First fic: Isla del Encanto (AU)

[onyxsundrops]

Title: Isla del encanto (AU)

Rating: R...might rise to Nc17- Not very good at writing smut, but I might give it a try

Summery: Six strangers win a vacation to a paradise island, which doesn’t turn out to be what they all imagined

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the BTVS characters; Willow, Tara, Buffy, etc.. Other characters are my own

Pairings: eventually, W/T (like I’d have it any other way) as well as B/F and X/A

Notes: Set during the summer before the gangs sophomore year of college. No vampires, though witches/wiccans and other mystical forces do exist. This is my first try at fan fic, so please let me know if you like..or if it’s flat out horrible and you want me to stop







Their hearts where racing as they fought to remain calm.. or at least as calm as one could be while hiding out in the bathtub of a potential psycho killer. Glancing over at the other occupant of the small, circular bathtub, Willow wished she could take Tara’s fear from her, but the fear pumping in her veins seemed to be overflowing, so she held her girlfriend tighter trying to soothe her nerves. They heard the door handle jiggle once more, the panic in their eyes rising, as their breathing became short, silent gasps’. Hoping the that moon’s rays through the window wouldn’t cast a shadow of their bodies behind the thin curtain, they remained in each others arms, sharing one rapid heart beat, as they waited.



So this is it Willow thought to herself, this is how I die... Oh god, I don’t wanna die. No more TV re-runs with my favorite Lesbian couple, No more mocha’s with the little chocolate bits, No more Tara......No more Tara? No more Tara kisses? Oh no, that just wont work!



Goddess this is it Tara thought, I’m gonna die.. I’m gonna die. But at least I’m with Willow. No, wait, I don’t wanna die. Death means, No more Willow, No more Willow kisses, No more Willow lips, No more Willow- Okay, okay, back on track. I’m gonna die.



They both looked at one another again, their lips only inches apart, their thoughts connected:

Oh no, I’m definitely not ready to die!

All words vanished from their minds as the bathroom door opened.





Two Weeks Earlier



Six yellow envelopes where delivered to six different students, all from Hudson College in the sunny state of Southern California. Inside each envelope was a blue letter with a breezy ocean scent, the words written in calligraphy:



        Dear Student:



        Congratulation, you and five other lucky students have won an all expense paid trip to the Isla del Encanto (Island of Enchantment). Bring luggage for three weeks, the proper identification and yourself to the Hudson city airport in two days and you will be on your way.



Yours truly,

Patricia Collins





Of course, at first, all six had the same skeptical thoughts about the letter. Each questioning its authenticity. But they would show up at the airport, and if it was a scam they would turn around and leave and if it was some sicko setting them up.. they’d run like hell. But if it was the real deal, at least they had a reason to leave Hudson, besides they had nothing better to do for the rest of the summer break.



Two days later, a pretty, young redhead was the first to arrive at the airport gate, followed by two blondes, who didn’t seem to know one another, however, that didn’t keep one of them from talking loud enough to make her presence known. A short time later, a goofy looking, but handsome young man entered with what was supposed to be his suitcase, yet was a small, round plastic basket with clothing thrown in it. Followed by a brunette, dressed in all black with a tribal tattoo on her arm. The last to arrive was another young blonde, dressed in a pale green skirt and white blouse. All six were looking at one another, each trying to figure out the other person, when a woman in her mid-forties approached them.



“So, I guess this is everyone,” she said in a unusually chipper voice. Eyeing the group, she continued “I must confess, they certainly did pick a variety. Anyway, my name is Denise Robertson, and if you’d follow me, I’ll help you get your paperwork sorted out. But first, does anybody have any questions?”



Silence filled the group, until the redhead decided to speak up.



“Um, Yeah,” she said, raising her hand a little, “ Why us? I mean, why did we win a trip to the Island?”



“Well,” Ms. Robertson turned her attention to the redhead, “Mrs. Collins, the owner, is trying to raise the tourist rates, so we randomly picked all of you to help us.” They looked at each other somewhat nervously. To soothe their fears and thoughts of becoming members of the new cleaning crew, she continued, “Because after having such a fun and exciting time on the island, you’re going to be begging others to go visit it.”



“Well, why not just send out free coupons, I’m sure there are-,” the redheads words were cut off by the annoyed brunette behind her.

“Oh, who cares Red...I don’t care where we go, as long as it’s free. It is free, right lady?”

“God, you could’ve given her the chance to finish,”the short blonde pipped in. She was wearing the latest Gucci attire, topped off with matching sunglasses.

The brunette rolled her eyes, “Whatever, Princess. Like I said, I don’t care why, where, or how as long as it’s free,” she replied before plopping down in one of the airport seats.

“She must be on her ‘special’ days,” the young man whispered to the blond next to him, laughing softly, then regretting his words when the girl started to explain what those days were like for her.



Ms. Robertson quickly turned from their conversation, returning to the question at hand.

“Yes, the trip is completely free, everything will be handled by Mrs. Collins. Now, I’d love to answer more of your questions later, but first we need to get all of you checked in.”



About twenty minutes later, after filling out the proper forms, introducing themselves and getting all questions out the way, the group boarded the small, private plane. Though to the redhead, whose name was Willow, the plane looked as if it was crafted by recycled cat-nip cans. She didn’t know if it was her paralyzing fear of flying or the fact that the wings of the plane seemed to have a few large dints and cracks, that brought on the thought.



The plane took off without much difficulty. The crew consisted of one pilot and a co-pilot who also functioned as the stewardess. Beverages were handed out, however, do to a food shortage, lunch and snacks were to be handed out later in the flight. Which brought some discomfort to Anya, the blond in the back.

“Can I at least get some crackers or something?” she asked the stewardess, who shook his head as if he were responding to a child. “Hey, I have malnutrition,” she continued when the stewardess ignored her and began walking towards the control room. “Okay, okay. How about some peanuts?.... Donuts?.... Jelly Beans?” She frowned and continued, “I’m sure you’ll got something up there I can eat,” she yelled, before following the man to the front, in search of food.



Willow watched Anya try to pry her way into the cabinets with a plastic knife, before turning her attention back to the others. She watched as Faith, the brunette, dug holes into the cheap seats with a ball-point pen. It seemed as if she was spelling something, her tongue was hanging slightly out of her mouth, in concentration. She turned her gaze to Buffy, the blond who tried to defend her at the airport, who was skimming through one of her fashion magazines. Xander, the young man, was too engrossed in the latest issue of his motorcycle magazine to notice that somebody had actually seen the drool which landed on his page. And finally, Willow turned to the shy blond across from her, who hadn’t said much of anything since they arrived at the airport. Yet, Willow felt strangely attracted to her, and it wasn’t just because of her beauty. Which isn’t bad She thought, but it was something else as well, she just couldn’t put her finger on it. The blond glanced up at her for a moment, pausing from her book, and made eye-contact with Willow. She blushed, knowing she was being watched and went back to reading her book. Thoughts of the cute redhead, already planting themselves in her head.



Willow, however, was still staring, as if she couldn’t look away. Or didn’t want to. She had already come to the realization that she was gay during her freshman year, but never went out with another woman. Tara, yeah that's her name. God, she's beautiul. She mused to herself I mean, yeah I’ve looked at other girls, but she just seems so different. So innocent. So beautiful. So divine. A small smile formed on her lips before loud crunching in her ear and the sudden image of Anya blocking her view, shook Willow out of her thoughts.



