The Late Shift (FIC)

[wiccachica]

What's This?

A Late Afternoon Edition?

Chapter Eighty-Seven: My Little NGC 2346

" You are so lucky I didn’t have to go in there and find you." Buffy says to me sternly…looking into my eyes.

" I’m the lucky one…who knows what you would have knocked over in my brain…" I say softly to her….

It’s a pretty good catatonia joke…but somehow…nothing feels funny to me right now…

We’re all standing around here…doing nothing…okay..well…Spike, Anya, and Dawn DID go to find out if Tara had gotten safely back to her apartment…so I guess that is doing SOMETHING….

And here I was…doing nothing but sitting in the Magic Box..on the verge of catatonia…feeling sorry for myself. And upon realizing this..proceeding then to feel even sorrier for myself…

It’s a vicious cycle.

" We’ll find her…don’t worry…" Xander says to me, while he and Buffy slide the old table back over the porthole where it belongs.

" But what happens when we find her?" I ask. He looks at Buffy with a slightly panicked expression..

" We…we figure out how to fix this…" She says.

" Any ideas on how we do that?" I counter…and I can see she is at a loss… I hate to corner her like this, but I want her to see how just finding Tara is not going to fix this…

" I don’t know yet…but we’ll FIX it, Will…I promise…and when I make a promise…I keep it." She says pointedly.

I believe she means it….I KNOW she does…but I don’t think she has the slightest hint of the sheer magnitude of her promise….

They finish with the table and move to sit by me.

" If any two people belong together, Will…it’s you and Tara…I MEAN that and you know it." Xander says.

" Yeah…what kind of universe would this be, Kiddo?" Buffy seconds. They put their arms around me and we all three rock in silence for a moment…gathering our strength.

" I think that this is the Hellmouth’s way of punishing me for finally being so happy." I say finally.

I feel them both hug me a little harder..but neither of them mentions the fact that I just might be right…

And as if on cue… the front door opens and three solemn looking Scoobies enter….

They don’t even have to say it out loud. I can see it on their faces…. Especially Dawn’s

She looks equally frightened and unrelenting….

" It looks like she’d packed a few things…" Spike says apologetically.

" He’s trying to say she’s gone…but he wants to spare your feelings." Anya says.

" Thank you, Anya…." Spike says….too upset right now to make a snide comment.

" We’re going to find her, Willow." Dawn says tenaciously. She sticks out her determined little chin.

" No we’re not." I say and they all look at me.

" We won’t find Tara unless she wants to be found." I say…. And just as I’m about to slip back into feeling morosely sorry for myself….Dawn knocks off a glass figurine from a nearby shelf.

We all jump and look up at her to find she hadn’t knocked it off at all…she had thrown it down….…

We all stare in awe at the little fireball standing amidst a shattered ceramic deity…. Anya gasps and clutches at her chest as though stuck through the heart with a hot poker…

" WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE???!!! DID YOU LEAVE YOUR BRAINS BACK THERE IN THAT HELL DIMENSION??? I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU ARE JUST GOING TO SIT HERE AND DO NOTHING!" Dawn shouts and stamps a tiny foot on the floor.

" Dawnie…." Buffy starts…moving to console her younger sister… Dawn moves away…

" NO…THIS ISN’T SILLY LITTLE DAWNIE TALKING HERE..THIS IS THE ONLY PERSON IN THIS ROOM WITH SOME COMMON SENSE!!! HAVE YOU HEARD OF DOING RESEARCH??? OR MAYBE LOOKING FOR HER??? NOT GIVING UP???? SHAME ON YOU!! SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!!" She stamps her foot again…making crunchy-tinkly mulch of the figurine on the floor…and making Anya wince with each crunch…

" Dawn…" I say finally…and she turns her heated gaze on me….

" You of all people should be out there right now looking for her…NOT giving up…. You’re like invasion of the pod people here…all weepy and ‘poor me’…..where’s the resolve face Willow? This is TARA we’re talking about here….the FOREVER TATTOO TARA…." She says, daring me to challenge her…

Dammit….

I hate it when she makes more sense than I do…before I even try to argue…

TBC….

[supermus]

Yay! Another update! Wow, I like your portrayal of Dawn much better than ME's. You managed to have her throw a tantrum but still be the best person in the room. I'm fresh out of ideas on where this could go. Hopefully the troll isn't.

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Willow: Say, you all didn't happen to do a bunch of drugs, did ya?

Tara: Horsies!
Willow: Don't hit the horsies!
Buffy: We won't! (to giles) Aim for the horsies.

[Owl]

whoopee! fancy new harness!

Yay Dawnie! ceramic deities beware! I love the characters and stuff you come up with. Olivia, doppelscoobies, even scary Mother, and now we're getting to know this Danger vamp guy. I'm thinking, 'yeah, if i were a vampire, i think i'd be pretty much as smooth as that.'

Thanks for clearing up the soul bit. You and the one and only Supermus. How many souls do you think can fit in those little vessels? You trying to rival aquinas here?

