Previous disclaimers apply



Chapter 10





Guilt washed over Tara in waves as she walked away from the Summers’ house. She moved in silence, amazed that her feet hadn’t decided to betray her for the second time in 24 hours. Walking away from Willow and the life they shared seemed so incredibly wrong. It was, in fact, the most unnatural, excruciating thing that Tara had ever done. Looking back at the house, the sad irony struck her. I always want to run to you, Darling, not walk away from you. But…I’m sorry…right now this is the only way.



She didn’t dare call a taxi from the house to take her to the bus station. That would be far too risky with Buffy at home, since her Slayer hearing would probably detect the sounds of the car’s engine, and Tara’s chance would be lost. If Buffy found out she’d never let Tara go, and she’d certainly never support this rather mad plan. Buffy would fear being in the path of Willow’s rage if the Slayer knowingly allowed Tara to leave. And like a dangerous game of “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” Willow’s rage would easily beat Buffy’s Slayer strength.



She reached the station just a few minutes prior to departure, bought her ticket, and stepped on board bus 362. She settled into a seat in the last row and felt another streak of panic creep along her spine. “I’m going to do it. There’s no other way,” she said aloud to boost her courage. Not that it helped much, she thought, as the bus pulled away from the station. Knowing that the trip from Sunnydale to her hometown of Redwood City would take hours, she finally let her body relax. Just a few hours. So much depends on this. My whole life…our life…ours…just a few… hours…Willow… These were her last focused but fragmented thoughts before she drifted to sleep, overwhelmed by apprehension, exhaustion, and excitement.





Buffy stormed out of the Wiccans’ bedroom. “MOVE!“ she yelled repeatedly to the two other girls. “Get dressed. Now! I’ll call Xander and Anya...and Giles. We’re gonna need the whole gang in on this!”



They were all ready in less than 5 minutes. Willow had entered complete panic mode, running around the house at a crazed pace, but accomplishing nothing. For the redhead’s own good, Buffy forced her best friend down onto the couch in the living room.



“Address,“ Buffy directed toward Willow.



“Huh? Wh-what?” Willow stammered.



“Her address, Will. Where do the Maclays live?” Buffy repeated, her voice rising with irritation at the delay.



“I...I-I’m…not sure,” Willow whispered, realizing that she had only a vague idea.



“How is it possible that you don’t know this!?” Buffy yelled.



“Well, we…I…it’s…she –“



“My god! You have sex with the woman 10 times a day and you don’t even know where she’s from? Jeez, do you ever actually talk to each other?” Buffy waved her hands in disgust and let out a frustrated, “Argggg!”



“How dare you?!” Willow shouted back at her. She choked back tears produced by grief but fuelled by anger. “How the hell can you say something like that? How can you be so...” Willow abandoned the sentence and buried her face in her hands. Tears fell heavily into her shaking palms.



“Perfect Buffy, as usual your compassion knows no bounds!” Dawn shouted, pushing her sister away from Willow. “God, you have the tact of a derailed locomotive! Why don’t you yell at her a little more while she’s shattered into pieces?! Or better yet…just go get Mr. Pointy, stake her through her broken heart and get it over with already!” Dawn grabbed her sister’s wrist roughly, locked eyes with the blonde, and let the sarcasm leave her voice. “Buffy, you need to get a grip and lay off!” the brunette warned, through a determined stare.



The Slayer shook herself from her frazzled state, gave a sobering half-nod to Dawn, and turned toward her best friend. “Oh, god…Will…I’m so sorry. I-I don’t know what I was…I just thought that...that...you’d know where...and I panicked.” Buffy was devastated. She hadn’t meant to insult her best friend, downplay the love the two witches shared, or hurt either of them, especially when they needed her support so badly. She sat down beside Willow, put her arms around her, and tried again to apologize. “Willow, I’m sorry. As usual my mouth was faster than my brain…I’m sorry. Will, please…”



“I-I-It’s ok,” Willow stammered between sobs. Her thoughts jumbled together as she tried to make a coherent sentence. “I know you didn’t mean to say those…I mean, you know she and I talk for hours on end…about everything and nothing…but she won’t…it-it’s just that Tara doesn’t like to speak about her fam—”



“Internet!” Dawn suddenly yelled, causing both seated girls to jump an inch or two straight up. “The Internet, Willow! Check the Internet. Has there ever been anything you couldn’t find on the Web? Come on, a simple address should be a snap!”



“Dawnie, you’re wonderful!” Willow shouted and jumped off the couch, wiping her tears away and giving the girl a kiss on the cheek before running upstairs. “Thank you for the reality check! I’ll grab my laptop and be back down in a second.”



“It sometimes pays off to have a little sister,” Buffy interjected. She hugged Dawn fiercely, and the younger Summers girl thought her ribs would splinter into bits. “We have to get Tara back here. Willow’s falling apart…and when was the last time she forgot about using her computer?”



“Probably the last time she held Tara in her arms,” replied Dawn, tears welling up in her already swollen eyes.



As promised, Willow was back downstairs in a flash and quickly had her laptop connected to high speed Internet, searching through nationwide telephone directories.



Within minutes she was shouting and cursing. “There are so many Maclays in here! Damn, I don’t know which one it is.” She shouted again and banged her hands on her beloved but presently traitorous computer. Her eyes blurring with tears, she sighed. “We’ll never find the right one in time.”



“School!” Again Dawn’s voice made Buffy and Willow jump.



“I love you but you really gotta stop doing that,” Buffy snapped.



Dawn ignored the comment and continued. “The school should have her address on file. I’m sure they’ll know!”





Seconds later, Dawn was pretty much certain her ribs were crushed. In a speed she’d never shown before, Buffy pounced on her little sister, gave her a hug, then leaped over to the phone to call UC Sunnydale.



