Title : Not Dead Yet
Author : Tariq ( formerly Aeris Jade Orion )
Rating : R
Pairing : WR/TM
Timeline : Season Six
Summary : Willow knew the consequences of taking
Tara's mind back from Glory.
Authors note: It's unbeta'd. At the moment I
have no beta reader for this genre. So drop me
a line if you're interested.
Second, due to health issues, and taking care
of my disabled mom, I haven't been able to
write much. But over the last several years
I've managed to slowly write on a number
of stories.
What I've decided to do is go ahead and
publish what I've managed to put together.
The stories are unfinished, and sometimes,
the last chapter I worked on is unfinished.
Plus, there maybe multiple chapters, each one a
different version. Just warning everyone.
So I apologize in advance.
Disclaimer : Not mine. All characters belong
to Joss Whedon.
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Prologue
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She breathed heavily against the wad of tissues
pressed into her gushing nose. The white glob
rapidly changing to red in her convulsing hand.
Her body shivered despite the California heat.
The air making goosebumps under her warm flannel
pajamas. Sweat soaked into the five quilts wrapped
tightly around her thin body, saturating the
useless blankets.
Willow groaned in the dim room. Her left leg
throbbing in agony. Burning in hurendess pain.
Spasms ran up the skin, then back down through
the muscles. She could feel the begining of a
charlie horse.
Gritting her jaw, her breath stopped. Her mind
went blank except for the pain. Everything zeroed
in on it. Her leg became stone, froze in time.
She wanted to scream herself raw. To tear her
throat to pieces. To claw her nails to bloody
jags. To do anything to relieve just a tiny bit
of the god awful agony she was in, but she
couldn't do anything but be.
Then it was over, and she could breath again.
Her leg was flesh, and it hurt worse than ever.
It had a tenderness to it. Like if she stretched
it wrong a new, far worse blood clot would come
to life.
Wearily, and with great worry, she sat up.
Unwrapping herself from the various sheets and
quilts to get to her left leg. Willow slowly,
pulled it up so she could see the thick gauze
tightly covering her calf from her ankle to her
knee.
The reason she had been develving into Rack's
relm until Dawn had gotten hurt. The reason she
had gotten so deep into the dark magic's. The
real reason she had taken Tara's memory and let
her find the evidence.
Reaching over for the small first aid kit on
the side table, and grabbed the scissors. With
unsteady hands, she cut the gauze from her leg.
Pealing the clinging material away, and dropping
it on the bed.
Willow stared at the left side of her calf
solemnly. Two months ago, she had gotten a small
half inch long cut. A shard of glass had cut her,
no biggie. Except it hadn't healed.
It had been the first clue.
Then the blood in the cut had changed color.
Instead of red, she'd noticed it was a dark
green, almost black.
The second clue.
After that the edges of the cut had started to
wilt, and contort. Peeling, bubbling. Becoming
increasing painful for her.
The third clue.
Glory. Or at least, a left over price from Glory.
When she'd researched a way to restore Tara's mind,
she'd found it, but there was consequences. Major
consequences. Extremely major consequences.
One's Giles would have no doubt found, if they
hadn't been on the run, and he hadn't been
injured. But in the end, they had been, and
afterwards, it hadn't mattered.
Willow...
Willow had read the fine print. She had read it
and understood exactly what it meant.
To release Tara's mind had required the use of
certain forbidden magic's. More specificly it
required Willow to tap into Glory's divine magic
and channel it. A major no no to any and all
mortal's.
Willow had been very careful not to touch Tara
with any of Glory's magic, so her ex was safe,
but she couldn't say the same for herself. Her
own body was paying the price for two things
using forbidden magic and channeling divine
magic.
Add in a dark magic addiction and the jollys
just kept coming.
She glanced down at her leg and griamnced.
It was completely ravaged from knee to toes.
There was nothing left to save. Stretching it
out carefully, she closed her eyes to the sight.
Veneficium Laceratio.
Magical Cancer.
The price of saving Tara, a price she would
gladly pay a million times.
But she was dying. Slowly, painfully.
She had researched online and at the the Magic
Box. Searching for some cure. Some hope. She had
gone to Amy, and Rack.
Used dark magic to hold it off as long as possible,
but it was over.
She slumped back into the bed, opening her eyes
to stare at what was left of her calf. It was
time to leave Sunnydale. To find someplace where
she could die without Tara and the Scoobies would
never have to know the truth.
The only question was where.
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Tara froze with the coffee cup partway to her
mouth. A shiver of foreboding ran down her spine.
The porceline cup in her hand suddenly cracking
down the center. The steaming liquid poured out
onto the table between her and Dawn.
" Okay, that was woogie. " Dawn shook her body
out. " I swear someone just walked over my grave. "
" You felt it too? " Tara demanded sharply.
" Yeah, big time. " Dawn agreed.
She grabbed several napkins and started mopping
up her coffee. All the while her mind wondered
back to her feelings of forboding.
' Willow. '
Something was wrong with Willow.
A loud crash came from the back of the
resturant. The two females jumped to their feet.
A waiter behind the counter was blushing bright
red, holding an empty tray. On the floor was
a pile of broken dishes.
" Let's go. " Tara pulled out her wallet, and
threw a wad of bills on the table, not bothering
to count the money.
