Okay, well, once again, this part is pretty long. I had originally only intended Part 5 to have two divisions, A and B, but it now is going to go all the way to Part 5d. It's just taking me a lot more pages to do what I wanted to do in Part 5, plus I keep adding things... I know, I know...
Anyway, I'm going to try and have Part 5d up tomorrow sometime, but no guarantees. That, then, will be the end of most of the backstory, and the beginning of the end of everything else. Hehehe.
***Thanatopsis - I cannot possibly imagine anyone reading tommo's stuff and not liking it! "Oh, the horror!" is right!!!
***tommo - But I'm not a minor, so do I get to read the book? Do I, huh, huh?? As for a beta... yeah, I should probably get one of those. Might help catch all my typos!
-blameburner
Title: The Guardian – Part 5c
Author: blameburner
Feedback: Sure… Always a plus
Summary: This is just a nice little story about two witches, facing the apocalypse – again, and love.
Spoiler Warning: Up to and including "Normal Again" in Season 6 – but really nothing major.
Disclaimer: Not my characters, but oh how I wish they were! All hail Joss, all hail ME.
Rating: NC-17 (I've given up any pretense that it's anything less)
Pairings: W/T… duh. Everyone’s will be here at some point.
Notes: I know nothing about magic, except what I learned on BtVS, so I apologize if I offend anyone - no offense meant.
Angst: And so it begins... about a 4 (it's sort of an angst foreshadowing).
Part 5c
"No!" Tara yelled in her sleep, as she rolled off Willow and on to her side. Willow was startled momentarily, as she had been lost in thought.
"Shhh, baby," Willow cooed, sliding up to the blonde's back to spoon her from behind. Tara's head was moving back and forth on the pillow, but she stilled some as Willow wrapped her arm over Tara's belly, pulling their bodies tights against each other. Willow continued to whisper nothing of substance in Tara's ear.
Finally, Tara settled down, and Willow breathed a sigh of relief. Willow wanted so badly for her lover to stay asleep, so that Tara would gain in slumber all the energy she would need in just a few hours. Of course, Willow also needed the time alone in her head, to make sure they had not missed anything. Willow's thought began again to drift over what they had learned, as she lay her head back down on the pillow.
"Willow?" Tara asked softly, turning on her back.
"Hey," Willow said, easing up to peer down at her lover. "I thought you were sleeping? You were supposed to be sleeping," Willow admonished with a smile.
"I know, but... too many dreams," Tara said simply.
"I know, baby," Willow told her as she leaned down to kiss Tara's temple.
"Willow? There's just... so many things that could go wrong... I don't know-"
"Hey, I thought we agreed? Tonight, no talking about tomorrow?" Willow said quietly, brushing Tara's cheek with the back of her knuckles.
Tara reached up and took Willow's hand, turning it over so she could lay a sweet kiss against Willow's palm. Tara turned her head away from Willow to look at the alarm clock. It flashed 2:53am.
"We did agree. Sort of. But, um, honey? It's not tonight anymore. It is tomorrow," Tara said with what would have been a mischievous smile, if the smile had reached her eyes. It was clear Tara was trying to lighten the mood, but her fears were weighing her down.
"Busted on a technicality," Willow groaned, shaking her head.
Tara grinned. It wasn't very often she outsmarted the red-head, even if only on a technicality.
"Oh, I see. You think you've outsmarted me, huh? Think you're all slick with the finding of the holes in my cleverly plotted plans, huh?" Willow teased.
"Um, well, yes," Tara beamed proudly, reaching down to pinch Willow's ass.
"Oh! You little vixen!" Willow bellowed as she pounced on Tara, tickling her mercilessly for several minutes.
"Stop! Will-ow!" Tara laughed, begging for mercy, but Willow refused to relent. Tara squirmed and squealed as Willow continued her assault, attacking Tara's sides just above her hip. Willow was trying to balance with both her knees to one side of Tara, but with all Tara's squirming she was having trouble.