“Ha, I knew they had some crackers back there. And they’re animal crackers, too. Oh and, you wouldn’t believe what else they have in that little cabinet. All those little gadgets. Takes me back to my cousin’s ‘coming out’ party. Anyway you want some?” she asked, offering the small bag to Willow. Willow looked at the small zip-lock bag, then back to Anya, trying not to notice the collection of crumbs around her mouth, before shaking her head no.



Anya just shrugged, before jumping into her detailed memories of the party.

This is going to be hell! Was Willows only thought as the plane continued towards its destination.



       

[willntlover]

Freaky! But very good.



I wonder what tjhis woman has up her sleeves. It's not like any on the Scoobs know each other.



Bad bad fic writer for leaving us at that point



More!!!



-Will

"I think finding her soulmate would have made Tara a more confident and secure person" -Amber Benson

[Taras Shadow]

onyxsundrops



Wow, you've got something pretty good going there. And they are all strangers? This should be interesting. *grins*



I love how you've seperated all the characters...it's going to very awesome seeing them all come together. Uh, you know what I mean.



For your first fic, you are doing one hell of a job.



I shall wait patiently for more!



~Holly~



"Um...This Is Nice And All...But I'd Rather Have Your Fingers..."

Don't You Know The Difference Between Like and Love?

[chilled monkey]

Well, this looks to be one of the most original fics I've read in a long time. I love the idea of them all being strangers.



Looking forwards to finding out the 'mystery' of the island, and Willow and Tara getting together.

[onyxsundrops]

Hey,



Thanks for the support.. I hope to have more up by the end of the night. With a little W/T connection ..and a few other mysterious characters with hidden motives.



Yvonne

[barnabasvamp]

Really enjoying the beginning of this fic, and the fact that they don't know each other makes it all the more interesting.



Look forward to more.

BV

"When choosing between two evils, I always like to take the one I've never tried before"-Mae West

[onyxsundrops]

Update: Part two..-The gang arrives and starts to realize that there is something strange behind the beauty of the island

Note: If the story sounds too cryptic, don’t worry, it’ll come together toward the end





The first thing Tara saw when she awoke from the turbulence of the plane, was the view outside her window. The ocean seemed to breathe, its mist rising as waves clapped against the shore. From above, several people were seen walking along the beach, yet not as many as she’d expected on such a beautiful island. The island was small with buildings and hotels lining the beachfront, behind them, a large area of huge trees, bunched together.



Tara was brought out of her observation by the pilot’s voice announcing its estimated arrival at the airport. The others started to awake as well. Willow awoke, her face smashed against the window from Anya leaning on her. Unsuccessfully trying to push Anya’s weight off her, she grew frustrated and gave her a quick shove, blaming it on the rocking plane when Anya’s eyes snapped open, spilling the open bag of crackers onto her lap. Willow glanced up at Tara who had seen the whole thing, and was smiling sweetly at her. It seemed like forever before they broke eye- contact, only to be interrupted by Xander, who had rolled onto the floor when the plane jerked forward.



With a few minutes until landing, they all put their seatbelts back on, wiping the sleep from their eyes as the planes wheels skid against the concrete of the runway. Once out of the plane, they got their first look at the island. The airport was directly across from the beach. People ran along, laughing and talking, as the sun illuminated everything, as far as the eye could see.



After getting their luggage, they were greeted by a young man, who looked to be in his late 20's.

“Hello, my name is Jeffery Collins and I’d like to be the first to welcome you all to La Isla del Encanto.” He was dressed in khaki shorts with a light blue short sleeved shirt, his dark hair, shining under the sun. “ I trust that the trip over was comfortable?” He asked while looking at each of them. They nodded as he continued, “Great.. I have some packets to hand out, which include a few of the islands’ main attractions and events. But first if you’d follow me, we’ll get all of you rooms for your stay.”



As they started walking, nobody said anything as they took in the site before them. Anya, however, had a few questions.

“So you own this island, right? I mean, your name is Collins so I’m sure you’ve got some say in what goes on around here.” Jeffery looked at the young woman, continuing to lead them toward the hotel as he spoke.



“Yes, my last name is Collins, and no, I don’t own the island. My mother does... now,” he added with a small smirk, before going on. “ She married Mr. Collins, my stepfather, a few years ago and I just happened to adopt the name as my own. Charles died three years ago... he was-” He stopped his explanation as they reached the main doors to the hotel. “Aw, here we are.” He pushed the doors open, revealing the wide lounge. Though large, the lounge was nearly empty. Only a few dark blue chairs and tables scattered amongst indoor plants; the wooden floors were freshly polished with the scent of flowers in the air.



Once the group received their room keys and settled in, Jeffery offered to give them a personal tour of the island, which they accepted.



“My mother has promised to meet you all for dinner tonight,” he explained “She’s on the other side of the island handling some business, but she wanted me to tell you that she’s very glad that all of you could make it and she hopes that you enjoy your stay with us.” He continued walking, pointing out sites and explaining some of its history.



With Xander, Buffy and Anya walking ahead with Jeffery and Faith behind them, Willow and Tara watched as a man rode his horse along the sandy beach, another horse following behind. The coconut colored horse galloping along, entranced Tara and Willow noticed the hint of sadness in her azure eyes.



“Hey, are you okay?” Willow asked. Her soul itched, wanting to comfort the blond in any way.

“Yeah, I- It’s just so b-beautiful,” She said, smiling at Willows concern for her. “I um, I u-used to r-ride at home.” Hating her stutter, but finding hidden courage to go on “Maybe t-they’ll let u-us ride one w-while w-we’re here.” She finished, glancing at Willow and hating herself once she noticed the panic in her emerald eyes.

“Oh, uh, I don’t um do horses,” her eyes shot open, “I mean, not do do, cause that’s just sick. Okay, and I don’t know where that thought came from, but I um, I kinda have this huge fear of horses with big teeth. And yeah, Mr. Ed, that horse that talked on Tv, was kinda cute, but all horses are cute from afar. But get close to one and they’ll bite your arm out of its socket.” She caught the amused look across Tara’s face, “Okay, and you probably think I’m a freak now.”



Faith, who had been listening the whole time, decided to chime in. “What’s wrong Red, afraid of a little horsey?” she laughed.

Feeling a bit ashamed and embarrassed, Willow dropped her head until Tara took her hand. “I-It’s okay.... I mean, i-its nothing to be a-ashamed of. I um p-personally d-don’t like c-clowns. B-because they um a-are always s-smiling, plus t-they used t-to chase m-me at the f-fair when I was l-little.” They both smiled at one another.

“Oh my god, you people are so fucking strange,” Faith blurted, before shrieking and jumping back when a small mouse ran from under some bushes and by her foot. Buffy, who had turned around when Faith cursed, laughed “Aw, what’s the matter Faith, afraid of a little mousey. I figured it would’ve reminded you of home.”

Faith, unable to make a quick remark, flipped her middle finger at Buffy, before stalking off. The girls giggled, and Willow and Tara realized that they were still holding hands, but neither said anything as the enjoyed the feel of their laced fingers.



The others had stopped walking when Faith left, Jeffery making a mental note of the direction Faith left in.

“She’ll come back,” Buffy reassured, “Don’t worry about her, she’s obviously got some unresolved issues.”

As they walked on, a woman dressed in a long coat with a hood covering her face, accidently bumped into Tara, the contents in the woman’s hands, spilling to the ground. “S-sorry,” said Tara before reaching down to help the woman, who didn’t say anything and kept her face hidden. Tara noticed a series of markings on the woman’s hand. She only caught a glimpse but they were drawn deep into the woman’s skin, there were stars and lines which reminded her of a witch’s rune.

