Oh, this was a really great update and I'm really curious about more details concerning Kim (although I have my theories). Nice touch with the foto albums! I'm definitely lokking forward to future updates!
by aladdin » Tue Jan 29, 2002 3:30 pm
by Willow Rocks » Tue Jan 29, 2002 3:34 pm
Keep up the good work
by Hawk » Tue Jan 29, 2002 8:51 pm
by Sheila » Tue Jan 29, 2002 9:48 pm
I like your writing style and your creativity very much.
Can't wait for more!
by Hawk » Wed Jan 30, 2002 10:24 am
Tara entered the spacious bedroom barely lit by the roaring fire to the left. She hadn’t been in this room since the age of ten. As she inched towards her father’s bed memories washed over her…
Fighting with her brother had become more and more frequently nowadays and she didn’t understand why. Just a year ago Tara had spent hours playing with Ian, working against their parents in the common goal of having fun. Over the past few months though Ian had started to ignore her and when something went wrong he manipulated the situation so Tara was always to blame; that was why she was in this great room. For two hours she was yelled at about being the Zahn Comsario’s daughter and what that meant. He went on and on about how her actions were reflected on him and he would not let her ruin the Comsario name. Then he said the final straw. Her father said, ‘Why can’t you act more like your brother?’ Tara lost it at that moment. She screamed at her father releasing all the anger of his rejections and how he had ignored her. Tara yelled until her face turned red and only stopped when her voice went out. After that day Tara and her father never spoke again, not even when they were dealing with public events. Soon after that Tara’s mother died and she gave up on trying to make peace with the man. She couldn’t find the strength to care anymore.
“Never dreamed that you would see the inside of this room again did you?” her father’s voice broke Tara out of her memory. She looked at the man that once towered over her and had bullied everyone she had ever cared about. The years had not been kind to him though unless this was the result of whatever was ailing him. His thick black hair was now thin and pale white. His skin was now stretched making his cheekbones stick out. It took all of her willpower not shudder.
“You could say that. Though I had good reason to believe it, since you haven’t spoken to me in what nine years.” Tara said crossing her arms over her chest. She kept her voice respectful but wanted her father know that she was no longer a child.
Her father looked at her for a moment in a way that Tara couldn’t read. “How you remind me of your mother,” he said is tone soft. No matter what the rumors were or how people looked at her parent’s marriage she knew that they loved each other. At times even Tara hard time understanding it. “Tara, I have called you home because I am dying and don’t try telling me that there is some cure and everything will be alright. I have lived as long as I wish and I’m tired of fighting. I want to make peace with you.”
Tara looked at her father for a moment. She had spent years watching him manipulate people and she was afraid that she was about to be next, but her desire for peace was to great. “I want to make peace as well but we both know that will only happen with a compromise. I am no longer the child that will do what ever you say to make you happy.”
“You always had to be different even as a small child everyone could see that. You had the same light that your mother had and everyone would flock to you. It was your heart that endeared them,” he said with a sad smile.
“They flocked to Ian father, not me. He was the one that everyone wanted to be around. Ian was the life of the party and wouldn’t let anyone forget it.” Tara’s voice had a tinge of bitterness but she had learned to accept the truth long ago. It was a lesson that almost killed her.
Her father laughed. “You never knew why your brother hated you so, did you?” When Tara shook her head no he continued, “He hated the fact that everyone loved you. He was popular because he was to follow in my footsteps and be the next ruler. They wanted to be in good standing with the next ruler. People wanted to be around you just because of you. You remember General Heley. He never gave your brother the time of day, because he had enough power that he would never need his backing. Whenever you were at a meeting he made sure to speak with you; ask how you were doing.”
“I never knew.” Tara whispered not completely believing what her father was saying.
“That was always part of your charm. You didn’t look at the situation as a campaign that had to be won. By the age of seven you knew the name of every servant and their family’s history. Ian would never do anything so below his statues or so he has said. I just need to know one thing.” He took a deep breath not sure how he wanted to ask this.
Tara looked at her father and saw a side she had never seen, a side that was unsure and confused. “What do you want to know? Please tell me.”
“Do…Is it possible that after all this time that you could still love me as your father?” he asked his eyes pleading as he looked up at her from his bed.
“Of course I still love you. How could you ever think that I didn’t? No matter what happens in this life you are still my father and I will love you.” Tara answered moving closer to her father. She desperately wanted to hug him but was unsure if he would allow her that close.
Her father seemed to understand this but kept her at a distance. “I have one last thing to tell you. It is something your mother made me promise to do before I die.” He stopped once again but this time it wasn’t an unsure look it was almost a look of fear.
She felt like she might want to take a step back from him. Why was it that every time she tried to make up with her family that they slapped her in the face with it? “What is it?” she said this time devoid of any emotion going back to politic mode.
Sitting up as tall as he could as if he was once again giving a speech in the Great Hall and started, “When your mother and I first married it wasn’t for love. Yes in later years we found that we truly cared for each other, but at the beginning if was for something much different. Both of us had been told by prophets or dreams that our child would be the strongest force ever to be seen. I bred Ian to be the great leader he was predicted to be and you mother nurture you to be the kind hearted strong woman that you became. It is said that by Clan rules the first-born would be the next ruler and I wasn’t going to let anything ruin my plans so I lied… Your brother isn’t older then you. You were first-born. Your mother knew all along but didn’t care. When she looked at you all she care about was your happiness and that you knew what love was. That was the way for you to become the amazing witch you are today. Please don’t be mad at her. Place all your anger at me. Even though you are first-born, in a few days you will be the only one alive that knows it and I will see Ian as my successor. I’m sorry, that doesn’t mean that I don’t love you just…”
Tara looked at her father with a far off look on her face. She couldn’t believe that this was happening to her. For years Ian had held his statue over her and forced her to do so many things that she hated, and now she find out it was all a lie. Tara understood how her father could keep something like that from her but how could her mother do such a thing. So many nights she had ended up crying in her mother’s lap because of it and she said nothing! Taking a deep breath she refocused on her father. He looked at her with unsure eyes and her heart melted. Even though he had made a promise to his wife to do this, in the end he didn’t have to and the world would go on as it had for the last nineteen years but he didn’t.
She rushed over to him and hugged him as if her life depended on it. “I forgive you father and I still love you. We have lost so much time.” Tears flowed freely from both pairs of eyes as the last nine years of tension and anger were finally released.
He finally pulled her away and took a good look at his daughter. She had grown into a beautiful and confident young woman that had that same spark Ella had possessed. “I want to know everything that has happened while you were away. Even a blind man could tell that something has changed.”
“Her name is Willow.” Tara said and for the next hour she told him about everything that had happened to her in Sunnydale and how she had fallen in love.
