I started this fic on another list before falling out of favour, so I thought it deserved to get finished in this cookin' literary environment!
A New Beat is the sequel to my Tara 'first-love' epic Sooner than you Think.
Years after the events in 'Sooner' Karly reappears in Tara's life, causing chaos for Willow, and with dark forces forces at her bootheels...
A New Beat by Birdie PG 13
‘Woaaagh!’
Karly shot bolt upright in bed, her spine buzzing like a hot-wired BMW. She bumped her ass against the hard mattress a couple of times, to make sure she really was awake, then let out a little howl of frustrated anguish. When did the sleepless nights begin? The nightmares she never remembered?
She was too tired to remember.
She swung her long legs out of bed and tripped across the cluttered floor to the wall-mirror. The face that looked back at her was not that of the cute punka she was used to. Her pale skin was marred by red blotches. Huge grey bags hung under her eyes, and she noted the new addition of proud crow’s feet. Her once lustrous black mane hung lank and lifeless round her shoulders.
‘Jeshfus!’ she muttered through a mouthful of stale toothpaste. Her head pounded like the hangover from hell and she felt sicker than ever. Something was definitely wrong.
She managed a grin at that understatement. She sighed, the toothbrush still clamped in her aching jaw. Time to call. Again.
She picked up the phone and dialled the now hated number. At the other end of the line, the answerphone clicked on. New message.
‘This is the San Francisco Police Department. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Miss Clea Allcot please contact Detective Andrew Sullivan on…’
Karly dropped the receiver. Now she could no longer even get to hear Clea’s voice on tape anymore.
She stamped back to her bed and sat down heavily. Her head fell between her knees. She began to sob.
‘You’re what?’ She could hear the crack in Tara’s voice. Oh God. Oh God.
‘I’m leaving. Here.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m going to San Francisco.’
‘Why? I mean, for how long?
‘For good, Tara.’
The girl was nearly in tears now. ‘W-hat did I do?’
Karly felt the prick of tears behind her own eyes, now. This was awful.. ‘You didn’t do anything, baby. It’s my mom. She got a new job, and you know what she’s like. She needs me.’
‘I need you.’
Karly went to her now, holding her chin and placing a soft kiss on the sweet blonde’s lips. ‘You don’t need me, Tara.’
(Willow)
‘I love you, Karly!.’
(Willow)
‘Don’t you love me?’
Karly ached with loving her. ‘I love you Tara. But I’m not in love with you.’
A lie. The biggest lie she had told in a life full of them. But Karly couldn’t live with the threat of Willow any longer.
When Karly woke again, it was to the sound of crashing on the front door. The aches and pains of earlier seemed to have deserted her in favour of a deep sense of unease. It was night now, and dark shadows pooled around the room like an old DC horror comic. The memory lost love faded to the back of her mind as another frenzied fusillade of knocks drifted up from downstairs.
Who the hell could it be? Not her mom, that was for sure. She wasn’t due out of hospital for another couple of weeks. Whoever it was would have to take her as they found her. She padded down the stairs and unlocked the door, leaving the chain on.
‘Who is it?’
‘It’s me, baby!’
In astonishment, Karly released the chain and threw the door open. Clea.
The black girl looked stunning, as usual. Dressed to kill in leather and lace, blue highlights and glitter.
‘Wh-where the fuck have you been?’
‘What’re you, my mom?’
‘The cops are looking for you!’
‘You look like shit.’
‘Well, don’t go thinking I’ve been worrying about you.’ Karly sniped, heading back up the hall.
‘Aren’t you going to invite me in?’
A whirlwind started up in Karly’s head. Images of a dark past. Gabbi. Whistler. Tara. Willow and Buffy. Denver and Sunnydale. It had caught up with her at last. She spun on her heel and stared at the dark figure framed in the doorway.
‘Yeah. Come in.’
Tara hefted the pistol crossbow, pointing it straight up at the blue sky above her. ‘You know, it’s really quite light.’
