too, but always cats. For oh, say, seven generations. Let my lover go now!"



"Never!" shrieked the princess as she cast a bolt of blue fire at the purring lap tiger.



"Immune to magic, willed by a sidhe of the royal blood, remember?" Tara said sweetly. "Look, Miss Kitty, toys!"



The huge head turned and several faerie took to the air. The enormous cat let out a basso chitter and leapt from the bed after them. The princess tried to fly out of her path but centuries of being carried, as was her right, had left her somewhat unpracticed in the avian arts. A plate-sized paw caught her in the back and she took on a very short burst of speed to a nearby oak. She staggered upright.



"Waiter!" she said hoarsely. "I said cranberry juice!"



Then the princess fell forward gracelessly. Willow found she could touch the ground and wasted no time in hurrying to Tara's side while Miss Kitty swatted happily at the flying things.



"She'll kill them," Willow said in horrified fascination.



"They can't die here," Tara said flatly. "They get hurt but they heal overnight. They're perfect, they never grow old, and they never learn the things humans do."



"How to duck?" Willow asked with a grimace as another faerie discovered how the phrase "cat quick" came to be.



"How to have compassion, or honor, or love someone beyond yourself," Tara said touching her.



"Seven generations ago," Willow started with a faraway look.



"One of them did learn how to love," Tara said looking down. "I've, I've got faerie blood in me. It can make you one of, you know, them if you're not careful."



"You're just as beautiful, only more because it comes from inside too," Willow said reassuringly as she cupped Tara's chin and gently brought it up. "But that's about it. You have a voice that's pretty but human, and as for arrogant, it's not gonna happen. I know Taras, well at least one and that one I know in the best way possible. Besides, you like cats."



They looked over to see a large black and white form making short bounds to rake the lower limbs of a tree just below a clutch of battered faeries. One poked it's silver sword down at her. The blade, just silver without the magic that made it a weapon, bent but still poked the large cat's paw.



"Hey!" both girls yelled as the not-quite-a-tiger roared in anger. The royal sidhe shook herself awake and standing. Then she turned and ran. The bouncing wings took Miss Kitty's mind off her hurt paw. Willow looked away.



"Can't be killed?" Willow said with a wince.



"They heal in a night," she said looking at the playful beast. Then Tara looked away and winced too. "Maybe two," she added.



Finally Miss Kitty stopped, pawed the no longer fun bundle on the ground and licked her paw. She turned and sauntered back to the bed. Willow and Tara embraced her and were reminded it was cold here. They burrowed into the purring animal's plush fur. Suddenly the cat looked up and let out a gentle roar.



The girls looked up to see a human man come towards them. Willow recognized him as the old man she'd gotten Miss Kitty from just weeks before. He reached out and rubbed her behind the ears as she basked in her proper level of attention.



"Y'all have got to go," he said sadly. "Glad to see she's got good mamas."



"So this is why you couldn't keep her," Willow said quickly. "Tara, this is the nice old-er man I got Miss Kitty from."



"H-h-hello," Tara said pulling the sheet up. Willow blushed and did the same.



"The king is gonna send you back, being royalty and all," the old man said reluctantly letting the great beast's head go.



"What about you?" Tara asked worriedly.



"Oh, the cancer is gonna get me when I go back, so I'm waiting, and teaching," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "Everybody's got the blues somewhere inside."



He pulled out a harmonica and slapped it against his palm. Tara smiled and shook her head.



"I don't know if they ever will," she said. "And I don't anymore."



"You will," the old man warned, and then he smiled. "Of course, you know now the best way to get rid of them."



"Singing them?" Willow asked quickly.



"That's the second best way," he said with a grin. Across the field a cluster of faerie knights in silver armor and holding their swords surrounded a tall figure with a circlet of gold upon his brow. From inside the giant shining hedgehog the king gestured vigorously. The girls waved goodbye for an instant and then they were warm again inside Tara's dorm room. They looked down at a small kitten that held up a paw and licked it.



"We better get that checked out," Tara said reluctantly.



"Yeah, she could get infected," Willow said with a sigh. "Why don't the sidhe like cats?"



"The faerie think they're the most perfect things in creation," Tara said with a shrug. "Cats know that they are."



"Oh," Willow said as she picked up her jeans. She stopped and looked into the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. "Tara, would you, uh, do something for me later?"



"What's that?" she answered with a coy smile.



"Well, that yeah, I mean I'm hooked now, and I'll never get enough Tara goodness," she said in a rush.



"But you want something else too?" Tara asked and then shook her head. "Now you're the doofus, because I'll do anything my girl asks."



"Sing for me?" Willow asked shyly.



"Always," Tara answered happily.



And she did. Sometimes the songs were love songs and sometimes they were blues, but then they knew what to do to make those into love songs too.





The End

[Imperfectly Me]

this is great, more soon I hope?

Aim

[BigMac]

This is great I hope there is more.

Tara: Assume Crash

Positions

[Rane018]

i'm sorry, love, but i dont understand. i haven't a clue what Tar Lin is or means or whatever. i'm so lost. i got the whole fearie thing wanting tara but the rest i didn't get. like the whole body switching part with nina. i dont get how it was resolved. i dont get why nina did that in the first place unless she was the fearie queen all along. and i would have liked more in depth narration to the year spent courting, not the quick overview although it was good nonetheless. Maybe if i knew more about Tar lin then i'd be able to relate to the story but most of the time i was *huh?*. I'm going to have to give it another read and try to figure it out. hugs

[jixer]

Hello Kittens-





Thanks for the time, it's a precious thing.



Rane- Tam Lin is an old Scottish tale with over a dozen versions, most of the oldest more brutal than I'm willing to write for this board. A human man is held by the faerie, in the oldest versions he is handsome and destined to be the faerie tithe, a possible reference to druidic sacrifice (as I said these are OLD tales). He has the right to take any 'treasure' of a human maiden passing in the faerie's forest. Short version-He takes this one girl, love follows, she gets pregnant, she breaks him out. Then the old tales tell of the curses of the faerie queen that haunt the lovers and destroy them.



Bugger that. True love rules here. Hence the title Tar-Lin. Forgive the pun.



As for Nina, not the queen, but they had a similar view of their importance in the world.



Cats and Faerie are either fast friends or deadly enemies. The older the tale the more the antagonism or friendship grows.





As for more, sadly this tale is at an end. But if you would like there's this Thanksgiving story in the same place and time nibbling at the crumbs of my time. I'll plump it up if you'd like.





Again thank you all for your time.



J

[Rane018]

ah! i get it now, i see it. sorry about my lacking knowledge of scottish faerie tales. makes a whole lot more sense now. thanks honey!

[barnabasvamp]

Oh jixer;

Excellent...As I said before I understood the Tam Lin reference, that's why no questions about the faerie vs cats love/hate thing going on, and you wrote it so well, covering most of the angles of the stories.



You did a wonderful job of expressing the love between the two. I've always been a *visuals* kinda gal myself. Gotta leave a little something up to the imagination. And as you said, us kittens do have a hell of an imagination



Wonderful work. Will look forward to more fics in the future.

BV

"In front of total strangers won't you kiss me, Flowers for no reason but you miss me - OOH, I wanna be in love"

Melissa Etheridge-Skin

[xita]

new to the archive And you can still leave feedback!



Sequel giving thanks can be found here

Edited by: xita  at: 12/29/02 7:06:47 pm

[Repost Moderator]

Title: Giving Thanks

Author: Jixer

E-mail: jixer@attbi.com

Feedback: Please. Bouquets and brickbats welcome

Distribution: Any free fanfiction site

Spoilers: None. Takes place after 'Tar Lin' in the same AU

Rating: Hard PG-13 to Soft R at most.

Pairing: W/T

Disclaimer: All characters of BtVS are owned by Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon. All I own are tattered books, the love of a good woman, and a few pots of tomato plants.

Summary: Thanksgiving is approaching. The nights are getting colder, and our girls are, well they're Willow and Tara.

Note: Both girls are now sophomores at U.C. Sunnydale. Both are Magic Majors with Willow doing a double Major in Comp Sci

WARNING: Extremely Low Kitten Angst Level







Giving Thanks





It stumbled out of the Hellmouth with its carapace smoking. It stretched four of its ten thin legs and ambled toward the campus of U.C. Sunnydale as dusk fell.



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



Buffy swung the axe just as the sword sliced through a lock of her now brilliant red gold hair.



"You stupid bit-" the ancient lizard-like vampire snapped just before its head exploded into dust.



"Gosh, I hate that," Willow said as she dusted herself off. "I know they don't breathe, but if someone cuts off your head, wouldn't you have the courtesy to stop talking before you poof out?"



"Maybe they think, you know, being a blood s-sucking evil thing makes them above good manners," Tara suggested. "Sorry about the hair, but the axe had some parameters."



"That'll teach me to use enchanted weapons," Buffy sighed. "Its back to the display case in Defensive Magics for this beauty. Do you think the outfit still works with this hair color?"



"Absolutely," Willow and Tara lied together.



"That bad?" Buffy said looking at the severed lock under the lights of the cemetery. "And would you two just quit it?"



"W-we might get lip frostbite," Tara said with a smile.



"Happens a lot in Southern California in the fall," Willow added with a vigorous nod. "Besides, what's with you and being all grouchy about smoochies?"



"Buffy, are you and Riley okay?" Tara asked with a worried look.



"No," Buffy answered looking down at the ground. "I, I kinda broke his rib when we..."



"But he's got that super soldier stuff in his blood," Willow said with a frown.



"Not anymore," Buffy said dejectedly. "The FDA did a recall and the project is cancelled. U.C. Sunnydale ROTC was the last bunch to go through it. He was feeling so bad, I mean I just wanted-and he was all 'it's not your fault'-"



As the Slayer started to cry Willow and Tara bracketed her in a gentle defense and just held her. Willow started to frown thoughtfully. Then she looked at Tara and smiled.



"I know that look," Tara said hopefully. "What is it, baby?"



"Well, it won't work for just anything, but I think there's a spell," Willow said eagerly. "It doesn't work on just sex, but if there's love then you can't hurt the one you love."



"Even if she has ten times your strength?" Buffy asked in a small voice.



"Yep," Willow said confidently, then she looked uncomfortable. "At least that's what the book said."



"Which book, honey?" Tara asked quickly.



"Telford's Grimoire, second edition," Willow replied. "The one with the blue griffin on the cover."



"Telford's is pretty accurate about what a spell will do, Buffy," Tara explained happily. "It's a really small publishing house but they print under a truth spell."



"Which is why it's so small," Willow added. "You don't want to know how inflated the magic claims get about grimoires."



"So Riley and I can, you know," Buffy asked eagerly. "Without me breaking him."



"Until the cows come home," Tara answered with a grin.



This is what I need! a loud voice chittered in their heads. I so don't want to rip off my pod husbands' legs in my next heat.



The three girls looked up at a series of dark, long, slender legs holding up what looked like a microbus of a Grateful Dead fan. It walked over the large mausoleum without breaking stride and stood over them.



I was just looking for the magic thing called 'chocolate', but this sounds much better, the voice sent enthusiastically. Can you do this? Are you puissant witches of deep lore? I can pay, that is if you take Visa.



"Um," Tara said unsurely. "Well, we're majoring in magic, Willow and I that is, Buffy's, um..."



"Back to undeclared," Buffy said with a shrug. "Anthropology didn't work out. Problems with your guys, huh?"



They're just so fragile, the voice replied.And then they whine. I love them all but they do whine so while they're regrowing bits. Oh, where are my manners. I'm- there was short burst of hissing and popping. Hss for short. I find honorifics get in the way sometimes.



"Oh yes, Lady, er, Hss," Tara replied. Willow and Buffy just looked at her.



I must say you're more polite than most sidhe, Hss replied.



"Sidhe?" Buffy said softly. "Faerie? Did you know that, Will?"



"Yes," Willow said gently. "Seven generations ago. She's not like that."



"It doesn't fade," Buffy replied petulantly.



"Buffy, it's Tara," Willow said sternly. "Deal with it and stop being a bigot."



"Wigged, sorry," Buffy said uncomfortably. "Explains things. Hss, we need to get this spell book thing. I'm afraid you'd frighten people and I don't think I want a dimensional diplomatic incident."



"Especially with you being so diplomatic and all," Willow said under her breath.



If this place is secure I shall wait here, her Ladyship decided. Um, do you have, ah, you know, cranberry sauce here?



"Yes," Tara answered. "Why?"



That's personal, Hss replied quickly. In the light available it seemed she turned slightly mauve.



"I'm thinking personal means kinky," Buffy said behind her hand with a grin.



"Jellied or whole berry?" Tara asked while trying not to smile and wave Buffy to silence surreptitiously at the same time.



Whole berry? Hss sent with a shudder. Jellied, definitely jellied, I mean, whole berry what sort of, errr, jellied, thank you.



"Kinky," Buffy whispered. "Mommy long legs kinky."



"Buffy!" Willow hissed. "You're gonna get my girlfriend eaten!"