Zahn couldn’t have been any happier for his daughter. Long ago he had heard the rumor about Tara and Kim but had never believed them, but now he wasn’t as sure as he used to be. After she went on and on about anything and everything she knew about Willow it was his turn to talk. He told her about the latest developments with the Royal Clan and some of the internal politics that had been going around. Zahn knew that Tara would soon go back to Sunnydale with the redheaded hacker that had stolen her heart, but while she was here she needed to know what to be careful of. Soon his body started to ware out and sleep became a necessity. As he was falling asleep the last thing that he heard was his daughter whisper, “I love you father.”
Tara was walking on cloud nine as she roamed the halls of her old home. She never thought she could feel this wonderful in this place. Her father loved her and it made her heart sing. Lucy walked up to her glad to see that her young charge was in such a good mood. “Mistress, General Heley would like to speak with you some time today if that is convenient?” She asked.
“Sure that would be wonderful,” Tara said as she remembered her father’s earlier words. “I was going to give Willow a guided tour of the gardens so why doesn’t he met us there in lets say an hour.”
“I will tell him right away.” Lucy said as she walked off to deliver the message.
Soon Tara reached the doors to her library and couldn’t wait to tell Willow everything that her father had told her. Now she was finally free and the weight that had been taken off her shoulders made her feel like she could fly, but soon her joy slammed into a brick wall as she opened the door.
“Who is that?” Willow asked her voice a little impatient.
“That is Kim.” Keth said simply. His voice hollow and empty.
“Kim.” Willow whispered.
Tara didn’t know what to do. She wanted to quietly close the door and run the other way just in case Willow aimed that question at her. She knew that the redhead had already been curious about Kim when Ian had mentioned her earlier, but from the sound of it Willow was now in her photo albums and there was no way to deny her presence now. She made a mental note to kill Keth later for showing Willow not only the Kim pictures but also what she imaged was the entire collection of embarrassing pictures that have ever been taken of her and the stories that went along with them.
Realizing that she couldn’t hide from this she walked into the room trying to recreate the good mood she was in moments ago. “So what do you think of my little collection? Have you started organizing them to your special order or has Keth been able to keep you at bay?”
Willow turned to look at her lover and almost squealed with joy. She ran toward Tara and enveloped her in the biggest hug she could give. Tara almost fell backwards by her strength. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Well I might leave a little more often if it means I get this kind of greeting when I get back.” Tara joked as she gave Willow a quick kiss. “So how do you like it?”
“Giles would have a heart attack if ever got to see this place. Have you actually been able to read all of these?” Willow asked still amazed at the size of the room.
Tara smiled as she watched Willow’s mind start calculating how many books the room would be able to hold. “Not all of them, but quite a few of them. Actually I was thinking of what we could get everyone for Christmas and didn’t you say that Mr. Giles birthday was coming up?”
“Tara, baby, I don’t think that books would be such a good idea for presents well except for Giles of course.” Willow rolled her eyes as she remembered Giles last birthday with the present and how he tried to be gracious will all the things that he didn’t want.
“Are you so sure? Once I started to get to know everyone something clicked in my mind. I was going to send a message to have these delivered but since we are here.” Tara said as she started to move towards the different shelves. She stopped for a moment and turned back to Willow, “You said that Buffy was trying to learn more about the other slayer and do more studying about things of that nature, right?”
Willow only nodded and watched her girlfriend run through out the library. She was about to say something about acting respectful while being in the library, but then remembered that it was hers so she could do what ever she wanted. Finally Tara returned with two armloads of books and a very skeptical looking girlfriend.
“Trust me. First, for Mr. Giles I have two different sets since we are dealing with birthday and for Christmas.” She placed three large bound books in front of Willow. “These are the Clan’s records of the founding of the Watcher’s Council. I thought he might find that to be an interest read and the others are a brief history of the four hell mouths.” She looked over at Willow to see if she thought it was a good idea.
Willow was shocked. Giles would get to have that heart attack after all when he opened these presents. “There perfect. What are the rest of the book?”
“Well, for Buffy I have the complete history of the slayers actually going back to the first slayer and how she came to be chosen.” Tara said as she placed five books on top of Giles’ books. “Next we have Xander. When I was young Ian and I would call these the Sex Books, they contain everything you could ever want to know about demons who have some connection to the forbidden arts.”
Willow almost choked, “Your giving Xander a demon sex book. Fine but just make sure you tell Anya that this one was just from you because I don’t need her yelling at me again.” Tara smiled at that. “So who is next?”
“Since you mentioned Anya.” Tara started.
“Baby, I hate to break this to you but giving Anya a book is like giving me the lead in a play. They just don’t go together.” Willow interrupted.
Tara smiled. “Most of the time I would agree with you on that, but I was able to find a book dealing with Vengeance Demons and she is mentioned in the book as being the greatest of Vengeance Demons and being D’Hoffryn’s favorite. Then it goes on to tell some of her greatest stories, which I don’t recommend reading.”
“I bow down to your wisdom oh wise one. I think that will be a perfect present for Anya. Though there is this nagging feeling in the back of my head that everyone else will pay for your kindness when she starts to read passages from the book.” The hacker looked confused when she saw that Tara still had some books in her hands. “Who are those for?”
“Well, this one is a book about archeological digs from the ancient world for Mrs. Summers and the other is a book of glamour spells for Dawn. Don’t worry about the spell book the biggest spell is changing your hair color and that will only last for three days. It is very mind and was the first spell book that my mother ever gave me see.” On the inside cover was written ‘To my darling daughter, always let light guide your way and trust your heart. Love, Mom.’
Willow was about to cry as she looked over at her girlfriend. She always thought of everyone no matter what the situation was. She had followed her mother’s words for Tara’s heart was the largest and most honest that she had ever met.
Tara turned to look at her and whispered, “There is only one person left.”
“Who?” Willow asked.
“You silly. You can have anything you want in this entire library. Anything that you want. I’m sure one of the magic books caught your attention.” Tara said with a smile.
“Is there a limit on the number of books I get to have if they are in a collection?” Willow’s eyes danced as she thought about what she would soon own. It was the only thing she wanted.
“No… You can have anything that you want. What is going on in that brain of yours?” Tara watched the wheels turn behind her eyes and felt a surge of desire run through her. For some reason the squeming side of Willow looked very sexy to her.
Willow walked over to the table that she was sitting at earlier. “I want all of these,” she said simply as she pointed to all of Tara’s photo albums.
Tara didn’t know what to say. She never imagined that with all of this knowledge at her fingertips Willow would throw it away just to have images of her as a child. Her heart swelled she walked over to her love and kissed her with all the passion she had. “Then they are yours.” With that said she went back to her third favorite pass time. This continued until Keth coughed to remind the two witches of his presence in the room. Tara turned to look at him with a sheepish smile. Then her face went cold and as she spoke her voice became demanding, “Keth, I know that you showed Willow where these books are, because there are too many things that would have caught her attention first. Now I will have to do something that I never imagined having to do.”
