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 Post subject: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS (updated 26th April 2013)
PostPosted: Thu May 09, 2013 12:06 pm 
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4. Extra Flamey

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Okay, I feared Tara would be soon captured again, hate that I'm right. What is the big bad vampire planning to do to her...hopefully not torture her or something... I'm sitting on the edge of my seat here, just hoping that Willow and Tara (and Giles, Spike and the other good guys) will get out of this safely. I'm firmly against "dear costs" for Tara! Please update again soon!


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 Post subject: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS (updated 18th May 2013)
PostPosted: Sat May 18, 2013 7:48 am 
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3. Flaming O
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Azarihael

Hi!

Quick Spike recap: Spike was in England, not doing much, so when Giles asked him if he could find any info on the theft of Milady’s bones, Spike, being bored, agreed. He’s gradually become more and more involved since the girls’ arrival, Tara’s kidnap, and finding that Pippa & co. want to bring some old, and very nasty vamps back on to the scene.
For this story, I decided to stick with the girls, Giles and Spike, leaving the rest of the Scoobs Stateside. As the whole story takes place over just three or four days, there seems little point in bringing the entire gang over.
Showdown soon . . . . :shock


DaddyCatALSO

I decided not to get into the soul/no soul thing with Spike. He seems to be doing okay :fallen

Yep, tensions in the enemy camp, for sure-will be interesting to see how that scenario plays out!
Thanks for commenting!


willowtaralover

I try to keep a balance between Willow and Tara, but I think it’s inevitable that the scales will tip from side to side when they have different things to do, and different things happen to them.

You are right, Spike involvement seems to increase with Tara’s imperilment. Although there is, as always, self-interest on his part, he does have soft spots, as we know. He’s pretty good at hiding them under (usually) bravado and a stream of invective.

Willow’s a little older in this story and, while she is still perfectly capable of going ape-shit over certain issues- notably her other half- she has learned to be more objective in her judgement of others. So, although extremely pissed with Pippa, she can see where Charley is coming from.

What’s in it for Pippa? Ah, she dreams of power, and the deal is that those old horrors will reward her with some.

Yes, Tara and Willow vacation to LA quite regularly. So, by now, Tara will have some kind of relationship with Angel and the others. As you say, that would be another story.

When I began this next chapter, I thought it would be the penultimate – and it might still turn out that way. My feeling is that there will be two more (after 24) and an epilogue. Let’s see what happens :kgeek


JustSkipIt

Thanks for stopping by :) I haven’t read Bellwether, which I understand is excellent. I’ve just ordered Doomsday Book. To my shame, I’ve never read that, either :blush

A major showdown looms ever closer –oh yes!


Wills redemption

I’d love to be able to tell you to sit back in that chair and relax, but it ain’t over until it’s over . . . . :devil

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The Highgate Tunnels A Vampire Is Not Just For Christmas The Things We Say


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 Post subject: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS (updated 18th May 2013)
PostPosted: Sat May 18, 2013 8:14 am 
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TITLE THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS
AUTHOR Vivienne
RATING PG-13 ....for the moment!
DISCLAIMER All BTVS characters and certain other aspects of this story belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, ME and associates.
SPOILERS Diverges from canon somewhere early in season six.
THANKS To Wayland (Clare) for her unstinting beta-ing.
FEEDBACK Feel free


The Highgate Tunnels


Chapter 24



Now they were silent, moving swiftly across the disused railway tracks towards the partly open door set in one of the boarded-up arches. They flattened themselves against the ivy and brick on either side, waiting breathlessly for any sign that their presence had been detected.

Willow remembered the title of a book she had once seen Tara reading – ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’. That was how she felt. Light, yes - but not insubstantial. Both her mind and her senses were clear and sharp. Her feet seemed to hardly touch the ground. Brain and body in perfect harmony, she listened to the movements of small creatures in the undergrowth, the flapping of soft wings in the trees.

The night air was filled with complex scents of leaf and brick, fungi and rusted metal. She drank it all in, her eyes sparkling green and silver in the moonlight. All her fears and anxieties were gone. Now that she was so close to her beloved quarry, she existed entirely in the moment, feeling only the sweet excitement of the chase. It was the waiting that was unbearable. Nevertheless, she waited.

Giles was nearest to the door on her side. He jerked his head at Spike. Cautiously, Spike sniffed the air, and then he poked his head around the door. He pulled back, nodded at Giles and went in. Giles followed him, then Charley, Willow and the Vincas. The moon illuminated the first few feet of the tunnel and a distant, pale disc marked the other end, but all the space in between was pitch black. Not daring to light their way with either torches or magic, they relied on Spike’s vision, although Willow found that her super-alert state was almost as good.

They were in the east tunnel. Willow smelt moss, brick and old soot. Water dripped with a hollow echo from somewhere ahead, but the solid earth underfoot was almost dry. There was something else. She sniffed gently and her eyes watered. There was no mistaking the acrid smell of ammonia. A rustle from over her head confirmed it. Bats. She hoped no-one had a bat phobia. The rustle became a flap and Willow marvelled at her ability to pick up a high-pitched squeaking just at the edge of her hearing. Charley gasped and, flicking her torch on, played the beam over the tunnel roof.

‘Turn that off before I go blind,’ Spike hissed, shielding his eyes with a hand.

‘Pardon me for checking it out,’ snipped Charley, switching off her torch.

‘Bats won’t hurt you, but I will if you do that again.’

Charley flinched at the venom in Spike’s tone. Willow laid a reassuring hand on her arm.

‘He has other ways of going blind,’ Willow whispered to her. She snickered and Willow felt Charley’s muscles relax beneath the grip of her fingers.

Carefully, they checked out the rest of the tunnel, but the only thing they found was a steel door set flush in the west wall. Giles’s torch, set on a low beam, showed them decades worth of corrosion and rust.

‘It might not be that easy to open,’ he said, ‘and it will certainly be noisy.’

The handle creaked ominously as Spike turned it. The hinges on the door made an even louder noise, reverberating down the tunnel and disturbing the bats. There was no help for it. In they went.

‘There’s no-one here,’ said Spike, after a few moments.

‘How can you be sure?’ said Giles.

‘He’s right,’ said Willow quietly, flicking on her torch.

It revealed nothing more than a short access tunnel with another steel door at the end. This one was in much better shape, so Willow switched off her torch and opened it with relative ease. They crossed the westbound tunnel and repeated the process with the single door they found there. This time there was no door on the other side. Instead, a flight of steps flanked by metal handrails led down to the next level.

‘That’ll be where the action is,’ she said, leading the way down.

At the bottom the ground seemed uneven. There was still no light or sound – no bats, either, thought Willow, noting the absence of odour. They risked their torches for long enough to show them a steeply sloping tunnel with several wooden doors set in one side.

‘Which one?’ said Charley.

Willow shrugged, ‘The nearest one, I guess,’ she said. Without waiting for approval, she opened it and went in. The others followed her, the light from their torches revealing a service alcove. In it there was a small bed, a chair and an oil lamp on a table. Willow went over to the lamp.

‘Flamma,’ she said, and the wick burst into flame. Willow adjusted it to a steady glow and switched off her torch. There was a flurry of clicks as the others followed suit. Willow looked around. I can feel her, smell her. The thought intensified her longing. Tara was here. She picked up the small, flat pillow from the bed, buried her face in it and was at once overwhelmed by the smell of Tara’s hair. There was something else, too. Yes, apples. It was faint, but it was definitely apples.

Giles was bent on one knee, examining the floor. ‘Some kind of disturbance here,’ he said, trailing his fingers through the scuffed dirt. ‘It looks like someone’s been dragged over there.’ He pointed at the furrows leading to the bed.

Willow put the pillow back, swallowed once, but said nothing.

‘We should check the rest of this level,’ said Jones.

Charley, Spike and the Vincas split into two pairs and went off to search behind the other doors. The little pillow had scattered Willow’s thoughts, so she sat on the bed while she put them in order. Giles looked at her.

‘Tara has to be here somewhere,’ she said, ‘But where?’

‘We’ll find her,’ he said.

‘I know,’ she said, and felt glad he was here with her. Yay for Giles, she thought, smiling inwardly.

‘Willow, I know the Highgate Tunnels seem somewhat akin to King Minos’ maze,’ Giles went on,‘but I brought something from Charley’s file that will help. With any luck, we won’t need a ball of string to navigate our way around.’

He went over to the little table. ‘Here, give me a hand.’ He gave Willow the lamp to hold while he brought the table into the middle of the room. From his inside jacket pocket he produced a wedge of paper, unfolded it and laid it flat. When the others came back with nothing to report they found Willow and Giles poring over a schematic of the Highgate Tunnels.

‘Alright,’ said Giles, ‘We know there’s nothing in this tunnel or on the surface,’ He pointed at the diagram, ‘We’re in a service alcove, here. If we turn right, it should lead us to a staircase that will take us down to the next level,’ He paused and looked around, ‘Any questions?’

‘I have,’ said Spike, lighting a cigarette, ‘Convince me you didn’t know your sister was mixed up in this.’ His eyes glittered as he looked at Charley. ‘What’s the story?’

‘Perhaps it would be as well to explain, before we go any further,’ Giles said, with more gentleness than Spike.

Charley nodded and sat on the chair. Willow gave the map to Giles, put the lamp on the table and sat on the bed, where the visibly impatient Jones and Shorty joined her. Now that Willow was in the space where she felt sure Tara had been held, she was just as keen to move on. But, she reasoned, a couple of minutes won’t hurt.

There was silence for a moment. Spike leaned against the wall, blowing long trails of smoke. Giles stood with his arms folded. He peered thoughtfully at Charley over the top of his glasses.

‘Two sisters, two witches,’ he said, ‘are there any more like you at home?’

‘No,’ said Charley, ‘well, there was our grandmother – Dad’s mum – that’s who we inherited it from, but she died years ago, not long after Dad. Pippa and I were just kids.’

‘That must’ve been tough on your mom,’ said Willow.

‘It was,’ said Charley, ‘but she picked herself up and went back to work as a teacher. Trouble was, she had no idea how to raise witches.’

