Lines of the slayer
Email: grimevil81@aol.com
Rating: I’m gonna go with R for now, but be patient, the luvin’ is on the way.
Desclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, Joss-man and ME do, blah, blah, bitty, blah.
Feedback: Well the reason I chose Pens was so ya’ll could tell me whether it sucks or not, by the way, please don’t, constructive is nicer. Besides I am my own brutal critic, I’m never good enough for myself, so there’s not much more meaner things you could say, and I beg you please don’t try.
Pairing: W/T, is there any other?
Spoiliers: Anything up to S7 is fair game
Summary: Okay so what if Tara was the Vampire Slayer (I’m sure it’s been done before but I haven’t read any) in another reality, then got sucked into this(?) one. This takes place a little while after the whole unmentionable Hell that was the end of season Six (which by the way, as far as I’m concerned didn’t happen [never underestimate the power of denial] but I’m not completely daft(?) I know it did and the only reason I’m writing it this way is so they can be reunited)
Notes: Okay one; I was going to try and make this go along with the whole First thing, but since I didn’t watch season Seven (It didn’t tie into my denial) I thought well, I can’t write about something I don’t know, right? Two; Giles didn’t leave for England in this. Three; I am not a writer nor have I written before, well, not really anyways, so please excuse any and all mistakes. I went into this like I do when I read fanfiction, more interested in story than the actual writing, and I desperately hope you do too. And Four… well I did have a Four but I kinda forgot what it was, I’ll probably remember as soon as I post this.
Oh yeah, now I remember, in this installment there isn’t any W/T interaction, yet, so really really really sorry.
Enjoy!
Part one
Tara strolled along the graveyard, ok not so much strolled but walked purposely, eyes scanning the space around her. Another night of patrolling. But still it seemed more like a stroll in the park for her. It was dead, a faint smile graced her lips at that thought, of course it was dead it was a graveyard. But it was deader than dead, no activity what so ever, no vamps lurking in the shadows, no demons hiding behind the crypts waiting to jump out and –get totally killed, she tightened her hold on the stake.
It would be nice to think this was a break. Maybe somehow the creatures of the night decided ‘you know, maybe we’ve been workin’ the slayer too hard lately, we should ease up on the poor girl’ –yeah fat chance of that happening. She kicked the grass below her feet. No, this was probably more along the lines of, ‘we’ve got a big extra helping of evil to serve ya.’ She let out an exasperated sigh and stopped. Looking around she shrugged her shoulders at no one, silently screaming, “Just bring it on already!”
It was the waiting that killed her sometimes.
A rustling sound behind her caught her attention. Spinning around without blinking, a newly risen vamp bounded for her. Noting the neatly tailored black suit and tie covered with dirt told her this was going to be quick –not to mention wholly unsatisfying.
Taking its arms in her hands she fell back on the ground and planted her right foot firmly into his stomach. Kicking the vamp a couple feet away from her on the ground, “Hey, could always drag it out a little,” she thought as she picked herself back up and spinning around on her knee to place the sharpened piece of wood firmly into its chest.
The vamp shrieks.
He turns to dust.
The end.
And if this were a movie, Tara would demand her money back.
“Okay, one more sweep and I call it a night… hardly.” Times like these put another edge to her thoughts, normally there wasn’t time to think, there was always something to kill or an apocalypse to avert. But for now all there was to do was think. And it was always something she didn’t want to think about. A lack of social life for one. Though she never really minded that, it made the slaying easier when there wasn’t a social life to get in the way. Or was it the slaying that got in the way of a life. Buffy would’ve said it was the latter. It still surprised her that she still thought of the other slayer and it pained her still. It was so long ago, the day that Tara had failed to be there when Drusilla had killed her only real friend. They had only known each other a short time but, they were still close. Tara knew it was the slaying that bonded them; she knew that if it weren’t for that they wouldn’t have exchanged a single word to each other. But they had become friends and just as quickly it had ended.
Then Faith came along, and boy, was that a whirlwind. Faith was not the friendship kind and Tara realized that head on. Then there was that night they had almost… Tara shuttered and refused to finish that thought. Sure Faith was hot, no mistaking that, but if it hadn’t been for Tara letting the slaying control her hormones it never would’ve happened. And besides Faith was not her type, not at all.
No, Tara preferred redheads.
