Chapter Forty-Three
Hello
A/N Sorry it's been a while I was working on other things. But I'm back now, here is a rewrite of S7E3, but names 12.5 because I've adapted the plot to fit this in later between potential and first date. As Willow needs to find a way to reconcile with the group after the events of 11.5 - killer in me. I think you know the drill by now, WWS reality, Tara's alive. Yay.
Sunnydale, the world without shrimp 2003
The man stood alone, his hand fixating on the spray can loosely slipping between his fingers as he drove the paint onto the wall. It's potent scent rising and consuming his lungs, so he had to take deep breaths of air to stop himself from choking. It was approaching him from behind, he didn't see its rising shape looming in the darkness. But he heard the words erupting from its heavy mouth as its voice scratched and grated him.
"Hello." The creature said, its rising intonation a callout to the callous boy. "All alone, alone and afraid, I can smell it in the smoke." The creature repeated, its voice caught against the boy's hearing and he wanted to clench at his eyes but found his limbs wouldn't move so easily.
The creature stepped into his light, its claws gaping at the air and clenching as it walked nearer and nearer to the boy himself. The spray can quickly dropping to the floor as the creature spoke again. "Are you frightened to be all alone?" It asked interrogatingly at the boy. He stood frozen unsure of how to answer. Of course, he was afraid, his bones were shaking. That voice, the tone of it, cheeky but also deadly evil spilled out into the night air as he stood metres from savage death.
As it's claw pierced the boy's arm his body fell limp onto the ground, his back crashing into the abandoned spray can at his feet. The creature peeling away his shirt before sinking its claws into the flesh, pulling the skin away in great strips, watching painfully on the boy spluttered up blood as his flesh was instantaneously devoured before his eyes. A feast for the story-tale demon. It left the body trapped there, paralysed until death, split open the pool of blood leaked into the soil, staining the broken concrete, sucked down by the earth.
When Tara's eyes flickered open and her arms stretched out slightly around Willow, she noticed the redhead was already awake. She was awake and staring straight up the ceiling, as she lifted her head to snuggled closer into Willow's chest, she gave out a small sigh. Willow noticed right away that her girlfriend had woken, Tara's breathing often became shallower and her chest rose and fell much more frequently. Willow leaned her head down and kissed her girl on the forehead, bringing their bodies closer together as she tried to get over her nerves.
Today was the day she was going to go back to the house, the previous night would be their last in Tara's dorm for a while. Tara's eyes were still closed and Willow decided to let her sleep a bit, she'd been overdoing lately, with her disappearance from the gang, Tara was trying to cover for her and it was taking its toll on her sleeping habits. She was just so much more tired and their bodies seemed to mold into one when they fell asleep. Resulting in their current position under the covers: Willow farther up the pillow laying flat on her back her arms around Tara's shoulders with Tara's own limbs wrapped around her middle, hugging her a koala bear.
Willow's hand went to the top of Tara's honey-blonde hair, stroking through its tresses until she felt her anxiety settling. She had reservations about seeing her friends again, especially Xander, she'd gone all dark again and tried to kill him. I threw him against a wall for goddess' sake, Anya glared at me, oh no, how are they all going to feel and poor Dawnie. She had a tough time last week with the new potential stuff, what if they don't want me back, I almost ruined everything - again, just like last time. And Tara had to save me again, oh Tara. Tara help me. I know you're right here but you're asleep and you look so peaceful when you're sleeping, like an angel, well you are an angel really. My angel.
"My angel." She whispered close to Tara's head as she lifted herself gently and reshuffled onto Willow's shoulder, nuzzling her nose into the soft freckled skin. Finally opening her eyes and placing little kisses on Willow's neck, sucking too hard on a particular spot that made Willow moan but not really notice. She knew logically it would leave a mark but the thoughts of being only hours away from a nerves inducing meeting with her friends. I'm not ready, just not ready. I can't see them. Ohh lips nearing collar bone. How does she do that? Make me melt with just her lips.
"Tara." Willow moaned softly as she opened up the expanse of her neck to give Tara more access to her supple flesh. All the worries bubbling to the surface dissipated from Willow as she sank into Tara's warm embrace, warm lips that were inching towards her own. Tara crept up upon her slowly, lifting her body weight onto her shoulder through her bent back hand, palm down on the sheets. Leaning down and pecking at Willow's lips, trailing her fingers over her collar bone and down to the crease between her breasts. Their kisses became more heated and more passionate with Tara's wandering hands journeying further and further down Willow's body.