‘Teenage witches, eww,’ said Spike, sucking smoke.

‘Without Gran’s guidance, she had no clue, and neither did we,’ said Charley, ‘I got scared and stopped, buried it as deep as I could and tried to be normal. I thought it was better for me and for Mum.’

‘And Phillipa?’ said Giles.

‘She was jealous because I was the stronger witch. It came easily to me, but not to her. She was always looking for ways to increase her power. No way would she give it up,’ Charley sighed, ‘It didn’t help that she was the youngest. Everyone felt so sorry for her when Dad died, they spoiled her.’

Spike ground his cigarette butt underfoot, came over to Charley and squatted on his heels at eye level with her. ‘Who were you talking to on your cellphone this morning?’ he said, softly.

‘My mother,’ she said, glaring at Spike, ‘and don’t you try to intimidate me!’

She reached out a hand and gave Spike a hard shove on one shoulder. Caught by surprise, he lost his balance and landed on his rear in the dirt.

‘Hey!’ he said, ‘cheeky cow.’

‘Do try and behave,’ said Giles, as Spike got to his feet, brushing the dust from his coat.

‘Was that why you were so upset last night?’ said Willow.

‘Yes,’ said Charley, ‘Mum and Pippa had a major row a few months ago and Pippa walked out. She just disappeared – we’ve been frantic.’

‘So when you realised it was her we were talking about – oh, Miss Charlotte,’ said Jones, sympathetically.

‘Why didn’t you tell us?’ said Shorty.

‘Yes, why didn’t you?’ muttered Spike indistinctly as he lit yet another cigarette.

‘Because I thought if you knew it was my sister that was mixed up in this, my sister who took Tara away and who wants to bring back a load of nasty old vampires,’ she looked daggers at Spike, ‘then you would shut me out, and – and she’s still my sister.’

They all looked at her but no-one spoke. The lamp burned steadily, illuminating their faces as they pondered Charley’s story. Willow thought about how it must have been for the two of them, growing up with no guidance. Charley trying to protect Pippa, Pippa resenting everything Charley did while struggling with her own dark side. Willow felt nothing but sympathy for Charley and, in spite of herself, even felt a little sorry for Pippa.

Charley stood up, ‘I’ll go now, if that’s what you want,’ she said, ‘Just – just don’t hurt her, please.’ She looked around, waiting for a response.

‘I wish you would stay,’ Willow said firmly.

‘Oh for fuck’s sake,’ said Spike, sighing dramatically. ‘I believe you, okay?’

‘Of course you don’t have to go,’ said Giles, ‘We’ll do whatever we can to ensure your sister’s safety.’

‘No guarantees, though,’ said Willow, ‘we don’t know what Bads could be waiting for us downstairs, and I will put Tara first.’

‘We have no doubt your sister had some difficult years,’ said Jones, ‘but she, like all of us, must stand by the choices she has made.’

‘In other words,’ said Shorty, ‘Phillipa must be stopped.’

‘I understand,’ said Charley.

***


Keeping the light of their torches steady, they made their way down the long curve of the tunnel.

‘There should be – ah, yes, here we are,’ said Giles as the beams found a stone staircase. Willow grasped one of the ornate handrails and led the way down.

At the bottom, they looked right and left, but there was nothing to suggest that one way might be better than the other.

‘It would be quicker if we split up,’ suggested Shorty.

Spike groaned, ‘Why is there always one who wants to split up? You know damn well that guarantees half the party gets nobbled. It’s traditional.’

‘Yeah well, he’s right,’ said Willow, anxious to speed things up.

‘Do keep your voices down,’ said Giles.

‘Okay,’ said Willow,’ but please can we move?’ Without waiting for agreement, she started walking down the left fork of the tunnel, signalling the Vincas to join her.

‘Meet back here in ten minutes,’ said Jones as he hurried after her.

‘Looks like that’s decided then,’ said Giles, ‘Come on.’

He led Charley and a surly Spike in the opposite direction. On they went until they reached another stairway. This time there was no divide at the bottom. There were doors in the walls of this tunnel. Wooden doors of the same design as upstairs. One by one they examined them. They were all empty, except for one nearly at the end. It held a table and three chairs.

‘Nothing,’ said Giles, clearly disappointed.

‘I smell vampire,’ said Spike, ‘and recently.’

‘Anything else?’ said Charley.

‘Yeah,’ said Spike, ‘Apples.’

‘We’d best get back to the others,’ said Giles, and left the room.

When they reached the fork on the level above, Willow and the Vincas weren’t there.

‘I hate to say it,’ said Spike, ‘but – ‘

‘Shut up,’ said Giles.

‘I fucking told you so,’ Spike went on, unabashed.

He strode off along the left tunnel, with Giles and Charley behind.

‘Stay behind us,’ Giles whispered to Charley, ‘If there’s trouble ahead, you don’t want to be caught in the crossfire.’

Charley was about to reply in an indignant tone when Spike came to a sudden stop and waved them over. He stood at the top of a very long stairway. Warm, stale air swept up from below.

‘Extreme caution,’ said Giles, and slowly descended, keeping his torchlight narrow and low.

The stairs brought them to a station platform. Dusty, littered with old rubbish and broken wall tiles, it was ghostly and bleak in the darkness. There was only one entrance, the stairs they’d used, and nothing at either end of the platform.
Spike jumped down on to the track.

‘No rails,’ he said.

‘No,’ said Giles, as he and Charley joined him, ‘I expect they were recycled years ago.’

In both directions, the tunnel was a dark, empty cavern holding who knew what, but which direction held Willow, Jones and Shorty? Giles was at a loss.

‘Any ideas?’ he said to Spike.

Spike shook his head. ‘Take your pick,’ he said, ‘but don’t suggest splitting up.’

Giles sighed.

‘I could help,’ said Charley.

Man and vampire looked at her sceptically.

‘Thanks for the vote of confidence,’ she said, shoved them both out of the way and, facing one end of the track, raised her arms.

‘Viam paterfaceret,’ she said. Nothing happened. Spike raised an eyebrow. Giles looked patient.

Charley turned to face the other end, cleared her throat and raised her arms again.

‘Viam paterfaceret,’ she repeated.

Slowly, but with increasing brightness and definition, a jumbled trail of several sets of footprints became illuminated in a sparkling blue glow. They led all the way up the tunnel, disappearing into the darkness.

‘Oh, not just a pretty face,’ said Spike, admiringly.

‘Jolly well done!’ said Giles, beaming.

‘Come on,’ said Charley, and led the way forward.


***

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The Highgate Tunnels A Vampire Is Not Just For Christmas The Things We Say


Last edited by Vivienne on Mon May 20, 2013 3:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS (updated 18th May 2013)
PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 4:18 am 
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32. Kisses and Gay Love
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Well alright, Charly. Funny that as soon as Spike suggested that splitting up would result in someone being caught or killed they did it anyway. And now the chase group needs to find the others. But also at least they've found all the places Tara and Pippa were.

Re: Bellwether - I love it. Don't read it on public transportation or you will laugh so much people will think you are crazy.

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 Post subject: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS (updated 18th May 2013)
PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 11:45 am 
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And of course nobody listens to the voice of reason if it's Spike uttering it...typical, LOL! Did Willow and the Vincas just get caught without a fight? That would feel pretty embarassing...well my main concern is for their safety, of course, but if Willow's rescue attempt ended this pathetically and she would just be some "material" to threaten Tara with afterall it wouldn't feel satisfying. Well, guess I just have do wait and see...please don't let me wait too long.


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 Post subject: Re: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS (updated 18th May 2013)
PostPosted: Wed May 22, 2013 8:16 am 
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Hey Vivienne :bigwave

The way you describe Willow sensing everything around her as the gang continue their search for Tara, she sounds more like her vampire alter ego than the lovable witch we all adore.

Willow shrugged, ‘The nearest one, I guess,’ she said. Without waiting for approval, she opened it and went in.

Shouldn't Willow do some kind of spell first to test if there is someone on the other side of the door, or check with Spike's heightened vamp senses. I know she's eager to get her girl but do they really want to rush into a situation where the enemy will have the advantage?

‘Teenage witches, eww,’ said Spike, sucking smoke.

Umm... Willow would still have been a teenager when he asked her to do the love spell in season 3s 'Lover's Walk'.

The relationship between Pippa and Charley puts me in mind of the one between Willow and Amy. They started off as friends but as Willow's power and abilities grew Amy began to resent her more and more till it resulted in Amy casting a hex on Willow in season 7 which manifested when she was kissed by you know who.

Willow again shows a breathtaking amount of recklessness by heading off down the left tunnel without doing something to check if there are any bads ahead and why hasn't Giles said anything about this.

Charley has at least proved her worth to the group by using her magic to indicate where Pippa and her vamp allies have taken Willow, Jones and Shorty and as Spike says 'I told you so' on the group separating. At least Tara and Willow should be re-united next chapter.


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 Post subject: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS (updated 18th May 2013)
PostPosted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 7:01 am 
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JustSkipIt

Hiya – thanks for dropping by. I’m somewhat pushed for time at the moment, but I promise I’ll have more to say next time. For now, here is the penultimate chapter x :)

Wills redemption

Thanks so much for your comments – I hope you enjoy this chapter, the next one will be the finale. :applause

willowtaralover

Thanks for the feedback. We’re nearly there! :eatme

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The Highgate Tunnels A Vampire Is Not Just For Christmas The Things We Say


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 Post subject: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS PENULTIMATE (updated 5th July 2013)
PostPosted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 7:22 am 
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TITLE THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS
AUTHOR Vivienne
RATING PG-13 ....for the moment!
DISCLAIMER All BTVS characters and certain other aspects of this story belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, ME and associates.
SPOILERS Diverges from canon somewhere early in season six.
THANKS To Wayland (Clare) for her unstinting beta-ing.
FEEDBACK Feel free


The Highgate Tunnels



Chapter 25



‘Time to go back, Miss Willow,’ said Jones, shining his torch on the weathered face of his watch.

