**Wolflord: You're welcome *G* And don't worry about it ... I know I certainly had to look it up every time I've used it *G*
**blameburner: Goddess? Heh *G* Good luck on your theory.
**Jennpurr: Just remember ... there's really very little you can do against a Hell God except survive ... and you're lucky if you can manage that much.
And now, for the promised update goodness.
Title: Answering Darkness Part 54a – No Evil Can Flourish
Author: Sassette
Feedback: Can be sent to
pink_overalls@yahoo.comSummary: Good vs. Evil. Light vs. Darkness. Love vs. Hate.
Spoiler Warning: Up to and including "Tabula Rasa" in Season 6.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I'm just borrowing them because Season 6 angst is running high, and I want my happy ending now, dammit! So I'm writing it … but it'll be awhile until I get to that part, so bear with me (or "bare" with me if you're naughty).
Rating: PG-13.
Notes: For the purpose of this story, all events of Tabula Rasa took place exactly as shown in the series; however, no subsequent episodes will affect this piece. We're splitting from canon here, because this seems the fastest way to get a reconciliation and because I feel this is one of the possible outcomes when taking the "addiction" metaphor into account. So, I should shut the heck up now, and just get to the story, right? Right.
Answering Darkness Part 54a
No Evil Can Flourish
By Sassette
Tara struggled against Glory’s hold on her. She had figured it out – had figured out what had happened to her. Glory was inside of her, like she had been inside of Ben. They were part of each other now, and that knowledge tried to break her.
This was the source of the visions that had haunted her all summer. Why hadn’t she told Willow? Why couldn’t she have confided in her lover?
Perhaps, then, they would have found a way to fix all of this before it had started.
And as the guilt rose up to wash over her, Glory emerged.
Willow’s heart leapt into her throat when she looked up and saw Glory’s face where her lover’s should be. In the next heartbeat, it was Tara again, as they fought for dominion.
Her love for Tara suffused her entire being – it always had, and it always would. And though she had no idea if Tara had heard her words, she felt her. For the first time in a long time, she could feel Tara’s love pouring out of the body Glory and Tara were fighting for, filling her up.
A scream echoed through her as she struggled to regain control of her movements, trying to wrest herself away from the Dark Magick so she could help Tara fight Glory.
Still, Tara’s love for her went on, despite the shifting and shimmering as first Glory, then Tara, then Glory again appeared before her, the arms that held her tightening convulsively with each change.
And then her shaking stopped, and she froze with the sheer wonder of it. Tara’s love for her, and her love for Tara, crept into every nook and cranny that existed within her, lighting each dark space and hollow, driving back each lingering bit of shadow.
She felt Tara fall away from her – saw out of the corner of her eye how she landed awkwardly – but she could not move to help. Her body was completely unresponsive to the commands of her mind as the light started chasing back the darkness.
A boom sounded and the light shuddered from across the cavern, but Willow didn’t notice.
The two loves within her continued growing, swirling around and around, tickling her insides. They danced and played there, skipping along her heart and seeping deeper into her, merging and melding, until there was no distinction between her love for Tara and Tara’s love for her – there was only their love for each other, and no room for darkness.
The black magick escaped out of her pores, running from the light and pushed from within. It gathered together, running off of her, down her fingertips, and dripping to the floor.
As if it had a mind of its own, it coalesced, sparking angrily and joining with itself, over and over, until Willow was completely free of it – until the last vestiges of the dark power The Trickster had poisoned he with were banished from within and sent back to the Hell from whence it came.
‘Bind this spell to our hearts,’ Tara had said, Willow recalled. ‘For where love is given and accepted freely, no evil can flourish.’
The spell had worked, Willow realized with a start. It had worked perfectly, bound to their hearts. And as Willow’s heart had finally dropped the last of its walls, had finally let Tara all the way in, there was no more room for darkness.
She felt light – she felt as though, within her, the very heart of goodness itself was beating strongly, singing out its song and calling to the light.
There were no shakes, no physical pains, no gasping for breath. The love she and Tara had for each other flowed through her very veins – it was in her blood, like oxygen being carried to each and every cell, vital for her continued existence.
It was warm and alive, as if it were a living, breathing entity by itself.
It was joy.
It was wonder.
It was faith.
And nothing – not fear, not doubt, not gods and monsters, not even Hell itself – could touch it.
She sat up, feeling whole and strong in ways she hadn’t in so very long. She had forgotten the feeling of power and strength the love she and Tara had for each other afforded her.
How could she have forgotten this?
How had she lost her way so badly?
But it didn’t matter now, because she was back as she should be, loving and loved.
She barely noticed the Dark Magick pooling together, oozing across the floor towards the wall of light that contained The Trickster, trying to return to its source, as she turned her whole attention to Tara.
For once, her mind was quiet and still, focused wholly on the woman before her, who shook as Glory tried to take over completely. Her mind didn’t wander off on tangents – didn’t drift aimlessly, hoping to stumble upon some kind of ‘safe topic’.