They hurried onto the sidewalk and toward the
Summer's house. Tara knew Willow had been having
a rough time since she'd given up magic. Dawn and
Buffy wouldn't discuss it with her. At least not
in detail.
However, she'd seen Willow around campus, and it
wasn't pretty. The red head had lost a lot of
weight. Too much weight. Her clothes were hanging
on her.
She could just imagine how bad it was.
Tara broke into a jog as the house came into
view. She pushed front door open, pausing at
the dark house which greeted her.
" Willow?! " She called out.
Dawn darted up the stairs and she followed.
Willow's bedroom was wide open, the lights
blazing. She could see the wardrobe open,
draws scattered, Will's laptop was also
missing.
" There's a note. " Dawn frowned. " Why's there
a note? "
Tara took it.
Dear Gang,
I'm tired of the good fight.
It's time I move on to greener pastors.
Do what you want with my stuff I won't
be back for it. Have a good life.
Willow.
And her world shattered.
11111
Chapter One
11111
Willow kneeled in the musty crypt. The flashlight
barely giving her enough light to see the symbols
engraved in the dirt. The smell of blood, fear,
and death hung thick in the air.
The body of the witch lay out in the middle of
the pentagram of blood. Her black hair matted
with her own vomit and blood. The once black
skin now ashen.
The red head finally stood up and backed away.
The witch tucked her flashlight under her arm,
and pulled out her digital camera, taking several
shots. Making sure to get close ups of each symbol.
Each wound made on the body.
Just like she'd done at the dozen other murders.
Just like she'd do at the next murder, and the
murder after it.
' Not dead yet. ' She snorted.
She had left good old SunnyD a year earlier to
die. Willow had bought a ticket to New Orleans
where she expected to die, and instead her life
had hit the proverbal fan.
The red head had tripped over a cantankorous old
voodoo witch doctor. Literally. She had gone head
over ass over the old lady. Bags flying everywhere.
The little old lady had taken one look at her and
known everything. From the Glory on. Before Willow
could say a word Granny Maple had herded her back
to her home and kept her.
And that little old Witch Doctor had done the
impossible. She'd cured Willow. But it hadn't
been overnight, and it hadn't been easy.
There had been many days when Willow had wanted
to give up and die instead. Many nights were she
had wanted to just take the easy way out, but she
had solidered through it.
She ran her hand threw her jaw length red hair.
After suffering the heat of New Orleans she'd cut
it short, chosening a heavily layered look instead.
Sacrifice the limb to save the tree.
They'd found a way to direct the cancer to her
left calf and confine it. Thankfully Granny Maple
was able to remove the calf herself.
It had left the damage done to Willow's body
though. The cancer, the forbidden magic, and
addiction had left her body a wreck. On the verge
of death.
It had taken months of treatment to rebuild it.
Months of not only medicine, and treatment, but
magical rehibilitation.
Of course, not dying sort of put a damper on her
carefully scripted plans.
Granny Maple had been all for Willow going back
home to Tara and the Scoobies. Something Willow
had been considering, but then...
Her eyes darkened remembering the last time she'd
seen the cackling old woman. The corners of her
mouth tightened and she slowly limped out of the
crypt into the early morning fog.
Ninety eight years old or not, it would have taken
someone extremely powerful to capture and sacrifice
Granny Maple. The power level would have to be
on a level of field close to Glory.
Willow had found Granny just minutes after her
death. Yet whoever was behind the murders had
completed the sacrifice while hiding their
signature and power level.
It was the same at every sight. She knew for a
fact because she had been on their tail for the
last four months. Missing them by hours every time.
She tapped her flashlight against her thigh. Her
options were running out and fast. What she did
know was whoever was behind this was playing with
her.
Willow began to limp from the graveyard to her
car. She'd hit Sunnydale less than three
hours ago. From what she had figured, the killer
was going to concentrating on the town for a
while.
The last thing she needed, or wanted.
But after J. Doe had killed Granny Maple, she'd
sworn to stop the killer, and she would.
No matter what.
11111
Willow absently tried to balance her large,
overflowing cup of Mocha with her left hand,
read from the six subject notebook in her right
hand, and keep from dropping the bag with her
cheese danish clenched between her teeth.
All while walking down the sidewalk of Sunnydales
Main Street at Seven in the morning.
Her small oval shaped sunglasses slide down her
nose. The emerald colored lens revealing the milky
film covering her eyes. Making her once emerald
eyes an aquamarine.
She huffed around her danish, using her Mocha to
shove her sunglasses back up, and continued on
her way.
' It has hints of ancient Greek... '
A hand dropped on her shoulder, and she tensed.
' Damn it, I know better than to drop my guard. '
" Will? "
' Double damn. ' She cursed.
Glancing back, she blinked at the sight of the
slayer. The blonde had let her hair grow back
out to it's old style. She had also regained
her old spark for life.
" You're back. " Buffy smiled, drawing her into
a hug.
Willow barely managed to save her breakfast and
research from the fearsome slayer hug. Grabbing
the bag of danish between two fingers, and holding
her arms way out.
" When did you get here? Where were you? Why did
you leave? " Buffy babbled.
" Um, hi to you to. " Willow smiled slightly.
" I got in this morning, and I was trying to
have breakfast before a certain blonde accosted
me. "
" That so wasn't what I meant and you know it. "
Buffy slapped her arm lightly.
" What are you doing out this early? " Willow
asked, resuming her walk down the sidewalk.
-
To Be Continued