‘Aim it!’ Willow said excitedly. She was standing with her back to a large tree, an apple perched on her head.
‘This is silly, Willow. What am I going to say if I kill you?’
‘That you’re the worst shot in the world?’
Willow stepped out from under the apple, which continued to hover in the same position and walked up next to Tara.. ‘Mrs Burroughs didn’t die for nothing. Learn from the mistakes of others. I mean, we don’t actually need me to stand under the apple, just take it as red that I am.’
‘So you’re going to make me a good shot?’
‘No, I’m going to focus the bolt to hit the apple. Not the same thing.’
‘Okay.’
‘Okay. Ready?’
‘Aha.’
‘Fire!’
The crossbow bolt arced out as Tara squeezed the trigger, going wide of the tree by a good ten foot. It gracefully swung round the back of the tree, completing an almost 360 degree arc before imbedding itself in the centre of the apple.
Willow whooped in delight. ‘Man, you are a bad shot! Tara?’
The redhead turned to find her girlfriend unconscious on the grass.
‘Tara!’
Karly handed her lover a tumbler full of vodka and ice. ‘So where have you been?’
‘Oh, a dark place. Very dark.’
‘And I guess I’ll be going there soon?’
Karly calmly knocked back her vodka as Clea’s beautiful face morphed into a leering death’s-head before her. ‘You’re going to love it, baby!’
‘Why do vampires always seem to think that being dead is the biggest party of all time. You stink!’
Clea looked pissed off. ‘You don’t look very scared.’
‘Scared of vampires? I’m a goth, for Christ’s sake!’
With a hiss, Clea lurched at Karly, who side-stepped her attack easily. The vampire sprawled on the floor clumsily.
Karly sprang across the room and tore her mother’s tacky crucifix ornament from the wall. She held it up before the hissing, spitting vamp.
‘God, you’re green aren’t you?’ A sudden realisation dawned on Karly. ‘You haven’t fed yet, have you? Came straight here?’
‘I’ll suck you dry, honey!’
Karly began to wonder if there might be a way out of this after all. She could make the door before Clea. Then what?
She ran. Her focus actually surprised her. Her dead girlfriend was rather keen on eating her, and she actually had a plan. She made the room and began scrabbling around on the floor amongst the junk. Clea was in the doorway.
Karly gripped the Zippo finally, and lit it. With her other hand she grabbed a large canister of hairspray.. As the vampire closed on her, Karly turned her makeshift flame-thrower on her face. Clea burst into flames quite dramatically.
Karly wasn’t going to let the lob go unfinished. Using the crucifix and the flamer, and finally a makeshift stake, she utterly destroyed the vampire. It was the most she could do for Clea
She had t get out now. Find Whistler, Maybe. Or Tara. Did the girl still think of her?
On the grass of Weatherley Park, Willow held Tara in her arms. ‘She’s in danger, Will. Such a strong feeling.’
‘Who?’
‘I…don’t know.’
Willow knew she was lieing.
‘Woof!’
Giles looked up, startled, from the sheaf of papers he was sorting. Buffy stood in the doorway, appraising him coolly. In one hand she held a leash which ended in a rather handsome German Shepherd bitch, which seemed keen to make acquaintance with Rupert Giles’ leg.
Giles seemed unnerved by the presence of the beast. ‘Buffy, do you have to bring that creature in here?’
‘That’s no way to speak about the winner of the Miss Sunnydale Pageant 2001. Is it honey?’ she ruffled the dog’s head affectionately.
‘That bloody woman is trying to claim she got the ingredients for the spell in my shop!’ Giles spluttered. ‘Death to all jealous mothers, I say!’
Buffy tutted. ‘You’re very tetchy today. Worried that young Kimmy here is going carry on chasing you when she turns back into a girl?’
‘Buffy, I’m afraid I have some grave news.’
‘Can’t you ever just skip to the part where the kitty gets rescued from the tree by the handsome fireman?’
‘Willow is in mortal danger, Buffy.’
‘Woof!’
