FIC: Darkest Before the Dawn (3/?)

[~~Kimber <kacoe@xxxxxxx>]

TITLE: Darkest Before the Dawn (3/?)
AUTHOR: Kimber (kacoe@xxxxxxx)
DISCLAIMER: All BTVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.
PAIRING: Multi-Slash pairings
RATING: R or NC17. . .mostly for language but there might be a few naughty situations
thrown in there for my amusement.
SUMMARY: This is set in an alternate universe. Two Wiccans have been captured by the
Initiative (it?s evil) and it?s up to the chosen two to save them. Throw in a
not-so-wacky vamp on a deserted island and, well. . .read on to find out exactly what
happens!
SPOILERS: Everything is fair game, including season 5 speculations.
DISTRIBUTION: Pat Kelly, Rodrigo, Gary Thompson, Syrenslure, Serendipity and J&J Xena
Site. Anyone else, e-mail me please.
AUTHOR?S NOTES: This is in response to a challenge Shadowlander offered me. Be afraid,
be very afraid. See what happens when you put the two of us together for way too long?
I?ve been officially corrupted, but in a good way. Any complaints about my decent into
darkness can be directed to her. *rofl*
<. . .> denotes thoughts. - ((. . .)) denotes dreams. - *. . .* denotes emphasis.

-----------

?. . .so then I called Giles and ran the whole way to his apartment.? Buffy was catching
Faith up on what had transpired in the past 12 hours.

Faith was finishing off her third basket of fries. ?Man, I missed this stuff! Nothin but
coconut juice and fruit where I?m at.?

?Faith the vegetarian. Never thought I?d see it.? Buffy smiled.

?Why? Cause I like all kinds of *meat* so much?? She took a big bite of her hotdog.

?You?d better watch it with that stuff around Giles. You?re gonna give him a heart attack
one of these days.?

?Mr. Proper British man?? Faith wiggled her eyebrows. ?I?d like to try and un-starch his
shorts someday.?

?Faith!? Buffy choked on her soda and she shook her head. ?Come on. Let?s get back. I
want to see what Giles has come up with.?

------------

Initiative Compound ? Night

There were clicking noises coming from the other side of the door. Both witches stared at
it as if it would fly off the hinges any moment. Seconds later it opened and a man stood
in the doorway. He looked at them and smiled casually.

?I see you?ve cleaned up. That?s good.? Silence. ?I just wanted to bring you this.? He
stepped back for a moment then wheeled a small cart into the room. ?Food. I figured
you?d be hungry.? He noted their suspicious looks. ?There?s nothing wrong with it. I
got it from the cafeteria, really.? More silence. ?I have to get out of here before
Agent Finn comes back.? He poked his head out the door and looked around suspiciously.
?There?s a pocket watch on the cart. The camera?s are off between 0100 hours and 0800
hours. Even though this is a covert military operation, it?s run by a bunch of college
students. You?ll be safe to talk. I have to run.? He closed the door and locked it.

Willow and Tara sat in silence for a few moments staring at the cart in much the same
manner as they did the door when it opened.

?Who was that?? Tara finally asked.

?Graham. He?s a commando guy too.?

?Can we, um. . .trust him??

Willow sighed. ?I don?t know.? She moved off the bed slowly. Every bone in her body
ached and there were sore spots in places she didn?t remember having. She poked around
the cart for a bit, sniffing the food and looking at the soda?s. She found the pocket
watch under one of the plates. ?12:55. If this is accurate and he?s not lying then the
light on the security camera will go off in five minutes.?

Tara moved across the room so she was next to Willow. ?So what do we do??

Willow walked up to the two way mirror and peeked out for the first time since she
arrived. She craned her neck to look down both sides of the hallway as far as she could.
It was empty. ?We wait.?

-----------

?. . .If these blueprints aren?t out of date, and what Faith has told us is true, then
Willow and Tara?s precise location would be here.? Giles pointed to the middle of the
large map.

Buffy shook her head. ?Great. From here, that looks like a bazillion miles from the
nearest exit. How are we gonna pull this off??

?Look here, B.? Faith pointed to a far corner. ?If we can get in through there, then we
can go down this hallway, turn left, and the room should be right there. Only problem is
getting into the place without the GI-Joes seeing us.?

Buffy rubbed her temples in frustration. She knew that if Willow were here, she could
hack into the system in no time. If that didn?t work then she?d do a spell to protect
them, or help them or. . .?I?ve got it!? She yelled. Giles almost jumped out of his
skin. ?Giles, you?re a magic guy. Can?t you do a spell or something??

