New Fic: Hand Of Fate

[Cindy Lou Who]

LWT:



I am sending chicken soup posthaste! Hope you feel better.



~Suse p.s. Much as I ! your fic your health is (sigh) much more important...but you know that.



"What we hear never seems as important as what we overhear."

Edited by: Cindy Lou Who at: 4/24/03 10:34:11 am

[LostWithoutTara]

I'm feeling much better now, so hopefully I can resume my usual updating craziness . Okay, here's part twenty.



Part Twenty – Hand Of Darkness – Part b)



Willow stared at the scene in front of her, the pale redhead lying on the table, blood streaming out from her chest as men and women in blood-covered scrubs rushed around her. There was a constant bleeping sound around her. In fact, the redhead looked very similar….







Trying hard not to panic, she glanced up, only to be blinded by a huge surge of light.







Willow felt the bile rise up her throat, and swallowed hard to prevent herself from vomiting on the spot. That was, if she could vomit. That was, if she was alive. A squeaking sound behind her alerted Willow, and she spun around, only for a doctor to walk right through her. It was a horrible feeling, like being ripped apart for a few seconds. Willow shuddered and looked back up to the light. A sense of peace surrounded her.







She paused, realising how erratic she was becoming. She had to concentrate, be logical thinky Willow. The beeping sound was emanating from a machine to her right – a heart monitor. If it was still going, that meant her heart was still beating… so she couldn’t be dead. The light grew brighter, and Willow began to see a figure approach, little shimmering orbs of light approaching her. This would normally have given her the wiggins, but with the out-of-body experience and sense of calm she felt, she wasn’t frightened at all. The orbs flowed away from the light, moving next to her and slowly transforming into a figure. Willow stared at the woman forming in front of her. She knew her.



“Willow…”

“Buffy…?”



**************



Tara paced back and forth, trying to create a plan of action. She’d become a bit too used to Buffy and Willow being the leader, so it was a bit hard to devise things herself. First, they’d need to find a way to safeguard Willow, wherever she was at the moment. She wished she could know more…

“Protection spell,” she said out loud to the men in front of her. “To, um, keep Willow safe while s-she… is recovering…”



Okay, that was good. They also needed to deal with evil shadow-bitch. She’d already decided – keep the knife away and blast her. But they needed to prevent her from turning to shadow, as she could escape them easily. If she could power up Gauxham’s light, that could help. She’d taught it to Willow as a teeny tinkerbell light, but had noted Willow’s expansion. If they could flood everywhere with blinding light, would Shadi be able to escape? Obviously, shadows and light didn’t mix. It was worth a shot.



“Also, bindweed and rose quartz.” She’d managed to do the teleportation and light spells sans ingredients earlier, but she didn’t know how she’d done it. It was like a power boost from nowhere… whatever it was, it wasn’t her own. It’d come from something – or someone – else. But was that possible? She hadn’t done any kind of power-gaining spell. But, Willow had… maybe the black lightning spell had done something? But it couldn’t have. It was Willow’s blood on the tea towel, she was the supposed recipient of the power, although they didn’t even know if that had worked… Damn! It was so frustrating!



Keep calm, keep calm…



Next, she had to deal with the earth thing. Shadi could come up through the ground, so they were at risk on this, the bottom floor. If they were above ground level, she’d physically have to manifest beneath them and come up. So they needed to move to higher ground, and quickly.



*******************



“Buffy?”

“Hey, Will.” Buffy smiled at her, her body swathed in a white dress, bathed in light.

“No halo, wings?” Willow felt overjoyed at seeing her friend. She could cry in happiness. Buffy laughed.

“Well, I do have them, but they clash with the outfit, you know?”

“Buffy, I am so sorry. I wish I could have helped you…” tears began to roll down Willow’s cheeks as the painful memories came rushing back. “You must have been so scared… I didn’t mean to let you down. If I could just have done a spell, you’d still be here. Dawnie misses you so much, she cries every day. And I don’t know how to help. We need you, Buffy. I need you. You’re my best friend…”



Buffy reached out her hand and gently placed it on Willow’s face. “Please, don’t cry. I had to do this. I did it because I love you, and Dawn, and Tara, and everyone. I wasn’t afraid there… I was happy. I could help you all, keep the world turning another day. Don’t be sorry, please. And don’t blame yourself. This was what was meant to happen, and I’m happy. I saw Mom, Ms. Calendar, Kendra… Please, Willow, don’t punish yourself any more. Nothing was your fault.”

“Thank you…” more tears rolled down her face. Buffy smiled.

“Aren’t you wondering why I’m here?” Willow frowned. “Okay, Buffy, why are you here?”

“I’ve been sent to help you. Something bad is coming, Will. It wants you, and Tara. I have to show you things, now. There isn’t much time to explain. You’re going to wake up soon.”

“Okay… Show me…” Buffy took Willow’s hand and pulled her towards the white space from which she had emerged. Willow felt her body float up and away as she was surrounded by the light.

[justin]

This is a great story.



I liked the last update, especially the line

Quote:

---

---

So now that Willow knows that Buffy is in heaven is this going to stop her from doing the ressurection, or is she going to forget about that part?