When she had finished gathering her items, from under her hood, the woman saw Jeffery glaring at her as she scurried away.



Faith silently cursed as she walked away, behind one of the buildings toward the trees. She didn’t know why she was mad, she was used to people like Buffy saying things about her, but it just felt different.

It hurt, she thought to herself, but why? She was tough, she knew how to take things, she wasn’t supposed to feel hurt.. only anger. Walking further back, she noticed an old building, it looked as if it had been torched. The windows were burned out and overturned furniture was thrown across the yard. She bent down to pick up a burnt piece of paper that she’d noticed, when a looming shadow appeared above her. She jumped up, ready to fight, and was surprised to see Jeffery standing in front of her.

“You’re not allowed back there.... it’s not safe,” he added in an afterthought.

“Yeah, sure, whatever.. I was just taking a walk,” pushing the paper into her pocket as nonchalantly as she could, she walked with Jeffery as they joined the rest of the group.



A short time later, they began gathering in the dining room for dinner. A woman with dark hair and piercing blue eyes, looked up from her seat when they entered, she stood as she greeted them.

“Well hello there, I’m Patricia Collins, but you’ll can just call me Pattie or Pat. Either one is fine, really,” she shook hands with everybody before taking her seat again, next to Jeffery. “So, how are you liking the island?” she asked, beginning the conversation as dinner arrived. She asked several other questions about the college and life in general and by the time dessert came, Pattie knew more about the group and they also knew more about each other.



“So who wants cake?” Xander quickly raised his hand, “Okay Xander, you pick! Which kind of cake would you like?” asked Pattie, as if she were talking to an excited child.

“Um, chocolate. Do you have chocolate cake?” Xander asked with hope in his brown eyes.

“Of course we do,” with that, Pattie rang a small silver bell and a woman, who looked to be in her fifties came into the dining room, caring a large chocolate cake.



Willow thought the woman looked younger than what she really was, her long grey hair, showing her age, but her face still had hints of youth within the lines and curves. The woman started to cut the cake with a large butcher knife, slicing sections. Accidently cutting her hand, the woman kept cutting as if she didn’t feel anything. Willow looked at the wound, and though it was very deep, it wasn’t bleeding. By this point, Tara had noticed the cut, too. They looked at each other in confusion, before turning back to the woman.

“E-excuse me,” once she had the woman’s, as well as everybody else’s attention, Willow pointed out that the woman had cut herself and only then did the wound began to bleed.

“Oh, silly me” her voice shaking, the woman continued, “I didn’t realize that I’d cut myself. You know, pain takes longer to reach old brains,” she chuckled, glancing at Pattie who gave her a disapproving scowl. She wrapped her hand in a piece of cloth, before taking the ruined cake back into the kitchen.



The rest of the dinner was finished without incident. By the time ten o’clock rolled around, the group decided to call it a night, retiring to their own rooms. Nobody noticed the quick squeeze of Willow and Tara’s hands, both enjoying the instant connection they had encountered once setting eyes on one other. They departed into their own rooms, which were right across the hall from each other.



The room was about average size, a queen-sized bed in the middle of two small tables, the television in front, on top of a large oak dresser. A medium sized bathroom was off to the side, the bathtub was small, with a circular shaped window across from it, topped off with vanilla colored walls.



An abrupt crash awakened her as branches scrapped along the surface of the window. On the floor she noticed some broken glass. Looking around cautiously, and not seeing anybody, she got up from the bed. A pitcher of water, which she had filled up before going to bed, had fallen to the floor. Her mind, still confused and half asleep didn’t question how the pitcher had fallen. She lent over to pick up the broken glass, when she saw a reflection in one of the pieces. Looking up, she saw a young woman. Frightened and too afraid to scream, she watched as the woman spoke, yet no sound came from her lips as they moved. The woman’s jet black hair blew from a nonexistent breeze. Sadness entombed her brown eyes as she continued to speak as if she were trying to explain something. Finally, a word broke through “Lamia,” she whispered. Her eyes rolled back into her head, as she vanished.



Tara woke up screaming.

[pioggia acida]

hey... that is really good,



it sounds like a kind of scary island though... i hope noone gets hurt or anything (especially not or )



cant wait for the next part

if no-one wants to play with me then i am going to go to my room and play with myself... play by myself, i meant play by myself

[chilled monkey]

Okay, I'm no expert on mythology, but I know what a Lamia is.



This is really good. They've only just arrived and already Willow and Tara are drawn to each other, and we are seeing a dark and sinister side to the island.



Cool fic!

[Stroke of Luck]

Okay now I get the thoughts that this island is not that beautiful, quiet island anymore. Is there a ghost or something on it???



There must be a reason why they are all on that island. What does this pat has in mind with them??



And Willow and Tara like each other. Could it be any better?



Great starting there will be alot of angst doesn´t it



Cu

SoL/Natti



Man sieht nur mit dem Herzen gut, das Wesentliche ist für die Augen unsichtbar - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

[onyxsundrops]

Hey,

-Yes, there is something dark and sinister on the island-Chilled Monkey-but its not what you think



-No ghost-Stroke of Luck- or at least I wouldnt call it that.



-Pioggia acida- there is angst, but dont worry W/T will come through



I hope to have more up later tonight, and some Q and A between and



Yvonne

[onyxsundrops]

Update: Part Three



The scream echoed through the walls of the third floor hallway. Tara sat up quickly, clutching the blanket to her chest with shaking fingers, trying to calm her hammering heart. When she had thought she’d gotten it under control, the door bursted open, scaring her even more.



The door swung off its hinges, slightly cracked.

“You could’ve tried the handle first,” Buffy told Faith, who only shrugged before Willow pushed passed and into the room. Anya followed, holding a large black bible as her weapon.



“What’re you gonna do, preach ‘em to death?” Faith asked. Anya lowered her bible, “Hey, you try finding a weapon in the dark, after hearing a scream like that.”

Willow turned all of her attention to Tara.

“Are you okay? What happened? Willow asked, nothing but concern in her green eyes.

“I-I’m okay. I-It was just a bad d-dream, t-that’s all.”

“Are you sure?”, Willow asked, feeling a little better when Tara nodded.



“Hey, what’s going on?” Xander asked from the door. Somewhere in all of his confusion, he had forgotten to put clothes on and was now standing in the hallway, wearing nothing but his underwear.

The others looked at him, then quickly turned away. Well..all except Anya.



“Never figured you for a ‘tighty whitey’ man. Do you always sleep like that?” she asked as she continued to stare openly. Xander blushed, covering his front and backing out of the room, until he bumped into Jeffery, who had also ran toward the room, after hearing the scream.



“Is everything alright?” Everybody nodded, explaining that it was just a bad dream. Jeffery, satisfied with the answer, then turned to the broken door.

“That’s gonna take at least a day to repair. I’ll have to call maintenance in the morning, but until then, I’ll have to find you another room to stay in for tonight, Tara.”

Buffy nudged Faith, “what? It was the first thing that came to mind,” she said, trying to justify the swift kick, she’d given the door.

Before Jeffery’s words were even spoken, an idea had popped into Willows mind.

“She can stay with me.” Tara turned to her, as she continued “I mean, its late and it might take awhile to find her a room.”