And the train of thought comes back to her; another small smile appeared across her face. Willow. It never surprised her when she still thought of the beautiful redhead. It was almost bittersweet. Even after almost three years since she had last seen her, ever since she had left to go to college. Tara knew nothing could’ve happened between them. God knows she never would let it. She knew it was because she was in love with the redhead and with all this death, who would want to bring the person they loved into it. After all she had had to save the redhead more than once. But still what if she could’ve just made friends with Willow, what if she just let the redhead in even just a little… no stop, not going into the ‘what if’s’.
Not even bothering to finish the sweep because more than anything it was pointless, she decided to head over to Giles’, “maybe he’ll have some all too exciting research to do” she inwardly shuttered, “God Tara, you really are a glutton for punishment.”
She turned towards her watcher’s place. But before she could take a step, the world started to spin and everything went white.
~
Buffy had to get out. Patrolling, simple minded ass kicking and vamp staking patrolling. Nothing to think about. So tired of thinking.
She was just starting to feel again, not just psuedo emotions from Spike. God what she wouldn’t do to take that back. She was just starting to feel human again.
And then it happened. Fate decided to play one of those horrible jokes on her, ‘hey here’s a whole mess of emotions for you, hurt, indescribable sadness, and not to mention anger. Hope ya enjoy!’
Tara was gone. And if that weren’t hard enough, it seemed like Willow was gone too. It’s like she had lost two close dear friends, instead of one.
Tara, someone she had come to care very much for. She wasn’t just ‘Willow’s girlfriend’ anymore; she was a Scooby, someone Buffy felt she could trust, someone who never judged her for her mistakes. She felt that way even before her and Willow had split up. Now that she thought about it, it felt like she had lost them at that time too. Tara wasn’t around and Willow was out binging on magicks and then too sick from the withdraws to help out in the Scoob department. ‘And where was I?’ If only she had been there or paid attention, maybe she could’ve helped or something, been there for them, maybe they wouldn’t have broken up and then they wouldn’t have had to get back together and been standing in their room at that moment…
But she hadn’t and now it didn’t matter. At least Willow was starting get a little better; at least she was back from England and was actually starting to talk more. She was still just a shell of the happy, adorable, babbling, almost wonderfully naïve redhead she was.
And it made Buffy even angrier that, as it always was on a hellmouth, evil never slept. This meant, the slayer could never be there a hundred and ten percent for her best friend, and it killed her. With everything going on, it almost felt like she couldn’t breathe sometimes.
Hence the patrolling. “So stop with the thinking and start with the killing!”
Three vamps dusted and Buffy was already feeling better, not much, but still it was something. One more sweep and its back to the house for another episode of the ‘surreal life’. It kinda seemed funny to her how fighting the undead was normal.
She would’ve been almost relieved when the vampires attacked her in true guerrilla style; after all it kept from having to go home, if only it weren’t a whole gang of them. Three or four she could likely handle, but six… well those odds were not in her favor. The first and obviously youngest and dumbest vamp to attack her head on was easy. A quick spin with Mr. Pointy and there was a pile of dust at her feet. “Well one down –five to go.” The next two tackled the slayer, successfully knocking the stake from her hand and Buffy on her ass. Struggling with all her might, she managed to kick one off of her, making it easier to escape the other’s clutches. As she darted towards where her stake had landed, one fleeting inane thought crossed her mind, “I wonder why out of five I’m only fighting two?” Quickly grabbing the piece of wood she was once again grabbed by one of the vamps, still on her stomach she used the back of her head to head butt the fiend, disorienting him, she rolled them over till she had a chance and stabbed him through the chest and was quickly on her feet again.
“Two down, four to g… oof!” before she could finish the count out loud, the other vamp who had tackled her swung and connected with the side of her face. Recovering quickly she repaid him the gesture. After trading a few blows, Buffy had had enough and gave a spinning back kick knocking him down on his back. Before he had a chance to sit up she plunged the stake into his chest.
Confusion set in as she waited for another assault from one of the other vamps, looking up she saw only one vamp that appeared to be fighting with someone. His back was to her so she couldn’t see what was royally kicking its ass. Momentarily paralyzed from the confusion she snapped herself out of it before running towards it stake ready. Then almost in slow motion, it burst into dust and Buffy could see who made it happen.
Buffy stopped breathing…
~
Tara opened her eyes and felt the cool grass beneath her hands and the side of her face. By instinct she jumped up off the ground, her fighting stance in place. How did she end up on the ground? Was she attacked? She didn’t remember being attacked; maybe she tripped and fell? No, how could she be knocked unconscious from a simple fall. She looked around, nothing was unusual, no demons or vamps in sight. Magick maybe?