[wiccachica]

Morning Edition:

Chapter Eighty-Eight: Eidolon...Eidolon….

I laugh in the face of Danger.

I laugh because he has found himself a new outfit.

He shrugs into the blazer and does a grand turn in the candlelight of the crypt.

" What do you think?" He asks, spreading his arms so that I can get a better look.

Really...Danger...I don't need a better look…one is enough....

It looks like he's taken the suit straight off of a blind lounge singer. Silver pants...shiny black blazer with a silver lapel...the works...

How do I put this delicately…?

" I...like it...Danger...but I don't think you'll be able to ...you know...lurk in something like that." I say reasonably.

He blinks at me...mulling it over...stroking the sparkly fabric as though hesitant to give up his groovy new outfit merely for the sake of vampirism.

" Oh...I know...I figured it was strictly a ...party kind of suit...you know..."

" For all those soirees you vampires attend..." I say..nodding and trying not to smile.

" Exactly...yes..." He says pointing at me with one hand...and still stroking the sparkly lapel with the other. "What shoes do you think would go with this?"

And then he goes to the back of the crypt in search of the right shoes....disappearing into the shadows...and I am left alone with my thoughts and a few burning candles...

It's been a week. Okay…five days and ten or so hours to if you’re going to be picky about it….

Well it’s more of a week than not if you ask me.

I haven't been out of the crypt much...trying to keep a low profile...but the last two nights I have gone out...powdering my complexion a bit to feign the appearance of walking death...and keeping Danger close by for a little undead support... the whole birds of a feather thing.

Strangely…it works out pretty well… It’s funny how looking naturally broody and unhappy will convince anyone you’re a vampire without much need for further proof.

Just call me a method actress.

...both night's I went out, I found myself venturing closer and closer to the Summer's House, and taking Danger along for the ride.

Seeing her...knowing she's alright helps me to focus...to think...

And as hard as they are all trying to figure this mess out...so am I...

But seeing Willow is like something I HAVE to do.

And…well…old habits die hard.

And tonight will be no different. As soon as good old Danger changes into something a little more lurky..we'll be heading to my new haunt...the house for sale across the street from the Summer's House. It's empty..and it allows me to pine from the convenience of a second story window.

Danger comes out of the shadows with a pair of black dress shoes with white suede faces.

" I stole these off a guy back in the seventies...what do you think?" He brushes some dust off the tops.

I don't know what frightens me more...his sense of style...or the fact that he's obviously had at least thirty years to work on being the vampire he is....

***

Waiting is the hardest part….for me at least…

" You know....I'm beginning to see a pattern here..." Danger says from his reclined position on the green shag carpet of the second story master bedroom. He’s wearing a very Spike ensemble now…black shirt and leather pants….but he managed to sneak on those awful shoes… as if to say ‘fie’ to the contrictions of vampire wear….

" And what pattern would that be...?" I ask...my attention mostly on the house across the street.

because you don't feel like a first class stalker yet...Tare...you have at least a few more hours till then...

"Well...I figure...you either want to eat her...and this is a really long session of playing with your food...or...well...because...you like her...."

" Danger....I don't want to eat her...." I say with a scathing look over my shoulder. He shrugs.

" I didn't think so...You really don't have the hungry look...You have the moony look...."

" Thanks...that'll be enough..." I say, watching the light come on in the master bedroom across the way…and being unable to stop myself from that heady feeling I lean against the window…and press my palm to the glass.

It’s her.

My heart starts to beat...almost as though it hadn't been doing so until this very moment...

A flash of red hair...a glint of blue flannel pajamas...as she gets ready for bed. Soon will be the moment I wait for ...

Willow walks to the windows to close them... she reaches out and starts to pull them closed...

And then she stops.... and looks up at the sky... possibly at a pineapple or a pile of crackers….

The moonlight strikes her features...and I'm riveted....

Her gaze slowly drops down to the house across the street….and I’m wary…

It falls to the window on the second floor....and I’m paralyzed…momentarily…

And she stops...just as I spin out of the window...heart thrumming...chest heaving....

Did she see me?

TBC...

------------------
"You're *NOT* the source of me." - Buffy

" I mock you with my monkey pants!" -Oz

[Pixie]

Oh man!! I laughed (so hard) in the face of Danger, too!! What a sweet, bumbling vampire he is! *sigh* Poor Tara. Poor Willow.

[wiccachica]

My not being here tomorrow on due to Texas travel has filled my troll with a guilt beyond reason....

so there may be TWO more today...troll willing:

Early Afternoon Edition:

Chapter Eighty-Nine: Bestiary

"How's she doing...you know...here...at home? I just mean at the Magic Box she's all....gung ho on the research thing...but...she's not real revealy with the emotions lately..." Xander says over a mug of cocoa and pointing upstairs to the bedroom where Willow has retired to.

" She hasn't been real emotiony at all lately..." Buffy says from the couch.

