AN: I had this idea for awhile. It drove me crazy till I wrote it down.
Pairings: Eventual Willow/Tara/Oz triangle, Some one-sided Tara/Sara, Eventual Sara/Xander
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters that you recognize from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. Any other characters that you don't recognize are of my own design.
Shattered Light
Chapter 1
"Just this one time, Willow dear, so enjoy it," The tall noblewoman said as she looked disgustingly at the carnival people.
The small girl wiggled out of her mothers grasp, dashing towards one of the games in the back. She smiled innocently at the man behind the counter as she politely asked, "How do you play?"
"Just toss the ball inta da hoop. You'la win a pretty prize if ya do," The grubby man said as he blew out a puff of cigar smoke. "Free a charge for the likkle lady."
The girl picked up the faded red ball, under handing it right into the hoop. But the ball just dipped in and shot out, leaving the girl disgruntled and angry. "Why don't ya just try again? It's all 'bout luck."
He held out another ball, making sure to keep it firmly in his grasp. He smiled, no smirked evilly, as Willow made a move to take the ball to try again.
"I w-wouldn't," A voice softly spoke.
The girl whipped around to see another girl, a year older perhaps, wearing grubby clothing. Her dirty blond hair fell over her face as she continued, "I-If I w-w-w-were y-you. I-It's a-always r-rigged."
The man fumed as his plan had been ruined. He could tell that the blond girl knew what his true intentions were, which is why she had stopped him by using an excuse that was also true. Though he had enough of seeing the blond girl, and her making a show of scaring off his customers and prey.
The blond girl gripped Willow's arm as the man lunged forwards. He brought his clenched fist close to the blond girl's covered face as he snarled, "You ain't scaring' away me money. Oh no, not again. Leave, you ain't welcome nowhere."
"I-I j-just w-was," The girl stuttered out as she dragged Willow away with her. "B-by the w-way."
"Sharp tongues alwas have bad luck," The man growled as he puffed on his cigar again. "If I see ya face round here again, there's Hell to pay."
"You have no idea," The blond girl breathed out, which Willow just barely caught.
The man blew out some smoke as he watch the two girls leave. He muttered something about how he hated 'that bitch' and would do anything to 'stop her from scaring away the game.'
The girl stopped once they reached an alcove at the end of the carnival. She still found herself gripping onto Willow, who looked shaken. The girl let Willow out of her grip, letting the arm fall limply to her side.
"S-Sorry," She breathed out quickly, ducking her head.
"There's no need to be," Willow found herself saying as she took a seat next to the other girl.
The girl turned her head slightly towards Willow, showing a quirky half smile as she looked at the ground. Willow found her hand moving the hair from the other girls face, finding herself face-to-face with the most beautiful girl she had ever met.
"Willow!" The shrill call bounced through the walls as the girl flinched away from Willow's touch.
"Y-you s-should g-go," The blond girl said sadly as she looked away.
"Yeah," Willow said as she got up. "I guess I should."
The girl whipped her head around, surprising Willow when she bravely said, "When will I see you again? I mean, you do live around here. Maybe we could hang out again?"
"I'd love that," Willow said with a smile as she turned away. "But what's your name?"
"....." The blond sighed before the everything faded to black.
12 Years Later
'It's that same memory again. It's got to mean something.'
Willow darted along the alley, taking great care not to be seen. The streets of London seemed to grow quieter as the years went by, making it easier for the girl to sneak unnoticed during the night. She had just woken up from sleeping in after her last night out with the gang that she hung out with.
They weren't that bad. They just met up at the rundown house close enough to the Night Club and where the Carnival use to be held. The sight of the familiar rickety gate jared Willow out of her thoughts as she slipped along the overgrown path and into the door.
"You're late, Rosenberg," A feminine voice growled.
Willow just glared at the bigger, brown haired girl. Willow's most hated 'friend' had to be Sara Anderson. The other girl was blunt with her words and just naturally rubbed the wrong side of many people. If that wasn't enough, she was a total slut going after anyone despite their gender.