"That should be no problem, Ma'am," Tara asked after giving Buffy a glare that would have meant amphibian experiences from a less principled witch with a frog fear free lover. "How much?"



About two qualts Hss replied moving her foremost limbs together in a pattern roughly like that of a six inch cube. She turned a deeper mauve.



"You're very fortunate," Tara said softly and tried to imbue her tone with a hint of jealousy.



Yes, Hss replied softly. Then she looked about her. A pair of relatively tiny mandibles sprang out. Is this place a necropolis?



"Yes," Tara said honestly. "Our friend is a warrior in the fight against evil. If you're uncomfortable she can stay with you while we get the book and the components of the spell."



"I what?" Buffy said quickly.



Thank you, Hss said hurriedly. One hears stories about these places.



"We'll be back in just a bit," Willow said as she took Tara by the arm. "We'll pick up the chocolate and, ah, stuff, on the way back."



"We'll be back in a couple of hours," Tara added.



Buffy looked up at the enormous traveler and tried to smile.



"First time to California?" she asked.



This is California? Hss asked excitedly. The land mass where Hollywood is found?



"Yes," Buffy said with a sigh.



Do you think I could get Alexis Bledel's autograph while I'm here? Hss asked eagerly. It's ah, for my second pod husband. He's a Gilmore Girls fan. I'm not really into television.



"Sorry" Buffy said.



Darn!

Edited by: Repost Moderator at: 2/23/03 11:39:10 pm

[Repost Moderator]

HTML Comments are not allowed

[Repost Moderator]

Giving Thanks

Update # 2







"I'll meet you at the Magic Box with the grimoire in half an hour," Tara told Willow in a firm voice.



"I promise I won't take as long this time," Willow entreated.



"Honey, it took you two hours to get the History of Irish Magick," Tara said gently."And that was in the open stacks."



"That wasn't my fault!" Willow protested. "I was just being thorough. There were these other books that looked-"



"Interesting," Tara finished. "Ones with words on them that you could read."



"I'm not that bad," Willow insisted.



"No, not as long as it's, um..." Tara looked puzzled.



"What?" Willow asked with a raised eyebrow.



"I just can't think of anything you wouldn't find interesting," Tara teased. "And be an expert in by Thursday."



"Thursday?" Willow said in a shocked tone. "That long?"



"Psychology," Tara responded surely. "You actually needed the whole week to study."



"Well, yeah," Willow said quickly. "I always need to study. In fact there's a subject I've really been meaning to study more."



Tara and Willow stopped and looked at each other. They started to kiss, and then parted.



"Buffy and Big Bug Lady," Willow said reluctantly.



"Yeah, Eveners can be touchy," Tara said with a sigh.



"Eveners?" Willow asked. "The Fates' handmaidens? I thought she was a Queroth demon."



"Too many legs," Tara said quickly, then she looked down. "Besides, I, um, kind of know about Eveners."



"But they're a...not-myth, right?" Willow said slowly. "You know about them? The 'tenders of the Fate's weavings'? Oh baby, your mom?"



Tara just nodded. Willow held her for a long moment. Tara finally took a deep breath and nodded.



"You know them?" Willow asked wonderingly.



"Not know, I, um after m-my mother...passed I did some dumb things," Tara said uncomfortably. "I tried to, you know, lengthen her line. One of the young ones stopped me before I messed things up and I met her mother afterwards. They showed me it wasn't all that simple and that all of our fates are woven together. They just kind of even out the snarls. They were nice, very polite."



"Was it Hss?" Willow asked.



"No, she w-was one of Atropos' Eveners," Tara explained. "Fate is dangerous and the Eveners who live long enough to breed are considered sort of scholar knights, like Mr. Giles."



"And you keep telling me I'm the powerful one," Willow said shaking her head.



"You are," Tara said quietly, then she smiled. "Except when it comes to refusing the siren call of printed matter."



"Fine, deny me the luxury of the magic book room," Willow said with a theatrical sigh.



It took only half an hour to gather the book and the few supplies needed for the spell. The witches hurried to the grocery store nearest campus next. Chocolate was unfortunately one area in which neither had much control, besides neither could remember a myth about Fate's handmaidens and sweets. Laden with their sweet treasure they headed for the aisle with the cranberry sauce.



"There it is," Willow said as she bent over. "Jellied cranberry sauce, right next to the candied sweet potatoes. Look, it's sort of like a Thanksgiving shelf there. How many cans do we need for Hss?"



Willow stood up and looked at Tara when her question failed to bring a response. The blonde was staring at the shelf but Willow knew somehow those blue eyes were seeing something entirely different. One of the bags of small chocolates fell from her fingers. The sound of the bag hitting the floor seemed to bring Tara back.



"Stupid place for sweet potatoes," she said roughly. "I mean they're not a fruit...and..."



The rest of the chocolate she was carrying fell but this time Willow was ready and it bobbled for a nearby shelf as the witch tried to comfort her lover.



"I'm s-s-sorry," Tara whispered. "We need six cans. I'll get the chocolate and m-meet you out front."



With that she grabbed the chocolate and hurried to the check out line. Willow juggled the cans and her own chocolate a moment later. Tara was already outside, leaning against a support of the store's roof. As Willow paid she saw a middle aged man come up to Tara. A she looked at him and they spoke. Willow hurried out to see the man in a threadbare coat standing near her love.



"There she is," Tara said as Willow came out.



"All right then, good night miss," he said as he walked into the store.



"Thank you," Tara said with a ghost of a smile.



"Baby, who is that, and what's going on, I mean if you want to talk about it, of course, not that I'm worried," Willow said in a rush as she tried to balance her sack and holding Tara at the same time.



"I don't know who that was," Tara said raggedly. "He was worried about me being upset and it echoed inside him."



"I kind of forget sometimes there's decent people in the world, even in Sunnydale," Willow said quietly. "Echoes, huh?"



"Yes," Tara replied more steadily. "And I'll save you the trouble of slipping sweet potatoes into the conversation."



"Thanks, because the best I was coming up with was 'I yam what I yam,'" Willow admitted.



"Your secret failing about rhyming tubers is safe with me," Tara said with a sad smile. "The sweet potato thing just hit me harder than usual."



"Usual?" Willow asked worriedly.



"Every Thanksgiving my mom would make this sweet potato thing," Tara explained.



"And you loved it," Willow assumed.



"N-no, I hated it," Tara said tightly. "I loathed it, but I ate it because it meant so much to her. It was my grandma's recipe. Then when I was fourteen I decided I was too grown up to eat things I didn't like."



"You were big with rebellion?" Willow asked carefully.



"I was trying to, and mom didn't say a word about it," Tara said flatly. "Next year she was in the hospital and I made the dinner. She came home for dinner. I got just about everything right."



"Except the thing with sweet potatoes?" Willow guessed worriedly.



"I used canned ones," Tara said with a shudder. "She ate it but it was the worst thing I'd ever tasted. I tried to get it right later and it w-worked, but by then she was on medicines that killed her appetite."



Willow stopped and put down the grocery bag. She took Tara in her arms and just held her for a moment.



"I guess seeing Hss and all of the h-holiday stuff got to me more than I knew," Tara said apologetically as they picked up the bags.



"I'm just glad there's no frog filled holidays," Willow admitted.



They made their way back to the graveyard. They knew they were close when they 'overheard' Hss.



Amazing, she sent in astonishment. An entire nation state's entertainment being determined by a few thousand households? I thought there would be scholars and forthright thinkers determining, and forgive me the pun, the fates of the various series.



"Nope," they heard Buffy reply as they came up. "Kind of explains Passions and Baywatch, doesn't it?"



I see your point, Hss agreed. Ah, the witches have returned, and in good time. What news, ladies?



"We have the grimoire and the objects for the spell, Hss," Tara said with a short bow.



"And I think if Buffy stands under your Ladyship the spell might work better for both of you," Willow said looking at the tome. "Hold this candle, Buff."



"This isn't going to be a repeat of the blessed ragweed, is it?" Buffy asked worriedly.



Are you sure this is quite safe? Hss asked with concern as stood over Buffy. I'm not a hatchling anymore.



"Yes, but your carapace is very sleek," Tara said with a smile.



Thank you, Hss tittered. Heavens know I get enough exercise these days. You wouldn't believe the number of snarls I'm dealing with just in New Jersey. Athens was a cakewalk compared to that, even with those silly Spartans running around.



Tara and Willow walked around the two strong females with candles unlit. After the first circuit they burst into flame. The witches pushed the candles out into the air to be consumed swiftly as they chanted the spell. The last of the candles fell as liquid wax as the witches sagged a bit.



Nicely woven, witches, Hss acknowledged happily.



"That and chocolate too," Willow said holding up a bag of M&Ms. "We didn't know what kind you'd like or how much so we got a variety."



Oh, th the large creature replied. Do you have a small sample?



Willow poured a few candies into the surprisingly delicate looking claw like ending of Hss's offered front leg. The Evener put the chocolate daintily to her mandibles.



Oh my, she sent happily. Can you get this with Visa?



"Yes, and over the Web too," Willow said helpfully.



The internet? Hss asked after a second. My grandchildren have been pestering me to get a connection. If I can get this I can see it might have a purpose.



"You can get wildfeeds of the Gilmore Girls too, with a broadband connection," Buffy pointed out.



Really? Hss asked quickly. I'll have to look into this thing after all. Pity it's called the Web.



"Because of the weavings of the Fates?" Tara asked politely.



No, I just hate spiders, Hss said with a shudder. Nasty crawly things, spiders. Brrr. Well, be that as it may, I must say thank you. You have been more helpful than I had any reason to expect. Is there anything I can give you in return?



"I can't take Visa and I think if I knew my fate I'd end up making a mistake or freezing," Buffy replied first. "Besides I've got a reward waiting at Lowell House."



Buffy and Hss seemed to nod and wink at each other. Willow just rolled her eyes. Tara smiled.



"I learned not to interfere with the weave," Tara said politely with another small bow. "And helping others is what we do. If I took anything it would your friendship."



Thank you, Miss Maclay, Hiss said with a hint of formality in her returning bow. With ten legs it was an impressive display.



"I hate good examples," Willow said with a sigh. "I'd like to help the guy from the store or maybe some kittens or puppies, but I'll say no and be good."



How about a view of the weaving? Hss said with a casual ease.



"Really?" Willow asked excitedly. "I mean, thank you, Lady Hss, if it wouldn't be too much trouble or give away trade secrets or something."



No, no secrets, Hss assured her. Concentrate, Miss Rosenberg.



Suddenly Willow was on a sea of undulating tapestry. The scenes changed moment to moment as threads on tiny shuttlecocks streamed past. She saw one strike another and a tangle ensued. A dark figure that looked like Hss only one third the size pulled on the tangle. One shuttlecock careened dizzily away. The other was gently pulled and it's thread cut. Willow's heart froze.



That's the big dark moment, she realized. One moment you're a happy shuttlecock with a shuttlecock girlfriend and then some drunken bastard in another shuttlecock hits you and it's 'Hello Mr. Scissorhands or Scissorclaw really', and the weave just goes on and on and oh God please let Tara be nearby and safe...



"It's okay, baby," Tara crooned as she held Willow. "I've got you."



"Will she be okay?" Buffy asked worriedly.



Yes, Hss sent softly. Her curiosity has been fulfilled and the small glimpse she has of the future is not yet come to pass, and may never even be.



"Curiosity and Willow can be dangerous sometimes," Buffy agreed.



"And wonderful," Tara insisted.



There is truth in both views, Hss replied. Then she touched her leg to the paper bags holding chocolate and jellied cranberry sauce. Errr, could I get some help here? Just to the Hellmouth, please. I can manage from there.



"Sure," Buffy said as she grabbed the bags. "Willow, Thanksgiving dinner, eleven o'clock."



"Right," Willow replied a bit shakily as she stood up.



Buffy met Tara's eyes as Hss started towards the Hellmouth. The Slayer looked at Willow and Tara again and smiled as she rolled her eyes.



"Sorry, Tara," Buffy said with a shrug. "It's going to be family only."



"I, I understand..." Tara said trying to keep the hurt out of her voice.



"Good, because if Xander's on kitchen buddy duty I'm going to need you two to wrangle Anya and Dawn," Buffy said oblivious to Tara's pain.



"Meaning you hate to get stomped at Life and Monopoly," Willow said with a sigh. "Hey, what about you?"



"Gotta go!" Buffy called back over her shoulder. "See you two there."



"Yeah, you gotta run off," Willow said pouting, then she looked at Tara. "What's wrong?"



"Family only," Tara said happily as tears coursed down her cheeks. "She said 'family only'."



"Yeah...oh, well of course, you're family, silly," Willow said earnestly. "What did you think was going to happen? I'd sneak back a Tara and Miss Kitty plate? You know you wouldn't get the best bits."



"She's not going to forgive us," Tara said with a small laugh. "We're going to smell like turkey."



"We'll get the best kitty bits for her," Willow said nodding. "And you get anything you want."