" I told her a joke yesterday...a real funny one...and she looked at me for the longest time...and then just drifted up the stairs.... it's eerie really...It’s not like she’s …gone…but it’s like…she’s GONE….okay…I’m not making sense..am I?" I say sipping at my cocoa.

" No…You totally are, dawn….she’s not herself…." Buffy agrees.

" You think I should talk to her about it...we can't let her keep heading down this spiral of depression....I’m sure I can get her up and running again in no time with a patent Xander pep talk…." Xander says.

A bedroom door upstairs bangs open and Willow clambers down the stairs and past us in a blaze of blue flannel. The front door bangs open as she runs outside.

" Okay…who’s next…I must have the touch tonight…." Xander says...standing up and running to the front door after her.

Buffy and I follow him out onto the lawn in time to see Willow sprinting barefoot across the street to the Hogan’s House….

Man that woman is fast when she wants to be…

She barges right in and disappears inside.

Thank goodness the Hogan’s have been gone for two months now…and real estate in Sunnydale wasn’t at it’s prime these days…

Xander looks at us.

" Is it me…or has Willow finally went all woooba la la funny farm on us?" We both shrug, shake our heads…and run to follow Willow.

We find her upstairs in the larger of the two rooms…turning in furious circles on the green shag carpet.

" Willow…what’s wrong…are you alright?" Buffy asks…trying to get her arm around her friend’s shoulder only to be batted away in frustration.

" I SAW her Buffy…she was here!" Willow says frantically.

None of us need to ask who… we just need to get her back to the house…to her bed…where she can have a rest….a loooong rest…with soothing tea…

But I haven’t seen her this freaked out in ages….

" Hey…where’s the marathon?" Spike says from the doorway. We all jump and Xander hides behind me… I love the guy…but he’s a chicken.

" Spike…don’t do that!" I gasp.

" Spike….how long have you been here?" Buffy demands.

" I was walking by and saw you three running across the road….I thought there was a fire…or a finish line up here…." He’s smirking at first…but as he steps into the room, his smile falters slightly…

" You come up on a vamp tonight on patrol, Slayer?" He asks.

" I haven’t gone out yet." She says…giving him the old ‘what does that have to do with anything’ look.

" Tara was here…she was standing at the window…watching me…I KNOW it…I SAW her!" Willow says…looking inside the closet…loudly rattling the wire hangers left by the ex-tenant.

" I hope not, Red." Spike says..walking slowly to a spot in the room… " Cuz…this room has a distinct vampire smell to it…really recent…." He says, immediately regretting he said it as soon as he sees the look on Willow’s face. " Sorry…" He finishes…looking down and away from the pain in all of our expressions.

" V-vampire?" I ask…my mind racing….

Maybe a vampire came and she had to run away…or maybe it wasn’t even her…

" B-but I s-saw her…" Willow says…turning away…to the window… " See?" She says…the tears evident in her voice….

On the window is a handprint. Definitely female…very delicate…and Willow presses her hand to the glass. By the set of her shoulders, and the way she presses her forehead against the glass… we can tell that it MUST be Tara’s.

" Maybe I’m mistaken…" Spike says…but I know he doesn’t believe it. He looks at Buffy with a worried frown…then back at where Willow has her back to us…

" Tell you what…I’ll go and ask around…I know people…." He says..and disappears out the door as quickly as he had come.

But the idea has already been put out there it’s out …and it’s frightening….

Tara’s a vampire?

I begin to feel my stomach turn…..my skin crawl…and a slightly dark feeling around the edges of my vision.

How in the world is Willow holding up against this feeling…??? It’s awful…..how can she just stand….

Willow keels backwards and hits the plushy shag floor with a thud….

ahh….okay…..

TBC…

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"You're *NOT* the source of me." - Buffy

" I mock you with my monkey pants!" -Oz

[Jessie]

Dude, not only do I love this story ... but i love your signature quotes.

Thought I'd mention that.

Can your troll stay while you're galavanting elsewhere?

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"And how long have you known your girlfriend's Tinkerbell?"

[wiccachica]

The Afternoon Edition:

Chapter Ninety: Falderal and Tommyrot are Friends

That was too close!

" That was so great!" Danger shouts up at the night sky as we hurry back through the cemetary towards the crypt.

" That was NOT great…that was nearly a….a …travesty!" I say to him…and he looks at me…his smile not fading in the slightest.

" She almost brushed right past you in the hallway…you could have TOUCHED her." He says impressed…not getting why I would be so upset at this.

To explain it to him at this point would be futile…. So I remain silent.

Danger takes a cue from my new mood and tones his excitement down a notch. He starts to pull open the door to the crypt when the familiar sound of a Zippo lighter snicking open comes from behind us.

I take my time turning around…I already know who it is. How long has he been behind us?

" Shacking up with strange men these nights, Pet? That’s VERY unlike you…" He says around a cigarette.

Danger eases in front of me… trying for that elusive menacing snarl he’s been practising for the last few days…but it comes out like a mangled-sounding kitten’s purr…

" It’s alright, Danger…." I say..patting his shoulder…

" Danger?? What kind of name is THAT???" Spike scoffs with a wry smirk…

" What kind of name is Spike? I had a dog named Spike…" I say evenly.

