xita: I'm glad you like it!
Your compliments really mean a lot.
TareBearRS: That's okay, I'm sure this story's going to keep on going and going and it'll still be here when you've finished seeing S6.
Now for the update... I promise
big changes!
Chapter 6
Her mind screamed at her, telling her to run faster but her body wouldn't comply. She looked ahead, hoping to catch a glimpse of Willow but she couldn't see her. She could sense something in the area, something strong and dark but all she cared about right now was finding her Willow. The redhead had been in so much distress when she had run out of the house that Tara feared what she might do. Anya's appearance had delayed Tara in finding her lover and she just hoped Willow hadn't wandered off too far.
She cast a look at the fallen trunk of an oak tree, her mind racing at the possibilities that could have caused it. She had heard Anya's warnings all too clearly and now, danger seemed to be snapping at their heels. Tara could just make out the jagged tear at the bottom of the tree trunk where it had been ripped apart. Part of the trunk still stood upright in the earth. She couldn't see what had caused it and was relieved Willow had been nowhere near it.
She turned and headed towards the lake, where she thought her lover might go for some peace and quiet. The petite hacker had always enjoyed peacefulness, especially when she was studying and Tara figured it was the same for when she had a lot on her mind. As the shimmering water came into view, she spotted a figure in the lake. Her heart missed a beat as she wondered what the redhead was doing in the water. With a spurt of energy, she sprinted faster across the grass. She was vaguely aware of someone calling her name from behind her but she wasn't going to stop. She had to get to Willow.
"Will!" She called out, her breath coming in hard gulps as her body tired.
The redhead didn't look around and Tara could just make out the small movements of her hands on the surface of the lake. Willow seemed entranced by the motion. Tara pushed onwards, closing the gap between them at a snail's pace, it seemed. She was just metres from the edge of the lake when she called out to her lover again. This time the redhead turned but her gaze was distant.
Tara stopped, breathing heavily. "Will… Are you okay?"
The hacker didn't answer; instead, she stared behind the blonde. Tara began to worry, she had never seen her lover like this before, and it was scaring her.
"She will be." Came a chilling voice from behind her. The sound made her skin crawl and she turned slowly, realising whoever was behind her was what Willow had been staring at.
She lay eyes upon the being for the first time and almost let out a cry of terror. The demon was mere inches from her and she was surprised she hadn't sensed it. Its long jaw hung low in a vicious smile, its long white teeth sharp enough to pierce the strongest of metals. The red eyes bored into her, making her feel vulnerable and exposed.
"Who are you?" She demanded, hoping she was keeping the fear from her voice.
The demon let out a small laugh. "I am Anubis, my dear. You are no concern of mine, leave and you will be spared." He looked behind Tara and an icy touch clutched at the blonde's heart.
Tara glanced back over her shoulder, seeing that Willow was still frozen in the same position she had been before. The redhead and Anubis stared at one another, never once breaking eye contact. Tara backed away from the demon.
"Don't touch her!" Tara warned, her feet shuffling quicker as Anubis lowered his eyes to hers.
He raised a hand and flexed his fingers, a small green orb of light appearing above his palm. "Are you going to stop me, mortal?"
Tara's jaw jutted out in defiance. She would never let anyone or anything hurt her Willow. "Yes." She let the word fall from her lips easily.
Anubis hesitated from the surety of her statement and regarded her in silence. His jackal like head tilted to the side slightly and he was sure he could sense something within her. He narrowed his eyes but decided it was unimportant, all that mattered was the annihilation of the Chosen Few, and one more human death would be insignificant.
Tara could feel the build up of power within the demon and started concentrating her own magics. She just hoped she hadn't lost any of her power through her ordeal. Chanting quickly, she erected a barrier between herself and Anubis, hopefully one he couldn't see. Without any more thought, he launched the green energy ball at Tara and it collided with her barrier. His eyes widened in surprise but narrowed soon enough when he poured more power into his destructive sphere.
The blonde Wiccan felt the barrier spell weaken quickly, too quick for her to react and within seconds she watched in terror as the green orb shot towards her.
"Tara!" Came a cry from behind her and she felt herself being pushed forwards and downwards. She met the soft grass with a grunt and felt a familiar body fall on top of her. She looked up towards the demon who let out a howl of frustration and stepped towards her. The body on top of her shifted and she was free to rise again. She looked to her left and saw Willow looking at her with concern, the traces of the haunted girl all but gone for the time being. The redhead helped Tara up and they both turned to Anubis.
"So, courageous Darkness had come to help the weak and innocent." Anubis taunted Willow.