"This is what I want," Tara said as Willow hugged her closely.



Tara realized she was in the middle of a cemetery at night in the cold, but all she could do was wonder at all the things she had to be thankful for.

[Repost Moderator]

Giving Thanks

Update 3





She was pillowed in the softest warmth. Willow's arm was across her and sprawled out on top of them both was a small bundle of black and white fur. Willow made a soft noise and a smile appeared on her face as she tightened her arm on Tara. The shy witch looked at the blessedly unset alarm clock and saw that they'd slept in for two hours already. Tara did not want to be late to the Summers house, but the happy feel of both her bedmates made her nestle into pillow.



Then Willow moved and she felt a brief full-body touch and knew she didn't want to sleep anymore. She moved her own hand until warmth became heat. Her mouth descended gently along her true favorite feast. She tried not to giggle as Miss Kitty moved to the edge of the bed and curled up again in sleep. She'd already learned. Then Tara started to slowly wake up Willow in the best manner possible.



For Willow a happy dream of kissing Tara in the library was changing. Tara was smiling at her that way, the way that left her clothes feeling so tight. Then she kissed down Willow's body right there in the reference section. Tara pushed her gently onto her back on the surprisingly soft carpet in front of the rows of books that became the fairy lights of their dorm room. The soft hair she was grasping gently stayed real and the roaring in her ears remained the same. Then she didn't think again until her breathing slowed and her heart stopped pounding from pure joy. She looked down and saw the lazy, pulse-quickening grin only she saw on her lover's face.



"Happy Thanksgiving," Tara purred.



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



Hss moved across the weavings of the Fates like an Evener half her age. At one point she actually pirouetted, though briefly. Finally she came to Lachesis' abode and knocked. The door opened and she entered, the picture of dignity. She came to the edge of the large flat stone at the rippling edge of the weaving. The gray haired daughter of Nyx tied a thread to a never-ending parade of shuttlecocks without seeming to hurry.



"You look remarkably spry this morning, Lady Hss," the Fate said without looking up from her task. "How are your husbands?"



Recovering nicely, your grace, Hss replied. It's much easier to bounce back from exhaustion.



"No loss of limbs?" Lachesis asked in an interested tone.



Not so much as a strained claw, Hss answered happily. The witches did a good job.



"Are you up to another clutch?" the Fate asked concerned. "It has been some centuries since you last bred."



I remember most of the details, your grace, Hss sent with a polite archness.



"Of course," she answered with a smile. "How about your children? Are they taking your decision well?"



They're scandalized quite beyond words, Hss chuckled. My grandchildren think its all terribly romantic. And my husbands want to be fathers and have been working on the nursery.



"This is very hopeful," Lachesis said nodding. "I suppose you're here to intervene for the witches."



Quite so, your grace, Hss agreed. They refused payment, and politely. There is a thread that might be adequate for their efforts. It will soon fray and snap unless action is taken.



"And you hate to see a line snap before its time," the Fate said evenly. She looked at one of the shuttlecocks she had just released as it stopped moving. Hss eased forward and touched it. Her chittered sigh was sad as she cut its thread. Fate looked at her handmaiden.



"They are all connected," she said softly.



Thus are the threads woven, Hss responded as she let the tiny shuttlecock go.



"See to this line, but carefully," Lachesis said after the shuttlecock disappeared. "Go and see that your witches receive their due for bringing joy to my servants."



Hss bowed and strode out of the Fate's presence. Outside on the weaving she started what she thought of as humming as she moved in what could only be called a sashay.



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



Willow could not remember a prettier Thanksgiving morning. Everything seemed to be brighter this morning and the slower pace of the day meant she could enjoy it. Mostly she was enjoying the warm hand in hers. As the two young women reached the Summers house Willow saw Xander's car in the drive.



"Uh oh," she said with a grin. "Looks like Buffy's already being pummeled."



"Is it really that bad?" Tara asked.



"Capitalism in game form is Anya's idea of relaxation," Willow explained. "And Dawn can beat Buffy with dice and gamepieces at least."



"I'm not very good at Monopoly," Tara said worriedly. "I'm okay at cards."



"Which probably means you're a card shark, or maybe a card orca," Willow replied.



"Why orca?" Tara asked with a raised eyebrow as Willow knocked on the door.



"Because they're mammals and warm blooded," Willow said with a smirk. "And I have recent evidence you're both."



"Hi!" Dawn said brightly as she opened the door. "Are you ready to be fleeced?"



"Confident, isn't she?" Tara said with a grin.



"Thank God you're here!" Xander said to Tara as the door to the kitchen flew open. "We've got a stuffing emergency! Hi Will. Anya's in the living room with Dawn and Buffy."



"Hey, girlfriend stealing?" Willow protested. "On Thanksgiving?"



"Will, it's stuffing!" Xander said earnestly.



"I'll be just a little bit," Tara said with a smile. "Take me to the patient."



"This way Dr. Maclay," Xander said with a slight bow. "It may be the bread crumbs. The lab results aren't back."



"Oh well," Dawn said with a sigh. "At least I get one of you. Guess what we're doing?"



"Computer modeling biodiversity in an urban environment?" Willow asked hopefully.



"No, Monopoly," Dawn laughed.







Joyce noticed Tara didn't stutter talking about Willow. She also learned more about Tara than anyone but the red haired witch knew. Joyce had made up her mind before Thanksgiving. By the time the stuffing crisis was resolved she was sure of her decision and with Tara's help the meal was shaping up well in spite of Joyce's intermittent headache.



"Dear, if you're done why don't you go rescue your girl from my greedy youngest daughter," Joyce suggested. "I'm sure they've forced bankruptcy on Buffy by now and are closing on Willow."



Joyce was correct in her dire predictions. The witches were on the verge of using magic an hour later when instead they conceded with the arrival of Giles. After that there was a flurry of activity that culminated in the spreading of a table groaning with food and plates. As Tara sat next to Willow she thought she had never been happier.



"There are no sweet potatoes," Anya said with a frown. "I thought there were always sweet potatoes at a Thanksgiving meal."



"You hate sweet potatoes," Xander pointed out.



"Still, they are a tradition," Anya said stubbornly, not noticing Willow's glare. "Like board games at gatherings of extended families and excessive purchases to drive back the long night of winter."



"If you're going to cook them you can have them," Joyce said evenly. "Otherwise it's a mom decision. No sweet potatoes."



Tara looked at Joyce and just barely caught the older woman looking at her with concern. Not concern about her, but for her. Tara knew she was not just happy, but safe in a way she could not name. The rest of the meal slipped by in a happy blur. Even as people drifted away from the table into the living room with coffee and tea it seemed the meal was just taking a short intermission.



Willow was just sitting down next to Tara when she felt a soft surge of magic.



Pardon me, a familiar voice said in everyone's mind. I am sorry to interrupt the harvest festival feast, but this is urgent.



"Lady Hss?" Tara said in a surprised tone.



Yes, Miss Maclay, Hss replied. I have news that the three of you need to hear. Could I trouble you to step into the back yard?



"I'm coming too!" Dawn announced as she tore for the back door.



"DAWN!" Buffy yelled as she just missed intercepting her sister. "She's going to-"



"Oh my GOD!" Dawn squealed. "This is so cool! You have the neatest friends, Tara!"



"-not freak out at all," Buffy finished in a disappointed tone. "I know Hss too, you know."



"Hss?" Anya said as she stepped out the door and looked up. "Who's...Ev-Ev-Ev-"



"Evener," Willow said in a way that was nothing but helpful. "We met her a couple of nights ago. Mrs. Summers, Lady Hss. She works for the Fates. Lady Hss, this is kind of my mom Mrs. Summers."



"Hello," Joyce said in what she hoped was a polite tone.



"Oh no," Anya said squeaking only a little bit.



"What is it, Lady?" Tara asked with a slight bow.



Three types of knowledge, timely and needed, Hss replied. Let me explain.



Buffy knew there was a danger to her mother. She had to strike swiftly or it would overtake her.



Tara knew the wrenching loss was sneaking closer. This time she was ready. She knew how to warn of the danger.



Willow knew it was a very small tumor two centimeters below the dura and near an arterial wall. In fifty six hours it would weaken the artery. Then its size wouldn't matter. It would be a killer.



"Mom, we're going to the hospital, now," Buffy said sternly.



"Honey, are you feeling-" Joyce started.



"The headache, it's not stress," Willow said in a frightened tone. "It's a tumor, and we've got to get going now."



"How can you know that?" Joyce asked in a gentle voice.



"I'll show you," Tara said softly as she held out her hand. "Trust me, please."



"Only to make you all stop worrying," Joyce said as she took Tara's hand.



A second later they were on the weave of the fates of the world. Hss stood here as well and bowed as Tara stepped out onto the undulating tapestry leading Joyce to a familiar tangle. Suddenly Joyce saw a woman, old before her time, dying quickly while waiting for her daughter's visit.



"That's my mom's thread," Tara said tightly. "I tried to make it longer and I nearly broke a dozen others. I-I don't w-want yours to break. I just found..."



Joyce took her in an embrace as Tara's words failed. The older woman took her in her arms and after Tara regained her composure Joyce turned to the Evener.



"Thank you for your trouble," she said carefully. "We need to get back. I have to go to the doctor's for some tests."



Then they were back in Sunnydale. Giles was on his cell phone. Buffy leapt up at their return.



"Mom, Giles knows someone at Cedars Sinai in LA," she said breathlessly. "You're going tonight."



"Yes I am dear," Joyce replied firmly. "Xander is going to drive us down."



"I can drive," Buffy said quickly.



"We need to get there in one piece," Joyce said firmly. "Willow and Tara are staying with Dawn. They can bring their kitten over until I get back."



"I can come too," Dawn said quietly.



Listen to your mother, dear, Hss sent gently. There wouldn't be time for shopping anyway.



"How many daughters do you have?" Joyce asked with a smile as Dawn blushed.



Enough to make my carapace go yellow most of the time, Hss replied with a sigh. And the boys, oh don't even ask about those scamps.



"Thank you," Buffy said from the back door.



But you need to get going, Hss answered with a nod. I understand, warrior. We all must go. Goodbye everyone, and goodbye, Anya. I haven't forgotten.



With that she was gone, if she had actually even been there. It wasn't until Xander's car had pulled away half an hour later that Tara realized how deeply Joyce had answered her request for trust. And that realization came in the form of a question.



"Since you're in charge are we going to use magic to get the kitten?" Dawn asked nonchalantly.



"No!" both witches answered emphatically.



"Darn!"

[Repost Moderator]

Title: Christmas Yet to Come

Author: Jixer

E-mail: jixer@attbi.com

Feedback: Please. Bouquets and brickbats welcome

Distribution: Any free fanfiction site

Spoilers: None. Takes place after Tar Lin and Giving Thanks in the same AU.

Rating: Hard PG-13 at most.

Pairing: W/T

Disclaimer: All characters of BtVS are owned by Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon. All I own are tattered books, the love of a good woman, and a few pots of tomato plants. Dickens is in the public domain and the hearts of everyone.

Summary: Solstice, Hanukah, Christmas all are in the darkest days of winter. Willow finds one reason why.

Note: Both girls are still at the Summers House as Joyce recovers after ‘Giving Thanks’

WARNING: Low Kitten Angst Level







“It falls within the time,” a voice as deep a grave. “There is one who has been careless with the powers she called upon. It is my right.”



“It is your right,” the wind said in a soft voice. “It is my right to bind you to the outcome. Agreed?”



There was a long rumbling laugh that made the wind stop and the very stones shudder.



“I agree to the binding,” the eldritch bass voice said finally.



“Go then,” the wind commanded.



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



Willow Rosenberg wondered if the eggnog or the second slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream had been the culprit. All she knew was that the couch had exerted a powerful gravity field that would not let her go. Tara seemed to be in a similar fix so she was leaning towards the pumpkin pie. The small black and white form on her lap turned very slightly and purred.



“We finally got her to settle down,” Tara said as she slipped an arm around the redhead.



“Catnip and turkey gizzard,” Willow nodded. “The only thing better than batting at the pretties on the tree.”



“Does he do that every year?” Tara asked with a yawn.



“The Snoopy dance?” Willow asked.



“Yeah,” Tara said with a grin that turned into another yawn.



“It’s a tradition,” Willow said with a yawn of her own.



Tara nodded slightly and leaned against Willow. She was smiling and her breathing told Willow her lover was lightly asleep. Willow let out a happy small sigh and gave up her fight for wakefulness as well.



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



She was looking at a winter scene. A matched pair of bay horses sat ready for her by a sled from Currier and Ives. A stunning woman with silver hair stood by her.



“This is where your path leads you,” the woman said.



“Wow, L. tryptophan is way better than I thought,” Willow said looking around her. “I never get dreams this good on cafeteria food.”



“Oh, Lady Rosenberg, this is no dream,” laughed the woman. “This is your future. This is destiny.”



“You’re the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?” Willow asked as she sat in the sled. The coachman put a cashmere throw over her lap and tipped his hat.



