"Mission Statement" (Post-Season 6)

[funkyasian]

hmmm...what would tara want with the band? manage them? tara's more human than any of the vampires out there...will we ever find hope for the reutrn for her soul? so many questions...



steph

[Bagheera]

steph - vampire as band manager? LOL well I guess most managers in the entertainment industry are bloodsuckers, right? You'll just have to wait/see what vampTara has in mind.

Willow looks hopeful, then delighted as the words sink in. Tara meets her halfway and they kiss passionately.

"Entropy"

[ZipityDoDa]

Holee cow, what does Tara have in mind?

=Jessica=

[Jennpurr]

Hmmm... I'll second, what Jessica said?? Interesting...



I feel so bad for them. They are both going through so much. I'm just glad they have each other, to get through it. So sad, though.



Looking forward to more.

Jen

------------------------Willow: strong like an amazon?
Tara: Strong like an amazon, right.

[LeatherQueen]

The Dingoes? Hmm... very interesting.

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


"But when they're playing your song on the jukebox in Hell, you might as well dance." - K. Simpson


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

[Thanatopsis]

Certainly a strange twist, can't imagine what Tara has in mind.

--------------------
Too many of us live desert lives. ~Charles de Lint

[xita]

rockign with the band, mostly night gigs, it could work

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

"Oooh Xita!" - Amber Benson

[Bagheera]

Jessica - Tara's idea bears fruit in Episode 5.



Jen - Ah, thank you, there was other stuff happening in this update than Tara making a mysterious phone call about a 2nd rate grunge band, wasn't there? Tara and Willow are helping each other through.



LeatherQueen - Hi, thanks



Thanatopsis - Indeed a twist, but one I couldn't resist. You'll know more about it in a few days.



Xita - Indeed. Thank you.



Oh, yes. PS: The title of this episode has absolutely nothing to do with the band "Slayer" - yuck.

Willow looks hopeful, then delighted as the words sink in. Tara meets her halfway and they kiss passionately.

"Entropy"

[Jennpurr]

You are very welcome, B.



Yes, there was other stuff. I'm sorry. I was very intrigued by the whole update.



Tara looking into Willow's aura. I feel so bad for Will. I know she is probably hurting now, especially when she said that she can feel everything now, about what happened and what she did. I have that right, right? I know it's probably going to be a long rode ahead of her.



You certainly have made Tara into a interesting Vamp. I liked Willow's explanation about the blood. Sounds like some very nutritous blood she gave her??



Jen

------------------------Willow: strong like an amazon?
Tara: Strong like an amazon, right.

[Bagheera]

Thank you Jen. Re: the blood - a bit of an indulgence on my part, I must confess. Defibrination is the process that removes the clotting portion from whole blood so that it remains liquid. The nutritional aspects I just popped in there for the heck of it, but I could imagine Willow shopping around and getting the best she could for Tara, preferably organic or biodynamic of course. Enjoy the next bit.



Rating PG-13 Adult themes

ACK (Anguished Cliffhanger, Kittens) Warning applies



Buffy, Dawn and Willow were seated around the dinner table. A happy Tara bustled about, clearing up the plates and cutlery. Willow looked exhausted. She stood up and announced that she was going to bed.



“Would you like me to tuck you in, Willow?” Tara asked innocently.



“That would be nice,” the redhead replied. The pair retired upstairs; Tara stood by while Willow brushed her hair and cleaned her teeth.



“I’m so tired I’m probably going to go straight to sleep; I don’t need to be snuggled,” Willow said when she was ready. She turned and flashed Tara an ambiguous look.



“Vixen,” Tara smiled. Then, seriously, she added, “Anya was okay to you at work today? You look so tired.”



“She was fine.”



“And she still insists she had nothing to do with wishing me back to life?” Tara enquired.



“That’s her story. She says she made a guy eat his own tongue garnished with horseradish sauce last week when his ex wished it. No mention of vampTara.”



“You know what? I believe her, Will. It never made sense.”



“If not Anya, then who? No-one else was in the room with me.” Tara merely shrugged in response. “You’re thinking research mode?”