“Baby, it was my fault please don’t punish Keth.” Willow begged scared that she had gotten the kind protector into trouble.
“Keth, I am ordering you… to go home and visit your family. They live only an hour away and we should be fine for at least a day so I don’t want to see you here until them.” Tara smiled as she walked over and gave Keth a hug.
He smiled and quickly left the room. She turned to look at Willow and laughed at the pout that had formed on her lover’s lips. She walked back over to the hacker and gave her a breath-taking kiss. Once they broke she said, “Now I believed that you asked for a tour of the gardens?”
Tbc…
by Charlie » Wed Jan 30, 2002 6:22 pm
More please!
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"Je dois partir maintenant parce que ma grandmere est flambé..."
- Eddie 'covered in beeeees!' Izzard
by xita » Thu Jan 31, 2002 12:36 am
by aladdin » Thu Jan 31, 2002 2:33 pm
by Hawk » Sat Feb 02, 2002 1:14 pm
by UniDagger » Sat Feb 02, 2002 1:54 pm
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"Gay Now"
So you're gay?
Yes
Will you be gay tomorrow?
Let me check my calendar...yep. Looks like I'll be gay all week.
******
My other car is a broom.
***
by Hawk » Sun Feb 03, 2002 9:50 pm
Ian stormed past his servants as they quickly back peddled to avoid his wrath. He paced across his personal corridors as his mind worked on different scenarios involving his sister’s return. All of his plans required no opposition this early. If he could keep her in the dark, or at least in a bed with her new ‘friend’, then he might not have to worry at all. Now with information though, his hopes were starting to fade. “What do you mean General Heley is going to have a meeting with Tara?” He looked down at his pathetic servants when they didn’t answer. “Well?”
Finally regaining a little of his courage one answered, “I was following Tara as you requested. After spending two hours in your father’s chamber, she left and spoke with Lucy. Lucy said that General Heley had requested a moment of her time. Tara agreed and then went to her library to join the redheaded woman.”
“Fine if General Heley wants to have his little get together let him. He has been a thorn in my side for too many years. He always seemed to have a thing for my little sister.” He turned to the first servant and continued, “I want you to continue following Tara. If anything important happens come talk to me immediately. Go.” The servant left quickly while the other looked concerned as to why he was still here. “You go get Russell. I need to speak with him.”
“Yes Milord. Right away,” the servant answered as he almost ran out of the room.
This was something he needed to take care of right away. General Heley was too well protected for Ian to try anything, but Heley was of little concern. He had to keep this in the family so to say. If he knew his sister, Tara would have let her precious Keth go home to see his family leaving her unprotected. As long as everything works as planned with Russell.
“You asked to see me?” a voice came from the shadows.
Ian turned to face the cloaked figure gliding out from the darkness. “Yes, I did. I have a new assignment for you to carry out. Now take off that ridicules cloak, there is no one else in here. Your identity as always is safe.” Ian demanded as he moved to sit down. The figure removed his cloak to reveal an attractive dark haired man with pale green eyes.
Sitting down next to Ian, Russell continued, “You asked me to come to perform you bidding so what do you want of me? Just remember that after this last task our bargain is over. We will never see each other again.”
“Yes, yes that is our deal. You really need to lighten up at bit Russ.” Ian almost started to laugh. He always enjoyed torturing and manipulating those around him and Russell had been his second greatest accomplishment. “I just want you to deal with some unfinished business.”
Russell sat up a little. “What do you mean by unfinished business?” This didn’t surprise him. If he was going to finally win his freedom, then his last task would be the worst.
“I just think its time to finish the little party we started three years ago, now that the guest of honor is finally home,” he said with a smile. “You know me. I have to be the perfect host no matter how long ago the party was.” Ian waited paciently for his companion to reply.
“When did Tara return home? I thought she was happy in America,” he said wanting to change the subject.
Ian smiled at the hole that Russell had just dug for himself. “Oh, yes. I would be willing to bet my life on that fact now that she has replaced Kimmy. Even though Kim was a scrumptious morsel this new girl, Willow, is amazing.” He saw Russell’s eyes flare. “So do we have a deal?”
“Yes, young Comsario will soon receive the birthday present you planned for her sixteenth birthday party.” Russell grabbed his cloak and quickly left the room to prepare for the events at hand.
Everything was going as planned. Soon Ian would rule the Royal Clans and man would discover the reality of the demons that haunted their dreams. No longer would demons forced to hide in darkness while man ruled over the day. And when all of this happened he would be a god on Earth. Ultimate power was only a few days away.
“So I guess I’ll be your tour guide for the rest of the day? Then allow me to show you the true beauty of my home.” Tara said as she guided Willow out into the open lawns.
Of all the places in her home, Tara had always loved the gardens the most even more then her library. This was the place her mother would take her when they would practice new spells. While Ian was forced to work in some darkened dungeon surrounded by towers or books, she was out in the fresh air and sunlight. Being considered a prodigy at the age of seven would have affected anyone, but her mother had always kept her well grounded. One of the many ways she did this was by teaching in nature. When learning a spell in nature, the spell caster can see how their magic affects the world around then and to learn respect for the Earth. That was the greatest lesson her mother had ever taught her.
“Sorry to burst your bubble but I have a feeling I already saw it last night,” Willow teased as she kissed her lover’s neck. “But I’m perfectly willing to look at the pretty flowers as long as you promise one thing.”
“And what is that?” Tara almost whispered as Willow continued her trail of kisses.
“That I get to see the prettiest thing in your home again tonight.” Willow said as she heard Tara quietly moaned by her action as well as what she was saying.
It took a moment but Tara was soon able to speak again, “I don’t think that will be a problem. No definitely not a problem.”
“Good.” Willow said as she stopped kissing Tara’s neck and quickly started moving towards the gardens. “Come on slow poke, I thought you were going to show me the flowers.”
Tara stared at her lover for a moment, her body not wanting to accept Willow’s retreat. “You’re going to pay for that.” Tara yelled as she started running after Willow.
For the next hour Tara pointed out every flower explaining that she spent so much time out in this garden that she had names for ever flower. Afterwards she told Willow about the time Keth wouldn’t leave her alone so she told a nest of Robins to use him for target practice. Time flied without wither noticing or feeling the pair of eyes that continued to watch them.
Finally they reached the farthest parts of the gardens and Willow noticed a hidden cove that blocked unwanted viewers. Her eyes twinkled with mischief as an idea of what they could do in such a secluded spot came to her mind. Maybe she wouldn’t have to wait till tonight to enjoy true beauty. “Baby, what’s over there?”
“Nothing.” Tara said only looking at the spot of a moment. She prayed Willow wouldn’t be persistent but that would be too much to ask for.