I understand, you should be with the person you l-love


I am

[LostWithoutTara]

Yep, if Willow knows Buffy is happy it means she won't need to do the resurrection spell, so no Buffy. But the benefit of that is that I can spend more time on W/T as I progress and redo S6 without having to worry about the whole 'Spuffy' thing.

[LostWithoutTara]

Part Twenty-One – Bound



Willow felt the gentle rays flush over her skin, shutting her eyes to savour the blissful sensation. A beautiful feeling of warmth filled her.



“Open you eyes, Will.” Willow responded to Buffy’s instruction and was met with sand dunes stretching as far as the eye could see. The sun was setting, flooding the landscape with a surreal glow that she’d only seen in those sexy sunset scenes in the movies. She and Buffy were stood on the ground outside a large stone temple of some sort. Willow bit her lip and frowned. The markings looked extremely familiar to something she’d seen before in a textbook… “The Temple Of Isis…” she said breathlessly, hardly believing her own words. How was it possible? First, that was in Egypt. Second, it was built thousands of years ago.



. It dawned on her. Okay, she had been a bit slow on the uptake, but she figured that was allowed due to the stabbing. “We’ve gone back in time… Wait a minute, is this one of those ‘A Christmas Carol’ things where you show me my past, present and future and I’m all dead because I didn’t share and little boys are all crippled at Christmas? Because I’m not with the greed. Nosiree, no Willownezer Scrooge here.”



Buffy laughed at Willow’s babble outburst and put her hand reassuringly on Willow’s shoulder. “No, it’s not that. You just have to watch. Something important is going to happen here.” Willow obeyed and watched as a young woman exited the temple, dressed in some kind of ceremonial dress. Her hair was short and red, eyes emerald green…







Another woman moved out from behind the shadows, entwining her hand with other-Willow’s. They kissed and stared at the sunset together. The other girl had longer blonde hair, curves… and a very nice butt. Willow reminded herself to pay more attention. It was Tara. Willow felt a surge of happiness followed by a pang of fear. How was Tara? What if she was sat in the hospital, worried about her?



“You’re together, always…” Buffy’s voice was gentle and soft, like a verbal feather running over her skin.

“Really?”

“Really. It’s always been this way. It always will be. But you have to watch. She is coming.”



Willow was overjoyed. She’d known from the outset that she and Tara were… connected. But soulmates? She’d believed it, but never thought that such a thing could exist. Two people, bound together by love for all eternity…





Willow felt the pang of fear again. She knew. Buffy was talking about Shadi.



Tara watched as Spike left to fetch her ingredients, stomping out of the A&E door with his typical brash attitude. She supposed that it could be sexy in a weird way. But guys were weird, in general. They were nice, of course… well, except for the ones in her family, who were just sick and cruel – but she’d never seen the attraction, the reason why girls could go insane over a man. She’d always known she preferred women, saw beauty, power and elegance in them, compared with the friends she saw in men. Of course, Willow had loved Oz very much, and she completely respected that, but she didn’t know the full story. She hadn’t really asked, either. She loved Willow, and Willow loved her, and that was that. No need for any explanation, reasoning. Just love. Willow had once said that changing from dating Oz to her had been like moving from a big bowl of plain ice cream to a big bowl of chocolate ice cream with sprinkles on top. Still the same basic ingredients, but the second just had that something special – well, that was how Willow had put it. She smiled. The thought of ice cream made her feel hungry. She really had to eat something…



Suddenly, a wave of pain shot through her abdomen, coupled with the urge to vomit. She gasped and sat down, clutching her stomach. Giles was alert instantly, moving to guide her to a resting position. The pain subsided, to be replaced by a sharper feeling in her chest, like something had been forced in. Tara cried out and tried to control her breathing, becoming erratic and noisy. She instinctively placed her hand to her chest, pulling it away to reveal a patch of blood. “Oh, Goddess…” What was going on? She was fine a second ago…



Giles called for a nurse and one came moving in, kneeling down beside Tara.

“What’s the matter?”

“My chest… I was fine… I-I just feel like… I’ve been stabbed…”

The nurse guided Tara to her feet, escorting her towards the double doors leading to the main body of the department. Tara turned back to Giles.

“Get Spike… do the… you know…” Her vision blurred and she felt her legs give out from underneath her, her weight sagging against the nurse before she finally blacked out.



*************************************



Well, that had been interesting. Rack lay back on the sofa while his latest client cried out in ecstasy from the magic surrounding her. To be frank, he found ditzes like her boring. Sure, they had nice bodies and he very much enjoyed taking tours of them, but they were just junkies. No real power, not understanding the true nature of magic. Not like Red. She had it in her. He’d helped bring it out. Power could be much more intoxicating than any high, and he’d shown her what it could do.



But then, something had happened. Some of his power had gone to the other one, another girl he didn’t recognise. Long blonde hair, delicious curves he’d love to get his hands on. There was something between them, connecting them. That was why she’d gotten some of his magic.



And it was powerful.

[Cindy Lou Who]

So glad to hear you're on the mend...hope you got the chickie soupie. And you *are* back to your amazing update tendencies! YAY!



To think I was worried that Buffy's purpose might be more of the "lead you into the light" nature than "help you fight Shadi" variety...shame on me!



Loved "Willowneezer Scrooge!" What an image.



