Children of the Earth
by WillowX
The Evil In Us All
[reviews]
Chapter 9
The Evil In Us All
((( The classroom was silent and mysterious. Soft rays of light were shinning through the blinds and warming my face. We were sitting in Ms. Calendar's old classroom. We'd hang out here a lot. Don't ask me why? This room should really dredge up unhappy memories...but it didn't. Being here reminded me of her, of all the lessons she taught me. She was my friend...and that animal killed her.
That animal killed her.
Perhaps hanging out at school after hours in a town overrun by vampires was not the best idea, but it was still daytime and besides...I had my best friend with me. Yeah...she looks scrawny but she's not. She looks weak but she's not. She looks ditsy but she's not. She's the toughest, strongest, and smartest person I've ever known. And...she's my best friend. I love her...in more ways than one.
"Waah! This doesn't make any sense." Buffy said while looking at me with a pout. I loved her pouts. They were sexy. Her hair was picked up in a flawless bun with strands of golden hair cascading down the sides of her face...hugging her skin. She was so beautiful.
"Well, sure it does. See..." I take the paper she's been writing on in my hand and look at it, "Oh, no, this doesn't make any sense." I finish confused.
"It's senseless." She said with another pout and proceeded to idly play with her pencil. I didn't look at her right away. I couldn't. Being so close to her was making my heartbeat faster. My breath was short. Her knee was casually rubbing against mine and I felt my body burn from the inside out. If she gave me another one of her pouts I was going to have to eat it. The mere thought of that made my skin flush bright red ...hence the no eye contact rule.
"It is, but at least you know that, so you're learning." Ok...so that doesn't make that much sense. But I don't think she noticed. She might even take it as a compliment. I think. I hope. Stupid Willow Stupid Willow Stupid Willow. Ugghhhh keeping a straight face with the smell of her hair intoxicating me is not easy. I can't think.
"Yay me!" She exclaimed. Wow! Good! She took it as a compliment.
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway. I mean, when in the real world am I ever gonna need chemistry or history or math or the English language?" She said in a defeated tone. What is she talking about? I shoot her a short glance and catch a glimpse of her face...ahhhh... oh my God...she's pouting she's pouting she's pouting!!!
"Okay. I see your problem." Change subject...Willow you must change subject.
"I'm a moron?" I heard her soft voice ask. My body froze at the mere thought. She's not joking and it bothers me that she has such low expectations of herself. She's wonderful. She really is.
"Will you stop that? You're not stupid! You've just had a lot on your mind." I say in a serious tone. I looked at her and she was staring straight into my eyes. Gazing into my soul. "You can learn this real easily, but if you're just gonna give up, then don't waste my time." I finished in my substitute teacher voice.
Her eyes softened out of her intense stare as she smiled. "Wow. You really ARE a good teacher."
I don't know what it was. Maybe it was what she said or the way she was looking at me. But something made me do the unthinkable. My heart skipped a beat as the devil tapped my shoulder and urged me to do something I shouldn't have done.
"That's only because I have such a sexy student." I said using my come hither stare. Her eyes instantly bugged out of her head. I felt my face morph into freaked out mode as I immediately began backpedaling.
"I ...uhh...cause...you know..." My inaudible rant was stopped by the crash of her lips on mine. Her mouth was soft and sweet...sweeter than I would've ever imagined in my wildest dream. She was delicious.
Her hands ran through my hair as she gripped the back of my head and pulled me towards her, squeezing our lips closer together. I reveled in the feel of her warm tongue as it glided over my lips. The longer we kissed the rougher her gasps for air became.
I pulled our lips apart reluctantly and looked into her eyes. I was worried. What if she regretted it? What if this was a mistake? What if we would never be the same again?
"Buffy..." I began to say to communicate the fears that were flooding my mind to her but she interrupted me.
"Willow... I want you...I need you now!" She whispered huskily into my mouth. With that she ran her arm over the desk in a grand sweeping motion and knocked all the books and papers to the floor. I heard the thunderous crash of the coffee mug as it hit the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces. I looked into her eyes but nothing made her flinch. She had her mind set on me... and me alone. She grabbed me by the hips and lifted me up, sitting me on the desk. In an instant she moved my laptop out of harms way and climbed unto the table on top of me. I felt the warmth of her body as she eased herself on top of me. Her stomach was contracting sporadically as she took hard short breaths. It was then that I realized how nervous she really was.
"What is this Buffy?" I asked.
"Love." She responded. Her breath warm on my neck. That word threw my world into a loop.
Love.
She loved me...or, at least, that's what I understood.