“Will that be okay with you Tara?” Tara had already begun to gather her things, before Jeffery finished. She nodded excitedly, before following Willow across the hall.



Anya and Xander trailed behind. Xander still covering himself, struggled to open his door and keep his dignity, at the same time.

“Here, let me get that,” Anya leered, pushing the door open and waiting for Xander to walk in, before following. She was pulled aside by Buffy and redirected to her room. “Damn,” she sighed, before going to her own room.

Buffy shook her head smiling, turning to Faith who was trying to get the door to close, at least a little.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“I um, just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. It’s just that, you should let up on the girls,” Buffy continued when she had Faiths attention, “They’re just trying to enjoy the vacation, and so should you” she playfully nudged her again before walking back to her room.



Tara and Willow stood staring at one another, both feeling a little awkward.

“S-so I um g-guess, I’ll t-take the f-floor,” Tara started to situate her blanket beside the bed.

“No,” Willow replied, a little too loudly, “I mean, you can take the bed. I don’t have cooties or anything. We can share, I mean it’s a big bed and all and I’d feel bad if you had to sleep on the floor.”

“A-are you sure?” Tara hesitated, before walking to the other side of the bed.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Willow smiled as Tara climbed in.

“So are you sure you’re okay, I mean from the nightmare?”

“Y-yeah, it was j-just kinda f-freaky,” Tara shifted under the covers, feeling Willows body-heat radiate under the sheet.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Willow was also feeling Tara’s body-heat, feeling giddy inside, among other things. Tara nodded and told Willow everything she’d remembered about the dream.

“And all she said was “Lamia”?” Willow asked after hearing the details of the dream.

“Yeah, d-do you know what that means?” Tara smiled inside, glad she’d only stuttered once.

“No, but it sounds familiar. Like I’ve heard it before.”



They lapsed into silence again. Both staring at the shadows, framed on the walls from the dim light of the lamp.

“Tara?”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Me n-neither.”

“Wanna talk?”

“Sure.”

They sat up, facing one another.

“So what do you wanna talk about,” Willow asked, shifting to get a better look at Tara.

“A-anything, um y-you pick.”

“Okay, let’s see. Oh, I got it. What are you studying, in school I mean?”

“I h-haven’t decided yet. You?”

“I don’t know either. At first I was just gonna pick anything, you know, one of those ‘I went to college’ degrees. Whereas, I can at least say I graduated, even if the degree wouldn’t get me a good job. But lately, I’ve been thinking about computers. Maybe I’ll get a degree designing programs or something.”

“T-that sounds cool. I-I was going to m-major in English, b-but I’m still deciding.”

“What classes did you take freshman year?”

“I t-took english 110, um women’s studies and p-psychology 101.”

“Oh, I took psych 101, too.. with um, geez what was that woman’s name. It’s on the tip of my tongue.”

“Walsh,” they said in unison, smiling at the surprise of knowing their thoughts were so connected.

“Wow, so we were in the same class and never knew it,” how could I have missed her, Willow asked herself.



They talked about school and classes for a while, then switched into their favorite movies.



“So your favorite movie was Sixteen Candles? I bet you only watched it to check out that popular guy with the cool car.” Willow joked.

Growing bolder and feeling more comfortable around Willow, Tara responded truthfully, “A-actually, I’ve always had a thing for redheads.” She watched for any signs of disgust from Willow, who only nodded until realization kicked in.



Her eyes lit up in surprise, “Oh,” so does that mean..?She thought. “Oh.” She repeated out loud.

“D-does t-that bother y-you?” feeling her throat get tight, Tara fought the tears that forced their way from behind her eyes.

“Bother me?” Willow saw Tara’s eyes gloss from unshed tears. “Oh, no. No. I uh, I feel the same way. Not about redheads, but you know what I mean.. right?”

As Tara smiled, a tear squeezed its way through, and Willow reached forward to wipe it with her thumb. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “So how long have you known... that you were-”

“Gay?” Tara asked, still tingling from Willows touch. Willow nodded, “Yeah, how long have you felt that way.. about girls?”

“I-I guess, I-I’ve kinda always known. B-but I didn’t fully accept it until I was 16. W-what about you?”

“Last year. I always wondered why I caught myself checking out the cheerleaders at football games, and not the players.” They both giggled.

“So um,” Willow hesitated, “So h-have you ever kissed another girl?”

Tara wasn’t prepared for the question, so it took her a little longer to shake her head no.

“Me neither. Okay so, um don’t hit me or anything, but would you like to try it... with me?”

When she didn’t receive an answer, she continued, “But you don’t have to. I mean, if you don’t want. I-I totally understand if you-” She was cut off by Tara’s lips pressed firmly against hers.

At first it was just a ‘non-moving, only touching the lips’ kind of kiss, but as both girls got used to the sensation, the kiss became softer and more animated. The skin of their lips touching lightly through continuous kisses. After several minutes, they pulled apart. Eyes searching, faces glowing, lips inches apart as their breath mingled.



Willow was the first to regain her voice, “That was....that was” okay brain, work! She told herself, but Tara finished for her, “That was amazing.”

Willows brain had finally caught up with her mouth, “Yeah. Wanna try again?”

Tara giggled, nodding happily before going in for another kiss.

They spent the rest of the night kissing until their lips grew numb and they fell asleep.

[mocha fiend 22]

wow this is really a good fic... one question tho whats going on? this island is like sort of creepy and im getting a norman bates kind of vibe from Jeffery...lol cool fic update soon

I love you now and forever and a week

[chilled monkey]

Wow, this is great!



I loved the talk between Willow and Tara, and especially the kiss. It was so sweet.

[Stroke of Luck]

Jup that´s how I like it. I think they will try alot more than just that kissing thing.



Okay I see Anya has an eye on Xander But Buffy and Faith they have to brake the ice and I hope that happens really soon



Lamia I am curious is that a name but I guess I will see it in the next chapters.



But great update want to have more



CU

SoL/Natti



Man sieht nur mit dem Herzen gut, das Wesentliche ist für die Augen unsichtbar - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

[onyxsundrops]

Notes:-I was getting a Norman Bates vibe from Jeffery too, Mocha Fiend 22. I’m still working on a concrete personality for him..so anything goes for now. I plan to reveal more about what’s happening in the next two updates, as well as some background into Lamia.



Update: Part Four





Red tresses greeted her blue eyes as she awoke. Her first response was to back away until an apple scent filled her senses, sending flashes of the night before into her mind. She smiled down, “Willow,” she whispered to herself. It was funny how one word could ignite such a powerful flame within her soul. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, but she wasn’t about to complain.

She thought back to the night before: the nightmare, which still made her shutter a little and... the kiss. The kiss that still lingered upon her lips, like a ghost unwilling to let go.



Willow was sprawled out on her stomach, facing away from Tara. An arm thrown across Tara’s hip, her right leg hanging over the edge of the bed as she frowned and mumbled in her sleep.

“No, Kermit.. It’s Ms. Piggies turn to ride in the pumpkin.” Tara covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Her fingertips grazed across her lips, then traced the line of Willow’s jaw. Willow mumbled more unintelligible words before turning toward Tara. Feeling herself begin to awaken, Willow tightened her hold around Tara’s hip before opening her eyes.

“Hi,” she sighed happily, taking in Tara’s bed-head. It stuck up in a few places like she’d been shocked, and she found it absolutely adorable.