Tara saw her opening and took it. As Willow lifted her knee to try and slide it across Tara, Tara thrust up her hips, knocking Willow over onto her back. Tara's body followed Willow's, pinning the red-head underneath her with her full body weight. Tara grasped Willow's hands and pushed them into the bed next to Willow's head.
Willow was breathing hard and giggling, until she looked into Tara's eyes. The blue orbs were full of mirth, but there was something more, something... desperate... in the way Tara was staring down at her.
"What's wrong?" Willow asked, her voice filled with concern.
Tears sprung up into Tara's eyes. She squeezed them shut and shook her head, refusing to let the tears fall. Willow tensed, not understanding what was happening. Willow waited for Tara to gain control over her emotions. Finally, Tara opened her eyes, gazing down at her love with an intensity that was rare, even for them.
"Willow, I... I n-need to s-say something... to tell you..." Tara trailed off, trying to find the words, silently cursing the stutter that was making this even harder. Willow waited, knowing Tara would find the words, in her own time. Tara closed her eyes again briefly, then opened them, and spoke.
"It hasn't always been p-perfect, between us. There have been m-mistakes, on both sides. Some of them have been very h-hurtful." Tara stopped as she saw regret flash across Willow's face, the pain Willow still felt over what she had done still there, just under the surface. "No, baby," Tara said, reaching up to stroke Willow's cheek. "That's not what I mean. I forgave you a long time ago. That's not what this is about."
Willow saw her lover was speaking the truth, and relaxed a bit. She still felt terrible about taking away Tara's memories, the wound still raw. In truth, Willow had to admit to herself, it was she who would not let it heal. Tara had forgiven her, had come back to her, had learned to trust her again. But Willow? Willow had only partially accepted what Tara had given, afraid to completely take what was offered, for fear that she might again become complacent or take Tara's love for granted.
Never again, Willow vowed.
Never again will I let myself become blind to what we have, because if I do that, I could hurt her again. I refuse to hurt her ever again."I... I want to tell you that... I've seen the change in you... these last months, and especially these last few weeks. I've seen it in so many things. The way you look at me. Everything you do is so full of love... for me. And it means... so much..." Tara trailed off again, still unable to find the right words.
Why can't I just say what I feel? Why can't I get it out? There's so much she needs to know... how proud I am of her, how much I admire her, how much I adore her. That I'd do anything for her. I need to tell her, before..."Tara, honey?" Willow asked softly, breaking Tara's train of thought. Willow could see that Tara was frustrated, and Willow figured it was because Tara was having trouble expressing something she desperately wanted to say. "It's okay, baby. I think I understand."
"No, Willow, I have to-"
"Shhh. It'll be okay," Willow interrupted sweetly, leaning up to capture Tara's mouth in a loving kiss.
Tara started to protest, to pull away before things got out of hand.
I need to tell her before it's too late, Tara thought. But, as it often did when their bodies were close, things were already getting out of hand. There was some force between them, some energy that always drew them together. It was as if the power of their love demanded physical expression, and they had no power to resist. They couldn't fight it, nor did they want to.
Willow rolled Tara over onto her back, her hands sliding down Tara's sides. There was no clothing to get in the way, just skin against skin, as they were still naked from their earlier love making. Willow slipped her thigh in between Tara's, and the blond moaned, her hands reaching up involuntarily to pull Willow's mouth tighter against her own.
Tongues met, limbs intertwined, fingers caressed. Their slick skin slid and slipped against each other, each seeking the release only the other could provide. Their souls created a matching rhythm their bodies had no choice but to follow. And as Tara reached the brink, Willow murmured "I love you," sending Tara plummeting right over the edge.
********************
Tara lay on top of Willow, her head resting comfortably on the red-head's chest. She was finally sleeping soundly, and had barely stirred in more than an hour.
I guess I finally wore her out, Willow giggled to herself.
