Okay. Bad beta. *hangs head in shame*
Trying again with the update...
Here goes....
Spoiler Warning - It has some spoilers up to Normal Again and you may want to read my previous story as it is set in the same universe. If you don't want to, it's ok too. Just realize that Willow is in a wheelchair and this would be set around two and a half years from start of current US season.
Feedback - Good God! Yes, please.
Disclaimer - All characters, names etc belong to ME. I am just borrowing them for this short while in order to make them do what I want for a change instead of waiting to see what happens every Tuesday.
Rating - PG
Title : Left Of Center
Chapter 8
Willow had just finished meditating when the phone rang.
It was Buffy, asking if Tara was there, and informing her that the whole gang would return shortly with Giles. She tried to sound upbeat, but she knew that Buffy could sense
her apprehension. Willow was worried. There was no sign of Tara, and it was
getting dark out. Her theory about meditation allowing her to amplify her
connection with Tara didn’t pan out, and all she felt was fear. Cold, numbing
fear.
She was currently having an internal debate on whether she should just
go out and look for her. But she also had to keep reminding herself
of her promise. It was driving her crazy, just waiting around. Waiting for
Tara to come back to her, for Donny to make his move, for something … anything. It was totally frustrating. She was so tired of just being
reactive, of not being able to anticipate any of the badness that was always
around the corner. She should be able to predict it by now with eight
years of practice fighting on the Hellmouth. ‘Oh, look! Another year. Another Apocalypse or Big Bad should be just round the corner.’ She sighed. Perhaps she was getting too jaded. Maybe when Tara came back, she could suggest a holiday. Just the two of them, visiting a place far from the Hellmouth. Somewhere
like Africa or Scotland.
She looked out the window again, and observed that the sun was setting. But what
really caught her attention was the fact that Tara was standing across the
street, looking at the house. Her heart leapt. Tara was okay, and she was
finally home. But why was she just standing there? Didn't she want to come
in? Did something happen? Willow couldn't wait any longer. She wheeled
herself to the front door, yanked it open and sped down the ramp. She
had to get to Tara and find out what was wrong. The street was otherwise deserted, and
the sidewalk lights had not yet been switched on. Willow's only focus
was to get to her girl. But when she got across the street, Tara was gone, and in
her place stood Rack.
"So Strawberry…. Did you miss me?" He smiled, and two vamps joined him
from behind the tree. "Did you like my little magic show? I guess I really
fooled you with that glamour spell,” he said, rubbing his hands together. "Now I'm going to have me a little taste. That Key really whetted my appetite
for some more good magic. Maybe, after you, I should give that little girl
another visit. What do you think?" he asked as he slowly walked towards her.
Willow could see that he was still high on Dawn's energy, and that made him
dangerous. She didn't want to panic though. He was taunting her, and she had to
keep a cool head. She knew she probably only had one chance to get away. She’d have to ram her wheelchair straight at them. It wasn't going to be easy, and she would
only be able to surprise them once. So she had to pick her target. She decided on the tallest of the three, as he would have the highest center of gravity. Sometimes Physics was so cool and helpful. She would have to remember this example for the next time she tutored Dawn. …If there was a next time.
Willow tried to look afraid so as not to give away her plan to Rack. As soon as he
was within two feet of her, she grabbed on to her wheels and pushed with all
her might. She shot forward right into the tall Vampire on his left. The
Vamp, in his effort to jump out of the way, had no other choice but to collide with
his buddy and Rack. All three of them wound up in a heap on the road. As Willow
moved passed the Vampires, she uttered a confusion spell for good measure.
Willow was ecstatic. She had done it. She was smiling from relief, but it was short lived. She felt her chair being yanked back. Rack had made a grab for the handle of her wheelchair and was pulling it at an angle. She felt it being tipped over, and tried to
propel herself away from the chair and Rack. She managed to land a few
feet away. Ignoring her fresh scrapes and cuts, she began to drag herself
forward. She had to get away from Rack. She didn't want
him near her, much less touching her, but she could feel him trying to draw
her close with magic. He was still filled with Dawn's power and using it to ensnare her.
Rack pushed the wheelchair to one side and strode towards the fallen witch.
He was getting impatient. That Vampire had told him the witch would be
alone. An easy target. He had said that she was handicapped and couldn't do any powerful spells without the blonde by her side.