“Come on. I’m sure we can find something to do in that…secluded…hidden cove where no one could possibly see us.” Willow said as she wrapped her arms around Tara’s waist from behind. When Tara didn’t say anything she moved in from of her grasping her hand. “I promise to make it worth your wild,” she continued as she started to pull her lover into the hidden cove.
Tara didn’t resist until she was inside the cove. All the memories from her child, of Kim, attacked her from all side. The good memories faded as her nightmare once again unfolded in front of her eyes. She could almost hear the screams of anger and desperation filling the cove as they did so many years ago. “Baby, baby are you alright?” Willow asked as she turned to see the blond turn pale and her eyes moved wildly around the cove. “Talk to me.”
“It’s just been so long since I’ve been here. So… many memories, that’s all.” Tara tried to cover up, not wanting to distress Willow, but she knew Willow wouldn’t buy it. “This was the place I first met Kim and … and the last place I saw her.”
“Oh, maybe this wasn’t the best idea,” Willow said as she started to move out of the cove.
“Willow, don’t go. I need to tell you about Kim if I’m ever going to be able to move on. Please!” Willow stopped and turned to face Tara. Part of her was dying to know who this Kim was and how she could cause so much pain to the woman she loved, but the other part of her was scared to hear the story. It was only when she was the desperation in Tara’s eyes, so she nodded and moved to the corner of the cove, sitting down. Tara sat down beside her and began telling Willow everything of both joy and shame.
“My father and I never really got along when I was growing up, but when I was ten we had a horrible fight and until today we hadn’t spoken since. The only ally I had was my mother who died the next year. I went through a real hard time after that. The only person I would even talk to was Keth and for the most part talking equaled me screaming at him to leave me alone. Most of the time I would just stay out her in the gardens asking why she was gone.
A few months later I met Kim. This cove had become my secret place and was the only area Keth would let me stay unguarded. She was the daughter of one of the cleaning staff and had come to help her mother and was on a break. I was sitting in this corner here and she walked in. I screamed at her saying ‘how dare some servant disturb someone of my station and that I could have her whole family fired if not worse.’ She looked at me and replied, ‘Well I would reply that you were just some spoiled brat that should learn that the whole world doesn’t revolve around you, but I can see that there is something else going on here so do you want to talk about it.’ Well that was something that shocked me out of my shell so to say.
It took me a few weeks but Kim gradually got me out of my depression. People started rumors about how Kim and I were lovers but we weren’t. She was my Buffy. On my twelve birthday she took me out to her family’s farm and the whole day was spend horseback riding. No one knew anything about where we were going and what we were doing. Kim had explain to Keth that part of the present was getting me away from everything Clan related, so he reluctantly agreed to stay away. It was the best day of my ‘new life’ as Kim told me.
The years seemed to fly by and Kim convinced me that I had all this power that I should used it to make a difference. I started to contribute more at council meetings and public events; that is where the problems started. On my sixteenth birthday, Kim was going to take me to her ranch as our yearly tradition, but for some reason Kim left a note saying that she would meet me there. When I got there Kim was nowhere to be found and in her place was my brother. He gave me this whole story that he wanted to make up for all the years that he had been a jerk to me and that he had a present for me in the barn. When I went inside all I found was ten Goldwyn demons and two Cartago demons waiting for me; that’s what he meant in Sunnydale when he called my earlier attack a family tradition. He locked the barn and they attacked me. It took almost all the energy I had to defeat the demons, but the Cartago demon was able to hit me with a poison dart.
Two days later I woke up, Keth standing by my bedside looking like he had been there for at least ten days. All I could think of was how Kim had betrayed me. I felt something that I had never felt before, pure rage. Keth told me that she had been by my side for twelve hours straight and that she had been checking on me ever hour since. Before she had a chance to come in again I order Keth to keep her out. I didn’t want to ever see her again and had thought of every spell I could that would do things that I don’t want to think about. It took her another two months to see me.
I decided to go outside and spend the day in the garden, now that I was finally getting over the Apothu poison. It was a much larger dosage then and it was in my system for at least ten hours. Not thinking of where my feet were taking me I found myself in this cove. Kim was there I never knew the reason why. She spent an hour say how she was so happy that I was all right and that she had no idea that was going to happen, but I didn’t listen to her. I didn’t care what she had to say. After she was done, it was my turn. I told her that I had never been so betrayed by anyone in my entire life and that I wish she would just die. I screamed that I hoped what ever her reasons were she was happy that she tried to have me killed. Before she had a chance to say anything else, I told her that I never wanted to see her again and if she ever tried to make contact with me that I would make her life a living hell. She ran out of this cove tears in her eyes, vowing that she had no idea what had happened.
Two days later, Ian came to me and said that Kim had no idea what was going to happen. He told me how he had written the note to me and then wrote one to Kim saying that plans had changed and I would me her in this cove. He explained that it was Kim who found me in her barn and carried me home so that I could be treated. She saved my life. I desperately tried to find Kim but she had disappeared. Two weeks later, Caleb her brother told me that she had died. There was a car accident and that she hadn’t suffered.”
Tara finally looked up from her story to recognize that Willow was even there. “She died because of me. She was my friend for more then four years and I didn’t trust her.” Tears started to fall from her eyes. Tears that she could cry those three years ago.
Willow seized Tara in her arms never wanting to let go. She just let her cry for as long as she wanted softly whispering comforting words. Willow had no idea that Tara had this bottled up inside her all this time. She thought that the blonde’s need for approval and love, but she had thought it was because of her bad relationship with her father. Another hour passed while Willow just held Tara not caring about the world around them. All that matter was that Tara was in her arms and that she would never let anything bad happen to the blond again. Tara had stopped crying but still clung to Willow.
Neither of them noticed the form that moved behind them until it was too late. Tara felt the sharp point of cold steel press against her neck as they both heard a deep voice, “No what is this? Young Comsario all along and distracted, what would Keth say?”
Tbc…
by Brynn » Tue Feb 05, 2002 12:31 pm
I look forward to more .... soon.
by moegirl1 » Sun Feb 17, 2002 2:13 am
by ForeverPiper » Sun Feb 17, 2002 7:37 am
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...but it's time to work without the net, Will. -TARA (Older and Far Away)
by RomanceJunky » Sun Feb 17, 2002 9:09 am
Agreeing with FP Here! Just got through reading this from the beginning and really enjoyed it...Where's the next part?
RJ...this was nice.
by wiltar » Sun Feb 17, 2002 6:28 pm
Patricia
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"What are they looking at?"
"The hotness of you, doofus!"
by xita » Sun Feb 17, 2002 7:36 pm
by Hawk » Mon Feb 18, 2002 1:00 am
Part Nine
All time stopped as the two witches heard the voice echoing in their ears. Willow’s mind was racing as she saw the shadowed figure behind her but more importantly the sharp sword he had at the neck of the woman she loved. Suddenly a spell came to mind and she hoped that it would work.