“Just a guide,” she answered.



The sled crossed grounds of park like beauty. After just long enough to feel the cold pleasantly the sled pulled up in front of a palace. Servants took her coat and bowed before Willow as they opened the doors. Dozens of people stood at her arrival and bowed. Willow felt herself smiling and nodding easily. Those she nodded at looked pleased and a touch fearful. Several young women were, it seemed, vying for her attention.



“This is my future?” Willow asked in an awed voice.



“Once you embrace your destiny,” the beautiful woman said. “She held out a gem of darkest red. “This is what you’ve been looking for all this time. Power, pure and unhindered.”



“Oh,” Willow said as her mouth dried. She reached for the gem. She felt a warm arm on her shoulder. The witch looked up but didn’t see Tara. She looked at the woman who shook her head gracefully.



“She was holding you back,” she said sadly. “You had to let her go to achieve all of this.”



Willow turned away and looked desperately at the crowd. They looked down and bowed. Willow brushed past them. She could see the way these people froze as she moved near them. Willow looked up at a mirror and saw herself. She was beautiful, a decade older at most and regal. Then the witch looked closely and saw here eyes were all as black and hard as onyx.



“Show me the future with Tara,” Willow said tightly.



“You won’t like it,” warned the guide. “It’s full of failure and things that never were.”



“SHOW ME!” Willow roared.



The palace swirled away. In it’s place there was a run down house. Outside snow drifted down unstopping. There was a chill in the house. None of the furniture matched and her computer seemed to be unchanged from the one they had now. Tara was looking outside, her posture strange to Willow. Now she and Tara looked careworn and frumpy in baggy clothes. Her older self reached for Tara only to have her love turn away. Tears streaked both their faces.



“I hate this,” Tara snapped. “I hate what we have to do and I hate you.”



The scene froze as the woman stepped between Willow and the couple frozen in pain.



“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “All of it was a lie. Love never lasts. All that is true is power. Take this.”



In the living room Joyce came in and smiled at the little trio sleeping on the sofa. She opened the closet gently and took out a blanket. She tossed it easily across them. She smiled when she realized the motion had not left her dizzy.



“I’m better,” she thought with a smile at the sleeping witches. “We’ll get you back to your own place so you don’t have to spend a mom New Years at least.”



Under the blanket Willow moved just a bit in the new warmth. Miss Kitty put out a paw and warned her not to move too much with a gentle press of her claws.



Willow felt a very light, sharp press on her leg. She shook her head and looked at the snow in the window. It had stopped in mid-flight. She smiled thinly at the woman.



“Let’s play it out,” the witch said evenly.



“This way is painful,” the woman insisted gently. “Take your true path. Take the power.”



Willow reached for the gem. The woman smiled. Then the redhead reached past the hand with the gem and grabbed the woman’s wrist. Willow shivered at the frigid touch but she pressed her thumb down in a way that would have made Buffy proud. The woman gasped as Willow smiled at her in a way that made everything said about redheads and tempers seem very real.



“Play it out,” Willow said sweetly.



The frumpy Willow reached out for Tara even as she turned away. Willow held her and in a second Tara was leaning on her and clinging desperately. Willow could see that Tara was too thin under the clothes. She started to sob in Willow’s arms as the redhead slowly caressed her.



“It’ll be all right,” Willow said gently. “You did the right thing. I’m proud of you.”



Tara just looked at her with a mix of hope and sadness that made both Willows swallow tears. Then the older Willow looked up.



Above them there was a sprig of real mistletoe. Willow smiled and kissed her love. As she did so Willow saw a ring on her future self’s finger. There was a matching one on Tara’s. The doorbell rang. Both broke the kiss and looked at the door with expressions that Willow couldn’t read. Tara looked out and opened it.



It took her a second to recognize Dawn. She was tall and her brown hair was short. She looked stronger than Buffy ever did. Dawn looked at Tara.



“I’m sorry,” was all Dawn got out before her sobbing swallowed all of her words. Tara pulled her into an embrace and joined her tears. The older Willow closed the door, muttered a spell of protection over both of the crying women and then put an arm around each of them.



“I’ve got all the power I need,” Willow said with a mirthless laugh. She let the icy woman’s arm go.



“Take it!” the woman bellowed in a voice that boomed like an iceberg breaking as she leapt on Willow with the gem in a clawed hand.



The palace returned. Willow rolled the creature off of her and pushed away the gem. It fell and the interior of the palace was coated in blood. The woman looked up at Willow, her beauty now replaced with an emaciated white face with spots of ice upon it.



“I won’t make your mistake,” Willow said harshly. She turned away as the palace turned into blowing snow. The woman joined the snow with a base scream of hopelessness. She was begging someone for one more chance. Then there was nothing but wind driven snow all around her.



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



On the couch Willow shivered. Tara snuggled closer to her but did not wake up. Miss Kitty stretched out and purred. Willow opened her eyes briefly. She was sitting on the couch in the Summers’ living room. By the sound of coffee brewing in the kitchen Joyce was home from the Seven Eleven with milk. Dawn was upstairs assaulting her eardrums with her new CD. The blanket was a bit too warm with both girlfriend and kitten. The gravity was still too high.



“One piece of pie next year,” she said with sleepy resolve. Then she yawned, leaned her head against Tara and rested her eyes for just a minute.



Joyce looked out with a cup of coffee in her hand several moments later and smiled when she saw no one would be taking her up on her offer.



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



Outside a gentle breeze wafted through the southern California December. The night was coming on its heels and across the town lights came on even as it passed. The night would be shorter by the tiniest measure and spring would come the breeze seemed to say, but no one was awake to hear the promise.

Edited by: Repost Moderator at: 2/23/03 11:38:50 pm

[Repost Moderator]

Christmas Yet To Come



Part Two and Conclusion







Tara looked down at her sleeping figure next to Willow. She reached out to pull the blanket up a bit more over her lover. Her hand passed through the blanket. She sighed and looked at Hss. The Evener seemed nervous.



"You're being borrowed for this, so let's get it done," Tara said firmly. "You need to get home."



Thank you, Miss Maclay, Hss sent. I've never been borrowed before. It's quite unsettling. All I know is that it involves a winter holiday.



"It'll be all right," Tara said with a small smile. "I think you make a wonderful Christmas ghost."



Thank you, Hss replied. But Christmas has always been yours, and you know the story. Your family now goes back much farther.



Tara gasped as the darkness surrounded her. In the ruins she could see dancing lights waver in the gentlest of breezes. As she looked around she gasped. Still in disarray, around her the Temple gleamed in the small lights. The lights flowed into eight candles that lit the way home for generations who wandered, harried, hunted and feared. The light around her beckoned.



This is her story, Hss sent gently. This one you knew, but now you know it in your bones as Willow does.



Darkness again flowed around her. Tara gasped as she saw the paintings on the wall. Tara looked around her as she and Hss stood in the cave. Around her animals leapt and ran on the walls. In front of her men sat around a fire holding images of the beasts on the walls.



"Come back in the spring," they chanted. "Come back to the grass in the valley of the people. We call on you so our women and children will not know hunger this year."



Tara followed the Evener out into the upper gallery of the caves. Here a woman leaned back against a rock, her infant daughter to her breast. Around her other women and children ate quietly in the light of a fire. One older woman picked up a large piece of roast meat and headed towards the entrance to the cave. The nursing mother looked up at her and nodded.



Tara and Hss followed the woman. At the entrance to the cave a dark skinned woman stood, her paint and features marking her as an outsider. She growled at the older woman. The older woman stopped and held out the meat. As the outsider turned Tara saw someone who reminded her of Buffy in her most feral state. She was strong and Tara could feel the same raw energy the Slayer had in her core. This Slayer looked at her and Tara heard in her mind:



"What does she want?" in a defensive, almost frightened tone.



"It is cold here, and you are valuable to her," Tara said gently. "And she worries about you."



"Alone!" the Slayer shouted in her mind.



"No," Tara said firmly. "Family."



"Dead, gone," wailed the Slayer.



"Yes," Tara replied sadly. "But not forgotten. You carry them with you. You go on, for them. And one day you find new family, if you can step away from the dark."



"Evil is out there," she hissed at the dark.



"They can't come in here, its a home," Tara said surely.



"Make sure!" the Slayer demanded.



Tara reached out for the latent power that permeated this place.



Do this, whatever was borrowing Hss sent. And you will be part of this family forever.



Tara hesitated. The Slayer looked at her. The old woman waited, not seeing Tara, only the hesitant figure on the edge of the dark. She took a careful step forward and made a crooning sound, as a mother might make to sooth a child. Tara reached for the power with tears in her eyes.



The power was raw and unformed. It was all she could do to hold it. She could not form a barrier with it. It did not yet 'know' what to do. Tara stopped trying to coerce the power and listened to it. It was young, too young to know itself. She took a large breath, thought of home and opened herself to the curious energy. Joyce threw a blanket over her, Dawn squealed happily at a new CD, Miss Kitty batted at tinsel and Xander danced knowing he would make them laugh.



She thought of Willow.



There was a scream. She opened her eyes, not remembering closing them. A vampire screamed in impotent rage as it leaned on an unbreakable nothing. The First Slayer laughed and headed for the firelight behind the woman after she staked the raging thing. Tara staggered slightly.



Now there will be light in the darkness, Hss said in a relieved tone. There will be Christmases and more yet to come.



"Wait a second," Tara said shaking her head. "If the barrier to vampires didn't exist-"



Tara sailed ahead in time. The Temple raced past, a manger slipped away, tents and ships held travelers from the darkest night and strangers were welcomed. Time slowed and she saw trenches and men in green and gray uniforms walk out tentatively into the snow unarmed as the guns fell quiet. Silent Night swelled unsteadily in different languages. The shy girl with red hair, new to America, lit candles as the visitor from Chicago gaped at the halo of light around her face...



Tara shook her head and blinked. She was on the couch, next to Willow, which was very right. She did not know where the dream of the primitive woman came from. Tara had seen her sitting on the edge of a circle of firelight, holding a tiny child that held on to her finger. There was laughter and ease even though she did not look exactly like the others around the fire. For some reason Tara felt tears come into her eyes again. Willow reached out in her slumber and draped an arm around her.



Tara blinked away her tears. She felt Miss Kitty’s back feet dig into her dress and relax. She leaned into Willow determined to stay awake and enjoy each second.



An hour later Willow woke her with a kiss.

[Repost Moderator]

Title: New Years Cookies

Author: Jixer

E-mail: jixer@attbi.com

Feedback: Please. Bouquets and brickbats welcome

Distribution: Any free fanfiction site

Spoilers: None. Takes place after ‘Giving Thanks’ and 'Christmas Yet To Come' in the same AU.

Rating: R

Pairing: W/T

Disclaimer: All characters of BtVS are owned by Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon. All I own are tattered books, the love of a good woman, and a few pots of tomato plants.

Summary: Buffy had to learn her other skills somewhere.

Note: The girls are back at the dorm after the events of ‘Giving Thanks’ and ‘Christmas Yet To Come’

WARNING: Very Low Kitten Angst Level







“What do you want to do tonight and tomorrow?” Willow Rosenberg asked as she rolled over in Tara’s bed. “I mean, New Year’s Eve and all.”



Tara Maclay lifted the small black and white form off her side of the bed. Miss Kitty glared at her. She reached down and stroked the kitten a few times until it stopped glaring. She felt Willow roll up against her back and drape an arm over her.



“I mean we’re back from Buffy’s and moved in again, so should we catch up on some magic?” Willow asked as she snuggled.



Tara’s answer was to trace her finger down Willow’s arm gently to the fingertips. As Willow gasped slightly Tara turned just a bit and traced the slim arm of her girl back to the sensitive shoulder and barely brush her neck. Tara kept turning and rolled on top of Willow. Her lips brushed the graceful neck she knew so well.



“I’d like this,” Tara said gently. “Please.”



“Just this?” Willow asked tightly, trying to sound innocent.



Tara leaned forward and found the pit of the redhead’s throat with her lips and tongue. Her hands found hardening treasure and gently brushed the tight knots at the end of the swelling warmth of Willow’s breasts. She smiled down at Willow as the hacker’s breath came in shorter breaths.



“No,” Tara answered with a smile. She leaned forward.



Willow wriggled slightly and kissed her hard, then pressed Tara’s hands harder onto her.



“Let’s get an early start,” she said urgently.



Sometime later Miss Kitty got pets and wore herself out on the dancing string. Pizza was ordered. The delivery girl took a sniff and then smiled wickedly and winked at Tara who turned red but smiled back and nodded. After a slice or three Willow touched Tara just behind the knee with a greasy finger and licked her girlfriend clean.



There was an interruption later, though.



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



“I should call Will and Tara,” Buffy said as she helped Joyce in the kitchen. “Will knows she’s welcome but Tara will need an invite, even after everything she did.”



“Don’t, honey,” Joyce said with a small smile.



“But Mom, it’s New Year’s Eve,” Buffy insisted. “They’ve done so much and you know how shy they are. They won’t get any offers for a party.”