No. She was … focused, like she had only ever been once before, when she had taken on Glory in her quest for vengeance.
But there was no room in her heart for vengeance … no room inside of her for anything but Tara.
The love glowing inside of her gave her the strength to move her tired limbs, ignoring the lack of sleep, the tortures of literally crawling through Hell – everything. It was all as nothing as she pulled herself over to Tara’s prone form, looking into the face there.
It was grotesque and fascinating all at the same time, the way the features she loved so well morphed and shifted into the countenance she hated so fiercely.
But that hate was irrelevant here. Hurting Glory was not her aim – she no longer felt the need to make the Hell God pay – she just wanted her Tara back.
And as Tara’s love had saved her, she prayed her love would save Tara.
She crawled closer, getting her hand onto Tara’s chest, resting lightly over her heart. With eyes closed, she leaned in, letting her innate ability to sense Tara’s nearness guide her, her mouth coming to rest against Tara’s ear.
She knew Tara was in there – she just hoped she’d hear.
“Tara, baby?” Willow whispered urgently. “You gotta’ come back to me, love. You have to let me take care of you, so you can take care of me, okay? We have to take care of each other.”
The body beside her continued shifting and shaking, and Willow closed her eyes tighter, feeling her heart swell with their love, even as a sense of desperation started to rise up in her.
“I need you, Tara,” she went on, her voice tight and low. “And you need me – you know you do. You’re in a dark, bad place … so come out here where I can keep you safe. Come back and let me love you – you have to let me love you.”
The shuddering intensified, and Willow could only imagine that the fight for dominance between Glory and Tara was growing more heated by the second. A shiver of fear made its way down her spine.
What if Tara … lost?
What if Glory took over completely, and Tara never made it back to her?
No, that wasn’t possible. She refused to consider it any longer – she had faith in Tara – faith in the both of them, together.
Tara always knew how to find her.
“Come on, Tara,” Willow urged, her voice taking on a pleading tone as she begged her lover to stay with her – to beat back the darkness. “You gotta’ believe, baby. You gotta’ have faith in us – you have to let me in. God, please, let me in. Ani l'dodi v'dodi li.”
Glory seemed to fade, and the violent trembling increased, but Willow looked up to see Tara’s face, scrunched up as if she in pain. But still, it was Tara’s face – just Tara’s face, not morphing into Glory at all – and Willow’s heart sang at the sight of it.
“Willow?” Tara asked hoarsely, as if forcing the word past a barricade. “Baby?”
“I’m here, baby. I love you,” Willow said, pressing a kiss to Tara’s forehead.
“She’s … fighting me,” Tara ground out, whimpering and curling up in Willow’s arms.
“Let me take care of it, baby. I’ll help you – you just have to let me,” Willow pleaded.
Tara nodded weakly, grabbing her stomach and inhaling a sharp breath as she fought to keep Glory trapped inside. “You’ll take care of me,” she breathed out, finally seeming to relax in Willow’s arms, trusting the redhead to make it all better.
“Dammit, Glory,” Willow growled, her voice at it’s deepest. Her patience was wearing thin, her nerves stretched to breaking. She wanted Tara back, and she wanted it now. Right now. Hadn’t she been through enough? Hadn’t they both been through enough? “Get out of my girlfriend!” she demanded, sitting up and pulling Tara into her arms, cradling her and rocking her gently. “Get out right now!”
Willow shut her eyes again, resting her cheek on top of Tara’s head and sending the love she felt for this woman in her arms to her. All her devotion, all her passion, all her love – this she sent, whispering over and over to her the words she found so easy to say now, after having said them the first time – because they were unequivocally true. “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.”
Tara heard Willow’s words, trickling in her ears and working their way to her heart.
Willow loved her.
Well, of course Willow loved her – she had always known that. At least, after the Glorious Night of the Extra Flamey Candle she had known.
But still, deep inside of her, she had never believed that Willow >should< love her.
Because who was she – Tara Maclay?
She was bad – so very bad, but she wanted to be good. Shouldn’t that count for something? Wanting to be good?
But she wasn’t. She had been told so all of her life. There was something dark and twisted inside of her, just waiting to get out and hurt people.
Glory.
It was true, then – the thing she had always feared, only much, much worse.
Because how could believing there was a demon inside of her possibly compare to knowing there was a Hell God?
But no – that was all wrong. She wasn’t Glory. She wasn’t Evil. Glory didn’t belong there … Glory wasn’t a part of her. She had to get Glory out.
But how?
Willow’s words found her heart then, and a soft smile crossed her face, even as she continued fighting against The Beast within.
Willow loved her.
She had made mistakes – people made mistakes, that’s the way the world was. Willow had made mistakes, too. They’d hurt each other, let each other down, but they had never done anything evil. And they had never stopped loving each other.
And isn’t that what Tara had thought? That somewhere in this whole crazy mess, Willow had stopped loving her when she had cast that spell on her to steal her memories away?