Willow stroked Tara's arm as her mind turned elsewhere, back to what she had been thinking about all night. Whenever she wasn't too busy making love to Tara, that is. The Guardian.
They had spent more than a week trying to figure out what was going on, after they had found out about the Vulture Demons. Buffy had turned over every demon hang-out in Sunnydale looking for information, but to no avail. Every demon she pounded said the same thing - yeah, the Vulture Demons were there, but no, they hadn't seen a single one.
All the demons in Sunnydale were talking about it. They had this sense of the Vulture Demons, feeling their presence. That, plus the fact that all the dead bodies the local demons normally left behind were nowhere to be found. Every demon Buffy questioned, who actually admitted having killed someone to the Slayer, said that after the kill, the body would just disappear.
At first, the Scoobies were optimistic about it, trying to convince themselves that maybe there hadn't actually been any killing - that the demons were either lying about having made the kill in the first place, or lying about the bodies disappearing. But one night, Buffy had learned first-hand that what the local demons had been telling her had been true.
Out on patrol, Buffy had stumbled across two vamps who were just finishing a meal. Buffy had seen enough vamp attacks to know the girl was dead as the two vampires had dropped her lifeless body to the ground. Buffy took out all the frustration she had been feeling lately on the bloodsuckers, killing them fiercely and swiftly. It had taken her less than twenty seconds - fast by even her standards.
After dusting the vamps, she turned back to where they had dropped the girl. The body was gone. Buffy knew that the girl could not possibly have risen that fast, and she was certain the girl had been dead. And there was something else, something... dark. She felt it, her Slayer sense picking it up subconsciously.
Over the years she had learned to distinguish between the different signals her Slayer sense picked up on. Every evil thing that crossed her path had its own unique affect on her. Vamps brought a sort of coppery taste to her mouth - the Master had been the same, only stronger, like she had swallowed a whole roll of pennies... with Adam, she heard a harsh buzzing sound... with Glory, she saw everything with a fuzzy purple glow... the three evil nerds, besides making her laugh, made her smell watermelon bubble-gum, which she hated...
But this was different from anything she had ever picked up on. Every other demon or evil she had ever sensed was somehow familiar, she supposed because her brain translated it to one of her other senses, like taste, sight, hearing, and smell. But this... it wasn't familiar at all. It was overwhelming, and very, very dark. Buffy felt like her head was being squeezed, and every one of her senses was overloaded with... death. It was death she felt and saw and tasted and touched and smelled, and at that moment she knew.
This is what a Vulture Demon feels like, she had thought.
**********************
So after more than a week, they had learned nothing of any real use. They had poured through book after book, but without knowing what they were looking for...
"Well this is just stupid!" Xander shouted, slamming the book he was looking at closed with a loud thud. "I mean, come on! How are we supposed to find information on this Big Bad Evil when we don't even know what we're looking for!"
Anya walked up behind Xander and started rubbing his shoulders. "Oh, is my baby frustrated?"
Xander groaned in affirmation and fell forward onto the now-closed book, burying his face in his arms.
"Aw... you want me to make it all better?" Anya suggested sweetly. Xander mumbled "uh-huh" from his crossed arms.
"Great! Let's go home and have sex!" Anya whooped, pulling Xander's hand out from under his head and yanking him up to his feet.
"An, stop!" Xander said, halting the ex-demon in her tracks.
"What, you said you were frustrated? The best way to un-frustrate you is to-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Giles admonished, cutting Anya off.
"Fine! I try to be nice and help my fiancé get un-frustrated, and what do I get? I'll tell you what I get! I get spanked by the stuffy Englishman, and not in a good way!" Anya stormed off behind the cash register. At least the money wouldn't yell at her.
Giles rolled hi eyes, and Xander decided the best course of action was to just let Anya count her money. Besides, Xander figured he could make it up to her later.
