Hello again-
Here's the next installment of Hell Bent. We're in the home strech on this tale. I'd estimate a wrap up of somewhere in the early twenties part wise. Thanks again for reading-over 2000 views! Yay!
Without further ado, I give you...
Part 16
Author's note:
Tara and Willow collect themselves after the big fight with Jay, and learn a little more about the "after" Lucas spoke of. Back up arrives from Chicago and the plan is made for the showdown with Daphne.
“That was intense,” Tara said finally. The pair had taken Jay’s car back to Xander’s apartment, where the cuddled on the couch. They hadn’t spoken since they left the Bronze, too in shock over the afternoon’s events.
“You can say that again,” Willow replied, resting her head on the blonde’s shoulder. “The dark power coming off of Jay was, well, it felt as bad as last spring.”
“It’s prime,” Tara replied.
“How do you know?” Willow looked up at Tara.
“I can sense its origins,” Tara explained. “She does have magical ability, but not THAT much. Plus, I just can’t believe she could be that evil.”
“Baby, I know she’s one of your oldest friends,” Willow began, taking Tara’s hand. “But people change. Maybe after all of these years of fighting evil, using dark magic to help her, it’s finally caught up to her. I mean she seemed pretty intent on killing us back there.”
“I know, I was there,” Tara squeezed Willow’s hand, “ But that’s not her, Willow. When this is over, you’ll see the Jay that I grew up with, the one that Kim fell in love with. She’s a sweetie, I promise.”
“Okay,” Willow wasn’t convinced. “I’ll just have to believe you.”
Tara leaned down and gave her girlfriend a kiss. “Do you believe me now?”
“No fair,” Willow pouted, “you’re using kiss bribery.”
“Is it working?” Tara smirked.
“I think I need a little more to help me make up my mind,” Willow replied.
Tara leaned down again and kissed Willow more thoroughly. After a moment, the kiss intensified, and Tara leaned more into Willow.
A knock on the door ended the moment too quickly for both girls.
“I wonder who that is,” Tara said, getting up. “Xander said he was going out with some work buddies before the meeting tonight.”
Curious, Willow stood as well and followed the blonde to the door.
Tara opened it, revealing Jay.
“What,” Willow snapped. “Haven’t we seen enough of you today?”
“Look,” Jay replied calmly, “I need to talk to you, both before the meeting, okay? I’m not here to start anything.”
“Fine,” Willow spun and headed into the apartment.
“How are you Tara?” Jay asked in a soft tone. Her face was full of concern for her friend.
“Physically, surprisingly okay.” Tara replied, then looked down for a moment. After a beat, she raised her head quickly, eye’s blazing, “But why? Why this way?” She moved back and allowed Jay into the room and shut the door behind her.
Jay waited for Tara to join Willow on the couch before she began. “I hate this, all of this, I want you to know. But this is the way, the way of my blood, my kin. Everyone has to go through some sort of physical test before they’re allowed to go on a mission. It’s always a surprise, and it always is done by someone you know or love.”
“But we’re not part of that Jay,” Willow replied hotly. “All we did was agree to work for the clans. We’re not related to any of you.”
Jay paused, searching for words. “No, not in a DNA way, neither you nor Tara share blood with any of the slayer lines. But you are part of us, part of our history and future.”
“How?” Tara asked.
“In 1522 one of our legendary seers saw a time when the clans we’re teetering on the brink of darkness. The ancient prophecy of Iantha’s line would come to pass, one of the chosen ones would fall, and the way of aggression and power would dominate over diplomacy and restraint. It would set the clans at each other’s throats, creating chaos, and allow the powers of darkness to surge and sweep across the Earth. In that time, the two fated ones, one who overcame darkness and one who was touched by light would come to the clans and lead them in a new way. A way of strength tempered with wisdom. A way led by love and light.”
Jay stood tall and looked deeply at both women before her. “You are the two the seer spoke of. I know that now.”
“Whoa,” Willow stood and began to pace.
“Yes, it’s true. After this battle with Demetrious, you will be announced as the fated ones and will be asked to take your place on the assembly of elders who lead the clans. You will also be given a team of your own to lead, as an example, of the new way.” Jay chuckled. “I, for one, am ready to see some changes in the way things are handled, but others are not, so it will be difficult.”
“But this prophecy isn’t complete,” Willow pointed out. “Who is the chosen one who has fallen? You haven’t even faced Demetrious yet.”
“Daphne,” Tara said, looking at Jay.
“Yes. She turned to darkness after her brother died. She isn’t the first from the clans to do so, but hers is the key. It fell so close to Iantha’s prophecy and she fell far, right into Demetrious’s sphere of influence.”
“What about your darkness?” Willow asked. “You seemed pretty in tune with the powers of hell this afternoon. How do we know that you’re not being unduly influenced by that?”
“They’re being forced on her,” Tara said, focusing on Jay, letting her other senses read the demon fighter. “I can almost see it. It’s like you’re tethered to prime and its intrinsic powers. But you don’t access all that’s there. And it doesn’t control your actions.”