Tara could tell that Willow had a plan and stayed as still as possible knowing within moments she would have to react on her own. She flexed the muscles of her shoulders and back knowing that would keep the attention of the attacker; hoping it would be enough to hide the hacker’s mumbling.
Just as the blade started to press a little deeper into Tara skin a large flash of light exploded into the shadow’s face causing him to fall backwards blinded. Not wasting any time Tara turned and went on the attack. It only took her a second to size up her appoinment; six and a half feet tall, looks about three hundred pounds and she guessed that it was all muscle. Figuring that a caged spell would work best to get answers she started to chant. Within a second he was trapped inside an invisible cage.
“Now I remember why I never messed with you at the counsel meetings,” the figure said and Tara recognized the voice.
“General Heley?” Tara asked dissolving the spell.
The figure removed his cloak and smiled at Tara. His green skin brought out his red eyes and his silver hair was thinning a little from the last time she had seen him. Slowly he stood up and rubbed his eyes trying to get them back into focus. “Yes young Comsario. I thought we had a meeting but I won’t fight about it,” he smiled at her as he moved in to hug her.
“I didn’t know it was you. If I had then I would have come up with a more interesting prison.” Tara said as she returned the demon’s hug. Her father’s words echoing in her head after they parted.
Heley looked her up and down. “I bet you would have if you had had the chance. The one thing I forgot is you never travel with people that can’t take care of themselves.” He turned to look Willow up and down. She shivered a little by his attention never being one that enjoyed when a demon looked then up and down. He seemed friendly enough and Tara seemed at ease with him but she could see the cold side of him and didn’t really want to be around when that side came out.
Tara walked over to Willow and placed her arm around the redhead’s waist giving her a little squeeze. “General Heley this is Willow, my girlfriend. Willow this is the leader of the Hapes Demons, General Heley. He was my mother’s closest friend and ally within the council. He was one of Keth’s trainers back in the old days until he became bounded to me. Since then Heley has been trying to prove that when all Goldwyn Demons become bound that they lose their edge, so far Keth is the only on that has defied his statement. ”
Willow relaxed a little after Tara had explained what had just happened. “It’s nice to meet you General Heley. I’m sorry about the whole blinding you thing.”
The sound of Heley’s laughter filled the cove as he looked at the couple with true amazement. Never in his life had he meet someone he thought would be perfect for the shy blond that he had watch grown up. Her father had tried to set her up with all the young warlocks in the counsel but she always looked tense and uncomfortable around them, plus the fact that none of them understood Tara’s need for normalcy and love. She didn’t want to live the life of the counsel. This redhead in one sentence proved that magic and power didn’t mean anything to her and that kindness did. Even after being attacked she was able to accept the reasoning and even apologies for protecting herself. They were a match made in heaven or should he say hell mouth. “Never be sorry for protecting the ones that you love. No matter what they are the only things that are important in this world. You’re young but I think you will become a great witch some day as long as you have a teacher willing to work through the hard parts with you.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem.” Tara said as she kissed her lover’s temple and leaned into the redhead.
“So it is true. She has bewitched you.” Heley said with wide eyes.
“What!?” both witches said at once.
It took a moment for Heley to stop laughing at their reaction. “For the last hour I have been subjugated to listening the gossip mile form Windu, my wife. Everyone says that Willow has bewitched you and that is why after all this time you have come back to make peace with your father. The maid are screaming to the cooks that you were making out in public and that you can’t seem to stay away from her for more the a couple hours. It didn’t help that you blood bounded Keth to her. All I can say is that it was more interesting that having to listen about the new girl you brother is trying to ruin.”
Tara’s mouth didn’t seem to want to work. Over the last few months she had just started to feel comfortable around Buffy and the rest of the Scoobies so she had forgotten that no one around her were use to seeing her act like this. It was like Kim all over again except this time the rumors were true with the exception that she was being bewitched unless they counted that as being in love.
“I’m not an enchantress I swear. The closest I have ever been called that was by Cordelia and she used a little different language that didn’t make it sound as romantic. I’m not cool or powerful enough to be thought as of an enchantress even though I have made an improvement sine high school. Anyway that as just as silly as Xander and Anya thinking that Tara was one. I can’t believe that there are so many rumors running around and we have only been here for like three fourths of a day. This is almost as bad as high school.” Willow babbled as she tried to get over the concept of being talked about and then after that getting over the idea of what they were saying about her.
Tara was about to say something to Heley when she turned to look at Willow with a shocked look. “Xander and Anya thought I was what?”
Willow gave a pretty good expression of a deer caught in headlights. “Nothing... I was just mumbling… and said nothing about Xander and Anya. Remember we were talking about what they were saying here… not Sunnydale.” She knew that it would save her later but maybe it would give her enough time to figure out a way to save herself from Xander and Anya when they got back home.
Even though he was enjoying watching the two witches he had to talk to Tara about her brother. “Tara, I’m sorry but I really need to talk to you about your brother.”
He received the reaction he was expecting. Tara’s body went rigid and she turned to look at him with serious eyes. She took a deep breath and nodded. “How bad is it?”
“It’s bad. I think you brother wants to break the vow and expose humans to the reality or our world.” Heley explained.
Of all the things she was expecting that wasn’t one of them. “He wouldn’t be that stupid. It will start a war that will most likely destroy the world and then there will never be a winner. That was one of the main reasons I went to watch the new hell mouth in the first place.”
“Your brother has been talking with the more rebellious of the members and he is trying to have them back him for Thursday’s meeting. That’s why I wanted to talk to you the moment you came in. If he is able to talk the counsel into this then there is no turning back and I don’t think we will survive.” Heley didn’t want to unload it in as hard as he had but there was no time to play easy.
Feeling the way her lover’s body had tensed, Willow could tell that this was going to be worse then anything she had seen with Buffy. The idea that all of the demon’s who where fine staying in the shadows and calmly living their lives decided to attack humans and take over the world chilled her to the bone. “Why would he ever want to do that? From what Tara told my he has so much power being able to control who in the demon world will get to stay on top. This would kill most of them.”
Heley smiled at the redhead. She had a mind on her; she didn’t seemed fazed by the idea of what was going to happen, but was trying to figure out his motives so that they could find a solution. “He is mad for power. His father has been giving he free reign over the counsel after he started to get sick. The first thing he found out was that his power is still limited. He has to go through the counsel to still do anything that would cause major change and then he found out I had just as much power if not more then he did. The other members trust in my words and most of them lately have been against him.
“If he starts this war and the demons win then you will be viewed as a god and have uncontrollable power.” Tara finished.
“Oh,” was all that Willow could say.
“Why don’t we take this somewhere a little more private?” Heley said as he started to look around. He didn’t like talking about this in the open. Ian had too many spies.