Was Tara's pain attributable to Rack then? His big power? Yikes!



TY!~Suse

"What we hear never seems half as important as what we overhear."

[LostWithoutTara]

Thanks, I'm feeling much better now, and I'm ready to churn out some more lovely updates very soon. Hopefully part 22 will be up soon, depending on how much studying I have to cram in

[LostWithoutTara]

A shorter update, but some significant info here. And you get to read my attempts at poems!! Feedback is very, very welcome.





Part Twenty-Two – ‘Gone Before’



OtherWillow and OtherTara walked down the dusty street together. Willow and Buffy were now floating in the air, viewing the scene from above. Willow glanced down and felt a wave of vertigo. Heights were hardly her greatest fear – that honour would go to frogs – but it was hardly pleasant. Buffy gestured out into the darkness and Willow saw Shadi leap onto the roof of another building, crouching flat against it. Willow winced in anticipation of what was to come. It wouldn’t be pretty. She bristled. Buffy sensed her discomfort: “I’m sorry that I have to show you this, Willow. But it’s for the best. The more you see, the more you learn, and that will help you beat her.” Willow sighed unhappily and nodded.



Tara glanced around her. She was lying on a stretcher-trolley, people swarming around her. A pair of hands reached down and pulled at her sweater, cutting through the fabric with what looked like scissors. She slowly shut her eyes and reopened. Lights from above blinded her. The room was a horrible shade of deathly white, smelt of disinfectant and other nasty hospitally smells. She was aware of a sharp pain in the centre of her chest, feeling like something was slicing up her insides. But all she could think of was Willow.



Shadi tunnelled through the soil, sensing the plants above and around her wither and die as she flowed past. She’d be back in Sunnydale very soon. She needed to be. She had her job to do. It wasn’t at the instruction of some lame demon. She didn’t even particularly want to kill them herself, as pleasurable as it would be. Killing the same women over and over again got kinda tedious after a while. Stupid returners. You had to hand it to the forces of good. If you stopped them, they’d repeat the cycle all over again. But The First wanted the witches dead. You did not disagree with the root of all evil when it entrusted you to do something. The witches, the Slayer, the vampire, the seer… they all had such important parts to play for when it happened. End of days was coming. And the witches needed to die, lest their combination stopped it. The cataclysm may have already happened by now… the Tribunal could be on its way.



**********************************************



Poem 12



I feel the ground around me

This is my home now

Worms and bones and dirt are what await me

I receive nothing from this life.

Time waits for no man

And I am no exception

I shall never feel the exquisite pain of love

Never joy, never heartbreak

As I rot in the wooden prison

Eyes gaze blankly at the dead sky

Empty and alone as always.

Each day that passes

Brings me closer to the hand of death

Three-seven-two

All I have

As I wait for the end.



**********************************************



Willow watched as Shadi plunged the knife into her Egyptian counterpart, the blade sucking light from her. OtherWillow screamed out in pain. Willow watched her, a sick feeling of dread creeping up her body. Buffy turned to her.



“First rule. You can’t run from her. She’ll find you, wherever you run.

Second rule. Offensive magic won’t work. She has the knife to absorb anything you throw at her.”



Willow nodded slowly. She now knew how she knew Shadi, if that made any sense.



“What else do you have to show me?”



********************************************



Volume Three, page thirty-two



I felt his touch again

Last night

Soft as a rose petal moving along my cheek

His cruel embrace awaits me

Arms held open in glorious anticipation

Of it happening

My tears no longer fall

Even though I still wish them to

Ducts dry, a drought from a neverending cascade

Futility, hopelessness

I stare at myself

See the blackness

And I know that his grasp is only inches away

Edited by: LostWithoutTara at: 5/2/03 3:15:22 am

[justin]

That was an interesting update. So Willow and Tara getting together is going to throw a spanner in the works for the first evil and it has something to do with this Tribunal.



The poems were interesting in a depressing kind of way. I got the feeling that they were about Shadi, though I'm not sure why.

I understand, you should be with the person you l-love


I am

[LostWithoutTara]

Part Twenty-Three – ‘Out Of The Woods’



Medicated Musings, page five



His fist struck me

Blur of drunken rage

Never pleading never crying

I am passive

He may beat me but he won’t kill me

That honour is reserved for something else

The calendar days are ticking by

Pages torn and discarded

Knowing what will happen

I’m sixteen

What did I do to deserve this

Blood seeps from wounds carved into flesh

Bitter waterfalls of crimson running down this body

I can never tell them

No one would believe me

But I know

There will be coffee and coins

Cries of the innocent

And sweet death

For me and me alone.



I won’t see eighteen.



Willow had lost track of the places she and Buffy had visited. Every time, the watching became more bearable. She still wanted to scream and cry as Shadi killed Tara, watched as her light extinguished, sucked into that blade. But her resolve strengthened with every tear. She was going to kill that bitch. She wouldn’t make the same errors she had made before. They were in 1960. Willow studied the scene as Shadi killed OtherWillow. She’d put up a valiant fight, but at the end of the day it wasn’t enough. But Willow knew Shadi now. She had an advantage. Buffy turned towards her: “Are you ready?” Willow held out her hands and Buffy placed hers upon the redhead’s. “Good. Remember, your priority is the knife. And you’ll need the light. Tara knows it, she’s on the verge of cracking it for you. But you have to be quick. There’s not long to go before the showdown.” Willow blinked and nodded. She suddenly realised something she had yet to discover: “Why, Buffy? Why does Shadi want to kill us?” Buffy smiled at her. “Sorry, Will, but I can’t spoil that for you. Don’t worry, you’ll find out soon enough.” Light began to swirl around them. “I love you, Willow.” Buffy’s voice faded out as she vanished from sight.



