Parts: 11 - 15
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~Part: 11~
“Is there anyway to stop her without actually killing her?”
Buffy raised an eyebrow and said in confusion, “Will, this bitch *deserves* to die or at least she should be getting some major pain inflicted on her.”
The redheaded witch let out a sigh, “No, I can’t do that. *None* of us can do that.” She glanced at the Slayer, hoping to make things clear. “We have to find another way.”
Giles continued to flip through the pages of the book he was holding, “I think I may have something.”
~^~**~^~
<Fucking bitch. How dare she do that! First, she steals *my* Spike and *then* she has the *nerve* to go and put this fucking spell on me.>
Tara was pacing frantically around her small room. She had to get revenge. She just had to. No one, *no* *one*, can just mess with her like this and expect to get away with it. It was quite obvious that she couldn’t hurt Willow and her beloved Spike directly. No, she had to do this in an indirect method. Strike when they least expect it. The blonde paused for a moment, a plan forming in mind. <Perfect.>
~^~**~^~
“What is it?”
The Watcher looked at Willow and said with a small smile, “*You* don’t want to kill her, correct?”
The redhead nodded.
“Then that means we’ll just have to give her what she deserves.”
“Wait, how is that not hurting her?” Xander asked curiously.
“I don’t know how, but somehow she’s been ducking out of the punishments she was supposed to receive. This dark magic is supposed to be coming back to her three-fold but for some reason, it hasn’t.”
“You mean what goes around comes around?” Buffy asked, hoping to clarify a few things.
“To put it in simple terms, yes.”
“What are you getting at here, G-man?”
“First, we must figure out what she’s done to avoid the consequences of her actions. Remove the barrier, and well, whatever she gets is completely justifiable due to her actions.”
“It makes sense.” The blonde slayer turned to her best friend, “So, what do you think, Will?”
After a few moments, Willow nodded in agreement. “Alright, let’s do it then.”
Anya looked at Giles with a big grin on her face.
“What is it?” The Watcher asked uncomfortably.
“I’m so proud of you!”
~^~**~^~
Willow sat back waiting for Spike’s response.
“Is that all the bloody bitch is going to be getting?”
“Spike, I don’t want to hurt her any more then she deserves. If we did, we’d just be stooping down to her level.”
“What she *deserves* is an eternity in hell.”
“Spike.”
“No, she *hurt* you, Willow. You almost offed yourself because of her!”
“But I didn’t, I overcame it, didn’t I?”
“But you *almost* did. I can’t just let her get away with that!”
“I won’t let you kill her, Spike.”
The blonde demon looked at her furiously and walked to the door. “I need to go out and kill something.”
“Spike, please don’t leave like this.”
He turned back and stalked towards Willow. Strong arms enveloped her and the next moment she was pulled in for a passionate and rough kiss. After a few minutes he backed away slowly, their eyes meeting in a silent agreement.
“Don’t get hurt.”
The vampire nodded and then walked out the door.
~Part: 12~
Spike walked around the cemetery, completely pissed off. The one night he was looking for action, there was none. Deciding there was no other way to let out the anger he punched the tree, not even flinching when the two surfaces met. He let out an unneeded sigh and lit a cigarette.
He wanted to kill her. No, he wanted to torture her and *then* kill her. She tricked him and made Willow believe all those lies. *Then* she had the nerve to go and try to make his Red off herself. He couldn’t just let her get away with that. And he couldn’t understand why Willow would. Didn’t she understand that his intentions were meant for her well being? After Tara recovers from the punishments she would be getting soon, she’ll be back and she’ll be back with a vengeance.
He didn’t want that. He didn’t want to be looking over his shoulder at every moment, just waiting for something to strike. He couldn’t live like that. And he didn’t want Willow to either.
The blonde demon took one last puff out of his cigarette before putting it out. He should be getting back.
~^~**~^~
Willow rolled to Spike’s side of the bed and put her hand on his pillow. She sighed softly and held back the tears. She was doing the right thing, she was. But a part of her wanted nothing more then to snap Tara’s neck. And it would be a hell of a lot easier. But that wouldn’t be right. That was what Tara wanted. She wanted to corrupt her. And she couldn’t let her win.
Why did it have to be her? Why did it have to be him? If it were two other people, it might’ve been a lot easier to just walk away. And a part of her wanted to just give in and let Tara have what she wanted but she couldn’t be that weak. All her life, she had always given in to other’s, wanting to please them and for them to accept her. But now, it was different. The redhead was finally becoming her own self and she liked it. She liked the feeling of independence and the feeling of fighting back. <Why does it have to be so hard?>
Lost in her thoughts, she never heard Spike coming into the room. She gasped when she felt his cold hands on her back and then up to her shoulders.