“They’re fine,” Joyce said with a wider grin.



“But…what?” Buffy asked finally seeing the smile on her mother’s face.



“Five weeks with a teenager, a bunch of worried friends and then Willow’s second mother, dear,” Joyce said gently.



“What does-oh, you mean…” Buffy said slowly. “You’re sure?”



“I took some cookies over to the dorm earlier,” Joyce said. “They were very polite, but they won’t be coming over.” Joyce turned to her daughter and frowned. “There is one thing that bothered me.”



“What’s that?” the Slayer asked in a worried tone.



“Why would they say ‘like daughter, like mother’?” Joyce asked.



“I don’t know,” Buffy said honestly with a shrug.

[Repost Moderator]

new to the archive And you can still leave feedback!

[Repost Moderator]

originally posted by jixer

---

Title: Choosers of the Beloved

Author: Jixer

E-mail: jixer@attbi.com

Feedback: Please. Bouquets and brickbats welcome

Distribution: Any free fanfiction site

Spoilers: None. Takes place after 'Tar Lin' and ‘Giving Thanks’ in the same AU.

Rating: R

Pairing: W/T

Disclaimer: All characters of BtVS are owned by Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon. All I own are tattered books, the love of a good woman, and a few pots of tomato plants.

Summary: Fluff, fluff, and more fluff.

Note: The girls are back at the dorm after the events of ‘Giving Thanks’ and ‘Christmas Yet To Come’

WARNING: Very Low Kitten Angst Level







Tara walked over and looked at Willow’s handiwork as she pinned it to their corkboard. The page hung perfectly straight there with all the information two witches at college could need. The colors and the fonts were each different and coordinated with their subjects.



“How does it look?” Willow asked anxiously.



“Perfect, as always,” Tara said reassuringly. “Right down to the ‘moon days’ and…oh no.”



“What?” Willow asked worriedly as she scanned the calendar she’d made for February.



Tara pointed wordlessly at the three consecutive days circled in a delicate red border. They bracketed the fourteenth.



“On Valentine’s Day,” Tara said dejectedly.



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



Buffy saw Willow outside the Student Union Building, sitting at one of the scarred tables and looking into her half full coffee cup.



“Why the long face and the lingering staring at the cold mocha?” Buffy asked. Willow looked up suddenly with a soft frown and sighed. Buffy sat down by her best friend quickly.



“Tara?” the Slayer asked worriedly.



“And me,” Willow sighed again. “Stupid time for a visit.”



Buffy thought for a moment and translated Willowspeech in her mind. She thought about the date and realized the problem.



“Has it been bad?” Buffy asked with slight twitch.



“Bad,” Willow confirmed. “It’s worse for her. She tries not to let on but, but we have this bond and, and…”



“Can’t you make her feel better?” Buffy asked gently. “Herbs? Magic? Massage helps, or, um…”



“She’s part faerie,” Willow pointed out. “The, you know, is less but the headaches make up for misery by an order of magnitude and the cramps, well, let’s just say her body tries to fit all three days into one.”



“I thought she wasn’t very faerie,” Buffy said quickly, then blushed. “I mean, sidhe blood is thin in her by now, right?”



“Blood,” Willow said shaking her head slightly.



“Oh, the human part is doing its mortal thing but the faerie blood doesn’t want to be spilled for any reason,” Buffy said slowly as she realized what Willow’s one word meant. “Look, the dorms can get noisy on any holiday. Why don’t you two come over and spend a quiet evening at Mom’s? Dawn would love to have you two over even if she has to be quiet. We could make it a quiet no headachy girls night.”



“We?” Willow asked with a tilt to her head. “You’re not going to the dance?”



“Nobody’s asked me,” Buffy said softly.



“But Riley…oh,” the redhead said as Buffy’s face crumpled slightly. “Want to talk about it?”



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



Tara saw the familiar tall figure at the end of the library stacks and waved. Riley Finn looked trapped and gave a weak wave back in return. Something about him made Tara worried and she approached him. The tall young man looked at books shelved near him with a wild look, grabbed one and hurried past her, wriggling like a contortionist so he didn’t touch her.



“Gotta go, late,” he whispered as he passed her.



Tara watched him go. She took a step after him but decided against it.



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



“Ten days!” Willow snarled as she entered in their dorm room. “Not one call, not even a-a hello, girl who used to my world shine when I was Captain America. Pig. I feel a curly tail spell coming on.”



“This is Riley, right?” Tara said as she watched Willow toss her books onto the desk and then neaten the pile.



“Yes, Mr. Macho Corps ROTC cadet,” Willow snapped. “He loses his super soldier edge and dumps the strong girl.”



“Then why has been avoiding us too?” Tara asked with a thoughtful frown.



“What?” Willow asked quickly, then she glared out the window. “Because we’re Buffy’s friends. Or he’s scared of us too.”



“Maybe,” Tara said distantly. “I was at the library and so was he…”



Tara’s silence seemed different this time. Willow stopped and looked at her partner. The dark blonde hair was pulled back in a way that made Willow think of her as young, beautiful and vulnerable. With Tara’s look of concentration Willow held her tongue. As Tara sat there a lap was formed and a kitten appeared after a moment and gave a soft meow. Tara started petting Miss Kitty. Tara looked up at Willow after a few minutes.



“Week before last, at the docks,” Tara said hesitantly.



“That shipping crate full of vampires?” Willow asked with a tilt to her head.



“There was a big blonde one with a touch of old magic, remember?” Tara said with a shiver.



“Yeah, the one that was fireproof,” Willow said wrinkling her nose at the memory. “Buffy was dealing with the biker vamp…and Riley tripped him onto those pallets and he went poof. It was like the Three Stooges take on a vampire.”



“Then it got intense,” Tara said evenly. “We had to use magic, the flaming stake spell.”



“And we used the broken pallet slats,” Willow said brightly. “You kept jabbing at that last old vamp’s face with your little flaming stake while Buffy snuck up behind him with that burning two by four.”



“I remember a certain redhead’s stakes were making precise curves and turns,” Tara said with a smile. “And the flaming heart pattern at the end was…pretty.”



“You sure thought so,” Willow said with a dry mouth. There was a long silence.



“Um,” Tara started. “It’s not much, but we could go to the docks and see if there was something there.”



“Docks?” Willow asked softly. “Oh, right, docks.”



“What are we looking for?” Willow asked.



“We’re just sniffing around,” Tara said with a weak smile.



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



“If you missed it the first time, eewww,” Willow said literally wriggling with displeasure. “Docks and low tide. I’m burning this outfit when we get out of here.”



“I’m kind of glad I’m allergic to shrimp right now,” Tara said weakly. “I think that’s where the pallets were.”



As the two witches got close to the location there was a scent that had nothing to do with the sea or fish. It was a miasma both knew too well, one more at home in the graveyards of Sunnydale.



“Reveal,” Tara said in a soft voice with steel under it.



A small light flickered unevenly on the ground by the untidy stack of pallets. Willow brought up a protective barrier between the light and Tara, and then herself.



“Corpselight,” Tara said with a tight voice. She took a ragged breath and faced the light. “We seek the truth.”



The light expanded and weakened. They saw dim images with distant sounds. A tall man with a blonde beard fell asleep in a waterfront tavern. A seedy vampire reached for him and pushed the thong around his neck out of the way. The stone with carved runes that hung from the strand of leather gleamed very weakly as the drunken man snored away his life. The new vampire’s story went by swiftly until it ended on the Sunnydale pier.



“Hel take you-“ he rasped just as he poofed into nothingness.



Then Riley went home. His nightmares slipped into the daytime as doubts. Now the sounds were less distant and the images clearer. They saw him fall and Buffy rush to defend him only to die on the blade of a vampire’s sword. Dawn and Joyce’s fates were worse. Then they saw themselves trying to shield his weakened body from a demon. The witches in his dream were over taxed and consumed by fire.



The light went out with a waft of corruption.



“Who in Hell?” Willow asked in a frustrated tone. “What in Hell?”



“Not in Hell,” Tara replied as she looked pale. “Not Gehenna, Hel herself.”



“Norse goddess Hel?” Willow asked tightly. Tara just nodded.



“If you dare,” a ringing soprano voice said behind them.



Both witches felt the presence behind them and turned slowly. They saw a tall ice-blond woman, rippling with light. Somehow the armor and her cold regal beauty didn’t touch her feminine nature. The horse behind her made Willow’s heart skip a beat as she stepped back. Then she saw where the valkyrie was staring.



“Hey, Brunhild!” Willow snapped. “You want to stop eyeing my girlfriend?”



“Not really,” the valkyrie answered with a chuckle.



“What’s a valkyrie doing serving Hel?” Tara asked as she crossed her arms and glared at the tall woman.



“Well, the worshipper pool is going through one of those thousand year down cycles,” the valkyrie said with an embarrassed shrug. “A girl’s got to keep her hand in, so to speak.”



Willow bristled at the way the beautiful woman smiled at Tara as she said that. Tara’s eyes widened. Willow stepped in front of her love and met the eyes of the chooser of the slain.



“Let’s go to Hel, shall we?” the redhead said tightly. “We have some questions.”



“You won’t like the answer mortal,” the valkyrie warned.



“We’ll see,” Willow snapped.



Without further words the tall figure turned and mounted her horse. She held a hand down to Tara.



“I’ll go first,” Willow said firmly. Then she turned to Tara and said softly, “Warrior maiden I’ll just bet.”



Tara smiled as Willow sat in front of the valkyrie and stared straight ahead. The dark blonde witch scrambled onto the horse with unusual grace. She touched the horses neck and said something musical. The horse whickered gently and leapt softly into the sky. In a few bounds they were in the clouds. They rode for a brief time to a gate of bones that opened before them.



There was a dull white sheen to the floor and walls of the room they entered on horseback.



“I go no further,” the valkyrie said with a slight quiver in her voice. “The one you seek to save your warrior is through those doors.”



“You know about Riley?” Tara asked quickly.



“Her man?” the armored woman asked. “Yes, a good match.”



Tara looked at Willow and saw the same look of surprise she was sure was on her own face. Before she could ask a question the door groaned. Both witches turned to the noise as the valkyrie pulled back on her horse’s reins and fled. The two UC Sunnydale students approached the carved doors.



Tara felt her eyes start to tear up as they looked at a pair of doors with perfectly carved depictions of every deformity and disease known to mankind. Willow felt an ache in her heart. She reached out just as Tara did the same, both drawn to help ease the pain that seemed to radiate from the doors. As they touched the doors the portal vanished. Before them stood an older woman with a grim visage, an eye that flickered with fire and an odor of corruption about her. Her tunic stopped at her waist and they could see her bones below that. Tara bowed and Willow followed her example.



“I know why you’re here,” Hel said in a coarse voice. “Know I am bound to test you, even if I hate the undead. The magic was done by the precepts.”



“The balance must be kept,” Tara said quietly.



“What do we have to do?” Willow said in what she hoped was a calm voice.



“Look at each other through this,” Hel said as she touched her eye. A flame sprang up between the girls.



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



Willow looked at her lover and saw a small girl crying in an empty bed. A door opened.



“Then the faeries took the little shepherd girl away and ate all her sheep,” a boy’s voice said. “You’ve got faerie in you. You’re gonna grow wings and be just like them. You’re gonna hurt kittens.”



The girl hid under the covers.



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



Tara looked at Willow standing in front of a room full of children. The teacher was nodding at her and every other child, except the skinny shy boy, the one with a black eye, was glaring at her. She went back to her seat next to the shy boy and was granted non-existence by the rest of the class.



“Freaks,” one pretty dark hair girl said to her blonde friend. They giggled.



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



Willow saw Tara change in the light into a tall graceful creature with spun gold for hair and eyes of sapphire. There was a hint of golden wings behind her and more than a hint of condescending cruelty in her smile. She turned and ran a graceful finger under the chin of a graceful almond-eyed girl. The raven haired mortal pulled at her collar but couldn’t move.



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



Tara’s Willow was gone and in her place was a slender girl all in black with a blood sorcerer’s black eyes. She hit Dawn as hard as she could and smiled as the teen sailed into a wall. Then she turned as Buffy flew at her in a rage. The blonde stopped with a bone splintering suddenness before she even touched this UnWillow. The Slayer slid limply to the floor next to her sister.



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



Both girls let out a sharp cry and reached through the flame. They touched and the flame faded.



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



Tara was gray-haired and moving slowly with her cane. A small procession of cats, two of them black and white, and one old dog followed her into the kitchen. She opened a fridge festooned with children’s drawings of two women holding hands with Grandmas inscribed above them along with many cats and a brown dog shaped blob. She pulled out a small baggie of minced meat to chorus of meows. Willow looked up from the table where she was organizing small piles of herbs.



“Come on and pour, Mrs. Rosenberg,” Willow teased. “I’m waiting for my butt shot.”



“Incorrigible,” Tara grinned



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



“It’s okay baby, it’s okay,” Willow said urgently as she took Tara in her arms.



