Title: Twisted part 3
Author: Magrat
Ratings: PG: 13
Spoilers: Season 6 Buffy and Season 3 Angel
Disclaimer and note: “Borrowing” is a skill that Terry Pratchett gives to the more powerful witches in his Disc World novels. Don’t sue me I’m just borrowing the idea.
Twisted part 3
“Will” said Buffy. “Please calm down”
“Calm down” said the redhead shaking visibly. “You are talking on the phone about someone stealing Tara’s body and bringing her back to life, how do you expect me to feel”
“Please Willow if you sit down I will explain everything to you, as soon as I have finished talking to Angel” said Buffy.
“Angel, how the hell does Angel know?” said Willow.
“Willow if you want to help Tara you are going to have to trust me,” said Buffy.
The redhead sat down but Buffy could see the energy crackling within her.
“Sorry Angel. Yeah that was Will, she overheard…We are coming to L.A…as soon as possible…is there enough room for me and Giles” she steals a look at Willow “and Willow…I’ll leave Dawn with Xander.”
*************************
“Willow overheard,” said Angel to his assembled staff.
“How did she take it?” asked Cordy.
“How do you think, I could hear her ranting. God I’m glad that her power has been dissipated” said the vampire.
“Are you sure” said Cordy.
“Well that’s what Giles told me,” said Angel and then a little more hesitantly “They are coming here”
“Who are they?” asked Cordelia. “And don’t tell me Willow is coming here”
Angel stands looking down at his feet.
“She is, isn’t she, a powerful witch who went on a vengeance kick that could match you at your best is coming here to face Wolfram and Hart. Why have a bad feeling about that?” said Cordy.
“She seemed so small and vulnerable at the funeral,” said Fred.
“Well she is that too” said Cordy “But I don’t think she has that much control when it comes to Tara.”
“She loved her,” said Gunn. “Love makes people do stupid things”
“Before we get into the meaning of love and everything else shouldn’t we do some research and try and figure what lovely people at Wolfram and Hart want with Tara?” asked Angel.
*************************
“I’m still waiting for you to tell me what’s so special about the witch,” said Lilah now that she and Gavin were back in the office.
“It’s not really so much about the witchcraft but about her psychic abilities, without even thinking about it she was able to tell when the two slayers swapped bodies, she is a natural empath and we believe she can read aura’s and when trained will be able to read minds,” said Gavin.
“I don’t see how that makes her that important, we already have people who work for the firm that have these powers,” said Lilah.
“She also come from a long line of witches who have the ability to borrow,” said Gavin.
“”Borrow?” asked Lilah. “I’m not familiar with that term.”
“They have the ability whilst in a trance to go into the minds of animals, control their movements, with Tara’s other physic powers we think we can get her to control humans and demons. We believe if we can harness all these power together she will be able to influence people in much the same way as Billy did. Basically we are sure that not only could she ruin a number of trials for us, but with the right sort of training, people will kill for her and because of her innocent looks and demeanour no one would ever suspect a thing,” said Gavin.
“I think you’ve been watching to much ‘La Femme Nikita’ I don’t see her as the trained killer type” said Lilah. “And I can’t see her persuading someone to kill for her”
“Well a perfectly nice young witch ripped a man’s skin off because of her,” said Gavin.
“Come on, she had enormous power and an addiction to black magic, and had just had her lover’s heart splattered all over her I don’t believe that proves the point” said Lilah.
“Maybe not but the senior partners have been tracking Tara for a while and her death gave them the perfect way to get her from the slayer and all the do-gooders who live in Sunnydale” said Gavin.
“I still think you have an impossible task to make her a killer. She isn’t evil and she isn’t part demon like Billy was,” said Lilah. “You are going to fail”
“That’s where you and the memory block come in, you’ve just got yourself a little sister,” said Gavin.