"By whose clock?" Willow growled out as Sara got up from the table she had been sitting on.
"Lets just leave," Sara growled as she roughly pushed past Willow. "I need to let out some tension."
"You mean that you just want to get hot and laid outright," Willow grumbled to Sara's back as the brown haired girl disappeared out the door.
"Don't let Sara rile you up so much," The other person in the room said as she grabbed his coat. "I'm not one for those classy bitch-fights that Xander likes so much."
"I'll try not to Dan, no promises though," Willow said as the boy grinned with relief. "But if we do fight, it's all her fault."
"Of course," Dan said as he held the door pen for Willow.
Despite Dan's tendency of being gay, he was still quite the charming man that girls fell for. Another person that Sara hates, if only because she can't have some fun with the guy. He was also one of Willow's longtime, guy best friend that she could almost relate too.
4 Minutes Later
The odd duo finally reached the Night Club, which was ironically called 'The Night Club,' it being the only one in this part of London. Sara waved them over as she slipped inside, probably having already spotted her first victim.
Both Willow and Dan sighed at the same time, giving each other a look before following Sara into the club just as it was getting into full swing. They easily spotted Sara talking with another blond girl. Willow just rolled her eyes as she flopped down on the couch while Dan leaned against the back of the couch, trying to look cool.
"Wills," A somewhat deep voice said happily as Willow found herself being hold in a tight embrace, normally known to others as a hug.
"Xander," Willow wheezed out as the boy let go off her with a muttered apology. "Long time no see."
"Ditto," Xander said as he composed himself. "And I see that the gang's still the same as I had left it. Dan acting the cool, heartbreaker role to the watching chicks while Sara is trying to get laid by someone. And you're the same."
Willow just shrugged as Xander spoke. She wasn't one to change who she was, if only because this Willow was good. And because she tried a spell to see what her other side was, and she didn't like the slutty-ness that was just like Sara.
"This is getting oddly boring," Sara said as she plopped herself down on the other couch that sat across from the one that Willow and Xander where sitting on. "Besides, there's no one here that speaks out to me."
This statement earned the girl chuckles and shrugs as she glared at her friends.
"Aren't you guys suppose to be supportive of my actions? Hey, why don't we check out the place where the carnival use to be? They say it's haunted," She said.
"Because checking out a supposedly haunted Carnival ground is what we all call a nice, relaxing night that was suppose to be a reunion for the whole group," Xander said as he jumped onto his feet. "I'm in."
Willow rolled her eyes. Now she knew why she didn't bother to remember some things about Xander, he always liked Sara and would always try to impress her. If only the boy knew that she herself was sporting a crush on him. One she had ever since she first met him and became his friend.
Sara smirked as she lead the group out of the Night Club and strode along the old, well worn path. The path grew steep as it ended before a barren brown field that seemed to stretch out for miles. Sara confidently lead the group into the barren fields, hoping that she could scare her friends with some tricks that she had set up.
Willow heard a soft crunch. Trailing curiously towards the noise, she left her friends behind wearing confused looks.
Xander and Dan looked at each other, Dan shrugging his shoulders while Xander just sighed. Sara silently fumed at Willow, her plan had been busted without even getting a chance to start. She just had to go off to God knows where because of God knows what.
Another soft crunch, sounding strangely like someone was moving not too far from Willow's position as she trailed after the noise.
She pushed past a stubborn pile of large grass to spot another girl. The other girl hadn't noticed her yet, which was probably a good thing. A murky stream sluggishly flowed near to the girl as she just sat on a rock and looked down at it.
Willow met the same girl again, but years later. It was in this same particular spot, with the other girl in the same spot doing the same thing.
"Hey," Willow said softly as she stood hesitantly by the large grass.
"H-Hey," The other girl stammered as she looked at Willow. She didn't move, and an uncomfortable silence drifted on them.