The three of them – Willow, Jones and Shorty – were standing at the top of a long flight of concrete stairs. Willow took a few steps down, keeping her torch low, peering into the darkness below. She sniffed the warm updraught of air. The dust of decades intermingled with the odours of metal, earth, and generations of rodents. There were other, more recent, smells. Faint and elusive, but tantalisingly familiar.

‘Tara came this way,’ she said.

‘You can’t be -’ Shorty began.

‘I’m sure,’ said Willow, moving further down the stairs.

‘Miss Willow,’ said Jones, urgency creeping into his voice, ‘if that is the case, then we must go back and get the others.’

Willow paused, but didn’t turn back. The air wafted around her nostrils. She closed her eyes. Tara had climbed down this stair, she knew it. Echoes of her smell, her sound, her whole being, pulled at Willow until not moving became intolerable. Yet she knew that they would have to go back and fetch Giles, Charley and Spike. It would be stupid for three of them to pursue this when they could be six. In any case, they needed to know what the others had discovered, although she doubted it would be much. And yet . . . . She tasted the air once more.

‘We still have a couple minutes, yeah?’ she said, turning around.

‘Yes, but -’ said Jones, doubtfully.

‘Let’s just go to the bottom and see what’s there, then go back for the others. That way at least we’ll have something to report,’ She looked from Jones to Shorty and back again. Jones sighed, but both men nodded their agreement to the compromise.

They crept noiselessly on to the platform, but it soon became clear that if anyone had come this way, they were long gone. The warm air moaned and sighed through the tunnels at either end, underlining their emptiness. Willow, with Jones and Shorty behind her, jumped down onto the rail-less track. She shone her torch over first one tunnel entrance, then the other.

‘Which way, which way?’ she muttered to herself. Instinct took her to the edge of the northbound tunnel. This way, came the answer. She leaned forward, every part of her wanting to run up that tunnel, to find Tara, to bring her home safe. But there was the sound of soft footsteps behind her. She sighed, time was up.

‘Okay,’ she said, ‘I’m coming.’ She shone her torch into the darkness one last time.

Jones started to speak, but something cut him off short. Something was wrong. Willow spun around. Too late. There was a flurry of silent shadows. The last thing Willow remembered was a stinging sensation on one side of her neck.


***



In silence, Giles, Charley and Spike followed the eerie blue trail of footprints up the northbound tunnel. It was impossible to say who they belonged to, or even how many people – or vampires, maybe – had made them. Charley, pleased with and a little surprised by the effectiveness of her spell, led the way. Other than the sparkle underfoot, the only light came from the tip of Spike’s cigarette. Now they were getting closer, it was safer to leave the torches switched off. It would conserve the batteries and besides, Spike could see perfectly well in the dark.

This was a long tunnel, Giles remembered from the map in his pocket, although he couldn’t quite bring to mind what was at the other end. He was just wondering if they would have to trek through it all the way, when Charley stopped.

‘Look,’ she said, waving a hand in front of her.

A short distance ahead, the untidy line of footprints broke off from the more-or-less straight path they had taken and veered sharply to the right. Spike moved silently forward.

‘Over here,’ he said, after a moment.

Giles and Charley followed his voice to the tunnel wall. The trail ended abruptly in front of a wooden door of the same type as they had seen on the upper levels. This one had a lock and it was firmly shut.

Cautiously, Giles used his flashlight to examine the door.

‘Opening it shouldn’t pose too much of a problem,’ he said, taking a small cloth roll from his jacket pocket and extracting a lock-pick. Spike shouldered him aside with an impatient groan and applied brute force.

‘Quietly, for heaven’s sake!’ said Giles, as the door gave way.

‘I haven’t got all bloody night to hang around while you fiddle about,’ Spike grumbled, stepping inside.

Inside was no more than a cubby-hole. In front of them a tall iron ladder, its rusted steps decorated with sparkling blue, led up to a black rectangle of nothingness in the ceiling.


***



Willow awoke in darkness, lying on her side on cold, hard ground. Automatically, she reached for the leather pouch around her neck. Her hand stayed where it was. She tried to move her head, her legs. Nothing. Terrifyingly, Willow realised that, although she could see and she could breathe, she was otherwise paralysed.

Disoriented and shocked, she felt the urge to get up and run. Adrenaline surged through her. With no way of using it up, Willow began to feel dizzy. She felt nauseous, and her breath came in short, ragged gasps. For a few seconds, panic threatened to engulf her. Noooo . . . . breathe! And with a tremendous effort, she brought it under control. As she slowed and deepened her breathing, the tension in her chest eased and her head cleared.

The air in here smells, she thought. But it’s different from where we were before. This is dry-earthy and rocky, I think. Willow could see nothing except for a line of light at eye level, too dim to illuminate anything. She realised that, lying on her side as she was, it must be coming from underneath a door, but it gave her no sense of the space she occupied. Reflexively, she tried to grasp the pouch again. It didn’t matter, anyway. She couldn’t feel the cord on her neck or the weight on her breastbone. The tablet was gone.

It came to her how alone she was. Was Tara . . .did she? Willow pushed the thought away. She gave moving her hand another try. Nothing. It must be the same drug they used on Tara in Exeter, she thought. How could I let myself be caught? And now they’ve got the tablet. She pushed those thoughts away, too. What’s done is done.

Time passed. Gradually, Willow became aware of a sound close by. She had, of necessity, been so focused on dealing with her shocked state, that she hadn’t noticed. Breathing, it’s someone – no wait, two people, two people breathing. One was on her left side, the other somewhere to the right of her head. Both were at floor level, neither were moving. She wasn’t alone. The relief was profound. It has to be Jones and Shorty. Willow felt grateful that they were alive, if a little guilty about their current situation.

More time passed. Willow began to lose track of it. The coldness of the floor worked its way through her clothing and into her already numb flesh. She tried to keep her mind empty and light. It was difficult. Tara was close, Willow could sense her. Or was she imagining it? For some reason, Willow found herself recalling their wedding. She could picture them both clearly. Flowers in their hair. No veils or trains. Both in white –Willow in a simple gown of sheer satin, Tara in an elegant froth of antique lace. We looked great. And we felt, oh, we felt . . . !

A door groaned open and a shaft of pale light fell across Willow’s face. Two pairs of legs stood in the doorway. Roll her eyes as she might, she could see no higher than knee level. The legs started walking towards her. She closed her eyes in anticipation, but they moved right past. With a heave and a grunt, they picked up the others and carried them out. Willow just had time to catch a glimpse of Jones’s face as he disappeared through the door, slung low as he was under the arm of whoever was carrying him. The door banged shut. Willow was back in the dark. Only this time she really was alone.


***



‘All clear,’ Spike’s voice floated down from the hole at the top of the ladder.

First Giles, then Charley clambered up after him. They emerged in yet another tunnel. In silence, they trudged after the blue footprints until they came to the top of a narrow flight of stairs. It was the longest flight they had seen so far.

Judging by the amount of wear on the stone steps, and the rusted, broken handrail, it was very old. They picked their way down carefully, for the steps themselves were broken in places. Below was another tunnel, much smaller than any of the others, so much so that all three had to stoop a little as they walked. A faint light showed at the other end. They slowed as they approached it, treading softly.

‘Oh,’ said Charley.

They had emerged into a natural cavern. It was small and elongated, with many rocky protrusions along its walls and steeply sloping floor. The light came from uneven patches of phosphorescence on floor, walls and roof.

‘My word,’ said Giles.

Spike sat on a rock and lit a cigarette.

‘We appear to have left the Highgate tunnels well and truly behind,’ said Giles.

‘I can’t say I’m sorry about that,’ said Charley, sharing Spike’s rock.

‘I think we’re still heading north,’ Giles went on, ‘I wonder where this leads.’

‘Not figured that out yet? Tut-tut, Giles,’ said Spike.

‘Uh, well. Let me see . . . oh yes, yes of course.’ Giles looked like a man who’d just seen a penny drop.

‘So?’ said Charley, looking from Giles to Spike, ‘Where are we going?’

‘The Highgate vampires aren’t named for the tunnels, Charley,’ said Giles, ‘Come on, we’d best keep moving.’

He led the way down through the cavern. Charley and Spike got up and followed him.

‘So?’ repeated Charley over Giles’s shoulder as they clambered over the boulder-strewn surface through a narrow gap into another, larger, cavern, ‘Why are they called the Highgate vampires?’

‘After Highgate Cemetery,’ said Giles, ‘and if I’m not mistaken, it won’t be long before we’re directly underneath it – right, Spike?’

‘Yep,’ said Spike, ‘a long way underneath it.’

It was true; the second cavern took them deeper still, as did the third.

‘I guess vampires like cemeteries,’ said Charley, ‘It must be like home – in a weird kind of way.’ She shivered, even though it was far from cold.

‘Perhaps,’ said Giles, ‘Although Highgate has been a serious hot-spot for vampires for a very long time. No-one really knows why,’

Behind them, Spike rolled his eyes, but said nothing. They walked on. From somewhere ahead of them, somewhere close, arose the faint but unmistakable smell of sulphur.



***

_________________
The Highgate Tunnels A Vampire Is Not Just For Christmas The Things We Say


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 Post subject: Re: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS Penultimate Chapter (5th July 2
PostPosted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 5:43 pm 
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DIBS YAY :applause

‘We still have a couple minutes, yeah?’ she said, turning around. ‘Let’s just go to the bottom and see what’s there, then go back for the others. That way at least we’ll have something to report,’

What's happened to Willow's intelligence???? She could tell if something appeared to be a trap such as in 'When She Was Bad' when she tried to warn Buffy that there was some kind of trap when the vampires threw the message through the library window.

I like the little reference to Willow and Tara's wedding and their dresses.

I totally forgot that there was a cemetery in Highgate. I guess that's where Pippa found her vamp allies.

Bit disappointed with the end of the chapter, expected something a little more cliffhanger-ish for the end of the penultimate chapter


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 Post subject: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS Penultimate Chapter (5th July 2013)
PostPosted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 11:23 pm 
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9. Gay Now
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Topics: 15
Location: Beyond the orbit of Mars and accelerating...
Yeeeeah, yup, that's pretty dumb.