"Argh!" Willow groaned. They had been at it all day, every day, for more than a week, and as much as Willow liked researching, their situation had become totally ridiculous. "I cannot take this anymore! That's it! I'm done! If I have to look through one more book to find something I don't even know I'm looking for... I mean, I could be looking right at it and not even know it... it could be anything!"
Tara looked at her lover across the room from her seat on the stairs. She knew Willow was just blowing off steam, and that in a few minutes the red-head would calm down and go back to the very books she had just been complaining about. It was Willow's way, and Tara thought it was adorable. The way Willow's brow was creased in half-hearted anger was even more adorable.
Just then, Buffy walked in with Spike close on her heels.
"Anything?" Giles asked hopefully.
Buffy just walked over to the table and slumped down into an empty chair, her silence answer enough in itself. Then she grumbled, "We need to catch a break."
"Oh," Giles said, the disappointment obvious in his features.
"The only thing we've been able to find out is that there's a whole bloody lot of pumped up demons out there right now," Spike said, collapsing onto the couch next to Dawn. "Hey there, niblet."
"Hey Spike." Dawn smiled at the vampire. She didn't care what everyone else thought. She liked Spike, plain and simple.
"Um, Spike," Giles said, "What do you mean 'pumped up demons?'"
"Well, it's like they're all hopped up on some drug, like..." Spike trailed off. He was about to say "like when Red's all high on magic," but then he had caught sight of Tara out of the corner of his eye. He remembered the promise he had made to himself not to tease Willow about the magic while Tara was in the room, and he wasn't about to go back on his word - even if the only person he had given his word to was himself.
A bloke's gotta have a word that's worth something, even an evil old bloke like me."Well, it's like they're high or something," Spike said finally. He looked up sheepishly at Tara, who was smiling at him. She mouthed "thank you," and Spike found himself smiling back, despite himself.
How'd she know? Spike wondered to himself.
"What do you mean, 'high?'" Giles asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Spike rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, man! Even you aren't stodgy enough not to know what 'high' means!"
"Well, yes, of course I know what it means, Spike," Giles responded, completely annoyed. "What I want to know is, why are you saying they're high?"
"Oh," Spike said lamely. "Well, they're all aggressive and... edgy."
"Edgy? Great. Demons on the edge. That's all we need," Xander grumbled.
"Spike's right," Buffy said. "Did I just say that outloud?"
Buffy looked to her best friend, who simply nodded in return. "Willow, pleeeaaase don't ever let me say that again, okay?" Buffy pleaded. Willow giggled. Giles cleared his throat, as if to say "can we get on with this story already," and Buffy took the hint.
"They have been... edgy. Jumpy. Twitchy even. I don't mean they're easily spooked - in fact, it's like the opposite is true. Usually I have to go looking for them, but lately it's like they're coming looking for me. But not me specifically. Like they're itching for a fight or something. I've heard about a lot more attacks on humans, but since all the bodies keep disappearing, which, can I just once again say 'ew' to the thought of what the VD's are doing with the bodies? Okay, but anyway, so they're all raging-with-the-demon-hormones, trying to pick a fight. And they just keep coming, even when I've got them pinned, they don't give up. They're getting way harder to kill," Buffy finally finished.
"So why isn't this affecting you?" Xander asked Spike. "Or were you already too twitchy to be affected?" Xander asked sarcastically.
Spike glared at the human.
If it weren't for this stupid chip in my head, I'd tear his sodding head off! Spike started to give Xander a piece of his mind, but suddenly stopped. He had a thought.
"Spike?" Buffy asked, curious why no foul words about Xander were spewing form Spike's mouth.
"Hang on a second." Spike paused as his thought grew. He stood and began pacing. Everyone just stared dumbly at him as he continued to pace.
"Um, is anyone else wondering what Spike is thinking?" Willow whispered to the group, then added, "And does it give you the willies?"
Seven hands shot up in the air, like they were voting 'yes' to Willow's comment. Finally Spike turned back to the group, and the hands quickly dropped. Spike looked at them quizzically, then decided to ignore the whole hands thing.
