All right her is the last part of this one. I hope that you like it.Part Five
Hazel looked at the expressions mirrored on all of their faces and quickly ushered them inside. Tara had written her about the Scoobies as they have named themselves she could pretty easily guess who was who. She had met Xander and Anya already so they weren’t a problem. Looking at Buffy she could feel the power coming off her petite frame, and little Dawn was just as sweet as Tara had described. Finally she turned towards Willow; she had mixed feelings about the redhead. She was the reason Tara was up in her old room fitfully sleeping through the pain racking her body, but she was also the person who bright like back into her niece’s eyes.
“Is Tara still asleep?” Xander asked quietly as of speaking might wake her up.
Smiling she shook her head yes. “The meditation she was using drained her so I don’t think she will wake up for another hour or so.” Everyone nodded in understanding. “So what has happened?”
“Do you remember when we mentioned someone named Rack?” Hazel nodded at Anya’s question. “Well it looks like he showed up today and found out what Tara did. We think that he is coming after Tara.”
Looking at the group in front of her, Hazel took a deep breath. When Tara had overloaded her system three years ago it was all her own power. Most of it was untapped and untrained which was one of the main reasons it had gotten as bad as it had. This Rack person made her sick. He used witches who didn’t completely understand what power they controlled. Now this creature was coming after her niece.
“Aunt!” Tara screamed from upstairs.
Despair was the only way to describe the voice that came form somewhere above them. Hazel quickly ran up the stairs with Buffy quickly at her heels. Everyone else started to head upstairs as well, but Buffy motioned for them to remain downstairs. Willow couldn’t see Tara, at least not until Tara said it was all right, and she didn’t want Dawn to see her if the situation had gotten any worse. Once inside it took all of her slayer strength not to gasp. Tara was pale as a vampire but the biggest change was Tara’s pale blue eyes, not they were pitch black.
Tara had been saying something to her aunt, but when Buffy entered the room she focused her attention on the slayer. “What the hell do you thing you are doing? You brought Willow here when I told you she had to stay away from me. Do you understand that everything I am trying to do could easily be ruined of Willow sees me and goes through a horrible depression that might lead her to use even stronger magic? Do you understand that or are you too blond? I can draw some stick figures if you think that would help.” Tara’s voice was cold void of all the kindness it usually contained.
Buffy didn’t know how to react. Usually when someone got in her face she would just react, but she couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of the blonde’s mouth. “Tara? We didn’t have a choice. Rack showed up and knows what you did. He is coming after you.”
Tara didn’t something that shocked both her aunt and Buffy, she smiled. “Good let him come. I have a couple of issues that I would like to discuss with him. He likes to play with witches and there powers, well he has just bitten off more then he can chew.” She started to say something else but her body froze her jaw clenching. After a moment she looked back up at then and her eyes were pale blue again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say any of those things. Please forgive me?”
Giving a small smile Buffy nodded. Now this was the Tara that they knew and loved. The pain was still in her eyes but she seemed to have more control over it. “No problem, but if I hear anymore blond comments then I’m going to have to kick your butt.” Tara laughed. “And if you even think about telling Dawn any blond remarks then you might as well run for the hills.”
Smiling one last time her face turned serious. “Is she all right?”
“Yeah, really confused but for the most part she is doing all right. Spike showed up and you know him and his big mouth. He let some of it slip and then Willow cornered Dawn when I was busy dealing with him,” Buffy explained. “You know how she gets when there’s a secret to be found.”
“Tara, you should be asleep for at least another hour.” Hazel didn’t mean to interrupt them but the mother side of her won over patience. Tara was like her only daughter since she had never any of her own.
“I felt her the moment she reached the ranch. Whenever she is near my body can feel it.” Tara tried to explain. “My soul is trying to reach out to hers.” She took a deep breath as if vocalizing that need increased the pull it had over her. “Thank you for telling me about Rack, but you have to leave. I can handle him.”
Buffy shook her head no. “We don’t abandon family Tara, and you are an important member of our family.” She paused for a moment debating if she should say this or not but though what the hell since it wouldn’t be the first time she had put her foot in her mouth. “Tara I understand why you did this for Willow but it isn’t working. She already knows that she has been using black magic and that it caused her lover to do something. Now if you let her imagination to go with this then we might have more of a problem then if she remembered it.”
“No I can’t let her remember all the things that she has done. It was the only way that I could keep her safe.” Tara said almost to herself. It was obvious that even Tara wasn’t believing that as much as she use to but once she started this she was going to force herself to finish it.