“I was more thinking I might go out on patrol with Buffy tonight, see what’s happening on the Hellmouth,” Tara speculated. “If you’re good?” Willow nodded and they shared a hug and a brief goodnight kiss before Tara trotted back downstairs.



Buffy was chatting with Dawn and pulling on her coat. These days, the teenager would occasionally accompany the Slayer out on patrol, but Buffy insisted that this was only if Dawn was on top of her homework. Tonight was not one of those nights, so the blonde huntress was preparing to go out alone for her nightly battle. She seemed surprised by the Tarabot’s unexpected offer and at first appeared to be reluctant to accept.



“I could watch your back,” Tara suggested. “I am programmed to defend myself, Willow and Willow’s friends.”



“It’ll be okay,” Dawn urged. “What could possibly go wrong, Buffy?”



“When you start saying things like that, practically everything,” the Slayer replied acidly. “Okay, Tarabot, let’s go. And remember, if you come back damaged, I’ll never hear the end of it from Willow, so stay out of trouble.”



“That’s okay Buffy; at the first sign of danger, I’ll throw you to the vampires and run,” Tara said. Buffy glared, and the vampire added, “Willow’s experimenting with sarcasm, whatever that is.” She followed the Slayer out into the night.



“I guess we’ll just do a basic sweep,” Buffy explained as the pair walked.



“Is there any unusual vampire activity at the moment?” Tara asked ingenuously.



“Nah, not really,” the Slayer answered. “The usual; vamps in small groups, twos and threes, that kind of thing. Not much else happening in the demon world either. Do you have a stake? No of course not. Here, I have a spare.” And Buffy passed a weapon to the “bot”.



“Thank you, Buffy. How has Willow been since I died?”



At that moment Willow was not, as expected, asleep. The slight redhead tossed and turned in her bed, fatigued but for reasons she could not fathom, incapable of relaxing. Finally, with a frustrated exclamation, she threw back the covers, got out of bed and turned on her laptop.



“Fighting with Will was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life,” Buffy was explaining to Tara. “That includes killing Angel and dying to save Dawn. Willow was my rock. She was my best friend through high school, the first friend I made when I came to Sunnydale. In seven years we might have argued maybe half a dozen times. God, the number of times we cried on each other’s shoulders. Then to see her like that, all revenge-y and – and evil, and knowing that I had to stop her…”



“Are you certain she was truly evil?”



Buffy stopped walking for a moment. “No, I guess not. The things she did were – wrong, evil I guess, but…it was as if the real Willow, the good Willow, went away,” Buffy said, sadly. They recommenced walking.



“Do you think she’s back now?” Tara asked.



Buffy shook her head. “She hasn’t been Willow since Tara – since you died. It’s like she’s hollow. I think it’s kind of like I was when I first came back. I worry sometimes, if she’ll do something stupid, like I – did, with Spike. It’s probably healthy her having you with her, healthy but bizarre.”



They turned down a narrow side street. The two women walked openly through the seamiest parts of Sunnydale. “Willow paid a terrible price for bringing me back,” Buffy continued. “I keep thinking your death might have been a part of it; as if Will somehow was being punished for – well, I don’t know exactly what for. Being too powerful? That’s bull, I’m powerful, and do I get punished? God, I miss her. I’d give anything to have my little red-haired witch back.” Tara nodded her agreement.



“If it’s a witch you got, we’ll take any that’s goin’,” came a dark voice from the shadows. Buffy and Tara stopped, stakes at the ready. Ahead of them, two vampires detached themselves from the shadows and blocked the women’s path. Tara sensed another two behind them, covering their retreat. She glanced at Buffy, and realized that the Slayer had detected them too. Tara cursed inwardly. Can’t use magic in front of Buffy. Crap.



“No witches here, sorry,” Buffy smiled coldly, “but I’d love a spell of kicking your ass.” Snarling, the four vampires leapt to the attack.