The redhead didn't respond and Tara could tell she was trying to formulate a plan to get them out of danger. It was then she realised Buffy, Xander, and Dawn were closing in on them quickly. Unfortunately, Anubis also realised this. He turned and with the flick of a wrist, sent three spheres of green energy flying into them. They tumbled backwards on the lawn.
"Wait your turn." His voice boomed.
He faced Willow and Tara once again, his eyes focusing on the petite redhead. Tara slipped her hand into Willow's and positioned her body slightly ahead of her lover's. She was determined to let nothing happen to the hacker, even if that meant that she, herself, would take the brunt of the attack that was surely to come.
"Tara…" Willow whispered, squeezing the blonde's hand.
She turned to look at the redhead. "It'll be okay, Will." She took a deep breath, looking at Anubis who seemed to be in deep thought. She didn't know if it was going to be okay or how they would defeat this demon. He just seemed too powerful.
Anubis looked at Tara and smiled. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone. One second he was there, and then the next, he was gone. Tara looked about in confusion. Why had he gone when it seemed as though he would win? It didn't make sense. Then it hit her; she could still feel his presence. He wasn't gone.
She spun around to see he was behind them, looming over Willow. In the time it took for her to gasp, he had grabbed the redhead around the neck and lifted her up, pulling their hands roughly apart. A strangled cry erupted from Willow's throat as she was pulled into the air.
"No!" Tara cried, lurching forwards to grab her lover but Anubis was too fast. He now stood several metres away with Willow dangling from his hand like a doll. He smiled maliciously at her.
"Hmm, Darkness." He mused. "She doesn't seem very dark, does she?" He aimed the question at Tara.
Tara knew he was taunting her and that she shouldn't respond but she felt the need to defend her lover. "That's because she isn't!" She spat, moving forward, one step at a time.
Anubis laughed as Willow clutched at the hand around her neck that was slowly chocking the air from her. "Well, we can't have the 'almighty prophecy' being wrong, can we?"
Tara paused, confused. "W-What..?" A deep sense of dread formed in the pit of her stomach making her feel sick.
The grip on Willow's throat tightened and she whimpered. "This precious flower is about to become a twisted weed." He snarled.
"Goddess, no." Tara breathed, her eyes wide with horror as realisation hit her. She rushed forwards, not sure what she was going to do. She had to stop him.
But it was too late. The glow of red in his eyes brightened and black tendrils of power snaked down his arm and into Willow. She squirmed under his hold but to no avail. She looked like helpless bait on a hook and the demon was treating her as such. More and more power flowed into her and she let out a terrified scream. Her eyes rolled back in her head as the fiery red fibres of her hair darkened to deep crimson. The veins of her neck rose to the surface and continued in their trail up to her face.
Anubis dropped her to the ground and she fell onto all fours, panting heavily. Tara stumbled and came to a halt, watching her lover change before her. Anubis' sickening laugh rang through the air as Willow looked up at the blonde Wiccan with jet black eyes. The deep crimson of her hair faded to the dead colour of darkness, the blackness of Anubis' power visible in so many ways.
Willow rose to her feet, her empty eyes still upon Tara. The blonde witch shook her head in disbelief. How could her lover look so different, she was hardly recognisable.
"Now that's an improvement. She lives up to her name now." Anubis said, stepping beside Willow. "And the best thing about it, she's all mine." The demon sniffed at Willow's neck, his long crimson tongue darting out to taste the skin there.
Tara flinched at his actions, anger bubbling up inside her. How dare he touch her? "Stay away from her!" Her voice came out almost as a feral sound.
Anubis laughed once more. He stepped away from Willow. "Darkness." Willow glanced at him before her attention focused on Tara again. "Kill her."
With that, the now black haired young woman stepped forwards, as if stalking her prey. Tara backed off, unsure. She wasn't sure exactly what Anubis had done to Willow but there was some sort of mind control at work here.
"Willow?" Her voice was now small and slightly scared.
The black haired witch stopped suddenly. "Yeah?" She answered with her normal voice.
Tara's brow creased with uncertainty, her mouth opening as if she would say something but no sound emitting from it. Anubis looked just as perplexed. Without warning, Willow spun on the spot and raised her arm, a cascade of black and green energy lancing out to hit Anubis squarely in the chest. He stumbled backwards and looked up in shock.
"No one controls me!" She sneered, her eyes returning to their normal green.
As soon as the words were from her mouth, Buffy, Xander, and Dawn came running up, having recovered from Anubis' attack.
Anubis, seeing that he had made a grave mistake, lifted his arms and disappeared in a cloud of green smoke. Tara sighed a breath of relief as his presence diminished and she knew he was gone from the area. For the moment, at least. She let her gaze rest upon Willow, who turned back towards her.