I saw that and just threw my hands in the air and said "Oh-migod! You are sooo going to get captured!"

Gosh, i was right too.

Willow, Willow, Willow, have you learned nothing from movies.

Watch more TV! :glasses

R :bounce

P.S: looking forward to the finale!

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“All I feel is sunlight. All I hear is music.” Willow
How i Met Your Mother - By Ariel


My Story: Coming Home


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 Post subject: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS 31st October 2013
PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 8:58 am 
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Location: UK
willowtaralover

Apologies for the lack of cliff-hanger and the brevity of 25. I knew I’d be away for a while – life was intervening, big time – and I didn’t want to leave you with nothing at all.

Yes, Willow had a really bad idea, but she has been finding it hard to keep a consistent grip on herself. Extreme stress can do weird things to rational decision-making.

Azirahael

A dumb, dumb moment, Willow (sigh). But sneakily irresistible to write . . . .

***



Okay, you’ve been so patient and wonderful, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for bearing with me. The final chapter got very elastic and somehow turned itself into THREE final chapters AND an epilogue. I am posting two chapters now and the rest in two days time – that’ll be Saturday 2nd. I really hope you like the end of The Highgate Tunnels. I’m a bit sorry it’s over. Back to the magic and the terror of the empty page . . . .

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The Highgate Tunnels A Vampire Is Not Just For Christmas The Things We Say


Last edited by Vivienne on Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS Ending, Part 1 (31st October 2013)
PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:24 am 
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TITLE THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS
AUTHOR Vivienne
RATING PG-13 ....for the moment!
DISCLAIMER All BTVS characters and certain other aspects of this story belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, ME and associates.
SPOILERS Diverges from canon somewhere early in season six.
THANKS To Wayland (Clare) for her unstinting beta-ing.
FEEDBACK Feel free




The Highgate Tunnels


Chapter 26


Giles, Charley and Spike emerged cautiously from the third, and apparently deepest, cavern. Ahead of them, a level passage carved out of the bare rock stretched into the distance. Unlit by phosphorescence, they could not see its end. Spike led the way, surefooted, while the others stumbled now and then on the uneven floor. Risking neither torch nor cigarette, their sense of nearing the end of the trail grew stronger with every step. As did the smell of sulphur.
Giles, preoccupied with his own thoughts, failed to notice the other two come to a halt in front of him. He slammed into the back of Charley, catching her in a Giles – Spike sandwich. In the darkness he felt rather than saw Charley’s annoyance and Spike’s amused pleasure.

‘Sorry,’ he whispered as Charley extricated herself.

‘Shh,’ said Spike.

They had come to a dogleg. Around the bend the passage split into two, narrower tunnels. One sloped up, the other down. A red glow came from the ends of both, but stronger from the way that led down. At least now there was enough light to see one another. Giles pointed first one way and then the other, looking quizzically at Charley and Spike. Spike nodded downwards. Giles looked doubtful. Spike looked impatient and jerked his head down. Giles shook his head. They both looked at Charley who rolled her eyes and pointed up.

‘So why bother asking people?’ Spike muttered under his breath as they started climbing.

Now that there was some light, even if only of a flickering, dull red, it was easier to move softly. The tunnel was fairly steep, rising over,Giles calculated, the caverns they had recently passed through. Near the top, Giles stopped and waved the others down. They lay flat on the bare rock and carefully elbowed their way forward onto a wide, irregular ledge that marked the end of the passage.

The light came from below, and it was enough to show that the ledge ran all the way round the upper half of the largest cave they had seen so far. There were two more tunnels at intervals around the ledge, but both were dark. The smell of sulphur was at its strongest now, although not strong enough to be truly eye-watering, which was just as well, since Charley was having a hard enough time suppressing her sneezes.

Giles made sure that his glasses were firmly on his head before inching forward to peer over the edge of the stone shelf. He froze for a moment and then pulled back sharply. He looked at Spike with both surprise and a question on his face. Charley opened her mouth to speak, but Giles quickly shushed her with a finger, only too aware of how well any sound would carry in this hollow space. He shuffled back into the tunnel, beckoning the others to follow him.

‘It – it’s a hell-mouth!’ he whispered to Spike, ‘You knew, didn’t you?’

‘And you didn’t, did you?’ said Spike, ‘I’m disappointed in you, Giles. I thought you knew everything.’

Giles glared at him, ‘You might have said something.’


‘I might,’ Spike said, ‘Still, I can see why you overlooked it. It’s a very small hell-mouth. More of a mini-mouth.’

‘That really doesn’t help,’ said Giles.

‘What the hell is a hell-mouth?’ said Charley.

‘Ah,’ said Giles.

Spike arranged his mouth into a patronising smile. ‘Somewhere a bunch of vampires can call home, the odd demon can visit and the occasional Big Bad can pop up to play with the humans. Although this one isn’t really up to Big Bads.’

Charley glared at Spike. She was getting good at it.

Giles sighed. ‘Essentially it’s a doorway, a portal. A place where the barrier between this world and the Underworld is extremely fragile, and in some cases, non-existent.’

‘Oh God,’ said Charley.

‘Those too, sometimes,’ said Spike with a grin.

Noises coming from the cave ended the conversation there. They dropped to their hands and knees and crept back to the ledge. This time all three looked down into the cave.

From their vantage point some half-way up the cave wall, they could see figures appearing from several passages, some carrying burning torches that they placed in sconces arranged around the cavern. Giles’s instinct to take the upper passage had been a good one, they saw, for the exit below them on their right was from the lower tunnel. They would have been trapped.

The floor of the cavern was extremely uneven. The only smooth surfaces seemed to be a number of well-worn paths criss-crossing the cave in all directions. Even these were interrupted here and there by sulphur-encrusted vents from which issued wisps of yellow gas. The source of the unnatural heat throughout the cavern complex was also apparent. A dozen small, irregularly shaped pools of lava glowed and seethed ominously. Most of these were concentrated towards the centre. In the very middle of the cave stood a huge stone dais around which the figures, vampires all, were forming themselves into a loose circle.

All fell still and quiet as they settled into their places. They seemed to be waiting for something. Charley dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands. Giles chewed his lip thoughtfully. Spike really, really wanted a cigarette. They didn’t have long to wait.

Muffled sounds of footsteps and voices came from one of the tunnels. The noises grew louder and more distinct as they drew closer to the entrance. One voice rose angrily above the rest, undercut by another’s gruff bark. Jones and Shorty stumbled out. Both looked dishevelled, hands tied behind their backs. Behind them came several more torch-bearing vampires led by a tall, mean-looking one dressed in black. Spike hissed softly. Giles and Charley looked at him. Spike was glowering, his face threatening to change. Giles nudged him.

‘Know him?’ he whispered.

‘Cutter,’ said Spike, ‘Albert Cutter. He’s run Highgate for two hundred years.’

‘I see,’ said Giles, ‘Clearly a survivor.’

Jones’s angry voice drew their attention back to the cave. His head was turned back towards Cutter, his words lost in echoes bouncing off the walls. Cutter made an exasperated sound in the back of his throat, closed the short distance between them and pushed Jones roughly to the floor. Jones lay still. From the ledge, there was no way of knowing if Jones was hurt or merely winded. They saw Shorty run over and crouch down by Jones, then Cutter moved forward, grabbed both men by the collar and, one in each hand, started walking down one of the worn paths that led to the centre dais.

Another light gleamed from the same tunnel. Quietly this time, two people stepped out of it. First, a neat and shiny Pippa, her face cat-like and smug. Behind her was Tara, and behind her a handful more vampires. Tara paused at the tunnel mouth and looked around the cave. She looked calm and self-possessed. So much so that for a moment it seemed as though she, not Pippa, nor Albert Cutter, was the one in control. Giles looked at her for a long moment. He breathed deeply and moved close to Spike’s ear.

‘We have to get down there,’ he whispered.

***


Willow was alone in the dark. It was not a good feeling, especially not good when lying, paralysed, on a cold hard floor. She tried not to think about what might be happening to the others. Jones and Shorty had been carted off unceremoniously, slung like sacks of potatoes over the shoulders of a couple of vampires. Giles, Spike and Charley, where were they now? Had they been captured, too? Or were they still roaming the endless maze of tunnels below London’s streets, searching for her and the Vincas? And Tara? Tears sprang to Willow’s eyes.

Tara was here, somewhere, Willow could feel her presence stronger than ever. Where was here, anyway? She guessed the room whose floor she graced was still part of the Highgate Tunnels, although it smelled earthier than the parts she’d walked with the others. There was another, vaguely unpleasant, odour, but so faint she couldn’t identify it. The air was surprisingly warm, too. She choked back a misery-laden sob as her thoughts turned again to Tara. Willow could picture her so clearly in the darkness. Tara’s blonde hair fell gently over her forehead, her blue eyes seemed to look directly at her own, as if she were trying to tell Willow something. A little smile played about her mouth, but there was an air of sadness about her. Willow’s tears flowed so hard, her nose began to run. She sniffed. Automatically, she put her hand to her face to wipe away the tears. It was a moment or two before she realised her hand was obeying.

Astonished, she tried moving her legs. They moved. Desperate to get out of there and find Tara, she jumped to her feet. Instantly, her legs seized up with cramp and she fell over. After a lot of massaging (and cursing) she was able to roll onto her back. Many painful stretches later Willow tried sitting up. It worked okay, but it made her feel dizzy for a while, as did the next thing she tried – standing. Every part of her body felt stiff and sore, particularly her left side – the side that had been in intimate contact with a hard floor for what felt like ages. Willow forced herself, with difficulty, to spend more time stretching and rubbing her muscles.

When she felt reasonably normal, she padded silently across to the door and listened. Nothing. Willow opened the door. It revealed, of course, a tunnel. Rock-walled rather than brick-lined, it sloped downwards fairly steeply to a bend. An orange-red glow lit the tunnel, growing stronger towards the curve. So did the unpleasant smell, which Willow now recognised as sulphur.

Willow’s bag was nowhere in sight. All she had now was herself. I have one chance, she thought. One chance.