Within a minute she’d connected with someone in the registrar’s office and started to explain that there was an emergency, and that people might be hurt or worse if she didn’t get the address. Obviously the woman on the other end of the line had been handed a few tall tales in her time. She was of no help whatsoever.



“Ok, now you’ve got yourself a whole lotta trouble, lady!” Buffy shouted and slammed the phone down. “Won’t work with me? Can’t be bothered to do it the nice, easy way? Fine! I’ll just make a friendly visit to your stupid office and get what I need – the Buffy way!”



“Leave a message for the others telling them to meet us at the UC administrative building!” Buffy called to Dawn and ran upstairs for her car keys.



A minute later they were a blur on the streets of Sunnydale and subsequently reached the school in record time.



“Stay here, it might get ugly,” the Slayer told the other two and stormed off.



“I hope she doesn’t overdo it,” Willow said. “She tends to forget the effects of ‘Slayer Adrenaline’ these days.”



A car pulled up beside them and Xander and Anya jumped out and ran over.



“What in the name of all demons great and small is going on?!” Anya shouted at the top of her voice. “I was mere seconds away from my first morning orgasm when the phone rang! That’s very rude, you know.”



Xander wanted to shout back at her, but he was silenced by the expression on Willow’s face and the tears he saw flowing freely down her pale cheeks.



“Dawnster, what happened?” he asked in a calming tone.



“Tara...she went home. She’s going to confront her father,” Dawn replied, tears threatening to storm her face once again.



“What? How? What?” Xander’s mind reeled. “How could she go there alone? What on earth was she thinking? He’ll beat the hell out of her!” he shouted in pure shock. Xander realized how harsh that sounded and then lowered his voice. “Oh man, we have to stop her.”



“I’ve got it, I’ve got it!” Buffy’s voice roused them from their confusion. “I have the address. Let’s move.”



“Any, uhm, problems getting the info?” Dawn asked, a little worried about the lengths to which her big sis might have gone to obtain it.



“Nope, no problem. With a proper slamming of the door and just the right tone of utter pissed-off-ed-ness in my voice, she became pretty obliging,” the Slayer answered with a perky smirk. “You know – the Buffy way.”



Giles had managed to meet them in front of the building just seconds before they took off.



“No wonder you guys lost your empire…if all of you are so deadly slow,” Buffy snorted at him as he got in the back of the Jeep.



“I beg your pardon?” the Englishman replied, offended. “While we were having tea with the moguls of India you were eating and shooting buffaloes and Indians, respectively.”



“Native Americans.”



“What?”



“’Indians’ isn’t politically correct. It’s ‘Native Americans.’ I thought you learned that during our little Thanksgiving visit from the Chumash tribe” Before her watcher could respond, she rubbed her chin, and with a smug grin added, “Hmm…British substandard memory retention. Yet another reason we have Independence Day.”



“Now wait a moment! I’ll have you know – “



“Aughh! Cut the crap!” Dawn yelled at both of them, “Giles sit, Buffy drive,” she added.



After arguing over the map for several minutes, the gang estimated it would take them at least three hours to reach the Maclay’s house. Unfortunately, the flow of traffic – or rather the lack of said flow – would add more time to their trip.



“Buffy, we’d prefer to arrive there alive and in reasonable health.” The blonde heard this and many similar comments as she pushed the Jeep to its limits. She also heard several words unsuitable for public consumption, even from Willow who usually refrained from such language.



“Do not speak to the driving Slayer!” she shouted back. “I’ll kick you out and you can get there by way of flying monkeys for all I care!”



“Oooh, no way! You don’t want to hitch a ride with those, no Sir! They smell and have horrible tempers. And don’t even ask them about ‘frequent flyer’ miles. Seriously, I’m telling you, they –“



“Anya!” A chorus of voices rang out. They continued the drive in welcomed silence.



***********



Tara had the cab stop several hundred yards away from the Maclay house.



“Are you sure you have the address right, Miss?” the cab driver asked the pretty blonde for the second time. “That’s no place for a nice young lady such as yourself. It’s pretty widely known around these parts that those Maclays are a weird folk…a dangerous bunch.”



The blonde’s head dipped as she took in his words. “I know. I lived there for 17 years.” She opened the door to get out and softly repeated, “I know only too well.” Tara paid the cabbie, making sure to include a generous tip with the fare. The man stared at her, for the first time seeing her deep blue eyes, and it suddenly dawned on him who she was. As he leaned forward to adjust his rear-view mirror, he reiterated his warning. “Be careful, lassie.” With a quick wave and a compassionate smile, he and the yellow cab were gone.



“I’ll try,” she whispered to herself. “I really will.”



The trip had afforded her the time to work out her plan fully. She started going over it in her head as she walked toward her father’s house. Father’s house, she thought. This place long ago ceased to be my house. Or my anything. Tara’s mind suddenly jumped the fence in search of happier thoughts and her true home. My everything. My Willow…





Would talking really do it? Could she get through to them? With each step Tara took toward the house, doubts about her plan doubled. So did her newly acquired feeling of nausea.



Not wanting to be seen by anyone, she decided to walk across the field rather than walk on the road. She passed the old redwood tree she’d sat under so often and so long ago. Its massive trunk was over four feet wide and Tara could remember leaning against it, listening to her mother tell stories of magick and wonder. Then later, by herself, when she needed someplace to get away from the Maclay men, Tara would hide behind its beautiful strength.



She’d need to wait until the evening to be certain her father was home.



The trees, the smells, this house, the memories...it’s all so much. Too much.



“Mama, I miss you. I miss you so much. If I didn’t have Willow...” she said out loud and then silenced herself instantly.

Willow my love, if I hadn’t met you I would probably be...well, how could I have survived the past few years without you? No matter what you did to me, what you’ve given me is worth so much more. Goddess, Willow I love you. I’ll love you forever and nothing will ever change that. If you used dark magick, hell, if you tore the world apart with black magick, I’d still be there by your side…still loving you. Always.