‘I want the little dog!’
‘But you always have the sports car, honey. Willow’s always the little dog.’
‘Well, seeing as how everyone thinks I’m only interested in sex and money, I want to be the little dog. I can be cute and animal-loving as Willow!’
‘Let her be the little dog, Xander.’
‘What do you want, Tara?’
‘Oh, I don’t mind.’
‘You can be the iron.’
‘What’s that’s supposed to mean?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Oh, come on, Anya! Say what you mean!’
‘Willow, leave it, please. She didn’t mean anything. It’s just a silly game!’
‘Guys, chill! Have some more wine. It’s on me. Not cheap. May even be hangover free.’
‘Can’t we play Triv? If we play Monopoly we’ll be stuck here all night!’
‘Oh, that’s charming! I spend all evening cooking you guys dinner, and now you can’t wait to get out of here!’
‘No, I didn’t mean…’
‘Xander, dinner was great. Willow’s just…’
‘I’m just what, Tara?’
‘Tired/?’
‘Try *upset*’
‘Willow…’
‘Hey! Shut up!’
They all shut up. Small as she was, Anya could put considerable force behind a yell. ‘If you two guys have had a fight, can you, like, not bring your fight vibes round here? ‘Cos we’re perfectly capable of generating our own, thank you very much!’
‘We have not had a fight!’ Willow stated hotly.
‘Oh please. You’re talking to the encyclopaedia of lover’s tiffs, here.’
‘Have you guys had a fight?’ Xander asked dumbly. I didn’t think you ever had fights?’
‘We haven’t.’ Tara insisted softly. ‘I wasn’t well earlier. Willow was worried.’
‘Willow’s pissed at Tara.’ Anya said emphatically. Xander groaned inwardly.
‘I think we should go home.’ Willow said, giving Tara a sharp look.
‘But it’s early!’ Tara enthused, ‘Xander, I’ll have a little glass of wine?’
Before Willow had a chance to respond to this, Xander’s apartment was rent with the sound of splintering wood as the door suddenly exploded inwards, flying off its hinges and into the room. Xander stepped automatically in front of Anya and Willow and Tara scuttled together, awaiting whatever hideous demon was about to wreak havoc upon them.
‘Uh, hi guys..’ Buffy stepped through the wreckage of Xander’s door and looked carefully at the frightened scoobies. ‘Sorry, but I’m gonna have to insist that none of you move right now. Sorry.’ Buffy looked embarrassed, but determined.
‘Have you any idea of how much of Xander’s money I spent on that door?’
‘Anya…’ Buffy warned.
‘Okay, okay!’
‘Now you’re all wondering why I’m holding a crossbow on my best friends. And it’s a good question. Well, you can all rest assured that there’s a good answer. Okay?’
They all stared at her blankly.
‘Okay, can you all kind of move away from Willow. Well away.’
‘Hey Buff,’ Xander started, ‘You know, killing Will really isn’t the answer. Whatever the question is.’
‘Uh huh. Willow, I need you to come with me.’
‘No.’
‘What?’
‘You come in here, all smash, bang, wallop. You threaten your friends, won’t explain yourself and you want me to go with you?’
‘Willow. Your life is in danger. You know you can trust me. You may not be able to trust anyone else right now.’
‘I trust Tara.’
Buffy looked long and hard at the blonde witch. Tara held her gaze.
‘Okay. Tara comes too.’
The Slayer and the witch sat in Buffy’s kitchen, the awkward silence broken only by the sound of the kettle boiling. Willow handed Buffy a mug of coffee.
‘What’s going on, Buffy?’
‘Remember when Angel turned?’
Willow shuddered. ‘How could I forget?’
‘It all seems like a different life to me now. But not Giles. After Jenny died he never lost contact with the cyber-pagan network that she had established.’
Willow nodded. ‘I used to tap in to a lot of her bookmarks when we were researching stuff.’