Hazel looked at her niece closely. Now that she wasn’t passed out or going all scary with the black eyes she had the right to be angry at what she had done. “Tara what the hell are you talking about. You did a spell that could have easily gone wrong and we still don’t know if you are going to fall back into a place that you have been fighting for the last three years. Plus the point of getting the horrible addiction is so that the spell caster learns to respect what they have been able to tap into. By erasing her memory, which I find to be an interesting thing for you to do in relation to this whole situation, you have taken away any chance for her to learn her lesson. You should know better then that.” Hazel didn’t mean to give a speech, but it was one of her flaws, once she got started it was really hard for her to stop.
Buffy watched as Tara started to shrink smaller and smaller as her aunt gave her opinion of this whole situation. She was about to say something but decided to let Hazel finish since she agreed with some of the things that the older woman was saying. “But you don’t understand!” Tara said her voice small.
“Then explain it to me. I would love to hear you reasons,” Hazel said not backing down. She knew her niece to well. Tara might not know that she was a manipulator but with those pouting baby blues she could get off of almost any situation, but not this time.
It took a moment for Tara to say anything. She wasn’t expecting her aunt to act this way. Then it hit her like a ton of brick and instead of holding it in as she had been for the last few months she just let it out. “Fine if you want to know so badly then I’ll tell you. The reason I have done this is because this whole situation is my fault. If I have been a better teacher then she would have never abused what she had been given. When she want to bring Buffy back, which I wanted so much, I should have stood my ground and said no. Willow might have gone through with the spell but at least then she would have seen a negative reaction to using magic long before I finally said something. Who knows if I had done that then we wouldn’t have any reason to deal with Rack in the first place? The reason that she shouldn’t have to learn this lesson is because it wasn’t her fault. Are you happy now?” Tara was breathing really hard but started to control her breathing.
Downstairs the Scoobies had been listening to everything that was going on upstairs. They weren’t trying to ease drop but their voices carried really well. Willow listened very carefully to everything that was being said. She didn’t have any memorize of what had been going on for the last two years but when she heard Tara’s voice she knew that her friends had been telling her the truth. Every syllable that came for this mystery woman’s mouth pulled at her. All she knew was that she wanted to be where that voice was. She heard her pain and it was killing her not to go to it and comfort her. She started to move towards the stairs but Xander blocked her path.
“I don’t think that is a good idea,” he said trying to keep her as far away from Tara but for a reason he never thought possible. He had heard her as well and didn’t like the tone she was using earlier and if the magic was in control of her then he wanted to keep his best friends as far away as he could. He remember the story that Anya had told then earlier.
Willow just looked at him with her resolved face on. “I’m going to go up there Xander. It is your choice if I am going to have to do it the easy way or the hard way. Hazel is right. I have a right to have my say in this matter. Everyone else has been given a say and so I think it is my turn.”
Xander didn’t look happy but he nodded and got out of her way. Willow walked slowly up the stairs just trying to think of what to say. She had so many questions that needed to be answered but part of her was afraid to find out what those answer were.
While she continued she heard the voice finish their conversation. “How could you think that this was your fault? Tara it doesn’t matter if you were teaching her the arts if she didn’t want to learn. For the letters you sent me it always sounded like she just like doing the spells and didn’t want to learn the rules that true wiccans followed. Why do you always blame yourself for things that you have no control over?” Hazel said as Willow reached the door.
Willow knocked and cleared her throat. “May I come in?” She heard the voice on the other side of completely stop. A moment later they started to whisper to one another, but they were to low for her to understand what they were saying.
“Please I need some time to clear my head,” Tara begged. This time her baby blues did the trick and the other two girls cracked.
“There is no way for you to get out of here without her seeing you. Its not like she is going to leave just if we ask her to. Remember this is Willow.” Buffy said keeping her voice down.
Tara just turned to her aunt with pleading look. Hazel rolled her eyes and nodded. “Fine you can do it but if you break your arm again don’t come crying to me, understand?”
Tara nodded and moved over to the window. Opening it she started to climb out. Buffy moved to look at what she was doing. Once she was outside Buffy watched Tara shimmy down a trellis and run off towards the barn. Waiting another moments Buffy moved to the door and let Willow into the room.
Willow slowly walked into the room and then turned to her friend confused. She looked around the room again and then noticed that the window was open. She peered outside just in time to see a figure going into the barn. Turning back to look at Buffy. “I have had enough of this. I recommend that you keep everyone out of the barn until Tara and I have had a little talk.” She didn’t give them time to answer as she stormed out of the room.