However, so far, she had managed to take out the two good-for-nothing vamps that Donny had sired for him. They were slowly getting to their feet, but still looked quite dazed. He was going to enjoy taking from her. He wanted her to suffer. She had to be taught a lesson for leaving him, and for
making a fool of him now. He made a grab for her leg, only to have her kick
out at him. He was amazed that she was still trying to fight him. With a
roar, he lashed out with his new magic. The magic force pinned Willow
to the ground. Despite the unseen weight bearing down on her limbs, she
still struggled on, trying to turn over and crawl away.
"Can't let him touch me. Don't want his magic. Promised Tara," she muttered.
But the spell was too strong, and the more she struggled, the weaker she got. She watched as Rack slowly bent over her and placed his palm on her chest. She could feel him drawing out her power and trying to replace it with his own foul magic. But she
would not allow that to happen. She pushed back with her mind. She didn't
want his foulness mingling with the magic bond she shared with Tara. So she
rejected the high he was offering and instead welcomed the pain. It helped focus her mind. ‘Think, Rosenberg….you need to distract him…’ and then it came to her. She knew what she could do, and hoped that despite the pain and Rack draining her magic, she would still be able to do this one trick.
"If you don't want it, that's too bad. You know this is going to hurt" Rack didn't
care either way. He could feel her power flowing into him. Not as potent
as the little girl's, but sweet nonetheless. It tasted different as well. That must be because of her blonde friend, he mused. He didn't notice the levitating branch behind him, heading straight for his back until it was too late.
Despite the pain, Willow still meant to keep her promise to Tara, and prayed
that her reliance on her old pencil floating spell would pay off. Although her aim was off, she was still rewarded for her efforts when the branch embedded itself in Rack's arm. He
yelped and fell to his side. But Willow's joy was again short-lived. Despite the wound, Rack was still conscious and looked over at her as he pulled the branch out and held it in his hand. He was going to use it to hit her.
"Hey. Do you need some help with directions?" he heard a voice ask from
behind. "See, you look lost, and… Well, I'm no girl guide, but I think I can
help you leave the area. Preferably in a body bag," Buffy continued, looking
quite dangerous. She had sensed Vamps in the area and come running. She
was glad she did. Rack had Willow pinned on the ground. Before running off, she had tried to get Xander and Anya to take Giles and Dawn to their place but knew that they had followed her anyway.
The gang stood behind her, waiting for her cue. Xander held a short
broad sword at the ready, and Anya had a crossbow. Giles and Dawn were further back,
but still looked like they were ready to join in the fight if necessary.
Willow felt relief flood through her. She didn't know what she would have done if Buffy
hadn’t shown up. The pain was receding, and she could think more clearly now. She saw Rack looking back and forth between Buffy and her. Willow could sense that he still wanted her, and it reminded her so much of Tara's nightmare vision. Despite the way that Donny had twisted the outcome of her dream, maybe Tara had known that Willow would have to face Rack all along. But unlike that nightmare, Willow had not succumbed. Rack had managed to take some of her power, but unlike her previous encounters, she did not feel the high. Rack had not managed to corrupt her or her bond with Tara. She had been strong enough.
In the end, Rack’s instinctive drive for self-preservation won out. The two Vamps on the ground were so new that they didn't know who the Slayer was. So when Rack gestured to them, they immediately launched themselves at her. Rack, knowing that fighting now was futile, turned and ran. Willow tried to tackle him as he ran past her but she couldn't move fast enough.
The first Vampire was dispatched rather quickly on account of him running
straight into Buffy's stake. The second one, demonstrating a few more IQ points,
started punching at her. She did a back flip, and directed a roundhouse
kick to his head. That sent him crashing to the ground in front of Anya who
then shot him point blank in the chest.
"Yeah, me! Good Job, me!" she cried out in glee as she watched the Vampire
turn to dust.
"Yeah, Anya. It was
all you" Buffy answered drolly as she went to
help Willow. She was glad to see that Willow wasn’t hurt too badly and only
had a few cuts and scrapes. Buffy didn't want to shout at her best friend, but
seeing her get hurt was not something she wanted to experience again.
"What the hell were you doing outside?" she asked as she carried Willow to
her chair.
"I thought he was Tara. He did a glamour spell. I came out because I
thought it was her, Oh, God, Buffy. I
need her." Willow was getting
more distraught by the minute as she clutched at Buffy's sweater. She
wasn't hurt too badly, and Rack hadn’t been able to give her any Dark Magic
but the experience had taken its toll, and she wanted Tara. The only thing
that prevented her from passing out was that she regconised the
tiny light in the distance. The light was getting closer and bringing
her love back to her.