?I?m afraid I?m quite rusty. I haven?t practiced in years. I?ve assisted Willow with
some of her spells but,? He shook his head. ?I?m afraid of what the end result would be
if I attempted it on my own. I wouldn?t even know what kind of spell to try.?

Faith paced back and forth in front of them. She knew there had to be a way to do this,
there just had to be. The Initiative wasn?t going to get away with doing those
experiments on Willow. She owed the girl too much. Faith had turned away from the Mayor
just in time to fight side by side with Buffy. It was Willow who convinced her. It was
Willow who, along side Buffy, never gave up on her. They saw through the tough exterior
and realized that on the inside she was the same as them. Scared of being alone and
reaching out for anything that was willing to take her hand. Well, it took that and being
chained up in Angel?s mansion for two weeks help too. That little witch had an answer for
everything. If Faith refused to talk, she did a spell. If Faith refused to eat, she did
a spell. Even when she said she?d never fall asleep and planned on keeping them up all
night by singing ?I Am Henry the Eighth I Am?, Willow did a spell.

Faith stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Buffy and Giles. ?Why didn?t I think of it
before??

?What?? Buffy perked up.

?That damn spell she did on me when you two had me chained up in the mansion for some
bondage fun. The sleep spell. Can you get to her books??

?They?re in her trunk at school but what does a sleep spell have to do with. . .?

?Don?t you get it B? Giles can do a rinky dink spell like that. Put the commando boys
into a deep sleep and we can sneak in and get Red and her bud outa there.?

Buffy turned to Giles. ?Think you can do it??

?It?s worth a try.? He smiled.

?Good. Come on Faith. Drive me to the dorm, it?s faster.?

---------------

The Initiative Compound ? five minutes later.

Willow and Tara stood in the middle of the room holding their breath. Neither one of them
moved an inch and their eyes were glued to the red blinking light of the security camera.

Blink on, off, on, off, on, off. . . .

After another minute went by and the light didn?t go on again, Tara risked a glance over
to her friend. ?You think it?s safe??

?I don?t know, but we don?t have any other choice but to believe it for now.? She took an
apple off the cart and handed it to Tara. ?Hungry?? Tara nodded and bit into the apple
gratefully.

Some time later they were both feeling a little better with food in their stomachs.
Willow laid back on the bed and sighed. A thought occurred to her and she turned to
Tara. ?How did you wind up in here anyway??

Tara shrugged. ?I was walking across campus. I was on the bike path and cut through the
bushes when three of the commando?s grabbed me. I, um, really freaked and did a quick
spell. I don?t even remember what it was. They were sent flying off into different
directions and I took off.? She took a sip of soda. ?Ten more were on me in no time so I
just, kind of gave in. I didn?t want to get hurt.?

?You took three of them down in one shot?? Willow looked surprised. ?Wow. . and you said
you weren?t cut out for the fighting thing.? She smiled.

Tara blanched at Willow?s comment. ?I-I?m really not. I hate violence.? She dropped her
head and whispered. ?They?re. . .they died. I heard some of the other commando?s talking
about it.?

Willow?s expression softened. ?Tara, I?m sorry, I didn?t mean. . .I didn?t know. . ?

She shook her head. ?They came out of nowhere. I didn?t. . .I couldn?t. . .? She began
to cry.

Willow moved over next to her on the bed and placed a hand on her shoulder. Tara
stiffened for a moment then relaxed under the redhead?s touch and collapsed into her lap
sobbing.

?Shh. . .it?s okay.? Willow rubbed her back and tried to comfort her. ?It?ll be okay.
We?ll get through this. You really had no choice. You didn?t know what they were going
to do to you.?

Willow sat in silence and rubbed Tara?s back until she cried herself to sleep. There had
to be a way out of this, there just had to be. Buffy and Giles should have a plan in
full swing by now. . .at least that?s what she hoped.

----------

Buffy, Faith and Giles were in full research mode when there was a knock at the door.
Buffy rose to answer it. As soon as the door was opened she was in full slayer mode.

Faith ran up behind her. ?B, take it easy. She?s here to help.?

Buffy?s gaze didn?t leave the grinning form on the other side of the door. ?Help? Do you
know who this is??

?Dru.?

Buffy dropped her stance and looked at Faith in confusion. ?What the??

?The little tree is in trouble Slayer. . .the bad boys are doing nasty things to her and
her friend. Miss Edith told me so. I know I can help.? Drucilla smiled at her.