She sat down and tears began to flow down her cheeks. The place brought back so many memories for her. A few were filled with love and pleasure, but most were consumed by horrid imagery, filled with fear, pain and agony.

Oh, man this was good! So heartwrenching and tense AND funny. How do y'all do it?! At least Tara didn't get too much of a head start, and if she's waiting til nightfall, the gang has a chance to catch up, right? Right??? Can't wait for the next installment and the big confrontation!



Amidst all the drama, I loved Dawn having inspirations and barking orders--that was fun. Especially the "cut the crap" remark.



-Cameron

I agree with Cameron with the tension and the funny... woo u had me on the edge of my set... very heart stopping and whoa i wanna know more now... anyways this line so deadly true:

Quote:

---

And like a dangerous game of “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” Willow’s rage would easily beat Buffy’s Slayer strength.

---

.... very true..

And yeah dawn being bossy thats a good ...



-reds



my banana dances for smut

Tara in a wet shirt, Tara in a wet shirt. Tara in. A. Wet. Shirt. “Of course.”-Willow From Remember to Breath By Yellow Crayon



Now that just sucks- me

Holy Wow! You had my emotions all over the place...Laughing at Anya and Dawn, and then crying with Willow and Tara. I'm dizzy from this rollercoaster ride.



Whew! So I'm glad she's waiting, and hopefully the gang will get there and they can team up to defeat the evil Maclay men. Those girls need to be happy soon!



So, please don't leave us waiting long to find out.



Great job!



Wimpy

from Irishlassie:



Hello kittens, thank you so much for reading and posting....

I´m very sorry, but real life is at me at the moment´so I can not reply properly......don´t be mad please



I promise to reply the usual way ASAP



Aishling

Hi there



As I read this chapter I went from being amused to feeling angry to feeling sad to again feeling a smile come to my lips.

It was kind of funny reading about Willow Buffy and Dawn running from side to side to try and hurry and ending up forgetting what they were doing in the first place. It was such a well written full blown panic attack.



I have mixed feelings about the gang's trip to Tara's hometown. On one hand I hope the gang will get to Tara in time to help her face her demons. On the other hand maybe Tara needs to face her family on her own. Stand proud and tall on her own two feet and finally exorcize her nightmares.



Great chapter

---

"I know I was born and I know that I'll die.

The in between is mine.

I am mine!" - Pearl Jam

Posted by TKOLove



Previous disclaimers apply



Chapter 11





Tara had been sitting under the grand redwood tree for several hours when she finally calmed down and decided that it was time.



“Time to face destiny,” she said aloud. She needed to draw from the women she loved. “Mama, please help me. Willow, honey, give me strength.”



She got up and started to walk towards the house. It loomed on a little hill – dark, silent, and not the least bit inviting.



Mama would be so sad. Her flower garden, her window boxes, her herb pots. All of it just…gone.



She walked around the house and approached the front door, her hand reaching for the doorbell. Tara was shaking so hard she couldn’t make contact with the button, and her courage was nearly at its end. Her brain yelled out with blinding volume, RUN, YOU FOOL!. The skin over her spine quivered and her legs were gearing up to sprint all the way back to Sunnydale if necessary.



But Tara was far more resolute than people – other than Willow – tended to give her credit for, and she managed to calm herself once again. She took a deep breath and rang the bell. The door opened and her brother was suddenly standing in front of her.



“H-H-Hi, Donnie,” was all Tara was able to stammer.



“I didn’t think you’d ever dare to come back here,” Donnie said with no emotion. “What the hell do you want?”



“I need to talk to you and Dad. Now.” She’d regained her composure. “It’s important.”



Donnie stepped aside to let her in, but didn’t fully move out of the way. Instead, he left just enough room so that he could “accidentally” run his shoulder into her as she walked by. He then left her standing awkwardly in the hall while he went toward the living room in search of their father.



“Hey Dad?!” she heard him shout. “Guess who’s here! The little witch has come home to…talk.” He snickered.



“Don’t be stupid, boy,” she heard him reply, and the voice made her shiver as if she were still a child. “Stop screwing around and tell me who’s here. If it’s that rat-bastard Vinny, tell him I don’t have the money yet. And don’t let him in!”



“I told you, Pop, it’s Tara.” Donnie’s voice sounded amused, as if he were joyously anticipating unpleasant things to happen. To Tara, of course. She was still standing in the hall as her father came around the corner. His initial presence made her flinch as it always did. Even more so now, as she saw that he’d aged dramatically in the past years. His hair was gray, his skin an unhealthy shade of ash, and his shoulders slightly hunched forward.



This is what happens. Karma in action.



“You wanna talk? What a joke. There’s nothing I want to hear from you,” he said bitterly and without a greeting. “Go back to your vile friends, your disgraceful life…and your nasty little whore! Damned stupid bitch ruined you. Not that you were ever good for much, anyway.”



Tara tried her best to keep calm but the man began treading on sacred ground the instant he referred to Willow.



“She’s not stupid or nasty,” she managed to reply in a pressed but quiet voice. “She is not a bitch. And she. is. not. a. whore.”



And then, for what could have been mere seconds or a brief eternity, her father’s malicious words echoed in her head. Venomous words that clashed wildly with all Tara knew and loved about the woman who was the light of her life. Words that conflicted with everything decent and beautiful that lived inside her lover. Words that crashed headlong into Tara’s cherished images of Willow Rosenberg. Words that denigrated the purity and splendor of their love for each other. The one person in this world whom Tara had grown to hate was now in her face, defaming the one person Tara loved the most.



The Wiccan’s blood felt as if it were beginning to simmer, and she screamed as loudly as her vocal chords would allow.