"Willow!" Tara cried out as soon as she saw the redhead. She was
breathing too hard and was practically doubled over. Her lungs demanded oxygen as she collapsed into Willow's outstretched arms. Willow hung on to her for a good five minutes. Only when Tara's breathing returned to normal did she say anything.
"Buffy, we need to get her inside. Now," Willow pleaded, and Buffy complied. She scooped the blonde witch up and carried her into the house. She knew that Willow was still worried – that the hacker was following closely behind.
"B-Buffy, you can put me down now," Tara insisted as soon as they entered the
house.
"Yeah, cause you looked like you could have run another few miles back there," Buffy
retorted. But she relented, and deposited the witch into an armchair in the living
room. She made a hasty retreat as Willow came barreling in.
*Baby, are you okay? Is everything alright? Where did you go? I was so
worried. Please don't leave me like that. My heart can't take those bumps.
Is everything okay?* Willow babbled as she ran her hands all over Tara's
body to check for injuries.
"Willow, I'm okay. He didn't hurt me," Tara replied, trying to calm the redhead
down. She could see identical looks of concern on all the scoobies’ faces as they filed in and gathered around her.
That didn't sound promising to Willow. She needed answers, and fast. "Hurt
you? Who didn't hurt you?"
The fact that Tara didn't want to make eye contact scared Willow, but she
pressed on. "Sweetie, who did you meet this afternoon?"
"Donny," Tara whispered as she looked into Willow's eyes for the first time
that night. Usually, Willow's green eyes held the promise of love and
comfort, but the mention of Donny’s name caused her eyes to darken
significantly. Not to that inky black shade brought on by dark magic, but Tara could see the anger there, and the hurt. She also noticed Willow’s cuts and scrapes for the first time. The bright lights in the house highlighted the fact that Willow had been attacked, something that she had not noticed outside. Tara could also sense Rack’s black magic aura around her love and her heart clenched. Donny had gotten Rack to go after Willow.
"Donny? You went to see Donny?" Anya exclaimed. "Did you kill him?" she
followed on hopefully.
Tara just shook her head. She couldn't deal with it right now, all she
wanted was to curl up in bed with Willow and feel safe again. But she knew
that that was an impossibility. Donny was after Willow and the rest of them. He
wanted to punish her by killing them. She had to make them understand. They had to leave as soon as possible. If she guessed correctly, Rack had already
come after Willow and the dust on the sidewalk outside indicated that he had
brought friends. She could feel that Willow had fought back physically and mentally and that Rack hadn’t succeeded in really hurting her. But what about the next time? What if Buffy had been too late? Or worse…
"We have to leave," she stated evenly, looking at the people gathered around her,
hoping that they would understand and accept her plea. Donny would hurt all
of them just for the fun of it, and he wouldn’t hesitate to use Rack again.
"Leave? Tara, we went over this. We can't leave." Willow was trying so hard
to understand. She could feel such strong emotions coming from her lover -
fear, concern, and guilt. Such strong feelings she knew that Tara was trying to
shield from her, but the feelings were so intense that Tara couldn't stop
Willow from sensing them through their link.
"Which is why all of us should leave. Everyone! Donny's crazy and he wants
to kill all of you, and I c-can't let that happen. We have to leave. Please?"
She looked at Buffy when she said that. She knew that the Slayer would
understand. Willow had told her that she had done the same when Glory got
too close to Dawn. She didn't remember most of what had happened during those dark days, but snippets of memories would surface sometimes. She remembered Willow holding her as she screamed, and burning Spike. They had run away then, and may have even succeeded if their escape was not cut short by the Knights of Byzantium.
She hoped that Buffy would understand, but it was Xander who answered her plea.
"Maybe Tara's right. Maybe we should leave. Anya and I… Well, we ...we're starting a family, and I won't...I can't just sit around hoping that nothing screws that up" Xander let the import of his words sink in.
"You're pregnant" Giles looked at Anya for confirmation.
The ex-demon placed her hand over her belly and nodded. She trusted Xander. She
knew that he was suggesting what was best as she knew he trusted her when
she suggested telling D'Hoffryn about the baby a few days ago.
"It's settled, then" Buffy stated, "We all leave. We need a plan and money
and…"
"NO!" Dawn shouted, "We can't run away. That never works. Why do we have to
leave our home? This is the only home I've known and Mom's buried here. We
can't leave" She didn't understand how they could just accept that decision.
Her mom always said running away never solved anything. Buffy tried after
she sent Angel to Hell, and again when she thought they couldn't handle
Glory.
"Dawnie, it's just for now. We can..." Tara tried to comfort Dawn but Willow
cut her off.
