Let me know what you think…
Enjoy,
Part 11
"So you guys planning on catching some flies with your mouths hanging like that?" Tara said mockingly walking by her friends into the living room
"Tara…w…w…what…" Willow stuttered not able to put a sentence together
"Are those my pants?" Buffy asked furrowing her brows observing Tara's hips swaying in front of them
"Tara what's going on?" Giles asked concernedly
"What do you mean?" she asked moving to the mirror on the wall
"I think he meant your new…look" Xander answered gesturing toward her outfit
"Oh, that?" she said looking at her own body "I thought I could use a few changes…I was bored with the other...me" she turned and started applying some lipstick
"Are you planning on going somewhere?" Faith asked seriously
"As a matter of fact…I am" she replied giving final touches to her hair and make up
"Tara, what's happening to you?" Willow could finally find her voice again
"What are you talking about?" she asked annoyed "gee…I just wanna go out…I feel like dancing tonight" she lifted both arms and shook her hips from side to side in front of the redhead, leaning over and hugging her by the neck "wanna come baby?"
"Tara, this is not you…" Willow said coming out of the blonde's grasp "I don't know what's going on here…but I'm sure we can fix it"
"Fix what? Jesus, you're so dull sometimes" the blonde snapped annoyingly "you don't wanna come, fine don't…but don't try to spoil my fun" she said grabbing a black leather jacket
"What about your child? What about Ariel?" Giles asked cautiously as if fishing for the blonde's reaction
"What about her?" she answered in an unreadable tone
"Are you going out and leave your daughter here?" he insisted
"oh, she's fine…she has lot's of uncles and aunts to take care of her…plus her mommy is here" she lifted an eyebrow and smirked at the redhead "she can watch the kid…after all I didn't make her by myself, right baby?" she winked and left giggling
"Tara…" Willow tried to follow but Giles stopped her
"Let her" he said holding the witch
"But…" she tried to argue
"No…she'll be fine" he said firmly
"How can you say that?" she threw both arms in the air growing agitated "didn't you see her? She's not herself" she was in the verge of tears
"Yes, I saw her and despite whatever is happening she's still in full control of her functions and memories" he tried to calm the redhead
"What do you mean?" Willow asked confused
"I mean…she remembers her daughter, and you and your history together…she won't do anything stupid, besides she can defend herself" he said reasonably
"I'll say" Faith agreed touching her now healed eyebrow
"What we must do now is go to the magic box and try to find anything" Giles offered "an explanation maybe"
"Or a priest to perform an exorcism" Buffy said shrugging "she's clearly possessed"
"No…I don't think this is possession" Giles said removing his glasses
"What the hell do you think is happening then?" Willow asked angrily
"I have absolutely no idea"
A few hours later
"So Klaus…we are waiting, spill it" Buffy said leaning forward on her seat with her arms on her thighs; the blond man released a big sigh and looked at the group watching him closely
"Very well" he nodded "every individual is born with a mission we all have a reason to be here, a path traced for us to follow; but sometimes things can happen and change our fate, but those changes do not go without consequences; a single step can change one's Destiny" he said facing the group "six years ago Tara did something that altered her fate…she got pregnant"
"What does Ariel have to do with it?" Willow asked suspiciously
"She saved her mother's life" he answered simply "what do you know about the keepers?" he asked and received blank looks as an answer from the gang "okay…" he sighed and started pacing "the keepers are some sort of guardian angels; we help and protect the light by helping and protecting good souls" the gang was listening attentively "we are always watching over good people who have a difficult life, a rough childhood or who have suffered great losses…people who have every reason to become rebellion and walk out of the path of good…we guide them and guarantee that they fulfill their mission on the greater good"
"You just described Tara's life" Willow whispered softly
"Exactly…six years ago, Tara was supposed to become one of us"
"Become one of you?" Xander furrowed his brows in confusion "I thought you guys were born like…that" he said motioning to the figure standing in the middle of the room "or maybe come from another dimension or something"
"No…we all have been mortal once" he stated simply
"So, you choose someone using what…eanie meanie minie moe?" Buffy asked raising an eyebrow
"No…" he giggled at the blonde's antics "it's like you're chosen to be a slayer" he said looking at her "it's what you're destined to be"
"You said she was to become a keeper" Giles asked trying to understand "I don't quite understand that…how do you become a Keeper?"
"You die" he answered simply
"What?" Willow jumped from her seat
"You die" he continued calmly "usually young and not rarely, from a violent death"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Willow yelled angrily and charged into the man's direction but was stopped by Giles' firm grasp
"Willow calm down…let's hear what he has to say" he coax the redhead
"Thank you" he nodded to the watcher "like I said, her pregnancy altered Tara's fate…had she not gotten pregnant she would've stayed here…you two would've made up" he said gesturing to Willow who was breathing heavily "and then one day, when that boy, Warren, invaded your house to kill you" he said pointing to Buffy who turned to Faith who was looking at her wide eyed
"Yeah, he came through the back yard…" she shrugged and frowned "but the gun didn't go off"
"That's because when you change someone's fate you altered many others that are involved" he explained "he was going to shoot you and a stray bullet was going to travel to Willow's room, through the window, straight into Tara's heart…killing her instantly"
"I don't believe you" Willow whispered in tears
"I'm sorry Willow…I know it sounds cruel just saying it like this, but we don't have time to waste" he said sincerely
"So you're saying that the fact that Tara was not killed unbalanced this whole thing between good and evil?" Faith asked for confirmation
"Yes, evil saw this…twist of fate as an opportunity to seduce Tara…make her do something that would compromise her future as a Keeper"
"You mean they are forcing her to become evil?" Xander questioned
"No…they can't force her to do anything" he said shaking his head "it must be her choice"
"Then what's happening to her?" Buffy asked him
"For about six years, evil has been filling her heart with darkness" he informed
"Ariel said her heart is black" Faith said
"It's becoming" he nodded "we didn't realize what was happening until recently…it's this energy you all have been feeling" he ran a hand through his blond hair "it's not a demon, it's not a vampire…it's pure evil energy"
"So Tara is becoming evil?" Willow asked
"Not exactly" he answered and the redhead threw both arms in the air frustrated; he sighed and tried to explain "this…energy is lowering her boundaries, her notion of what's right or wrong…she's giving in to her dark side"
"She doesn't have a dark side" Willow tried to argue
"Everybody has a dark side" he shot back "she just never fed it…the problem is that with this darkness in her heart, she won't be able to distinguish what's good from what's bad…she will lose her limits and cross some lines" he started pacing again "it will start with small things like drinking or smoking going to drugs and sex"
"What?" Willow's eyes widened in shock
"Yeah…she will no longer hold the notion of monogamy…she will become…wild, sex just for the sex" Willow was hyperventilating nearly fainting "and it can get worse"
"How?" Xander asked doubting the possibility
"Stealing, hurting people…even killing" he finished sadly
"We gotta find her" Faith said jumping to her feet
"We must bring her here and keep an eye on her" Giles said putting on his coat
"More important, we have to revert this" Klaus pointed out
"Yes…of course" Giles nodded "how?" everybody turned to the blond Keeper
"I have no idea" he shrugged "it never happened before"
"Great" the gang muttered and left the shop