Tara nodded. “Willow would it be alright if we walked you back into the library. I don’t know how long it will take to go over all of this and I would feel better if you stayed out of this as much as possible. The more that you know the more you become a target. Right now they only think you’re my lover, if they knew that you could do magic and were as brilliant in a fight as you were beautiful then we would be in trouble.” She smiled as she finished watching Willow blush.
Once again Willow didn’t like the idea that she was being left in the dark but the pleading look was almost impossible to ignore. ‘And she says that my resolved face is undeniable,’ she thought. “Fine but you are going to owe me big time when you get back.”
“You have my word. I don’t know how long this is going to take, but it is getting late. If you get tired then just have someone show you were my room is. I’m sure that Lucy has already told everyone that we will be staying in the say room. She has to be the leader when it comes to gossip.” Tara said trying to end this on a happy note and knew she had seceded when Willow’s cheeks turned red.
They talked in whispers as they walked back to the library. It took about thirty minutes and they watched everyone that was around them very carefully. To make it look like Heley was just making a social visit, he started talking about how his wife had given birth to another boy and that his other two sons were in the army and rising up the ranks almost as fast as their father had. Tara explained some of the effects the hell mouth was having to the area around it and informed him of some of the adventures she had been on since she had become a Scooby. It took twenty minutes to explain why they even called them that in the first place.
Finally they reached the library and Tara gave Willow a searing kiss before heading off into the unknown. She walked into the library and started to look around. Moving over she double checked all the books Tara had picked for presents and still thought that they were prefect though Buffy won’t like Dawns. Afterwards she moved back over to her presents and started to take a closer look at all the images of her love, mentally making a timeline of images.
The door opened and a startled young man entered. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t know that anyone was in here.”
“It’s okay, my names Willow. What are you doing in here? This is Tara’s private library.” Willow asked the newcomer.
The newcomer stood at his full height and looked at her with pale green eyes before he answered, “I’m Russell. Tara said that I could use her library while she was gone. She said there was no reason why they should be locked away and wasted when someone might be able to use them. I know that she is back but I didn’t think the offer was revoked. I can leave.” He moved to leave.
“ No wait! I’m sorry I have just been a little stress out. Please come in. If Tara said that you can use her library then she is the only one that can revoke it.” Willow mentally slapped herself. As long as she was here she might as well try to make some acquaintances.
He moved closer to her in the room and smiled, “Thank you. So you are the one that Lady Tara brought from America?”
“I guess that I am, but you can call me Willow,” she said as she moved to shake his hand.
He accepted her hand and looked over her shoulder at the picture book Willow had been looking at. In the center of the page as a photo of Tara and Kim and under it was written ‘Friends Forever’. His eyes flared but he looked back at Willow and smiled. “Thank you. So how long have you know Tara?…”
TBC…
by aladdin » Mon Feb 18, 2002 10:06 am
Great update, I just love this fic and Take-Charge-Tara rocks so much!
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Dawn way, it is: "I take bowl condition nuclear projection."
(Dawns "I'll take a drumstick."-line in babelfish japanese.)
by Tiggrscorpio » Mon Feb 18, 2002 10:30 am
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She's my everything!
by Hawk » Tue Feb 19, 2002 3:57 pm
Willow looked at her watch and noticed that she had been talking to Russell for over an hour. They went from Tara’s childhood to what it was like living in Sunnydale with the new hell mouth. She didn’t know anyone but Keth and Tara and it was nice to talk to someone that didn’t think she was an enchantress for goddess sake. Russell was able to tell her some juicy stories to taunt Tara with in the future.
“So how are you liking our little world? Is it confusing enough for you?” he asked.
“It was for a while but I think I’m getting the hang of all the underlining politics and all that. As long as I stay away from Ian and his cronies, I think I’ll be fine.” She smiled at him and rolled her eyes and turned to look at some of the magic books on the shelf.
Russell just smiled. “Oh yes, you should stay away from them as much as possible, but I guess its too late for that.” Willow turned to look back at me with a questioning look; only to find a cloth shoved over her face with the distinct smell of chloroform. “Now you will understand all of the politics and so much more.” As his words echoed in her ears she passed out.
Tara and General Heley had spent the last hour and a half working on the best course of action to deal with the Ian situation. They could attack him publicly until he announced his plans and he wouldn’t do that until he was sure no one could cause him any problems. The only thing that was on their side was that Ian wouldn’t expect Tara to know as much as she did, plus stand up against him. Tara had spent her whole life trying to stay out of the council and made it publicly know that Ian could have it. For the most part Tara had kept this but her brother had gone to far. She didn’t want to go against her father, but she couldn’t let Ian win this time.
“We can’t do anything till Thursday. The best thing we can do is act like everything is normal. Let him think that he is going to win so that he gets cocky.” Tara said reluctantly. She hated politics and this was just another reason.
Heley sighed, “I guess that is all we can do, but I still don’t like it. We don’t know how many people will follow him and it might end up getting bloody.”
“I won’t let that happen do you hear me. If things turn for the worse then I will have to make it a family issue alone.” Tara replied with a small edge to her voice. “No matter how much it will hurt me.”
There was silence for a moment before Heley spoke, “I know that this question is going to sound weird, but did your father keep his promise to your mother? Did you tell you the truth?” Tara looked at him surprised. I guess her father wasn’t the only one that knew about her being first-born. With a calm voice she nodded yes asking a silent question. “Your mother told me before she die. She want to make sure that you found out the truth and wasn’t sure if your father would keep his word. His ambition for Ian has always clouded his judgment as well as his morals.”
“I will only play that card if I have to…” she was about to continue when there was a knock on her door.
Lucy entered the room with a concerned look on her face. “Lady Tara I think you need to see this.”
Tara didn’t need to be told twice. Lucy knew that they were not to be disturbed so if she was here then something was wrong. No one said anything as Lucy led them down the hallway to the library. When the go there Tara saw a letter on the door held in place with a dagger. She took the note and silently read it. ‘Happy Birthday Tara.’ She rushed into the library and saw that some of the books were turned over and knew exactly what happened.
“I have to go. Don’t follow me this is something that I need to take care of. It has gone on for too long,” her voice was cold and her eyes distant. Lucy and Heley nodded and watched her run off towards the stables. She didn’t have much time.
“Wake up!” A glass of cold water followed the words and did the trick. Willow slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus them. After a moment she was able to see again and was welcomed with the sight of Russell standing over her. “It’s so nice of you to finally join us,” he voice lost all the kindness it had from before.
Her voice was dry but she didn’t really think about it. “What do you want with me?” She had lived way to long on the hell mouth to freak out after being kidnapped. After the Faith situation it took a lot for her to show the fear that she was feeling.
He smiled. “It’s rather simple. All I want is revenge and you are my perfect bait. Tara is going to pay for everything that she has done.”
“So you are working for Ian?” Willow didn’t understand.