‘Well Giles found a lot of people who actually knew Jenny. I think it was a way for him to hang on to her. You know how things changed after high school. Less research, more hacking, and you getting into your spells and stuff. You know that Giles was never a net guy, but he was the only one left who was regularly surfing Jenny’s network. And he’s found something.’
‘What sort of something?’
‘A portent. The same thing, coming from all over the world.’
‘Well what is it? A portent of what?’
‘Your death.’
‘Out in the cold again.’
‘Huh?’ Tara looked up at the young girl from her mug of coffee.
Dawn smiled. ‘You and me. Stuck in the lounge while the important stuff goes down in the kitchen. What’s up this time?’
Tara shook her head. ‘I don’t know. Buffy seems shaken up, and I think its got something to do with Willow.’
‘But Willow’s your girlfriend. You should be in there too!’
Tara smiled. ‘I think it’s a Buffy and Willow best friends thing. I mean, I respect that. But it kind of hurts.’
Dawn frowned. ‘Poor Tara. You know, Buffy used to do it all the time to Riley. I guess it doesn’t matter what your…’ she paused, embarrassed.
Tara grinned. ‘It’s okay, I get you.’
‘Willow wouldn’t do that to you, though,’ Dawn rambled on, ‘You guys have the best relationship, better than the others. I mean, you really love each other, right? I bet you wouldn’t ever hurt each other.’
Tara looked uncomfortable. ‘Dawn, no-one can ever say that. We totally love each other, but sometimes stuff happens that you just never meant. You have to be totally honest with each other.’
‘But you’re honest with Willow, right?’
‘Tara, Dawn?’ Buffy was standing in the doorway. ‘Can you come into the kitchen, we have some stuff we need to discuss with you.’
Karly stared up at the old Maclay house and let the memories wash over. It was weird to be back in her hometown after so long. New developments seemed to be springing up all over, making the landscape increasingly alien, but her high school was refreshingly unblemished and Tara’s brother’s van still sat at the top of the drive in front of the ramshackle old house. There was something about that place. Always had been.
For a while, she thought no-one was home. She rang the bell twice, but nothing stirred within. She was just about to turn and return to the car when the door swung open.
‘Yeah?’
During her time with Tara she had managed to avoid Donny Maclay, largely on advice from his sister. He was pretty much as she imagined, managing a surly indifference and a lecherous leer at the same time.
‘Hi, I was looking for Tara?’
Donny snorted. ‘Well you won’t find her here, honey.’
‘Do you…’
‘Tara ain’t part of this family any more. We cut her off. Worthless little whore.’
Karly grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the doorframe, driving the wind from him.
‘You never talk about her like that, okay, pal? I guess she’s better off without scumbags like you for a family. Now, I just wanna know where she is, okay?
‘Sunnydale. Sunnydale University.’
Karly dropped Donny on his ass, and strode off without another word. Sunnydale. So she was with Willow. Had she really thought it would be otherwise?
Karly got back into the car and trip the release on the glove compartment. She took the pistol out and checked the clip was full. Then she started the engine.
‘Willow?’
Tara’s voice sounded strained and upset on the other side of the bathroom door. Willow felt a little arrow of pain in her heart. She’d heard that strain before. From Oz. It meant that all was not right. Right now she so needed things to be utterly right between her and Tara. She needed that all encompassing strength, of love, of beauty and perfection. She needed Tara..
She looked up from the basin she had been using to wash away the evidence of her tears, and tried to meet, but managed only a strangled croak.
Tara knocked again. ‘Willow, please let me in!’
‘It’s not locked.’ Willow managed.
As Tara walked in, she could immediately see the hurt in her girlfriend’s eyes. Hurt not at the fact that some mystery force had marked her, personally, for death. This hurt came from the admission in front of Buffy and Dawn that she was receiving empathic surges from a girl who had once been Tara’s girlfriend. A girlfriend that Tara had never once mentioned to Willow.
‘Will, please let me explain…’
‘What’s to explain? So you had a girlfriend before me. That’s not my business. Why am I upset?’
