by jixer » Tue May 17, 2005 8:16 am
Title: The Witch Queen Of Sunnydale
Author: Jixer
E-mail: jixers at yahoo.com
Feedback: Please. Bouquets and brickbats welcome
Distribution: Any free fanfiction site
Spoilers: Up through Tough Love.
Rating: PG.
Pairing: W/T
Disclaimer: All characters of BtVS are owned by Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon. If they were mine we’d be watching a show with a black and white cat in the credits.
Summary: A darker look at one of my favorite characters
THE WITCH QUEEN OF SUNNYDALE
Tara Maclay felt totally awful. Around her the Multicultural Fair swirled. The normally fascinating variations in music and color were distant and drab. She’d had a fight with Willow that could have, should have been avoided. She could have trusted the redhead and brought up her concerns. Tara knew she’d ruined the best thing in her life.
Then the impossible happened. Warm fingers interlaced with hers. Tara looked up but saw, instead of her best hope, her worst fear.
“Is this seat taken?” Glory asked brightly.
Tara didn’t really hear the mad god’s words for the next moment. An insanely lighthearted skein of killing and helplessness barely registered as the witch looked at a being that brought an endless, lost madness to her victims.
Then the pain lanced through her hand. Tara struggled not to cry out. People would try to help. They’d die. Then to her horror Glory brought up her throbbing hand and licked it. The hellgod spat with disgust.
“You lying little tramp!” Glory hissed. “You’re not the Key! You’re nothing! Just another worthless human being!”
“I didn’t-” Tara tried to say.
“I hate being lied to!” Glory pouted. “It makes me feel so betrayed.” Then the thing in a beautiful woman’s form turned to face Tara directly. “Hey!” You wanna make it all better? If you tell me who the Key really is…I’ll let you go.”
Tara felt fear for her family race through her. Glory read her alarm on her face, and added pressure in her words and crushing strength. Fear and pain brought tears to Tara’s eyes and she began to cry softly. Glory’s anger at the witch’s silence brought another tightening on an already shattered hand.
*Enough* Sounded in the god’s mind. Glory glared at Tara.
“Who-is-the-key?” she snarled.
===========================================================
Willow had been running forever. Tara was alone because of her. What if she was hurt? What if Glory killed her? The red haired witch tasted bile as she barreled into the crowded park. She saw Glory holding Tara’s hand and saw Tara’s tears. Willow’s concentration shattered as she struggled to get to Tara.
===========================================================
Tara looked at Glory. Not for an instant had she ever considered giving up Dawn. Tara met Glory’s eyes. The auburn haired monster read the defiance there.
*I said that’s enough, bitch!*
“Fine!” Glory snapped. “Let’s get crazy!”
Tara tried to pull away and in her fear felt her power touch something she should know…
===========================================================
Willow saw Glory’s hands raise towards Tara’s temples. She was trying to speak a spell in panic. Then her power touched something almost familiar…
===========================================================
The hands that touched Tara’s face were warm, human, and male. Ben looked at Tara. He looked stunned, then horrified. Tara couldn’t understand where Glory had gone or why Ben was wearing her dress.
“Oh God!” Ben almost whimpered. “I’m sorry!”
Then he leapt up and, for a man, ran away fairly gracefully in heels. He dodged through the crowd. Then Willow was holding Tara and the blonde witch started to cry and clung to her lover with desperation. Willow looked up trying to find the creature that had hurt her girl. Willow saw a flash of red, and recognized the dress if not the man in it. As she watched with rage and fear in her heart his grace failed him and he pitched headlong into a booth with full of pottery.
===========================================================
The owner of Sea Breeze Song Sparrow’s Pots Of Power looked up just in time to see a really handsome cross-dresser trip towards her wares. She thought something small had darted between his legs but that very brief thought was driven out by the horror of watching that cute face fall onto and shatter her largest glazed pot.
===========================================================
“Where is she?” Tara asked in a frightened voice.
“I think-” Willow looked at the last place she’d seen the dress clearly. There was a crowd there now. Then a bicycle cop wheeled up. The crowd parted to reveal a man in a dress sprawled on the display of the booth. The fall of scarlet liquid made Willow shield Tara’s view. Then a veil seemed to part in her thoughts.
“Glory turned into Ben!” She and Willow said at once.
===========================================================
“Ben turned into Glory!” Dawn blurted out suddenly.
