I want to thank Youn2731, JEFF HARDY FAN31, Dax, jupitersthunder, and pay-day1999 for any and all reviews. Lately, I've been getting questions about who I'm pairing Tara with, and I'm getting nowhere in that department, so any suggestions are encouraged. Thanks!!
The Wiccan Charmed One by TruSlayer
Chapter 3: Choosing Sides
Previously in Chapter 1:
Buffy was on the verge of tears when she replied, "A few months," she clearly was disgusted with herself for hurting someone like this.
"A few months," Tara said, unbelieving, "Willow, if this is how you want it. Fine. We are through!"
MAGIC BOX
"You did WHAT?!" Xander screamed.
The Scoobies were in an uproar, causing all the remaining customers in the shop to leave, if they haven't left already. Willow was trying to get everyone to calm down, which no one was planning on doing anytime soon. Buffy was staring a hole into the floor, she still had not gotten over what had gone down just hours before.
"EVERYBODY QUIET!" hollared Anya with anger burning in her eyes, "Look at what you've done. All the happy customers are gone! Do you know how much money I'm going to lose?"
"Anya, there are much more important things to talk about," said Giles, ending Anya's verbal massacre, "Such as Tara leaving us."
Dawn, who had tears in her eyes, asked, "How are we gonna get her back?"
"Lil' bit has a point," Spike spoke up, "Glinda is a powerful witch, and in this fight, we need any and all help we can get."
"For once, I dare say it, I agree with Spike," Giles responded, "I believe we should start with finding her. We can have a locator spell ready within the hour."
"What for?" Willow questioned the Watcher, "Tara was weak. I have more than enough power to keep us going."
"How can you say that Wills?" Buffy said, finally speaking up for herself, "Tara is not only a powerful witch but she is also a good friend."
"You're one to talk, Buff," said Xander, "I don't mean to be pointing fingers, but you had an affair with Willow. People don't usually mess around with their friend's girlfriend."
"That's not what happened," said the Slayer of the group, "I need to confess something to you guys..."
"Buffy stop," said Willow, with her eyes faintly glowing and her voice almost hypnotic? No one noticed this change in Willow, except Giles.
"Willow, What the bloody hell do you think you are doing?" interrupted Giles.
Buffy, who had just snapped out of Willow's thrall, asked, "What's wrong Giles?"
"Buffy, do you not remember what Willow was doing to you?" Giles asked, worried for what might have happened to his Slayer.
"Apparently not," Buffy said, confused.
"Giles," said Anya after taking a moment to calm down, "Get to the point, What's the matter?"
"I have reason to believe that Willow has been manipulating us all," Giles voiced his opinion.
"Oh come on," Willow said, trying to muddle up Giles' words, "Do you guys really think I could be capable of..."
"I do," said someone from the front door.
Everyone turned their heads, only to see Amy Madison at the front door. She looked a little worse for wear. In the past month, Willow had figured out how to undo the spell that had left Amy as a rat for three years.
"Amy, what happ...," Willow tried to get out.
But Amy was only too happy to cut her off, "Drop the act, Willow. I won't put up with this any longer."
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Willow asked, now realizing that Amy was going to spill the magic beans.
"This. Tromedlov," Amy chanted, only to result in a flash of light, encasing Willow. After a moment, the light receded, but Willow disappeared.
"Amy, just what did you do to her?" Dawn asked, with everyones face showing the same curiosity.
"Nothing serious. I just banished Willow..." Amy started to explain.
"Banished?!" Xander exclaimed, "Just, exactly where did you banish Willow to?"
"As I was trying to say, I just teleported," Amy corrected herself, "Willow to your house. I didn't want Willow to interrupt what I had to say."
"Okay," said Buffy, feeling better that Willow was out of the room, she didn't really want to face her right now, "Then what do you have to tell us?"
With this, Amy begun her tale...