“Hey,” Tara’s eyes memorized Willows lips before settling on her eyes. Willow was also captivated by Tara’s full lips, she moved forward as if she were asking permission, and Tara closed the gap as their lips touched. For both girls, it felt like the first kiss all over again. Both basking in each others softness, lips fighting for dominance as fingers roamed hair.



They pulled apart from a knock on the door. After stealing several small pecks, Willow removed herself from the sheets and went to answer the door.

“Hey Willow, we didn’t wake you guys did we?” Buffy asked, peeking her head through the door a little and noticing that Tara wasn’t on the floor. She smiled, “If we did..we can just come back

later. We were just gonna go catch breakfast and wondered if you and Tara wanted to come.”

Willow turned to Tara, who nodded, “Yeah, we’ll come. Just give us ten minutes and we’ll be ready.”

“Okay. We’ll be waiting in my room when you’re ready,” Buffy said before walking down the hall. About ten minutes later, Willow and Tara joined the others, and they all went down to the cafeteria for breakfast.





After a few short knocks, Jeffery pushed the door to his mother’s office open. The office was spacious, but like the lounge it was quite empty. A few plaques on the walls, a large desk covered with papers and other documents. A small, black couch was pushed against the wall, and a large leather chair was positioned behind the desk. The room was fairly dark for such a bright day, the shades closed, allowing only faint streams of light to come in from the sun.

Patricia Collins looked up from her work when her son entered. “You wanted to see me?” he asked before sitting down on the couch.

She finished writing a few notes on her paper, before turning to Jeffery.

“Yes. I want to know what happened last night,” giving him a long stare she continued, “I got a report of screams coming from the third floor.”

“It was nothing,” he tried to sound convincing, “The Maclay girl had a nightmare, that’s all.”

“What about?” Patricia continued, trying to get more information out of her son.

“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully.

“You didn’t ask?” she pressed on, wanting more than Jeffery’s short answers.

“What was I supposed to say? ‘Oh, I’m sorry you had a nightmare that woke half the floor up, but I’d like to know what happened. You know, who was in it, what they looked like’,” he finished sarcastically, shrinking back from the cold stare his mother gave him.



“It’s starting again,” Patricia rose from her chair, pacing in front of the window.

“We don’t know that. She could’ve had a dream about anything.” Jeffery also rose.

“What did the others say?” she asked, stopping to look at him again.

“They didn’t say anything, just that it was a bad dream. That Faith girl kicked the door down, so Tara had to say with Willow, so I could call and get it fixed.”

“She stayed with Willow?” he nodded, “Did she tell her what the dream was about?” she asked, sighing angrily when Jeffery shrugged and gave her a ‘how am I supposed to know’ look. Growing more agitated from her son’s lack of answers, Patricia strolled toward him. The way she managed to keep that same dangerous glare, even in her old age, still made Jeffery back away against the door, as if he were a little boy.

“Find out!” she ordered before walking back to sit in her chair.

Jeffery swallowed the knotting fear building in his stomach, before nodding and leaving the room.



He had left the door slightly cracked, enough for Patricia to see into the hallway.

“Isabel,”she yelled until the old maid came into the office. It was the same woman from the kitchen, her grey hair pulled back into a bun. Not saying a word, she waited patiently for Patricia to lock away the file she’d been writing in. “Bring me some coffee,” she commanded. Picking up the coffee mug from her desk, she added, “And make sure its fresh, this last batch was horrible. I don’t know why I still keep you around when you can’t even make fresh coffee.” Isabel quickly nodded, taking the mug. As she walked out the room, she heard Mrs. Collins yell to her, telling her that she wanted two sugars and no cream.

Neither Jeffery nor Patricia knew that Isabel had been in the hallway the whole time they had been talking.





After eating breakfast, the gang had regrouped in Buffy’s room to discuss how they were going to spend their day. They were looking through the packet of events that Jeffery had given them, as each of them called out different things they wanted to do.

“Let’s go dancing.”

“Swimming.”

“Miniature golf”

“Strip-poker”

Every eye in the room turned to Anya. “What?”she asked, smiling when a vision of Xander popped into her head. Willow and Tara blushed and glanced at one another. Faith rolled her eyes, as did Buffy. And Xander’s face was unreadable as he visioned five scantily clad girls playing strip-poker.

“How about we take a vote,” Willow suggested. “Okay, but before we vote, does anybody want to be alone. I mean, we don’t have to hangout with each other, if somebody wants to do their own thing,” Buffy shot a quick glance at Faith. Willow had been squeezing Tara’s hand lightly as Buffy spoke. In that short moment, they had come to an understanding... they’d have time later to be alone.

“So, are we all okay? Does anybody want to be alone?” Buffy looked around, glad that nobody had objected to spending time together. They took a vote, making sure to exclude strip-poker, much to Anya’s dislike. Finally they settled on swimming and if they weren’t too tired, they’d go dancing later in the night.



Sometime in the afternoon, after putting on their swimsuits and sun-block, they headed out to the beach. The sand was warm against their feet as cool waves foamed against the shore.

“Where’s your swimsuit?” Buffy asked Faith as they spread a large blanket out, under one of the big beach umbrellas. Faith was dressed in a pair of light blue shorts and a tank-top, while Buffy was wearing a dark green bikini, with white shorts over the bottom piece.

“I don’t swim,” Faith replied while repositioning the umbrella to shade out more of the sun.

“You can’t swim,” asked Buffy.

“I didn’t say I couldn’t, I said I didn’t,” Faith sat down, staring off into the ocean.

“I bet you’ll be in that water by the end of the day,” Buffy challenged, following Faiths gaze.

“You think so?” amused by Buffy’s words, Faith continued, “What makes you think that?”

“I just know. In fact, I’m so sure that I’m willing to bet that you’ll be in that water before we leave today.”

Never one to turn down a bet, Faith agreed. “Okay, you’re on. What are we betting on?”

Buffy thought about it for a minute before taking Faiths hand in a firm shake, not telling her the stakes, beforehand.

“If I get you in that water by the end of the day, you have to dance with me tonight when we go out,” still holding Faiths hand, she winked before getting up. She ran, shucking off her shorts in the process and jumped into the ocean, leaving a surprised Faith staring at her hand.



After Buffy had jumped into the ocean, Xander and Anya had gotten up to get a snow-cone from one of the stands along the beach. While walking to the booth, Xander’s tongue nearly fell out of his mouth, as he caught sight of a topless woman getting a suntan. Anya noticed what he was looking at and slapped him in the back of his head.

“Hey!..What was the for?” he asked as he rubbed the tender spot.

“You’re looking at her! I saw you in your skivvies last night, you should be looking at me like that,” she explained, ready to hit him again.

“We’re not even going out,” Xander backed away, not wanting to get hit again.

“Well.. we could. No, we should. Go out with me!,” she told him forcefully.

He looked at her in the yellow bikini she was wearing, “Okay,” he shrugged, glad to receive a hug from Anya, and not another hit.



Meanwhile, Willow and Tara had snuck into the ladies restroom for a little alone time. The only sound coming from the closed stall was the sound of lips smacking and shifting clothing. They pulled apart, smiling as they tried to catch their breaths.

“More,” Willow pleaded, as she snaked her hand up Tara’s shirt. She was wearing a red one piece swimsuit with matching shorts. Tara, on the other hand, was wearing a white T-shirt with a light-blue one piece underneath, as well as khaki drawstring shorts.

