No prob. Here's the next partTITLE: Tough Love, Revisited
AUTHOR: Kirk Baldridge
E-MAIL: KirkBwriter@j...
FEEDBACK: Yes, please. The more the better.
DISTRIBUTION: You can have it, as long as you let me know where it is.
SPOILERS: Major stuff from the 5th season episode TOUGH LOVE and for at least some of the episodes after it, including the season finale, THE GIFT.
CONTENT: W/T
RATING: PG13
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Buffy, Willow, etc..., that's Whedon's dumb luck.
SUMMARY: Willow and Tara go on the run to protect Dawn from Glory, who thinks Tara is the Key.
NOTE: This story diverges from the story in TOUGH LOVE in a major way, but elements from it and from some of the episodes to follow are merged into this tale. You may recognize events, locals, and even dialog, but bear in mind this is intentional, not some oversight on my part.
Willow and Tara had no idea what had happened, or why Glory had
suddenly stopped following them, but they were just grateful for the
respite. They were eventually able to find a working pay phone, and
Willow called for an ambulance, which arrived as Tara was on the verge of
passing out.
Once at the hospital, the doctors put Tara's hand in a cast and gave
her some pain-killers. Willow, meanwhile, left her girlfriend's side just
long enough to make one more call.
*****
Giles, who was standing behind the cash register at the Magic Box,
nearly leaped out of his seat as the phone rang. Buffy, Xander, Anya and
Dawn were there as well, all of them anxiously waiting to hear from
Willow. All of them were very concerned about Tara who, as far as any of
them knew, had suffered some terrible fate at the hands of Glory. Dawn,
in particular, felt bad because she believed that, as the Key, it was her
fault Glory was in Sunnydale in the first place.
All eyes were on Giles as he answered the phone. "Hello, Magic Box?" A
look of supreme relief washed over his face. "Oh thank goodness, Willow.
We've been so...what? Yes, of course. One moment." He pushed a button
marked SPEAKER and then sat the receiver back on it's cradle. "Go ahead,
Willow."
"Is Buffy there?"
The Slayer got to her feet. "Right here, Will."
"Is Dawn all right?"
Buffy glanced over her shoulder. "She's fine. What about you guys?"
"I'm fine. Tara was hurt, but I think she's going to be okay."
"Where are you?"
Willow's voice became muffled for a moment. "Buffy, listen. Glory
still thinks Tara's the Key. And I'm pretty sure she's going to come
after us again."
The Slayer nodded. "So get back here, quick. We'll protect her."
"No, you're missing the point. I've got an idea, Buffy. One you're not
going to like."
Giles took off his glasses. "Willow, what exactly did you have in
mind?"
"As long as Glory stays focused on us, she won't be able to find out
about Dawn. I'm proposing Tara and I take her on a wild-goose chase, to
keep her distracted while the rest of you come up with some way to stop
her. I've talked it over with Tara, and she agrees this is our best
chance."
"But where would you go?" Xander asked, getting in on the
conversation. "We're a team, Will."
"The less you guys know, the better."
Gile shook his head. "Let's not be too hasty now, Willow."
"I'm really sorry to dump this on you guys. But..." They heard Tara's
voice in the background, but they couldn't make out the words. "Okay.
Look, the sun's going down. We have to go. I'll try to call you, in the
next couple of days, to let you know how it's going. I love you guys."
The line went dead.
*****
In the hospital lobby, Willow stepped out of the phone booth and
approached Tara.
"How'd they take it?"
"As well as could be expected, I suppose."
Tara put her good arm around her lover's waist. "And how are you
doing?"
"I'm scared, Tara. I mean, we're in trouble." Willow shook her head.
"I don't know about you, but I've never had a god chasing after me
before."
"Speaking of running for our lives, where are we going? And how are we
supposed to get there?"
"I'm not sure about the where. Yet. But I've been thinking about the
how." Willow sighed. "Obviously, we need some help, and unfortunately I
can only think of one person in this town sneaky and underhanded enough
to get us out fast and easy."
*****
"Bloody hell!"
It was the middle of the afternoon, and Spike had just settled in
front of the TV. Without warning, the door of his crypt swung open and
sunlight came pouring in. He had to scramble to get out of the way in
time, and it still caused several exposed places on his arms and neck to
start smoking.
"Don't you people ever knock?!"
Willow and Tara stepped into the crypt, the latter closing the door
behind them.
"I'm sorry," said the blond. "But we need help."
"Tell me about it."
Spike could clearly see a cast on her arm and he smelled her recently
spilled blood. It had been so long since he had eaten a witch, he
realized. He smiled.
Willow either didn't catch the barb, or else chose to ignore it.
"It's Glory. She's after Tara."
"Let me guess, she thinks your chippie is the Key?" Spike shook his
head. "Strike too for the hellbitch."
Willow put an arm around Tara. "We need to get out of town."
Spike shrugged his shoulders. "So, call your Slayer." He was trying to
appear disinterested, and so far seemed to be succeeding. "I'm sure she
or the shopkeep can get you some cab fare."
"Buffy and the others have too much going on right now," said Tara.
"That's why we're doing this. We're trying to take some heat of them, at
least for a little while."
"Now I get it. You're worried about the niblet. If and when Glory
figures out lover-girl here isn't her precious Key, you're afraid she'll
go after Dawn, so you're running interference for her big sis." Spike
nodded. "That's an ingenious plan." He lit a cigarette. "Suicidal, but
ingenious."
Willow frowned. "We're not here looking for your approval, Spike."
"So, why are you here?" the vampire asked. "I know it's not for the
company."
Willow started to say something, and Tara sensed it was going to be
really nasty, so she cut her lover off with a hand on her shoulder. She
smiled as warmly as possible.
"We need a car. Willow says you used to have one?"
Spike nodded. "That's right. A real beaut."
"Do you think we could borrow it?" Tara asked. "Just for a couple of
days?"
"No."
Again, Willow started to speak up, and again Tara stopped her.
"Could I ask why not?"
Spike dropped into his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.
"Because I sold it, that's why. How do you think I can afford to live in
all this luxury?" He frowned. "I can't eat people and steal their money,
like I used to, and the car was the most valuable thing I owned."
"Damn it!" Willow turned to the door. "We're wasting our time here.
Come on, Tara."
Spike sat there, watching them, and then he snarled. "Wait a minute."
He climbed out of the chair and dug into the side pocket of his leather
jacket. "Here." He pulled out a wad of bills. "Take this. I know a
guy...well, demon actually, who owes me a favor. His name is Garlosi, and
he has a shop about two blocks south of here. Mention my name and give
him this. He'll help you out."
"Thank you, Spike." Tara took the money. "I don't...we really
appreciate this."
"Consider it a loan," said the vampire. "One I intend to get back in
spades." he smiled. "Oh, and don't worry, I'll make sure Buffy knows all
about it. We wouldn't want you witches to have a debt hanging over your
heads when you get back, now would we?"
Willow shook her head, then smiled as she gestured toward the door. It
swung open, all the way this time, and once more Spike found himself
getting an unwanted suntan.