"Okay, here's the thing. There's a lot of evil in the air. I mean, a whole hell of a lot. I've felt it for a while now." Spike turned to the Slayer and asked, "Haven't you felt it?"
"Well... yeah, now that you mention it. But I just thought it was the VD's. They've got this big death vibe going," Buffy responded.
"No, it's more than that. I know evil and this," Spike paused for effect, "is evil. Pure evil. And demons feed on evil. It's their drug of choice, so to speak. See, it's like demons are junkies. And now the drug their hooked on is just floating around in the air. They're absorbing it without even trying. Ever seen a human hopped up on PCP?"
"Hey, I saw this thing on the news once where this guy was all high on PCP, and he was coming at these cops with a gun, shooting and just walking towards them. The cops had to shoot the guy like fifteen times to get him to stop. He just kept coming at them, like he was nuts," Dawn explained.
"Right," Spike said smiling at the girl. "So now we've got all these demons, getting their fix, and running around Sunnydale trying to kill anything in sight."
The room was quiet, as everyone tried to understand what it all meant. Finally Willow broke the silence.
"They're trying to get it out of their system, though they don't know that's what they're doing," she said quietly, then fell silent. Everyone waited for Willow to go on, knowing that her knowledge on the subject was very painful.
"Go on, sweetie," Tara said softly, placing her hand over Willow's on the table. Willow smiled weakly at Tara, and took a deep breath.
"When I was high on magic after being with Rack, I had all this power flowing through me. I was totally high, out of my mind. I mean, I could understand what was going on, but the magic... it was pulling at me, like the sirens calling Odysseus towards the rocks. It wanted me to cast, to release it into the open. To free it. And when I did... it was like it fed upon itself, thickening the air and then coming back to me twice as strong. It was... it was an incredible feeling, in a sick, twisted way," Willow finished dejectedly.
Willow closed her eyes and hung her head. She and Tara had talked about Rack, about what it had felt like to have that much magic in her. But Willow hadn't told Tara everything. She had been afraid that Tara would think less of her if she had told the blond that deep down, she had really loved how it had felt.
Willow felt a hand slide against her cheek, lifting her face. Then she felt soft lips brush against hers in a short, but terribly sweet kiss. Her eyes flew open to find Tara's face right in front of her, smiling softly.
"It's okay, baby," was all Tara said, but it was enough. Willow leaned her forehead against Tara's, relief washing through her body. Tara didn't hate her. Tara didn't think less of her. Tara loved her. It was all Willow needed.
"So, back to my earlier question, Spike. Why isn't this affecting you?" Xander asked.
"It is affecting me," Spike said honestly. "It's just that I can't really do anything about it. I can't kill humans without giving myself a bloody big headache, so I'm not really getting it out of my system, except for when I get to kick some demon ass. So I guess if what Red says is true about the whole 'freeing the drug' thing, then I'm not really freeing much, so it's not coming back to me as strong."
"That would make sense," Giles mused. "It appears to be building up towards some sort of explosion. The question is, what will happen when it explodes?"
"Boom!" Anya yelled.
***********************
Willow, Tara, Dawn and Spike walked home from the Magic Box. Buffy had gone out to patrol, and Xander, Anya, and Giles were still back at the shop, researching. Willow and Tara were taking Dawn home so she could get some sleep.
With a whole bunch of "hopped up" demons, as Spike had put it, running around Sunnydale, they had all agreed not to take any more chances than absolutely necessary. Xander had insisted on driving Dawn home, but when Tara and Willow had said they had needed to pick up some books and change clothes, Xander had settled for them taking Spike along instead.
"So are you going to ask Tommy?" Tara asked Dawn.
"I don't know. Ruth said she wanted to ask him to the dance, and she's way prettier than I-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence, young lady!" Willow gave her best motherly growl, stopping Dawn in her tracks. "You are pretty, smart, funny, and I don't want to hear anything to the contrary."
