Things That Go Bump In The Night
Pairing : Willow/Tara , Xander/Anya, with mention of Buffy/Riley
Genre : General / Action / Humor
Rating : PG
Summary : A new demon is in town right in time for the Holiday Season and it's up to the Scoobies to track it down and eliminate it. Tara's past comes back and the gang gets another glimpse at it. Takes place December , 2000 ( Early Season 5 )
Disclaimer : I own nothing in the Buffy Universe. It all belongs to Joss Whedon, the gang at Mutant Enemy, WB, UPN, 20th Century Fox, the ' Grrr, Arrg ' guy, and lots of people in power/business suits at the Fox networks and companies. I'm just borrowing their toys and will return them all when I'm done , safe and unharmed.
Disclaimer 2 : Yes, I am being clishe - ish and introducing a new character ! I just wanted to give Tara one other person from her past ( other than her Mom ) who wasn't a complete poop head ! Anyway, give it a chance and let me know what you think, cause I'm a feedback whore !
Things That Go Bump In The Night
Chapter 1 :
Willow Rosenberg walked along the quad at UC Sunnydale, lost in thought. For December, it was a surprisingly beautiful night. She sighed contentedly, gazing at the bright night sky.
Her pace slowed slightly when it dawned on her why the night was so clear. The moon was full, and blazing down on everyone. It shined like a spotlight in the sky, illuminating the grounds almost like a giant stage. It made Willow feel , as she walked along, as if she were apart of some gigantic theater production. ' The production of " Life, " she mused, lips twitching at the thought. She gazed up at the moon again, and something else occured to her. She blinked in surprise, remebering the previous year when her former boyfriend, Oz had returned briefly. He had made a comment to her about the fact that she no longer kept track of the lunar cycle after he had left Sunnydale the first time. Willow remembered feeling a twinge of guilt at that at the time, and even at the moment, as prior to his departure, she had strictly followed it. With Oz being a werewolf, both had had to take on the massive responsibility of keeping track of the moon's phases.
After they had broken up and Oz had left town in search of a cure, she found a new love in her life. It hadn't been easy after he'd left. She's spent many evenings crying herself to sleep and reminding herself to do the little things. Things like breathing and eating. Going through the motions of life. Forcing herself to get out of bed in the morning and go about her day. She had done this until she didn't need to tell herself to do it anymore. Finding Tara had helped. Through her discovery of Tara, she found that she was gay. Willow had met Tara MaClay and fallen in love with her almost instantly. And though she would always love Oz in a way, as he was her first love and they were connected, Tara held the key to her soul.
A smile spread across her face at the thought of Tara. Her lover had been through so much at a young age, but had managed to persevere. She had escaped the binds of her cruel family, and still maintained her warmth and sweet nature. Willow had told her recently that her rise above her upbringing made her love Tara more, and as she thought of it again, her heart lifted.
As she walked across the quad, gaze lifted, to the night sky, the smile spread across her face, she didn't see the beast headed straight for her. The creature collided with her, knocking the wind out of her chest, and because it had been unexpected, she toppled onto the ground. Though it was scary each time, the sight of a demon was something she was used to. Having Buffy Summers, the Chosen One, the Vampire Slayer, as her best friend was most likely the cause of her semi ambivilance to the creature. Because of this, she sat up quickly. ' If beastie wants a meal,' she figured,' he has to work for it. ' Willow refused to die lying down.
Willow lay there, legs sprawled out, leaning up on her elbows, and let her eyes trail up defiantly to her attacker's face. She and the beast locked eyes. Her heart jumped, then seemed to freeze in place. Willow could literally feel the chill begin in the pit of her stomach and shuddered as it bled into her chest. The beast, by far, was one of the spookiest she'd ever seen. It looked like a hybrid between a demonic dragon and a tarantula. It used only four of its legs to support its own weight, but moved its others about slowly and menacingly. A clicking noise emitted from where its mouth was, and all eight of its onyx eyes blazed down on her. She couldn't tear her gaze from its eyes and felt as if she were drowning in them, in a neverending sea of blackness that made her feel over and over the raw stab of fear.
Willow went through the catalogue of her mind and remembered at least two or three spells that could incapacitate the creature, but found she couldn't make her mouth move, or force sound of any kind to come out. Her speechlessness reminded her vaguely of the year prior when the Gentlemen had come to Sunnydale and stole everyone's voices. Only at the time, the only thing taken was her speech. She could move then. Yet now, she couldn't. Her body was pinned down in utter shock and fright. The only thing she could feel in her limbs were the shaking trembles coarsing through her.