(To be continued)

[funkyasian]

hmmm...*raises hand with a question* - don't vampires "feel" eachother's presence?



wonder how tara's gonna handle this...



steph

[willntlover]

I thought buffy could feel when a vampire was around her. Buty it's cool, coz' i don't think the writers on the buffy staff really remember that at all



I really, really, like this story. Infact, i kind of love it. j/k Can't wait for the next part!!!!!!



quick q: IS Tara going to try and get buffy on board with the whole 'hole' theory???



-Will

"Hear that baby? You're my always."

"well, you know, when you play a lesbian witch you've gotta get killed in this fun kind of exciting way, so the heart was the way to go..."

"we have the most amazing fans though they LOVE us."

Edited by: willntlover at: 7/29/02 10:52:33 am

[Thanatopsis]

I'll liking the Buffy/Tara interaction, but doesn't Buffy's spider sense tell her that Tara's a vamp? I love Tara pretending to be a bot, "Willow’s experimenting with sarcasm, whatever that is.”

--------------------
Too many of us live desert lives. ~Charles de Lint

[DarkWiccan]

Here we go loop-dee-loo,

Here we go loop-dee-lie,

Here we go loop-dee-loo,

I'm seeing a plot twist in sight...



Hee



Cheers

DW

[Jennpurr]

DW... you're so funny, but I agree. I'm seeing one, too.



Hmmm... I hope Tara doesn't accidentally put on her vamp face while fighting the other vamps. That would be.... interesting. I'm with everyone else though, I still don't see how Buffy doesn't sense Tara being a vamp, unless there is going to be an explanation later, about that.



Full of questions. Buffy's gonna flip, when she finds out. I have that feeling, anyway.



And we all want our Will back. We miss her.



Looking forward to more.

Jen

------------------------Willow: strong like an amazon?
Tara: Strong like an amazon, right.

[Bagheera]

steph - vampires "feeling" each other - sometimes, but Tara can be a coooll customer. They had no idea she was going to attack them in the crypt when she was made, didn't they? Tara will handle this savage vampire attack with dignity and grace - or maybe she'll just terminate with extreme prejudice. One or t'other.



Will - thank you. Yes, the 'Buffy' writers have been inconsistent at times on this point.



Thanatopsis - Ah, thanks, cool Tara gets the good lines this Season. I think someone noticed her value to the show and acted accordingly. Re Buffy's Spider sense - can be erratic. She was hopeless with Angel in the early days, it seemed to work best when the vamps wore 70s clothes and were 'wicked obvious'.



DarkWiccan - Plot twist? Hm - well, you'll never believe where the next 2 instalments are set. Luckily, updates are running 2nd daily at the moment.



Jen - Hi. Beautiful avatar. There'll be some quiet Willow time in the next update but one.



Edited - I think I'm still delirious

Willow looks hopeful, then delighted as the words sink in. Tara meets her halfway and they kiss passionately.

"Entropy"

Edited by: Bagheera at: 7/29/02 5:16:55 pm

[Jennpurr]

Awww, thanks B. I'm glad you like my avatar. I can't stop drooling from it.



Oooh... I'm looking forward to the quiet Willow time and seeing where the next two updates are set. I'm still very curious about alot of things.



Thank you.



Jen

------------------------Willow: strong like an amazon?
Tara: Strong like an amazon, right.

Edited by: Jennpurr  at: 7/29/02 6:03:04 pm

[LeatherQueen]

Ah, lovely update. I wonder, though, just how Tara will handle the vamps. Her vampire urges to destroy are still there. So will she just tear into them with a fury, or not? Hm....

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


"But when they're playing your song on the jukebox in Hell, you might as well dance." - K. Simpson


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

[ZipityDoDa]

Great update.

=Jessica=

[funkyasian]

oh oh...i'd like to opt for the extreme prejudice...if that means violence on the vamps...okay...too much caffeine...was just too excited at the prospect of killing vampires...

[snuggle79]

Great Update! I really like Taravamp/-bot.



And this was so funny:

Quote:

---

“That’s okay Buffy; at the first sign of danger, I’ll throw you to the vampires and run,” Tara said. Buffy glared, and the vampire added, “Willow’s experimenting with sarcasm, whatever that is.”

---

Tara:"Maybe we dreamed it."