‘Because you told me everything and I told you nothing. There are reasons. You’ve met my family. My pasts hurts so much. I just want my future, with you!’
Willow looked awful as she met Tara’s gaze, unable to stop herself from asking the question she was so afraid of. ‘Did you sleep with her?’
Tara’s look answered Willow’s wavering question. Willow’s eyes turned huge, then she covered her face in hands and pushed out of the bathroom, past Tara, in the direction of Buffy’s room.
‘Willow!’ Tara tried desperately. She stood in the hall, deeply unhappy, staring at Buffy’s now closed door.
‘Hey.’ Tara looked round to see Dawn’s small figure standing behind. ‘I have a bomb shelter, no Slayers allowed Wanna come hang?’
‘Dawnie, you are such a godsend.’
‘Don’t say things like that, it makes me nervoid. The thought of being the offspring of Gory Glory fails to thrill.’
Karly sat in a booth in The Bronze watching average Sunnydalers going about their recreational activities and courting rituals. She actually quite dug the place, but given the opportunity, she would have made everything black, install some wrought-iron staircases and some observation platforms. Had these people never heard of industrial goth?
She sipped her Becks and turned her attention back to the guy. The guy was the only interesting object in this place. He was a good ten years older than the rest of the clientele. Spiky blonde hair, black leather coat, cigarette hanging out of the side of his mouth. And he was kind of cute.
It didn’t take Spike long to single out the new face in town. He sidled into her booth, part seductive swagger, part cool as.
‘Hello sweet. I haven’t seen you around, getting your claws into the local menfolk before?’
Karly appraised him carefully. ’Y’know, since you’re a vampire and all, I kind of dig you, which is all wrong. You get cursed with a soul or somesuch nonsense?’
Spike sighed. ‘You know something? When I first came to this bloody wretched outhouse of a town, no-one knew about us guys. I mean, vampires were Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee. Now, it’s like, no-one even dials 911! It’s like “Vampire! “ “Oh, don’t worry honey, I got it!” We’ve been bloody devalued by all the other freaks round here. It’s not right!’
‘So what’s your deal? I mean, are you tame or something? You’re not even making me nervous.’
‘Tame my arse! I am the Big Bad!’ Spike swelled up and then swelled back down again. ‘Bloody bastards at the department of Armageddon put a chip in my head. Can’t hurt no-one.’
Spike took a swig on Carly’s beer. ‘So, who are you, what ya doing, can I come?’
‘I’m Karly.’
‘Spike.’
‘Of course you are. Well, Spike, I’m looking for an old friend of mine. Tara Maclay?’
Spike spat out a mouthful of peanuts.
‘You know her?’
‘Little blonde thing? Wouldn’t say boo to a goose?’
‘Yeah!’
‘Witch?’
‘She is!’
‘Raging dyke?’
‘Let me get this right. I can hurt you, but you can’t touch me?’
‘Christ, forget all the PC crap. I’ve got nothing against it just happens that I’m good mates with her other half. Now she is a cute little thing. She could seduce the Pope, you know what I mean?’
Karly noticed that Spike was taking on board and filing every facial reaction he received from her for these revelations. A very tricky character.
‘So anyway, Red says to me, ‘please turn me into a vamp, Spike, I can’t live without you!’ And I would of, but for the problem in me bonce. Then she meets your mate and goes all gay. Bloody waste. Still, I’ve watched ‘em at it a fair few times an’ it fair gets you going.’
‘You’re a pig!’
‘Why does everyone keep saying that? Find me a bloke who don’t like a bit of girl on girl action and I’ll find you a bleeding great poof!’
‘I’ve changed my mind, Spike. You’re not my sort of guy.’
‘Oh come on! I’m a Brit. I speak my mind. I can take to Tara and Red.’
‘What’s in it for you?’
‘I dunno. You?’
‘Sorry “mate”, I’m a raging dyke.’
Spike sighed. ‘Look, there a bunch of ‘em, including your girl. Monster fighters. They seem to have got the wrong idea about me. We were really good mates, helping each other and stuff. I just want to help…you know…..the big fight.’
