Okay,
I'm still working on this chapter, but I feel just awful making you wait so long.
So ... I am doing something I normally NEVER do. I am posting PART of a chapter. Have no fear, I picked a section so that is has... a... CLIFFHANGER! Go figure. ;-)
I'm still transcribing another section and I have a bit more to write. Sorry for the delay. School is kicking my butt!
Lisa
BTW... I will paste it here!
Unexpected Consequences
By Lisa Countryman
© December 2001
Disclaimer: I don’t own any BtVS folks. Original characters are mine, all mine.
Pairing: W/T... eventually
Angst Rating: Highest rating... buy stock in Kleenex
Rating: PG 13 for adult themes and eventual W/T goodness.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT (PREVIEW…)
“Okay, let’s see what’s in here about me,” Amy whispered as she scrolled through the files. “Madison, Amy…” Her eyes widened. “Madison, Catherine? My mother?” She opened the file and scanned the contents. Catherine Madison had applied for the committee of witches just after she graduated high school and had been denied. Amy shook her head as she read the reason: ‘Catherine Madison’s dark magic is untamable. She consorts with lesser demons and practices magics that could easily summon forces beyond her control.’
“Well, duh,” Amy said with a snicker. She opened her own file and read it out loud. “Amy Madison has potential, though her addiction to outside dark magics makes her unreliable without intervention. She has strong magical ability that can be nurtured and harnessed. Possibly as a magical courtesan, or administrative assistant.” Amy’s faced reddened with rage. “What?” Her hands shook. ‘Courtesan?’ she thought angrily. ‘She thinks I ‘d be a good whore or an administrative assistant. Exactly how are those two related?’ she wondered. She scanned the file and found her answer. “Oh really?” she said in the quiet room and then read the comments. “Miss Madison has an innate ability to please and engender trust. Blood tests should be conducted to rule out the possibility that she has Sucubus lineage. Her mother, Katherine Madison, was known to consort with Incubi and other lesser demons.” Amy inhaled deeply. “Gee, thanks, mom,” she said sarcastically.
She scanned the page for what she feared most. She wanted to know if Miss Duas was considering using the inhibitor on her. She let out a relieved sigh when she couldn’t find any mention of the procedure. ‘Of course, I doubt she’d put that in my file,’ Amy thought grimly. She put her hand over the keypad and raced through the files. She found the medical database and scanned for any planned inhibitor procedures in the near future. ‘Ah ha,’ she thought when she found one planned for the following week. She opened the file and read the requisition. ‘Inhibitor needed at the earliest possible date. Have specialists on hand pending return of bloodwork. Subject may reveal possible incubus or sucubus lineage.’ Amy’s hands shook. ‘That bitch!’ she thought angrily.
She focused on the screen and went back to her files, then grabbed the crystal and purged her data from the entire system. She smiled as an idea formed. She sent out a list of orders. ‘Here’s your innate ability to please,’ she thought as she sent an order for a team to escort her to Sunnydale for an onsite inspection of Rack’s lair. She added a note that she was acting as Miss Duas’ executive assistant, knowing that would give the order more weight.
*****
Tara sloshed through the water. It was now over her knees. “Is this because I drowned your guardian?” she yelled at the high domed ceiling. She had to shout to hear her own voice over the sound of the rushing water. “I saved her,” she whined. She pressed her palm to the cut across her ribs. “After she went after me with her ginsu, I might add!”
She waded to the door to the room with the sacred flame. “Okay, so I’m guessing there is something I need to do, right?” She ran her hands over the smooth stone. “Open Sesame?” she asked timidly. She grumbled when nothing happened.
She turned and looked around the room. The water was falling from the openings spaced every two feet. Two box lanterns provided the only light. There was one at each end of the room hanging from an elaborate sconce. Tara furrowed her brow. Every other source of light in the caverns had been a torch. ‘Maybe one of these is a key,’ Tara thought. ‘Like in Scooby Doo. I lift it and the door opens.’ She looked up at the lantern and frowned. It was at least ten feet from the floor. She stood on the tips of her toes and was still a few feet below the base of the tarnished brass lantern.