Maybe, something did feel off. But everything was the same. Same cemetery, same night time sky, she was in the same place as she remembered before… before… “What!”
She should definitely get to Giles’, this was weird. And strangely enough, not unusual. She shook herself and once again shrugged to no one and headed towards the cemetery entrance. But she didn’t get too far before she heard and sensed something of the undead variety and ran towards it instead. “Maybe it won’t be such a boring night after all.”
She rounded one of the crypts and was greeted with the sight of a gang of vampires darting towards some woman. The first two she saw had had the girl pinned to the ground and for some reason she seemed to handle them on her own. The position of the fight between the three meant that Tara couldn’t make out the blonde girls face, though something was familiar about the girl but Tara didn’t have time to think about that as the other three vampires pulled their attention away from the struggling figures and towards her. Seeing the other girl kick one of the vampires off and then the other she could see the girl could, for reasons Tara didn’t have time to consider, definitely hold her own.
With slayer speed, Tara reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a small glass vile filled with holy water and with almost effortless strength she threw it at the closest vampire breaking the glass and sending him to his knees, holding his smoking face and screaming in pain. She blocked the first blow of another vamp, she kicked him hard in the chest knocking him a few feet away in time to dodge the other vampire. “No time to dance, got to stake one of these bad boys soon, three is definitely pushing it.” As the second recovered and launched himself back at her, she gave him a hard upper cut with one hand and just as quickly planted her stake in his chest. She knew the third one was on her again but still wasn’t fast enough before he gripped her neck tight and lifted her off the ground, which was probably the stupidest thing he could’ve done as the hand that wasn’t holding unto the vampire’s hand on her throat, pierced his heart with her stake. ”Always goin’ for the neck, really not that bright, well obviously.” The strong hand that gripped her neck quickly turned to dust and she landed on the ground. She didn’t have time to catch her breath before the one that had gotten a face full of holy water had connected his fist with her jaw. She spun around and kicked him with little effect. Tara blocked the next two blows trying to find an opportunity to strike where it counted and when it did, he was dust.
The figure behind that appeared to her nearly made her lunge forward with stake in hand, when she stopped. Not just her, everything seemed to stop…
~
“Tara?”
“Buffy?”
They mirrored each other; stance, faces and even their voices when they spoke together. Even their thoughts, first shock, naturally, then so many questions they came like hurricanes. Being both slayers they of course came to the same first conclusion; caution. She was dead and now she’s standing in front of me, history of that definitely called for caution.
So stakes raised; they took their defensive positions.
“Buffy?”
“Tara?”
Again the same time, what the hell was going on? “How…?”
Tara relaxed a bit; one thing was really, really getting ridicules, “We really should stop speaking at the same time…”
“You’re alive.” Buffy interrupted, she didn’t even think about it; it just came out. Why was Tara alive, how could she be. Did Willow do this, or was it something evil and for that matter was she even real? She took a small step toward the girl that appeared to be standing in front of her, and then another.
“I could say the same thing about you.”
Buffy didn’t even register what was said to her, it seemed to be noise off in the distance, but it did break her out of her trance and she stopped. She stopped and looked at the girl, who just five minutes ago was dead, she really looked. This girl just dusted three vampires, she was holding a stake, she seemed thinner or maybe that was because her clothes were tighter and certainly not of the wacky nature the witch she knew always wore. Despite the shocked expression she seemed more confident, sure the girl she knew had opened up and come out of her shell as time had gone by, but this girl didn’t stutter once and this would seem the time to, god knows even Buffy would and could at any moment. This couldn’t be the same girl. Suddenly all the questions came from her at once, “How… are you real…? How did you…? What the hell is going on…?”
Tara stood her ground, “Again, I could ask you the same thing –or things.” This couldn’t be real, maybe she was drugged or she was still passed out on the ground, or… something! Buffy was dead! Had been for years! But…
But, what if it was real, what if this was really Buffy. She had missed her so much; she really wanted it to be. But this is Sunnydale and… wait, she just said something, what did she say? “What?”
Buffy repeated, “Are you evil?” it was a stupid question but she didn’t know what else to say, she didn’t want her to be evil but if she was Buffy was going to take care of it now, before Willow saw her -oh god, Willow!