“You don’t know anything, you tired old man! You’re bogged down in so much hatred, you can’t even recognize love anymore! This is about you and me. Leave everyone else out of it...and I’m warning you now; don’t ever let me hear you speak that way about Willow again!”



“You stupid, stupid little girl …don’t you ever raise your voice to me or give me orders!” her father yelled back. “I can and will call that slut whatever I want to. She’s filth, just like you.”



Ignoring the insults directed at herself, Tara became enraged over her father’s noxious comments about Willow.



“If you say another word about her you’ll barely have time to regret it!” Tara shouted and stepped right up to her father, “I swear it.”



“I was right all along. The way you look you were never gonna get a man, so you had to get yourself some pussy…a cheap red-haired tramp,” John Maclay said, enjoying the power he found in hurting his daughter.



“You ignorant bastard!” Tara screamed at him, and a second later felt a stinging sensation in her right hand, the result of hitting her father in the face. He stumbled back a few steps, his mouth open in astonishment, anger rushing to every pore on his body. He rushed to Tara, hit her hard with a right cross to her left cheekbone, and sent her crashing to the floor with a ghastly thud. Her vision blurred and she felt as if her left eye was on fire.



“Now you’re going to hurt!” he shouted at the top of his voice. “You’ll pay for it all…you rotten little ingrate bitch!”

Almost from habit, he loosened his belt and pulled it from his waist, whipping the air a few times.



“Go for it, Dad! Give her what she deserves!” Donnie was yelling, hopping up and down, and clapping his hands as if he were watching a championship title fight. “You can’t let her get away with hitting you!”



Tara tried to get to her feet, but she couldn’t make it. She was still feeling dizzy from the impact of her father’s fist and her subsequent rendezvous with the hardwood floor.



“Just like old times, remember Tara?” she heard her father say. A wave of dread swept over her; she knew what was about to happen.



He’ll beat me up. No. He’ll kill me this time…and he won’t give a damn.



She willed herself not to scream out in horror, not to plead for her safety, not to beg for anything from this monster of a human being. She finally scrambled to her feet and stumbled toward the door. But as her father raised his hand to her, she couldn’t stop herself.



“NO...NO...please don’t! Dad please don’t!”



CRACK - Her father’s leather belt struck her, sending pain soaring through Tara’s body.



CRACK - Again, this time even worse.



CRACK - CRACK - CRACK



Tara tried frantically to get away. Recollections of all the previous beatings she’d suffered at the calloused hands of this man were vividly flashing in her mind’s eye as she ran through the main hallway. Experience had taught her that the final outcome was always the same, and the journey to that point was never anything less than excruciating. Her aching body brought her back to the present, and she focused fully on reaching the front door.



But she wasn’t fast enough. She could sense her father following, feel hands reaching out for her, trying to grab her, hold her down, hurt her...



“Tara, come back to me” she heard him say. “Tara, come back. TARA…COME BACK!” She then felt his rough hands touching her body.



Willow. My Willow…please forgive me. I’ve failed you, I have failed our love, I...



“No!” she shouted with her eyes closed tightly. “No, not again!” Summoning all her strength, she pushed away the figure that was holding her.



Even through her shut eyelids, she could see an enormous flash of light...and a scream followed, loud and piercing.



I did it...I did it! I can get away from him. No more, Dad. Not -- This -- Time.



The voice stopped screaming but made sounds of absolute pain -- a whimpering testament to sheer suffering.



Good, it serves him right. I have no more compassion for him, no more room in my heart for a love that doesn't exist. If he's only going to live to hurt others, he should suffer just the way Mom and I did.



She shook her head in an attempt to focus her thoughts.



Am I dreaming again? Did this just happen?



Tara didn’t dare open her eyes for a few seconds. She was petrified at the thought that it might not have been her father she was fighting – it might have been Willow again. When she finally did open her eyes, she burst out in laughter. Not joyous laughter; this laughter was a relief…a release. A release from the horrors she suffered long ago; from the scars that remained.



John Maclay had been thrown all the way down the main hallway, and he violently connected with the opposite wall before slumping onto the floor. He screamed out in pain, which made Tara laugh even more.



“I told you you’d regret it,” she said, walking up to him. For the first time in her life, she saw utter fear in her father’s eyes. "Never touch me again. Never mention Willow again. You can’t hurt me anymore. It’s done. I’m leaving now. Don’t come looking for me…never come near me, Willow, or my friends again. That goes for you, too, Donnie.”



She turned around and walked away from the two men. As she reached the door, she heard her father yell out.



“I’ll kill you for this, you fucking bitch! I’ll find you and rip you apart!”



“Don’t you get it? You can’t hurt me anymore, old man.” She smiled to herself and opened the door just as her father’s voice rang out again.



“Don’t you get it?! I will kill you…



…but first I’ll sit back and watch while Donnie fucks some sense into your whore!”









It's a dark time and I know some of you might be thinking , but hang in there, kittens. Thanks for reading!

Edited by: Irishlassie101 and TKOlove at: 10/2/04 4:38 pm

wow....that was really intense...like i dont even know what to say about it...but im a very visual person and i could really see what was going on...that was terrible..in a good way cuz your writing was really great...but omg....wow



~mel

'The Cat in the Hat' is fine, just not during sex.--Alyson Hannigan

I'm not just thinking ... i'm thinking holy shit... that was intense... Christ on a cracker.. that was sick... he so deserved getting blasted by tara... that was kinda scary too...good lord... bloody hell... do update soon.. the calvary still has to come in...