Willow:"Right. Right. Wrong! (points at her head ) Different Brains." Tara:"Oh yeah."


Can we just skip it? Can...can you just be kissing me now?

[Bagheera]

Jen - Soon, yes. I'll post Pt 3 when I get home from work.



LeatherQueen - You'll have to wait & see. Answer won't be in pt 3, though. Sorry.



Jessica - Thanks



funkyasian - Oo. Well, some fans like the fights on 'Buffy', so I guess it had to happen again sooner or later.



snuggle79 - Thank you. I suspect Tara's having a lot of fun pretending to be a bot.



Thank you everybody. For the moment, it's back to work. Urgghh.

Willow looks hopeful, then delighted as the words sink in. Tara meets her halfway and they kiss passionately.

"Entropy"

[Bagheera]

Rating: PG-13 Adult themes. Sort of Cliffhanger Warning (See Pt 2)



From: Wesley Wyndham-Price

To: Willow Rosenberg

Date: Tuesday October 10th, 2002

Subject: Re: Vampire question



My Dear Ms. Rosenberg,



Thank you for your recent message. I have given this matter considerable deliberation and I have set my thoughts out below. I apologise in advance for the length of this reply. I must point out that I am not exactly on cordial terms with Angel at the moment, so that I have had to rely entirely on my personal library. I hope that this is adequate for our purposes.



I must say that had you come to me with this question as little as three years ago I would have given you a very different and dogmatic answer; that all vampires are intrinsically evil and that their only pleasure is in the killing and torturing of humans. This is the Watchers’ Council dogma and it has remained so for millennia. I must point out however that the Watchers’ Council does not concern itself with the complexities of human emotions, least of all love. They do not even know what the word means.



I digress, however. Since I have resided in L.A. I have come to the realisation that not all is at it seems, and that to parrot the doctrine that all vampires are evil may be as wrong as to say that all demons are evil or that all humans are not. Just as with people, vampires show a spectrum of behaviours. As a bad example, I know that shortly after his arrival in L.A., Angel slew a vampire that had lived for many years in the city more or less in the public eye. This vampire was nonetheless completely evil, but confined his killings in such a way that he avoided detection. Clearly at least, some vampires are more clever and pragmatic than others.



This raises the most important option that you must address most urgently, for your friend’s sake and for others’; the possibility that this vampire is lying. Examine your friend carefully (if she is willing) for evidence of vampirism: bite marks on the neck or upper torso, bruises with a central puncture. These may be very subtle. Can she hold a crucifix without it causing pain? Does holy water burn her skin? Have you seen her in direct sunlight since she has told you of her lover’s return as a vampire? You could even suggest that she has some blood tests to look for evidence of anaemia, perhaps on the pretext that you think she looks pale and tired. If any of these signs are positive, then your friend is already a victim and you will need to act swiftly.



Another possibility is that the vampire is genuinely in love with its partner and is obtaining blood from elsewhere. The proof of this could arise if the vampire encounters the Slayer on patrol, but I am assuming this vampire is highly intelligent, so I would consider this to be unlikely. You would need to observe the vampire carefully. Does it go out at night on unexplained errands, alone? Is it unsupervised at other times? Are there other people in the household or in the immediate neighbourhood that are showing signs of victimisation? There are numerous precedents of vampires having a favoured consort that is temporarily spared while they prey on those around them.



You must also consider the possibility that this is a delusion or a spell of some sort. Have you met this vampire? Is it possible for you to carry out the tests for vampirism on the alleged vampire as I earlier suggested for the potential victim?



The final possibility and the one that I realise your friend is most hopeful is indeed the case is that the vampire is being truthful and that it is not harming any humans. No precedent exists for this in the available literature, but that is not to say that it is not possible. Our understanding of vampirism is that the vampire takes the body, memories and some personality traits of its victim. We presume but do not know that this includes emotional memory. If as you say, the vampire had a previous loving relationship with your friend, I cannot exclude the possibility that the vampire would wish to continue the relationship, particularly if, as you say, the vampire was intelligent enough to consider all of the consequences of victimising its human lover.