Tara scrunched her face in confusion, that was a weird question. She shook her head in the negative. It was a strange but valid matter, “Are you?”
Buffy frowned, why would she ask her that, she also shook her head, “Don’t you remember me?”
Tara’s features seemed to soften, “Of course I remember you, Buffy. You were my friend, but,” this was getting nowhere, “but that was so long ago, how are you alive now.”
“You know why I’m alive, what I don’t know, is why you’re alive?”
“Huh?” Tara almost chuckled, “Why am I alive, I’ve always been alive… well except that one time with the Master, but that was only for a few minutes. But you already knew that.”
“Pff-what!?” Buffy sputtered. “What the hell are you talk…” “Wait. Let’s come back to that.” “Nevermind.” She waved her hands and spoke slowly, “Tara, you were dead and now you’re kicking undead ass. I don’t know what’s going on here and obviously you don’t either, right?”
Tara nodded her agreement then… “Wait! What?” “I was dead!? No I wasn’t, I think I would remember…”
Buffy cut in, “Look, let’s go see Giles and worry about that later, okay? I don’t think we’re gonna figure this out on our own.”
Once again Tara nodded; she was thinking the same thing. “Right Giles, he can help.”
Buffy half snorted, “Well if by help you mean him spitting out a bunch of ‘oh dear lord’s’ and chuggin’ tea like beer then, yes he should be a big help.” She couldn’t help the sarcastic remark.
Tara giggled, it had been so long since she heard Buffy pick on Giles, sometimes she felt like Buffy was speaking for both of them, since Tara was always the ‘model slayer’, or at least she tried to be.
Buffy stopped when she heard Tara laugh, no mistake that was Tara’s laugh. She moved closer to her and slowly almost hesitantly placed her hand on Tara’s arm, something she needed to do and had stopped before, “You are real.” She couldn’t help but smile.
The pressure on her arm confirmed the same for Tara, nodding she whispered, “You too.”
They walked silently towards the watcher’s residence, Buffy hoped he would be there and not at the house. She couldn’t bring Tara there, not yet. This was way to confusing, and had no idea what was going on and besides there was enough drama going on right now anyway, “When is there not?”
Tara glanced over at Buffy, several times. This Buffy seemed so different; if she had been dead all these years why did she look older. She certainly was thinner and she dressed well, like a grown up. Not the teenager she always remembered. She also seemed weighed down, probably like Tara herself did, it was from years of slaying and silently carrying the weights of the world, “hence the weighed down look.” All these questions and no answers were driving her insane, but she knew that right now, it was pointless to ask.
But one question really got to Buffy. She had seen the remainder of the fight between Tara and that Vampire, how was it that Tara had dusted not one but three vamps? The girl she knew might have been able to take on one, with the help of magicks, but three? “Tara?”
Tara wasn’t expecting Buffy to say anything or look at her so she quickly snapped her eyes forwards so Buffy wouldn’t know she was looking at her. “Yeah?”
Buffy dived right in, “How did you stake those vamps, okay so I knew you were like, all with the magick and stuff but, I thought only a slayer could do that, not that you like, bruised the old ego or anything.”
“Magic? What does she mean magic and ‘only the slayer’? Maybe she doesn’t remember?” she looked over at Buffy and guessed that she should remind her, “Umm, maybe because I am the slayer.”
Buffy stopped and stared at Tara as if she had started speaking in a foreign tongue, in fact she stared so long that Tara thought maybe she had.
“Um, Buff…”
“What did you say?” Buffy said almost accusingly. Maybe she just heard wrong, “Did you just say you were the slayer?”
“Uh yeah?” she said as if she wasn’t sure, the way Buffy was looking at her almost made her think twice about it, which was ridicules, of course she was the slayer, have been for like eight years now, even though it did seem much longer. She let out a deep sigh, this was really starting to grate on her nerves, “God it’s like, she remembers me but doesn’t.” and it made the situation that more dizzying.
This time Buffy did stutter, “B-but, h-how, uh?” she stopped and raised her hands as if surrendering, “Nevermind,” she also sighed, “Giles.” It was the only statement to make at this point.
And once again Tara agreed, “Giles.”
~
So… (hesitantly peaks head from underneath desk) whatcha think?
Alcy 
at: 4/5/04 7:22 am
I'm really enjoying this so far. It will be very interesting to see how they interact. 
bad me.. tsk tsk tsk.. but hey, i'll be crazy not to wait for an update.so c00L fic.