Dawn was a little surprised by Willow's outburst. She looked at Tara questioningly.
"Hey, don't look to me for help. This is between you and Willow," Tara said, holding her hands up in front of her and backing up a step.
"But-" Dawn started to say.
"No buts. No ifs. No ors. And definitely no eithers. You are wonderful, Dawn Summers. You just remember that," Willow said sincerely. "I just don't want you to put yourself down. Ever. Nothing good comes from it."
Tara took a step towards Willow and took her hand. Willow smiled at the contact, not needing to look at Tara to know why it was offered. Tara understood. Simple as that.
"I'm with Red on this one," Spike said to Dawn. She looked up at the blond vampire, and a slight smile crossed his face. "You're one of the only things I like about this town."
Dawn knew that in his own, evil-vampire way, he was paying her a compliment. A very high compliment. Dawn charged Spike and drew him into a bear hug.
"Easy there, niblet. I may be dead, but you can still break my ribs!" Spike complained, even as he hugged her back. Then he pulled back and glared at her. "And who is this Tommy bugger, anyway? Do I have to have a little chat with him?" Spike put on his game face. "Cuz I will, you know."
Dawn giggled. Spike was like an older brother. An evil, dead, slightly sadistic older brother who lived in a crypt, but still...
Nobody's perfect, Dawn thought.
Dawn started to say something but was cut off when she saw Spike tense.
"Shh!" Spike said quietly, his eyes scanning the horizon. The vampire sniffed the air for any signs of danger.
Out of nowhere, a very large, very ugly demon came charging at them. Spike shoved Dawn out of the way just as the demon pounced on him, knocking him to the ground.
"Dawn!" Willow screamed, grabbing the girl and pulling Dawn behind her. Tara and Willow could only watch as Spike wrestled with the snarling beast. Dawn made a move toward Spike, intent on helping him, though she didn't know how. But Tara and Willow both held her fast, not letting her near the two demons.
"Tremorg Demon," Willow and Tara both said in unison. The two witches shared a look, and would have smiled if the situation hadn't been so bad.
"But we have to help him!" Dawn cried, looking around for something big and heavy to hit the demon with. Tara and Willow tightened their hold on the girl, and backed up a few steps, pulling Dawn along with them.
"We can't, Dawnie," Tara said, fear and concern evident in her voice.
"It's skin is toxic. If you touch it, even for a second, your heart will stop beating," Willow explained.
"But Spike-"
"Doesn't have a heartbeat, remember?" Tara said reassuringly.
Spike and the Tremorg rolled around on the ground, with Spike doing everything he could to evade the snapping jaws of the demon. Tremorg's had a mouth full of huge, razor sharp teeth, and Spike really wasn't in the mood to have his throat torn out. Spike noticed something else about the demon as he kicked his legs, throwing the demon off of him and to the right.
"Blech! Do you ever brush your teeth? You have got some serious breath issues, you little bugger! When I get done kicking your ass, I'm going to buy you a toothbrush and we're going to have a talk about dental hygiene!" Spike yelled as he rolled to his feet.
The Tremorg screeched at him, and then charged. Spike side-stepped at the last minute and kicked the demon in the stomach, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Spike!" Willow yelled, throwing him a stake.
"Thanks, Red," Spike called back, catching the stake in mid-air and jumping on the prone demon in the same breath. Spike plunged the stake deep into the demon's chest, which only seemed to piss it off.
"Aw, bloody hell!" Spike yelled as he was tossed to the side. Spike rolled and landed on his back. The demon rose to his feet and started towards Spike, but stumbled when it was hit in the head with a rock. The demon turned to look and see where the projectiles were coming from, and was hit with another rock, right between its large, black eyes.
Willow, Tara, and Dawn were all throwing rocks now, hitting the demon again and again. They weren't doing any real damage, but it was their only chance.
The demon screeched again, and started towards the three girls. They stumbled back, knowing there was nowhere for them to run. Just before the demon reached them, Spike jumped on its back, putting it into a headlock.