“Not funny!” she yelled over the pounding water. She shivered and hugged her arms to her bare chest and paced in the water that now covered her upper thighs. She realized that the icy water from the underwater river system brought dangers beyond drowning. There was a good chance she’d get hypothermia before the room filled. She looked up at the rounded ceiling. The dome was at least twenty feet high at its lowest point.
“Okay, I need to stay dry,” Tara said and then laughed and rolled her eyes. She waded over to the pool. The edge of the sacred pool was now under a few inches of water. She grabbed the cotton rope that was floating on the water and then climbed on top of the rock shelf that surrounded the pool. “That’s better,” she said water rolled down her skin. She wrapped the rope around her waist and tied it. It was the only thing in the room, and she figured she might need it as the water rose. “No clothes, no tools … you’re giving me nothing to work with here,” she complained.
She jumped back into the water and went to the closest door. It was the one she had come through. She looked up at the lantern and searched for any clue. There was a something etched under the sconce, but it was in the shadow of the lantern. She let out a sigh and went back to the side of the pool and climbed out of the water as much as she could.
“Fine, I’ll wait,” she said quietly. The water was now more than a foot over the top of the pool ledge. “Won’t be long,” she said. She’d wait for the water to rise enough for her to swim over and lift the lantern down so she could read the etched symbol. She sighed. “I hate waiting,” she said as she rubbed her arms. She thought of Willow and hoped her lover was somewhere warm and dry.
*****
Willow was frantic. She wanted to go into the caverns and fetch Tara, but everyone against her.
“Willow, you can’t go in there,” Buffy said. She had her arms around the thin redhead, and she had to hold her best friend off the ground to keep her from running into the cavern. “Guardians …with swords? On a holy mission to keep people out of the caves?” Buffy asked. “Any of this ringing a bell?”
“What am I supposed to do?” Willow asked as she arched her back and tried to break Buffy’s grip.
“Gee, maybe give me a rest?” Buffy suggested. She’d been physically restraining the redhead since Diana took Brent to the infirmary ten minutes earlier.
“I told you to hit her,” Anya said from the stone bench where she was sitting. “If she was unconscious, you wouldn’t have to hold her back and she wouldn’t have to worry.”
Willow elbowed Buffy in the jaw and almost squirmed out of the Slayer’s grip.
“Okay, Anya is starting to make sense,” Buffy said as she pulled Willow back into her arms. She draped her arm around the redhead and pinned her in a headlock.
Willow relaxed her body and went limp in Buffy’s arms. Her legs buckled and the Slayer was left holding her weight.
“I waited during the challenge,” Willow said defeatedly. “You can’t expect me to keep waiting forever.”
“This is just another part of the challenge,” Buffy said. “She’s supposed to do it alone.”
“I’m connected to her,” Willow whispered. “I’m supposed to be part of this. Why do you think I went through that blinding pain?”
“Jerry-Springer-lesbians-kissing-cousins,” Anya piped up. “That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it. You two are cousins … or maybe sisters. You could be adopted!”
Willow ignored the comment and then stood up and pulled away from Buffy. She turned slowly and faced the Slayer. “Buffy, it’s my right to be there. She’s the other half of my soul.”
“I know that, and you know that, but I don’t think the guardians are gonna’ take that into account when they decide whether or not to defile their sacred space,” Buffy said gently.
“Willow’s right,” Brent said as she walked up the path. “She has a right to be there.”
Willow and Buffy spun and saw the injured guardian coming up the path accompanied by two of the Imbolc guard. Diana was with her, and the doctor did not look pleased.
Brent’s hands were covered with white gauze and she looked a little pale. Bre was at her side carrying an ancient leather text.
“I told you I belong there.” Willow crossed her arms over her chest. She looked over at Brent, her mind made up. “Now take me to her.”
“Not to be looking a gift guardian in the mouth...” Buffy nodded toward Brent’s bandaged hands. “But I don’t think you belong anywhere other than a hospital.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Diana said. “Unfortunately, she’s more stubborn than Willow.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Anya said.
“Can you take me to her?” Willow asked. She edged toward the caverns.
“I can’t take you to her,” Brent said gently. “But I can take you to where her challenge will end.”
“Her challenge was supposed to end when she completed the three tasks!” Willow yelled angrily. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “I’m not thrilled with you guys for throwing in an extra.”