Karly gazed at Spike with extreme scepticism. ‘Come on then.’
Willow stared out of the window into the darkness of Buffy’s street.
‘What am I going to do, Buffy?’
‘Willow, we’re on it. Giles is on his way round. We are not going to let anything hurt you.’
Willow spun round to face her friend. ‘Not that. Tara!
Buffy placed a gentling hand on Willow’s shoulder. ‘I know it hurts you right now. But really, Tara’s done nothing wrong.’
‘She withheld stuff from me!’
‘Did she really though, Will?’
‘She didn’t tell me about this girl?’
‘Did you ever ask her about her lovelife before you?’
‘I couldn’t. I knew I’d be upset if…’
‘You thought you were the first, right?’
‘Yeah…I guess.’
‘And now you know you weren’t, and that hurts, right?
‘Uh huh.’
‘And I’m guessing, from personal experience, that what hurts more is knowing that someone else has been intimate with her?’
Willow looked tear-strained at Buffy. ‘Yes! That’s exactly it.. I hate it!’
Buffy sighed. ‘It’s your problem, Will. You’ve got to deal. Tara’s sitting down the corridor in pieces, and she really hasn’t done anything wrong.’
‘I have to go to her!’ Willow whispered.
‘I knew this would happen one day!’ Tara wailed.
‘Oh, it’s so not a big deal!’ Dawn complained. ‘I’m really pissed at Willow. She’s being so unfair!’
Tara stroked Dawn’s lustrous hair. ‘Dawn, I have hidden things from Willow. Huge things. This is just the tip of the iceberg!’
Dawn looked up at her, fearfully. ‘You do love her, don’t you? You’re not going to split up? I couldn’t bear that!’
‘I love her more than anything in the world, Dawnie. I would die for her. I will, if I have to. I just have to tell the truth now all of it. Karly and Whistler. The drawings. Oh Goddess!’
Dawn gave her a squeeze. ‘I’m not even gonna ask, Tara.’
‘Dawn, do you believe in fate?’
‘Being a thing, it’s pretty difficult to know what to believe in. But I guess. I mean all that stuff with my mom and…’ She trailed of.
’The thing about faith,’ Tara started, ‘Is that you can mess with it.’
She kissed Dawn on the cheek. ‘I have to go to her now.’
And then the house began to shake
Spike pulled the DeSoto past the fenced-off remains of Sunnydale High without a glance. He had seen it a thousand times. Karly looked on with distracted interest.
'That place has gone downhill.'
'I think it's a distinct improvement.'
'So what went down?'
'Oh, big kick-off between good and evil, giant worm, hellmouth sealed. Page four stuff, really.'
'You weren't there, then?'
A thin smile. 'Nah. Slayer had it nailed.'
'So she really exists….'
'Buffy? Oh yeah, She owns this town. Terrible taste in blokes, though, that's her weakness. She was seeing this dick, Sergeant Sap, personality of a rusty tap, and…'
'You are one fucked-up vamp!'
Spike eased off the gas. 'What? I may be a demon, but I can still see that a tasty bird like that needs a bloke who can put her through her paces. Keep her on her toes, y'know?'
'So what 's this Willow character like?'
Spike turned to look straight at the punk girl. She was staring straight ahead, her arms crossed. The vampire grinned to himself. Humans were so transparent.
'Red? Well, like I said, she's seriously cute. I mean, you just can't dislike her. She's funny and she's smart. And she's kind of innocent, makes you want to protect her, if you know what I mean.?'
'I like her already.' Karly said, dully.
'And, you know, those two little girls were just made for each other. Seriously in love, they are. Spending all day staring into each other's eyes. Makes you want to puke, actually'
Karly said nothing.
'Funny thing is,' Spike went on, 'they look like a couple of soft toys, but they could wipe the floor with most of the wankers in this town. I mean Red, she's a killer when it comes to her and hers. I'd hate to be the sucker that tried to come between her and her sweetheart. So how do you know Tara?'