“I don’t think so, I’m not getting involved in this” said Lilah. “You can sort out your own mess”
Gavin smiles and tosses her a folder “You better brush up on your part before you go and see her and Lilah that order is not from me it’s from Linwood”
************************
“Hi Lilah”
“Angel” said the lawyer a little twisted smile on her face. “Recovered from your swim yet and have you and your son been on any more bonding trips”
Angel kept a tight grip on himself not allowing the lawyer to see how much her baiting was getting to him. “I’m here to find out why your company has started to bring dead witches back to life”
“Angel you know there is a word for men who stalk women in underground car parks; oh wait you’re not a man are you and the witch, don’t get involved she is more important than you are. At last gentlemen” said Lilah indicating to the men who had appeared surrounding the vampire. “Angel try this again or come anywhere near Tara and the senior partners will have you put down at last.”
***********************
“Gavin how the hell did Angel know about the witch” said Lilah looking angry “I thought you said that we were making sure no one could sense that she was back in the world of the living.”
“I don’t know, it doesn’t matter though,” said the lawyer looking confident.
“It doesn’t matter, Angel knows all her friends in Sunnydale, do you think for one minute that the slayer isn’t going to arrive here all pumped up and ready for action” said Lilah wanting to shake Gavin for his smugness.
“It doesn’t matter we are going to transfer her to a secret location, so that we can get on with her training. Do you understand your part?” said Gavin.
“Yeah” said Lilah sharply. “And I hate taking orders from you”
“There aren’t from me they are from Linwood, now are you ready?” said Gavin.
“Won’t she be able to read me?” asked Lilah.
“No she is very confused at the moment, she might sense that there is something wrong but I think she’ll put that down to the situation” said Gavin.
“Lets hope your right,” said Lilah.
****************************
Tara sat on huddled on a bed in a very comfortable hotel room, she felt so scared, she kept trying to remember but nothing came to her. She had had a few visitors but they brought back nothing. If she closed her eyes tight she could see flashes of red and green but nothing else and she was starting to feel claustrophobic, she had been in this room for two days but the doctor who visited her had told her she couldn’t leave, that she needed to rest.
She heard the knock at the door and looked up when she saw the man who had told her that he was her lawyer enter with a woman she didn’t know.
“Oh Tara sweetie, I’m so glad your alive” said the woman rushing forward and hugging Tara “ I was so scared I had lost you too”
“W-what” said Tara struggling to release her herself from the woman’s embrace. “W-who are you?”
“Oh god, Gavin I know you said she had lost her memory but I thought she might remember me when she saw me” and then turning to Tara. “Sweetie I’m Lilah your sister. I came here as fast as I could but I’ve got so much to organise, what with the funerals and everything” said Lilah.
“F-funerals…”
“Lilah, she doesn’t know yet, we didn’t know how to tell her,” said Gavin.
“Oh no, I’m sorry” said Lilah.
“W-what’s going on; p-please for god sake someone tell me” said Tara.
Lilah looks at Gavin for his approval and he nods his head. “Tara, sweetie it’s a long story but” and for added affect the lawyer lets her voice break and her lips start to quiver. “You were on holiday with mom and dad in Jamaica, someone blew up the boat you were staying on, you must have been thrown clear”
Tara desperately searches the face of the person who she believes is her sister and the tears start to roll down her face. “Are are you saying our mom and dad are dead.”
“Yes”-said Lilah. “And there is no easy way of putting this but so’s Beth”
“Beth?” said Tara shaken not sure if she can listen any longer.
“Your daughter” said Lilah simply.
“D-d-daughter” said Tara feeling like all the air had been sucked out her body. “I-I don’t understand”
“It’s because of us,” said Lilah. “The job we do, that’s why they were murdered.”
Tara collapsed into the lawyer’s lap feeling totally lost.
TBC
These five words in my head scream "are we having fun yet?"
Chad Kroeger
Edited by: Magrat70 at: 7/22/02 5:58:57 am