The creature loomed down upon her, its pincher like spider legs rubbing together, adding a slight rythym to the clicking sounds it made. It was sinking to her level on the ground, slowly advancing on her and drawing her fear out. Willow still couldn't move or scream, but her mind continued to race to try to command herself to DO something.
Just as the creature moved towards her, when it was a breath away while she wished for a spell or Buffy to be patrolling in the area ; the feeling she couldn't push aside was the regret of not being able to see Tara one more time. Annoyance bubbled through her as she couldn't even die struggling or casting a spell. It was then that she heard the crack in the bark of the tree she'd fallen in front of.
Willow was unable to turn, but heard a second crack. At the sound of the third noise, it dawned on her that it was the sound of bullets ripping into the tree trunk. Because there were no loud shots being fired, she deduced that whoever was firing was using a silencer on their gun. Willow furrowed her brows ( it was the only part of her body she could move ) . The only person she knew that would use a gun would be Riley Finn. Her hoped lifted. It appeared she was being rescued, and the nice thing about it was that she was being saved by a friend.
The creature leapt away from the red head, at the shots being fired at it, and ran away into the night. As soon as it was gone, Willow found she could move again and rolled out of the way. Slowly and shakily, she began to get up.
" Stay down, " someone shouted to her.
Willow was taken aback. It wasn't Riley Finn who'd commanded her to stay put. The voice that had called to her was female, and didn't sound like anyone she knew. She scoured the corners of her mind trying to recall if she'd seen any female Initiative members from the year before when they'd been amongst the students there at UC Sunnydale. If there were female infantry agents, she'd never seen one, and with the Initiative now disbanded, it was unlikely that their presence would be there. Other than Riley, that was.
Though she didn't know who it was, she obeyed. The person had saved her life. The mystery woman was getting closer, and as she happened upon Willow, the creature lunged at her from behind the tree, knocking the gun from her hands. Head down, the woman rushed the creature and attempted to fight it hand to hand. Willow scrambled to her feet and watched the fray in fixed amazement. Whoever the woman was, she was losing, but kept fighting anyway.
The creature had a choke hold on her, holding her in the air, watching the woman's feet dangle and kick, trying to find footing. Without thought, Willow began an incantation. Within seconds, a blue fireball shot from her extended hand, knocking the beast back. It squealed and ugly sound and dropped the woman, rushing away into the night. When the woman hit the ground, she rolled into a crouching position, and fired three more silenced shots in the direction that the beast had run off in. Willow was impressed. She hadn't seen the woman pick up the discarded gun as she rolled to her haunches.
She stood, her back to Willow at first as she returned her gun to its holster, " Damnit, " she sighed.
" Are you ok , " Willow asked, watching as the young woman brushed dirt off of her clothes.
The outfit deffinately reminded Willow of Initiative garb, but instead of the olive green militant color, it was black. It was a jumpsuit of some type, and looked somewhat similar to a jet pilots uniform.
The woman stood straighter at the sound of the question and turned around, allowing Willow to see her face. The young woman did not look too much older than her. It was still too dark for Willow to make out every feature of the girl's face, despite the moon's brightness, but she knew she'd never seen her before. There was something about the woman's eyes that kept Willow staring at her in that brief moment. They were different. Something familiar. She could not tell what color they were, but it was the placement of them, the expression on her face. They just weren't normal. ' For lack of a better word. '
" Oh, I'm fine, " the woman said, almost as an afterthought. She stopped for a moment, head cocked to the side, and studied Willow curiously for a beat, " You're a Witch, " she concluded, matter of factly.
Willow smiled, " Yes. "
" Good thing, too, or I'd be a goner. That was a pretty handy blue - thingy. Thanks. "
Willow blushed modestly, " You're welcome. And hey, thanks for saving me. "
The woman chuckled wryly, " It's my job. "
Her curiousity was peaked, " You're job ? Are you another Slayer ? "
The young woman's eyes shot up to her hairline before her gaze changed to one of wonderment. She stared at Willow in understanding, realizing that the red head before her was no stranger to demons. " No, I'm not. I'm , " she paused, searching for a word, " a ' friend . ' "
Before Willow could respond, the woman smiled at her and ran off into the night after the departed creature.
" Thanks ' friend, ' " she chuckled in amusement, then set off to find the Scooby Gang to tell them of her encounter.