Willow opened her eyes. She was lying on a hospital bed in a white-walled room, dressed in typical patient wear. Her room was empty except for a few chairs and a table.







She turned and pulled the drips from her arm, wincing as they came out. Strangely, her chest felt fine. She pulled the front of her gown forward slightly and glanced down. No blood, no marks. Like she’d never been stabbed. She threw the tight hospital covers off and moved out of the bed, her bare feet finding the cool floor.







“Sorry.” Willow spoke out loud. She paused and was relieved that no one else was around to hear her talking to herself. They’d switch her to the psychiatric ward, and she expected that it would be harder to escape if she was wearing a straightjacket. Right, she didn’t want to walk around as she was, as if any staff saw her they’d be certain to send her back to bed or drug her up or something. Although some morphine might be nice…





If she didn’t want to be seen, she could either sneak through the air vents and be all secret-agenty, or she could use a glamour. And while the lure of being all secret and sexy was enticing the glamour would be the way to go. She could find Tara and tell her everything, and they could work on a way to send Shadi back to the hell she came from.



Tara felt really woozy. She was still bleeding from the chest, medics rushing around her, poking and prodding her with various weird implements. Why was she bleeding like this? The doctor spoke to a nurse: “Looks like a stabbing. Severe bleeding from near the left ventricle. We’ll need to operate. I’ll need mgs of anaesthetic and the usual. Do a blood test for the transfusion and check for foreign proteins and antibodies while you do it. I want to rule out any kinds of illness or infection after we had that guy in last week with spontaneous laceration.” The nurse frowned:

“Left ventricle. Sounds just like the other girl we had in earlier. Cut appears to be in the exact same place.” Tara’s eyes widened. The nurse was… talking about… Willow. She allowed her arm to be raised by a nurse and a needle injected. She instantly felt herself relax as the anaesthetic flooded through her body.



To be continued…

[LostWithoutTara]

Hey everyone. You might have noticed that several parts have been edited by me today. Don't worry, the story hasn't been altered at all. I've just been clarifying spoiler warnings, disclaimers, ratings etc.



Next part, you finally find out why Shadi wants to hurt W/T (at long last!).



One thing I do want to ask is if you guys are still enjoying the way things are going. Feedback is a little sparse lately and because I'm paranoid ( ) I'm worried that I'm boring you all. Is everything okay?



LWT

[justin]

I'm liking the story.



It's tense and intriguing and definitely not boring

I understand, you should be with the person you l-love


I am

[LostWithoutTara]

Thank you!



Sorry for my insecurity outburst. I'm like Willow - needing reassurance all the time .

[onyxsundrops]

Hey

I rarely leave feedback, even when I love the fic..so I might as well start now. Anyway, I'm really enjoying the story, so please continue writing.



Yvonne

[LostWithoutTara]

Part Twenty-Four – ‘Truth’



Cassie Newton lay on the uncomfortable hospital bed, the white sheets and ‘hospital corners’ digging into her bruised skin. She shouldn’t even have been here. Her dad had just got a little drunk, that was all. Just hit her a few times… The nice people here had been really worried about her, but they didn’t need to be concerned. Her dad couldn’t hurt her – well, he wasn’t the one who was going to kill her, anyway. She sighed and pushed the sheets back, leaning over and taking her book from the cabinet next to the bed. It was her poetry, which she’d been writing ever since she’d known she was going to die. Of course, everyone knew they were going to die eventually, but she was special. Her death was going to be on the second Friday of September, next year. She wouldn’t see eighteen, would die a few weeks shy of her birthday. Cassie sighed and opened the book, flicking through the pages full of her thoughts, written in black ballpoint. Pages and pages… she stopped and read the last few she’d written. It was strange knowing what was going to happen to her. There would be coffee, and some coins. But no one would help her. Something or someone was going to kill her on that day, and she didn’t have an idea why, where or how. It was a mixed blessing – other people never knew what might happen to them, but she did. Since she’d been a little child, she’d been able to see things in people. Not like the kid from the Sixth Sense, but just general feelings, emotions… like seeing someone’s path before it happened. The strangest thing had been with that Dawn girl. Cassie had seen her and known something was wrong. Dawn didn’t belong. Cassie stared at her and saw green energy, sparkling, radiant. And she’s sensed a feeling of misery, suffering. Her gift was strange, to say the least. Although it did give her the upper hand on tests and pop quizzes. But since she’d felt her death looming, she’d grown tired and apathetic. Why bother with anything? She had so little time left… why bother with school and an education, when she wouldn’t need those things where she was going? She was happier to sit with her poems, her art… to just create. To fill the dead void inside of her. Her parents were divorcing, her Mom had moved out. Home life was tense and almost unbearable. Her dad had begun to go out, get drunk, then come back and vent his anger on her. But that was the way it was, and she couldn’t change it.