She ran her hands over the sides of my thighs up my hips until she slipped them under my sweater. I felt her fingertips touch my skin and my body shivered. I liked the feel of her over me...of her hands under my shirt...of her lips on my lips...of her tongue in my mouth. Something about it felt right...good...like it was meant to be...like it was our destiny.
"I love you Buffy." I whispered into her ear as she kissed my neck.
"I love you too Willow." She whispered back.
The God's had smiled upon me. The most beautiful girl in the world loved me. ME! I thought my heart was going to collapse. I thought my head was going to explode...and that's when I felt it. She slipped her hand into my panties. At first I was embarrassed. I didn't want her to see the mess I had made. How wet I had become. But the minute her fingers touched my sex I felt her body shiver...she liked it. She liked the way I felt. She liked the way I had reacted. She wanted me.
I opened my legs to allow for easier access and I felt her slip her fingers inside of me. They glided in so gently and effortlessly. I felt my body melt at her touch. She stroked me slowly at first. Leisurely enjoying how my desire increased. The whole time staring into my eyes steadily whispering into my mouth beautiful words of love.
"I want you Willow." She breathed into my mouth and I closed my eyes in ecstasy.
"I need you...I always have." She said again in a husky voice as she increased the speed and pressure of her fingers between my legs.
"You're...you're the only one I have ever really loved." She whispered as she leaned in to kiss my lips again. I opened my eyes and caught site of tears in her's. She was crying. Her confession had made her cry.
Before I could respond, her lips crashed into mine again and our tongues battled. The kiss was passionate and demanding. The desire between my legs had reached its peak and she knew it. She stopped her long luscious plunges and concentrated on rubbing my nub. She pressed down on it hard and I felt my body quiver. This was it...the moment was here...I was going to cum with her inside of me. And)))
"OH GOD BUFFY!!!! Buffy!!! Ahhhh!!!! Buffy!!!!" Willow screamed at the top of her lungs.
I smiled. Good. At least I was in the dream too.
I'd been laying here for the last ten minutes quietly watching Willow as she slept. I was on my side facing her and she was mirroring my position. Our foreheads were lightly touching, my arm was snuggly wrapped around her waist, and my knee was firmly pressed against her sex as she hugged my thigh with hers. In the last few minutes I felt as her body grew in excitement. I knew she was having a dream because I could hear her soft moans and groans. She makes all sorts of cute noises when she sleeps but specially when she dreams. The warmth on my knee, however, was unmistakable...she was having more than just a dream...she was having an erotic dream ... and, apparently, it ended well. How do I know you ask? Simple...anytime Willow ends up screaming my name in ecstasy equals one hell of a good ending if you ask me.
"Shhhh shhhhh Baby...it's ok...you're here with me..." I soothed her as I softly kissed her nose and lips. She opened her eyes suddenly to look at me and, at first, seemed surprised and then pleased. She smiled warmly.
"Hey you." She whispered in her groggy 'I just woke up' Willowy voice.
"Hey you...that was some dream you were having Baby...what was it?" I asked with a smile.
"Oh...just an old fantasy of mine. Something I wished would have happened, had I had the guts to do so then, but unfortunately never did. Well...at least not then...but did later. Do you understand?" She finished in a mini-groggy-rant. She was so beautiful. Everything about her was beautiful. But today she was beautiful for another reason...for taking care of me....for loving me. What she did for me a few hours ago...the way she made me feel...that was beautiful. And yes, I did understand her. I always did.
"Mmmm Hmmm...well... I know I was in it...cause...hello???... you screamed my name... and I also know it must have been pretty hot and heavy." I whispered to her as I wiggled my knee against her sex ever so softly with a sassy gaze. Her face flushed as she loosened her grip around my knee.
"Oh yeah...it was definitely hot...hot with a hotness!" She said giggling like a schoolgirl. "What time is it now anyway?" She asked softly.
I lifted my head a little and peeked over her shoulder to look at the clock on her nightstand. "Two forty five." I responded.
"Good Baby, that means you slept at least about four hours. Do you feel better?" She asked softly.
"I always feel good with you in my arms." I responded before leaning in and kissing her lips ever so softly. We kissed for a few minutes, as if enjoying each other for one last time.
"Don't ever do that again." She said sternly once our lips had parted. I was confused.
"Huh? What? What'd I do this time?" I asked surprised.
"Don't ever hide from me to cry again. Don't ever think for one second that you have to face anything alone. Don't ever shut me out of your fears. Remember...I want to share my life with you...that includes all the good AND bad times." She finished softly while stroking her fingers through my hair.
I loved waking up next to her.
I loved kissing her.