-reds



my banana dances for smut

Tara in a wet shirt, Tara in a wet shirt. Tara in. A. Wet. Shirt. “Of course.”-Willow From Remember to Breath By Yellow Crayon

Edited by: WickedReds at: 10/4/04 2:22 pm

I fully agree that that was just unpleasant. Obviously the sociopathic asshole trait is attached to the Y chromosome in the Maclay family. It was great to see Tara stand up to them, but it definitely doesn't seem over yet. I'm still hoping the cavalry will arrive and put an end to this business. Then Tara and Willow can ride off into the sunset together, right?



More soon!

-Cameron

---

What should I be but just what I am? - Edna St.Vincent Millay

ok those were two extremely hard and touching updates. It was hard to see all the scoobies in fear and sadness...i bet they will arrive when Tara leaves the house or something like that.



To see that her dad had beaten her again was hard, and those verbal attacks might have been worse than the hit itself. But this time she got finally over it and attacked her father, its just a shame that she missed Donnie, he should have gotten some punishment too



Great updates, cant wait for the next one...the better ones, those which doesnt involved hitting Tara....and the reunion



Cu

SoL/Natti

"I wish that you were here or that I were there, or that we were together anywhere!"

I think the word intense here is an understatement. That was so well written that I could hear, see and feel the horrible verbal and physical attacks.



I'm so glad Tara let him have it, only maybe it could have been a little worse...maybe to the point where his mouth stopped functioning completely. That would've been nice.



Now can't wait to see what happens when the others show up. At least maybe this is some type of closure for Tara and she can begin to heal, then they can all be happy.



More soon please.



Wimpy





"There was plenty of magic." ~ Tara

There isnt an appropriate emoticon for this particular update. Let me just say, I continue to be impressed with you guys. Hard to read, and I know even harder to write. Hatin the Maclay menfolk as usual, but am a little puzzled by Tara. I am not used to seeing her express such open hostility. Even in Family, this wasnt there. I am interested to see a few things. First, how Tara reacts when what has happened hits her (both physically and mentally) and when the Scoobies find out (which should be just about the time John and Donnie are making their threats. I just have this feeling the Maclay menfolk are about to be mincemeat. Thanks for writing..



ash

Just dropped by to tell you i LOVE this fic!!!

That last update and !



Keep up the good work guys!

"To be able to create a whole world on celluloid is amazing. It's like taking your dreams straight from your head and projecting them onto a screen. You are like a tiny God creating your own universe." ~Amber Benson

Hi



This chapter sure was intense... I was almost banging my fist on the monitor during most of the chapter. I felt like yelling to Tara's father just to shut up

So I have to say that you did a good job writing this chapter



I'm glad Tara's father finally got at least a bit of what he deserved but I'm sorry that Tara had to be the one to hurt him. These moments leave deep wounds that are tough to heal.

Unfortunately I feel that this wasn't the last time that we saw Mr. Maclay.



On one hand I kind of wish that he went after Willow and Tara since we all know how well they react to someone threatening the other. I'm sure Mr. Maclay and Donnie would bitterly regret the day they decided to go after W/T.

On the other hand I don't want to see W/T dealing with those two bastards anymore.



I guess will just have to wait and see what happens

---

"I know I was born and I know that I'll die.

The in between is mine.

I am mine!" - Pearl Jam

Please promise me that Tara's dad and brother will die slow agonizing deaths and that we will get to read about it in great detail...that's all I ask...or maybe Donnie could "fuck some sense" into his father? I know it's twisted...but if anyone ever deserved it more...

Hello kittens,



sorry to keep you waiting, but we both are pretty occupied with life at the moment...but we PROMISE an update really soon !!!!!!!

Thank you all again for your support !!!!!



alysagoddess85: intense...that it is...and it will get even worse...just stick around and see !!!!



WickedReds: Hy reds, the guy got what he asked for for so many years...and there is yet more to come



tarawhipped: Hy Cameron...the male side of the Maclay family is the worst of the worst...and they will get what they deserve, BIG PROMISE

...and there will be some riding...



Stroke of Luck: Hy Natti...fear and sadness is part of the Scoobies life unfortunatly

Words oftentimes hurt more than actual physical abuse...and the Maclay´s know their way around both

But...everybody WILL get what they deserve...in my universe anyway !!!!!!!!



wimpy0729: Hy Wimpy, thank your for the compliments....

Tara has more to give her father and brother than this...just stick around



astrangerhere: Hy ash, thank you...we try to do are best

I like to let some of our beloved figures react a little different than usual...leave the beaten track and so on...

and this Tara might surprise you yet !!!!!!!

...mincemeat is good !!!!!!!!!!



Spirit of Tara: Hy there...thank you, we´ll keep on writing !!!!!



Sabina: Hy there...I take that as a compliment !!!!!!!

I know that Tara is far off her usual behavior, but sometimes...and especially when your loved ones are in danger...sometimes even the most gentle person can turn out to be...not so gentle !!!!

...Somehow I have the feeling that the men will not be any trouble for our girls in the future !!!???



umgaynow: Hy there, lets say that they will not be very happy when this story is over, I GUARANTEE !!!!!!!!!!

ewwwwww...picture in my mind





Aishling

Sorry, I've been a bad kitten. I just moved to the States and had to adjust and that kept me from reading your wonderful updates.

The last one was so intense and written so visually, I really felt what Tara was going through.

Now, about Buffy hitting the Maclay's to a bloody pulp... I know you said unusual behavior but pwwwease? :pray

Whenever you're ready.

---WR

"There was always this thing in the back of my head. This, you know, voice, saying, like,’what if things get bad, I mean really bad? And what if you can’t handle it?’

Hello WR,



hope you found a nice cosy place and are settled in by now !!!

Thank you for the praise, we´ll try to continue as soon as possible

and...you might be surprised !!!



Aishling

posted by Irishlassie101:





Previous disclaimers apply



Note: This chapter contains some very strong views that our version of Tara has regarding her (horribly obnoxious) brother and father hunting animals for sport. No offense is intended toward anyone (sane) who might share that interest.