-FLASHBACK-
It was a dark night when Willow and Amy were strolling the streets of Sunnydale. Amy had just been turned back into a human and Willow was helping her adjusting. The two witches had spent the night before at the Bronze and used up almost all of their power on the people in the club, bending the space around them to their will. Amy had a hard time keeping up with all of the hardcore spells that Willow was casting that night.
"So, what should we do?" asked Amy, curious what Willow had in store.
Willow responded with, "It'll be hard to top last night."
"Yeah, I don't know," replied Amy, "I feel awful, and I couldn't use magic. It took me all day to get my powers back. I think we should just lay low tonight."
"I have a better idea," said Willow, stopping in front of the Expresso Pump.
"What?" Amy questioned.
"I know this guy," says Willow, "and he knows spells that last for days, and the burn-out factor is like, nothing."
"He's a warlock?" replied Amy, worried where Willow was going with this.
"I guess," answered the red head, "This guy will blow your mind. He will take you to places you never even imagined."
Now, they started walking again, and Amy wondered, "Is it dangerous?"
"Will it stop you if it is?" reponded Willow.
Willow and Amy walked for a while and stopped in a dark alley.
"We're here," Willow said, having noticed the place they were going to.
"Where?" asked Amy, "I thought you said this guy lived around here."
"He does," stated Willow, "Can't you feel it?"
"What do you me..." Amy tried to get out but Willow grabbed her hand and held it at a certain spot.
"Here," said Willow, "Can you feel it?"
"It's hot," Amy answered, feeling the warmth coarsing through the air.
"See you on the other side," Willow told Amy, walking further into the alley, where she disappeared in a shimmer of air.
Amy held her hand out, walking cautiously to the spot where her friend disappeared.
Suddenly, Amy appeared in this dingy-looking room, with Willow at her side.
"It's cool, isn't it?" Willow asked the other witch, "The place is cloaked. It moves around a lot too, it keeps Rack out of trouble."
"Rack? Who's Ra..." asked Amy, but was interrupted by a door opening, revealing a less-than-attractive man, with scars all over his face.
"Rack, Rack, it's my turn..." said one girl, trying to get the warlock's attention.
"No, it's my turn..." said a guy standing across the room, starting an argument between the two.
"No, I believe these two were here first," said Rack, interrupting the argument, and singling out Willow and Amy.
Amy woke up the next morning in the clothes she had that night, feeling depressed and violated. She spent most of the day crying her eyes out.
-END FLASHBACK-
"...and ever since then, I've been keeping an eye on Willow and she has been not only going back to that bastard," Amy told the Scoobies, "But she has been using magic wherever she goes, on who ever she meets. I wouldn't be surprised if she had you guys like puppets on a string."
"Oh my god," said Xander, not believing that his friend would stoop so low.
"Spike," said Buffy, getting the attention of the bleach blond vampire,"Do you know about this guy, Rack?"
"I've heard a little off the demonic grapevine," answered Spike, "Apparently the bugger is more powerful than you can ever imagine. What he does is give his customers a dab of his dark power, but even that is a lot. I even heard that a guy died because Rack gave him too much power, overloaded the body."
"And now Willow has some of that power," Amy stated, "This has to be put to a stop."
"Right. Are we all in agreement?" Buffy asked, getting the Okay from everyone, "Alright, Giles how should we proceed?"
"For now we can attempt to strip Willow of all the power that is corrupting her," repied the Watcher, "Then we should try to take this warlock out of business, and make sure that he poses as a threat no longer."
"But if Rack really is all that powerful, then we are going to need some more help," Anya informed the Group.
"Amy," asked Buffy, "Will you help us?"
"Count me in," said the witch, wanting to put this to an end.
"Good," replied Buffy, "But we still need more help. Once we help Willow, our next course of action should be to find Tara and convince her to come back, if only to help us with this."
"Agreed," said Giles, "With Amy's help, we can find Tara in less than an hour."