____________________



TITLE THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS
AUTHOR Vivienne
RATING PG-13 ....for the moment!
DISCLAIMER All BTVS characters and certain other aspects of this story belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, ME and associates.
SPOILERS Diverges from canon somewhere early in season six.
THANKS To Wayland (Clare) for her unstinting beta-ing.
FEEDBACK Feel free

The Highgate Tunnels


Chapter 27



Using a mix of hand signals and nods, Giles, Charley and Spike agreed to try reaching the floor of the hell-mouth through one of the other tunnels that came out on to the ledge. They crawled to the one closest to them, doing their best not to dislodge the fallen debris of grit and pebbles littering their way. Once inside, they stood up, brushing the dust off their clothes and looking around in the gloom. The passage sloped down in a sharp curve, which was a relief to them all, since that made it more likely that they could use it to find their way to the cavern. Cautiously, in single file with Spike in the lead, they descended in darkness.

‘What are we going to do?’ whispered Charley, who was behind Giles.

‘Ah – no idea,’ he said, ‘I expect we’ll think of something.’

‘That’s what I like,’ said Spike, over his shoulder, ‘a man with a plan.’

‘Let’s get where we’re going first, shall we?’ said Giles, ignoring Spike’s sarcasm, ‘then we might get a clearer picture of what’s going to happen.’

‘But we know what’s going to happen,’ said Charley, ‘we have to figure out a way of stopping them from making that bridge.’

‘Shh!’ Spike hissed softly.

They had come to a fork in the tunnel. One branch led up and away, the other continued down, ending in the flickering glow cast by the hell-mouth. By its light, they saw that there was no-one in their way. On they went.

‘And where’s Willow?’ Charley’s voice was increasingly anxious.

‘Right now, I really don’t know,’ said Giles, ‘The thing that’s bothering me is Tara.’

‘Tara?’ said Charley.

‘She isn’t tied up and she doesn’t look drugged,’ offered Spike.

‘No,’ said Giles, ‘In fact, she looks as if she knows exactly what she’s doing,’ said Giles.

‘But, that’s good - isn’t it?’ said Charley.

‘I’m not sure that it is,’ said Giles, as they drew close to the glow.

They stopped just outside its radiance and surveyed the scene. The ghoulishly-lit vampire circle had drawn in towards the centre, forming a tight ring around the stone dais where Tara stood alone. Her posture was perfectly straight. She looked relaxed and composed, her eyes, luminous in the glow from the torches and the lava pools, were focused coolly into the middle distance.

Pippa and Albert Cutter were conferring in low tones nearby. A little way back, Jones and Shorty sat facing the dais. They were leaning against a rock, hands tied behind their backs. Two vampires stood guard over them.

There was movement to their right as a vampire carrying a wooden box came out of the entrance the rest of them had used earlier. He brought it over to Pippa and put it down in front of her. She gave a cursory nod, picked it up and set it on the stone next to Tara. Tara smiled and, bending gracefully, stroked the lid of the box gently with one hand. She straightened, resuming her position. Charley inhaled sharply and Spike gave an involuntary start. Giles raised his eyebrows. For now it seemed that Tara shone with her own light. A soft, silvery-blue shimmer, faint but definite, enveloped her. Her hair lifted an inch or two off her shoulders, floating as if caught in a tiny updraught.
They weren’t the only ones to notice. Cutter and Pippa were looking at Tara. Their expressions were . . .nasty.

‘Time your little red-headed friend joined us, I think,’ said Pippa, ‘just in case you were planning on having any ideas of your own.’

Tara smiled sadly, but said nothing.

Cutter, standing with his arms folded across his chest, growled something in a harsh tone, and three vampires broke the circle to head back up the tunnel.

‘They’re going to get Willow,’ Charley said.

‘So I gathered,’ said Giles without a trace of sarcasm.

‘They’ll be surprised,’ said Spike.

The others looked at him. He nodded towards a tunnel mouth on the other side of the cavern. There, back in the shadows, but silhouetted in the dim light, was the unmistakable outline of Willow.

‘Good girl,’ said Giles.

‘Now what?’ said Charley.

‘Wait,’ said Giles.

The shimmer around Tara was getting stronger. Now it pooled around her feet and began to spread out over the surface of the dais. This was not lost on either Pippa or Cutter, who were talking again. Their tension was evident – and growing, judging by their faces and body language. Pippa stopped and pushed back her sleeve to look at her watch. She said something brief to Cutter, and they both looked at Tara. Giles looked at his watch.

‘Five minutes,’ he said.

‘Five minutes to what?’ said Charley.

‘Midnight,’ he said.

From within the aura, Tara noted the activity in the cavern. The silver-blue haze didn’t obscure her view. Rather, it sharpened outlines and intensified detail. She realised she could hear every word that was spoken, and even keep pace with the super-fast communication that passed between some of the older vampires. Tara knew that Spike, Giles and Charley were concealed in the shadows of the entrance opposite her. She could almost hear their thoughts. The knowledge that Willow was similarly hidden somewhere behind her triggered an immeasurable rush of sadness. It surged through her like a great wave searching for the shore. Tara observed it dispassionately until it rolled away, leaving only calm detachment in its wake.

How can I be like this? she wondered. She had been afraid, it was true. When Sana had told her what must be done, Tara had felt both fear and grief in equal measures, but that had rapidly changed into an acceptance of the inevitable that had in turn evolved into a feeling of timelessness, and of peace. This is my role, she thought, this is what I was born to do. Tara, for the first time, knew what it was like to be truly, absolutely centred.

She was the Lady of Tartaria, the last of a long line that reached back over continents and through millennia - right back to the woman who was beginning to take shape in front of her on the dais. Sana, who had been the first Lady, was still too faint to be visible to anyone but Tara, no more than a veil within a shimmer, but she was there. She will wait until the last moment, Tara thought. The Vinca were wrong. Not even I am strong enough to do this on my own.

She was aware of Jones and Shorty, sitting on the rock floor, hands tied. Tara knew their gaze was fixed on her. She felt their fear, their loyalty and their love. She saw Pippa look at her watch. Yes, it’s close now, very close. As she watched, waiting for Sana to materialise, she was suddenly grateful that she would not be doing this alone.

***


Willow thought her heart would burst with relief when she saw Tara. The awful tension of the last two days begged to be released in a flying leap to Tara’s side and a great cloud of vampire ash, but Willow would take no more unplanned risks. She had found her way down here more by her sense of Tara than by the increase in light and heat. And, as she flattened herself around corners and crept down the bare rock passages, she had found a confidence and a focus far stronger than she had ever known. By the time she reached sight of Tara there was no panic or fear left in her, just the certain knowledge that she would do whatever it took, and that whatever she did would be right.

Willow studied the scene. Lava pools and rocks. Vampires circled about the raised flat stone Tara stood upon. Pippa and an older vampire off to one side. Jones and Shorty tied and guarded. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a brief flash of reflected light deep in the shadows of the tunnel opposite her. More vampires? No, vampires don’t wear glasses – Giles! Safe – for the moment - in her own patch of darkness, Willow smiled. She turned her attention to Tara. Even though Willow could not see her face, Tara’s incredible calm was tangible. It’s like she’s in charge, thought Willow. The ethereal glow around her was also puzzling, as was the wooden box next to her feet.

Pippa was talking to the vampire next to her, and then Willow saw her look at her watch. Automatically, Willow checked hers. Well, I guess that means we have five minutes, she thought. Three vampires came running into the cavern. One spoke to Pippa who scowled and snapped something at him. The older vampire – Willow figured he must be their leader – bared his teeth in an ugly snarl. His arm shot out in a swift blur. A moment later the other vampire was ash on the floor. The remaining two made themselves scarce. So now they know I’ve escaped, she thought. Willow checked her watch again. Three minutes. But they don’t have time to look for me.

Something was happening on the dais. The silvery-blue glow was deepening, swirling. Tara’s hair lifted right off her shoulders, forming a halo around her head. Beautiful, thought Willow distantly, wish I could see her face. She rose on the balls of her feet, her hands were as still as the rest of her body, her breath came long and slow. Perfectly poised, Willow was ready. She waited as the last minute to midnight ticked by.

The glow around Tara intensified. Where it had been spreading out over the rim of the dais, now it contracted, solidified, and took on the form of a tall, dark-haired woman Willow had never seen before. Suddenly, she understood the meaning of the box. Milady Tartaria, she thought, her – her bones are in that box. The blue haze was still there, but now it was centred on the two women. Tara reached out her hands. As the other woman took them, the aura began to vibrate.

I can almost hear their thoughts – Sana, her name is Sana, Willow struggled to hear more, but she could make no sense of the rapid exchange of thoughts and images that were passing between Tara and Sana. She withdrew, left with a deep feeling of foreboding that hadn’t been there a moment ago. No time for that, no time, she thought, scanning around the cavern as much as she was able from her hiding place.

Jones and Shorty were gazing, awestruck, at the dais. Their eyes were wet with tears. The lava pools were bubbling actively; steam and sulphur gas rose up into the vaulted roof to hang there in a wet, stinking cloud. The temperature was going up. Willow carefully slipped off her jacket, dropping it noiselessly to the floor. She flexed her fingers.

As the final seconds ticked away, Pippa looked at Cutter, her face shining. He had dropped his London-cool slouch and was standing straight-backed. Under his thickening brow his ancient face was an impassive mask. He opened his mouth, revealing lengthened canines. A low, eerie chant broke from his lips, which was taken up by all the vampires, who began to sway in time with its awful rhythm.

Pippa leaped nimbly up on to the dais. She took the larger of the Tartaria tablets, the one that Willow had guarded so carefully, from a pocket and hung it about Tara’s neck. All for nothing, thought Willow savagely. From another pocket she brought the other and slowly fitted it on top of the first. There was an audible click as it settled into place. Then she took one of Tara’s hands in hers, and one of Sana’s in the other. As she did so, Tara looked around, first towards the tunnel where Charley, Spike and Giles were concealed, and then at Willow.