She was at the door of the barn a few minutes and her determination that was so abundant a moment ago had completely left her. Inside was supposed to be the love of her life that she supposedly did these horrible things to. Confronting this wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. From what she had been told the moment she sees Tara she will remember all of this so maybe she shouldn’t be scare because then she will know everything and at this point her ability to understand or even think at this point. Right before she opened the door she heard a sound that made her freeze. ‘NEIGH’ Flashback to when she was four years ago hit her. Biting her lip she opened the door and slowly walked in.
The barn was for the most part deserted except in the far back where she could see a pure white horse was happily stood in place as a pale arm calmly brushed his coat. Moving as slow as possible so that the woman in the far stall wouldn’t hear her coming. Gradually the woman started to come in view and the more she saw of her the more she remembered. Memories of all the amazing times that they had over the past year and a half. Willow couldn’t keep from smiling as if a bright shining light had shone down on her and the goddess voice played on the wind saying ‘I give you the gift of pure happiness so enjoy it for the rest of you life’. Why on Earth was she scared or angry again? Then it hit her like a pail of freezing ice water. The fight she had with Tara before Glory mind-sucked her and then Buffy died. Life was destroyed for her and she starting using more and more magic to the point that she couldn’t stop. Then the memory of doing spells on Tara and her living. Then everything with Rack. How could she have ever done any of those things? Why was she so stupid? She had always been a straight A student so why could she have used her amazing intellect to have some god damn common sense.
Tara slowly brushed down the horse taking deep breaths trying to calm the war that was raging in her mind. Willow was somewhere close and part of her needed to be with her so badly, but she was scared at what that would mean. Her nerves were already on end and even brushing Crystal’s coat wasn’t doing enough. The magic was raging inside her. It has been so long since the power was pulling at her like this and she was having a difficult time keeping it under control. Just one little spell and then every thing would be all right.
Willow watched as Tara closed her eyes and her hands stilled from brushing the horse. Guilt was too small a word for what was going through her mind at this moment. Why in the world would Tara ever do something like this? She knew how much pain must have been going through her body right now but she seemed to be as calm as she usually was. Willow was brought out of her own little world when she saw Tara drop her brush. The blonde’s hand was shaking and her eyes were squeezed tight. Looking closer she saw the other girl’s mouth start to mumble words. Willow knew what was going on and her heart stopped once again.
“Don’t you think about it Tara!” Willow almost yelled as she ran over to where Tara was standing.
Tara almost jumped out of her skin and spun around. Of all the people she would have thought Willow was definitely not one of them. For a moment she couldn’t even speak, her mind wouldn’t work. “What? What are you doing…I” Tara’s stutter didn’t come into play but her mouth wouldn’t accept the idea of forming any type of understandable statement.
“What am I doing here? Well right now I am trying to stop you from doing magic because you where a stupid, though lovable, ex-girlfriend that had to take all the pain in a situation and force it upon herself without telling anyone. Then you placed a spell on me so that I would have to feel the deserved guilt of knowing what I have done. And now I am here trying to do something that I couldn’t do for myself, because I do it when I was in the same situation. I know that I am babbling angrily but I still have to get some of this off my chest. How could you do this to me, yes I know I have no right to talk and all that but still? Now Rack knows that you have all of this power that you were hiding from the moment that we met, which I want to talk to you about later. The really point is that Rack is now coming here to get you since you are now fight the addiction of his magic. Now you are looking a little pale so I am going to stop talking now.” Willow was finally winding down and started breathing again.
Tara just watched her for a moment. Three things were fighting for control. One was the fact that Willow was standing right in front of her which she thought would never happened again. Two was the fact that she was still trying to deal with the addiction that was fighting for control every moment she was awake. The final and biggest thing was that Willow was in babble mode, which always left her in a daze. She didn’t know how mad Willow was at her but it was the only thing that she could do. Unsure where the energy came from Tara ran into Willow’s arms holding on for dear life.
Willow felt like she was in heaven with her love in her arms. The logic didn’t make any sense as in how they went from fighting to holding on to each other. She could feel the tension in the blonde’s body and soothingly rocked her back and forth as she whisper sweet words in her ear.
“Oh isn’t this sweet. My two favorites. This might be better then I ever thought. Strawberry and Vanilla together, now that will be a delicately.” Rack said as the two girls turned to look at him.
Back at the house Buffy was pacing the living room. She was doing too much of that lately and it was starting to get on her nerves. What was taking so long? She was expecting some fighting and screaming and then maybe some crying and then the happy reconciliation, but so far nothing. She looked around the room and could tell that everyone was in the same state she was in but didn’t have the slayer energy that she did. After the little talk she had with Tara upstairs she didn’t want Tara to met Rack, and for the first time it wasn’t for what Rack could do to Tara. “Hazel I have a question. What would happen if Rack showed up? Would Tara have any problems if she used that magic against him?”