If the above is true, and I fervently hope that it is, you also need to consider the possibility that for whatever reason, the vampire has a soul. I must however say that this is very unlikely indeed. The gypsy curse used on Angel was known to a single Romanian family; it was lost for decades, and there is no record of it ever being used on another vampire. The Aberjian prophecy speaks of “the vampire with a soul” only in the singular. I have attached a scan of the relevant section for your interest.



This raises a topic that is of some interest in Watchers’ Council circles; namely the relationship between the human victim and the vampire it becomes. It is a subject which is unfortunately long on speculation but short on hard data; we are sometimes able to do retrospective research on the premorbid personality of the victim, but sadly vampires do not remain in captivity for very long as a rule, and studying their personalities in the field is somewhat hazardous. I can give you my thoughts on some of the vampires that I have encountered of late.



Angel/Angelus: Obviously, I know the most about him. By all accounts he was a drunken, brawling wastrel as a young man, and returned as a particularly vicious and brutal vampire. He was at war with his father before he became a vampire and in his undead form he extended this to the point of exterminating the entire population of the village of his birth, including his parents and siblings. Under the tutelage of his sire, Darla, he became if anything worse over the following years until the time his soul was restored. Remember that it took over a century of living with a soul before Angel regained enough humanity to undertake the journey he is now making.



Darla: Was an impoverished prostitute before she became a vampire, and I gather that she lived a hard and painful life. She was human for a time under Angel’s protection, but it was difficult to make any firm assessment of her human personality because, like Angel, she was suddenly forced to deal with the guilt of centuries of evil acts. As a vampire, she was perhaps even more sadistic than Angel; certainly she inspired him to his darkest excesses.



William/Spike: I have not encountered him personally, but records kept by Cordelia and Angel suggest (perhaps you can elaborate, since he has spent far more time in Sunnydale than in L.A.) that Spike is something of an enigma. I know very little of his previous human existence. Angel believed he was an obscure poet of limited talent. He is unusual among vampires in having a quixotic, adventurous at times even chivalrous streak, which leads him to actively seek out Slayers. I think that this indicates a death wish. I am also aware of the loose alliance he formed with Buffy against Angelus to prevent the world being sucked into Hell. This indicates at least a degree of pragmatism in his behaviour.



Drusilla: Was a young girl with mystic abilities driven insane by Angel’s mental torture before he made her a vampire. She remained insane ever after, which made her unpredictable and extremely dangerous.



Harmony: According to Cordelia, Harmony was a shallow, grasping and insecure young girl before she became a vampire. She remained so, but also became treacherous and evil. To her credit, she remained loyal to her friend Cordelia, only trying to kill her and the rest of us when it was to her obvious material advantage.



You can see from the above list that none of the vampires of my personal acquaintance could be said to have possessed anything that approached a healthy, stable human personality while they lived. I think this is true of the majority of vampires; the sorts of people that get victimised by vampires tend to be loners, misfits, addicts, the homeless, and the like. It sounds as if your friend’s lover was desperately unlucky.



In summary, then, I hope for your sake and your friend that there is a benign explanation for this most bizarre and unprecedented situation. But I must say that I consider it to be unlikely. If as you say this vampire is intelligent, I urge you to tread with extreme care. If you require any further assistance in this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me. My thoughts are with you and your friends in Sunnydale, often.



Yours sincerely,



Wesley Wyndham-Price



(To be continued)

[Thanatopsis]

Very intriguing, contacting Wesly. Certainly it gives her a certain amount of anonymousness for the situation that talking to Giles about it wouldn't. Its funny, I want to say that his reply wasn't all that helpful, but it's an intersting point that most vampires aren't the nicest or healthiest humans, at least from what we've seen. So is Tara different because she was a "better" human or because of her love for Willow? Definitely another angle to look at it from.

--------------------
Too many of us live desert lives. ~Charles de Lint

[xita]

Maybe Buffy senses something but it is all confused cause that's a bot but it looks like Tara.. not sure. Either way I am intrigued. Tara's not quite right and neither is Willow. I like Buffy's guilt thing there, completely understandable.