For those last, all-too-brief seconds, it was as though she were being given a lifetime of love all at once. Tara’s blue eyes shone, piercing into Willow, driving out everything save the naked essence of their love. Oh Tara, she thought, her knees buckling. Oh Tara, Tara. As Tara turned away to take Pippa’s hand, the feeling of foreboding welled up, a hundred times stronger than before. Willow was horrified beyond measure. Because now she knew why. She knew what Tara was going to do.

***


Hidden in the tunnel opposite Willow, the others stared at the three women on the dais, transfixed by the unfolding scene. The look Tara gave them almost broke Giles’s heart. He wondered, fearfully, what it meant, what she was telling them with such overwhelming sadness. The chanting was steadily getting louder, the vampires swayed along with the horrible sound and the cave grew hotter. Giles felt a tug at his elbow.

‘Who’s the woman?’ whispered Charley, indicating the dark-haired stranger who had appeared beside Tara and Pippa.

Giles pointed at the wooden box. ‘The resurrected form of the very first Lady of Tartaria. You remember how her bones were stolen from the museum in Cluj? Now we know why.’ His face was grim in the little light that reached into the tunnel mouth.

‘So what happens now?’ she said.

‘Now they build the damned bridge and let the old Bads cross over,’ growled Spike.

Giles and Charley looked at him. Spike’s lips were drawn back over long canines, his brow was ridged and his eyes reddened.

‘It’s the ruddy chanting,’ he shrugged apologetically, ‘I always hated modern jazz.’

‘We have to stop them,’ said Charley, ignoring Spike.

‘Got a plan, love?’ snarled Spike, ‘Because if you have, you’d best share it. If those old whores get through, you’re claret.’

‘She locked them out the last time,’ Charley pointed at the First Lady.

‘Yes, and it bloody killed her,’ said Spike, unimpressed.

‘Well, at least she can’t die if she does it again,’ retorted Charley.

‘No, but – but . . . .’ In the light from the swaying torches and the bubbling lava pools, they saw that Giles’s face had gone deathly white. Like Willow, and now Charley, he had realised the reason behind Tara’s strange composure, and her apparent sorrow.

‘Oh my God!’ The penny having dropped with resounding clarity, Charley turned from Giles to Spike, and back again.

‘Tara, Pippa.’ She put both hands to her face.

‘Look, look,’ Spike said urgently.

The sigul around Tara’s neck had snapped into life. For a moment it looked like a star shining at her throat, then waving lines of energy in silver-blue shot from its centre, enveloping each of the three women in a moving triple-helix of radiance. Tara and the dark-haired one closed their eyes and bowed their heads. Pippa tossed her hair and laughed ecstatically. The chanting rose to fever-pitch, reverberating around the walls in sickening discord. Lava spouted up, splashing over the edges of the pools. The heat was overpowering.

Tendrils of light from the helices entwining the three flowed into the centre of the dais. They came together in a sphere that immediately changed shape into a rapidly-lengthening vertical cylinder that was soon taller than the women, and continued stretching up towards the noxious cloud clinging to the underside of the cavern roof.

‘I have to do something,’ muttered Charley, and ran out into the cave before anyone could stop her.






***

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The Highgate Tunnels A Vampire Is Not Just For Christmas The Things We Say


Last edited by Vivienne on Sat Nov 02, 2013 5:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS Ending, Part 1 (October 31st 2013)
PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 10:11 am 
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9. Gay Now
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Location: Beyond the orbit of Mars and accelerating...
Woohoo!

Nicely done, plus i think i know what Tara's going to do. Something noble and sacrifice-y.
I'm confident that Willow will put a stop to it.

And just so you know, Incisors are the chisel-shaped teeth at the very centre-front of your mouth. The ones that rabbits, rats and beavers have really big ones of.

Canines are the big fang-y ones that dogs, cats and bears have big ones of.

An-dan plus: Dibs!

I look forward to the next bit! :bounce

R :flower

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 Post subject: Re: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS Ending, Part 1 (October 31st 20
PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 2:24 pm 
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Hey Vivienne :bigwave good to see you back on the board.

‘It – it’s a hell-mouth!’ he whispered to Spike, ‘You knew, didn’t you?’

Ooh a hellmouth in London, but surely even if Giles himself didn't know then at least members of the Watchers Council must have known. Wouldn't they have had someone watching or guarding it. Also wouldn't it mean that there would be demons active in London?

The cavern where the Hell Mouth is based sounds a lot like the temple in 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' with the glowing pool of lava and the huge dais.

Hope Tara's alright, though she may be possessed by the spirit of the original with of the Vincas.

Surprised that the vampires didn't have guards on the surrounding tunnels and caverns in case of someone, anyone, entering them; even down and outs looking for a place to rest for the night.

Like the scene where the light shine's round Tara when she strokes the wooden box, that's one I'd like to have seen on Buffy.

When Spike indicates Willow in the silhoutte of a tunnel mouth why doesn't he attempt to converse with her using telepathy as he did in 'The Gift'?

It looks as if Tara is going to willingly sacrifice herself, unless Willow, Giles and the others can rescue her. Though it does look as if Charley is going to intervene.


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 Post subject: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS Ending, Part 1 (October 31st 2013)
PostPosted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 6:09 am 
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Azirahael

Woohoo! Thanks! At long last, the end is nigh – and thank you so much for your kind words :heart

I have to say I share your confidence :eyebrow

A very big THANK YOU for picking up on my dental misdemeanour! Duh! I have edited accordingly, at least I hope so. I found two of the little buggers. Don’t think there were any more :applause

So here it is, I do hope it satisfies x :flower


willowtaralover

Hi wtl, it’s good to see you, too! Thanks for feeding back so quickly :bigwave

I don’t think the Council would necessarily have known about the hellmouth. It is a very small one, not like some of the great chasms we have known. Shouldn’t think it’s big enough for your average demon. Albert Cutter would have gone to great lengths to keep it secret, anyway, since it forms part of his power-base.

Posting guards would be unnecessary – they see themselves as very powerful (for 200 years!) and, as for down-and-outs, lunch, anyone? :grin

I take your point about ‘The Gift’ but, throughout the story I’ve kept the telepathy between Willow and Tara with a bit of Sana, and I didn’t want to break out from that.

So, the end! I hope you like it x :flower

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 Post subject: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS COMPLETED November 2nd 2013
PostPosted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 6:50 am 
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TITLE THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS
AUTHOR Vivienne
RATING PG-13 ....for the moment!
DISCLAIMER All BTVS characters and certain other aspects of this story belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, ME and associates.
SPOILERS Diverges from canon somewhere early in season six.
THANKS To Wayland (Clare) for her unstinting beta-ing.
FEEDBACK Feel free

THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS


Chapter 28


Willow, her eyes on the ascending bridge, knew that there was no more time. That was okay. She leant forward, breathing deeply.

‘Noooooooo!’ she yelled, leaping out of the darkness at the same time as Charley broke cover and the bridge kissed the bottom of the sulphur cloud. Willow sprinted across the cave and jumped onto the elevated flat stone, landing directly behind Pippa. The vampires who formed the part of the circle that blocked her path never knew what hit them. She reached around Pippa and took Tara’s wrist in one hand, Sana’s in the other, and gasped at the power that surged up her arms. Tara’s arm jerked. A low moan escaped her lips. Willow felt Sana shudder, then she seemed to steady herself. The helix around Pippa lost some of its strength. Pippa’s face lost its beatific glow. She turned her head.

‘You!’ she snarled, ‘Oh no you DON’T!’

Willow wasted no words. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. Pippa, who was not without either skill or power, fought back, but she was no match for a full-strength no-holds-barred Willow.

‘No, no,’ Pippa’s protests grew ever weaker as the light around her dimmed, transferring itself to Willow. Beads of perspiration broke out on Willow’s brow. Finally, Pippa’s grip loosened and she slid unconscious to the ground. As the bridge found its destination in the roof of the cavern, Willow slid one hand down Tara’s wrist and the other down Sana’s. She grasped their hands firmly in her own.

***


Giles took in Charley, Willow and the lengthening bridge in a single glance. He dashed out after Charley, Spike already in front of him. Together they mowed down vampires left, right and centre, breaking up the circle that had re-formed after Willow had burst through it. Spike was a howling, whirling dervish, tossing the undead into boiling lava and ripping off heads indiscriminately. Bolts of green fire shot from Charley’s hands, vaporising those in the way of the path she was carving to her sister. Knife in one hand, stake in the other, Giles fought his way to Jones and Shorty, soon disposing of the two vampires guarding them. He used his knife to cut both men free.

‘Here,’ he said, throwing down his bag in front of them.

Jones and Shorty swiftly pulled out a couple of wicked-looking kris, stuffed a handful of stakes into their belts and joined the fight with total enthusiasm and utter disregard for their own safety.

Now the fight was on in earnest, for they’d used up the advantage gained by the element of surprise. The chanting was over, the torches discarded. The remaining – too many – vampires were regrouping. Across the cave, Giles saw Albert Cutter advancing, his face wreathed in anger.

At that moment there was a brilliant flash of light from above. For a brief moment the entire scene was freeze-framed in stark relief: Spike in mid-leap over a stalagmite, his coat flying out around him, Charley dragging the comatose Pippa into the nearest tunnel, Jones and Shorty back-to-back, a pack of vampires descending on them, Giles in the act of turning to aid them.

And on the central stone, Tara, Sana and Willow lifted their heads and opened their eyes. Now the bridge set up a vibration, a deep thrumming that could be felt in the bones as much as heard with the ears. Silver and blue light began coruscating wildly up its length from floor to ceiling.

***


‘Will?’ Tara had felt Willow’s presence as a warm and wonderful shock as soon as she’d stepped up behind Pippa. Locked into her task as she was, she’d had to stand by while Willow wrestled with, and overpowered Pippa. Now she spoke directly into Willow’s mind.

‘You shouldn’t be here, you can’t be part of this,’

‘How could you think I would let you do this without me?’ Willow responded.

‘Oh no Will, no. You don’t know what I have to do,’

‘I do’ came the reply, and Tara saw, to her sorrow, that Willow did.

‘Willow is very strong.’ Now it was Sana’s voice in their heads. ‘Much stronger than the other.’ There was a note of hope in Sana’s tone, of possibilities.