" Touche." He says with a shrug. " I see death doesn’t become you…attitude wise at least."

Death…? He THINKS I’m DEAD…..???

I play it off.

" Yeah? Well I didn’t ask you, did I?"

" Did she?" Danger chimes. Spike tosses Danger an annoyed look.

" Is HE with you… or can I kill him?" Spike asks. Danger purrs menacingly at him even as I nudge him behind me.

" He’s…with me." I say and I see Spike’s scarred brow raise in interest.

" How WITH is with?" He asks….and I have to throttle back a heated blush….the Dead don’t blush as a rule.

" None of your business, Spike." I say.

" He the one that bit you?" Spike presses.

" Again…that thing with the business…and it being none of yours…" I insist…He cranes his neck forward to inspect me.

" I don’t see any marks on you."

This guy just won’t give up!

" Well Spike… I know you’re an old-fashioned guy and all…but there are OTHER places on a girl’s body…. besides her neck…" I say…and I’m sure if vampires COULD blush…he’d be doing it right now.

He collects himself and counters with a doosey though.

" Red saw you tonight…you know." He says, flicking an ash off his smoke.

She did…she did see me….dammit…now…what would a vampire say to that…?

" S-so?" I say…trying to look aloof.

" So you checking up on her…or you trying to drive her crazy?"

" That’s one more thing that is NONE of your business." I say…

….and then he drops the façade. He moves a little closer and I see a dangerous glint to his eye.

" No…you see…it IS my business if you’re thinking about hurting her. You want to go around letting demons squat in your body…that’s your choice now…. But I like Red the way she is…and I’ll fight to keep her that way…EVEN YOU, Blondie….and I LIKED you a lot…while you were still alive…"

I’m really starting to want to hug this stupid vamp.

I refrain by crossing my arms over my chest.

" Brave words." I say…giving him a little firm chin action.

" They’re not just words." He says, clamping his teeth down on the cigarette when he says this…

And then he turns in a furl of black duster and storms off.

Danger points over my shoulder at Spike’s back.

" Hey…there’s a word for attitude like that, Pal….EX-LAX!!!"

I have to get this guy some better fighting words…

" Come on, Danger…inside…" I say.

TBC....

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"You're *NOT* the source of me." - Buffy

" I mock you with my monkey pants!" -Oz

[This message has been edited by wiccachica (edited March 06, 2002).]

[nika]

"EX-LAX" *LMAO* I am now prepared to fight anyone who comes near the troll with a cattle prod ever again. The troll shall not be harmed in my presence, *THE TROLL IS BRILLIANT!!!!!* *SOB**JUST FRIGGIN'BRILLIANT*

I too laugh in the face of Danger!

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"The word 'GULP!'comes to mind." Tara

[ForeverPiper]

Oh geeze! I laughed so hard when Tara said that line about there being 'other places' on a girl's body besides her neck. THAT was priceless! Poor Willow though...she's gonna think that Tara's a vamp, and that could turn out very, very bad. Can't wait 4 the next part!

[wiccachica]

In the ever sybil-like way of the troll....I bring you...strangeness....and well....mostly strangeness........

Have a lovely weekend!!! Texas...here I come!!!

Chapter Ninety-One: Will-o’-the-wisp

" Demons in the buttermilk…shoo…fou…shoo…." Comes a merrily singing voice.

Who is singing that???

I clutch at the table and try to keep my eyes closed tightly. Not really wanting to know.

What didn’t you say, Willow? What didn’t you say before you left….?

" Sit up straight, Willow Dear…or you’ll spill…." Mother says amiably.

I hear the clink and clatter of genuine silver against fine china.

I do as I’m told….I sit up rigidly and open my eyes to find myself exactly where I dreaded.

I run my palms over the slick surface of the table….I stare at the bowl in front of me.

Ominous black liquid reflects my image on its surface.

" Look at you…you’re skin and bones…eat up…" Mother scolds lightly. I pick up a spoon and hold it over the bowl for a moment. It quivers darkly at me, and I’m left to wonder who is supposed to be eating who here.

" How did we get here?" Tara whispers across the table at me.

I look up to see her sitting in front of her own bowl…spoon poised over the dark liquid…almost perfectly mirroring me.

" This is a dream." I say matter-of-factly to her…and then she smiles at me.

" Well….couldn’t you dream up something BETTER for us to be doing right now?" Her lips pull up into a coy half smile, and she winks at me with one beautiful blue eye…

" You’re right…" I say.

I set my spoon down…and push away from the table. So does Tara….my blonder, blue-eyed…mirror twin…. Moving simultaneously…and fluidly graceful.

" When you two have nothing left to eat but each other…don’t come crying to me!" Mother huffs as Tara slips her hand into mine and we walk to the doors…

Don’t take the right door…take the left…the right one leads to the frog pond…and no one wants to go to the frog pond…..

I hurry her out through the left. And we find ourselves walking through the tightly packed bodies of the Discotekka….