“But their pull and influence is increasing,” Jay’s eyes filled with sadness. “When I enter prime and face Demetrious, I will have to let those powers have full reign over all of who I am. For a time, the real me, so to speak, will still exist, but it will be lost eventually. And pure evil will take over.” Jay sighed.
“Why did you wait so long to tell us, Jay?” Tara asked. “Why not come clean right from the start?”
“I didn’t know for sure, although I’ve always suspected that you were one of the fated two Tara,” Jay gave Tara a small smile, “But when you met Willow, Lucas and I were sure about you. And after last spring, all seemed lost.”
“Because of what I did?” Willow asked, a bit ashamed.
“No, we knew then, after you stepped back from the brink that you were most likely the fated par. But Tara was killed. Thankfully, she wasn’t our last hope.”
“There was another,” Willow looked down at Tara seated on the couch, eye’s full of love.
“Yes. With your history together, and being able to defeat me together today, it’s confirmed. And in classic fashion, it’s at the worst time with the most at stake possible.” Jay gave a wry grin, “So you know its fate.”
Willow plopped back down on the couch and took Tara’s hand. “What now?”
“Now we go forward as planned. We still have Mr. Rouse and Daphne to face tomorrow, and our missions into hell after than. If neither is successful, it won’t matter.”
Jay turned and headed back towards the door. “I know that I’ve just dropped a bomb on you guys after a pretty shitty day, and I’m sorry, but you need to know now so you can decide what you want to do after. The clans may try to force you to do something and I want you to be prepared with all the information. Also know that myself, the Chicago team, and Lucas will stand beside you no matter what.”
She grabbed the knob and opened it, looking back she sincerely offered, “and I wanted to tell you how sorry I am that I had to put you through that today. And that someday you will forgive me for what I’ve done.”
Jay stepped through the door and pulled it closed. She took a moment to collect herself and headed down the hallway of Xander’s apartment building towards the stairs. After about ten paces, she heard a door open behind her.
“Jay!” Tara’s voice called out, causing her to stop and turn around.
The blonde woman hurried to her friend and pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry Jay,” she said, pulling back and looking up at her oldest friend, her blue eyes warm and full of love, “I’ll always be there to take care of you.”
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“How do you feel?” Faith asked Tara as the pair sat waiting at the Magic Box for Jay and Lucas’s arrival. “I know that today was the big test.”
“Sore, but better than earlier,” Tara replied, looking at the dark slayer. “I didn’t realize that we would have to go through that. I would have tried to prepare.”
“That’s why they did it, Tara. You can never be totally prepared.” Faith looked at Tara. “But you won, right?”
“Yes,” Tara replied with a satisfied smile. “We did.”
The jingle of the doorbell announced the arrival of the last group of people for the meeting. Lucas led the way, followed by a young man around Tara’s age with light brown hair that hung slightly over his bright blue eyes. He wore a form fitting dark green turtle neck and black jeans. Behind him was a short girl with spiky blonde hair wearing leather pants and jacket over a black loose Ramones t-shirt. The last of the trio of new people was a tall black man with a shaved head. He wore a loose tan sweater and blue jeans that didn’t hide a very muscular physique. Tara noticed all three had some sort of tattoo on the back of their right hands, that looked like some sort of snake, maybe a dragon.
“Who’s that?” Tara asked, looking at Faith.
“I dunno,” she replied. “They look like members of the clan though.”
Jay brought up the rear of the group, wearing a pair of black dress slacks, and a dark blue button down long sleeved shirt. She carried a black coat that matched her pants.
“You’re all spiffed up,” Buffy commented.
“I have somewhere to be later,” Jay replied.
“Everyone,” Lucas spoke to the assembled group. “I’d like to introduce Tom Dean.”
“Hi,” the man with the light brown hair said.
“Ren Mathers,”
“What up,” the short blonde greeted.
“And Paul Webster,”
“Hello,” the handsome black man replied.
“They have been sent from Chicago to assist us with the Daphne/Mr. Rouse situation.”
“The more the merrier,” Xander said cheerily. “I’m all for more big guns.”
A quick round of introductions were made. Willow had recognized Mr. Dean and Ren when they walked through the door. She had met Mr. Dean before her meeting with Cleo at her law office. Ren had been the bar tender at The Spot, Max’s jazz club.
“So what do we have?” Jay asked.
The group each gave a brief summary of what that day’s work had brought.
“They’re definitely using that warehouse,” Faith said. “Not to much in the way of perimeter guards of defense. But it was hard to tell what was inside. I was able to watch from a skylight in the roof, but I could only see part of one floor. It didn’t tell me anything.”
“The tunnels underneath was clean as well,” Jay added. “No signs of recent activity or habitation by Sunnydale’s sub dwellers.”
“The bars were a bust,” Buffy said. “No one knew anything.”