Note: There is pretty much angst and a lot of bad language !!!!!!!





Chapter 12



The world around Tara turned black and empty.



She could remember her father threatening to kill her. That, in relative terms, was okay because she knew he’d never succeed.



But what had he said after that?



“...But first I’ll sit and watch while Donnie fucks some sense into your whore!,” came crashing through the absolute silence of her mind and then…



…nothing. No sound. No image. Nothing.



After what seemed to be an infinite moment a soft, nearly inaudible sound reached through the quieted depths of her mind.



-Click-



Suddenly, as if the lights had been switched back on, she was back in the moment. Back in reality. Tara felt as if her mind had taken two simultaneous paths. She was confused and afraid of the unfamiliar anger she felt rising inside herself. But she was also calm and resolute. The gentle woman realized on this day that she would never understand the reasons behind her father’s hatred and bitterness, nor could she fathom the grounds for her being the focus of it. He seemed to be damaged beyond repair and bent on destroying those around him. She thought briefly about the irony of her father having become so evil at heart, a demon of sorts.





“Oh yeah, you heard me right! He’ll hurt her and he’ll get off on it. He’s wanted to do her since he saw her looking so smug at that sin shop you hang out in.” John Maclay’s twisted words were spoken with palpable spite.





“I’ll let him have the slut and I’ll laugh while she screams!”



“No you will not.” Tara could hear herself say out loud.



“NO! YOU! WILL! NOT!”



These words were not merely shouted; they rolled through the entire house like a thunderclap, violently shaking it from foundation to attic.



Tara stood there in absolute, unreserved shock.



Did I do that? Was that me? How could I? I don’t even…how?



“Shut your mouth, you fucking blasphemous witch! I should have killed you when I had the chance years ago.” She heard her father scream as his rage spun out of control. Bitterness and spite virtually poured from him. “Don’t think for a second that we won’t hunt you down. You’re a demon…no matter what you’ve managed to convince everyone in Sunnydale -- a goddamned monster! We’ll kill you, that little cunt girlfriend of yours, and your perverted friends.”



“Yeah, we’ll take ‘em all outl!!” Donnie shouted in agreement like some psychotic cheerleader.



Tara felt a terrible pain soar through her head. Lightning flashed in front of her eyes and she stumbled, nearly falling to her knees…but the pain left her just as fast as it had come on.



What’s happening to me?



She had taken in the words spoken by her father and Donnie, and felt a sudden wave of emotion wash over her. It wasn’t fear, agony, or shame. Those would have at least been familiar feelings. But this was entirely new to her. It was pure and unspoiled…hatred.



Tara had never felt a negative emotion so intense before in her life – not even when she was a child left beaten, broken, and unconscious at the hands of her own father. After many years of countless stitches and mended fractures there remained a piece of the young girl’s heart that still saw her Daddy as the man she wished he was, but had failed miserably to be.



After everything she’d suffered through while growing up, that tiny place had always been reserved for the man. He was, after all, a fallible human who could certainly choose to turn his life around. But alcohol and bitterness had only fueled the fire inside the man, and the words John Maclay spoke today had killed the once-persistent spark of hope in Tara’s heart. To Tara, Willow was love exemplified, and her father’s blatant, vulgar threats against her beloved partner had served to seal his fate.



She slowly walked over to the two men. John sat up with his mouth hanging open in disbelief, while Donnie attempted a clumsy, crab-like, backpedaling maneuver. Neither one broke eye contact with Tara, and she could see that they both wore a look of unadulterated fear.



She was confused about their reactions until a movement just to her left caught her attention. Tara saw herself reflected in her mother’s antique mirror. The top of the heavy gold-plated frame hadn’t been dusted in what Tara guessed was years, but the mirror shone brilliantly. And in this mirror she could not only see herself, but another figure…one wearing a radiant white dress that complimented her long blonde hair.



“Mama!” she cried out loud. But the instant the word left her mouth, she knew she was wrong. It wasn’t her mother. The mirror showed only herself.



“Wh-what…,” She stammered, and suddenly she remembered.



Just minutes before she died, her mother had pulled Tara close and whispered into her ear. It was something she didn’t understand at the time.



“Tara, my love. Don’t be afraid. You are strong, and you will become even stronger when it is time for you. You will be challenged and you will prove yourself to be a witch with powers unrivaled. And you, my baby girl, will protect your love…forever.”



...with powers unrivaled…protect my love forever…can this be real?



“Dammit, Donnie, get the shotguns…hurry!” Her father’s voice jolted Tara’s attention back to her family.



Family? Her eyes narrowed and a curious smile spread across her face. Family? These two aren’t my family; they never were. They’re nothing but animals. No. Far worse than even predatory animals, and as such they’ll be treated.



“Will you ever give up? Do you have it in you to be kind...or even decent?” she heard her voice course through the house again, but her eyes never left the mirror as she spoke. “Stupid question. You don’t, and you’ll never let me live in peace. So I don’t have a choice. I’ll make sure that you can’t hurt the woman I love...or anyone else. Ever again.”



Suddenly her eyes were no longer blue. Her soft sapphire orbs had morphed into fierce, gleaming white spheres. She turned around and raised her hands toward her father and Donnie. Neither man had moved so much as an inch.



Beams of white light shot from her hands. The men were enveloped by the swirling glow and lifted quickly into the air. They yelped in agony as their bodies were thrashed about the room helplessly. And the more they screamed and swore the more power Tara unleashed. She wanted retribution for all the unspeakable things they’d done to her mother and herself. She wanted revenge for the nightmares that haunted her for years after leaving home. She wanted payback for their words and intentions that pushed her over the edge; no one threatens to harm Willow, period. To all of these causes, she unleashed the pain stored inside her.



The two bodies suddenly came to a standstill just a few meters away form the enraged witch.