" Where are we going??" Tara asks…giving my hand a squeeze.

The music throbs and pulses around us…but I’m not feeling the least bit inclined to dance.

" To bed." I tell her…pulling her with me towards the center of the room…..

" Is that it over there?" she asks me…coming close to my ear to speak so that it sends shivers down my spine…

….and then the room seems to expand…as I follow her gaze…

In the center of the dance floor…rapidly spinning on a large turnstile…. under a bright red searchlight… is The Bed.

Large…red and furry…with a droopy pink canopy….and shaped like a heart.

The dancers have now stopped to cheer us on…and clap in time to the music as we ascend the few steps up to the bed.

" Come on…" Tara says pulling me with her ….

" It’s going so fast…" I say…and Tara reaches for a switch….

" Then we’ll turn it down from 45 to 33…." She says. And the bed slows down enough for her to pull me onto it with her….

Okay…hellooo there Tarabody….

She turns…so that I’m pinned delightfully beneath her and traces a slow, sensuous path from my throat to my jawline.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a guy on the dance floor give me the thumbs up sign.

" Are…are they going to watch the WHOLE time???" I ask… a little bit taken aback by the thought of this being something of a performance art thing.

" It’s YOUR dream." Tara murmurs into my ear. Stroking small circles into the back of my neck with the tips of her fingers…making it hard to think straight. No pun intended…

I don’t THINK I want us to have an audience…do I????

" Is…is there going to be sex…here? Because if there is going to be sex…I should throw down some tarp….LOTS of tarp….." Xander says holding onto one of the bed’s canopy poles and swinging from side to side.

" There will be NO SEX with you watching, Xander!" I say adamantly.

"Aww…. Athletic groping, maybe?" Xander offers up.

" No." I say…though Tara is CERTAINLY on her way towards that already…..

She has her hand up my shirt and is energetically kissing my neck…

" Well…" Buffy says from the other pole at the foot of the bed. " If you’re planning on doing any more necking, you might want to mind her teeth…"

I almost forgot…..

I leverage enough room between Tara and I to look into her heated gaze. She has not vamped out…but I can see her incisors are longer than the rest of her teeth.

" Absolutely NO biting…is that clear?" I tell her….and she pouts.

" Not even a nibble?" She asks.

" No nibbling on the Willowneck." I say. "Just because you’re evil now…doesn’t mean I’m going to let you drink me like a space-pack of Tang…."

I kiss her then…despite the hundreds of people in the room…despite my two best friends hovering nearby…even despite Xander’s emphatic "awww…..yeah….."

I just need to feel her close….to feel her hands on me…to tell her….

To tell her…something….

Goddess…what was I going to say??? I know it was important….

Willow…you’re waking up… Tara says against my lips… I close my eyes and wrestle to stay here…enveloped in the woman I love…just about to get with the smoochies….

Willow….come on…stay with me here… Tara says…but the words don’t come out in her voice…this time she sounds uncannily like Buffy….

What was I going to SAY????

I struggle to stay…just long enough…...but I’m loosing her swiftly…..

I’m between worlds…I can feel the cool sheets of a bed…a pillow…familiar smells….

And I concentrate on Tara fading image.

Say it! Say it before she’s lost to you!

" I miss you sooo much, Baby…" I say.

And the sound of my own voice drags me out of the dream and back into my bedroom.

Back to Buffy who is holding my hand…and Xander who is stroking my forehead.

" She’s awake!" Dawn says, relieved…. from the foot of my bed…

Chapter Ninety-Two: What the huh….?

I clamber out of my coffin and stare…sweaty and wide-eyed…. at the cushy satin interior of my makeshift bed.

Okay…not that it isn’t weird enough that I’m sleeping in a fricken coffin these days…!!!

I feel my throat…and trail my fingers over my teeth…

…short…flat…even teeth…nothing pointy here…..everything’s fine…NORMAL….well as normal as things can be….

I’m left wit the empty sounds of a crypt at night…Danger must be out on the town…..

I feel the sheen of perspiration on my skin starting to cool quickly….and I shudder.

I climb back into the coffin, and pull the blanket up over me again…. I shut my eyes…and pray I fall back into my previous dream….

It was just getting good…I think….weird…but good….

" I miss you too, Baby…" I murmur….and drift slowly back to sleep…

TBC…

[This message has been edited by wiccachica (edited March 06, 2002).]

[ForeverPiper]

Me want more! Don't want to wait! Wanna know what happens!

[Owl]

Arrr! [pirate voice]
What am i going to do without you and your wacky troll these many days? *whimper*
hmph. texas shmexas. *ducks* (gosh, i didn't mean it! no need to throw things at me, texans and texas lovers! ooh! tomatoes! yum.)

my god, i practically choked on this fudgie cold fondue thing i was eating (don't ask) when i read that tang space-pack bit.
tang. it's just plain funny for some reason.
and i loved the record player thing. mmm. my turntable is all wonky at the moment. nice to see one working, even if it is in an alternate dimension, in a dream, in a work of fiction, and doesn't even play records. believe me i don't mind.
oh, and the "return of the mother" thing? very scary. good job!
have fun in texas!