I loved her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The stench of rotting food and death was overwhelming. If my eyes wouldn't already be swollen shut from all the crying, this stench would have definitely done it. My head is still throbbing from the spot where Spike pulled my hair. He dragged me for blocks through puddles of dirty street water and into the sewer system. My knees and elbows are bleeding from open gashes. My body is in pain...but that's not the worse part.
Spike did this to me...Spike! I don't understand why. I don't understand why he'd hurt me. Why he'd say those ugly things to me. Why he'd be hanging with these cruddy vampires. This is not the Spike I know. This is not the Spike that took care of me this summer...that played cards with me every night...that got thrown off a scaffold trying to protect me.
This is not Spike!
"What are you thinking about in that tiny little noodle of yours Nibblette?" He whispered to me with his face proudly sporting its disgusting demon features. He was truly a being of evil. There were at least ten other vampires in the room feeding on humans and I could smell the blood in the air. It was a blood orgy...Buffy would be sooooo pissed!
"Who... are ....you?" I growled, sounding out each word slowly.
He chuckled evilly and then smiled. "Who am I? Who am I? I'm the Big Bad you little bint. A better question would be 'Who the hell the wanker that was parading around in my leather jacket for the last year was'. But I guess a lot of things can change in a year. Look at your big sis for instance...first she's worm food and now ...well...nobody saw that one coming. I sure didn't. Not with the little performance she gave me." He finished suggestively.
"Buffy would never touch you." I responded with another growl.
He walked up to where I was sitting. "Oh really...well I'll have you know that she touched me..." He hissed as he kneeled next to me, "she kissed me..." he said in a matter of fact tone "and...she fucked me!" He finished harshly with his yellow demon eyes stone cold.
I didn't respond. I just sat in silence as new tears squeezed out of my exhausted eyelids. I've never been so afraid in my life. Not even when Glory had me. There is more evil in Spike's eyes right now than there ever was in Glory's...and she was a Hell God!
"You see little bint, your sis likes it rough...she likes to get hit...to have her hair pulled...her face smacked...I did all those things for her and she discarded me like yesterdays dirty underwear. Well..." he chuckled, "the thing about dirty underwear is that you should never leave it hanging around...it always has a way of...embarrassing you. There is nothing more embarrassing for a Slayer than having the people she loves slaughtered right under her pretty little nose." He whispered into my face.
I could smell the blood on his breath and it was making my stomach turn. My body was shaking from fear. Where is Buffy? Why hasn't she come to save me yet? Does she even know I'm gone?
Just then a new vampire walked into the room holding another victim for their little blood orgy over his shoulder. He walked up behind Spike and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Is this the one you wanted Boss?" The vampire asked as he slammed the newest victim's body against the hard concrete floor. I heard a small groan and my body froze in panic. My eyes searched the floor stretching my neck to get a peek of this new victim. My heart nearly stopped when I saw who it was.
"Janice!!!!!" I shrieked out in fear covering my mouth with both hands. Spike smiled broadly. He looked pleased at my terror.
"Yes...that's right...Janice!" He squealed mocking my voice. "You see Nibblette, everything the Slayer touches, everyone that comes into her life for some reason or another, eventually ends up dead. She is death."
Janice was not moving. I felt my chest constrict again. It was hard for me to breathe and my vision was getting foggy and hazy. I struggled to breathe but it was only becoming harder with each gasp. I closed my eyes to calm down and passed out..........
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Appearances are misleading. I know this for a fact. Take Sunnydale for instance, a beautiful bright gem of a town. If you examine it in a vacuum, without taking into consideration the death rate, you'd probably want to live here. Calm, peaceful, pleasant....
But it sits on the mouth of Hell.
Appearances are misleading indeed.
"Mr. Giles?" The deep voice asked from the doorway.
"Yes Methos." I responded.
"Are the accommodations to your liking?" He asked as he walked into my room.
"Y-yes. Of course. I had no idea the Council owned this mansion. I lived here for five years and not once was I advised of the existence of this place. It's...it's...remarkable." I finish in awe. It really is. It's like a piece of England right here in good old Sunnydale, California. The room I'm staying in alone is perhaps the size of the living room and dinning room of my old flat put together. Such grandeur...such luxury...such mystery...such intrigue. Yes...something doesn't sit right about this place. Why was I never told about it? Why was it kept such a secret?
Like Buffy would say...this place is giving me the wiggins.
"The Council is very resourceful...you know that." Methos said interrupting my thoughts.
"Y-yes. Yes they are." I nodded in agreement while wiping my glasses. That was the part that frightened me...I knew of their resourcefulness. Methos was looking at me intensely and that's when I remembered. Clear as day. The Council are the good guys. They fight evil. This is their battle. The Slayer is merely the instrument.