Willow took a deep breath and pushed the door to her room open, hoping the glamour had worked. She carefully paced forward. A man walked past, staring right through her as he did so. Willow smiled and thanked the Goddess for her success. She just had to make sure she avoided people, so they wouldn’t walk into her.







That was probably her best bet. She walked along the hospital corridor towards a group of signs on the wall, noting the correct direction to the waiting rooms. Moving back down the corridor, she paced briskly. A door to her right swung open and she jumped. A young girl stood there, and she stared at Willow. Willow guessed that she was about sixteen. Her hair was shoulder length and blonde with the ends dyed a faint purple colour. An ugly bruise lay on her cheek and her lip looked sore and bloody.







Cassie stared at the redhead in front of her, who looked worried and pensive. Suddenly, a series of flashes shot through her mind… that girl, shadows, darkness, a blonde woman… dark power…. Cassie reached out and placed her hand on the redhead’s. The girl recoiled slightly, but realised Cassie meant no harm. Cassie stared her straight in the eyes. “Is it worth it? I mean, if it harms the people you love?”



Willow frowned. This was disturbing. Not only had this girl seen through her glamour – which she knew was working – she was now spouting some cryptic message. “I’m sorry… I have to go… find someone.” The blonde nodded. “Not in the waiting room. A&E. She needs you. She’s hurt… like you. It’s important.” Willow turned to move away, filled with alarm. Had Tara been hurt by Shadi? The girl was creepy, but Tara and Shadi were her priorities. She turned and ran down the hall, running as fast as she could down the stairs to the department.



Cassie watched her run and whispered: “By the way, congratulations.”



Willow pounded down the stairs as fast as she could go. She didn’t care if anyone could see or hear her, she had to get to Tara – now. She pushed the doors to the emergency room open, weaving between the medics – who ignored her completely, unseeing. She glanced around, looking through the windows into the bays. She finally glimpsed Tara, lying on a trolley with people buzzing around her. One raised Tara’s arm and injected her with something. Willow could see blood on her chest and felt a wave of panic shoot through her. Had Shadi hurt Tara? Was Shadi in the hospital?



A doctor walked past her, accompanied by a pair of nurses.



“What does the preliminary exam show?”

“Some damage to the chest area. One severe laceration, similar to the young woman we had in earlier. Cut in exactly the same place – it’s uncanny.”





“And the blood test?”

“Blood group A for any transfusions. We’ve also found very high levels of progesterone and oestrogen – same as a woman in the first few trimesters.”

“You mean…”

“Yes - she’s pregnant.”

[Grimlock72]

I had a rather busy week, which is why I haven't posted much feedback lately... sorry about that. Anyway, yes the story is still interesting to read. I do wonder how/when/why Willow's injuries were transferred to Tara though, can't see the advantage of that.



Must have been tough on Willow to see her counterpart and otherTara die so many times. Can she magic the knife out of Shadi''s grip ? Teleport it away or something like that. Once Shadi no longer has the knife it won't take long to *cough*convince*cough* her to leave Willow and Tara alone. I'm told both Willow and Tara can be quite convincing, heh.



Good thing Willow knows Buffy is in heaven, no more need to do a ressurection. Unless some really big vampire thingie comes into town of course



Grimmy

--

She(Tara) knew that she was Willow too. If she knew that then why hadn't Willow herself? That wasn't fair. She was Willow. she should have known that first. -- Willow in _Sidestep Chronicle_ (part 80)

[LostWithoutTara]

Hi Grimmy!



Nice to hear from you again!



Hoping to pretty much resolve all the leftover plot strands next part before the girls take on Shadi. Hopefully, I won't forget to resolve anything...

[justin]

Well I totaly didn't see that last line coming. Presumably this pregnancy is the thing that Shadi's trying to prevent, Which probably means that she'll be concentrating on getting Tara now (Okay, that smiley is called happy, which is odd becuase s/he doesn't look very happy to me)



Hopefully Tara's injuries won't endanger the baby.

I understand, you should be with the person you l-love


I am

[LostWithoutTara]

Well, this part's been a long time coming. The showdown is next part...



Part Twenty-Five – Arrival







The trio of medics walked back over to Tara, and Willow followed them, pausing at the pool of blood welling on Tara’s chest. She moved as close as she could get to her love, carefully moving between the staff members, wincing as some of them stepped on her invisible feet.







Willow felt her pupils widen, swallowing up her entire eyes as she channelled the dark magic. It was going to take everything she had to help Tara. Hopefully, she could work the mojo and stay concealed. The last thing she wanted was for the doctors to see her being all black-eyed girl – they’d think she was on something, or at least be very freaked. Feeling the energy wash over, she narrowed her gaze, staring at the wound, willing the vessels, the skin to knit back together. Sweat began to bead on her forehead. It was hard… but not as hard as she thought it would have been. It was like she had way more power than before.







Panting slightly, she focused as hard as she could, pushing every molecule closer and closer, calling upon all the magical strength she had… she smiled as the bleeding began to slow, the skin started to heal…



“What the hell?” One of the nurses cried out as she watched Tara’s magic-assisted recovery. “It’s all… gone…” The woman backed away in fear. Clearly, such spontaneous recovery was little known within the medical profession.