[Tiggrscorpio]

AAAHHH! It's just like Xander stepping on the crystal in TR. Just when we were getting to the good part. I was a little nervous when Mother was back, I'm glad that was just a dream.

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She's my everything!

[Pixie]

Huh. Hmm. First of all (as I collect my thoughts from where they have puddled on the floor), Willow is going to so lose it if she thinks Tara is a vampire! How could Tara let her think that! Secondly, the dream was perfect! With the return of Mother, and the spinning bed, and the audience (very reminiscent of "Restless"), and them sharing the dream. I don't know how I'll get through the next several days. Maybe I'll decorate my harness, or my mitten robe. (or actually get some work done!)

[Kalita]

Hey, even better than a Tara-as-Vamp fic is an Everyone-thinks-Tara's-a-vamp fic. Hee.

Have fun in the Lone Star state, don't take too long!

[jomarch]

Bows lowly before Wiccachica and the strangeness bringing troll.

Wow, you sure pack alot into your updates ...Danger(hee, hee, hee), Mother, a revolving bed, audience voyeurs.
I am all decked out in my helmet, harness, robe and t-shirt. Guess I have to wear it till you come back from Texas. People sure are gonna stare. sigh

[bearskeeper]

Wow. I just read this whole story in about 3 days. Really long...really good. Your troll is amazing!!!

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"Yes. And then I'm going to marry Bob Dole and raise penguins in Guam" - Buffy

"Who's gonna stake me?"
"I'll do it...What, you thought I was just gonna let that lie there?" Spike/Buffy

[DaRebel]

Wicca,
May I call you Wicca? I have been a lurking on this board for a little while just reading all the wonderful fiction but never, or at least VERY rarely posting. I've decided, however, that if I appreciated the work that an author put into their fics, I should reward it.
I LOOOOVE this story!!
Thank you and keep up the good work.

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No, no potions. It's not magic, it's chemistry. You can tell by how damn slow it is! Willow: "Doublemeat Palace"

[wiccachica]

Good Morning Kitteny Types!

Fresh off the Troll Truck comes the

Morning Edition:

Chapter Ninety-Three: What the Blonde Man Saw….?

What did I do to deserve this kind of responsibility?

I mean…I’ve bitten my share of goody-goody humans in my time….. with only the very faintest knowledge in the back of my mind that someday…somehow….it was all going to come back on me ten-fold

Was this my night?

Did some huge universal bill slip just happen to end up on my table this time?

Was I going to have to go back there and tell Red that unless she fancies a little copious bloodletting and indiscriminate eating patterns, she was going to have to give up any hope that Blondie would be anything but a wisp of the woman she used to be…

...and a particularly evilly sort of wisp at that….

But something IS nagging at you, Spike ol' boy….right here in the back of your mind…and I’m not even talking about this bloody chip in here…something’s not right….

I finish off another smoke, and crush it under my boot before finally deciding I’ve procrastinated enough. I walk into the Summer’s house..filled with a foreboding sense of purpose….

Well if it comes down to it…you can always have Buffy tell her…

….actually…they’re best friends…it might be better coming from the Slayer anyhow…yeah…that’s it…

My cowardice can amaze even me at times ….

***

First thing I see is the Niblet up…waaaay past her bedtime…..and seeing the Slayer is sitting there reading a tomey-type book on the other side of the couch…I can’t help but think this is not a normal evening.

Buffy drops the book down a bit to look over the top edge at me.

" Long time…no see…Spike….So…did you actually LOOK for Tara…like we did…or did you just ooze by Willy’s and drop a few kittens down?"

I don’t think I’ll dignify that with a reply….

I scan the room.

" Where’s Red?" I ask…and Buffy catches something in my voice…or maybe it’s my expression…or the way I’m trying to look so casual….

Sometimes I think that a little of William the Meek came with me when I was turned so many years ago…and sometimes…damn him…that trouser-peeing bastard even shows through my most adamant demon ways…

And I feel helpless to prevent him from sounding injured…and worried tonight as I speak.

Whatever Buffy hears in my voice….she picks up on it…but remains calm…but wary.

" She’s trying to sleep. That last dream of hers made her a little….er….manic…WHY? What’s going on?"

Being of the same blood has made the Niblet equally astute…and the sisters scooch to the edge of the couch toward me…Buffy sets the book down…just as Xander and Anya come in from the kitchen in the midst of an argument.

" I just don’t see why you called me over here to watch her SLEEP is all…" Anya grumbles.

"Uhm…Ahn….a little compassion is in order here…" Xander reminds her.

" Compassion?! I have compassion coming out of my ears I’m so full of compassion…isive…ness… so don’t you tell me about compassion…"

Buffy is ignoring them…her gaze intent on me.

" What do you know Spike? is it BAD?"

" Fairly…" I say…not wanting to pussyfoot around the subject…but not really wanting to just blurt something like this out.