Then the light flashed and they opened their eyes to look at the cavern roof. The sulphur-and-steam miasma had gone. In its place was a circle of deep black nothing gathered about the top end of the bridge. Within the blackness things started to form. Old, horrible things. Things that began moving slowly but inexorably towards the bridge. They could see faces now. Ancient, twisted evil faces looking down on them through black, hollow eyes. Eyes that spoke to them of power, of the darkest, most terrible power. And hatred - hatred nurtured for aeons in the deepest limbo.

The light that had been dancing crazily up the outside of the bridge slowed, changing direction. Now it began to spin anticlockwise, steadily at first, then faster and faster until it was a silver-blue blur encasing the entire length. The thrumming rose in pitch, filling the chamber with a high-pitched whine. The oldest vampires in all the worlds hovered, ready.

‘They will come now,’ said Sana, ‘Be ready.’

The horror of what was about to come through was palpable. It made Willow’s throat dry. It breathed down her neck and raised every hair on her body. It chewed away at the edges of her confidence, threatening to crumble it into dust. Her unwilling eyes were fixed on the other end of the bridge. Despite the suffocating heat, she felt chilled. Willow held on to Tara and Sana, no longer sure of anything other than that at least they would be together.

Down on the cavern floor, the battle raged on. Charley had towed Pippa half-way up a tunnel, put her in the recovery position and rejoined the fight. It was not going well. Spike had cleared the vamps on his side and was now fighting them off from an increasingly embattled Jones and Shorty, but there was a long gash down one side of his face, blood in his eyes and his coat was badly torn. Giles was being backed up, step by step, towards a lava pool by three of Cutter’s ugliest. The knife in his hand still flashed, but it was slowing down. His back was beginning to scorch and he was clearly flagging. Cutter, along with a dozen or so of his elite, was gaining on them.

‘Why don’t you just pick up your mad sister and get out of here?’ Spike said to Charley as she arrived at his side.

Charley responded by releasing a green fire-bolt that caught one of Cutter’s henchmen full in the face, neatly detaching his head.

‘Nice!’ said Spike.

Together they managed to ash the vamps that had cornered Giles, but as the three turned back to Jones and Shorty, they heard a heart-rending cry.

‘Dragos! No!’ Shorty lay on the ground. He was quite still. Jones knelt next to him, cradling Shorty’s head in his arms and rocking back and forth.

The others roared as one, leaping at the vampires in a frenzied attack. But they were doing it with the last of their energy, and they all knew it. It had to be enough.
At one end of the bridge, an ancient creature stood poised, peering down with hideous anticipation. At the other end Willow shuddered.

‘Now is not the time to doubt yourself,’ said Sana,

Willow laced her fingers with Tara’s. Tara the beautiful, Tara the brave. Tara who, without a moment’s hesitation had accepted her role. The Tartaria tablet burned at her throat, illuminating her face. Willow felt an upwelling of love, love that flowed into every last corner of her being, driving out all else.

‘No doubt,’ she said, ‘No doubt.’

For the last time, the three closed their eyes and bowed their heads. The lead vampire had started coming down the bridge, they could feel his power as a terrible, growing dread. There were others behind him. The women concentrated, their faces paling with the effort. Sweat trickled, plastering their hair to their foreheads and dripping on to the stone. And still the Old Ones came. They were more than half-way across now. Willow felt Tara sway beside her, then stumble slightly as her knees began to give way.

‘Noooo!’ she cried, and threw all her power at the bridge. Everything she had spent years holding back, denying, fearing, every last scrap. And it felt wonderful. Tara recovered her balance and squeezed Willow’s hand. Power flowed through the three of them until they became one being with one aim.

And slowly, oh so interminably slowly, the spin wound down, down to a full stop. There was a single, breathless moment and then it began to turn once more. Clockwise. As it gathered speed, the creatures on the bridge realised what was happening. With screams of fury, they hurled themselves down the last few feet. The leader began to emerge at the bottom, head first. The women opened their eyes and looked at him.

‘Too late,’ he grated triumphantly in a flesh-crawling voice.

Tara looked at him fearlessly. ‘I don’t think so,’ she said with a quiet smile.

The Tartaria stone flashed, the vampire reeled back, blinded for a moment. Only a moment, but it was enough to let the clockwise spin reach full throttle. The vampires were caught on the bridge. They could no longer move forward; there was no time to go back.

‘Now!’ As one, the three released their hands and took a pace back. Ghastly screams of anger and despair filled the air as the vampires clawed at the bridge in a final attempt to break free. The hellish noise rose to a crescendo and then suddenly stopped. The sparkling lights dimmed, the spinning slowed to a halt and the thrumming ceased. Now the bridge itself began to fade, and soon there was nothing left of it. The tablet around Tara’s neck was, once more, just two strangely marked pieces of clay stuck together. Ashes drifted down to settle at their feet. All that remained of the scourge of the Vinca people.

‘Thank you, my sisters,’ said Sana.

Tara and Willow bowed to her.

Sana smiled happily. ‘Now I will go,’ she said. She became transparent almost before the words were out of her mouth, and in another moment she was gone. The girls felt sunshine on their face, fresh mountain air and the sharp scent of pine trees in spring.

‘She’s gone?’ said Willow, suddenly bereft.

‘She’s free,’ said Tara, smiling.

‘Oh, well that’s all right then, I guess,’ said Willow, taking Tara’s hand.

Willow and Tara embraced. They kissed, then embraced again. No words were needed. They broke away, still holding hands, to look at the scene in the rest of the cavern.

‘Looks like they could use some help,’ observed Willow.

‘Sure does,’ said Tara.

Spike was in front of the Vincas, seriously outnumbered, but fighting off all comers. Charley was cornered by three more, and looked to be going down at any moment. Giles, his faced etched with exhaustion, was staggering under the blows Albert Cutter was raining down upon him. Willow went to Charley, Tara to Spike. They made the difference. When Giles saw all four heading over to help him, he rallied, and finding strength from who-knows-where, he reached for his belt and drew his last stake. He looked Albert Cutter straight in the eye.

‘Bastard,’ he said, and plunged it into Cutter’s heart. The old vampire looked shocked for a moment. Then he was no more than dust on the ground. Giles, still clutching the stake, sank to his knees.

‘Thank God for that,’ he said, weakly.

The others helped him to his feet. Together, they went to where Jones was still bent over Shorty.

‘Grigore,’ whispered Shorty.

‘No, no, my friend. Don’t try to speak,’ said Jones, ‘We’ll get you out of here, we’ll get help.’

Shorty tried to smile. He looked up at Tara. ‘My Lady,’ he said, ‘we succeeded, yes? You shut them away again?’

‘Better than that,’ said Tara, ‘We turned them to ashes. They’re never coming back.’

Shorty sighed peacefully. ‘Skender,’ he muttered, and closed his eyes for the last time. Jones bent his head and allowed the tears to fall. The others stood over him in sombre silence. At length he got to his feet.

‘I think we are done here, yes?’ he said.

‘Yes,’ said Giles.

The cave had grown darker. No torches burned. The lava pools were quiet. Some of the smaller ones were forming red-black crusts as they cooled. Willow took Giles’s flashlight from his bag and switched it on. She lit a path for Tara back to the huge stone table. Tara returned with the wooden box.

Jones bent down, struggling to pick up Shorty’s body.

Spike was sitting on rock. The cut on his face had healed. He was smoking a cigarette, taking in great lungfuls and exhaling noisily. He flicked the butt into the nearest lava pool and got to his feet.

‘Allow me?’ he said softly, stepping forward.

‘We will be honoured,’ said Jones.

Carefully, Spike took Shorty into his arms.

There was a noise behind them. They all started round, instantly prepared for one last fight. But it was the sight of Pippa that greeted them. She was stumbling out of the tunnel where Charley had deposited her. On seeing her sister, Pippa recovered herself and came marching over to her.

‘It was you!’ she said indignantly, ‘I might have known it. Trust big sister Charlotte to come wading in and spoil my fun. You wait until I tell Mum!’

‘No,’ said Charley, ‘You wait until I tell Mum.’ And with that, she lifted her right hand and socked Pippa squarely on the jaw, caught her as she fell and slung her over her shoulder in a fireman’s lift.

‘Bloody sisters, eh?’ said Spike.

Giles looked round at them all. ‘So – ah, well done everybody,’ he said.

‘Thanks, Giles,’ said Willow. Her smile was wide as she turned to Tara. Taking her hand, Willow pointed the flashlight at the nearest exit, and together they led the way on the long march out of the Highgate Tunnels.



THE END





TITLE THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS
AUTHOR Vivienne
RATING PG-13 ....for the moment!
DISCLAIMER All BTVS characters and certain other aspects of this story belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, ME and associates.
SPOILERS Diverges from canon somewhere early in season six.
THANKS To Wayland (Clare) for her unstinting beta-ing.
FEEDBACK Feel free


THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS


Epilogue



Hampstead was quiet. Rain had been falling steadily all day and was threatening to turn into sleet as the temperature dropped. The few people out on the streets hurried along in the deepening dusk, anxious to be indoors where it was warm and bright.

Giles’s apartment was even quieter. Earlier, Giles had gone to his study and made a phone call. A little later a black limousine silently drew up, leaving soon afterwards with Jones, Shorty’s body and Milady Tartaria’s bones.

‘Will he be okay?’ said Charley as they watched the limo’s taillights disappear around the bend in the road.

‘He won’t have any problems with Customs and the like, if that’s what you mean,’ said Giles, ‘I still have friends in low places.’

It wasn’t what Charley had meant, but she thought that, yes, Jones would be all right and that they would meet again. She went back indoors to call her mother.

Now as the day was ending, Giles slept an exhausted sleep. In the lounge, Pippa slept on one of the long leather sofas. She had returned to consciousness, bewildered, when they arrived back. Charley had murmured soothing words and rubbed some cream on her jaw. Giles had handed round tea and given Pippa a sedative with hers. Charley slept on the other sofa.