To be continued............
Pairing : Willow/Tara , Xander/Anya, with mention of Buffy/Riley
Genre : General / Action / Humor
Rating : PG
Summary : A new demon is in town right in time for the Holiday Season and it's up to the Scoobies to track it down and eliminate it. Tara's past comes back and the gang gets another glimpse at it. Takes place December , 2000 ( Early Season 5 )
Disclaimer : I own nothing in the Buffy Universe. It all belongs to Joss Whedon, the gang at Mutant Enemy, WB, UPN, 20th Century Fox, the ' Grrr, Arrg ' guy, and lots of people in power/business suits at the Fox networks and companies. I'm just borrowing their toys and will return them all when I'm done , safe and unharmed.
Disclaimer 2 : Yes, I am being clishe - ish and introducing a new character ! I just wanted to give Tara one other person from her past ( other than her Mom ) who wasn't a complete poop head ! Anyway, give it a chance and let me know what you think, cause I'm a feedback whore !
Things That Go Bump In The Night
Chapter 1 :
Willow Rosenberg walked along the quad at UC Sunnydale, lost in thought. For December, it was a surprisingly beautiful night. She sighed contentedly, gazing at the bright night sky.
Her pace slowed slightly when it dawned on her why the night was so clear. The moon was full, and blazing down on everyone. It shined like a spotlight in the sky, illuminating the grounds almost like a giant stage. It made Willow feel , as she walked along, as if she were apart of some gigantic theater production. ' The production of " Life, " she mused, lips twitching at the thought. She gazed up at the moon again, and something else occured to her. She blinked in surprise, remebering the previous year when her former boyfriend, Oz had returned briefly. He had made a comment to her about the fact that she no longer kept track of the lunar cycle after he had left Sunnydale the first time. Willow remembered feeling a twinge of guilt at that at the time, and even at the moment, as prior to his departure, she had strictly followed it. With Oz being a werewolf, both had had to take on the massive responsibility of keeping track of the moon's phases.
After they had broken up and Oz had left town in search of a cure, she found a new love in her life. It hadn't been easy after he'd left. She's spent many evenings crying herself to sleep and reminding herself to do the little things. Things like breathing and eating. Going through the motions of life. Forcing herself to get out of bed in the morning and go about her day. She had done this until she didn't need to tell herself to do it anymore. Finding Tara had helped. Through her discovery of Tara, she found that she was gay. Willow had met Tara MaClay and fallen in love with her almost instantly. And though she would always love Oz in a way, as he was her first love and they were connected, Tara held the key to her soul.
A smile spread across her face at the thought of Tara. Her lover had been through so much at a young age, but had managed to persevere. She had escaped the binds of her cruel family, and still maintained her warmth and sweet nature. Willow had told her recently that her rise above her upbringing made her love Tara more, and as she thought of it again, her heart lifted.
As she walked across the quad, gaze lifted, to the night sky, the smile spread across her face, she didn't see the beast headed straight for her. The creature collided with her, knocking the wind out of her chest, and because it had been unexpected, she toppled onto the ground. Though it was scary each time, the sight of a demon was something she was used to. Having Buffy Summers, the Chosen One, the Vampire Slayer, as her best friend was most likely the cause of her semi ambivilance to the creature. Because of this, she sat up quickly. ' If beastie wants a meal,' she figured,' he has to work for it. ' Willow refused to die lying down.
Willow lay there, legs sprawled out, leaning up on her elbows, and let her eyes trail up defiantly to her attacker's face. She and the beast locked eyes. Her heart jumped, then seemed to freeze in place. Willow could literally feel the chill begin in the pit of her stomach and shuddered as it bled into her chest. The beast, by far, was one of the spookiest she'd ever seen. It looked like a hybrid between a demonic dragon and a tarantula. It used only four of its legs to support its own weight, but moved its others about slowly and menacingly. A clicking noise emitted from where its mouth was, and all eight of its onyx eyes blazed down on her. She couldn't tear her gaze from its eyes and felt as if she were drowning in them, in a neverending sea of blackness that made her feel over and over the raw stab of fear.
Willow went through the catalogue of her mind and remembered at least two or three spells that could incapacitate the creature, but found she couldn't make her mouth move, or force sound of any kind to come out. Her speechlessness reminded her vaguely of the year prior when the Gentlemen had come to Sunnydale and stole everyone's voices. Only at the time, the only thing taken was her speech. She could move then. Yet now, she couldn't. Her body was pinned down in utter shock and fright. The only thing she could feel in her limbs were the shaking trembles coarsing through her.