“After tonight I will finally be free of that shit. No that is just a side matter that I will finally be finishing. I’m here to make Tara pay for killing Kim. Get up,” he demanded.
Shocked by his words she found herself doing what he asked without even knowing it. Did he really think that Tara could kill someone? Suddenly she heard a noise that brought more fear then Russell ever could. “Are.. Are there horses here?” She hated the fact that her phobia was getting the best of her, but that is what usually happened when a person had a phobia.
Russell looked at her with a confused look. Her life was in his hands and she was worried about some stupid horses. “Yes that was. You know what I think it is time for you to get ready and I think that you will get to know the horses really well.”
Tara was outside Kim’s old barn. It had been a place of great happiness and then betrayal, but that didn’t matter right now. The only thing that was important was that Willow was in trouble and she had to save her. Tara slowly opened the door of the barn and picked inside. There she saw something she wouldn’t have believed. Willow was sitting on a horse. Early on Tara had learned about Willow’s phobia of horses and thought that it was cute, but there was nothing cute about this. Around her lover’s neck was a rope and Willow was having a very hard time keeping that horse calm.
“Tara!” Willow almost yelled as she saw the blond.
“Willow are you alright? Did they hurt you?” Tara asked, as she started moving towards the horse. Before she could get there an arrow soared through the air landing two inches from Tara’s feet. She stopped. “Is Ian here?” she asked.
“No its some guy named Russell. I thought that he was your friend and then we started talking and the next thing I knew I was here. Tara he placed something around the barn so that you can’t cast magic.” Willow was talking a mile a minutes trying to tell Tara everything that she had found out.
Tara only nodded. She had felt the barrier when she came in. “Honey, I need you to relax your body. If you do that then the horse will relax as well. It’s picking up on your anxiety.” Tara hoped that Willow would do as she asked. It had been years since she had been here but she knew the horse that Willow was on. Avalon was his name and he was very temperamental.
“Okay, but I can tell you right now that this is definitely a arm biting horse if I have ever seen one. And you will never be able to get me on a horse after this.” Willow said as she slowly tried to relax the muscles of her body and control her breathing.
Tara smiled at her girlfriend and tried to think about what was going on here. If Ian were here he would have already made his presence known so that he could start gloating. That meant that it was someone that he had sent. She looked around the barn and guessed that who ever they were they were staying up in the loft part of the barn watching her with arrows in hand incase she tried to get closer to Willow again. “Willow do you know how many people are here?”
“Russell is the only one that I saw but I was unconscious for part of the time.” Willow answered looking around to see where he had gone.
“Did he say anything that might tell me why he is doing this?” she asked. Most times Ian’s lackeys would give away too much information without realizing it and Willow was good at picking up on things like that.
Willow thought about it for a moment. “All I know is he doesn’t seem to like Ian any more then you and he keeps going on about Kim.”
That got Tara’s attention. It could be a trick and Ian was using her emotions about Kim against her. She continued to look around the barn trying to figure out the best way to get to Willow before Avalon decided that he was tired of this little game and leaves. The barn had two levels the lower one where all the horses were kept and then the loft upstairs, which had a couple rooms. If she could get to the upper level then she could reach the rope that Willow was around her neck. There was only one thing that she could do. “Show yourself Russell.”
“Now what would be the fun in that?” a voice came from the loft. “Right now you have to deal with the idea that your girlfriend could die any second and there is nothing you can do about it. Plus if I stay where I am, then I don’t have to worry about you getting close enough to me to do damage.”
“So you are a coward?” Tara asked trying to upset him enough and then he would make a mistake.
There was nothing for a moment and then the voice laughed. “Try all you want to make me angry so that I give you an open shot. It isn’t going to happen. Right now I’m the one with the power and the great Comsario is the one that is weak.”
Tara’s posture completely changed. She went from being on the defensive, to being shocked and the finally to sadness. “Caleb, show yourself.”
A figure moved into view and Tara’s suspicions were confirmed. Caleb jumped from the loft to the lower level landing perfectly his bow and arrow still trained on Tara. “I should have known that you would figure it out before I wanted you to, but it doesn’t matter you are still going to pay for what happened to Kim.”
Tara moved forward but stopped when Caleb tightened his grip on the bow. It had been two years since she had seen him and in that time he had become a completely different person. He had changed from the rugged outdoor boy who always seemed at peace, to a cold killer. This couldn’t be Kim’s brother. “Caleb, what has happened to you?”
Willow looked between the two still trying to figure things out. “I thought your name was Russell?”
“I guess that I can answer both your questions at once. When my sister, Kim, died so did everything else not that Tara ever noticed; she was too wrapped in her own pain because she was so perfect and that fact that she could ever make a mistake only doubled her pain. She cause my sister to kill herself and instead of being punished she was coddled and pampered.” His eyes flared at Tara. “Everyone had to make sure that she was alright. I know the truth. She cried on my shoulder the day after your fight and she told me everything that you said. You will pay for my sister death if it is the last thing that I ever do.”
“Then why are you doing this to Willow? She has nothing to do with all of this. If you want to punish me then do it.” Tara said trying to get him to think. This couldn’t be Caleb something had happened to him.
He smiled, “But you see. Killing you would be too much of a blessing. After your dead then the pain stops. If I kill someone that you love then we will be even. And then I will be free of Ian forever.”
That was what Tara wanted to hear. So Ian was a factor in this. Now the only question is how. “Why are you even working for my brother? What does he have over you?”
“It doesn’t matter. After I take care of both of you he will leave me alone and I will be free of everything. You will not take away my freedom as you did my sister.” He made a noise with his mouth and Avalon started to move away from the rope.
“Caleb! What would Kim say if she saw what you were doing? I think we both know. She would beat the living crap out of you until you could think straight and then say that was an improvement. Don’t let Ian manipulate you like he did Kim and me.” She didn’t know what else to say. She had to find out what Caleb was hiding before she could understand anything.
“SHUT UP!!!!!” he screamed. His outburst was unexpected by everyone.
The horse leaped into action and started running away unsure what was going on leaving will choking in the air. Tara ran to her trying to keep her up so that she could breath, but Tara could see her skin starting to turn blue.
TBC…
by moegirl1 » Wed Feb 20, 2002 12:37 am
by ForeverPiper » Thu Feb 21, 2002 5:42 pm
by wiltar » Thu Feb 21, 2002 6:10 pm
quote:
Originally posted by moegirl1:
Ohhh, very suspenseful. Don't leave me hanging. Get it, hanging? Get it? ha ha
Call me a sicko, but LOL on that!
For the rest, I'm just as curious as everyone else on where this will lead...
Patricia
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"What are they looking at?"