"O-Oh! T-Ta-take a s-seat," The girl said stuttered out as she moved over to make room on the rock for Willow.
Willow smiled, walking over towards the rock. She found it quite difficult to get herself on top of the rock, and let out a gasp of surprise went she felt deft hands helping her. She sprawled on top of the rock, gasping for air while the other girl just gave a half-smirk.
"Thanks," Willow grunted out as she looked over at her new friend.
The girl just smiled shyly before ducking to hide her face behind her hair.
The memory had surfaced on her mind as she silently watched the scene. She felt the same emotions as she had that one day, one of the few that she had shared with that girl. Looking closer at the other person, her mind worked franticly to decipher the meaning behind the memory.
'Could it be? No.' Willow thought as she scrunched up her face.
'It's the same girl!' Willow exclaimed in her mind as she finally realized it.
"Where are you? Rosenberg!" Sara's voice called, startling the girl on the rock.
The girl tumbled off it, grunting as she landed on her stomach. She seemed to get over her shock quickly, as she she soon disappeared away from Willow's vision.
"There you are," Dan said, relief etched in his voice.
Willow turned around, glaring at her friends. She caught herself, looking away from them when she remembered that she had left them to find out what that alluring noise was.
"Since we found you, and nothing else," Sara said as she sauntered towards the old path. "Let's just go back to our homes. Besides, it's getting close to dawn anyways. Don't want to worry the folks again, though I do love doing that."
Xander followed right after her, looking in all the world like a puppy lost in love. Dan hung back, worriedly looking at Willow as the girl didn't move.
"Are you okay?" Dan asked with obvious concern.
"Other than Xander liking Sara and not me," Willow said. "Okay. Nothing's wrong 'cause nothing happened here. Just a little animal that lead me here, a place I've been to before when the Carnival was around. It was fun-"
"I'm going to stop you there, Oh wise Willow Babbleton," Dan said jokingly. "And Xander's so not worth your affection. Not if he likes a sleeve like Sara. And I know when you're lying Will, you weren't lead here by an animal and I want to know why you would lie to me of all people."
"I just- I saw an old friend that disappeared awhile ago," Willow sighed as she slowly walked.
"The one that made you cry for nights before you finally got over it and started to follow Xander around more than usual?" Dan inquired as he remembered the time that Willow was talking about.
The girl didn't want to see anyone, not Dan even, and they always worried about her. Once she seemed to get over whatever was wrong with her, she came clean to the gang by telling them about a friend that disappeared. They didn't pressure her on the matter, though Sara would use that information whenever they got into a heated fight about something.
"You saw him," Dan said as he stuffed his hands in his coat pockets. "Just before we came after you."
"Him? Oh, yeah. I forgot to add the little that detail that the 'old friend' was actually a girl," Willow said with a shrug. "It was kind of nostalgic, actually."
"It might have helped," Dan said as they neared Willow's home. "Though, I would recommend that you don't tell Sara. You might see this friend again, and you don't want Sara trying to shag her."
Dan ended the conversation with a knowing wink to Willow before darting away. Willow opened her mouth to protest, not really getting why Dan would say something like that, but since he was already long gone she just closed her mouth and breathed deep before opening the door to her home.
Oh, how she hated her family life.
AN: We were thinking of bumping the age from the original thought of T to how it looks to turn to M. We could definitely add some M-rated content to this story, despite our reluctance of wanting to do sex/sex-like scenes.
Tried to make it long, failing miserably. But hey, first story so you've got to give us props for courage. *Wink *Wink
We worked on just writing some chapters out, to see if we liked this story and the idea. There are Ocs, to which if you would like the 'profiles' of them we will gladly type them up as we work on a much later chapter.
And looking back and rereading the story, we see that Sara seems strangely similar to Faith. We didn't plan for that, we just wanted a character that was slutty and who would try to mess up Willow's relationships, and came up with Sara. Don't sue us or anything. :(
White-Owl + Snow-Tigress