“Tara has handled giving up the mantle with more grace and dignity than anyone in recorded history,” Brent said. “The task she completes now will free her.”
“They said that about the first three tasks,” Anya said angrily. “Is she gonna’ have another one after she finishes this one? Are you guys gonna’ just keep sending her tasks until she gets killed? Because death, that’s pretty freeing.”
“No death,” Willow said emphatically. “No discussion of death, no mention of death, let’s just forget that death is even a possibility. It’s not. It’s not a possibility.”
“Not that I’m complaining,” Buffy said slowly as she looked at Brent. “But why the sudden change of heart? Why is Willow allowed to go in there now?”
“Because she is a part of this,” Brent explained. She nodded at the cave and walked toward the entrance without another word.
“Cryptic much?” Buffy asked as she followed the elder guardian.
*****
Amy walked down the hallway and paused briefly before entering the executive bathroom. She smiled. There were certain things she liked about the witches’ committee, like the fact that as Miss Duas’ executive secretary she had access to an incredible bathroom. She didn’t even need a silly key to open the door. She wasn’t sure if the technology was electronic or magical; either would have been possible with committee’s vast resources. The door could recognize Amy’s fingerprints, or her DNA, or it just might be a magical charm that recognized her as someone who belonged. The young witch smiled and walked into the elaborate bathroom.
“Very nice,” she said as she walked past a row of alabaster Italian marble sinks. She went to one of the huge stalls and opened the door. She stepped inside and started to unzip her pants, then paused. “No way in hell is anyone watching me take the pee,” she said quietly. She cast a tiny spell that cloaked her in a protective black barrier and then went about her business. She sat quietly and reached inside the jacket of her Italian silk suit and smiled. She could feel an extra button sewn into the liner, provided in case she were to tear one off and might need a replacement. She loved fine things.
*****
Amy tapped gently on the door and waited until she heard Miss Duas gruffly reply, “come in.” The dark haired witch opened the door and waited politely until the older woman looked up.
“Yes, Miss Madison?” Miss Duas asked.
“I just wanted to let you know what was going on,” Amy said as she approached the desk. She stood with her hands behind her back and nodded respectfully.
“And?” Miss Duas raised one eyebrow.
“Well, ma’am, I went into the database and snooped around,” Amy said.
“And?” Miss Duas asked again.
“Well, I decided that I didn’t like having all that information about me being available to anybody in the committee,” Amy said bluntly. “I deleted every file with my name in it.”
“I see,” Miss Duas said as she leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers together. She was surprised that Amy had admitted as much. Miss Duas had been monitoring Amy’s activities through a series of computer taps and hidden cameras in the young witch’s office.
“Well, I don’t think they need to know that. You know it, and well, you do have a photographic memory...” Amy cleared her throat and had the urge to tug her collar.
“And you knew this how?” Miss Duas asked with a smirk.
“Well, I checked your file,” Amy said.
Miss Duas nodded. “Continue.”
“And, well, you know everything there is to know about me, and so well, I don’t think anyone else needs to ... and I wasn’t really too thrilled with some of the stuff that I found in there.” Amy bit the inside of her lip nervously.
Miss Duas nodded. She was impressed that Amy had been honest. “Anything else?” she asked. She wondered if Amy would admit everything she had done.
“I also deleted Willow’s files,” Amy said. Sweat began to bead on her upper lip. Should wasn’t sure how the older witch would take such an admission.
“And why would you do that, Miss Madison?” Miss Duas waited patiently.
“I believe Willow is quite powerful,” Amy said. “And that knowledge doesn’t need to be for public consumption...” Amy hesitated.
“And you decided this because?” Miss Duas asked coldly.
“Well, knowledge is power,” Amy said slowly. “And, if you have that power, that’s all the better for me.”
“Continue.” Miss Duas cracked a tiny smile.
“Well, if you’re the only one who knows anything about Willow, you’ll be the only one who can use her to control the Imbolc mage.” Amy leaned forward, waiting to hear the other woman’s response.
“That was good thinking, Miss Madison. Anything else?” The older woman tilted her head to one side.
“Actually, yes.” Amy cleared her throat and looked around from side to side. “I noticed that you have a certain procedure planned.”