Willow's moans turned to whimpers as the blonde lessened her pressure on her lips and moved slowly down the expanse of her chest until landing firmly between the girl's thighs. She pressed light kisses into the tender skin of Willow's thighs, slipping a finger through her wetness and swiftly inside her with a small thrust. For having just woken up Tara was surprisingly energetic when it came to their lovemaking - she'd been so tired the night before that they hadn't been able to do anything and if they were going to back to sharing their room with Kennedy again she was going to make the best of their alone time whilst it lasted. And that's why all her thoughts that morning were completely directed at making Willow feel as relaxed and satiated as she could so the reconciliation with her friends wouldn't be so nerve racking for her
Willow's mind was completely blank as Tara pleasured her, eliciting moans and deep groaning from the back of her throat as Tara's tongue settling into a gentle suckling around her clit and a couple of her fingers sliding in and out of her core. She came with a grunted cry writhing underneath Tara's lips - who loved to watch her girl come, she always had her eyes tight shut and her hands clenched at her sides, her lips parting as her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.
Crawling back to her lover Tara smiled sweetly, not even needing to feel the same level of pleasure in that moment, she was satiated enough with looking at Willow. Who was giggling slightly, turning her head to look at Tara's naked form - they'd gotten to a naked stage the night before but had snuggled up and fallen asleep before the chance for anything sexual to happen between them. Willow hand went to stroke Tara's cheek as she glanced up at her magnificent lover, always astonished by her gently dominance in the bedroom.
"You really are my angel, you know." Willow said grinning widely, all thoughts of the inevitable failing to break the metaphorical spell Tara had just put on her. She always knew how to take her thoughts away, let her mind clear.
"They said I'd get my wings for loving you up so good." Tara replied with the half-smile she was famous for, her lips parting slightly as she brought them together again, mumbling quietly against the redhead's own pair. "I love you."
I love you too. Willow thought reopening their psychic link, she knew Tara would hear her, it was magic like that.
Buffy and Xander were standing at the building site, the place that'd been decorated by graffiti just the night before - and was now decorated with blood and shed skin, a trail of it littered around the broken concrete. They were staring down at the smudge of loose skin settled over the ground, the spray can now embedded into broken flesh. "Do you think-?" Buffy said, pointing at the pieces at her feet, thinking the worst but she had to go there. She was of course, referring to this being the flaying power of Willow but it wasn't. Willow had been magically healed from the darkness by Tara's opposing force of light. Buffy and Xander had been informed of this but as neither of them had actually seen Willow in weeks, they couldn't know for sure either way if it was true. They trusted Tara not to lie - Tara actually didn't have a lying bone in her body but Buffy was always on her toes these days - anyone could be anything, after they'd found Eve's body and it'd turned out The First was living in her house, she couldn't sit still anymore. Always on edge.
Xander only nodded in response, he was thinking it but out of respect of his best friend he didn't say it, he didn't bring her name into this. He knew deep in his heart that Willow wouldn't do this again, but there was the niggling voice at the back of his head that told him it was with every possibility this was Willow's magic. His arm was slung up and cast over - Dawn'd spent many an hour doodling all over it in the evenings. He was off work for a few weeks because he couldn't lift anything, but when the rest of the team had turned up that morning to find the mutilated body waiting for them, they'd called Xander down to the site.
"She wouldn't. She couldn't do this - Tara, she said Willow was healed, she was back to herself." Xander argued; half with himself than Buffy, but Buffy gave him a quick scowl before bending down for a closer look at the dead boy.
"We don't know that. Willow could be out here at night doing god knows what without Tara's knowing, you know how tired she's been lately, I think maybe the stress is rubbing off on her. Anything thing Xand - she hasn't been at the house for weeks, she's avoiding us for good reason." Buffy replied, standing back up and facing her best friend, the floppy haired man now before her, was afraid. Xander was scared in his heart that this was Willow - she'd lashed out at him and it wasn't new, she'd certainly lashed out at him before. For years he caused her unrequited pain, he knew that. He wasn't surprised if she took her magic out on him but there was a fear there was more to it than that. That the darkness had finally consumed her whole and had taken away the part of her that was still eight and his best friend sitting with him playing board games on his bed because when he's sick she has to be sick too.
"No Buff, I believe Tara, Willow didn't do this. She doesn't have it in her." Xander said, folding his arms the best he could with his cast on and giving Buffy a blank look. One that implicitly told her to steer away from answering against Willow and trust him for once. Her eyes softened when she saw how sincere he was, her emerald eyes melted as she found the memories of them at high school, Willow in her overalls - one for each colour of the rainbow, she always liked rainbows. The shy Willow she'd talked to in the Bronze 'seize the day' - the words she spoken with conviction and won Willow over as a friend. Buffy shook her head lightly and looked back at Xander, the plea still lingering behind his chocolate brown eyes.
"Ok, I'll get Dawn to research flaying demons later." She walked past him off the site, hanging back for a second to grip Xander's shoulder tightly in support. We have to trust her, or she'll never trust herself again. Those words circling his brain until he gave up staring at the boy's body and followed Buffy off the site.