There was a soft tap at the door followed by Mr. Witherspoon's entrance. He had a somber expression on his face.
"The situation is much worse than we had anticipated." Witherspoon advised.
"How so?" I asked.
"We didn't want to alarm you just yet Mr. Giles. Not until we were certain. There is a dark power rising in Sunnydale. A Witch. I sensed her the moment we arrived." Methos explained before turning to Witherspoon again.
"What did you find out Witherspoon?" He asked.
"As always, Methos, your instincts were correct. The Witch has been harnessing power here in Sunnydale for years. She calls upon the forces of darkness and uses black magics to do her bidding but hides behind a shield. Carrying out evil in the name of good. A wolf in sheep's clothing, if you will. Our sources say that she recently teamed up with a certain unsavory character, a Sorcerer by the name of Rack, who has added in her rise to power." Witherspoon advised, the moment I heard that name my entire body halted in fear. I recognized it immediately. Buffy had told me of this person ...... Rack.
"Do you know the Witch's name?" I asked.
"What does that matter? She must die." Witherspoon said in ignorance.
"Do you know her name?" I screamed.
"Witherspoon." Methos warned. Witherspoon was surprised at my sudden change in demeanor. But I was in no mood to toy with him.
"They say her name is Willow."
"Oh dear Lord no! Not Willow!" I gasped as I grabbed my head in agony. I had hoped it would never come to this.
"Do you know her?" Methos asked.
"Yes. I do. What has she done?" I asked in fear.
"It's not what she's done. It's what she's about to do. We had our suspicions that things were more complicated than they appeared. This is the reason I contacted you. The Slayer, Faith, escaped the Council intent on coming here to..."
"Kill Buffy." I finished.
"No... intent on coming here to stop the opening of the Hellmouth. It wasn't until we arrived that I realized her fears were true. The dark power here is dominating...almost invincible. I can feel the activity of the Hellmouth as we speak. We might already be too late." Methos concluded.
"I must call Buffy. She and her...they...this is really bad I have to warn her." I mumbled in anguish.
"No. Right now the element of surprise is our only ally. If we want to defeat the Witch, we must ambush her. You are our wild card Mr. Giles. Without you we will not be successful."
I nodded reluctantly. There was nothing I could do. Willow started down her path of destruction years ago and we all ignored her. From the moment she picked up a spell book I should have slapped it out of her hands. I knew it would be bad for her. Now the fate of the world rests in our hands.
We must defeat Willow.
We must.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"It's nice to see you guys are still alive." Faith said in a sarcastic tone.
"I told you they were having sex. Look...Buffy has that 'freshly fucked' look." Anya explained.
"ANYA!" Xander scolded as usual.
"We were resting guys. Buffy has a tough battle tonight and she needed to recuperate her strength." I explained as Buffy and I made our way into the living room hand in hand. I took a moment to look at her face and Anya was right...Buffy did have the 'freshly fucked' look. Oh well....
"What have you found out so far Xand?" Buffy asked as she settled on the sofa next to Xander.
"I was able to get a copy of the floor plans of the building where Spike wants to meet tonight." Xander explained. He pulled out a long cylinder and popped off the top. From inside the cylinder he pulled out the blue prints of the building and set them flat on the coffee table. I took a seat on the floor by the coffee table. Anya and Faith took their places around the coffee table as well.
"This is the closest man hole. It's about four feet away from the back entrance of the building, in the alley. So we must expect that their attack will come from there." Xander said pointing at the respective places on the blue print.
"Not necessarily," Faith said interrupting, "we're meeting at midnight. That gives them a whole six hours in darkness to prepare...six o'clock sunsets in the winter time...remember?" She finished sarcastically again. It seems to me Faith only has two tones: skank and sarcasm.
"Not necessarily," Buffy said interrupting Faith's interruption, "Spike usually doesn't go out until after nine." She finished lowering her eyes shamefully. Her knowledge of this fact was something that no one wanted to discuss. The room fell silent for a few moments until I ended it.
"Either way we don't have much time to prepare. Where is Hope?" I asked changing the subject a bit.
"She's been outside meditating all day. It's really freaky stuff. She levitates and shit." Faith provided with her face in a scrunched up pout. That must be her freaked out face.
"Ok, so this is what we'll do, you guys start working on a counter attack for this afternoon. How many stakes did you carve today?" I asked looking at Xander and Anya.
"At least fifteen or so...my hands hurt." Anya provided with a small pout. Xander took her hand up to his lips and kissed her fingers softly. The sight was touching and it warmed my heart. Sometimes I forget what a gentleman he could be.
"That's not nearly enough. Faith says there were over 20 vampires there last night." Buffy said and Faith nodded affirmatively.