“What?” Buffy said looking around the kitchen. “Where?”
“At the hospital!” Dawn said shaking her head. “I just remembered! One second he was trying to get me out of there and then he turned into her. Why couldn’t I remember that?”
“It might have been a spell,” Buffy said grabbing the phone.
===========================================================
Spike was ambling down his favorite stretch of sewer when a he heard steps behind him. He whirled around, deftly protecting his new carton of smokes. In the pale light of the sewer Doc looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“Don’t worry,” the mild looking man said. “I don’t smoke.”
“Right,” Spike said relaxing a bit. “Why are you down here in this nasty sewer?”
“Oh, it’s not so bad,” Doc shrugged. “Not as historic as London’s of course.”
“Yeah, well, not much can compare to those elegant beauties,” Spike agreed.
“Prague comes close,” Doc added thoughtfully. “But Paris was always overrated.”
“It’s the tourists,” Spike said with nod. “Now, why are you down here?”
“Looking for you, actually,” Doc replied pleasantly. “Something big happened in the local magic. Really big.”
“And?”
“You know the Slayer’s witches, right?” Doc asked hopefully.
“Oh yeah,” Spike answered. “Red and her bird are top flight. Cute too.”
“Are they good or evil?” Doc asked intently.
“What?” Spike said with a surprised grin. “They hang out with the bloody Slayer and do the hocus pocus for her.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t say what path they follow,” Doc pointed out.
“I know what path they follow,” the vampire said with a leer. When Doc seemed simply puzzled Spike shrugged. “Tara’s a real old style, born in the blood good witch. Path of Light, the whole nine yards. Red can get a bit possessive but she’s a good kid, worries about rules and whatnot.”
“It wasn’t them,” Doc said mostly to himself. “But they’re…Thank you, Spike.”
“Hey!” Spike called after him as Doc walked away with a look of concentration. “What’s the big mojo news?”
Doc looked up with a start. “You don’t know?” he asked.
“Don’t touch the stuff myself,” Spike explained.
“Glorificus is dead,” Doc sighed. “She was after the shy witch.”
===========================================================
Willow watched helplessly as the doctor and nurses carefully bound Tara’s hand. Tara had been afraid to take too much of the pain medication and Willow could feel her heart break with every wince on Tara’s face. Finally the cast team finished and left with a spate of orders. There was a commotion at the opening to the bay as the splint team left.
“Tara!” Dawn almost shouted with relief in her voice. “Oh my God…”
“It doesn’t h-hurt much,” Tara lied softly.
“Glory?” Buffy asked with steel in her voice.
“She broke thirteen bones in Tara’s hand,” Willow said with a voice flat from anger.
“Why?” Dawn asked horrified.
“She thought I w-w-w-” Tara tried to answer.
“The Key,” Willow said angrily, then regretted her tone as Dawn flinched. “Dawn, it’s not-”
“My fault?” Dawn asked on the edge of tears.
“You didn’t do this,” Tara said with a firm but gentle voice. “You didn’t ask to be turned into a teenager.”
“In a small town,” Willow added, “On a Hellmouth,”
“Is she alright?” Xander asked as he hurried into the bay. The he looked at Tara’s hand and blanched.
“It looks worse than it is,” Tara said with a smile that fooled no one.
“You’ll impress the shopkeeper with that stiff upper lip,” Spike said from the entrance.
“What are you doing here?” Xander demanded.
“Bearing news,” Spike said lazily. “And checking up on Red’s bird. The Watcher said she was here and Red was hysterical.”
“We’re fine,” Willow said not leaving Tara’s side.
“What’s the news?” Buffy asked brusquely. “And what is it going to cost me?”
“I’ll put it on your tab,” Spike said with a grin. “Turns out the big bad is dead, and somebody’s asking about your witches.”
===========================================================
In Doc’s book-filled house a door opened and then stood there slightly ajar. Beneath his muttering an incantation there was the sound of glass sliding on wood but the white haired human looking demon didn’t look up. His tail reached out and grabbed a glass phial from behind him. Suddenly he felt another presence and looked up into green eyes.
“You do exist,” he said with a detached tone. Then he touched what looked like a watermark left from bachelor living and smiled. “Encase entire,” he intoned. A blue light surrounded his opponent. “Sorry, I can’t have you interfering while I eliminate your channels.”