"Stupid bloody bastard messing up our nice little stroll home getting all nasty with the big teeth and the toxic skin decided to have a little go at the three lovely ladies did ya well bet you didn't expect a bloody vampire to be protecting them did ya you no good dirty oozing excuse for evil!" Spike yelled his train of thought as he strangled the life out of the Tremorg. Spike was so intent on his little tirade he didn't even notice that the demon was on the ground, apparently dead.
"Spike? Spike!" Dawn shouted, trying to get the vampire's attention.
"What!" Spike snarled, turning his attention towards Dawn with his full game face still intact.
Dawn jumped back a step and put her hands up defensively. "Um, I think it's dead is all."
Spike looked down and realized he had killed the Tremorg. He looked back up at Dawn and his face morphed back into his human form. He looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, love. I guess I got carried away."
"S'okay," Dawn said shakily. "You saved us."
Spike stood, wiping his hands on his jeans. He walked over to pick the stake up off the ground, and started to hand it back to Willow, but then changed his mind, bent down and drove it deep into the demon's eye socket.
"Better safe than sorry," he said with a shrug.
"Uh, yeah, right," Willow said queasily. "Thanks Spike."
"Yes, thank you, Spike," Tara echoed.
"Yeah well... I've got to take my aggression out on somebody, what with this sodding chip in my head and all," Spike said, slightly embarrassed by the thanks. "Hey, wait a second... what was with all the rock throwing?" Spike said, turning an angry glare towards the three girls. "You could have gotten yourselves killed!"
Spike stiffened, as he had earlier, but the girls were too busy defending themselves to notice. As they started explaining what had happened, all at the same time, Spike slowly started stepping towards the bushes, his gaze never leaving the girls. Suddenly he reached into the bushes with both hands, and pulled out two men in black robes, yanking them out under the street light.
"Well, well, what have we got here? Couple of priests? Cult members? Health spa escapees?" Spike snarled, his face once again morphing into its vampire form.
Willow, Tara, and Dawn took a step back as Spike threw the two men to the ground in front of them. A shot of pain flashed through his head, but he didn't let it show. He was too concerned with what the two Heaven's Gate rejects had been doing in the bushes.
"You cannot harm us. We know about you," one of the men snarled back.
"You're impotent!" the other shouted.
"Why you little-" Spike started towards them but Willow stepped in front of him, stopping Spike with a hand in front of his chest. Then she turned to the two men, who had risen to their knees.
"He may not be able to stop you, but I certainly can," Willow said dangerously, her eyes narrowing to slits. She could feel the dark magic rising up inside her, and it was all she could do to keep it in check.
"That goes for me too," Tara said, stepping up next to Willow. She had the same dangerous look in her eyes that Willow had, although inwardly, she was smiling. She had watched Willow's eyes as the red-head had threatened the two men, and had watched for the change from green to black that had never come. Tara knew Willow would not consciously allow herself to give into the magic, but she also knew that Willow had a tendency to succumb to it instinctively when they were in danger. At that moment, Tara was more proud of Willow than she had ever been, and she was going to be sure and tell Willow that later.
Dawn walked over to stand beside Spike, reaching out for his hand. He pulled away just before Dawn could take it. She looked up at him, confusion and a bit of hurt in her eyes, and he leaned down and whispered, "The Tremorg. Icky toxic ooze, remember? I might still have some of it on me." Dawn nodded in understanding, and Spike gave her a quick smile, before turning his attention back to the two men.
"What can you do? You're just a couple of ordinary witches," one of the men mocked.
"Well, if you know so much about Spike here," Willow nodded over her shoulder to indicate the vampire, "then I'm guessing you know something about us as well. And you know, then, that we're not just a couple of ordinary witches. I've taken on a Hell God, and I'm still here to tell the tale. So, you see, turning you two into a couple of Happy Meals for 'ole Spike here wouldn't be too much trouble at all," Willow growled.
