• Title - Scarlet Black
• Author name – sapphoselene
• Email Address -
sapphoselene@yahoo.com
• Rating - R to NC-17 (rating is for violence, language, and sexual content)
• Disclaimer - All BtVS characters belong to their developers (like Joss Whedon and Fox, etc.), I just want to play with them for a little bit. I promise to give them back right away.
• Feedback- Most welcome... please, anything that would help me to improve my writing skills is needed and accepted with open arms.
• Summary- I will be starting the story after the accident in Wrecked, and spinning it into a world of my own imagining.
• Notes(1)- This will be an AU story. There may be some spoilers from the show, but I don’t know yet. I don’t have a beta for this story so any advice or help would receive my gratitude. Thank you for letting me try to entertain you, my fellow kittens.
• Notes(2)- {Thoughts will be inside these brackets so they are easier for me to work with. I am new to writing so I am trying different things to find what will be easiest for me to use, and readers to follow. Please let me know if it makes the flow easier or harder to follow. I have seen many different ways of dealing with writing character’s thoughts out. I hope that this will work for everyone.}
• Notes(3)- I am using google translate to put English into Latin. Please forgive any mistakes (I don’t know Latin so I am hoping that the translations are close to what I want to say.) **Grinning** [unlock = Recludo, open = Aperta]
(Chapter 2)
It took just a moment for Buffy to hear the pounding of Willow’s running feet. She took off sprinting after her friend. It was a few minutes before she caught sight of the redhead. She rounded a corner in time to see a group of four vampires begin to chase Willow. Buffy yelled to get their attention, and after they turned to take her on she proceeded to pummel them. They fought viciously for about 10 minutes before she was able to dust the last one. Buffy started to run the direction Willow had gone, but realized fairly quick that she had no hope of finding the girl now. She looked around at the neighborhood, and her heart sank in her chest. {What the hell would Willow be doing in this neighborhood. This has got to be the worst area in Sunnydale. I better get back to the gang, and see if there is any other way to track her down.} Turning around Buffy quickly ran back to the shop.
A couple of blocks from where Buffy turned back Willow fell onto her bed facing the wall. She fought against the intense urge to cast a spell just to ease some of the pain. She began to shake from the effort. Her jaw clenched tight as she repeated over and over in her mind {I will not give in. I will not cast.} She broke out in a sweat, and tears fell continuously from her tightly shut eyes. She knew that after what they had just seen and heard the gang would never want to have anything to do with her again. How could they? She was so weak. She couldn’t stop Rack from forcing his dark magick into her. Now she would spend the next few weeks in torment until the magick killed her. Willow let her agony and despair flow out of her in waves.
Minutes later Buffy burst back into the shop. “A group of vamps started after her. I dusted them, but couldn’t find her afterwards.”
Tara felt a new strength rise in her. She went to Willow’s computer, and the bag she had left behind. After a quick search she found that the couple pieces of mail had a Post Office Box address. Moving to the computer she tried to find a file that would have the redheads address, but wasn’t able to. “Damn it!!! Willow … where are you?”
Xander went over to Tara, and wrapped her in a hug. “We’ll find her Tara. I wish that we had a little genie that could … wait … uhm, Tara? Could that little Tinkerbelle thingy find Willow. I mean like the one you used when the demon biker gang was chasing us?”
“Xander you’re brilliant.” Tara kissed his cheek. She moved to sit on the floor. Within moments a little blue light appeared bouncing in the air in front of Tara. “Xander and Anya pack up Willow’s things, and take them and Dawn to Buffy’s. I’ll go with Buffy, and when we find Willow we are bringing her home. For good!” She stood and looked around daring any of them to contradict her. A faint silver light shone from the Wiccan, and her eyes turned almost pure white. She had a look about her that would make Willow’s resolve face pale in comparison. Everyone looked at her with shock for a moment, but moved quickly to do what she said.
Tara and Buffy followed the dancing light back toward the area Buffy had lost Willow. Several minutes later the girls came to a halt in front of an apartment. Tara raised her hand to knock, but Buffy stopped her. Tilting her head slightly Buffy was able to hear a familiar noise coming from behind the door. “Tara, can you open the door without a key?”
Without stopping to question Tara raised her hand. “Recludo… Aperta.” The door unlocked, and opened itself silently. The two blonds moved cautiously into the room. What they saw shocked and saddened them. The floors, cabinets, counters, and walls that would have been within reach of the redhead were scrubbed clean. The scent of bleach and cleaners was overwhelming. The upper part of the walls and ceiling were a dingy yellow with grayish streaks that showed the previous neglect. There were two boxes along one wall. One had clothes, and the other had a couple cans of fruit, a box crackers, and some bottled waters. Next to them was an upside down milk crate that had some computer equipment on it.