*Of course,* a voice agreed too easily in his mind. *But shouldn’t that have been oxidized dragon blood then?*
Doc looked down with horror as the beaker in front of him thrummed.
===========================================================
In line at the hospital pharmacy Tara let out a small cry and grabbed her wrapped hand.
“What is it?” Willow asked in a frightened voice.
“Crushing…” Tara gasped.
===========================================================
In Doc’s house there was a fiery explosion that left charred bits of the former demon scattered in his workroom. A tall version of Glory’s minions burst into the room. He looked at the destruction with dismay and then saw the figure on the desk. He dropped to his knees.
“Spare me, oh Queen of the Witches!” he cried out. “I tremble before your power!”
*Nicely groveled*
“Thank you,” he said in an obsequious voice. “Your thoughts are golden treasures of wisdom.”
*Listen to me and do as I say and you will live to toady again*
“Anything, Your Magnificence,” he replied.
===========================================================
Tara suddenly sighed in relief. “It’s stopped, whatever it was,” she said with relief.
“Maybe it was phantom pain,” Xander suggested with a desperate sounding hope. “Or maybe you need more pain drugs.”
“Or something else is happening here,” Buffy muttered. “Will, are the warning spells still around the Magic Box?”
“Yeah,” Willow said with a protective arm around Tara’s shoulders.
“Xander, take Tara and Willow to the Magic Box,” Buffy said quickly. “Take Dawn with you. Tell Giles what’s happening.”
“Why can’t I go with you?” Dawn asked. “Glory’s dead.”
Buffy grabbed Dawn’s arm and pulled her sister away. Buffy leaned close. “Listen,” Buffy said softly. “You know Tara thinks of you as her little sister and you know how she worries.”
“Oh,” Dawn said subdued.
“Keep an eye on both of them,” Buffy instructed. “Willow’s pretty much frazzled. Also I need you to make sure Xander tells Giles everything. Giles will need to know everything to start the research. We’ve got to protect Tara and Willow. Got it?”
“Right,” Dawn said resolutely. “Watch Willow and Tara, make sure Xander gets the story straight. Can I help with the research?”
“Don’t ignore Will and Tara,” Buffy warned.
“I won’t!” Dawn replied. Then the teenager returned to the group and helped Willow get Tara’s jacket back on her and went with the others without a word. Spike watched them leave and then looked at Buffy.
“What did you say to her?” he asked.
“I appealed to a higher power.”
===========================================================
“Extraordinary,” Giles said at the end of Xander’s recitation of the day’s events with only a few prompts from Dawn. “A co-joined deity and mortal.”
“This was supposed to be an exile for Glory,” Anya said with shudder. “Imagine being saddled with a mortal.”
“Quite,” Giles said with meaningful look at his junior partner. “So where is Buffy going?”
“She’s going to talk to the guy who was asking about us,” Willow said. “I should have gone with them.”
“Not without me,” Tara said softly.
“I think you’re where you need to be,” Giles said.
===========================================================
The flames roared in the remains of Doc’s house, but beyond the brightness of the windows there was no sign of the fire on the exterior walls of the house. It wasn’t until the Slayer and the vampire turned onto the street that the Witch Queen leapt from the last unburned patch of Doc’s workbench into the heart of the flames.
===========================================================
Buffy’s eyes widened when she saw the house burst into flame. She began to run forward and then saw a figure stagger away from the burning structure’s porch. Buffy grabbed the scurrying being and then wished gloves were more fashionable. The small, scabby minion looked at her with terror.
“Don’t kill me!” he squealed. “I have a message!”
“A message?” Buffy said drawing him closer and then thinking better of it. “From who?”
“She who did this!” the minion said pointing at the burning house.
“Glory?” Buffy asked with angry fear.
At the name of the late hellgod the small creature began to weep.
“No, not her!” he said brokenly. “The one who killed her, the Witch Queen!”
“Who?” Buffy asked suddenly ignoring the smell.
“The Witch Queen!” the minion sobbed. “The cruel, capricious legend is true. We ignored the signs and now we are doomed to return to lives of chartered accountancy.”
“Bloody hell,” Spike muttered and stepped away from the minion.
===========================================================
The group clustered around the table looked up from their respective books at the sound of the bell over the Magic Box’s front door. Tara seemed to have given a slight start and Buffy felt a stab of failure. The Slayer had enough control to not show her anger as the blonde witch gently set her arm on the table.