Just then the front door of the house opened. We all paused for a moment and looked up to get a view of who had opened it. From where I sat on the floor by the sofa I couldn't get a good view of the door. I did, however, have a good view of Anya and her reaction was horrifying. She turned gradually and looked at me with tears in her eyes. I stood slowly with my eyes fixed on her and made my way to the left to get a better view of the doorway. When my eyes graced the picture before me I nearly fainted.
There stood Tara with large dried blood stains on her hands and shirt. Her body was beaten black and blue. One of her eyes was swollen shut and her bottom lip was cut and puffy. She had large bloody gashes that resembled nail marks running across her right cheek and her clothes and hair were muddy and dirty.
"Oh my God...Tara!" I exclaimed as I ran to her side instantly. The moment I reached where she stood she collapsed into my arms crying softly. Her small painful whimpers were heart wrenching.
"What happened??? Who did this to you??" I asked overwhelmed with fright. Will the surprises never end today?
She tried to explain but she could only cry. Out of no where Faith popped next to her and scooped Tara up into her arms carrying her to the nearby sofa. She lay her down gently were Xander and Buffy had been seating. Everyone was surrounding her in shock. No one knew what to do. How to make her stop crying.
"There is a bright light among us." Hope's voice was heard from the doorway that lead to the kitchen towards the back of the living room. I turned and watched as Hope walked towards us. Her expression was strange. She looked overwhelmed... like she was confused.
She stopped directly behind me, tapped my shoulder, and motioned for me to move out of the way. Once I had done so she stood right by Tara and closed her eyes. Slowly she moved her head back humming softly underneath her breath. I looked at Tara and she seemed confused as well. She had stopped the flood of tears long enough to examine Hope through weary beaten eyes, but her body was still shacking in pain.
"The Good in you is overwhelming my dear. There is no struggle in your soul." Hope exclaimed in awe as she looked at Tara. The rest of the group was confused but I understood what she meant. Tara's soul was pure. Deep down inside I had always known that.
"Heal her, my child." Hope instructed me.
"I...uhhh...I don't...I don't know how to do that Hope." I explained.
She turned to me harshly and grabbed my shoulders, "Stop with the uncertainties. You are a Sorceress. You know you can do this!" She finished as she stared sharply into my eyes. I felt Buffy's mood change and looked at her to signal that it was ok. Once Hope had let go of me, Buffy stood down, and I moved to face Tara with the rest of the Scoobs watching me intently.
I placed my right hand on her forehead and felt as my mind drifted. Visions of my life with Tara flashed before my eyes like a movie montage. The laughter, the joy, the passion, and the tears. In my heart I willed for her to be safe. To be healthy. To be healed.
"You did it." Buffy said softly touching my elbow. Hers was the first voice I heard. I opened my eyes to find Tara lying before me frightened but looking no different than the last time I had seen her. Her face was smooth and her kind blue eyes were looking at me steadily.
"Are you ok?" I asked softly. She shook her head affirmatively in response.
"Who did this to you?" Faith jumped in and asked. Tara looked at her as if a bit confused as to what she was doing here in the first place but answered nonetheless.
"A-Amy." She said barely stuttering. "She's working with Rack. They want to kill you Will." She finished, her eyes swelling with tears again.
"Great. The list just keeps getting longer and longer for you Red, huh? And here I was thinking you weren't even popular." Faith interrupted in one of her tones...you guess which one. Buffy shot her a scolding look and Faith backed off accordingly.
"Xander, take Anya and Faith, go to your apartment and collect the good weapons. We are wasting precious daytime." Buffy instructed.
Everyone started moving like they had a purpose. I stayed holding Tara's hand. She still looked afraid but I could feel the calm beginning to flow through her body. The day just kept getting harder and harder. My heart wanted to ask the question but my mind kept warning that it was bad luck. It's bad practice to tempt the Gods. But I couldn't help it...
What else could go wrong today?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You failed me again Amy." The deep voice echoed through the shadows. I flinched at the tone. It was disappointment.
"Some circumstances are out of my control." I explained as I closed the door behind me. The room was dark. All the curtains were drawn and there wasn't a hint of light anywhere in the room. Rack had warned me that Methos was a weird guy. You see...Rack was the only one that had actually met him before. Well... if you can even call it that. Methos was responsible for Rack's eye...apparently he had disappointed him.
My mother knew of Methos. That is how I first learned of him. She called upon him for special powers. I remember her speaking of him. Of his strength. Of his wisdom. I always thought she was in love with him. But I don't remember her ever mentioning having met him...except in her dreams. That was when he'd speak to her. When she slept. She explained that it was because of special powers that she possessed. Powers that her mother had possessed as well.