Everyone turned to look at Buffy never thinking of that. “It depends on what type of magic she uses. If she uses white magic and can control what power she has running through her then we should be fine, but if she starts using black magic then I don’t know what will happen.” Hazel said concern laced in her voice.
“Then lets just hope that we get to him before he gets to Tara.” Buffy said as she began pacing again.
Inside the barn they were at a stand off. Rack was looking the two girls up and down while Willow was trying to help Tara keep in control of the power raging within her. “Well this looks like it is going to be more fun then I ever imagined. I can feel your need from all the way over here. Why don’t you just come over here and stop fighting something that you can never win,” he mocked.
“You are going to leave her alone if you know what’s good for you. I am not going to let you get anywhere near my girl.” Willow almost growled at him.
Rack only smiled as he started to move in on them. But all of the sudden he froze staring wide eyed at Tara. Moving out of Willow’s grasp Rack noticed that her eyes turned completely black and she had a cruel smile on her face. “You should have stopped while you were ahead. I have wanted to do this ever since I heard what you had done with Willow. Now you are going to have to deal with me and I have to say that was probably the worse thing that you ever did.” She moved in closer and without even saying a word Rack flew out of the barn landing on the ground twenty feet away.
The group inside the house ran out hearing the commotion just in time to see Rack land on his back. Tara slowly walked out after him and looked like an animal stalking her prey. This was bad really bad. Buffy watched as Willow ran out trying to catch up with her. It was obvious that the redhead was trying to stop her from doing anything else.
“Tara you have to stop this. Using the magic that he is giving up for this will only make you want to do it even more. Please, baby listen to me,” Willow was begging as she watched Rack getting back up. The man didn’t look as powerful as she had remembered.
Tara ignored Willow’s words and started at Rack again. Within minutes Rack’s body was black and blue with blows coming from nothing. Tara wasn’t trying to just defeat him, she was trying to torture him for all the pain that he had given her and the one’s that she loved. “You will never harm another person in this world. Welcome to the world that you create. You like power well now it is time for you to see what it feels like when it is turned on you.”
She was about to perform the last spell that would end his reign of terror forever, but Willow moved in front of her. “No! You are better then this Tara and you will have to go through me to ruin who you really are. If you need to then I will remind you. Your name is Tara and you have the kindest gentlest soul that I have ever seen. You put everyone above yourself and would do anything if that means that they would be happy. You are the caretaker and the child within our group and we can’t lose that. And if that isn’t enough to convince you then I will tell you what you are to me. Your are my soul mate, my Tara. You are the reason that I am able to breath everyday in this world. When Buffy died you were the one that got me through the nightmares and the sleepless nights. If you hadn’t been with me then I would have easily fallen into despair and most likely death. If I see you become something that you were never meant to be because of me then I would die inside, do you understand that? Tara you’re my everything.”
Closing her eyes, Tara took a deep breath and when she looked back up her eyes were blue once again. Willow gave her the biggest smile in the world because she knew that this was her Tara. She was about to say something but Tara stopped her. Looking over at the beaten body that once was called Rack she moved to him. “I will not kill you or do anything that will harm you, but I can’t let you keep doing what you have been. I bind thee.”
Rack screamed as a soft blue light surrounded him. When it stopped he glared at her. “This isn’t over. I will find some way to get back at you.”
“No you won’t. From now on you can never do magic again in any form.” Tara said in a calm voice. “You are free to go and I recommend that you leave as soon as possible. I don’t have any control over anyone but myself and I believe you are surrounded by people that would have no problem hurting you.” Rack didn’t say anything, just stood up and started walking away. Tara hadn’t physically hurt him, but she had done the one thing that placed him in his own personal hell.
Willow looked at Tara for a moment. “Are you sure that you are okay?”
“Not yet but I will be soon. The power inside me is starting to do as it is told now. In a little while I will be back to the way I was. Then I think we have a little talking to do.” Tara said with a smile. The idea of them getting back together was going to be one of the main things keeping her going.
Willow smiled at her. “Yes and no more spell I promise.”
Tara shook her head. “Willow that isn’t the answer. There will be times when we have to do magic. That is one of the hazards of living on the hellmouth. What you have to learn is to balance the magic you possess, and respect what you are able to do.”
“Well then I will need to have a good teacher,” Willow said as she started to move closer to Tara. Just feeling her this close was pure heaven to all of her senses.
“I think I know of someone that wouldn’t mind taking the position.” Tara finished coyly and moved in kissing Willow softly with a promise of many to come. As the kiss continued all Willow could think was touching Tara wasn’t heaven no that was just the best thing in life. Kissing Tara now that was pure heaven and right now everything was right with the world.
The End.