“I’m sorry, luv,” he whispered into her ear.
She turned around and looked him in the eye, “Don’t be.”
Their lips met in a soft kiss and soon, all their worries began to fade into the background.
~^~**~^~
Buffy yawned for the fifth time in ten minutes.
“Buffy, perhaps you should just go home,” Giles suggested, “Get some sleep.”
“No, you need help. Xander and Anya already left and I need to stay here to help you.”
“Buffy, you won’t do me any help if you’re unconscious. I’d much rather prefer you get a good night’s rest and come back in the morning refreshed.”
She looked at him unsurely, “Positive?”
He nodded, “Yes, go!”
“Alright, alright.”
~^~**~^~
Anya pouted as she sat on the bed. Damn Xander. Damn him for being a Scooby. Well, then again, so was she. But she wasn’t as devoted as he was.
“Dammit, Xander Harris, I wanted orgasms!” She got up and paced around the room, “I mean, instead of having sex with your very willing girlfriend, you want to go and research and help out Giles. Again.” She threw her hands up, “And we just got back too.” She sat back onto the bed and sighed. Alright, so maybe she wasn’t being all that fair to him. Maybe she should be walking to Giles’s too. She knew she should.
Anya let out a frustrated groan. Was this guilt that she was feeling? An emotion that was making her feel bad for not following Xander and not being more supportive. Shaking her head, she got up and grabbed her jacket. She didn’t like this feeling. Maybe Xander could fix it.
~^~**~^~
Tara smiled evilly as she walked slowly behind her victim. This was almost too easy. Almost.
Sighing slightly she stepped on a twig on the sidewalk, purposely wanting to cause noise so he could hear her. When the figure whipped around, she smiled wickedly and snapped her fingers, causing her immobilizing spell to come to effect.
“Tara.”
She let out a sigh and walked around the frozen form. “Hmmm, you shouldn’t be out this late at night. Don’t you know that there are so many baddies just out there waiting to pounce on you?”
“They’ll get you. We’ve got a plan all ready.”
“Oh, I’m already trembling in fear.” Tara rolled her eyes, “Please, that little bitch couldn’t hurt a fly if she tried, much less me.”
“Is that why you ran away scared?”
The blonde strengthened her spell and he felt as if someone was pushing at him from all sides, trying to squeeze him to death. Then, it stopped.
“What was that you were saying?”
“She’ll get you. You’re gonna die.”
The blonde let out a dramatic sigh, “Correction, *you’re* gonna die. And then that little girlfriend of yours is gonna die.” Tara began to circle Xander again, “Then I think I’m gonna go for the Watcher. After that, the Slayer.” She stopped right in front of him and lifted up a finger and pressed against his chest. After mumbling a few words, Xander felt a sharp, burning pain on the part of his chest where Tara was pressing against. “And after that, I’ll get *her*.” She cocked her head to the side, “But first, I’m gonna have a little fun with you.”
~Part: 13~
Giles opened the door, sleepily. He was more then surprised when Anya appeared on his front step, wearing a face of annoyance. “Anya, errmm, what are you doing here?”
“I’m here to help.” She pushed past him and looked around the empty room, “Where’s Xander?”
“What do you mean?” The Watcher asked, fighting the urge to yawn.
“He should be here. He said he was coming to help research some more.”
Giles looked at the ex-demon incredulously, “You let Xander walk all the way here, all alone, in the middle of the night?!”
“It’s not like I could’ve stopped him! I mean, hell, I wanted to stay home.” She paused and then added, “I gave up orgasms for this!”
The Watcher began to pace, “I don’t have such a good feeling about this.”
The blonde looked up and saw the expression Giles had on his face, “You don’t think…”
Giles went into the kitchen and began to heat up some hot water.
“Hey, get back in here, Tweedy!!! My Xander is out there, most likely sucked dry, undead, or in the grasps of Tara and you’re making *tea*?!” She shrieked.
“It soothes the nerves.”
Anya scoffed, “You know what would *really* soothe my nerves?! If we actually found him!”
Giles got up and looked her in the eye, “Anya, I know you’re worried but we shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
“Giles, this is *Sunnydale*. If we don’t jump to conclusions, there’s really no where else we can jump!” She turned and grabbed at the phone, frantically punching in numbers.
~^~**~^~
“Hello?” Buffy murmured groggily. “Anya?” She sat up on her bed. “What? Alright, speak in sentences. Slower, there, much better. Xander? Ummm, yeah. Okay, okay, Anya, calm down. I’ll be there in a few.”
The blonde went into the bathroom and splashed some water onto her face. When she looked back up at the mirror, she stumbled back against her shower door, in horror. There, where her reflection was supposed to be, was an image of Xander, chained to the wall. Cuts and marks all over his chest.