Buffy came forwards to stand on Tara's left whilst Xander took up position on her right. Dawn hung back, her own fears winning over her bravery. Tara could feel the tenseness in her friends and realised this had been the form of Willow they had faced when she had died. However, she didn't feel threatened when green pierced her blues eyes. She only felt familiarity and warmth.
Buffy stepped forwards but Tara grabbed her arm. "Wait. Let me."
The Slayer looked at her as if she'd grown another head. "No, you don't understand. She's not Willow anymore." She explained, knowing Tara had never faced this Willow before.
The blonde Wiccan shook her head. "No, Buffy. It's you who doesn't understand." Her voice was soft and patient. "Look at her. What do you see?"
Buffy turned and looked into curious green eyes. She didn't feel the same confrontational menace from Willow as she had before but she could see it was the same woman, fuelled by dark magic. Her head told her that could lead to only one outcome. "I see a threat." She said coldly. She couldn't bear having to face her best friend again but it was the only way.
Buffy felt the grip on her arm tighten. "I look at her and see only my Willow." Tara's voice soothed her battle ready nerves and she hesitated. Tara walked past her and she didn't move to stop her. She trusted the blonde witch's judgement. It had been proved right many times.
Willow didn't move away as Tara approached, instead she looked expectantly into loving blue pools. Without faltering, the blonde reached her arms out to the black haired witch and she fell eagerly into them, feeling them enclose around her small frame.
"Oh Willow." Tara sighed.
"I'm sorry, Tara. I couldn't stop it." Willow muttered.
"I know, sweetie, I know." She stroked the black hair of her lover, feeling a sense of loss at not being able to marvel at the fiery redness of it. It still felt as soft and silky as before but without the vibrant colour it had before, it didn't seem as alive.
Buffy, Xander, and Dawn watched in amazement at the scene, never would they have predicted this outcome in a thousand years. They had all been ready for a fight with Willow but instead she was involved in a caring embrace with her lover.
"I guess love does conquer all." Xander muttered and Buffy could only nod in agreement.
*
"Get up!" Anya encouraged firmly. She had arrived within the chamber and found, to her relief, Giles alone and conscious. He had told her that Anubis had found out about Buffy's location and that she should go and warn them. At that point, she had informed him that she already had at that he should stop being a "selfless idiot." Now, she was having difficulty in shifting him.
The Englishman groaned and allowed Anya to help him to his feet. They scrambled to the only exit the dank room had and the vengeance demon peered out into the tunnel. It seemed clear and a spark of hope lit up within her.
"Perhaps you won't die in here after all." Anya said cheerily.
Giles grumbled as they moved forwards. The hurriedly noisily down the tunnel, splashing through puddles and scraping the walls but eventually they made it to a ladder. "Oh, bloody marvellous." Giles complained, looking up at the many rungs and the far off manhole cover.
Anya rolled her eyes and looked down the tunnel. "Get a move on, I thought I heard something."
The ex watcher slowly made his way up the ladder, disappearing from view of the tunnel as Anya glanced up and down it. Several angry shouts startled her and she turned to see two vampires closing in on her. She looked quickly up the ladder to see Giles making good progress before facing the vampires. She donned her demon face and held a hand up.
"Stop!" The pair came to a halt, eyeing her suspiciously.
"I see you're two very…" She looked them up and down. "Uh, respectable demons."
They looked at each other and nodded eagerly at the comment.
"And I can also see you've been wronged many times and forced into menial manual labour." Anya continued dramatically.
The vampires nodded again.
"Well, I think I can be of service. I, as you are probably aware, am a vengeance demon." She stalled; glancing upwards and seeing Giles heave the manhole cover upwards. "Wouldn't you like to wish something?"
"Like what?" One of the mentally challenged vampires asked.
Anya waved a hand absently. "Oh, I don't know. Pain upon your oppressive master, power for yourselves…" She sniffed the air. "A bath?"
The vampires became slightly agitated at her final words.
"A hair stylist…"
The first vampire growled while the second bared his fangs.
"A brain!" With that, she blinked out of the tunnel, reappearing above ground next to Giles who was sprawled across the ground, the manhole cover beside him. They had emerged outside a large warehouse in the poorer area of Sunnydale.
Anya offered Giles a hand and he accepted it with a limp arm. "Wow, that was fun." Her words were coated in sarcasm.
"Let's get back to Buffy's house. They may have left a message." Giles said, exhaustion evident in his eyes.
END OF CHAPTER 6
Tara: I got so lost
Willow: I found you... I will always find you
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