Willow took a step out of Buffy's room, then flew forward off her feet, as though tripped. She hit the floor, hard, the wind knocked out of her. Buffy staggered out after her friend. The whole house was rocking and swaying, as though shaken by a giant invisible hand.
'Will! Are you okay?'
Willow made to get up, but was swatted back down again by the invisible force.
'Will!'
Buffy lunged forward to help Willow, but found herself inexorably pushed back into her room.
Willow tried to crawl forward, but found the presence pushing down on her was crushing all the air from her lungs. Willow tried to think. Whatever was attacking her, a magical force-wall might protect her. Willow gasped the invocation, but there was no reaction. The magical powers within her simply were not reacting to her spell.
'Willow!'
The redhead managed to drag her head off the carpet. Tara stood in the hall in front of her, her arms braced against the wall. Behind her, Dawn fought to gain a similar purchase, but was fighting a losing battle. Loose objects were beginning to fly violently around creating a deadly maelstrom.
A small framed picture struck Tara in the temple, nearly knocking her off balance. Blood flowed freely into her eye.
'Tara, it's crushing me!' Willow howled desperately.
'My spells aren't working!' Tara shouted back 'I'm going to try and..'
As Tara attempted to move closer, she seemed to lose her grip on the walls. The deadly forced lifted her bodily and threw her violently down the stairs.
Distantly, Willow could hear Dawn screaming Tara's name. She was barely able to draw breath, and her vision was growing grey around the edges.
Abruptly, the pressure lessened and she was able to breathe. Buffy was on top of her, she realised. The Slayer was using her body to physically hold back the force from the witch..
'Buffy,' Willow gasped. 'Tara's hurt!'
'I have to protect you, Will. I can't….Dawn, keep your head down!'
Spike pulled the car up outside Buffy's house, with a customary wheelspin.
'Summers residence.' He announced. 'First stop.'
'Are you coming with?'
'What, and stand in the yard? I'll pass. Be sure to mention how helpful I was.'
'Naturally.'
Karly noticed that the door was wide open as soon as she stepped out of the car. With a faint 'whooshing' sound, a book flew out of the door and landed on the lawn. She approached the Summers house with caution.
The moment Karly poked her head warily around the door, the whirling carnage within abruptly ceased. An electric lamp crashed to the floor directly in front of her. The young punka gazed round the room in utter bemusement. It looked as if Buffy Summers lounge had been party to its own personal whirlwind. Stranger still, the word 'Willow' had been scrawled in large, ragged red letters all over every wall.
A muffled moan interrupted Karly's thoughts. She moved to the foot of the stairs, where a small upended bookcase revealed the first casualties of the storm. The handsome, well-dressed man in his forties appeared to have been trying to protect a young woman from injury with his body. Despite various cuts and bruises, the man was still conscious.
'Are you okay?' Karly asked dumbly.
'Tara!'
Three pretty young women were heading down the stairs towards her, each similarly battered and bruised.
'Oh my God, Giles!' Buffy cried, running to the Watcher's aid. 'Can you stand?'
'Buffy…I found Tara unconscious. I tried to…'
Willow knelt by her girlfriend's prone form. 'Come, on baby, wake up!'
'Oh….Tara!' Karly said with a sob, seeing the girl for the first time. So grown-up. So beautiful.
They all turned to the tall girl.
'Who are you?' Willow asked, sounding strained.
'A friend.' Karly said, stepping away from the others. 'I found them. She looked at the two older girls. 'Willow…Buffy.'
'I don't know you.' Willow said, her voice hostile.
'Phone's down.' Dawn announced. 'We have to help Tara!'
'Spike..' Karly stuttered. 'Spike's outside.'
'You did this, didn't you?' Willow growled.
'Will, cool it!' Buffy warned.
'You know who I am, Willow.' Karly said softly. She reached out her hand. 'Come on, you know.'
'Yeah, I know.'
Willow's eyes turned black.
To be continued....