“You’re okay, I’m here, I’m here,” Tara answered fervently as she tightened the hold she had on Willow.



“Go home,” Hel said with a very small smile.



There was a snap like a breaking bone and both girls were on the docks of Sunnydale again. They looked up and saw the afternoon sun in the sky. Willow pulled out her Palm Pilot carrier, selected a memory card from the carrier and plugged it into the PDA.



“Riley’s last class is out in fifteen minutes,” Willow said quickly.



“We’d better hurry,” Tara replied.



They hurried back to campus. By the time they got there both were slightly out of breath.



“Maybe we should do something to help them get over the curse,” Willow said in a concerned tone.



“Like counseling?” Tara asked.



“More like a little, you know, harmless spell,” Willow said with a plastered on smile that missed innocence by a goodly measure.



“No spells, or potions, or philters,” Tara said firmly.



“But-“ Willow started. Words stopped when she saw Tara’s look. “Okay, no magic.”



They turned the corner of the quad to the Sciences building and saw Buffy standing on the steps kissing Riley hard. Bemused students were smiling at them and they seemed to be having an effect on several couples nearby. The kiss didn’t break.



“I wouldn’t say that,” Tara said as she squeezed Willow’s hand and leaned her head on the redhead’s shoulder.



“Uh oh, you’re right,” Willow said seriously. “Magic of contamination.”



“Oh dear,” Tara said softly as she turned to Willow and stepped closer. “Any cure?”



“None,” Willow said as she leaned toward her girlfriend’s soft lips.



“Good,” murmured Tara.

[jixer]

Title: The Witch And The Goblin King

Author: Jixer (jixers@yahoo.com)

Spoilers: Not Hardly

Disclaimer: I own the concept of the faerie, great casks of jewels and Willow and Tara-oh wait. Wrong. I guess I don’t own any of that. Drat!

Notes: This last late summer Mars came close to earth near the equinox. I thought that was worth a W/T story and took lots of notes. Then I was good and didn’t start yet another story. As I waited to write it the story became the darkest of the TarLin series by far. This takes place a couple of years after the last installment of the stories.







The Witch And The Goblin King



Part One







“I need more data,” Willow said with remarkable calm.



Tara smiled and leaned forward again. Willow kept her eyes closed as they kissed. Slowly Willow brought up her hands. Tara sighed happily.



“Silk, or it could be a Dacron blend,” Willow said thoughtfully. “Just one more time.”



“I love scientist Willow,” Tara giggled.



As she leaned forward the air in the room changed. Willow’s eyes flashed open. Both witches brought up protective wards as a wall of their dorm room became a wall of mossy stone. A tall figure, sidhe but more sinister than any faerie Willow had ever seen, bowed with a deadly grace. Miss Kitty fluffed up and snarled.



“Tara Maclay of the Clan MacLeod,” he said in a musical baritone. “You are the only one of your bloodline with the gifts to be our foe. The Goblin King shall ride forth from your Hellmouth on the day of the bloody planet’s fullness. Meet him if you or your champions dare.”



Then the creature disappeared. The wall went back to being a wall and the Tomb Raider poster was undamaged. Willow looked at her girlfriend in shock.



“So much for a quiet end to the summer classes,” Willow said softly.



“Why?” Tara asked.



“Because next Wednesday Mars is going to be about thirty five million miles away from Earth,” Willow explained. “I’m beginning to regret going to grad school on the Hellmouth.”





===========================================================





“Clan MacLeod?” Xander asked with a confused expression. “Am I going to get yelled at if I ask about swords and challenges?”



Tara sighed. The group around the table at the Magic Box edged back slightly, except for Anya who grimaced at her new husband’s side.



“I got over that with Donnie,” Tara said finally.



“Your Cro-Magnon brother?” Dawn asked.



“Seniors love to toss around big words,” Buffy said with a smirk.



“At least I’m not going to take half a dozen years to get my BA,” Dawn said with a superior air.



“Yes, Donnie,” Tara interjected. “He never really got over not having anything special in the way of powers. Somehow got this bee in his bonnet about the Maclays being a sept of some well known Scottish clan. He finally found we were related, but on our mother’s side.”



“Where the magic he missed out on came from,” Anya said nodding. “I bet he got pissy about it too. I saw a lot of that in the old days.”



“Is this connected to the MacLeods’ faerie standard at Dunvegan Castle?” Giles asked.



“The fairy what?” Xander asked with a frown.



“There is a standard held by the Clan of MacLeod at their ancestral castle at Dunvegan,” Giles explained in a tone that reminded Willow he was now a full professor of Magic at UCSD. “A flag or banner if you will. It is supposed to give great power to any of the MacLeod lineage in battle.”



“It’s hundreds of years old,” Tara explained. “I’m afraid if it was waved today it would just come apart in the wind.”



“Where did the MacLeods get it?” Dawn asked.



“According to my mother it was part of the wedding dress from an even more distant sidhe ancestor who wore it the day she took a mortal husband,” Tara said with a small smile. “Other tales exist about it, but I’ve always liked that one.”



“That’s my romantic,” Willow whispered.



“What about the Goblin King?” Buffy asked. “I suppose it’s too much to hope that he looks like a younger David Bowie leading an army of Muppets.”



“Not exactly,” Giles said opening a large ancient book.



Across two pages an enormous band of horsemen were pictured. The lean grace of the sidhe had become predatory in the goblins and their horses, and there were thousands.



“I remember this,” Anya said suddenly. “Seven hundred years ago, when the Hellmouth was in Scotland.”



“The Hellmouth was in Scotland?” Willow asked.



“Ever heard of haggis?” Anya asked sharply. “Where do you think it came from? Anyway, the Goblin King had to face a champion before he could lead his complete army out into the mortal world. It took him a while to find one, and the MacLeod warrior he found won at the cost of his own life. He’s held a grudge since then. Probably sulking too.”



“How do you know so much about this?” Giles asked.



“I bet on the stupid Goblin King,” Anya said, still cross at the memory. “I lost money on that poser.”



“Anything else?” Buffy asked. “Since we’re going to be meeting the fairy godfather.”



“He said next time he’d return when he couldn’t lose,” Anya said. “Ten thousand goblin knights, the Seven Horrors, and the stars would all be with him.”



“What are the Seven Horrors?” Dawn asked timorously.



“His main bullyboys,” Anya snorted. “Talk about obsessed with their own image. You know, after a few days severed heads start to smell.”



“Wait a minute,” Xander said looking thoughtful. “Faeries can’t use iron.”



“Or titanium,” Willow added.



“With ten thousand horsemen and magically enhanced sharp weapons it won’t make a difference,” Buffy replied.



“How are they going to get ten thousand horses across the Hellmouth, let alone Interstate 5?” Xander asked. “I don’t think the Highway Patrol is gonna give them a warning.”



“It’s magic,” Willow said without thinking.



“Are the stars with him?” Buffy asked.



“Mars is closer to earth than anytime in the last sixty thousand years,” Willow said uncomfortably.



“The blood red planet of war,” Giles said distantly. “And it’s close to the autumnal equinox.”



“Yeah, and I’m supposed to be a Virgo,” Anya snorted.



Tara stood up and looked pensive as the others watched her. Willow’s eyes narrowed as she saw Tara’s brief look of pain. Then Tara looked along the books until she found the one she was looking for. She looked at it for a moment and turned to Giles.



“What do you know about the Angels of Mons?” Tara asked the Watcher.



“Folk belief from the First World War,” Giles said in a professorial tone. “A few old charms gave a touch of protection to the retreating British forces and the rest was mostly men pushed to the point of exhaustion seeing what they desperately hoped for.”



“Was there an investigation?” Tara asked.



“Yes,” Giles answered. “I picked up some of the older books in London last year when the Ministry of Magic was disbanded. They reported there had been no magic at the scene. Of course that was in 1920 after a lot of steel and poison gas had been used. Their findings pissed off a lot of veterans.”



“The Ministry of Magic was disbanded?” Willow asked.



“Not officially,” Giles sighed. “Officially it’s moved into another blended organization that looks better on government flowcharts.”



“Oh,” Willow said quietly.



“That reminds me,” Anya said as she got up and headed for the counter. “You need to sign these petitions.”



“Why?” Buffy asked suspiciously.



“Because our Governor wants to save his ass from a recall,” Anya snapped. “So he’s proposing cutting the Magic Department at UC Sunnydale as an economy measure.”



“But that’s the best reason to go here!” Willow said angrily. “We’re one of ten colleges in the whole world-”



“Nine,” Giles corrected her. “After four suicide bombings against ‘unholy spirits’ the Algerian school closed.”



“Well, I guess the Goblin King and his merry band will change that,” Buffy said with a grimace.



“Yes,” Tara said softly, as she looked away, into a distance none of the others could see. “It will. If he gets through onto the mortal lands.”



Willow watched Tara closely and with growing apprehension. Tara knew more about magic and it’s history than anyone Willow knew including Giles. Of late she had been reviewing old spells of her family and the results had been less than Tara had hoped for. Then there had been the dreams Tara couldn’t remember when she had spoken in her sleep in High Elvish. That had led Tara to thinking and those blue eyes had been troubled for weeks now.



I hope she hasn’t had vision of the future again, Willow thought worriedly.



“So when do I face him and his little friends?” Buffy asked and shook Willow from her thoughts.



“You?” Tara asked shaking herself from her sad reverie.



“You said ‘or your champions’,” Buffy said baldly. “I’m the Slayer.”



“I’ve got to think,” Tara said suddenly.



Tara turned and hurried out of the Magic Box. Willow looked after her for a second before she grabbed her bag and followed. She found Tara sitting on the curb, hugging herself. Willow sat beside her and hugged Tara. The dark blonde girl pushed herself into the embrace.



“What’s wrong, baby?” Willow asked quietly.



“There’s so little magic left,” Tara said sadly. “It’s almost all forgotten away from the points that touch the otherworlds.”



“You’re stronger than you think and you’re not alone,” Willow said earnestly. “We’ll find a way to beat him.”



“That’s not the problem,” Tara almost wailed. “I saw something, love. It was just a flash but it was something horrible. I saw it and I’ve got to stop it. I’ve got to take my champions into the elfwood or...”



“Or what, baby?” Willow asked.



“We’ll lose it all,” Tara whispered.





===========================================================





Tara looked up from the books she was supposed to be studying. Miss Kitty was curled up asleep on the pages she could have sworn she had just read. She felt a sweater across her shoulders. Tara looked across the table as Willow looked up from her Powerbook.



“You should have told me you had a portent of the future,” Willow said sternly. “Twice, I’ll bet.”



“It was just for a second,” Tara said guiltily.



“They take too much out of you,” Willow said with worry in her voice. “Even ones that last just a second.”



“Do the statistics say it was a portent?” Tara asked softly.



“Steep decline to steady state with a slight upswing especially where old railroad tracks were pulled up,” Willow answered. “At least that’s the pattern for the information available. The exception seems to be Silicon Valley. They’re pretty flat there.”



“So much cold iron everywhere,” Tara said softly. Then she yawned hugely.



“I’ll print out the extract while you get ready for bed,” Willow said in a no-nonsense tone. “To be read in the morning.”





===========================================================





The next day Tara came into the Magic Box with none of her usual happiness to be around the enchantment-filled store. Anya looked at her with a worried frown.



“Are you all right?” Anya asked.



“No,” Tara said with a shake of her head.



Before Anya could ask more questions the rest of the Scoobies arrived with Willow in the rear. She looked at Tara and nodded. Tara stood behind a chair and took a calming breath.



“When do we start planning?” Buffy asked.



“Right now,” Tara said levelly. “I need to find my champions.”



“Find?” Buffy said with a dangerous tone as the others looked at Tara in alarm.



“Yes,” Tara said softly.



“I’m right here,” Buffy said flatly. “I’ve read the descriptions, Tara. I know there won’t be any quarter given. The Goblins don’t want us for pets or amusement or cheap labor like the elves. They want all the humans gone. You need the Slayer.”



“No,” Tara said firmly.



Willow noticed Dawn relaxed just a little bit at Tara’s answer.



“Why not?” Buffy asked in a restrained growl.



“Because you could beat the King, or his Horrors, or a hundred knights, Buffy,” Tara explained. “But not a ten thousand knights on horseback. Even you would be slowed down by elfshot.”



“Then how do you suppose to beat them?” Giles asked. “They’ve been waiting for this for seven hundred years. It may take a fair bit to dissuade them.”



“I’m going to use music,” Tara said quietly. “Music and memories.”



“That kind of lets me out,” Xander said with a hint of bitterness.



“No,” Tara said softly. “I need you almost as much as I need Giles and Willow for the first part of this.”



“And us?” Dawn asked softly.



“I think I’m going to need all of you to get my champions beyond the curtain of shadows between the worlds,” Tara replied. “There’s one especially I’m going to need Buffy’s help for.”



“Fine,” Buffy said tightly. “Somebody’s got to keep you alive.”

[jixer]

=======================================================





“I really wish you hadn’t asked Xander to watch the History channel last weekend,” Anya complained.



