Boris Yeltsin - Rack deserves everything that he'll get and more.

spike'smate - Rack in a room full of starving vampires? I like that!

bluepaintbox - I'm glad you are enjoying the story. Thanks for reading!


Feedback: Please, it helps me grow as a writer and storyteller.


Chapter 28: Closing in on Evil

Tara sat watching Rack as he plotted and planned his revenge on Willow. She knew that she was helpless right now, but as soon as Willow and/or Sister Morrigan got there, then she would be strong enough to take him on.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Rack, seeing a hint of a smile curl up one side of Tara's mouth.

"You're g-going t-to lose."

Rack didn't say anything, he just walked over and infused some more dark magic into Tara, incapacitating her with pain.

"No darling, I'm not." Rack smugly walked back over to where he'd been working. He could feel the pain Tara was in and it gave him greater pleasure than he thought it would. "Enjoy your pain now. It will get worse once Strawberry is mine."


"I can feel her, he's hurting her," Willow said as a tear rolled down her face.

"We will get there and save her. Then, he will pay," said Sister Morrigan, putting a hand on Willow's shoulder trying to comfort both herself and Willow.

"You get her out of here as soon as you can. I'll deal with Rack."

"No, we will deal with Rack. I'm not leaving you alone to deal with that monster."

"Please, I need to know that she will be protected so that I can do what I must to protect the world from that monster."

"Willow, I know you feel that this is your task and your task alone, but you aren't alone anymore. I will send Tara out of there as soon as it is safe for her to leave, but I will not leave your side and leave you to deal with that monster alone."

Willow took a deep breath and started walking again. She needed to think, to plan, to figure out what she could do to ensure that Tara was safe. That was all that mattered.


"Do we follow them in?" asked one of the Sisters at the edge of the tunnel.

"I think so," said one of the younger ones.

"How about we send half in and half stay here?" said Sister Lara, one of the elder sisters. "Half of the elders and younger ones stay here and the other half will come with me."

"Yes, Sister," said the group and then they split into two groups. The group that was joining Sister Lara was made up of some of the stronger witches.

Once the groups were settled and people in place, Sister Lara started to follow the magic trail that Sister Morrigan had been leaving for them.

"We're coming, please goddess look favorably on us and our sisters today," thought Sister Lara.


"Come on Strawberry, your girlfriend can't take much more," said Rack at the entrance of the little room that he had Tara in.

"Why can't you just leave us alone?"

"Because," started Rack, turning to face Tara, "if I leave you alone all that power that she has goes to waste."

"It isn't wasted if it's used for good."

"But she isn't good now is she? She's a dark magic junkie."

"S-she is g-good. She's m-mine n-now-"

"NO...SHE...ISN'T," screamed Rack, infusing Tara with dark magic to punctuate each word.

"Willow…" whispered Tara before she passed out from the pain.


"Tara," whispered Willow, feeling the pain that Tara was in and then the nothingness after Tara had passed out. "We have to hurry."

Willow started to walk faster and wasn't paying attention to the floor below her and she tripped over a tree root and found herself sprawled out over some roots and rocks.

"Willow," said Sister Morrigan as she moved to Willow's side and helped her up. They both made sure that the redhead wasn't seriously injured. "I know we have to hurry, but we will be no good to Tara if we show up injured. Tara is strong and can take this."

"But she doesn't deserve this," cried Willow.

"No, she doesn't, but we don't always get what we deserve and sometimes life sees fit to give us some things that we don't deserve. She will survive and she will be stronger for the experience."

"What if she resents me for that?"

"That isn't going to happen. Tara doesn't have that darkness inside her. She knows, as we all know, that you had nothing to do with this, and that you are going to be doing all that you can to save her and make sure everyone, but Rack makes it out of here safely. I promise you that the others are coming and we're going to defeat him."

"What do you mean the others are coming?" asked Willow, looking at Sister Morrigan in confusion.

"I can feel the other sisters following our trail and heading here." Seeing Willow's continued look of confusion, Sister Morrigan continued to explain. "I've been leaving a trail for them to follow. You aren't alone anymore, you're part of this Coven. We take care of our own."

Willow was used to the Scoobies being there for her, but she wasn't used to others caring or being there for her.

"Do you know how far behind us they are?"

"Not far at all. If we wait a few minutes, they'll be here and we will all go get Sister Tara."

"I can't wait, he's hurting her."

"Then we'll get moving," said Sister Morrigan as they started walking again.


"How far ahead are Sister Willow and Sister Morrigan?" asked one of the Sister's.

"Not far at all. I can feel them, but they are still moving. I can feel Sister Tara as well, she is being hurt by this evil being."

"How could someone want to hurt Sister Tara?" asked one of the others.

"He is evil, that just shows the level of evil we are up against."

The group continued to make their way toward Sister Morrigan and Willow. All worried about what would happen when they reached them.


tbc...