“Any luck?” Giles asked hopefully.
“We caught a bottom feeder but we let him go,” Buffy replied. “But before we did he said somebody called the Witch Queen killed Glory.”
“Did Bigfoot help her?” Xander asked with a shake of his head.
“She’s real,” Anya snapped. “Damn, that makes sense.”
“You knew her?” Xander asked.
“Never met her,” Anya said with a shrug. “She was really stand-offish anyway. She’s older than dirt and crotchety.”
“If she saved Tara, I’d say she’s okay,” Willow said quickly.
“Oh, she does that too,” Anya said. “Pull a kid out of well and the orphan has pockets full of gold. Unbalance the magic of some stupid little town with a Hellmouth though and you get your butt teleported to the land of Perpetual Tuesday with nothing but your skin and a ringing headache.”
“A Hellmouth?” the others asked almost as one.
“Yes,” Anya said. “There was something else about this that fits but I can’t remember what it is.”
“Yes, something about evil and…” Giles said. He frowned thoughtfully and began to look through the books. “Anya, do we have a copy of Mercier’s Illustrated History of Witchcraft?”
“No, somebody sold it to get their BMW’s transmission fixed,” Anya replied snappishly.
“Oh,” Giles said softly.
“I have one,” Tara said softly.
“You do?” Giles asked.
“It was my m-mother’s,” Tara explained.
“Then I’m sure it’s in excellent condition,” Giles said gently.
“Shall I go get it?” Tara asked.
“If you don’t mind, can we all go?” Buffy said quickly. “I know Glory’s gone but until we know what we’re up against I’d like to make sure everyone’s safe.”
“I’m kind of feeling safer in a group as well,” Willow agreed. “I think we’re guest ready.”
“There won’t be any sex toys out in view, will there?” Anya asked. “I know how private you two are about your more physical lesbian activities.”
“No,” Willow said turning a beet red.
“Thank you for your concern,” Tara said blushing but smiling for the first time since she’d come to Magic Box.
“Friends do that for each other,” Anya said smiling brightly.
“Yeah,” Xander said quickly. “I’ll get your coat, honey.”
As the Scoobies made ready to depart Buffy helped Tara and Willow get their things. With Dawn out of the way Buffy looked Tara in the eye and asked softly, “She wanted the Key, didn’t she?”
“Um,” Tara said. Then she nodded quickly.
“Thank you,” Buffy said quickly and turned away.
It took half an hour and several squabbles about seating before two carloads of Scoobies with an attached Key and vampire arrived at Stephenson Hall. Willow opened the door carefully and was greeted with the sight of Miss Kitty washing her tail industriously.
“Hi baby,” Tara said as she reached out to pick up the cat. She used her right hand without thinking and Miss Kitty sniffed the cast and then licked it. “Sorry, honey, I’m afraid tummy rubs are out of the question for a while.”
“You’re good with your left hand,” Willow pointed out hopefully.
“Don’t,” Buffy warned Spike. Xander just turned a bit more red.
“The Mercier?” Giles asked with restrained curiosity.
“Second shelf down,” Tara said. “Next to Nineteenth Century Art.”
“Ah yes,” Giles said pulling it out carefully. “Here we are.”
The group gathered around and looked at the nearly two hundred year old book. On one page there was a chapter headed in French and on the facing page there was an exquisite woodcut. An ancient and yet regal crone looked out with royal confidence. The only thing marring the picture was a small, blackened space on the right bottom that none of the Scoobies really noticed.
“Here it is,” Giles read. “Mercier writes that the Witch Queen defeated Set in the First Dynasty, and was cursed to be forever linked to evil places. She’s powerful, dangerous, fickle, and can be kind or cruel for the least of reasons or for none at all.”
“Sounds like any other woman,” Spike muttered.
“Further, Mercier says that two bonded witches, good but living in a evil place, are sure markers that the Witch Queen is nearby. They are her balance.”
“That’s what I couldn’t remember,” Anya said quickly.
“They’re bonded,” Dawn said. “And good.”
“And Sunnydale is Hellmouth Central,” Buffy mused.
*But it doesn’t explain everything* tickled in Giles’ subconscious.
“Still, that leaves some things unanswered,” Giles said aloud.
*Maybe it’s just the two good witches in a bad place* Xander was sure he thought.