You can imagine my surprise when a few years ago he started appearing in my dreams.
That was around the same time that my powers began to grow. I did little things here and there. A little brainwashing to get out of assignments. A love spell here a hate spell there.
Methos was the one that instructed me to go to Rack. He explained that Rack was to be my servant, that my strength would soon supersede Rack's. It did, by far. The only thing that I had to do in return was watch for a developing power in Sunnydale. Methos had foreseen a great power rising in here.
Then I turned myself into a rat.
Can you imagine my surprise when I was de-ratted to find out that Willow was this great power? Willow? Little Willow Rosenberg? The wallflower? Can you tell I'm still pissed about that one?
"You got personal. You dragged your own vengeance into it, just like the little men had done, and look where that got them. Two of them are in prison and one is dead." He finished. I nodded my head in understanding. So he's dead...hmph...I wondered where that asshole had disappeared to.
"Is that what you are going to do to me? Kill me?" I asked bravely.
He chuckled softly in the darkness. "You mean nothing to me. Don't ever forget that. Your death will neither bring me happiness nor sadness. You... are... n o t h i n g." He finished slowly. His words cut through me roughly.
Being nothing was the worst part. Because, at least if you were hated you had the satisfaction of knowing that you inspired some sort of feeling, that your existence isn't purely unnecessary. But not even my death would please him.
"They are regrouping as we speak. The witch will warn them of my involvement. Things might get complicated." I explained.
"Things are beyond complicated. They have a great ally on their side." He hissed.
"Hope?" I asked curious.
A fireball hurdled through the darkness. I watched in shock as it approached me, slowly turning into a huge ball of glowing light. The next thing I felt was the bang of my head against the door and the room shake from the impact. I looked up to see his eyes crackling bright red in the darkness.
"Never mention that name to me again." He said calmly.
I stood ruefully. Shaking the surprised sensation away. Just then all the curtains opened at once and the room was bright with sunlight. My eyes crossed at first and after a few second they adjusted to the new brightness. He was just as my mother had described.
Tall... at least six feet two inches tall. His hair was jet black and sleeked back in a flowing fashion. His skin was a nice tan tone and his green eyes sparkled in the sunlight. He was gorgeous. But something about his expression inspired fear in me. This was a dangerous man.
"Dangerous I am." He assured. "But you have always known that." He finished with an evil grin.
"What will we do about the current situation?" I asked.
"Perhaps we won't even need to get involved as of yet. Certain situations are developing which might aid us." He explained. His expression stoic.
"Why don't you just kill them yourself? Right now...just do it?" I asked confused.
"I am not a player. I'm a spectator. I get involved when all else fails. Besides...what's the fun in killing them right away. We won't be able to watch them struggle....watch them suffer." He said and I smiled. I knew exactly what he was talking about.
"But...her powers...they've grown. I can feel it. It's in the air that surrounds us. She is strong. She will surely sense you coming." I added.
"Yes...that is true. But I will shield their vision. They will not see the evil approaching." He finished with yet another evil smile.
I stood attentively before him. His presence was overwhelming. He was overpowering. I felt my own powers grow from his presence.
Yes... things were getting back on track.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Have you ever gone snorkeling in the middle of the ocean?
I did once, with my parents. We were on vacation in the Grand Cayman Islands. This was way before I became a Slayer...way before my parents got divorced...way before my father left or my mother became sick. Back when my life was easy. Back when it was ok for me to be happy.
I was fourteen years old. We took a charter boat far out into the ocean. The water was bright blue and even from on board the boat you can see clear to the bottom of the ocean floor, the multitude of fishes and sea animals that lived there.
I remembered swimming in the water. The day was hot and the ocean was warm. It surrounded my body...the warmth...it engulfed me. At one point in the snorkeling trip I turned over and let my life jacket do the rest. I floated effortlessly in the middle of the sea. As if I belonged there. My face peaked out of the water as the rest of my body floated weightlessly just below the surface. The only sounds I could hear were that of my own breathing and the muffled hum of the ocean surrounding me.
I floated like that, deep in my own happy thoughts, for what seemed like hours but was really only minutes. When I opened my eyes again I could barely see the boat any longer. I had floated a good 200 yards away from the boat...from my family...from my safety. The current had carried me there. I was alone in an ocean of vast depths and thousands of creatures.
Afraid, I began my breathless struggle to return to the boat. The harder I paddled the stonger the water currents became. The life jacket that once aided me in my swim was now impeding my return to safety. The clear blue salty water that had initially relaxed me, now blinded and drowned me. I thought I was lost.