"Dawn's right. It's not just for now, if we leave. It's forever, because
that's how long Donny has. He has eternity. I never really considered myself
lucky....I mean, living on the Hellmouth, nearly getting burnt at the stake,
getting shot, being chased by Vampires on a regular basis… That really is
not a good track record by any means, but this is also the place where I
found you," she stated, looking at Tara. "This is also the place where I
found a family whom I love and trust with my life and if we all agree that
it's best to leave then I'll go, but it has to be a unanimous decision."
Giles knew that as the patriarch, he was expected to say something, to give
guidance. But at that point, he was at a loss. He knew that Donny would be
relentless in his pursuit of Tara. It was in his nature as well as that of
the demon. He also knew that he would do anything to ensure the safety of
his charges - anything. And if that meant leaving and using his resources
to ensure that they were comfortable and away from danger, then that was what
he would do. However, he was still a Watcher and had a duty. Dawn and
Willow were right. Running away wouldn’t solve anything, but it would
have to be a family decision. That he was sure of.
Tara looked around and reflected on Willow's words. She knew that despite
what Willow had said, if she chose to leave, Willow would not let her go
alone. She would leave her family behind for Tara. Her speech was to let
Tara know that all the Scoobies felt that way and would always support each other. That decision was unanimous and had been made a long time ago.
She also knew that Donny would always be after them. He wouldn't stop, and he
did have eternity, if his stupidity didn't kill him first. She could pray
that that would be the case. That he would stumble and get dusted or something. But
could she wait for that? Could she expect her family to leave their home and
hearth for her? She knew they would, but would that be fair? They were
used to living on the Hellmouth. They’d adapted and flourished, and so had she.
If they went somewhere else, could they forget the battles, leave behind the
knowledge of Demons and the face of malevolence? She had to accept that
these people, her family, were made to do good. To fight the good fight, as
Willow would say. Besides, Donny would expect her to run. He always thought
that she was weak. She realized that she wasn't weak because of Willow
and the people around her. Donny and Rack were weak. Donny needed her fear
and Rack needed other people's magic.
*And I didn't let him Willow sent
*He tried to take my magic and all my power but I didn't let him in*. Willow had proven once and for all that she truly
didn't need Rack or Dark Magic.
"We need a plan," Tara said out loud. "We can't run. This may be the
Hellmouth, but it's our Hellmouth. We shouldn't be the ones to hide. We
need to bring the fight to Donny and Rack." She could see the looks of
relief on Willow and Dawn's faces and she knew that despite wanting to stay,
they would have gone with her if she had insisted.
"Okay. Planning is good, but we just need to kill him, right? That's a plan."
Anya stated matter-of-factly.
"We need Spike," Dawn pointed out to Buffy, knowing that if she called, he
would still come running. Her sister and the Vampire had become friends and
she was glad for that. She didn't think she could handle another
Slayer/Vampire forbidden love relationship. The tears and recriminations
alone were enough to put her off of men. But she could handle their
friendship. Besides, she still thought that he was cool, and working on
being nice. That she could live with.
"I'll give him a call. In the meantime, we need to know how to find Donny.
Tara, how did you know where he was?" Buffy asked, not sure if she would
like the answer.
Willow was curious, too, and held on to Tara's hand to offer support as she
noticed that the blonde was once again not making eye contact.
"I went to Willy's," she said, much to the amazement of the Scooby gang.
Naturally, both Buffy and Willow exploded, each trying to get a word in.
"Willy's? That's in the bad part of town. Granted, there's not a whole lot of
town, but still..."
"Baby, are you sure you're okay? He didn't say or do anything, did he?"
"No, no. I'm fine, nothing happened. Although, he may congratulate you when
you go the next time, on account of your brilliant plan and all," Tara added,
nodding towards Buffy. She looked slightly happier and had a twinkle in her
eye.
"My brilliant plan?" Buffy questioned, not really understanding, but waiting
for the punch line.
"Yeah, Willy figured that you sent me to play good cop, insane cop and that
I would go all Xena-like on his ass if... if he didn't give me Donny's address"
Tara answered proudly, hoping to put a smile on their face… and maybe a
blush on Willow's.
She wasn't disappointed, Xander's jaw dropped as did Anya's. Buffy and
Dawn was smiling, and Willow was blushing furiously. And most important of
all, Giles was back to cleaning his glasses. Yes, she thought to herself -
if they could laugh and joke in the face of odds like these, they were bound
to make it. Willow and she were strong together, and as a whole family, they
were unbeatable. Donny and Rack had better watch out.
Edited by: Owl at: 5/21/02 11:08:20 pm