“I bet you never thought your little girl would one day be so powerful. You should be so proud,” Tara said with mock sincerity.





John Maclay was bleeding heavily from a wound on his lower back where he’d been skewered by the antlers of the buck he’d proudly mounted on the wall years before. Donnie’s left tibia had been snapped in half when his leg collided with the heavy cupboard where the shotguns were stored.

“You were always so callous when on the hunt; killing for the thrill of taking a life. Shooting Doodles wasn’t enough, was it?” she directed at Donnie. “I guess if you’d shoot the puppy Mom brought home for me you’d do just about anything. Makes sense that you’d enjoy the countless trips – father and son bonding over the senseless deaths of harmless animals. You killed for pleasure, for sport, for fun. You just stood there and laughed as they bled to death in agony. Even deer, you couldn’t be bothered to use their meat…you just left them there to rot or had their heads cut off for display. Death is all you’ve ever known. Destruction. Both of you, you tried so hard to kill the best parts of me and Mom. You worked to destroy Mom’s spirit, you worked to take away my confidence, my ability to live fully and love wholly. Like those beautiful animals, you bled us dry. But it ends here.”

More bolts of gleaming white light hit the men in mid-air, grotesquely twisting their bodies in impossible ways, and distorting their voices into dreadful, inhuman shrieks. The effect was severe, and Tara’s fleeting thought was that each man looked as if he were trapped inside a funhouse mirror.



“And now you’ll face what you truly deserve.” Tara’s voice rumbled through the house, shattering every window and every fragile item in its path. The walls began to crack.



“TARA, NO!”

HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!



talk about intense.... that was... well horrible.. but in all truth they deserved that type of... well death.... look at the fucking shit they did to tara and her mom... yes i was a bit disturbed, but things come back 3x3... and thats what they are getting... all that pain and hurt back on them...

go tara...

But looks like the calvary stepped in to see tara's power at its fullest...



-reds



my banana dances for smut

Smutbunny Anthem: *sung to tune from Goldfinger* Smutbunnies...they'e the bunnies, the bunnies that love the smut...and Willow's butt. They surf for smut fiction...always lookin' for the next naked sweaty fix...of Tara's tits.- Written By Cameron(tarawhipped) For Us Smut Bunnies

Edited by: WickedReds at: 10/15/04 2:28 pm

Hi



I'll echo WickedReds words: this was certainly an intense chapter



I think that Tara's brother and father got what they deserved. They discovered first hand that no one messes with Willow...

I wonder how will Tara react to her actions when she has calmed down and fully realizes what she has done. Supposing that Willow was the person who arrived at the end of the chapter I wonder what will her reaction be



Great job with this chapter

---

"I know I was born and I know that I'll die.

The in between is mine.

I am mine!" - Pearl Jam

GASP! EGAD!!

Oh Lordy! Taras Pullin a Willow, I Mean Getting Revenge On Ppl Who Deserve It, But Going All Crazy With Hatred. MEH!!

If I Saw The Maclay Men This Is Wut Would Happen And Maybe Some Of This And Definently Some Of This Of The Bad Variety.

So Ive Kinda Gotten A Bit Out Of Hand With The Violence, But Its Just So Easy To Hate Them .......Also Im Very Tired

It Is Getting So Very Intense And If There Isnt Some Sort Of Update Soon Then Might Be Me....Nahhh Im Kidding theres No Actual Pressure Coming From Me. Anyways Continue! Im Just Gonna Shut Up Now

D2D





Dreams To Dream In The Dark Of The Night, When The World Goes Wrong, I Can Still Make It Right...- Dreams To Dream



Oh Wouldn't It Be Wonderful If I Turned Out To Be A Homosexual?!! - Stewie Griffen Family Guy

Wow Tara can be a bitch! But killing Donnie or her father wont be good, she will go to jail or what ever, and i doubt she could live with the fact, that she killed her family members, even tho they were assholes.



and that voice, that screamed...hmmm i bet its a certain redhead , am i right?



Cu

SoL/Natti

"I wish that you were here or that I were there, or that we were together anywhere!"

Tara had gone berserk (I really wouldn't like to be in her path when she's

angry) Twice, WOW .

What's now? I can't wait to read more.

Hope the house don't fall on her. And Willow and the Scoobies, where are they?

Continue soon, please

wow...im firmly convinced that you are trying to give me some sort of a heartattack!! these are some wickedly intense chapters...you need a warning at the beginning: "this chapter not for people with heart or back problems...people with heart conditions...or old folks".



and tara...well...its like dark willow...but white tara?? hmm...that should be interesting to see how willow reacts to that...and i dont think id want her to kill her fucker-dad and fucker-brother...because even though they wholely deserve getting killed a couple of times...i dont see tara being able to cope with what she had done afterwards....but i trust where you guys are taking this so onwards!! cant wait for more!



~mel

'The Cat in the Hat' is fine, just not during sex.--Alyson Hannigan

posted by Irishlassie:



Hello kittens, many thanks for reading and posting !!!!!!!!



WickedReds: intense and horrible...that´s exactly what the Maclay men are, and it´s payday...

And the cavalry just came in time to see what a nice quiet shy little girl can be up to when pissed.....



sabina: PAYDAY...and they will remember that day...YEP...remember they will !!!

You could be right, there just might be a redhead standing there



DreamToDream: ...even the most laid back girl can go a little WAHOO here and there...lets off all the steam...feels really good !!!!!!!!

And she has her family there, they might just stop her from...UPS...somehow forgot what it was now



Stroke of Luck: Hy Natti....

Tara and killing her father and brother...who could blame her for it ??????

On the other hand...you never know, she might just......



Viximon: Berserk Tara, I like that picture...there is a warrior in every one of us...and NO, I would not want to get in her path either....



alysagoddess85: Sorry ~you, I will include a warning the next time

Tara could easily kill them, destroy their bodies and their souls, but...let´s see...