Spike snarled at the two men and licked his lips, for added effect. He was delighted when both men gulped visibly, though his expression never changed.
"So, you've got two choices. One, you can be smart and tell us what in the hell you were doing in the bushes, or two, I can turn you into a couple of Spike-steaks. Personally, I'm hoping you choose option number two," Willow said menacingly.
Both men were obviously petrified. Then one of the men straightened up and raised his chin, and said, "Your time will come soon enough. The Guardian will make sure of that." The other man, hearing the name of his apparent master, straightened up as well and added, "The Guardian takes care of his children."
Spike rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's just great! Another nancy-boy cult following some Big Bad. Just what this town needs. And why is it you people always where robes? Just once I'd like to see an evil cult wearing Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops!"
The first man spoke again. "The Guardian takes care of his children."
"Who is The Guardian?" Willow asked.
The second man spoke again. "The Guardian ta-"
"Takes care of his children, yeah, yeah. We heard you the first time. You people really need to hire better writers if you're going to take over the world," Spike said sarcastically.
Both men's eyes widened for just a moment, then went back to normal.
"Oh, I see," Spike said, not having missed the change in the men's eyes. "So your boss is planning on taking over the world, huh? And I bet you two know all about it, don't you?"
Both men remained silent, apparently deciding not to say anymore, not even their little "taking care of his children" mantra.
"Okay, I don't think we're going to get any more out of them here. Let's take them back to the shop," Willow said.
"Gladly," Spike responded, walking swiftly up to the two men and hauling them up to their feet. He started to turn them around when Tara saw something flash in one of the man's hands.
"Spike!" Tara yelled, but the warning came a second too late. The man slashed Spike's arm with a dagger, and took off running down the street. The other man, seeing his only opportunity for escape, kicked Spike in the groin and started to turn to run. But Willow was faster, and kicked the man the same way he had just kicked Spike, sending him to his knees in agony.
"Bloody hell," Spike sputtered as he tried to straighten up. He started to go after the man, but Willow stopped him.
"Let him go. We've still got this one, and we'll need your help to get him back to the Magic Box," Willow said.
"But he knows where we're going," Spike said, pointing down the street where the first man had taken off.
"No, a-actually he doesn't. Not really," Tara stated. "Before, Willow said to take them to the shop. That could be any shop. And I don't think they really knew anything about me, Willow, or Dawn before tonight. I mean, they knew who you were, but they were obviously surprised and very scared when Willow told them about facing off against G-Glory. So they probably don't know about the Magic Box," Tara explained.
She looked over to Willow for affirmation of her theory, and saw the red-head beaming proudly at her.
My baby's so smart, Willow thought. Tara looked away and blushed.
Spike thought it over for a moment, then said, "Okay, let's take this one back." Then he lowered his voice and whispered to Willow, "But if her runs, I can't really stop him. you know, sodding chip, and all that?"
Willow hadn't thought of that. Then Tara said, "Let me handle it." She walked up to the man who was still kneeling on the ground, cupping his crotch and wincing. Tara put a hand to his forehead and said, "Sleep." With that, the man fell over unconscious.
Spike looked at her, duly impressed, but wishing she'd thought of it earlier. Tara shrugged. "I forgot I could do that," she said simply.
"Works for me," Spike said, lifting the man up and throwing him over his shoulder. Then the four of them set off for the Magic Box.
"You are safe, she says. Inherent in you is a truth no artificial world can fade." - The Journey
by The Rose24 » Wed Apr 17, 2002 9:23 pm 
I think I'm in love... 
WOLFLORD 
Now I need to get another pack. Oh yeah....your muse is on her way back to for awhile to inspire you.....but could you tell her, she left her undies and handcuffs over here. 
So smutty in parts...but with excellent plot. Are you trying to take away some attention from Tommo's fic? hee hee Can't wait for more. 
at: 4/22/02 10:24:12 pm