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

"Oooh Xita!" - Amber Benson

[Bagheera]

Thanatopsis - Hi! Yes, Willow would have had way too much explaining to do if she'd tried to talk it over with Giles. Anyway, I suspect Giles doesn't know how to operate his e-mail account yet. I agree, Wesley just waffled on and didn't really offer too many helpful insights, but that's the kind of guy he is. Now poor Willow, all alone, has to try and process this bowl of word salad.



Xita - Buffy is - what is Buffy? Oh yes, Slayers - enigmatic. Sometimes they behave like geniuses (genii?), sometimes (like most of Season 6) they behave like idiots. You'll be even more intrigued after Part 5, I suspect. But first Part 4 and a little quiet Willow time.

Willow looks hopeful, then delighted as the words sink in. Tara meets her halfway and they kiss passionately.

"Entropy"

[Jennpurr]

Hmmm... many more questions are rolling around in my brain, but I'm thinking of one in particular. I'm somewhat thinking along the same lines as, because of the human Tara was and her loving nature and so on, that this is why she is the way she is as a vampire. I know you'll probably get into this more later, and I'll be anxious to see what your explanation is.



Wesley didn't really help much though, did he? I wonder if Willow talking to Angel would help any??



Looking forward to more,

Jen

------------------------Willow: strong like an amazon?
Tara: Strong like an amazon, right.

[Bagheera]

The Subject titles for posting in this thread seem to bounce around without rhyme or reason. I don't know what's going on here.



Jen: Tara human vs. Tara vampire - I'll confess, since I've been on holidays, I've now drafted 7 complete episodes and I can see the finish line. I'm not sure if I will ever be completely definitive about Tara; or to be more specific, I'm thinking that Tara herself will not seek completely definitive answers to the question of why she is the way she is as a vampire. Let's just say that there will be a grey area within which much speculation can take place.



As for Angel, well possibly, I'm taking on board the current spoiler scenario that he's sort of preoccupied. Anyway, just how much insight into his own vampire nature can Angel have? I wonder sometimes, he can be such a dill. Also, I suspect that like Giles, he's pretty hopeless with computers. Wesley was rather useless, I agree, but that has been WWP's way at times, hasn't it? At least he spelt out a few possibilities for Willow to think about, maybe there were one or two that she hadn't thought about?

Willow looks hopeful, then delighted as the words sink in. Tara meets her halfway and they kiss passionately.

"Entropy"

[Jennpurr]

Hey, I totally agree now, about the Angel thing. Sorry... I was just thinking outloud, without really thinking, if that makes sense. He probably wouldn't be able to give her much advice on vampires actions, I agree. I just wondered if it would help at all.



I can handle a gray area, on why Tara is the way she is. That's cool. I guess our speculation is better than details at times, anyways, right?



I just know I'm loving this fic and very much so looking forward to more and the quiet Willow time in the next update. When did you say that everyone would learn that Tara is a vamp? There a little ways to go first, right? I can't remember what you said.



Take care,

Jen



Edited to add: I think I know why the subject line keeps changing. I have a bad habit of just clicking on reply at the end of the page, that's why it doesn't always cordinate. I'm trying to get better at it though.

------------------------Willow: strong like an amazon?
Tara: Strong like an amazon, right.

Edited by: Jennpurr  at: 7/31/02 11:28:33 pm

[Bagheera]

Hi Jen,



It's not just you with the subject lines, it happens to me all the time, too. Whatever.



I thought a bit more about Angel, and the more things I remember about him, especially on AtS, I think that like a lot of reformed addicts, he would tend to subscribe to the "all vamps are evil always and forever" theory. Remember how cruelly he rammed the point home to that poor actress who wanted to be a vamp to stay youthful?



Re: Tara's identity exposed. I hope I've never actually specified this. I have made hints about the big picture of this story arc becoming clear and so forth, but I don't think I've previewed specific events such as Tara's unmasking. I hope not, anyway.



Bagheera

Willow looks hopeful, then delighted as the words sink in. Tara meets her halfway and they kiss passionately.

"Entropy"