Tara’s blood slowly began to seep back inside her, the wound healing nicely. The doctors had been right – the cut was in exactly the same place on Tara as it had been on Willow. But why the transference? Or was it that? Buffy had healed Willow, so why had Tara exhibited the exact same symptoms?







It all suddenly seemed clear to her. Shadi wanting them dead, the identical but belated cuts, identical but belated power surges… it was the baby. She and Tara were connected – part of each of them in a new life… what was happening to Willow was happening to Tara because of the baby… which meant…







Shadi continued to flow through the earth, pressing closer and closer to her destination – Sunnydale General Hospital. While she’d needed to use that locator spell before, the essence that she’d taken from the redhead in the Klisten blade was doing a fine job of tracking her. Shadi knew she had to be quick. The Tribunal would be in Sunnydale any day now, and if they granted protection to the child, both Shadi’s and The First’s plans were going to be seriously messed up. The First wanted the witches dead, and she’d do it. It had some kind of law firm in Los Angeles working on the vampire, and all eyes were on the Slayer’s grave to make sure no one foolishly tried to bring her back. If the First could eliminate those girls and kill the jailed one, there’d be no more Slayers… ever. The fourth piece of the puzzle was the Seer girl, but Shadi did not know of any plans to remove her. From what she had heard, the girl had already predicted her own death. As long as she didn’t manage to impart any of those prophecies…







*************************************



Tara blinked and opened her eyes. Immediately, she felt an overwhelming sensation. Sitting up, she looked around.



“Willow?” she whispered softly. Considering that this room looked like some kind of medical preparation bay, there were no doctors around. The air a few feet to her right shimmered and Willow came into view, rushing over and wrapping her arms around Tara, running her hand through the blonde’s silky hair. Tara reciprocated the hug, pulling Willow closer. Willow was fine, healthy and happy.



“What happened, Willow? You were… and then I was…”

“Tara, baby, there’s not much time to explain. I know why Shadi wants to hurt us. It’s us… we’re… going to have a baby…”



Tara frowned. “Um, I-is that p-possible? I mean, neither of us are big with the butch… unless you’re really a man!”



Willow giggled. “No, one hundred per cent girl. I heard the doctors say – you’re pregnant…”



Tara’s eyes widened. “Oh, Goddess…” She instinctively placed her hand on her abdomen. “How?” Willow smiled at her.



“I don’t know… it just did…”



The girls hugged again, savouring the moment of bliss at their realisation. They had to savour it, because they knew what was coming.



“Shadi…” Tara whispered. “I teleported her away before – I don’t know where she went. She could be coming for us, now.”



“I know. We have to get out of here – stock up on more spells. I did the black lightning…”



“How? I didn’t think that worked before…”



“Oh. Um, I just worked it out a little later.”



“Okay. I was going to do Gauxham’s light. I sent Giles and Spike to get ingredients for it and a protection spell. They should be in the waiting area…”



“Right. We should go there.” A whirring sound came from overhead. Willow frowned and looked up. The room was suddenly plunged into darkness, thick, black, suffocating. She reached her hand out and felt Tara grasp it. They slowly moved to the window and watched as wave after wave of lights went out.







But deep down Willow knew what the darkness signalled.



“I think… Shadi’s here. Now. We don’t get the choice. We have to fight her.”

[justin]

Great update.



I liked this line

Quote:

---

---

I'm not sure that I liked the sound of the last line. Hopefully they'll come up with a way to beat Shadi.

I understand, you should be with the person you l-love


I am

[Grimlock72]

They're in a hospital, emergency lights and generators should kick in in about 5 seconds or so. How's Shadi's eyesight by the way ? After all, sneaking out is also easier when it's dark :-)



I'm not so sure Tara will like how Willow healed her. Healing a pregnant woman using dark magic doesn't sound wise to me (even if you ignore Tara not liking dark magic, period). It's interesting to see Willow can appearantly work such high-level magic AND maintain her cloak, must require a tremendous amount of focus.



Now lets do a teleport-spell on the knife alone, or just telport Shadi-without-knife to lord knows where. Any which way that knife needs to be destroyed, pronto. Can't have pregnant woman in danger and running for her life.



Grimmy

--

She(Tara) knew that she was Willow too. If she knew that then why hadn't Willow herself? That wasn't fair. She was Willow. she should have known that first. -- Willow in _Sidestep Chronicle_ (part 80)

[BFR from Paris]

Hey LWT!



This is a great story

I'm not very good at feedback, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm reading



Christine

[LostWithoutTara]

Yay! I was not sure what response I'd get as it's been a while since I posted the last update. Anyways:



justin - Glad you're still enjoying things. I figured Willow would be just a little confused by the whole two-women baby thing



Grimmy - Thanks for mentioning the backup lights. I was going to mention it next part, promise.



BFR from Paris - Thanks for posting your feedback. It's very much appreciated.

[The Next Tara Maclay]

Whats up..wait.. I mean! lmao.. wrong thing! Great story! LOVE IT! I wish I could write as well as you can!

[Cindy Lou Who]

LWT:



Oh these last updates! My heart stopped when I learned Tara's big with the child. It started again when they hugged and reveled in it - and just accepted it. And stopped again when the lights went out.