Exhausted from the exercise and sick from all the seawater I had inadvertently swallowed, I felt the urge to stop moving and just sink. Sink deep. To get lost in the darkness of the waves...in the unknown creepy world that is the ocean. That's when I saw the boat approaching...with my mother sitting at the bow anxiously waving at me. I could hear her sweet voice echo over the water. Dawn was only eight years old. She was standing next to mom, holding her hand, crying. Worried something had happened to me. Worried she had lost her sister. Worried about me.
The lesson? Never close your eyes when you're happy, everything can float away from you in a matter of seconds and you might find yourself alone, in a dark world.
I closed my eyes once after that day. It was during my senior year in High School. Right when Angel came back from Hell. I was so happy. The world had been good to me again. We had been given another chance. I closed my eyes to enjoy it.....and as sure as the sun rises every day....the ocean sweep me away with its current. But this time, instead of lost minutes at sea, it was lost years of life...lost happiness. I lost my father, my boyfriend, my mother, and, finally, I lost myself.
I died...and returned to a very dark world. A world where the bad guys were good and the good guys were bad. A world where I couldn't feel, couldn't think, and couldn't bear to live any longer.
Luckily, before I closed my eyes and allowed myself to sink, I gave the horizon one last look. That's when I saw it. The boat circling to pick me up. My salvation...my rescue... and sitting at the bow was Willow.
My Best Friend.
My Lover.
My Other Half.
"Are you ready?" Hope's voice interrupted my train of thought. I was sitting in the yard on the bench. The sun was setting already. Sunset was the worst part. It was my work whistle.
"Yes. I'm ready for the fight." I said sure of myself.
"That's not what I asked." Hope said softly in her cryptic speech again. "Are you ready for what you will become...for what you will have to do?" She finished pointedly. I stared at her confused and she continued, "You think you know ... what's to come ... what you are. You haven't even begun."
I looked at her puzzled as those questions resonated in my ears. They were familiar. I had heard them before. They were filled with all sorts of underlying issues.
"What do you mean?" I asked confused.
"You will be faced with a harsh decision today. But it will be something that only you will be able to do. The fate of the world will hang on you. It is your destiny. This is why you are the chosen one." She said.
"Great. Thanks Hope. How about you stab me in the eye with a needle before I leave? Let's get the full range of pain in here." I said sarcastically and she chuckled a bit.
"I'm tired." She said softly. It was the first time I actually heard Hope speak of how she felt. Somehow 'tired' threw me.
"Tired?"
"Yes. Tired of my struggle. Tired of being alone." She looked at me sadly. That's when it dawned on me. She was joined with her other half, her soul mate, but was forced to separate on her own. She made that decision. What a painful decision that must have been.
"The world is an ugly place little one. Take it from me I've been around a long time. Evil is strong." She sighed deeply and turned to stare aimlessly into the sunset. "Sometimes it's just overwhelming. It's moments like that when you have to stop, breathe, and think. Concentrate on the things that bring you joy, the things that make you happy. For me it was the sound of laughter coming from a small child's heart." She turned and smiled warmly. "Or watching a couple in love...the feeling...so overwhelming...LOVE." Her eyes swelled with tears. "Or waking up before dawn to watch the sunrise and enjoy the uncertainty the world feels at the sight of a new day. The world is ugly, but humanity is beautiful...concentrate on that." She finished.
I sat in silence next to her. We gazed at the sunset for a while. A thousand questions were running through my head. Part of me felt tired. I, like Hope, was also tired of the struggle. It seemed like it would never end. Why is it always so hard to be happy? But then I thought of Willow. Her face shinned bright in my memory. Her beautiful green eyes. Her gorgeous skin. The way her hair smelled while we slept. The way her hands felt as they roamed my body. The way her lips tasted when they touched mine. Suddenly...the world made sense. The struggle had a renewed purpose. She was the trophy I was fighting for. Her undying love.
"And there it is... so overwhelming." Hope exclaimed softly.
"What?" I asked.
"The Love." She said with a small smile. I smiled back at her and exhaled softly. She had read my mind again.
Thank God I wasn't having naughty naked Willow thoughts.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So you and Buffy are Children of the Earth?" Tara asked confused.
"Uh huh and Hope and Methos are Children of the Moon." I explained.
"Weird." She conceded.
"Tell me about it. One day I'm fighting my powers and the next day I'm trying to develop them as much as I can. I feel like a yo-yo." I said with a smile. Tara smiled back at me. It was nice to sit and talk with her. I needed it. It was nice to see her smile. I needed that too.
"I'm sorry." I whispered.
"For what?" She asked.
"For making you a part of all this. For putting your life in danger day after day. It's all my fault and you don't deserve it. You deserve to live a long and healthy life...without the threat of death around every corner." I explained softly as tears swelled in my eyes.