But it wasn’t true – she could feel it now – could feel Willow’s love wrap around her like a comfortable blanket, warm and soft. It crept into her, until it was like she was wearing that blanket on the inside, and she’d always have it with her.
Her security.
Her shelter.
How could all the ignorant people she had grown up with be right, and Willow be wrong? Willow was a brainy type – she knew things that the people of her hometown could never guess – could never dream. These were things they never >could< dream, even in their worst nightmares.
Willow knew evil – she had grown up on the Hellmouth – and yet Willow still loved her?
Tara felt the last of her doubts and fears fade away, sure of Willow’s love and her own worthiness to experience it. She deserved happiness – deserved to be loved by this wonderful quirky girl, and to love her in return.
It was, she realized, the way it was all supposed to be – as if she really did have “Fate was Here” tattooed on her ass.
She giggled as Willow’s love for her tickled her insides, the glowing wonderfulness of it all combining with her own love for Willow. It was a beautiful amalgam of happy, loving, fantastic feeling cooking up inside of her, and she reveled in it.
“Dammit, Glory – Get out!” Willow growled again, her breath tickling Tara’s ear and making her giggle.
And then Tara’s whole body jerked, the breath stolen from her lungs as a dark vapor poured out of her mouth, swirling into the air.
On one level, Tara thought she should be terrified, but she knew – somehow she knew – that everything would be all right. She was in Willow’s arms, and what could be wrong with that?
The vapor continued to pour from her, gathering together a few feet away and starting to take on a vague form.
“Baby?” Willow asked, continuing her rocking and holding Tara gently, afraid she might hurt her as she watched the darkness streaming from Tara with wide green eyes.
Tara couldn’t speak as the stream continued, the black smokey substance leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.
Finally, the stream stopped, and Tara gave a little cough before taking in a deep shuddering breath.
It was … an amazing difference, she realized, as she smiled up at Willow, who was looking back at her with such love and devotion in her eyes that it threatened to steal Tara’s breath again. Everything felt – lighter. Happier. It was as if a great weight had been resting on her soul since she had been returned to herself – something that had added to her grief at Buffy’s passing, and her hurt at Willow’s betrayal. But with Buffy back and Willow forgiven, this thing had remained, making her doubt – making her fear.
And now it was gone, and she felt like she could fly.
“Ani l'dodi v'dodi li,” Tara said softly, a silly grin crossing her face.
Willow beamed back, happy tears dropping from her eyes. “Ani l'dodi v'dodi li,” she whispered back huskily. Helpless to resist the allure of that face she loved so dearly, Willow dipped her head, her lips finding Tara’s and brushing them lightly once, then twice, then again before settling firmly there.
Tara let out a happy sigh, her arms raising of their own accord and wrapping around Willow’s neck, pulling her close.
Their love rose up within them, higher and higher, until each felt they would burst with it before it spilled over to the very air around them, manifesting itself in a brilliant white light.
Their lips stayed fastened to each other as they kissed again and again, softly and surely as the white light grew and grew, rising taller, until a pillar of the purest light encased them.
It rose upward and upward, crashing through the mountains atop them, and higher still into untold dimensions, a beacon of love originating in the very depths of Hell.
The need to breathe asserted itself, and Willow pulled back, her lungs working overtime as she leaned further in, nuzzling Tara’s neck softly.
“Baby?” Tara asked dreamily, a lazy smile crossing her face.
“Yeah?” Willow asked hazily, her mind firmly occupied with thoughts of the woman in her arms.
“Do you think we should, oh, I dunno – get out of Hell?”
“Wha?” Willow asked, her head jerking up.
“Oh, you’re going to have to get through me, first, little witches,” Glory said, her eyes narrowing.
Willow broke out of her Tara-induced haze, her eyes widening as she saw Glory stalking towards them.
“Uhh, Tara?” Willow said, gulping audibly. “Pissed off Hell God,” she said needlessly, raising a shaking hand to point.
Glory arrived at the pillar of light, squinting against its brightness. “Pissed off doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
“But we did you a favor?” Willow hazarded weakly. “I mean, you’re all home and stuff – and didn’t you want to get home? And you’re not trapped in Tara any more, so – that’s good, right?”
“Not that easy,” Glory said dangerously, reaching out a hand, only to find that she couldn’t penetrate the pillar. Frowning, she tried again, then again.
Tara watched Glory’s attempts to reach them with an amazed expression. “Umm … sweetie?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I think we’re safe right here,” she said in a wondering tone.
“Ummm … yeah,” Willow said slowly, turning her head this way and that to take in their surroundings. “But, ummm … kind of … trapped?”
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I Think The Hellmouth Tastes Like Chicken -- Autumn
by Puff » Mon May 06, 2002 5:35 pm 
well thanks for reminding me.
WOLFLORD 
If Glory/Tara aren't connected, what is she doing there? I'm confused on that Sass.