They heard the door to the ladies room open and close, pausing with their lips still touching as they heard the sinks’ faucet switch off and on. Not knowing if they were still alone, they broke apart again. Willow bent down to the floor to check under the other stalls and was surprised to see that they were all empty. She stood up and gave Tara a confused shrug, before pointing to the door, indicating that they should leave. Tara nodded as Willow stuck her head out the door, to see if anyone was around. Seeing nobody, she took Tara’s hand and they walked back to the beach, neither knowing what just happened.



They walked back to the blanket that Faith and Buffy had set up, watching as Buffy and Anya splashed Xander with water.

“W-why aren’t y-you swimming?” Tara asked Faith, hoping not to get yelled at. Faith heard the hesitation in Tara’s voice. “Just not up to it, I guess,” she replied, turning her attention to the others. She had to admit, some part of her wanted to be in that water. Oh, who am I kidding, She asked herself, a huge part of me wants to get in that water. But I’ll be damned if I lose a bet. Though she added it wouldn’t be complete torture having to dance with her. A small smile crept across her face as she watched Xander being double teamed.



“Wanna go for a swim?” Willow asked, wanting to swim, but also wanting to see Tara in her swimsuit. The same thoughts coursed through Tara’s mind as she nodded. They stood and began walking toward the shore.

“You’re gonna have to take this off,” Willow tugged on Tara’s shirt. Tara smiled, a little embarrassed, before all thought left her mind. Willow had taken off her shorts and was now standing in front of her in a form-fitting suit, with a smile on her face. But it wasn’t one of their normal smiles. It was a smile that made Tara’s insides melt, turning her arousal into liquid.

Willow saw the lust in Tara’s eyes begin to surface, and she tugged again on her shirt before helping her pull it over her head. Her own eyes filling with desire as she took in the way Tara’s breasts pushed against the material.

Both girls felt something awaken in them. Hoping she wasn’t showing any wet spots through her suit, Willow waited as Tara pulled on the drawstring of her shorts and began to lower them. Now standing face to face in their swimsuits, they both took a minute to process what they were seeing.

Tara watched as Willow’s chest rose, aching to touch her. The small breasts seemed to quiver under Tara’s gaze as she traveled lower down Willow’s body. Hoping to one day personally explore the narrow hips and toned thighs.

Willow was having the same thoughts. She traveled from Tara’s eyes, down her graceful neck to the small pinch of cleavage that forced its way above the swimsuit top. Lower, her eyes took in the full hips and smooth thighs. Later, they thought in unison.

“Are you ready?” Willow asked, snapping out of the beautiful vision in front of her.

With a nod, they held hands as they walked into the water.



They joined the others, splashing and laughing joyously as if they were kids. After what seemed like hours, the sun started to lower behind the trees of the island. Faith had been reading her book as the others played, glancing every now and then at Buffy, who would sometimes meet her gaze and smirk. The others ran onto the beach, toweling off and sneaking kisses from their significant other.



A sudden cry from the water, turned the group’s attention to Buffy who had swam to the deeper end and was struggling to stay above water. They all looked around for a lifeguard, and when Faith didn’t see one. She took off in a sprint before leaping into the water. She swam out, diving deep in search of Buffy who had gone under. Once she had her hands held securely around Buffy’s waist, she swam toward the surface. Looking for a pulse and wondering if she would need to preform CPR, she gasped when Buffy opened her eyes.

“See you tonight!” Buffy smiled before freeing herself and swimming toward the shore, leaving Faith in a state of shock and surprise-again.

Edited by: onyxsundrops at: 4/6/03 6:57:13 pm

[Washi]

Yay! Update! Love the whole story, and loved this part. W/T smoochies, and Buffy tricking Faith. That's just good stuff.

I'm wondering what Pat wants. I guess I'll have to wait.

********



"See? I've mastered this tact crap." Anya in Tears Of The Goddess by Lisa

[Stroke of Luck]

Ah Buffy is just an evil But she got Faith into the water. Really funny. But I think that Faith would say or do something to punish Buffy for that



Willow and Tara are just adorable, they are so cute with wachting each other



Cu

SoL/Natti



Man sieht nur mit dem Herzen gut, das Wesentliche ist für die Augen unsichtbar - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

[barnabasvamp]

Excellent Was wondering just how Buffy was going to pull that one off!



Funny, no one really wondered just how Faith could kick the door in the way she did. But how lucky for



BV

"When choosing between two evils, I always like to take the one I've never tried before"-Mae West

[onyxsundrops]

Update: Part five- Sorry, its kinda short!





He was still furious from the talk with his mother. Her demanding words and that hard stare still in his mind. He was a grown man, who was she to tell him what to do? He had gone to college, like she told him and even graduated with honors but it still wasn’t enough from her.

Jeffery had been walking since he’d left her office, only stopping by the main desk to make sure his request to have the broken door fixed was received by maintenance. He always took the same path through the woods when he was angry and every time he’d stop at the same place.



Everything was the same as the last time he’d been there. If he closed his eyes, he could still see the flames as they shot up from the churned roof, polluting the foggy air. He could still smell the smoke as it stained the white walls and the broken furniture, rotting with the dying grass. At night, the screams haunted him as he would wake in a cold sweat, wiping away the stench of gasoline that still layered his hands. She’d told him that he was doing it for the both of them, that it would be for the best. She’d played him like so many times before, but she was his mother and some sick part of him would do it again, just for her. He took one last look at the building before sighing and walking off, in search of answers.





A group of six gradually made their way through the dimly lit club. Dodging drunken partygoers, they made their way to the semicircle table in the back.

“So who wants drinks?” Xander asked as the others took their seats. After taking their requests, Xander headed toward the bar for five bottled waters and a coke.

The music blared through the speakers as people filled every corner of the dance floor. Willow and Tara had taken the two seats against the wall, which gave them a good view of the door in case they decided to sneak away.



They had dressed in their own rooms since Tara’s door had been fixed by the time they got back from the beach. The island was a little cold at night, so Willow had decided to don a pair of faded grey jeans with a cream-colored v-neck, long-sleeve top. Tara was wearing a long-sleeve light purple shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. She had bought the jeans awhile back and had never worn them because of the low-cut. But she felt different since meeting Willow and decided to wear them, much to Willows delight. In fact, Willow liked the jeans so much that she was still sneaking glances at Tara’s legs as Xander got the drinks.



“Willow... Willow,” Buffy called for the third time. Willow’s head snapped up in confusion before looking at Buffy. “Are you okay? You kinda zoned out for a minute there.”

“Huh...oh, yeah. I’m fine. Just fine,” she repeated, catching Tara’s eye and blushing, knowing that Tara knew what she was looking at. She tightly squeezed her legs together to stop the sudden throbbing as Buffy continued, “Okay well, Faith and I are about to go dance.” She took Faiths hand, leading her to the dance floor as a new song started.



As soon as Faith and Buffy left, Xander had returned with the drinks.

“Xander, lets dance,” Anya took his hand before he had a chance to sip his water, and led him into the crowd of people.

Finally alone, Willow turned to Tara. “So, you wanna make a run for it?” she teased, nodding toward the door. Tara laughed, “You don’t wanna dance first,” she asked as she rested her hand on Willows thigh. Drawing little circles, she continued, “Or are there other things on your mind,” she emphasized, nodding toward her legs. Willow exhaled rather loudly before opening her water and drinking half the bottle in a single breath. “Um, I guess we can dance first,” her words betraying her thoughts of wanting nothing more than to go back to the hotel. Smiling, they walked onto the dance floor.