“Oh god,” Buffy sobbed.
“No, not God, me.” Tara said as she walked over to Xander’s barely alive body. “Hmmm… damn, he’s still alive.” She looked Buffy in the eye, “My place, 30 minutes, tell anybody and I’ll finish the job.” The blonde tinkle waved at the still stunned Slayer, “Ta ta for now.”
~^~**~^~
Anya hung up the phone feeling a bit more relieved. “Buffy will be here in a few minutes. She’ll fix everything.”
Giles was about to respond when a whirlwind suddenly popped out of nowhere in the middle of his living room.
Tara’s face appeared in the center, an evil grin on her face, “Ahh, perfect, just who I was looking for. See Exhibit A.” Her face disappeared for a moment and a view of Xander’s bloodied body appeared in its place, “Now, if you two don’t get over to my place in 25 minutes, Exhibit A will cease to exist. Oh, and uhh, try to keep this a bit hush-hush. I don’t think I need to give you an or else.”
The whirlwind stopped when Tara’s face faded away.
Anya looked at Giles worriedly. “Oh, god.” She looked down and calmed herself. She had to be strong. She had to be strong for Xander.
~^~**~^~
Willow smiled softly as the colors swirled around her. She loved this place. Ever since she was a child, whenever something was bothering her, all she would have to do is close her eyes and this fantasy land would appear.
But suddenly, the colors began to grow darker and darker and soon, the only color there was, was black. Gone was the feeling of happiness and in place was one of worry. The redhead looked around, wondering what was going on.
A silky smooth voice was heard, “Oh, is poor wittle Willow all scared, now?”
“Tara.” Willow said positively. “Get out of my mind!”
“Hmmm, let me think about that. How about *no*. I’ve got your little friend here. You know, his screams are absolutely delicious.” As if on cue, a male scream was heard in the background.
“Xander?” Willow gasped.
“Right, that’s his name. Damn my memory. He really is a lot of fun to play with *but* you know me and that pesky short attention span. I think I might have to kill him soon.” She let out a dramatic sigh, “Pity, he’s a cute one.” Tara’s voice turned serious, “You know what I want, so don’t even ask it. You know where I live, come here, in an hour. A second later, and he dies. Oh, and don’t even *think* about telling anybody else. Sweet Dreams.”
Willow woke with a scream. “Oh, Goddess, Xander.”
~Part: 14~
The redhead stumbled out of bed and quickly dressed, leaving a confused Spike behind on the bed.
“What’s wrong, luv?”
Willow stopped moving and said frantically, “It’s Tara. She has Xander. I’ve got to get over there and you do too.” She began to ramble as she hurriedly slid on a sweatshirt, “Goddess, this is all my fault. He was bruised and bloodied. If I never met her then this wouldn’t have ever happened. I should’ve never have dragged this out so long.” She took a breath and brushed the hair away from her face.
Spike looked at her seriously, “Pet, what do you plan to do when you get there? You’re not ready for this yet.”
“She has Xander.” Willow stated firmly, “And I don’t care if I’m not ready. She has Xander and we’re getting him back.”
“Luv, by going there you’re just heading straight into a trap.”
“She has Xander.” Willow repeated again, “I can’t just not go!”
“I’m not telling you to not go, Willow. I’m telling you to prepare.”
Willow looked around the room, desperately, “I can’t perform the spell yet.” She pushed the heel of her hand into her forehead, “I don’t even know if there *is* a spell like it.” She wrapped her arms around herself and whispered, “What am I going to do?”
“Willow,” Spike’s use of her real name caught her attention, “Calm down.” He moved forward and pulled her up by her shoulders, “Breathe.” He paused as she did as he said, “Now, think this over.” The sound of his voice relaxed her further, “What can you do?”
“I don’t know,” She finally admitted after a few moments of silence. “I have nothing against her right now. The only spells I know off the top of my head aren’t powerful enough to stop her.”
Spike looked into her eyes, “Can you strip her of her powers?”
Willow backed away and shook her head, “Even if I could, I wouldn’t do it. That kind of spell would involve a lot of preparation, the kind of time that I really don’t have right now.”
“Can you think of anything similar then?”
“If there was, it would probably require a lot of ingredients, these things take time, Spike. I don’t *have* *time*.”
He nodded quietly, understanding her frustration.
Willow’s green eyes skimmed the room and landed on a picture of her, Buffy, and Xander when she first arrived in Sunnydale. “Wait,” she said suddenly, “I have an idea.”
~^~**~^~
“Well, ermm, here we are,” Giles said to Anya, looking at the apartment.
“What are you waiting for? If we’re late, she’ll kill him. Oh, I’m tempted to just give her a piece of my mind. If I had my powers, you know what I would do? I would-“
“Anya,” Giles stopped her in mid-ramble.