My new main concern is that I be looong gone before the Slayer has a chance to break the news to Red…looong gone.

" Did you find Tara?" Dawn asks….and at this Anya and Xander stop fighting and paste their attention my way.

" Yeah." I say…and stuff my hands deeply into my pockets…..slowly and fully not meaning to…I seem to be bringing my shoulders up to my ears.

" Well?" Buffy prompts me…." Is she alright?"

" If by alright…you mean strictly in the skulking about the graveyards…neck biting…soulless fiend of the undead way… I would say yes…but other than that….I’d say she has a few issues."

" Wait…you don’t mean OUR Tara is a…." Anya claps a hand over her own mouth to stop from saying it. Even SHE did not want to hear it out loud…

" Yeah…I found her over at Gentle Earth …all cozy-like with some strange ghoul…."

" She’s with some other girl???" Buffy says incredulous and almost disbelieving.

" Not GIRL…GHOUL…and not a GIRL GHOUL a GUY ghoul…" I say.

" Uhm…Spike….Tara and some random guy? Ghoul or not…that’s just not Tara…." Xander says.

" Well…I think I can safely say that Blondie is no longer the witch which you knew…." I point out.

" Uhm…Spike…." Dawn says.

" ….you all don’t have to worry…I let the new ‘Terrible Tara’ know that I wouldn’t be letting her make a lunchable out of our girl…" I continue.

" Uhm………Spike….." Dawn says again and makes the timeout motion at me.

I have the distinct feeling that I’m saying something she doesn’t like…..well bugger me for trying to….

" Hi…HI….WILLOW….do you want me to …uh…make you some…uh…cocoa?" Buffy says to the top of the stairs behind me ….. loudly…and in a voice filled with much more panic than I think she intended.

I don’t turn around yet. I already KNOW I’ve put my foot in it….

Now that the proverbial cat is not only out of the bag..but seems to be riverdancing blindly across the stage towards the orchestra pit…. the only thing left now is certain to be… damage control….

Waiter….check please…..

TBC…….

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"You're *NOT* the source of me." - Buffy

" I mock you with my monkey pants!" -Oz

[Owl]

good morning, and a warm welcome back to you, wiccachica. did you have fun?

you're back - what - ten minutes, and i already have this image of all us kittens joining your proverbial cat in that riverdance. - in full pens board regalia.
thanks

[Sassette]

Y'know ... *G* I don't even wanna' hear about ME slacking off in the update department when YOU *points a finger dramatically* haven't posted a late morning edition, an afternoon edition, and a late afternoon edition - which we, your faithful readers, so clearly deserve.

Hope you had fun in Texas, and welcome back *g*

-Sass

[wiccachica]

Thank you for the warm welcome OWL!!! much oblidged!!!!

Sorry Sass....

*hangs head with perfect dramatic grace and shuffles foot in the sand*

I'm just finishing up re-READING your fic...like the loyal-helmeted fan that I am...

Kitties....

I'm soooooo bushed from the lagging of jet that will have to raincheck my updates for today....

I offer my highest apologies and promise a longer.... bigger...squishier troll situation tomorrow....

Prepare your harnesses, kids...the wind is picking up... and it's quite a drop.....

OH! and can I just say something????

TEXAS ROCKS!!!!!

The people in Texas were so warm and friendly...and genuinely nice!!! Everywhere I went I was meeting the sweetest people!!!

BLOWS KISSES TO ALL TEXANS!

(now has a shiney new texas bull sticker adorning electric guitar...)

NIKI

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"You're *NOT* the source of me." - Buffy

" I mock you with my monkey pants!" -Oz

[This message has been edited by wiccachica (edited March 11, 2002).]

[canadian kitty]

No need to apologize wiccachica. I'd wait an eternity for your troll. especially when there's promise of squishies. unless of course they're bad squishies. There not bad are they?

[Pixie]

Hey Wiccachica! Glad to have you back and to hear that you enjoyed your time in Texas. This mitten magnanimously forgives you for the paucity of updates today (those jets do lag, don't they?) since you have promised us much squishiness tomorrow. Although, now that the proverbial cat is riverdancing (LOL - and Owl, thanks for that rotf image of the kittens "in full pens board regalia - long live accessories!) methinks that the squishiness will be accompanied by yelling, tears and recriminations. *Pixie puts her thesaurus back on the shelf, and waits patiently, in all her accessories, for the next fascinating update.*

[Owl]

So, here I am, drinking red wine out of a snoopy glass, and I'm thinking.... okay... what does this remind me of?
+ wrong dog, wrong red liquid, no special straw... and i'm still reminiscing. your writing is affecting me. or is that the wine already?
Who could ask for anything more, eh? Oh.... how about some more Updates, hah? hah? jet lag... pah! (alright, just teasing).

Pixie: me again. I hereby call a meeting of the .....er... see that's the problem. wiccachica's harempeople/ minions don't have an official name yet. we've got mittens, smittens, mcmittens..... but what about us late shifters?
all i can come up with is wiccens, and chiccens and troll lovers....help?
If the great WC will sanction such a thing...