She leaned forward and cupped my face with her hands. "Willow... even if I knew that I would die tomorrow I wouldn't change a single thing about my life. I would do everything exactly the same if it meant that we'd have what we had...even if it was just for a short while." She said with her eyes near tears. "Exactly the same." She whispered with a husky breath as she wiped the tears from my face with her thumbs.
I leaned forward and hugged her softly. It was nice to hold her in my arms. Not in a sexual way, of course, but definitely in a loving way. Although I was no longer IN love with her...I still loved her, just in a different way.
"So what's going to happen tonight?" She asked as we released each other's embrace.
"I'm not sure. I don't know when Methos will appear or what he will do. Hope insists that I should continue developing my power. She said that I'll require all of my strength and skill to defeat him." I explained.
"What about Dawn?" Tara asked confused.
"Buffy is going to do that. She's taking Faith and Xander. I foresee no danger for them and I can still sense Dawn. She is very scared but she's alive. In any case, if anything should arise, Buffy and I are connected now, I'd feel it right away and teleport there in an instant."
"Sounds like a plan." Tara said nodding slowly.
"One last thing I forgot." I said as I leaned forward and placed my hand over her heart. Her body was engulfed in light and her eyes flashed brightly. She lasted like that for a few seconds until I retreated my hand.
"What was that?" She asked startled.
"Power. I gave you some. I want you to be able to defend yourself. Use it wisely." I explained.
I watched as she sat back slowly. I can feel her body humming with strength. I'm not worried though. Tara can handle it. Her soul is pure.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
You know that feeling you get when you visit your old school? It's nothing at all how you remember it and for a moment you wonder how you spent so much time there without noticing that the water fountains were made for midgets, the walls were the color of vomit, and the halls smelled like old cafeteria food.
This is how I feel now.
I hadn't been to this place since that day. I tried my best to forget about it. To forget about him. To forget about what we did here. But the moment I walked in the smell of the building brought it all back in floods. What was I thinking?
"You had sex with Spike in this dump?" Faith asked vulgarly.
"Um...yes...but it had walls then." I said in my defense. I was concentrated and wasn't about to start giving Faith any explanations. Besides...she was right. This place is a dump. I can't believe I took my clothes off here.
"What did I say about the Spike Sex Talk? I said there wasn't to be ANY Spike Sex Talk. That's what I said. I remember. I said 'I'll come along if there is no Spike Sex Talk'. And here we are...and all I hear is Spike Sex Talk." Xander said pissed off.
"Chill Xander. I'm sick of it already. Willow's my lover and even she took it better than you did." I jabbed at him.
"What did I say about the Willow Sex Talk? Hmmm? Huh? I said there was to be..." He was about to start his whole rant again replacing the word Spike for Willow but Faith interrupted him.
"Yeah...let's talk about you and Jessica Rabbit 'The Amazing Sex Duo'!! Seven hundred and thirty times? Ha! She doesn't even believe that one." Faith said with a smirk.
"Hey!" Xander said insulted.
"Guys...can we save the argument for another time when we are not in mortal danger?" I asked sarcastically. I turn slowly and mutter under my breath "Goobers!"
We stood around in silence for a few minutes, watching our surroundings closely, expecting the attack at any minute. My body was sore from all the tension. I felt as if I've been at battle for days. And my mind...well my mind was deep in thought. Hope's words to me earlier this afternoon still lingered. What's to come? What am I? What decision do I have to make?
"What time is it?" Faith asked.
"A quarter past midnight." Xander provided.
"We've been here a half hour already." I whispered. Something didn't seem right.
"Looks like your vamp is late for a date, either that or this place is booby trapped." Faith interjected.
"There aren't signs of anything Buffy. Look at the floors. They are covered with dust and dirt. Nobody has walked on these floors in months. The only footsteps here are ours." Xander concluded.
Just then I felt a sharp pain rip through my heart. Something had gone desperately wrong. I doubled over in agony with a loud groan. My vision blurred and a bright light appeared in my minds eye. I screamed in fear when I saw it. Oh God no. No no no no!!
"Buffy what's wrong?" Xander screamed as he rushed to my side. I could barely breathe the pain was so great. Oh God no.
"This was a decoy. A trap." I whispered in between gasps.
"What's wrong? What is she talking about?" Faith asked confused.
I felt my body tremble in Xander's arms. The pain was devastating. How could this be? How did I not see it? How could I be so stupid?
"Buffy! Buffy! You're freaking me out! Buffy talk to me!" Xander screamed.
I laid my head on the floor and screamed with all my might.
"WILLOW!"
To be concluded in Chapter 10 "Nowhere But Here"