“Didn’t he tell you?” Tara asked. “We taped the ‘Sopranos’.”



“Oh!” Anya said brightly. “Thank you! It’s my favorite soap. And no, he didn’t tell me a damn thing. We’ll just see about that.”



“Where are the champions?” Buffy asked nervously as she came out of the Magic Box.



Tara looked at the Slayer and noted the sheathed sword, dagger and bulk of body armor.



“Buffy,” Tara started.



“I know, not the champion,” Buffy replied. “But there could be lions or tigers or basilisks with poisonous fangs.”



“Oh my,” Tara said with a grin. “Oh, here they come.”



An ambulance van arrived along with a gleaming Toyota Avalon. Willow got out of the Toyota as Xander helped an old man with a walker down the front lift of the van. Then an even older man was rolled out of back of the van, his ancient head nodding in the bright California sun. Buffy looked back to Tara with confusion as two very large Japanese men in odd clothes pulled a small metal box from the back of the Toyota with no little effort. Willow came up to Tara as the rest of the Scoobies looked on. Tara bowed very low to the container.



“Thank you for coming, most wise and powerful one,” Tara said with no self-consciousness.



A ball of azure light took the form of an almond eyed beauty. Willow felt her eyes narrow slightly when the ghost looked at Tara with a good deal of appreciation. Then the girl shifted into an old woman who laughed merrily.



“You are much too easy to tease, Willow-san,” she cackled. “Please Tara, use Mariko.”



“Thank you, Mariko,” Tara said politely.



“Shit,” grumbled the old man holding the walker.



“Thank you for coming also, Master Sergeant Slade,” Tara said nodding to the man gripping the walker. “And to you, Major Graham.”



“It gets both of us out of that old people kennel,” Slade rasped. “Hell of a place for a Marine to end up.”



“We need to get everyone inside,” Tara said firmly. “Buffy, could you take Mariko’s box. It’s very heavy.”



“Wow!” Buffy grunted as she took the box from the men. “What’s this made of? Lead?”



“And steel,” Tara replied absently. “Xander, could you?”



Xander wheeled the ancient man into the Magic Box. The front steps would have been hard but the ramp now along the side of the stairs was perfectly built. Anya eyed the odd assembly. Even in August the man in the wheelchair had a throw on his lap.



“Well, I’m sure they have memories,” she muttered.



“If they can remember them,” Dawn said looking at the old man in the wheelchair.



“No problem there, Missy,” the man wheezed with a grin.



“Dawn, could you help get the Major back to the training room?” Willow asked.



As the group entered the back room Giles straightened up. The large circle on the floor puffed slightly when Tara crossed it, but didn’t seem to diminish. Tara looked at the group.



“We are about to go into danger beyond our world,” she said with a forced evenness. “I know you have all volunteered for this, but know that if you must turn back, now is the time. Before our guide arrives you may still leave.”



“Right,” Buffy said with a roll of her eyes. The rest of the Scoobies joined her.



“I am here to see wonders,” Graham said with what might have been a British accent under the labored breathing.



“Let’s get this dog and pony show on the fu-frigging road,” Slade snapped.



Mariko blew a respectable if ghostly raspberry.



“Thank you,” Tara said softly. She closed her eyes and raised her hands. “I am Tara Maclay. I seek the path beyond. I and my champions are expected.”



There was a sharp snap and a figure appeared before Tara. A fox stood still, bridled and saddled. On his back a small figure in silver armor with a lance and pennant bowed to Tara.



“I am Sir Goldenrod,” he said gravely. “It is my honor to escort you.”



“Will the pixies be our marshals for this challenge?” Tara asked.



“We shall, Lady Maclay,” he answered.



“Then our honor is well protected,” Tara replied with a small bow.



“Thank you,” Sir Goldenrod replied with his own bow. “Please follow me.”





===========================================================





Buffy was startled to see the familiar walls of the training room had faded away to a sunlit path in a forest. All around them sidhe watched, great groups of them. Buffy felt her hand slip to her sword.



“Easy,” Willow said gently.



“There’s hundreds,” Buffy whispered back.



“Thousands,” Willow corrected her. “Most of them are courtiers. I recognize a few.”



“The First Battle of Bull Run,” Xander said as he pushed Major Graham along the surprisingly smooth path.



“What?” several Scoobies asked.



“The First Battle Of Bull Run was the first battle of the Civil War,” Xander explained. “Thousands of people came out to watch the war. It was going to be a picnic with a bit of fighting and then the war was going to be over.”



“Wow, you actually learned something from TV,” Dawn smirked.



“I just wish our escort was bigger,” Buffy said looking at the diminutive knights riding at their side.



“I wouldn’t worry,” Willow said. “Look down.”



Buffy saw a half dozen pixies, dressed like the knights save for their armor, carrying the wheelchair on interlaced poles a few inches off the ground.



“Why not just carry the wheelchair?” Buffy asked.



“It’s got steel in it,” Anya explained. “That’s iron touched by fire. It kills easily here.”



“Oh dear, I don’t want to hurt the little fellows,” Graham said as he looked about him with a smile.



“As long as you don’t make any sudden moves they’ll be fine,” Anya replied with a bit of force. Major Graham seemed a bit hard of hearing.



“Splendid,” Graham said happily.





===========================================================





Tara looked forward as the trail led out and down onto the plains around the elfwood and it’s hill. The party stopped at the edge of the hill. As far as Tara could see below her Goblins were gathered astride their impossibly lean horses. At the border of the elfwood the rest of the sidhe watched with an unrestrained glee. Tara felt her heart quavering until Willow’s hand stole into hers.



“Looks bigger than it did on the box,” Willow said lightly.



Tara smiled and held tightly to Willow’s hand. The old men and Mariko’s box were guided beside Tara. The rest of the Scoobies looked at them.



“Stay behind the pixies,” Tara said calmly.



“I’m thinking you might need somebody to hold your flag or something,” Buffy said looking at Willow.



“We’ll be fine,” Willow said confidently.



“Hey!” Buffy said indignantly as several pixies simply lifted under her shoes and carried her, still standing, behind the line of knights.



“Attend all who may hear!” Sir Goldenrod called out. “The Honorable Witch, Tara Maclay, has answered the challenge of the Goblin King!”



Willow glared behind her as the watching elves and faeries laughed at the title ‘Honorable Witch’. She caught the stiff look Goldenrod gave the assembled fair folk.



“Honor is as honor does,” Willow said softly. The small knight nodded very slightly.



“I, Thaddeus Longleaf Goldenrod, Knight of the Order of the Dragonfly, do vouchsafe this challenge,” he called out in a ringing voice as he drew his sword.



“As do we!” answered the line of pixie knights as they drew their swords in unison.



“Who gave the challenge she answers?” Goldenrod called out.



Below the seething mass of riders almost danced into disciplined rows. Out of their midst rode a Goblin, tall and sharp-featured even for the elven kind. He was garbed entirely in black, with spots of gold and silver on his armor and his great sword. Behind him rode seven more large goblins, their armor blood red with helms formed into raptors’ faces.



“I did,” said the dark armored Goblin. “I have my champions. Where are yours, little human?”



“Beside me,” Tara said proudly pointing to the men and Mariko. “These are my champions.”



“A ghost, a man of many summers, and one on whom a century bears down hard?” laughed the Goblin King.



“Hundred and…four, old boy,” Graham answered with a huff.



All of the sidhe filled the air will peals of laughter. Buffy looked at the elegant faces as their perfectly toned laughter etched into her very soul. She clutched the sword hilt. Dawn placed her hand on her sister’s.



“The important one is the last one,” Dawn said gently.



“What is she planning?” Buffy asked softly.



“You’d know if you actually listened once in a while,” Dawn said with a maddeningly superior tone.



Before she could respond Goldenrod broke threw the noise with a stentorian bellow.



“Do you accept the challenge?” he asked darkly.



“If for no other reason than to satisfy my curiosity,” the King chuckled. “I am ready.”



“As are we,” Tara said with steel in her voice.



The Goblin King put his spurs to his mount. As his horse reared he drew his sword. He began to say something, but it was lost as Tara began to sing.



Private Perks is a funny little codger

With a smile a funny smile.

Five feet none, he’s an artful little dodger

With a smile a funny smile. *





A raspy voice kept singing the verse over and over again on the fire step. Private Graham almost missed the whistle, but he didn’t. He lurched up as the ground shook. He pushed his cold body up the parapet and went over the top at a brisk walk, following the flashes as their creeping barrage ravaged the last patch of forest ahead of them. Each blast made his ears hurt and filled his chest with a giant’s punch. The last green things in view disappeared. Nothing could have survived all of that.



Then the Lieutenant stumbled and fell into a smoking shell hole. Then Tompkins, Jerkins, Moore, the new boy who’s name he never learned. He saw the winking light in the Hun trenches ahead and knew that at least one of the devil’s toys had survived. The bullets from the machine gun reached out and cracked by his ear with a snap that promised death. Then the ground shook just a little and Graham started to cry.



“Minenwerfer!” Carlisle screamed as he started to run back to the trenches.



It did no good. The first blast landed in front of the fleeing man. Carlisle tried to stagger upright but he had no arms to steady himself. Graham looked around. Half the men they had started with were struggling through the now churned mud to get back to the comforting hell of the trench. He turned to help Carlisle when the next blast changed the armless man into a fountain of pink mud. An eternity later he slid down the trench wall to land in the rivulet of water and effluvia where the boards had been blown apart by a shell.



Private Perks is a funny little codger

With a smile a funny smile.

Five feet none, he’s an artful little dodger

With a smile a funny smile.



The song was weak now and it came from no man’s land. Graham peered up over the berm to look. In the distance, hanging on the wire, a figure sprawled and moved ever so lightly. One of the new ones stood up. Before Graham could grab him there was a crack and the lad’s helmet jerked as his body stiffened and fell. Another replacement-God, there were so many now- shook the dead boy and called his name very softly.



In the mire between the trenches the song stopped and the moaning began.





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





“I saw them for years on Armistice Day until they were just gone,” Giles said through tears. “I never knew.”





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





On the plains the ordered ranks were gone as the knights tried to cover their ears. Tara met the eyes of the Goblin King as he struggled with his mount.



“Things have changed in seven hundred years,” Tara said harshly through her tears. Then she took a breath and sang again.





That’s the wrong way to tickle Mary,

That’s the wrong way to kiss!

Don’t you know that over here, lad

They like it best like this! **





Corporal Graham felt his step become just a bit lighter for a whole heartbeat. Then there was a soft pop and without thinking he reached for the pouch on his belt.



“Gas! Gas!” someone ahead screamed.



The song stopped and swearing started as masks were pulled into place. Ahead of him in the new fog a man stumbled toward him, his mask askew and red froth on the glass eyes that begged him for help. His skin burned on his hands. Nearby a man screamed and tripped over comrade. He reached for the confining mask and Graham had to knock him down and kneel on his hands. The corporal could make out ‘I’m blind!’ in the man’s cries. Then his own hands seemed to burn even more. The column started to march again. It marched forever through the filthy fog until the world reeked and lungs burned with the effort.



Finally the holy words ‘All clear!’ were heard. Graham pulled off his mask and looked at his blistered hands.



The days meld together in a blur as the Somme eats men on both sides. The mud becomes colder and finally it all stops with snow on the ground. The snow makes the landscape softer, a shroud to hold the murdered earth. Christmas 1916 will be spent on the line.





===========================================================





“HOLD!” screamed the Goblin King.



But around him on the plain his army was unraveling. At the core there was chaos and on the edges panic had taken hold. Strings of goblins fled from the images of fire and iron.



“HOLD you cowards!” he roared. “That is an ancient war!”



“That’s where we started to learn,” Tara said bitterly. “We got better.”





There’s a song in the land of the lily,

Each sweetheart has heard with a sigh.

Over high garden walls this sweet echo falls

As a soldier boy whispers goodbye †







They had been retreating forever. Finally they were near the latest rallying point. Exhausted men fell out of the ranks to find some shade and a soft piece of earth. The petrol carrier’s engine had been making unhappy noises for the last ten miles. It’s small crew huddled around it as Lieutenant Graham looked at his map and wondered if any of his senior officers in the company survived. He didn’t know where or why the gramophone and the song from the last war had been salvaged to become one of the odd things that had been swept up in the flood of defeat.



Sirens overhead drowned out the lyrics of the song as Lieutenant Graham dove for cover away from the staff car. Above, an evil parody of a gull dropped out of the sky in a row of four, their bombs slipping away almost gracefully. Then the earth shook and burning fuel, and canvas, and flesh filled the air along with screams. Graham looked helplessly at the Stukas winging away. Nearby the last fuel truck and its crew burned in the pleasant May afternoon.



“How far is Dunkirk, sir?” his driver asked.



Now he could hear the gramophone could be heard again, but it was catching on the refrain.



Wedding bells will ring so merrily

Ev’ry tear will be a memory-

Wedding bells will ring so merrily

Ev’ry tear will be a memory-





===========================================================





“HOLD FAST!” the Goblin King called out.