?Would you quite it with the mumbo jumbo Dru, we don?t have much time.? Faith shot her a
look. <Her and that damn doll. I swear it?s gonna get gone one of these days. She?ll be
looking for the pieces for months.> She turned toBuffy. ?Dru rescued me from the
Initiative two years ago. I?ve been staying with her on an island ever since.?

Buffy blinked at this new information. ?Dru? But you said you broke out. . .the letters
you sent. . .?

?Were all a bunch of bullshit, B. They did things to me, really fucked up things I still
have nightmares about. They injected me with all kinds of crap and I?m not even sure if
it?s all outa my system. Dru got in and out with no trouble, right now she might be the
only shot we have.?

Giles was watching this exchange with interest. ?I don?t know Faith. . .She?s still a
vampire. . . .if you?ll pardon the expression, Drucilla is no Angel.?

?You can say that again.? Buffy mumbled under her breath.

?She saved my hyde and you both know I?m the last one to ever trust a vampire. Vampire,
Vampire Slayer, dead vampire. . .remember that? Where the hell do you think she was for
two years that Spike was skulking around here? They had her and did shit to her too. .
.she?s got a stake in this. It?s personal. For all of us.?

?Still, Faith. . .? Buffy began to protest again.

?Screw this. I?m getting them out of there. With or without you B. I owe Red and I pay
my debts.?

Buffy reached out and grabbed her hand. ?Faith wait.? She wasn?t sure what to say after
that. . .she hadn?t planned it. She only planned on stopping the dark Slayer from going
off half cocked and getting herself killed. She looked into Faith?s eyes. She was giving
Buffy that ?What now?? look. ?You can?t go alone.?

?The hell I can?t.?

?I?m going with you.? Buffy narrowed her eyes at the younger Slayer, which meant she
meant business. ?but no wacky vampires. The chosen two, and that?s it. Not even Giles.?

?Now wait one second. Who?s going off half cocked now? Buffy, we haven?t even formulated
a course of action yet, you can ?t seriously. . .?

?The boat will be waiting, but not forever. Be swift young one. . .bring the little
witches to safety.? Drucilla interrupted Giles? rant. Then she was gone.

Buffy blinked a few times. ?How?d she do that??

Faith smiled. ?She?s not as wacky as you think B.? She bent down and grabbed the duffle
bag full of assorted weapons. ?We ready??

Buffy nodded and looked back at Giles. ?We?ll be careful and call as soon as we get
them. Do the spell.?

Giles shook his head in protest. ?Buffy, I must ask you to recon??

?No. No more waiting. They?re in there and we?re gonna get them out. Do the spell
Giles. We?ll be fine.?

Before he could state his case, they were both out the door. Seconds later he heard
Faiths jeep start-up and screech down the street. ?God help them.? He mumbled then opened
one of Willow?s spell books and began to prepare.

-----------

The Initiative Compound ? Night


?Status report.? Riley snapped at the soldier sitting in front of the monitor.

?The HST?s have eaten sir, minimal talk. Mostly whispering.?

?Call me if anything changes.? Riley Finn walked out of the observation room. So far,
things had gone his way. The way he figured it, the Slayers would attempt a rescue within
twenty-four hours of the witches disappearance leaving him enough time to set a trap for
them. If all went well, he?d be able to commence experimentation on the Slayers within
forty-eight hours. Yes, it was all going according to plan.

Riley stopped abruptly and grabbed his temple as if in pain. With his other hand, he
steadied himself against the wall. The damn headaches were coming faster and more furious
now. He was so wrapped up in the pain, he didn?t notice the uniformed figure peeking
around the corner at him.

---------

Finn was leaning against the wall, grasping his head. Things were taking an interesting
turn. It looked like the chip was working, but one could never tell with this unreliable
military equipment. The man reached in his pocket and grabbed a small remote control. He
punched a number sequence into the keypad and watched Riley for the desired result.

--------

As quickly as the pain came, it went. Riley shook his head and tried to regain some
composure. He straightened his shirt and walked away.

---------

The man smiled to himself as he saw Finn retreating to the other end of the hall. All was
going according to plan. How could he tell? The bright red light emanating under Riley?s
skin in the back of his neck was proof enough.