“Yes?” Miss Duas waited.
“I canceled it,” Amy said bluntly. “I don’t like the idea of anybody sticking things in my head, controlling what I can and can’t do.”
Miss Duas smirked. “Taking some liberties there, aren’t you, Miss Madison?”
“Well, I am going to be your assistant, am I not?” Amy shifted her weight from foot to foot. “And if I am, then I would think that you’d want me to be as powerful as possible.”
Miss Duas nodded for Amy to continue.
“I don’t like the idea of some outside force regulating what I can and cannot do with my magic,” Amy explained.
“You’re an addict,” Miss Duas said bluntly. “What makes you think that you won’t give in to the withdrawals that are sure to come?”
Amy smiled. “Well, that’s where you’re wrong, ma’am.” Amy took a step back when she saw the older witch lean forward. “I mean, I was an addict,” she said quickly. “But not any more.”
“And how exactly did you manage that feat?” Miss Duas asked politely.
“Tara did it,” Amy explained. “When she destroyed Rack, she gave him a taste of his own medicine.”
“I’m intrigued,” Miss Duas said. “Continue.”
“Before she killed him, she gave him all of the withdrawals and addiction that he had caused all of his victims.” Amy cleared her throat. “So in effect, she took the withdrawals that I would have went through and gave them to him, combined with everything else his other victims would have gone through after his death. She gave it to him all the once.”
“I’d imagine that was quite painful,” the older witch commented.
“Well, it does have a certain Karmic symmetry,” Amy said with a cruel smile. She liked the idea of Rack writhing in the horrible pain of withdrawal before his eminent death.
“So you no longer have cravings?” Miss Duas asked.
“Well ... actually, psychologically I do still have cravings, but there’s nothing physical about it,” Amy said honestly.
“Can you control it?” Miss Duas asked.
“Well, if I’m tempted, all I have to do is think about that metal rod being shoved into the base of my skull.” Amy crossed her arms over her chest.
“Good point.” Miss Duas shifted in her chair and gave Amy a long hard look. Amy had surprised the older witch with her honesty, but she hadn’t admitted everything just yet.
“One more thing,” Amy said as if reading the other witch’s mind. “I scheduled a trip for myself to Sunnyvale.”
“And you did this without my permission?” Miss Duas frowned.
“Ma’am, I needed to get it scheduled now, and I did use your name when I requisitioned it, but I figured I could cancel it if you didn’t approve,” Amy said in a rush.
“Why would you go to Sunnyvale?”
“I need to examine some of the debris at Rack’s lair. I had time to think about a few things while I was sitting in the interrogation room.” Amy shivered at the memory.
“And what might that be?” Miss Duas asked. She was genuinely curious.
“Well, there should be lots of little remnants of Willow’s power in the rubble, and Tara’s too. If I can lock onto Tara’s power, her power of the Imbolc mage, I’m sure I can track her,” Amy said confidently.
“Really? Have you always had the ability to track?” Miss Duas leaned even further forward.
“Only people I’ve done magic with,” Amy said honestly. “But Willow and I were connected, and I think that connection will give me a line to Tara’s energy.”
“And I’m supposed to just let you leave?” Miss Duas asked. “Let you walk out of here? Trust that you won’t run or stab me in the back?” Miss Duas smiled and shook her head. “Not likely.”
“Well, I did request that a team go with me,” Amy said. “I mean, I can’t expect you to trust me without me proving myself, right?” Amy edged a bit closer. “And, well, it’s not like I can overpower a bunch of strong witch’s committee goons, right? And you all talk to each other all the time on your cell phones and gadgets. You’re like James Bond. There’s no way in hell I can get away. Heck, I was going through the files and saw electronic tracers. Stick one of those on me,” Amy offered.
Miss Duas nodded. “That’s a good idea, Miss Madison, one I had quite a while ago. You already have one.”
“Oh...” Amy said slowly. “Well, then I can go, I mean, if it’s okay with you, ma’am.”