I still worry about the Black Offense Willow/White Defense Tara dichotomy. It's like chess...which I've never been very good at.



I'm scared. And I love it. You're magical.



~Suse

[LostWithoutTara]

Thanks! Oh My God!!



I you guys!



I hope to have the next part up very soon.



and vs Shadi. Wanna place any bets on who'll win?

[LostWithoutTara]

Part Twenty-Six – Showdown – Part One



Willow clutched Tara’s hand tighter, controlling her breathing carefully to prevent herself from panicking. Her heart started to race, and she could hear the pounding in her ears, was sure her face had gone red. Squeezing her eyelids shut, she concentrated, fighting past the waves of fatigue that crashed over her as she strained every last molecule in her body to perform more magic. With the black lightning, glamour and healing spell, she was pretty tapped out, even considering what Rack had given her. Willow imagined a path of silver light linking her mind, her consciousness, to Tara’s.







“Tara? Can you hear me?” Tara comfortingly squeezed her hand.

“Loud and clear.”



Willow felt relief. If they could keep the telepathic link up, it would play to their advantage. No speaking meant no sound, and that could aid their getaway, or, in the worst-case scenario, the fight. Willow felt that the fight was not far away. But there was no way she was going to let Shadi hurt Tara or their baby – or should she say daughter? With their lack of ‘Y-ness’, it seemed impossible that it could be a boy. But then again, this was Sunnydale. One minute you were dead, the next you were giving birth to some evil demon creature.



Shadi slid through the open window into the building, silently melding onto the blackened wall. The veil of shadows would conceal her and give her the edge in hunting the witches. It wouldn’t be long now… There was another whirring noise from above and light flooded the halls once more.





Willow stared in amazement before her as the lights came back on.



“Tara, did you do anything? A spell?”

“N-no. I, I think it’s the backup generator. All hospitals have them, for patients on life support and stuff.”

“Good. Let’s go.”



Willow gently led Tara off from the table and the pair moved out of the bay, into the lit but deserted corridor. Tara’s voice entered Willow’s head.



“The waiting room. Giles and Spike might have our spell ingredients, and there’s the exit from the hospital so we can get out.”

“Are you sure? I mean, about the running? The baby…”

“Sweetie, I’ll be fine. It’s not like I’m nine months gone or anything. You don’t have to worry about me. We just have to concentrate on getting out and stopping Shadi.”

“Okay, if you’re sure…” Willow hastened her pace and she and Tara moved closer to the thick double-doors separating the medical bays from the waiting areas. She was overcome by a strong blast of disinfectant smell, which made her want to throw up.



“Willow!”

“What??!!” Willow spun round worriedly, her emerald eyes probing Tara’s face for the slightest sign of pain or discomfort.

“Giles told me about the knife Shadi has. It’s called a Bl-“

“Blade of Klisten?” enquired Willow telepathically. “I know.”

“How?”

“Buffy told me.”

“B-Buffy???”

“It’s a long story. I can’t explain much. Buffy showed me us… how Shadi has killed us every time we’ve existed. For some reason, we keep coming back. It’s like we’ll always come back until we do what we’re intended to do, and I think that means to have this baby.”

“Giles said we were Returners – you’re right, we come back. I was thinking, we have to get the knife from Shadi. It can suck your essence out - drain you flat, like a battery, and k-kill you.”

“Okay, we can teleport it away or whatever. And then we might be able to kill Shadi.”

“Willow… was Buffy… okay?”

Willow nodded. “She’s happy, Tara. It was how it was supposed to be. She’s up in heaven. We don’t need to worry about her, or the resurrection. It’s done.”

Tara smiled and squeezed Willow’s hand again, a subtle little sign to tell Willow that she knew what Willow must be feeling. Willow smiled back at her, and then they ran the rest of the way to the doors, Willow using her free hand to push them open. The witches entered the waiting room, deserted except for a pensive, worried-looking Giles and a bored, pissed-off looking Spike.



Willow spoke, this time actually using her voice, calling out to the two men. Giles looked up in alarm at them, clearly confused at the two apparently healthy women who had both been gravely injured only a short period before standing in front of him.



“Willow! Tara!”



The witches moved forward and hugged him. Spike snorted contemptuously and pulled out another cigarette, fumbling for his lighter in his leather jacket’s pockets. Willow thought that jacket could do with some patching up. It looked thirty years old, or something to that effect. Her eyes widened as Spike took his first puff, and she pulled away from the hug, whipping the cigarette from Spike’s hand and stamping it out. Spike opened his mouth to complain, but Willow silenced him with her resolve-face glare. It never failed on Xander, and she could see no reason why it wouldn’t work on Spike.



“You shouldn’t smoke. Just cause it won’t kill you, y’know, with the already being dead, doesn’t mean you can do it anywhere. Passive smoking kills!”



Tara blushed. Even now, Willow was being all super-protective of her and the baby. It was sweet. She turned to Giles.



“Did Spike get the stuff… for the spell?”

“Oh, um… he did… I believe it’s all in here.” Giles reached into his own jacket pocket, pulling out a scrunched-up brown bag. Tara took it and looked inside. Everything was there. Thank the Goddess…



“Willow… we have the stuff.”



Willow turned away from Spike, shooting another glare at him as he again reached for a cigarette. Spike rolled his eyes and Willow smiled.