“Maybe it’s just Willow and Tara being good on a Hellmouth,” Xander said.
“Did either of you feel any stirring of your power before Glory changed?” Giles asked carefully.
“Something,” Tara said in a shaky voice.
“I couldn’t get the spell out,” Willow said flatly. “Then something happened and Ben was there.”
“Perhaps together you’re more powerful than either of you know,” Giles said musing aloud.
“But what about the legend?” Anya insisted. “I knew this demon, who was bound to a wizard who lover’s sister actually saw the Witch Queen. And then there was the time I was doing a vengeance gig in Nepal-”
“Perpetual Tuesday,” Giles interjected. “But were you doing anything at the time that could have unbalanced the local Hellmouth manifestation?”
“Well, I was hung over,” Anya admitted. Willow snorted very softly. “Listen! Tequila was a new thing then!”
“You tried to do magic with a tequila hangover?” Tara asked aghast.
“Okay, not the brightest choice,” Anya admitted. “But I figured I’d borrow some power from the Hellmouth and the next thing I know, no weekends. That cleaned me up fast.”
*Legend explaining phenomena* Giles reasoned suddenly.
“Because it was a Hellmouth and there were two good witches in town it must have been the Witch Queen?” Giles asked.
“What else could it have been?” Anya asked.
“Two bonded witches, their connection increasing their power beyond anything they could normally do, protecting their community without conscious thought,” Giles said in his most irritating lecture voice.
“And when their bond was threatened the two best witches in Sunnydale stopped Glory in her tracks,” Dawn said proudly.
“The two most tired witches in Sunnydale,” Buffy said firmly when Willow tried to hide her yawn. “The ones who are going to bed after we leave them alone.”
There was a fairly quick leave taking, with hugs and reassuring words for both Tara and Willow. Anya’s embrace of Tara was most careful, but she recovered for Willow. Finally it was just the two of them. Tara slumped on the bed and petted a curled up Miss Kitty carefully with her left hand before Willow took over getting ready for sleep. Like a mother hen with one chick Willow gave Tara her medications, checked the dressing, helped with Tara’s pajamas, and finally crawled into bed next to her love.
“Are you okay?” Willow asked anxiously.
“I’m getting there,” Tara replied sleepily. “I’m sorry about the fight.”
“I should have listened,” Willow said bitterly.
“I should have spoken sooner,” Tara said with a tear.
“Why didn’t you?” Willow asked, “I need you Tara. I need you to tell me when I’m getting in over my head. And I need you to be with me for about the next eighty years or so.”
“I know that in my heart now,” Tara admitted more happily.
“Never doubt it again,” Willow said with a firm nod of her head.
“Even when you’re lusting after Angelina Jolie in a tank top?” Tara asked in a teasing tone.
“I never!” Willow gasped.
“You’re blushing,” Tara said with a smile.
Willow reached over and turned out the light. “There,” the redhead announced. “No blushing, see?”
Tara’s reply was to gently caress Willow’s hot cheek. “Nope, can’t see any blushing.”
Willow felt Tara shift her position and snuggle closer. “Go to sleep, honey.” Willow said softly.
“Okay…” Tara mumbled. Her rhythmic deep breaths soon showed her obedience.
A moment later Willow relaxed just enough for everything she’d been through that day finally catch up to her. She shivered slightly and fell asleep with a protective arm around Tara.
In the dark Miss Kitty leapt up onto the desk and glanced at the book, concentrating on the small smudge on the right bottom of the illustration. *A pity,* she thought, but only to herself. *Mercier was a genius. He caught me perfectly. Not a bad job with Hannah either.*
She blinked and the book closed and floated back to its place on the shelf. The girls would not question that. Then she leapt off and sprang into bed, careful not to wake them. She eased down and began to lick Tara’s wounded hand gently. *Foolishly brave, fiercely loyal, true lovers, and defenders of the good.* Miss Kitty mused to herself. *Not to mention the best belly rubs since the Bronze Age. This will be healed and I need to keep a closer eye on you two in the future. You’re going to be my channels of good for a long, long time.*
Then the Witch Queen let out a soft purr and went to sleep.
sorry, bad attempt at self-deprecating humor. I'm good research, and googling led me to Matthew 10:29 -- that's where it comes from, right? I think I get it, but even if I don't completely, it doesn't take away my enjoyment of this short story. 