Miss Duas sat quietly for a moment studying Amy. The young witch was an enigma. Miss Duas’ first thought had been that Amy was a typical junkie, but that certainly wasn’t the case. Amy had shown some signs of loyalty to Willow, and that was good, but, she had also been willing to betray Willow to protect herself. That was also good. Miss Duas needed that. The problem was, if Amy would betray Willow, her lifelong friend, the young witch would certainly have no problem betraying anyone else. But Miss Duas was impressed with Amy’s ingenuity. She could use it, especially if she could control the young witch through other means.
“All right, Miss Madison, I’ll let you go,” Miss Duas said. “Oh, one other thing, I’ll need my crystal back.”
“Oh,” Amy said. Her expression revealed her disappointment. “What if I need to use it?”
“Then you can ask me once you return,” Miss Duas said.
“Oh, okay.” Amy reached into her jacket pocket pulled out the crystal. She handed it to the other woman.
Miss Duas smiled and put the stone into her own pocket. All of the files that had been deleted using the stone were stored inside the crystal. Whatever information Amy had deleted from the files was now in the sole possession of Miss Duas.
“Don’t keep your team waiting, Miss Madison.” The older witch reached into her desk and pulled out a cell phone. “Keep me informed.” She handed the phone to Amy.
“Yes, ma’am,” Amy said enthusiastically. She turned to leave and then paused and slowly turned back toward the other woman. “So, umm, about working for the committee? Do we get paid? Do we have a benefits package?”
“I’ll have the personnel office call you,” Miss Duas said with a smirk. She had to admit that the young witch had style. “But you won’t get your 401K matching funds until you’ve been here six months.”
“Well that bites,” Amy said. “You’d think that a mystical organization like this would give you benefits right away.”
“Well, I think there’s still some stock in Enron they’d be willing to give you,” Miss Duas said with a slight grin.
“Cool, I’ll take it,” Amy said. She held her hand up and wiggled her fingers. Tiny sparks danced over her fingertips. “You never know when a company’s gonna’ have a turnaround.”
Miss Duas laughed. It was a sincere laugh, and it was one of the first times in weeks that she had done so. “Miss Madison, I do believe tampering with the stock market would be frowned upon ... that is, unless you shared the information.”
“I guess there’s no insider trading when it comes to magic?” Amy asked impishly.
“No,” Miss Duas said. “And by the way, it’s an excellent idea. Go on, you need to get back to Sunnyvale.”
Amy nodded and left. As soon as the door closed, Miss Duas picked up the phone. She waved hand over it, and magically dialed. “Yes, Daniel? I’d like you to buy all the stock in Enron you can find. Trust me, I have a feeling.” She chuckled as she hung up the phone.
*****
“I’m so not impressed,” Tara said as her teeth chattered. The water was now almost to her neck, even while she was standing on top of the wall that surrounded the sacred pool. She looked over at the door and could see that the sconce holding the lantern was most likely still out of the reach.
“I’m tired, I’m wet, I’m bleeding, and I’m really, really not in the mood for this,” she said with sigh. “This has not been my day.”
She swam across the small cavern and then treaded water under the lantern. She used a swift kick to raise her body out of the water and then grabbed the sconce above the lantern. She dangled by one hand as she used her other hand to lift the lantern down, and then held it so she could see what was etched on the wall. It was Brigit’s wheel perfectly carved into the stone.
“Well, that helps ... not!” Tara said grouchily. “Thank you so much.” She looked a little closer and realized that it wasn’t just etched onto stone. The stone actually had a deep cut. She leaned closer and could see that the perfectly round circle went deep into the granite. She hung the lantern back up, still dangling by the opposite arm, and used her free hand to press the center of the circle, thinking that perhaps the jigsaw cutout would press into the wall and open the door. Nothing happened. The stone didn’t move, and the water continued pouring into the room.
“Well, this is really great. It would be nice if you left me a key or something. I mean, the only freaking thing in this room besides me and my naked butt is that stupid rope.” Tara paused for a second, and then her eyes went wide. “Son of a bitch,” she said as she began swimming back toward the sacred pool. She remembered the silver chalice she had used to drink from the tiny spigot of water. The same chalice she had dropped to the bottom of the pool. The chalice that was now at least eight feet underwater, in the pitch black beneath the surface, the surface the lanterns couldn’t penetrate.