[spottiedottie]

Hey wiccachica
I'm glad you had a great time in Texas.

So what part of Texas did you visit.

I'm from TEXAS, that's why I'm asking.

It is a great state, and we love having people from other places visit us.

Texas Rocks!

I love your story! I always get all giddy when i see an update.

[wiccachica]

Good Morning Kittens!

canadian kitty- bad squishies? me? Never BAD squishies!....odd squishies...yes...squishies to make you think....I hope so....but no bad ones....

Pixie- Your posts always crack me up! Full regalia!!! LOL!!!...Why do I have the feeling you have a whole army of kittens in full pen uniform at your beck and call?...hmm...maybe that's too much of a good thing...

Owl- I am so pleased to be part of your day....or maybe that I affect you like wine...I make you woozy...legs wobbly...and too much of me..and tomorrow you'll have a headache....But do I make you dance on tables...that's the true test...(wink)

Spottie Dottie- I was in Austin this weekend....Truly a really great city in a great state...I agree! And as for updates making you giddy.....prepare to be giddified....here's a little something to start the day.....

The Morning Edition:

Chapter Ninety-Four: Never on a Tuesday….

It’s strange….sometimes no matter what you do…no matter how far you’ve come… it only takes a brief moment to realize what the rest of your life holds….what it will mean to you from this day on…..

" Willow! Open the door! Willow….we should …you know…sort out our feelings about this…." Buffy’s voice comes through my bedroom door…

I can hear her…but right now…in this room…I am lost to her. I’m lost to everything except these thoughts.

Some things…we keep….and we suffer with them…and we push them deep…down….within…and we refuse to show them light….until something happens…something miraculous wrapped in the shroud of a cataclysmic event….

I sit on the edge of my bed…leaning forward….looking at my clasped fingers….trying to make sense of what Spike had said down there ….the people at the door right now…my friends….my FAMILY….only serve as a distraction to the most important conversation I need to have…the one within me….

" Is she still in there? Can you hear her? Will? Will…it’s me….It’s Xander…..Listen to me…I know this is….this is BAD…but you have to listen…..all of the stuff we’ve been through…over all these years…..we never thought we’d go on…..we never thought we’d heal…..but we….Will?…Are you listening to me?"

There are times when words of solace are just…… words…no matter who speaks them…no matter how much you want to hear them….No matter what they mean….They want to share your pain…take some of the burden upon themselves….but some things….some things you keep….

Oddly…I had been prepared for this news before Spike had come to confirm it….and I was not stricken so hard by the news …as much as the shock …

…that our ties were severed…hers and mine…our lives split in two…

…and I didn’t feel her go.

I should have felt it…I should have felt something break the moment she turned…..

….THAT I didn’t… hurts more than anything…..

The woman I love was savagely turned into something dark and unnatural…and I didn’t feel her go….

" Willow…please unlock the door…..tell me that you’re alright….say ANYTHING…." Buffy tries again.

I stare at my hands….

I haven’t even begun to cry.

Why should I?….Tears are just….tears….just selfish thoughts taking briny form….

Some things you keep….Willow….some things……stay with you…..

" I’m okay…" I say finally…..not because I want them to leave me alone…well…not exactly….. it’s more because….I am….okay…I’m…fine….

" Willow…this isn’t a time to be alone…." Xander says.

Some things you keep, Willow….

And it is this moment that It strikes me.

" I just need…a few minutes…alone……please…" I say…and the knocking stops…and they seem to begin their soulful vigil outside my door….
" Alone includes all door gargoyle removal…" I say with mock humour…..

" Just call…if you need me…" Xander says…

" Yes. Call us…" Buffy chimes.

" I will." I say…..And even as they are tromping dejectedly back down the stairs….I am standing up and walking to the closet.

On the top shelf is an old sweater of Tara’s.

I pull it down…press its softness to my face…my cheek…before setting it aside and reaching for the box that has been nestled beneath it for some time now….

I gently take it down and remove the lid.

I gaze at the contraband…. Candles….incense….

You are going to need help, Willow….and that will be the hardest part…

I move the contents around the box….and find what I’m looking for….

Three…it’s going to take three….

…I lift the orb up from the box to look at it…

It reflects nothing back to me except my possible future….. I reach back into the box…

And here it is...

A 3.5 yellow disk….unmarked….priceless to me now. I stare at it as though waiting for it to fall away to dust between my fingers….sealing my fate….

But it does not. It stays solid and real for me… a plastic beacon of hope.

Because some things…..you keep… Some things…need saving….

TBC…

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"You're *NOT* the source of me." - Buffy

" I mock you with my monkey pants!" -Oz

[Kalita]

A computer disk? Interesting...

[spottiedottie]

hey wiccachica

Great update. I woke up and the first thing I did was get online. Love the story.

Austin is a great city. I love going there every chance I get. I'm from South Texas. . . but I've been to Austin plenty of times. Did you go to 6th street?