Spike watched over them. He’d volunteered to stay awake in case Pippa woke up – partly because he was able to, partly because he liked the look of gratitude Charley gave him, but mostly because he could open a window and chainsmoke himself stupid without being hassled. Anyway, he thought, if the bitch wakes up, I’ll just hit her on the other side of her face.

In the guest bedroom, Tara and Willow were spooned tightly together. Her legs wrapped around Tara’s, Willow’s face was buried deep in blonde hair. Every now and then, one would stir and moan, then hold the other even closer. Eventually the sounds of voices, clattering from the kitchen and the aroma of coffee penetrated their tired brains. Willow stretched sleepily and dragged herself up on her pillows. Tara rolled over and opened her eyes. She took one of Willow’s hands and began stroking it. Willow watched her, noting how perfect Tara’s hands looked, while her own were dirty and bruised, the nails chipped and the polish worn off.

‘I’m going to get a manicure when we get home,’ she said, ‘first thing.’

‘A manicure,’ said Tara, ‘that’s exciting.’

‘Sure it is,’ said Willow, ‘You know I hate to be bored.’

‘Seriously Will,’ Tara’s eyebrows drew together in mock alarm.

‘Seriously,’ said Willow, keeping a straight face, ‘There’s the washer to fix and the shop accounts to do, the yard needs tidying . . . .’ She grinned.

Tara sat up. Now she took both Willow’s hands in her own and looked her in the eyes.

‘I don’t ever want you to feel that our life together is dull. Not ever, not again.’

‘After this?’ said Willow, slowly,’ ‘These last few days? Please – bring on the humdrum.’

Tara put her arms around her
.
Their progress was halted by the buzzing of Willow’s cellphone.

‘Hey Buffy!’ Willow put the phone on loudspeaker and left it on the bedside table.

‘Hey yourself!’ Buffy’s welcome voice filled the room. ‘So what have you guys been up to? How’s Giles? Tell all!’

‘Not so much,’ said Willow, ‘We saw S - ’ Tara shot her a warning look, ‘A few people,’ Willow hastily amended, ‘Did a few things . . . we’re flying out tomorrow.’

‘Well,’ said Buffy, ‘I’m disappointed. Look, why don’t you come by here for a few days before you go home? Stuff is happening. We could use some help. And it sounds like you could use some action.’

Tara and Willow looked at each other.

‘Sure!’ they said in unison.


***



They were all in the lounge, sipping coffee while looking at a snivelling, dejected Pippa when the doorbell rang. Charley ushered in a tall, slender woman somewhere in her forties. She wore a stylish duster coat over a figure-hugging woollen dress and leather boots.

‘My mother,’ announced Charley.

‘Mrs Twistleton,’ Giles stepped forward, offering his hand, ‘Giles – um, Rupert Giles, that is. Please call me Rupert.’

‘How very good to meet you, Rupert,’ she said, taking his hand, ‘And it’s Sarah.’

Giles held her hand for a fraction longer than was strictly necessary before releasing it. He ran his fingers through his hair, cleared his throat and offered her coffee.

Sarah Twistleton sat quietly while Giles ran through an edited version of events, occasionally glancing with pride at one daughter and concern at the other. When Giles had finished she got to her feet and stood over Pippa who was now gazing around vacantly.

‘I’m going to take her down to Dorset,’ she said, ‘I’ve discovered a very good coven near the place where I grew up. They’ll be happy to help, and I don’t think there’s any time to lose.’

‘Do you want me to - ?’ said Charley.

‘No that’s fine Charlotte dear, you stay. I can manage,’ said Sarah, raising Pippa to her feet and guiding her towards the door.

‘They won’t give me an apple,’ said Pippa mournfully, ‘do you have any apples?’

‘Yes darling,’ lied Sarah gently, ‘In the car.’

‘What’s the deal with Pippa and the apples?’ said Willow as they watched Sarah and Pippa leaving.

‘No idea,’ Charley shrugged, ‘One day, I’ll have to ask her.’

Sarah bent to get into her car, and then straightened up as if she’d forgotten something.

‘Do keep in touch, Rupert,’ she smiled, ‘Charlotte will give you my number.’

‘Oh yes, yes of course – thank you,’ Giles waved, blushing just a little.

The five of them went out to dinner that night – well, four of them did the eating. It was a relaxed affair with much wine, conversation and plans for future fun. Willow found it hard to take her eyes off Tara.

Tara was wearing the blue silk dress bought in Exeter in, it seemed, another life. Her hair was caught up in a loose French knot, exposing her lovely neck. Willow thought she had never seen anyone so beautiful. Tara was thinking much the same about the slender woman in chocolate-and-flame, her vivid green eyes sparkling. Tara’s world.

‘So you’re a Dorset Twistleton,’ Spike said to Charley as they left the restaurant, ‘I thought you looked familiar – I knew your great-great grandmother, Jane.’ He put one hand on her bottom and steered her firmly towards the Mini.

‘I remember this one time she . . . .’ his voice trailed off into the distance as they neared the car. Then there was a sharp crack.

‘Ow!’ he said, ‘That was so uncalled for.’ But he was smiling.

‘Think she’ll be all right?’ said Giles anxiously.

Tara and Willow laughed, ‘Oh yeah,’ said Willow. ‘She’ll be fine,’ said Tara.

Later - much later, Tara and Willow lay in one another’s arms. They were silent, for all the words had been used. They were at peace, for all the deeds had been done. With their fingers they traced shapes and shadows, each on the other, both of them marvelling at the very existence of their beloved.


***



The chiming of the clock awoke the ancient oak from a dream of the past. The dream had been of long ago, a dream of youth. Of a time when it had been one of many oaks, when there had been trees all the way up the hill and down to the gleaming river. When women had come to them bearing torches.

The clock chimes died away, echoing the beautiful, long-forgotten song of those women. The tree remembered it, remembered it well.

Now, a man came out of the house. He strolled down the garden and stopped at the tree. Reaching out his hand, he patted it thoughtfully, murmured a few words and stood awhile. The tree slept. When it woke up, the man was gone.

The tree had another dream. This time it dreamt, not of the past, but of the future.

Two acorns that somehow survive to travel across ocean and continent now put down their roots in a new land. In time, and helped by loving hands, they spring up into sturdy saplings. More time passes, and the twin saplings grow into spreading oaks, sheltering and caring for those who care for them. Songs are sung. New songs. And in a longer time, those oaks seed children of their own, until another Sacred Grove is born, half a world away, lending its power to witches and keeping the darkness at bay for many generations yet to come.

The old oak sleeps on. The clock ticks.


***

_________________
The Highgate Tunnels A Vampire Is Not Just For Christmas The Things We Say


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 Post subject: Re: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS COMPLETED November 2nd 2013
PostPosted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 12:38 pm 
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Posts: 729
Topics: 22
DIBS YAY :APPLAUSE

HI Vivienne, :bigwave I don't mind delivering feedback when stories are this good.

Your reply to my question on the London HellMouth and the Watcher's Council makes me wonder just how much the council are aware of what is happening in London?

The oldest vampires in all the worlds hovered, ready.

If I remember my Buffy correctly IN season 7 doesn't Giles refer to the Turok Han as the oldest vampires? Is that what these are

Spike was sitting on rock. The cut on his face had healed.

I know that vampires can heal quickly but can they really heal even faster than a Slayer?

I know that Willow and Tara are running the Magic Box in Sunnydale but can you remind me what the rest of the Scooby's are up to.

I just wondered if the story is set after an alternate season 7.

Is the oak tree at the end of the story a being of magic too

That was such a great story to read, thanks for putting up on the Board Vivienne :derr


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 Post subject: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS COMPLETED November 2nd 2013
PostPosted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 2:33 pm 
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Topics: 15
Location: Beyond the orbit of Mars and accelerating...
Wow, Wicked ending!

It was a GOOD story, but i think the tree was one of the best bits!

I may have to find a way to work the thoughts of a tree into a story now.
Hmm...

Anyway, nice finish!

Well done. :balloons

I may have to go back and read it through again, to see what it feels like as one piece. :bounce

R :flower

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“All I feel is sunlight. All I hear is music.” Willow
How i Met Your Mother - By Ariel


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 Post subject: Re: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS COMPLETED November 2nd 2013
PostPosted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 11:35 am 
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3. Flaming O
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Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2013 10:32 am
Posts: 75
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Location: North Carolina
I read this through in one shot and must say, nicely done overall. Strong story line, great intrigue at the beginning, strong descriptions, and of course, wonderful ending. This was quite an enjoyable read for me. I think the oak tree connection was a nice piece as well. Thank you for the great story.
-H.

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 Post subject: Re: Re: THE HIGHGATE TUNNELS COMPLETED November 2nd 2013
PostPosted: Sun Dec 01, 2013 10:32 am 
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4. Extra Flamey

Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 3:02 pm
Posts: 220
Location: England
Vivienne,

I’ve just finished reading The Highgate Tunnels all the way through from beginning to end for the first time. I really, really enjoyed it. Great pacing, spot on characterisation and some really snappy dialogue are just a few of its qualities. Your original characters are three dimensional and the BtVS characters are true to those we fell in love with. I found that the tension mounts brilliantly when you read it in one go, all the way to its dramatic conclusion. (And, of course, bringing the Scooby gang to Devon is great fun.)

It’s hard to imagine that before The Highgate Tunnels and before we discovered the Kitten Board, you hadn’t written anything longer than short stories. Writing a novel-length story was back then an unfulfilled ambition, (it was for me too), and I’m grateful for the encouragement and support of all the KB readers. It was invaluable in achieving that goal.

It was a pleasure to work as your beta on Highgate. Our weekly meetings have been a lot of fun. I learned a lot, seeing you handle a pretty large cast of characters and an action based plot. Keeping track of everything was sometimes difficult and occasionally we gnashed our teeth over a minor inconsistency pointed out by a KB reader – an inevitability, I think, in a story written and published in serial form – but at the same time, it was great to know that readers were paying such close attention.

Most of all, I admire the way you stuck with the story, even when real life forced interruptions in your writing. Lots of people start stories, but the determination to keep going right through to The End, is not so common.

Well done,

love, Clare

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