"The hotness of you, doofus!"
by Hawk » Thu Feb 21, 2002 9:42 pm
Time slowed as Caleb watched the two women in front of him. He should be reveling in the pain that was going on; this was his final freedom. Willow was trying to pull herself up the rope while Tara had hold of her feet trying to push her up even farther. She was desperately looking around for a knife or something else to cut the rope. Her eyes fell on a few things that would work but that would mean having to leave Willow and that wasn’t an option. As he looked at Willow’s face it suddenly morphed into Kim’s and his heart literally stopped.
An arrow soared through the air cutting the rope in two. Willow fell into Tara’s arms as they both collapsed onto the ground. Once she was sure that her lover was still breathing, she attacked the offensive rope that still hung around her neck. Willow held on to Tara for dear life. This was her vacation of sorts, if she wanted to be attacked by yet another homicidal maniac then she would have stayed in Sunnydale. She looked up into Tara’s eyes and saw the fresh tears that were falling and lifted her hand to wipe them away. All that matter right now was them both being all right and together.
“Go, get out of here,” Caleb’s voice cut through them.
Tara searched the barn for him but couldn’t see him, which left only one place that he could be. “I’ll be right back,” she told Willow but the redhead wouldn’t let her go. “Fine, but I want you to stay behind me.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem,” Willow replied. Her voice was horse but she was grateful that she still had the ability to use it.
The darkness consumed them as they walked through the loft. Willow could tell at one time it was a beautifully kept area but looked as if it had been deserted for years. In the far corner there was a small light and Tara had been leading her towards it. She didn’t want to be anywhere near this Russell…Caleb or what ever his name was. He gave her the chill and reminded her a lot of Faith, not just the trying to kill her part either. He had the ability to be a somewhat nice person and then in the blink of an eye change into a psycho.
Finally they reached the room and where greeted with the sight of Caleb’s back. He was sitting in the room with a single candle lighting it and didn’t even look up when he heard them enter. “I thought I told you to leave?” was all that he said.
Tara had two voices in her head arguing about the next course of action. One wanted to go over to him and beat the living crap out of him until he told her everything he knew about Ian and how he thought he had the right to come anywhere close to Willow. The other side of her knew Caleb too well not to see that something else was going on. He wasn’t some cold killer or he would have let Willow die instead of cutting the rope and the voice also pointed out that he didn’t really mean to startle the horse; he just got angry and it happened on accident. Not surprisingly the calm, levelheaded voice won out. It didn’t help to walk in and see his slumped shoulders.
“You did but we both know that I was never very good at doing what people wanted me to do, especially when a friend needs comfort,” Tara answered moving into the room.
“Well I don’t want your help. How about we make a deal… You will make me feel better by leaving.” Caleb’s spit out not wanting to be anywhere near the blond witch. He forgot how much she reminded him of Kim.
Tara moved a little closer. “Talk to me Caleb. This isn’t you. I want to understand…”
Caleb stood up violently kicking the chair that he was sitting on and turned to glare at her. “What do you want to understand? Why I kidnapped Willow and tried to kill her while I reveled in your pain? How I have turned into a cold-blooded killer that has been doing your brother’s bidding for so long that I can’t even remember? What do you want to know so bad?” He stopped yelling and turned back to gaze into the small candle.
Now they were in the eye of the storm. Willow wait for Tara to say something praying that she wouldn’t send him over the edge again. “I want to know why you saved Willow tonight? I can tell that you want me to feel the pain that you are feeling and you won’t believe me but I do. A part of me died the day you told me about the car accident; a part that is just starting to heal itself. Why did you save the woman that I love if you claim to be such an evil creature?” Tara finally said into the void.
“Kim didn’t die in a car accident.” Caleb said so quietly that it took a moment for Tara to even register what he had said.
“What do you mean she didn’t die in a car accident?” she could help but keep the accusing tone out of her voice.
He turned back and looked at her with dead eyes. “She hung herself in this barn. I found her just hanging in here, but there was nothing I could do. She had been dead for hours. Your brother helped me cover up the suicide and make it look like a car accident so that no one would ever know that truth. I could let anyone know she did that to herself.”
Tara stopped breathing. It wasn’t possible. That isn’t the way that it happened. Kim would never kill herself that was beyond belief. This was all her fault. If she had giving Kim time to explain and really listened to her instead of saying all the things that she had then she would have been alive right now. All the old doubt and self-blame started to rise to the surface again. She has a distant look on her face and she starts mumbling, “Its my fault. I killed her.”
“Not baby it isn’t your fault. Don’t you dare think that.” Willow said as she turned her lover around. Tara fell to the ground silent tears running down her face. Willow moved down on the floor with her not letting the woman she loved break contact with her.
Caleb watched the one person that had always seemed so indestructible fall to pieces right in front of his eyes. He could hear his guilt yelling at him to say what only one other person in this world knew and his guilt was playing dirty using Kim’s voice. “It wasn’t your fault Tara. It was mine. This whole thing was my fault. Please stop crying. I was the one that told Ian where you would be that night. If it hadn’t been for me then nothing would have ever happened.” Caleb couldn’t even look at her as he finally revealed what had been haunting him for so many years.
Tara looked up at him shocked. She never would have thought that it was Caleb that had told her brother. She watched as he moved over to the corner of the room and curled himself up into a ball. The pain radiating off of him was more then she could even bare. Her soul cried out in anguish over what she had just learned but the sight of her old friend in a place so black that very few ever knew pulled her back to reality. She had been able to move on, deal with all the pain that had attacked her and found the woman of her dreams. She was happy, but Caleb had no one. For the last four years he has been blaming himself for his death and the only person that knew was a cold-hearted bastard that would only use his pain as a tool.
Moving to stand up she silently asked Willow to let go of her. Willow nodded seeing the turmoil on the young man’s face. Slowly she walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. He stiffened under her touch. “It wasn’t your fault, Caleb. She would never have blamed you for what happened. Don’t let this haunt you for the rest of your days. You have to move on, for her just as much as for yourself. You have to mourn her.” She bent down so that she was eye level with him.
He just looked at her for a moment then burst into tears. Tara held him as he cried looking over at Willow with tears falling from hers as well. Willow just gave her a small smile trying to send as much comfort as she could without forcing herself onto Caleb’s grief.
After five minutes Caleb stopped crying and looked up at her. “Why are you doing this? I tried to take the one person you have been able to love and now you are comforting me for causing the whole mess four years ago.”
“This wasn’t your fault Caleb. Ian was the one that is responsible. I need to know something?” Tara’s voice was low.
“Anything,” was his reply.
“Do you know what Ian’s plans are for Thursday’s meeting?” He only nodded yes. “Would you be willing to help me?” He nodded again.
TBC…
by wiltar » Fri Feb 22, 2002 2:54 am
Me needs to know, quickly...
Patricia
------------------
"What are they looking at?"
"The hotness of you, doofus!"
by ForeverPiper » Fri Feb 22, 2002 9:54 pm
by Daydreams » Sat Feb 23, 2002 9:04 am
Looking forward to the next bit.
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