Souled Out
Okay, title says it all. Enjoy, review, our girlies will be back on track very soon for those who are worrying! And yes, gentle reviewers, I promise you a happy ending J
Fred's face was sheened in sweat and her whole body was shaking. "Asa sa fie! ACUM!" And the orb went out.
In the moment the orb went out, four things happened simultaneously. A death, a rebirth, an awakening and a realisation.
The demon part of Angel screamed in angry protest, it was being shoved by a very powerful, very mean and completely annoying energy. This energy was focused, potent and cruel. It was so full of light and grief and remorse, it hurt him on a level deeper than any physical pain. And in an instant it all stopped. The demon was quelled and for a moment lay a dead, cold and scarred human man. In the next second that man's soul was reborn, and filled with more grief, pain and remorse than any other soul in the world. Angel lay, shuddering and moaning on the floor of his cell, his insides screaming for the pain that surrounded his newly restored soul.
At exactly the same moment a pair of beautiful brown eyes opened. The owner of these eyes was rather brutally jerked back to reality, which she realised was in fact cold, lumpy and wicked uncomfy. She also noticed that reality was far lonelier than her dream. At least soul-boy had been company for her there. Here, there was no one to welcome her back.
The final event was one of realisation. Emerald eyes widened in the moonlight as, for the first time in days, her lover's thoughts began to seep back into her brain. The redhead realised, in the moment that Fred's magic pierced the very core of her being, that the biggest mistake she'd ever made, was believing that Tara wouldn't forgive her. The redhead was off, running into the night.
"Are you really going to do it?" Oz asked.
"What other choice do I h-have?" Tara asked with a grimace.
"Will it work?"
"I hope so," Tara whispered, "God I hope so."
"I left," Buffy said quietly. Faith whipped around so fast her neck ached, but she didn't care. The world's most beautiful, if not dishevelled sight, stood in the doorway.
"You came back."
"I wanted to be here when you woke up." Buffy walked over slowly, sitting down next to her girlfriend. "You did so, so amazingly Faith. I'm so proud of you." She kissed the brunette. "I couldn't have done it better if I'd tried."
Faith laughed, "I don't know about that last bit B, but thanks."
"I love you Faith."
"I love you too."
"I know I don't deserve your trust right now," Willow's small voiced echoed from the cracked doorway. Tara looked up. She'd been sitting with Oz in silence for over an hour now, just enjoying the company as she listened to Willow's thoughts get closer and closer.
"You still have it Willow, but it doesn't mean you didn't scare me."
Oz slowly stood, easing his way out of the room.
"I broke my promise, again. I've done that to you so many times, Tara and I'm so sorry. I wouldn't blame you if you never spoke to me again, but if you change your mind ,I swear I won't let you down."
"How can you be so sure?" The blonde looked up, her eyes sparkling with tears. "How do you know that you won't do it again, Willow?" Tara's voice was laced with tears and another, far more bitter emotion. Was it fear, resentment, regret?
"I know because now I know what my magic means, what it does."
"But it took for you to kill me once, nearly twice, for you to realise that?" Tara was angry now. Willow paled, her eyes filling with tears and pain.
"You, you knew?"
"Of course, and Willow I forgive you, you know I do. I just have to know," she said quietly, "I'm so, so sorry I have to do this, but I need to know…" And for the first time in her life, Tara harnessed the dark magic inside her, and threw all of it, a solid wall of energy, straight at Willow.
"Okay," Faith muttered, "wasn't expecting that to happen."
"It was nice though," Buffy giggled. The pair were still flipped in an easy 69, Faith still taking lazy little licks at Buffy's sweet juices.
"Good for the soul."
"Not for Angel's," the girls giggled.
"Buffy, how's Faith-Gah!" Wesley spun around, facing the wall with his hands over his eyes.
"Chill, watcher," Faith laughed, "we're decent enough." Faith wrapped a sheet around herself and Buffy. Wesley slowly turned around, his face an alarming red.
"I see you're um… looking, er, well again, Faith." Wesley was still flushed and not making eye contact with the Slayers.
"Five by five," they both replied, then looked at each other, giggling.
"I c-came to check on, but I also wanted to, uh, thank you."
"What for?" Faith sat up straighter. The act tugged the sheet off Buffy's chest, who gasped and grabbed for it again as Faith grinned, licking her lips. Wesley blushed again, but continued.
"For saving us. And Angel. Without you we never could have even begun the spell, so thank you. Thank you very much. I'm sure if Angel were in a state to, uh, communicate… well. I'm sure he's equally grateful."
"No big, Wes. Seriously."
"No big?" Buffy asked incredulously. "Oh yeah. 'I just nearly killed myself in the fight for the greater good. No big'." She mocked.
Faith just rolled her eyes, rubbing the small of Buffy's back through the sheet.
Willow hit the crumbling wall with a tremendous thud, knocking out another few feet of dry walling as she fell. Tara was on her feet now – well, sort of, she was hovering a few inches above the ground – and she was building another ball of energy with her hands as Willow stood shakily. From the outside, Tara look formidable. Her face was pale and her eyes dark, a look of immense concentration and daunting anger painting her face. The amount of energy she was drawing from inside herself was literally lifting a breeze around her and her hair was whipping around her face haphazardly. Inwardly though, Tara was a mess. She was, secretly, shaking and crying as she – for the first time in her life – drew the power from deep within her own soul. The black magic made her feel sick, coursing through her in gluggy, bitter veins of energy. The power she felt was immense, but it didn't feel right. She felt a horrible sense of guilt harnessing these powers, and worse about using them against her love. As Willow stood, Tara slammed the energy into her again. Willow remained standing this time, but was shuddering with the effort. Now mind you, Tara wasn't doing this just because she 'felt like kicking Willow's ass'. It was quite simply an act of teaching and in a small way, a test. Tara wanted to see if Willow would cave, counter Tara's attacks with black magic. She wanted to show Willow that there was more power to be had by using the Earth's power, rather than breaking all the laws of physics in creating your own stepped outside of herself, and looked at the scene from above. She looked over herself, surveying her quaking form like a doctor, looking for disease. "Nothing cures the hurt you bring on yourself!" She yelled through her tears, the energy coming more freely now and pulsing around her. "I can still remember Willow, I still remember how we were. I still remember what we used to be."
"Tara, please…" Willow cried, letting the little bullets of energy tear into her clothes. And it was enough, the simple request, to leave Tara a shuddering, crying mess.
"You see what you were doing Willow?" Tara murmured, crawling through the debris, closer to the exhausted witch. "I'm so sorry baby."
And, unexpectedly, Willow looked up at Tara's tear streaked face and whispered two simple words,
"Thank you."
Sorry it's been so long - I was contemplating whether to even finish it. Back into a bit of a rhythm now though, should have some more up in a day or two. That is, if you lovely readers (if there are any, lol) think I ought to. Seeya soon! Also, check out my other story, The Power of 2, it's a LOT lighter than this one ;P