Buffy stood shocked as Faith grinded against her. The song’s rhythm was fast beat, but Faith was dancing to the sensual voice of the singer as she placed her knee between Buffy’s legs. Buffy wasn’t prepared for this.. she’d thought she was going to get a two-step, head-bobbing type of dance from Faith. And the way Faith slide against her body was definitely not two-stepping. It stirred up feelings inside of her, as all the blood in her brain rushed south, flooding her senses. Her only choice, of course, was to give in.



Hands caressed the air as Willow and Tara gave into the music. Their bodies pressed together, breasts rubbing, eyes connecting as they let go. Willow placed her hands on Tara’s hips, traveling lower to give her ass a quick squeeze, which Tara returned just as firmly. The heat of each others body was too much as tongues licked dry lips, and they came together in a passionate kiss. Neither one caring if anybody was looking, the kiss became more wild, expressing how they both felt. Even as the song ended, they continued devouring each others lips as hands explored new places.



Through the small throng of people, he spotted her from the corner of the club. Not wanting to draw attention or any curiosity from the group, he had to wait. He would get the answers his mother wanted, all he had to do was get her alone.

Edited by: onyxsundrops at: 4/7/03 6:56:51 pm

[Stroke of Luck]

Better short than nothing! That´s what i say



Ahhh okay now Faith knew her feelings for Buffy? Slow dance, knee between Buffy´s legs.



And Willow touchting Tara´s ass.



But I still don´t like that guy, what does he want to do?



Cu

SoL/Natti



Man sieht nur mit dem Herzen gut, das Wesentliche ist für die Augen unsichtbar - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

[onyxsundrops]

Update: Part six

Note: I added a little more, to the myth about Lamia...so it’s part fact from Mediterranean myth and some other parts that I threw in, to go with the story.





Tara awoke with Willow’s body snuggled firmly against her back. The cool breath of Willow’s light snore, sending chills up and down her neck. They had come back to her room late last night and went straight to bed after fooling around a little. She knew that the sexual tension between them was building and every time Willow touched her, she felt as if she would burst. They hadn’t talked about taking the next step in their relationship, but she knew it was on Willow’s mind. She could tell from Willow’s roaming hands and dauntless touches whenever they shared a heated kiss. They would be together soon, it was just a matter of who was going to take the first step.

Tara kissed a still sleeping Willow on the cheek before getting up. She straightened her clothes that she’d fallen asleep in, and brushed her hair back, before going down to the cafeteria for some bagels and doughnuts.



She was tapping patiently on the counter while waiting for her order, when she spotted Jeffery sitting with his coffee a few feet away. She grabbed her box, before going over to greet him.



“Good morning, Jeffery,” she knew that she surprised him by the way he jerked back before looking up at her.



“Morning Tara, have a seat!” he looked around, “What are you doing up so earlier?” he asked as she sat in the stool beside him.



“Just getting some breakfast,” she smiled, gesturing toward the doughnut box.



“That’s good. So how are you... from the other night?” He continued when he saw the perplexed look on her face, “The dream?”



“Oh, I-I’m fine, it was just a n-nightmare,” she responded, shifting in her chair.



“What about?” he pushed. Come on, come on he chanted in his head. All he needed was a small description. Something to tell his mother, so she’d leave him alone.



“N-nothing specific. Just a lot of cryptic stuff, you know how those d-dreams go,” she smiled, though inside, she was a little nervous. Why did he want to know?



“I bet you’re wondering why I ask?” he paused, thinking of his lie, “I took a course in college about dream interpretation and symbolism. They say if you tell another person about the dream, you might get a better understanding of what it means.” That should do it, he thought as he watched her nod in understanding.



“It was about...” she started to explain what she remembered. When she finished, she thought she saw some form of understanding in his eyes, as if he had heard it before. Looking closer, she saw something else, but what was it? Fear? Why was he afraid? More important, what was he afraid of, she wondered. He took a few more sips from his coffee, before abruptly excusing himself. Tara watched him go, then headed back to her room.



The door to Faith’s room was open when Tara made her way through the hall.



“Hey Tara,” Faith called from the bedroom. She was polishing her black boots when Tara walked through the door. “I didn’t know anybody else was up,” she said as she switched shoes.



“Yeah, I w-was getting breakfast,” she held the box up, “Y-You want a bagel?”



“Sure. Could you put it on the table? My hands are kinda dirty,” she said as Tara walked more into the room. Tara pulled out a napkin for the raisin bagel, setting it on the table when she noticed a slightly burnt picture next to the lamp.



“Where’d you get this?” she asked, holding up the picture for Faith to see.



“Oh, I found it out back, by this burnt out building near the woods.” She’d forgotten that she had the picture, remembering that she had thrown it on the table when she got in the first night.



“It’s her!” Tara stared at the picture, remembering the woman from her dream.



“Who?” Faith asked, walking toward Tara.



“The woman, the one from my dream.” It was weird to know that the woman wasn’t just an image from her subconscious mind, this picture proved that she really existed. Faith took the picture from Tara and seeing the look in Tara’s eyes, knew that she was telling the truth.



“How was she in your dream? What was the dream about?” Faith asked. Something wasn’t right and she wanted to know what it was.



“I think we should wake up the others, so I can tell you all at the same time,” Tara suggested.



“Okay,” Faith nodded, before following Tara out the door.



Ten minutes later, everybody was awake and listening to Tara explain her dream for the second time that day.



Anya had been listening the whole time with a thoughtful expression on her face. She’d heard the name Lamia somewhere before, and was trying to remember where.



“I got it!” Anya shouted, silently apologizing for startling the group. They looked at her and waited for her to continue. “Lamia, I remember that name from my medieval studies class.”



“Well...” Buffy urged Anya to keep going.

“Oh! Well, legend has it that Lamia was a Libyan queen who had an affair with Zeus. Apparently, Hera found out and cursed Lamia, causing her to murder and eat her own children. Typical! Why does the wife always punish the woman and not her husband?” She looked around for an answer, only getting groans as everybody rolled their eyes.



“Sorry! Okay well, it’s said that Lamia learned to enjoy human flesh so much, that she started to prey on the babies of other mothers. The name is also used in relation to Nightwitches.”



“Nightwitches?” Willow asked as she held Tara’s hand tighter.



“Yeah. They’re from Greek and Roman mythology, too. Nightwitches were said to suck the strength from babies through the breast as they nursed them. They were called a lot of names, usually Lamia or Veneficiis, which means witch in Latin, but different cultures called them by other names. In mythology, Nightwitches fly away in spirit to kill, while their bodies stay at home. Or they can temporarily take the physical form of an old woman or a younger, more attractive one, who’s usually the Greek epaiodos or enchanter. And more recent studies say that she was able to transfer a persons’ soul or energy into stones or amulets. But not all the women accused were actually evil. Some of them were labeled Nightwitches if they lost their new born, or if a child they were caring for, suddenly died. Those that were falsely accused, were usually diviners or people with knowledge of magic. You know how those people were back then, so quick to judge,” she shook her head as she finished.



“So how was she able to get into Tara’s dream?” Xander asked.



“Since she’s not on this island, or at least I hope not, she had to get to Tara through her dream. Maybe she was just trying to scare her. ” Anya explained.



“Well, it worked,” Tara muttered, more to herself than anybody else.



“Or warn her,” they all turned to Buffy as she spoke. “I mean, you said she looked sad when she was trying to speak to you, right? Nobody looks sad when they’re trying to scare you away.” Buffy theorized.