Previous disclaimers apply

NOTE: This chapter is quite short, but more will follow soon.





Chapter 13





“TARA, NO!”



Through the men’s screams and her own laughter, she heard a voice; pure, sweet, and more than a little desperate. A voice melodic and ever-calming, despite its obvious underlying panic. A voice…the voice…that just a few minutes ago she thought she would never hear again.



“Willow!” Tara heard herself say elatedly. “Willow?” she then questioned, as her brain grappled with the seeming impossibility that her lover could be nearby. She turned around to follow the voice with her eyes, and the beams from her hands ceased, sending the men crashing down onto the floor. There, just inside the door stood Willow. Her Willow. And Buffy, Dawn, Xander, Anya, and Giles. Her real family.



They wore nearly identical expressions with jaws dropped, eyes wide, and fear and dread settled across their faces. Each stood in absolute disbelief of what they’d just witnessed.



The Scoobies had raced through the state in abject fear that they’d be too late, that Tara would be beaten up or killed or...worse. And now they stood unable to move or process coherent thoughts. With all the possible unpleasant situations they’d envisioned finding Tara in when they arrived, this one hadn’t even made an appearance.



Their sweet, gentle, shy Tara was enclosed in gleaming white light, wielding powers that none of them knew she had. Not even Willow.



The power she controlled could be felt across the room by everyone -- the ionic change, the increase in each body’s awareness of the air surrounding it. This was pure power, but not anything resembling Willow’s power…or rather the dark source of it. This was pure white magic. Although it was clear that the Maclay men were in danger, Willow and Giles could sense that the power radiating from Tara was not based in evil. Pieces seemed to fall into place in Willow’s mile-a-minute brain.



When Tara had first returned, the redhead had spent days trying to find a logical explanation for her lover’s resurrection, and been almost too afraid that she’d eventually find one that stipulated an early return to the grave or similar atrocious sacrifice for payment. But Willow was starting to understand now.



The powers Tara possessed were passed on to her from her mother. These powers – originating from the limitless source of light and goodness itself – were stronger than life or death, and could break the bonds of both. Tara simply wasn’t meant to die by that stray bullet. Her death was the unnatural component of the equation; a miscommunication of the fates. Her resurrection was merely a setting right of that error. There would be no cost to pay, no debt owed for Tara’s return.



She was able to return from the dead because even the Powers That Be could not extinguish the flame of life that burned within her. Even the gods themselves could not match that kind of force.



Tara turned away from the two men and walked slowly over to the Sunnydale gang.



She reflexively lowered her head as she did in years past whenever she got people’s attention, but this time it felt different, and her head went back up quickly. She didn’t blush and she didn’t feel unsure of herself. In fact, she felt perfectly at ease with the situation.



“Are you a god now?” Anya’s voice finally broke the silence. “Because, ooh! This would be good! I’d be a god’s best friend, then!” she said, triumphantly. “We are best friends, right? A god’s best friend is always handy thing to be.”



Anya’s words didn’t register with Tara. She was too distracted, staring at Willow. Her Willow. Her...huh?



“What did you say, Anya?” asked Tara suddenly. “Me, a god…a goddess? No. Why? Why would you think--”



“Well, ok then,” Anya interrupted. “But you seem pretty close to it if you ask me,” the ex-demon replied, with a little disappointment in her voice. “And hey, from what I just saw, close to a god will do just fine. Either way I think I’ll stay in your good graces. Damn. I guess this means I’ll have to be nicer to Willow now. There’s a down side to everything.”



Tara took a step toward Willow, wanting nothing more than to touch her and never let go. But Willow backed away.



“Willow, Sweetie? What’s wrong? Are you okay? Are you scared?” With that sentence a chilling thought occurred to the blonde Wiccan. “Oh god!! Willow, are you scared of…of me?”



Willow couldn’t speak; she was afraid of Tara. For the first time ever, Willow was afraid of the woman she loved. She was frightened when she looked at the one person with whom she’d always felt safe.



But just as quickly as Willow’s fear grabbed her, something more powerful inside her swept it away. With the pain of her bandaged side and arm a distant thought, it took Willow a split second to leap forward and throw her arms around the blonde beauty in front of her.



“Oh, Tara...Baby…please forgive me! I saw what you…and it was so powerful and you scared me, and I …” she started but was unable to continue, her thoughts muddled and her words washed away by tears. They stood there and just held onto each other, feeling the safety and warmth of the healing embrace. The others looked on but were still unable to speak, so no one noticed that the Maclay men were not about to give up.



Buffy’s Slayer instincts brought herself back to reality, while her shriek of warning did the same for the others.

Tara turned around with time enough only to catch a glimpse of the shotguns in her father’s and brother’s hands. They were mere meters away and before anyone could react, they heard shots fired…the echoes dancing along the battered interior of the old house.



They all tried to get down, move away, cover each other…but it was too late.





From TKOL -- Thank you all for continuing to our fic.

Edited by: Irishlassie101 and TKOlove at: 10/22/04 6:46 pm

NOOOOOOOOOOO. Damn those Maclay men. Loving this fic, can't wait for the next part.



Jill

~~~~~~~~

Willow - Say, you all didn't happen to do a bunch of drugs did ya?



My Home Page | Amber Powered | Alyson Powered



My lack of talent is more than made up for by my enthusiasm.

WHAT??!?! shotguns?!?! damn hick men!! i hate them...but tara will save them all right??? cuz yea...obviously theyre just not allowed to die...it would suck majorly..and shes all mighty and godessly and...glowy...so yea..shes just gonna save them all...no worries!!



ok thats a lie...ooo update soon please!!



~mel

'The Cat in the Hat' is fine, just not during sex.--Alyson Hannigan