The creature loomed down upon her, its pincher like spider legs rubbing together, adding a slight rythym to the clicking sounds it made. It was sinking to her level on the ground, slowly advancing on her and drawing her fear out. Willow still couldn't move or scream, but her mind continued to race to try to command herself to DO something.
Just as the creature moved towards her, when it was a breath away while she wished for a spell or Buffy to be patrolling in the area ; the feeling she couldn't push aside was the regret of not being able to see Tara one more time. Annoyance bubbled through her as she couldn't even die struggling or casting a spell. It was then that she heard the crack in the bark of the tree she'd fallen in front of.
Willow was unable to turn, but heard a second crack. At the sound of the third noise, it dawned on her that it was the sound of bullets ripping into the tree trunk. Because there were no loud shots being fired, she deduced that whoever was firing was using a silencer on their gun. Willow furrowed her brows ( it was the only part of her body she could move ) . The only person she knew that would use a gun would be Riley Finn. Her hoped lifted. It appeared she was being rescued, and the nice thing about it was that she was being saved by a friend.
The creature leapt away from the red head, at the shots being fired at it, and ran away into the night. As soon as it was gone, Willow found she could move again and rolled out of the way. Slowly and shakily, she began to get up.
" Stay down, " someone shouted to her.
Willow was taken aback. It wasn't Riley Finn who'd commanded her to stay put. The voice that had called to her was female, and didn't sound like anyone she knew. She scoured the corners of her mind trying to recall if she'd seen any female Initiative members from the year before when they'd been amongst the students there at UC Sunnydale. If there were female infantry agents, she'd never seen one, and with the Initiative now disbanded, it was unlikely that their presence would be there. Other than Riley, that was.
Though she didn't know who it was, she obeyed. The person had saved her life. The mystery woman was getting closer, and as she happened upon Willow, the creature lunged at her from behind the tree, knocking the gun from her hands. Head down, the woman rushed the creature and attempted to fight it hand to hand. Willow scrambled to her feet and watched the fray in fixed amazement. Whoever the woman was, she was losing, but kept fighting anyway.
The creature had a choke hold on her, holding her in the air, watching the woman's feet dangle and kick, trying to find footing. Without thought, Willow began an incantation. Within seconds, a blue fireball shot from her extended hand, knocking the beast back. It squealed and ugly sound and dropped the woman, rushing away into the night. When the woman hit the ground, she rolled into a crouching position, and fired three more silenced shots in the direction that the beast had run off in. Willow was impressed. She hadn't seen the woman pick up the discarded gun as she rolled to her haunches.
She stood, her back to Willow at first as she returned her gun to its holster, " Damnit, " she sighed.
" Are you ok , " Willow asked, watching as the young woman brushed dirt off of her clothes.
The outfit deffinately reminded Willow of Initiative garb, but instead of the olive green militant color, it was black. It was a jumpsuit of some type, and looked somewhat similar to a jet pilots uniform.
The woman stood straighter at the sound of the question and turned around, allowing Willow to see her face. The young woman did not look too much older than her. It was still too dark for Willow to make out every feature of the girl's face, despite the moon's brightness, but she knew she'd never seen her before. There was something about the woman's eyes that kept Willow staring at her in that brief moment. They were different. Something familiar. She could not tell what color they were, but it was the placement of them, the expression on her face. They just weren't normal. ' For lack of a better word. '
" Oh, I'm fine, " the woman said, almost as an afterthought. She stopped for a moment, head cocked to the side, and studied Willow curiously for a beat, " You're a Witch, " she concluded, matter of factly.
Willow smiled, " Yes. "
" Good thing, too, or I'd be a goner. That was a pretty handy blue - thingy. Thanks. "
Willow blushed modestly, " You're welcome. And hey, thanks for saving me. "
The woman chuckled wryly, " It's my job. "
Her curiousity was peaked, " You're job ? Are you another Slayer ? "
The young woman's eyes shot up to her hairline before her gaze changed to one of wonderment. She stared at Willow in understanding, realizing that the red head before her was no stranger to demons. " No, I'm not. I'm , " she paused, searching for a word, " a ' friend . ' "
Before Willow could respond, the woman smiled at her and ran off into the night after the departed creature.
" Thanks ' friend, ' " she chuckled in amusement, then set off to find the Scooby Gang to tell them of her encounter.
To be continued............