She grumbled and mumbled a few more colorful phrases before she reached the water above the pool. She treaded water with her arms and one leg, as she carefully reached out with the other leg poking her toe to find the edge of the pool. Once she found the stone lip of the sacred pool, she realized the water was now so deep that she couldn’t stand on the side of the pool and still keep her face out of the water. She took a few fast, shallow breaths, hyperventilating to increase the amount of oxygen in her lungs, and then took a deep breath and dove under the icy water.
It was pitch black. The light from the lanterns couldn’t reach beneath the water. She could make out the lanterns above her, each appearing like a tiny spec, like a star in the night, but the deeper she dove, the dimmer they became.
Her fingers met the bottom of the pool, and she moved to one edge of the pool before she began her search. She carefully made her way through the darkness, her hands moving methodically across the rocky surface. She didn’t want to miss the chalice by frantically searching in a random haphazard fashion. She was almost all the way across the pool, and almost out of breath, when her hand touched something. She knew she’d found it. She grabbed the silver chalice and then pushed off the bottom of the pool with both feet.
She rushed toward the surface. Her lungs were aching already; she’d been holding her breath too long, and she felt like she’d soon pass out. As her face broke the surface of the water, she took in a gasp of air, so deep that it made her cough. That didn’t matter. She had the chalice. She knew that it must fit the strange carving on the wall.
She continued coughing even at she kicked over toward the door. She knew she didn’t have much time. The water was now only a few inches below the bottom of the lantern. When she reached the wall, she paused. She didn’t want to drop the chalice because if she lost it in the open room, she’d never find it again. She held the chalice in one hand as she carefully untied the rope from her waist with the other. Then it was just a matter of tying one end of the rope around her chalice and the other around her wrist. Once that was finished, she focused on the new task at hand.
She was now eye level with the bottom of the lantern. She carefully felt for the round opening and realized that it was the perfect size for the mouth of the chalice. Obviously, the container was the key to open the room. She started reaching toward the etched circle, and then paused. The door opened into the room that held the sacred flame. Tara couldn’t imagine anyone designing a challenge that would fill a room with water and then open the door so the water would go pouring into the sacred flame room. There was no way the sacred flame could escape the flood without being extinguished.
Tara looked across the room to where the other lantern hung. “Oh, crap,” Tara said. She lifted the lantern off the wall and began swimming across the room. She wasn’t quite sure what made her bring the lantern, but in a matter of seconds, she was glad that she had.
The water reached the bottom of the other lantern. A few more seconds and the icy water reached the heated glass and shattered it. The lantern went out with a hiss. If Tara had left the other lantern in place, both lanterns would now be extinguished. She shivered as she imagined trying to escape while in complete darkness.
“You know, I am really not enjoined this,” Tara said as she kicked toward the opposite side of the room. She reached the sconce with the broken lantern and treaded water as she reached down and picked up the chalice. She was relying on her strong legs to keep her face out of the water. She was grateful for her lifesaving classes. Treading water without using her arms had been required in the class, and Tara remembered thinking it was a pointless skill. She decided should send that instructor a bouquet of flowers.
She held the lantern high with one arm, so she could see what she was doing, and held the chalice up with the other. She carefully fitted the lip of the chalice over the carved stone. It appeared to be a perfect fit.
“I really hope this works,” she said. The lip of the chalice disappeared into the carved stone. She pushed it further inside the granite and was rewarded when the entire centerpiece slid into the wall. “Cool,” she said as she continued pushing the chalice into the wall. She heard a muted scraping and realized the wall was moving. She put her hand on the rock, thinking that she might need to anchor herself. If the water went pouring out through the wall, she didn’t want to get sucked out and thrown against something on the other side. The door only lifted a few feet.
“Don’t tell me this damn thing is defective,” she whined. She now had a dilemma. The water in the room was still rising. The door had lifted, but only a few feet. She couldn’t hang her lantern back on the sconce without it getting wet and going out like the other. Worst of all, there was no telling how long the slight opening in the door would remain.
*****
END PREVIEW!
by wiltar4evr » Sat Apr 06, 2002 3:43 am 
or bitter...nope. 
and force feed you lentils. Then we tickle you until you can't breathe. 
at: 4/7/02 2:08:05 pm