Their eyes fell to the mattress and bedspring in the corner. A shaking Willow was faced away from them on her makeshift bed. They could hear soft moaning sobs filling the room. Tara looked at Buffy and whispered. “Pack her things, she won’t be coming back here no matter what.” Buffy moved to do as Tara asked. Tara slowly approached the bed, and sat down on it.
Willow felt the slight shift on the mattress behind her, and curled into a fetal position covering her head with her arms. Tara’s heart broke to see her soul mate in the defeated posture of a broken person just waiting for more abuse. Slowly she reached out and began to run her hand in small circles over the redhead‘s back. “Oh Willow. I’m here now. I won’t let you get hurt anymore.”
Tara’s touch so gentle and kind shocked Willow into responding. She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, and backed slightly away from the wonderful touch she knew she no longer deserved. Keeping her head down she spoke in a grief roughened voice. “How did you find me?”
“Well, since you left your computer we couldn’t E-Mail you. I used the Tinkerbelle spell.”
“Oh. … I uhm … I left the information I found on the paper by my computer. If you will give me a few hours I will come back, and try to find more for you guys. I … uh… I just need a little bit to kinda regain some focus. That is if you don’t mind waiting. … If you don’t want to wait I can come now. It‘s up to you.”
“You will be coming with us right now. Buffy is gathering your things then we will be on our way.” Noticing that the redhead still wore her torn-up top Tara called out. “Buffy, can you throw me a shirt for Willow?”
“Sure. Here you go.”
“Put this on Willow.”
Mechanically Willow changed her shirt. She paused for a moment as she was pulling the new shirt on. “Why is Buffy packing my stuff?”
“You are coming back home with us. To stay.” Tara stated in a firm tone. Willow’s solid black eyes shot up in shock. She saw strength and purpose shining from the blonde Wiccan. Willow dropped her eyes again. She knew that she didn’t have it in her to say no to Tara anymore. She sat with her arms around her drawn up knees, and waited for them to tell her when to leave.
Tara used her cell phone to call Xander. He left Dawn with Anya, and drove to pick up the girls. The ride back to Buffy’s was silent and tense. Xander and Buffy carried Willow’s things in while Tara walked around to open the redhead’s door. She leaned in to unbuckle the motionless girl, gently wrapped her hand around the girl’s wrist, and led her into the house.
“Xander, would you put Willow’s things in our room?”
“Sure Tara. It’ll just take me a minute.” He set the box of clothes on the crate that carried the computer equipment, and carried both up the stairs at once.
“Buffy, I need to talk to Mr. Giles. Would you mind calling him for me?”
“Yeah, I could do that.”
Willow felt Dawn and Anya watching her. She wanted to escape their scrutiny. “Tara? Would it be alright if I went to get something to drink?”
Tara faced Willow. “I want your word that you won’t leave this house.”
Shame filled the young redhead at how little she could be trusted. “I promise Tara. I won’t leave.”
“Good. Go ahead to the kitchen, and get what you like.” Tara released the redhead’s wrist.
“Thank you.” Willow turned, and slowly moved into the other room. Away from the eyes that followed her every move. She opened the refrigerator and got a bottle of water. She took a sip as she heard Buffy talking.
“Giles? … Sorry for interrupting your breakfast, but this is important. It’s about Willow. … Wait a minute Giles. You don’t know what has been happening here. … Giles, if you would stop and listen for a second. …”
Not able to listen anymore to how badly she had screwed up Willow opened the door to the basement. She walked down the stairs, and moved to the far side. She sat on the floor, and leaned against the washer. Soon she heard Tara’s raised voice, but couldn’t make out the words.
Back upstairs Tara had grabbed the receiver out of a stunned slayer’s hand. “Mr. Giles. … I don’t have time for this. STOP TALKING AND LISTEN! … Good, now I remember you speaking highly of a coven in England. You have 12 hours to either get them to call me here, or get me the information to contact them. … ENOUGH!!! I don’t care if you think Willow needs to learn a lesson or not! I will NOT allow her to DIE to sooth your ego or pride!! If I am not speaking to the coven within the next 12 hours you will have a seriously PISSED OFF witch on your hands. I DON’T CARE what you have to do! MAKE!! THIS!! HAPPEN!!” Tara slammed the phone down so hard it echoed.
Dawn walked up to Tara, and silently pulled her into a fierce hug. Tears were streaking down the teen‘s face. “Thank you. … I don’t want to lose her either.” Buffy, Xander, and Anya joined them in the hug.