The ex-demon let out a sigh and nodded, “Ok, let’s go.”
When the two got to the door, Anya looked to Giles, not knowing what to do next. “Umm, should I knock?”
Giles looked as puzzled as her, “Perhaps that would be best.”
As Anya’s hand was about to go up, she noticed something that was.. off. “Giles,” she started calmly, “Run, now.”
The Watcher looked at her and stuttered, “W-What?”
Anya glared at him, “Run. Go Giles!”
Giles backed away slowly but was shocked by an energy force, “I can’t go anywhere.”
“I knew it,” Anya hung her head down, “It was a trap.”
“Ahhhh, so you’re the smart one. Hmm, so you figured it out then?” Tara’s voice was heard as the energy force moved forward, bringing Anya and Giles into the apartment, right next to Xander.
“Almost a perfect set, now all I need is the Slayer and the fun can begin.” As the words came out of her mouth, there was a knock on the door. Tara looked at the clock on the wall and grinned, “Right on time.”
“Buffy!” Anya yelled, “Don’t come in here!”
Tara turned around with a bored look on her face, “You know, she can’t hear you. Now, unless you want me to finish him off,” she pointed to Xander’s body, “then I suggest you shut the hell up.”
Without waiting for an answer, Tara snapped her fingers and the door flung open, a nervous Buffy was shown but with another snap, she was also trapped in an energy force. Tara moved her over by Anya and Giles and smiled smugly, “Almost.”
~^~**~^~
Willow and Spike stood in front of Tara’s apartment, both minds racing.
The redhead looked at him with resigned eyes, “Let’s go.” Arriving at the door, Willow held out her hands, a ball of red light forming, and said, “Abicio.”
The door shattered to pieces and the two walked in, neither knowing what to expect.
~Part: 15~
Tara turned around at hearing the sound of her door breaking and smiled, “Well, you’re here early.”
“Better early then late.” Willow replied coldly. Her green eyes examined the scene before her and she registered the bodies of all her friends, chained up. “How did you-?”
“Do this? Well, it’s quite easy. See, after you put that pesky spell on me, I couldn’t attack. But, I could trap. So that’s exactly what I did. I trapped. And, since I wanted to focus all my attentions on you, I decided to chain them instead of keeping up the barriers.” She turned to Spike, “Now you,” She pointed a finger at him and a barrier popped up around him, “should go over there.” He was lifted up in mid-air and Tara soon followed, floating to about 10 feet away from the redhead.
Willow shot a bolt at her but it bounced off. The redhead looked at her in confusion, “What?”
“Well, see, because there’s a barrier around him, there’s one around me too. No bolts can get in,” Tara’s hand flew up and a bolt was sent straight at the redhead, hitting her in the abdomen. “Getting out is a different story.”
Willow stumbled back in pain and saw the bolt do a u-turn and aimed for Tara but just as she said, it merely bounced off. Green eyes stared at her in anger.
“What?” Tara let out a light laugh, “Did you think I’d actually let you win? Please.”
The redhead kept her head down and in the distance, Tara could hear her mumbling words, “What are you doing?”
Willow looked up in time for Tara to see the witch’s eyes turn black and her hands shot forth and a power came from them, the redhead yelled out, “Corsheth, take her!”
Tara looked at her in confusion but saw the force move forward, moving past the barrier and surrounded her body, “What the-?” Before she could finish, the power lifted her up and a scream from the blonde could be heard before the power and her disappeared.
~^~**~^~
Willow took a sip of her coffee, decaffeinated of course, and smiled at Buffy.
“You did it, Will. I’m proud of you.”
The redhead smiled again and nibbled on her cookie.
“Alright, dish, how’d you figure it all out?”
“Remember that spell that Amy’s mom tried to pull on you?”
“Like I could ever forget.” Buffy mumbled before her head shot up in realization, “That’s the one you casted?”
“I remembered you telling me about the spell and after a few minutes of quick research, I found it.” The redhead let out a sigh, “I didn’t want to do it, it just seemed unfair of me on a certain level. But, I think about how she took Xander and tried to take Spike and I get over it.”
Buffy grinned and then asked, “How’d my telling you of the spell pop up in your head though? That was quite a while ago.”
“Remember that picture we took together and you were in that horrible cheerleading outfit?”
“Oh my god,” Buffy’s jaw dropped, “You still have that?!”
Willow burst into giggles and Buffy leaned over and slapped her.
“You’re giving me that back, Will!”
“No, I don’t think so. I’m keeping it as blackmail!”
“Hey! That’s not fair. I would never do that to you!”
Willow gave her a look and Buffy smiled back sweetly.
As their conversation carried on, neither realized that a certain set of eyes on a witch figurine was looking at them, seething, and planning revenge.
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