------------

<He?s a fool.> Graham thought to himself. <Him and all the other clones running this
joint.> Graham sat in a standard military issued office chair watching the monitor. The
two women had eaten, engaged in some small talk, and now it looked like the blonde was
upset about something. He turned up the volume, but only small sobs could be heard. He
shook his head in disgust. <HST?s my ass. They?re human beings for Christ?s sake.> He
sighed. <All right, calm down Miller. Your of no use to anyone if you get all worked up
over this. It?ll all fall into place soon enough. Time will tell.> He smiled when he
saw Willow and Tara lay down on the bed together. Willow was stroking Tara?s hair in
comfort. <Looks like this job comes with some perks after all.>

---------

Tara sniffled and turned her head to face Willow. ?I-I?m sorry.?

Willow scrunched up her face. ?You shouldn?t be sorry. I?m the one who?s sorry. I upset
you and. . .?

?No.? Tara whispered in protest. ?I?m. . .I?m a mess. You shouldn?t have to take care
of m-me. You?re the one w-who got hurt the most.?

Willow smiled at the blonde?s concern. ?I?ll be okay.? She absentmindedly pushed some
stray locks away from Tara?s face. ?How about you? Are you feeling better??

Tara offered a weak smile. ?Better now thanks to you.? She ducked her head in
embarrassment.

Willow touched her cheek. ?Good.?

Tara looked up slowly and smiled. They sat there looking at each other for what seemed
like hours when in reality it had only been a few seconds. Thousands of thoughts ran
through her mind, mostly they centered on the beautiful redhead inches away. She could
never ever tell her how she felt, how much she cared. . .it would ruin everything. She
frowned at the thought of loosing Willow to anything, but what scared her most of all was
the thought of loosing her to how she felt.

?Bad thoughts?? Willow asked with genuine concern.

Tara blushed a little and shrugged. ?A little. I just. . .I?m scared. . .? ?of how I
feel about you and that you don?t feel the same way and if you had any idea of how I was
feeling you?d run screaming in the other direction. Oh, and I?m scared of the commando
guys too.? <Well, that?s what I wanted to say.>

?Try not to be.? Willow reached over and grabbed her hand. ?We?re together and we?ll be
okay as long as we stay together. I won?t let anything hurt you. I promise.? She
squeezed Tara?s hand in emphasis.

Tara smiled in response. Hearing Willow say it, well, she almost believed they?d make it
out of this alive.

---------------


--
Your humble bard and Rodrigo's dedicated love slave,
~~Kimber

Shadowlander's #1 fan and her 'Official Un-Official Idea Bouncer Offer'
Pat Kelly's #1 fan and his 'Offical scene runner-by-er'

'Exquisite Coalescence'. . .your source for BuffySlash fiction on the web. Comming soon!

- - - - - - - - - - - -
QUOTES OF THE MOMENT
- - - - - - - - - - - -
"One out of every ten people is born to give the other nine trouble. Guess what number I
am."
* *
"I tried sniffing Coke once, but the ice cubes got stuck in my nose."
* *
"Toast lands butter side down, Cats land the right way up, So what happens if you butter a
cat?"
* *
"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear
them speak"
* *
"Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty
girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity."
* *
"Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant? I'm halfway through my fish burger and I
realize, Oh my gosh....I could be eating a slow learner."
* *
"I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe."
* *
"They say that love hides behind every corner... am I walking in circles?"
* *
"I don't have a big ego, I'm way too cool for that. "
* *
"I thought I had a great idea today, but it never really took off. In fact, it didn't
even get on the runway. I guess you could say it exploded in the hangar."
* *
"I'm not cheap, but I am on special this week."
* *
"The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."
* *
"There's too much blood in my alcohol system."
* *
"GUYS: No shirt, no service. GALS: No shirt, no charge."
* *
"Optimists say the glass is half-full, Pessimists say the glass is half empty, I says
it's time for a beer run."
* *
"It might look like I'm doing nothing, but at the cellular level I'm really quite busy. "
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NONE OF THE IDEAS EXPRESSED ABOVE ARE ACTUALLY MINE. THEY ARE TOLD TO ME BY LUTHOR AND
FERDINAND, THE FIVE INCH TALL SPACE ALIENS WHO LIVE UNDER MY DESK. IN RETURN FOR THESE
IDEAS, I HAVE GIVEN THEM PERMISSION TO EAT ANY DUST BUNNIES THEY FIND UNDER THERE. IN
ADDITION, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE NOT THOSE OF MY LAWYER, EMPLOYER, GIRLFRIEND,
CHURCH OR MYSLEF. . .BUT THEY ARE THE OPINIONS OF ELVIS AS REVEALED TO ME THROUGH THE
MEDIUM OF MY PET HAMSTER, LEE HARVEY OSWALD. . .