“W-warn me about what?” Tara asked, knowing she’d fall apart if it weren’t for Willow holding her.



“That’s what we’re going to find out!” Willow answered, tightening her hold. That’s what we’re going to find out, she repeated in her head, a determined look crossing her face.

Edited by: onyxsundrops at: 4/8/03 7:54:37 pm

[Stroke of Luck]

Hmmm i got a bad feeling now about Jeffrey and his mother. Is she one of that Nightwitches or does she just want to have the power from Willow and Tara.



Hope they will find it out really soon. Don´t want to see Tara hurt



I hope Lamia is a good person!!



Cu

SoL/Natti



Man sieht nur mit dem Herzen gut, das Wesentliche ist für die Augen unsichtbar - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

[barnabasvamp]

Well...I'm thinking it's some kind of warning, but you have covered so many avenues, just about anything is possible.



Look forward to more!

BV

"When choosing between two evils, I always like to take the one I've never tried before"-Mae West

[onyxsundrops]

Hey,

I actually went to class today, so I'm a little behind on writing. But I plan to have an update later tonight or early tomorrow. BTW, thanks for taking the time to read my fic, it's my first and I didn't think anybody would actually read it.



Also, I said before that I wasn't good with writing smut, but I've decided to give it a try, hopefully soon.



Yvonne

[pioggia acida]

i'm sure we all hope you give writing smut a try soon... the rest of the fic is really great

if no-one wants to play with me then i am going to go to my room and play with myself... play by myself, i meant play by myself

[Stroke of Luck]

Hmmmm nice, nice, nice



I think when they went to bed, they will do more than "just" cuddle. I hope so



And again Willows´s babble was just too cute.



Hope the next update will be soon



Cu

SoL/Natti



Man sieht nur mit dem Herzen gut, das Wesentliche ist für die Augen unsichtbar - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

[onyxsundrops]

Update: Part seven





Fingers drummed impatiently on the oak desk, as Patricia waited for her son to speak.

“Well?” she asked for the second time since he came into her office.



“It was the same dream,” he stated, as he watched her ponder his words. He hoped he’d get through to her this time and make her see that something was going on. For the past three years, a few of their guests had been having the same dream of a woman that Tara described. Every time he had brought up the situation to his mother, she had written it off. Just as she’s about to do now, he suspected.



“So she’s seeing the same woman...big deal! I don’t care what they dream about, all I know is that I’m losing money.” She paused as she watched him, “you didn’t say anything about the others, did you?”



“No, why would I-,” he started, but wasn’t allowed to finish.



“Good. The last thing I need, is for them to start asking questions. Or worse... going back to tell people that this place is haunted or something.” Once again, Patricia was thinking about her profit.



“What do you think she wants?” Jeffery asked as he opened the door to leave.



“Isabel!” Patricia yelled down the hall, before turning to Jeffery. “Who?” she asked.



“The woman from the dreams.” He wondered what she wanted, why was she causing them so much trouble? And money? What did they ever do to her?



Patricia shrugged before answering honestly, “I don’t know and I don’t care. Whatever it is, she won’t get it!”she finished with fierce determination. Jeffery watched her walk off, cursing about the maid not showing up for work. One of these days, he’d get the courage to stand up to her. He sighed before going back to his room.





They were all still sitting around the room, trying to think of what to do.



Willow glanced at Tara, holding her under her gaze until she spoke. “Have you ever heard of dream walking?” she asked. In highschool, she dabbled a little in magick and dreams. Mostly just researching, but she had also tried a few unsuccessful spells. She suspected, from the books she saw in Tara’s room, that she knew a little about magick.



Even though Tara was still a little nervous, she spoke with no trace of stutter. “Yeah. It’s when two people can enter each others dreams. They can do pretty much anything with each other, until one of them wakes up.” She smiled, wondering if Willow wanted to try with her.



“Do you think you would want to try...with Lamia?” she asked, unsure of how her words would affect Tara.



“What?” Tara was surprised, that was the last thing she had expected.



“Since she’s been in your dream before, maybe you can try to get into hers to find out what she wants from you....from us.” She added, knowing that whatever Tara chose, she’d support her. “Maybe you and I could try it first...you know, see how it goes?”



“Are you sure that’s a good thing?” Anya asked. The others had been listening as Willow and Tara spoke. “I mean, is it safe to go from one dream walk to another. If your mind isn’t completely clear, you might end up with little snippets from Willows dreams. And you could end up wandering in different realities forever... or at least until we pull the plug on your comatose body.” Anya explained, receiving five dirty looks for her last comment. “I’m just saying.” She added.



“You don’t have to,” Willow reassured Tara by squeezing her hand before caressing her cheek, “It’s your choice.”



Tara knew that if she didn’t find out what was going on, somebody could get hurt. Willow could get hurt, she thought. The possibility of that, made her decision for her. “Okay, I’ll do it. There are um, a few things I might need.”



“Like what?” Buffy asked, wanting to do her share.



After making a mental list, Tara told Buffy all of the ingredients that she needed. Faith had seen one of those “trendy stores” in the plaza, so she and Buffy went down to find whatever they could.



“What do we do?” Xander asked, referring to him and Anya.



“See if you can get any information out of Patricia or better yet, try Jeffery.” Willow had been a little suspicious of Jeffery, after hearing about his reaction to Tara’s dream. Once the others left, Willow lightly kissed Tara, “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked.



“Y-yeah. Yes,” she continued more resolved, “I need to know what she wants. Otherwise, this thing will drive me crazy.”



“Its okay baby. I’ll be here,” Willow smiled with devotion, before moving in for a kiss.



“I know,” Tara said, closing the gap between them.





Later that night, after getting the right herbs and preforming one of her quick meditations, Tara was semiconscious. The last thing she remembered was Willow whispering into her ear, “I love you,” before she slipped away.





Through the fog, she saw a young woman and a little boy, no more then ten years’ old. They were laughing, as the woman chased the boy through a section of the trees. Tara stood on the outside, looking in as the woman noticed her presence. She stopped to look at Tara before smiling and continuing to chase the little boy. After tackling him onto the fallen leafs, the woman preceded to tickle him as he squealed through laughter. When the boy could take no more, she stopped and pulled something from her pocket. Tara was unable to hear the words as the woman spoke to him. She slipped a ring onto his finger, his eyes lighting up as he nodded in understanding.



The scene melted away into another reality.



Thick smoked erupted from the burning building, as screams penetrated the night. Tara could feel the heat of the flames, as ashes floated away in the sky. Two different visions appeared before her. She turned and saw the same young woman. In one vision, the house continued to burn as red and blue lights flashed in the background. At the same time, in the other vision, the woman slumped over an altar. She was chanting frantically as her body rocked back and forth. The screams from the burning building died out. Tara heard nothing but silence before the woman’s anguished scream filled the night.



There was an incredible flash of blinding light, then darkness, as the scene vanished. Blinking wildly, Tara tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness. Her breath caught in her throat as a woman appeared before her.

[Stroke of Luck]

Bad girl, bad bad girl



You can´t leave us there, what happend!!!! Oh man clifhangers are great but damn I want to know what comes next.



Tara will be safe or does she feal the same like the woman does???



Cu

SoL/Natti



There are two kinds of tears, tears for those who leave you, and tears for those you never let go - Gabrielle/The Quest

[onyxsundrops]

Hey,

I"ll continue the dream in the next update, which I'll probably be posting a little later.



Yvonne