The group drew strength from each other. They knew that they had probably their most important fight ahead of them. Each of them knew that they couldn’t lose this battle, or they would have lost something precious and irreplaceable.
Anya was the first to extricate from the hug. She went into the kitchen to check how Willow was doing. When she found the room empty she turned back panicked. “She’s not in here.”
The rest rushed into the kitchen. Tara looked at the back door, and saw that it was still locked. Dawn saw the basement door ajar, and moved to go downstairs. She was shaken to see Willow sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees, rocking back and forth, with tears falling from her eyes. Dawn felt a hand on her shoulder. Tara stepped past the teen, and went to Willow. Buffy shooed the rest of them upstairs to give Tara and Willow some time alone.
As Tara slowly went closer to the distraught woman she whispered soft words to soothe her the same way she would for a skittish horse. She could sense pain and despair radiating from the redhead. Gently Tara eased the girl to her feet, picked up her water, and helped her up to the bathroom on the second floor.
“Willow? … Look at me.” Tara placed a hand under her chin, and raised her head. “I want you to wait here for me.
“Ok, Tara.” Willow’s body began to shake as she watched Tara leave the room. She felt her stomach start to churn, and just made it to the toilet before she threw up. The magick Rack had forced into her was tearing her up inside trying to find a way out. “Oh Goddess, how can I go through this again? Please, help me. Don’t let me hurt them anymore. Please, I couldn‘t handle it. Please.”
Tara entered the room in time to hear Willow’s strangled plea. Her heart clenched in her chest at the desperation that was so evident. She set down the supplies and clothes she brought with her, and went to the redhead. Tara knelt behind Willow, and began to rub her hand in soothing circles on the younger woman’s back.
Willow looked up with fear and pain written in her face. “Please Tara, please … I know that I have no right to ask, but I beg you … please help me. I don’t think I can survive this again. I promise that I will do whatever you say. I won’t fight you about anything. Oh Goddess. Please help me. Please… I don‘t want to hurt anyone again.” Willow’s words degenerated into tear laced sobs.
“I will help you Willow. We’ll get you through this. I’m right here. I’m with you. You are not alone anymore.” Tara pulled the distraught girl into a comforting embrace. They sat like that for several minutes. Eventually Tara pulled back a little. “Willow, I want to do a cleansing with you. I brought everything I need already.” Tara helped the trembling girl up, and quickly undressed them both. She put Willow in the shower, grabbed her bag of supplies, and stepped into the shower as well. She reached past Willow to turn the water on.
Willow was barely conscious of what was happening. She responded automatically to everything Tara said. Most of her mind was locked away. She began to relive all the things she had done to her friends, and her true love. She remembered every time she misused the magicks.
Tara began using the soap that she had made, and infused with light magicks to gently cleanse Willow from head to toe. While she did this she was disturbed to see how much weight the young redhead had lost. It looked as if a soft breeze would blow her away. Tears ran down Tara’s face mingling with the shower water. Once finished Tara turned off the water, helped Willow out, dried them both off, and dressed them both. She led Willow back into their bedroom, and put the girl to bed. She waited until the redhead fell asleep before going back down to the others.
Buffy was the first to speak. “How is she?”
“I don’t know. I did a cleansing with her. I’m not sure if it will help, but I plan to do a cleansing twice a day. A lot will depend on what I can find out from the coven. I know that she will get worse. The pain and depression that she is in concerns me. For now she seems to be wanting help.”
“That’s good right? I mean that she is wanting help? It means we can help her, right?” Dawn spoke as she walked up to the Wiccan.
“It’s good Dawnie. I will make sure that everything possible is done to help her.” Tara wraps the young brunette in a hug offering comfort and support. They went to sit next to each other on the couch. The group of friends sat quietly offering support to each other without speaking for a long time.
“NOOOOOOOO!!! TARAAA!!! NOOOOOO!!!” The bloodcurdling screams came from upstairs. Everyone tore out of the room racing up the stairs. Tara burst into her room a step ahead of the slayer to see Willow locked into a nightmare. She flew to her side. Speaking is soft tones the Wiccan tried to gently wake the girl. Buffy moved to the other side of the bed to help in case Willow needed to be restrained at all.
Finally Tara’s words and gentle touches began to ease the girl out of her terror. Her eyes snapped open to find compassionate blue eyes watching her. In a panic Willow began to run her hands over Tara looking for injuries. When she found none she wrapped herself around the blond shaking with relief. “It wasn’t real. It was just a dream. Oh thank the Goddess. You’re ok.” After a few minutes Willow was able to regain control of herself and pulled back. “I’m sorry.”
At that moment the phone began to ring. Buffy left the room to answer it.