“Um, this is good. I think we’ll have to make with the mojo here. Precise magic doesn’t really work well with bumpy roads.”



Tara sat in her tried-and-tested cross-legged position on the floor, and Willow joined her, linking hands. Tara shut her eyes and muttered something silently under her breath, and a blue crackling shield came up, like the one she had raised earlier when they’d thought Shadi was in the house. Willow reached into the bag and took out a few small vials, a rose quartz and a handful of bindweed. She raised an eyebrow wondering what they were for…



Tara sensed Willow’s confusion. “It’s Gauxham’s light,” she uttered out loud.

“Oh! Of course. Sorry, the bindweed threw me. Isn’t it normally done with yew?” Willow responded, pausing. “Wait, this is the one you taught me – the teeny tinkerbell light… yeah, and I modified it to the big light thingy when we were searching the old high school!”

Tara nodded in agreement. Willow felt proud that Tara had adopted her, more powerful, version of the spell.

“Ready?” Tara enquired.

“Yep. Do you want me to lead? Because maybe you shouldn’t, what with the…” Willow caught herself before she said anything else. Of course, they’d tell the gang the news, but not now. Too many questions, many of which they didn’t have the answers to.



“I promise, I’ll be fine to do it.”



Tara took the bindweed and wrapped it around the rose quartz, placing it on the floor between them. Both girls concentrated intently, staring in silence at the small pink crystal clothed in little white flowers. A strong pinkish-white hue began to radiate from the stone, and small orbs of light began to pearl out of it, forming a golden white aura, which condensed to a liquid, spreading out over the floor. The witches simultaneously took vials and scooped up the strange substance, which glowed brightly within the glass containers. Once the five-or-so vials were full of the liquid, Willow and Tara resumed their concentration on the crystal. It stopped glowing and the substance was sucked back inside, in the same way a sponge would absorb water.



Willow leant over and picked the ingredients up, studying the bindweed’s delicate petals. Suddenly, they started to wither and blacken, as the plant shrivelled up and died. Willow stared and frowned. Her attention turned to the lights as they blacked out again, bathing the room in darkness, the only light source being the blue energy from the barrier Tara had raised.



Tara thrust the vials into her pockets, aware of what the blackness signalled. Unless, of course, Sunnydale General Hospital had a backup-backup generator…



She stood and turned to the others, maintaining the energy barrier around them.



“We have to get out – now.”



“So soon?” Shadi’s voice cut through the air like glass. She stood in the doorway, flanked by five-or-so of the shadow-monsters that had attacked them earlier. “But the fun’s only just beginning.”



Shadi held out a small object on a piece of string. The barrier dissipated with a whooshing sound, neutralised by the talisman.



In her other hand, she pulled out the knife. Its blade glowed with the essence she had extracted from Willow, Shadi running her fingers down the sharp edge of the blade, all the while maintaining eye contact with Tara.



“I hear you’ve had some happy news. Congratulations.” Shadi smirked. Tara was riled by the arrogant tone in her voice, but she couldn’t let her anger and fear force her into doing something stupid that could jeopardise herself, the baby or Willow.



“Of course, it won’t last. Because… well, that would be telling. I just feel that I should tell you that quick deaths bore me. I’m going to carve you up regardless, but what’s to say I get a little fun in before I drain you flat? You could try and fight me, instead of just running away like always. That would be interesting.”



“Shut up.” Willow’s tone was low and menacing.



“Ooh, I’m SO afraid. You’re nothing but a stupid little girl, Willow. And trust me, even if you, by some miracle, stop me… it won’t help. Because, if there’s evil in this room, it sure as hell isn’t me—“



“In that case, it’s probably Spike.”



“We’ll see…” Shadi sneered. “I think that’s enough talking for now. Get the redheaded girl.”



The shadow-people began to flood into the room, a wave of blackness descending over it, lit only by their red eyes. The blackness flowed towards Willow under Shadi’s instruction.



“Kill her.”

[Grimlock72]

Hmm.... those shadow-people aren't too difficult to deal with right ? It's mostly the amount of them that poses a problem, since they're evil let Spike have some fun . If I'm reading the spell they did correctly they made some bright-light-bombs or such. Not sure if you want to spend those on those shadowy creatures.



Why did the lighting go out anyway ? Or are those shadowy creeps sucking it up or something ? In that case, add some more light and they'll explode nicely . What kind of can-break-all-shields-amulet does Shadi have by the way ? Might be smart to destroy that one, after the knife has been dealt with of course.



Not liking that amulet much, it's a bit too convenient. Ah well, I wonder why Shadi wants Tara for herself.



Grimmy

--

She(Tara) knew that she was Willow too. If she knew that then why hadn't Willow herself? That wasn't fair. She was Willow. she should have known that first. -- Willow in _Sidestep Chronicle_ (part 80)

[The Next Tara Maclay]

Great update! I am really lovin' this fic girlie!

[Cindy Lou Who]

I will *never* say you aren't good with the ol' cliffhanger!



I know Shadi is only doing what she seems destined to do...which should make me somewhat sympathetic. But she wants pain for pleasure and that's inexcusable on so many levels.



What you write keeps me coming back for more...whenever wherever.



~Suse