“Or they weren’t telling us,” Anya added. “I checked with a couple of demons I know, and they couldn’t tell me anything either.”
“I was able to get this,” Xander said, laying out a blueprint of the warehouse on the table. “This is the most recent renovation of that location. This is from a year ago. None of the other companies in town have worked on that site recently either, so I think it’s pretty accurate.”
“We have several spells which could greatly weaken Mr. Rouse’s power over his creations,” Giles said. “But I think this one,” he set the book he was holding down on top of the blueprints. “That is we think that this would be our best chance.”
“What do you need?” Buffy asked.
“We’ve got all the ingredients here at the shop,” Tara answered. “All we need is a location close to the warehouse to set it up and perform the ritual.”
“All good,” Jay nodded. She looked over at Willow. “What did you find out about numbers?”
“High,” Willow said. “But I can’t give you an exact number. Somewhere between fifty and three hundred.”
“That’s quite a range there Wills,” Xander commented.
“Let’s hope it’s closer to fifty,” she replied, shrugging.
“I’ve researched Mr. Rouse’s past activities, cross referencing with his former master’s, looking for patterns,” Mr. Dean stepped forward. “I would guess that they have around one hundred and fifty zombies, scattered about the warehouse. If past patterns hold, there should be higher numbers on the first floor here and here.” Mr. Dean pointed on the blue print to near the front entrance and the center of the building. “The highest numbers will be in the basement, where the workshop would be.”
“How come the basement?” Faith asked.
“Zombies don’t do stairs well,” Jay said. “At best, they can slowly make it up or down only one flight. And it takes a lot of energy to create a zombie, which would be seen from outside on the first floor.”
“Not to mention the bodies and the smell,” Buffy added.
“That too,” Jay winked at the slayer.
Jay looked over the spell Giles, Lucas, and Tara had come up with. She looked again at the blueprints, thinking.
“Okay,” Jay looked up, “here’s what we need to do.”
After three hours of strategizing and planning, the group was ready for tomorrow at sunset. Everyone was tired, nervous, but felt confident that they would succeed. The Scooby gang was again impressed with this side of Jay, as well as with the back up from Chicago.
“So we meet back here at four,” Jay said, “go over the plan again and suit up.”
The group split into smaller clumps winding down.
“It’s nice to see you again Willow,” Mr. Dean said, sitting down next to her.
“You too,” she smiled. “But I never thought that a researcher would be into field action.”
“For most, that’d be true, but not me,” he smiled back. “Ren, Paul, and I have all been training together for some time so that we could get an opportunity like this.”
They looked over at Jay who stood talking to Tara and Giles.
“Do you know why she is so dressed up?” Willow asked. “It seems odd.”
“Some sort of tradition,” Mr. Dean replied. “All the members of her team have all sort of superstitious traditions they perform before a big battle. I’ve heard that when they all go on a mission, it can get quite elaborate.”
“Really,” Willow was amused.
“Whatever it is, it works,” Mr. Dean replied. “The Chicago team is one of the most successful teams in the history of the clans. All but ten of their missions have been successful.”
“Out of how many?”
“Team missions, around three hundred over the last fifteen years. As individuals, probably close to five hundred.”
“All successful? Wow.” Willow was impressed.
“But you have to remember, that’s by the standards set by the assembly of elders. That’s the people who assign teams and missions. I’m not so sure that the Chicago team would necessarily consider all those jobs completed well.”
The pair looked on as Jay checked her watch. “Anya,” she called. “Are you ready?”
“Just let me change,” the demon replied, teleporting out of the shop. After a few minutes, she was back wearing a dark red cocktail dress.
“Let’s go,” she said cheerily.
The pair said their goodbyes and headed out the door.
“So,” Willow said to Tara when she joined her and Mr. Dean. “Do you know where Jay and Anya are off to?”
“Some club that Jay always goes to before a big fight,” Tara shrugged. “It’s not in Sunnydale, that’s all I know.”
“Well I should get going,” Mr. Dean said, standing. “We still have some things to take care of before tomorrow with Lucas. It was nice to meet you Tara,” he nodded at the blonde. “And to see you again Willow.”
“Bye,” Willow gave a small wave as the man joined his friends and they headed out the door.
“So what do you want to do now,” Tara asked.
“Maybe start a few traditions of our own,” Willow replied, leaning in for a quick kiss.
TBC...
"...and if you've got no other choice, you know you can follow my voice, through the dark turns and noise of this wicked little town..."--Hedwig and the Angry Inch
"Stinky herbs are a go." Cordelia in Becoming pt. 2
"I am an opera singer, I stand on painted tape, it tells me where I'm going, and where to throw my cape..." Opera Singer by Cake
. Idiots 
I'm all puzzled here, I certainly would be severely pissed if someone tried to kill MY friends.... leave alone continue happily working with them. Odd to say the least, dissapointing too.
), but I'll be back in a few weeks with part three of Do Your Best and Don't Worry: Deep. (Finally figured out a title!)