Around him perhaps a tenth of his army remained. In the forest the sidhe courts were leaving their silks in the trees as they fluttered about, stunned by the images.



“Take a look at mine, asshole,” Slade snarled. “Sing it, babe.”



Love here in the starlit hour

Oh, heaven is in your eyes

While the wind is sobbing

Underneath the stars

Both our hearts are throbbing

Like two guitars-††



“We interrupt this program for a news bulletin!” the breathless voice snapped. “Pearl Harbor has been bombed by the Japanese!”



Young Robert Slade looks at the Philco radio with stunned surprise. His older brother is in the Navy. In the kitchen there’s a low moan as his mother stumbles into the room with fear etched on her face. Later there will be a telegram, and tears.



“Those Nips have to pay!”





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





Movement ahead. PFC Slade slips up to the edge of the hole in the brush. A scent of rice and fish fills the hole. That’s enough. He presses the controls and Hell sweeps away the oxygen. A few extra passes with the flamethrower makes the air too hot to breathe. The dirt becomes white sand, or black sand, or even good earth but the flame remains, burning away the hated slant-eyed bastards, burning everything clean.





===========================================================





Nine hundred knights fled from the hate, the flame, the righteousness of slaughter.



“Total war,” Tara said, fighting out the words. “That’s what is waiting for you. Go home!”



A hundred knights were left. The king waved his sword.



“Come on, they’re ancient men and girls!” he bellowed. “They’re just humans! CHARGE!”



“Stop the humans!” the sidhe cried from the elfwood.



Tara shook her head and looked to Mariko. The old woman nodded. Tara was going to sing something she had rehearsed but what came out of her mouth was-



A moaning wail that swooped and fell as it filled the air.



Mariko grasps the mirror of her grandmother’s she is learning to use as her mother pulls her to the shelter in the hills over the city. Mariko is ashamed. The planes only drop a bomb or two. The soldiers with the big gun near the house Mother has abandoned would protect them from the evil American bombers. Mariko is wondering if magic makes old people like her mother too cautious. She sits in the dark cave and looks at the mirror, bored as only a ten year old can be.



“Practice!” her mother orders her, then turns away to light incense and pray.



Mariko listens to the distant wailing and concentrates on the big gun. It comes into view on the mirror. She waves at the crew, even though they cannot see her. Then they spring to action. Above a pair of big silver planes appear. Mariko tries to push them away with magic even if mother has told her not to try too much. She fails and senses something dark in the lead plane. A single bomb drops away and the planes hurry away.



The mirror can’t find the dark thing in the sky. Then the sky bursts into flame with a roar past hearing. The men become living candles and the gun burns. Then the men are blown down the street as a roar that will not end fills the whole world. Fire sweeps through the city and the houses fly away. In front of the old government building people vanish in a sheet of flame, their reverse silhouettes the only evidence of their existence. And the roar doesn’t stop as the sky keeps burning. A wall of flame hits the grove of trees where her mother taught her magic for the first time. She can hear its death screams. Then a new death gives a banshee wail and kills the future for thousands.



The roar won’t stop and the fire won’t stop and the men are dead and in hell but they still breathe in agony and the new evil seeps into bones and she can’t stop it-



“TARA!!” Willow screamed.



The mirror in her hands, the old mirror her grandmother used, breaks.





===========================================================





Then they were alone on the hill, save for the Goblin King and the Seven Horrors. Only the King was still mounted. His face was a mask of madness. Buffy stepped forward, she knew what that look meant, but the pixies held her back. They looked frightened and broken, but they held her.



“Only her champions on the field,” Goldenrod said raggedly even as the Horrors screamed and charged.



Slade reached for Graham’s throw as the Seven approached. Graham stayed still as the old ‘lost’ war surplus Colt cleared his lap. The first real gunshot was almost pleasant compared to his memories. Seven times the ancient .45 automatic roared in Slade’s hand. The Horrors dropped for the bullets were old and steel cased, relics like the gun and the men. Then the old magazine failed and Slade swore as the King spurred his horse.



Tara reached for her magic, but it was spent, and Willow’s was nearly broken pulling her out of the last memory. The King shouted in victory even as his horse spooked at the rolling monster. Graham smiled as he careened down the hill, his spotted hands holding the brakes on wheelchair all the way off. The horse screamed as stainless steel touched its legs. Horse, chair, king and man went down in a tangle. Only the king stood up again.



But only for a second.



Another roar and the slide stuck in the rearward position, signaling everyone that the Colt had been shot dry. The king stopped, dropped his sword, and rolled down the hill bonelessly as Slade dropped the pistol and clutched his chest. The pixies lowered their swords and Buffy and the rest ran forward.



Out of the wreckage of horse and chair a tall young man in a uniform generations out of date stood up. He turned to Tara and saluted. A young woman appeared next to him, dressed in an outfit from the same time period. They both smiled at Tara and faded away. The pixies gasped in awe.



Tara knelt by Slade, willing her fingers to be steady as she opened the tiny pill bottle. A single white pill rolled into her hands. Xander ran over and knelt by the old man.



“We never got to Korea, or to ‘Nam,” he said softly. “Sorry kid.”



“After all that time I took to find a three war Marine,” Xander said through tears.



“Fuck you very much too, kid,” Slade laughed.



“You both did fine,” Tara said urgently. “Take this.”



The tiny pill disappeared under the man’s tongue. Then he looked at the hovering presence of Mariko. Xander followed his gaze.



“Did you ever let go of the hate?” Xander asked.



“Yeah,” Slade said tiredly. “Then the nightmares really got intense. You’re not supposed to burn people.”



Slade clutched his left arm and winced as he turned gray. Tara tried to ease him to the ground. Slade grabbed her arm gently as he looked at Xander.



“Our…agreement…” Slade whispered.



“No heroic measures,” Xander said softly.



“We can take away the pain,” Willow said as she knelt next to her lover.



Slade nodded. Willow took Tara’s hand and together they touched the man’s chest. He smiled and gave them a wink and weak leer. Then he let out a very long breath. In the distance Tara could swear she heard Glenn Miller before her world became nothing but Willow’s arms and tears.





===========================================================





A dozen sidhe rode up, crowns on their heads and fear in their eyes. They looked down at Tara who was lost in the backlash of shared memories.



“You have won,” the royal faerie said imperiously. “You saved your lands. Go home”



“Fools!” shouted Mariko. “She has not saved our lands, popinjay! She has saved you! Have you learned nothing?”



“We don’t leave milk out to placate the elves anymore,” Giles said harshly.



“Those illusions, they cannot be real!” a beautiful elven queen insisted.



“They are,” Xander said standing up. “Look.”



He touched the queen who recoiled.



“History?!?” she squealed. “You can do a better job now?”



The sidhe let out a cry and milled about in panic.



“And we would,” Willow said evenly as she helped a sobbing Tara to her feet. “If the Goblin King had ridden, everything that you saw, or worse, would happen here. We’ve stopped running. There’s steel in our souls now, and little space left for magic.”



“Why should she do this?” the queen asked finally.



“Because if the otherworlds die, magic dies in our world,” Willow explained tiredly. “The only magic left comes from where our worlds touch. It’s the price we’ve paid to master steel and silicon. Tara’s trying to save the magic, because we need a little bit to stay human.”



“We must block the ways into the human world,” a nobleman said. “You have grown too dangerous. Sir Goldenrod, is your party ready to escort the humans back to their deadly world?”



“We are ready, my lord,” the knight replied.



“Be gone with you then, Tara Maclay, and never return!”





===========================================================





The procession through the elfwood was muted. Graham and Slade were carried in honor by the pixies, fallen champions and venerable warriors. The .45, the walker and the wheelchair were on a separate bier, weapons of future legends. Buffy was carrying Mariko’s box as Giles and Xander tried to get Tara through the woods with Willow behind them, fretting. Anya and Dawn walked beside the biers and their silent burden. Anya looked at Slade and wondered where a human had learned to let go of vengeance. Dawn looked for the young man she’d seen briefly in the still features of the valiant old man. All of the humans were on the verge of tears.



“Willow,” Mariko said softly.



“Yes, Ma’am?” the redhead asked tiredly.



“Your other half was stronger than she thought,” Mariko pointed out.



“She’s like that,” Willow replied with the ghost of a smile.



“The faerie need to carry the memories so they never forget,” Mariko explained. “The rest of you are human. You can’t bear the memories of three other lives.”



“What can we do?” Willow asked.



“This will help,” Mariko said, pointing to a rough looking plant.



“What is it?” Willow asked.



“Lethe’s bramble,” Mariko replied. “It rarely grows beyond the elfwood.”



“Lethe?” Willow asked with a worried tone. “Forgetting dead people in Hades Lethe?”



“It affects memories,” Mariko said carefully. “Listen closely.”





===========================================================





They called 911 on their return. The ambulance arrived but the paramedics were in no hurry. They declared both men. There were many things that it might have been. Willow, Giles and Tara made sure there would be no autopsies or questions. Before the bodies were taken away Willow and Tara wove protections over the earthly remains while the rest let go of their tears. When their last duty of the day was complete Willow pulled out the bramble. Tara just slumped into a chair. Mariko explained what it was and the dangers. The Scoobies were so worn they didn’t even ask a single question. They just sat on the chairs or floor, wherever they could find room while Willow closed her hands over the bramble and began to chant.



“Memories of your own do keep,

The memories of others

shall pass in your sleep”



The room went dark for Willow.





===========================================================





“Ow,” Willow said as she sat up and rubbed her head.



“Oh honey,” Tara said softly as she knelt by her love. “Are you okay?”



“Tara cuddling Willow is a good sign,” Anya said as she sat up stiffly. “The current interest rate is too low for a savings account. Bunnies are evil. Xander has a small mole-”



“I’d say your memories are quite safe, Anya,” Giles said quickly.



“I remember the Major rolling downhill,” Dawn said softly. “I think he was humming.”



“He stood up, only it wasn’t him,” Buffy said with a small smile.



“Or it was how he saw himself,” Xander said quietly.



“We’ve won,” Willow said softly.





===========================================================





Tara watched the dozens of friends and family leaving Slade’s graveside with Willow at her side. Her words and calm assurances about his passing quickly had spread through the group like a welcome rain. The same words had eased the pain of Graham’s family and friends as well the day before. It was the last thing she could do for her champions. Xander walked them back to his car. The silence grew between the three of them.



“What is it?” Xander asked in a gentle tone.



“W-Was I right to try to save the magic?” Tara asked worriedly. “W-what if it was just selfish…”



“We feel a bio-chemical and bio-electric responses to various stimuli that allows us to approach a potential breeding partner and we continue to seek out these stimuli to further the chances of our genetic expression being passed on another generation,” Xander said carefully. “It’s that or we fall in love. I prefer falling in love, even if that might mean a bit of magic.”



“What…” Tara said looking at him with a surprised smile.



“History Channel,” Xander said with an embarrassed shrug. “You didn’t think I was going to miss ‘The History of Sex’.”



Tara giggled and Willow joined her. Xander gave a goofy grin that neither witch had seen for too long. On the way home the girls listened to Xander’s memories of the old men. Finally they arrived home and waved goodbye to Xander. Willow took her time and kissed Tara on the porch.



“I prefer falling in love too,” she said softly. “It is magic.”







The End





Music Notes:



*Pack Up Your Troubles in an Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile

Words-George Asaf (Powell) Melody-Felix Powell 1915



**It’s A Long Way To Tipperary

Jack Judge and Harry Williams 1912

Words from an extra wartime verse popular with soldiers



† Till We Meet Again

Raymond B. Egan, music by Richard Whiting 1918



†† Starlit Hour-Glenn Miller Orchestra and Ray Eberle 1939

Words by Mitchell Parish, Music by Matty Malneck

Edited by: jixer at: 1/12/04 11:49 pm

[xita]

Jixer, your stories are always so unique and imaginative. This was particularly so. I loved the concept but I also loved the humor in your fic.



I loved this part:

Quote:

---

“The Hellmouth was in Scotland?” Willow asked.



“Ever heard of haggis?” Anya asked sharply. “Where do you think it came from?

---

very funny.



I have to admit that the mention of Lethe’s bramble made me nervous but its use was completely understandable here. And they are right as long as there is love there is a little magic in this world.



Thank you!

- - - - - - - - - - -
"Hard work often pays off after time but laziness always pays off now!"

[jixer]

Hello Kittens-



There won't be another TarLin story for awhile. Too many other ideas need to get addressed first. Of course as I write that I get this kind of softly lit scene with W/T having their own moment in a Rivendell kind of place.



xita- Well, I thought it was a good explination of haggis



I know about that uneasy feeling. It's tricky to use anything from Season 6, especially ones tied to W/T's split, but Lethe's bramble just sounded like something that would grow in the elfwood.



Love is a bit of magic and W/T are magic. Lucky Kittens!





Thank you all,



Jixer

Edited by: jixer at: 1/14/04 5:26 pm