Dark Willow

A/N Dark Willow returns, oh no, or yes depending on how much you like her. She still really scares me though so. Ok, so there was supposed to be another scene in here but it all got so dramatic.

Sunnydale, the world without shrimp 2003

"Yes, Agent Finn. Riley." Buffy said pacing in front of the stairs; her hand clasping the phone as her feet fidgeted around the edge of the turned up carpet. Spike was sitting behind her on the stairs, his head clutched in his hands as he bent over himself, trying not to collapse into pain. He had to be strong for her, make sure she didn't see how badly it hit him. It was worse alone, the spirits, evil, the First, whatever it was was inside his head - it burned. She was calling for help, he knew that much, why that guy? Captain cardboard, but he's married, he can't exactly get at her. He resented the former commando for breaking Buffy's heart, but he knew it was wrong to hate the guy completely. There'd been circumstances.

"No, his chip. Spike-" Buffy started to argue with the quite obviously oblivious person on the other end of the line, her tone was abrasive, annoyed too at answers but also frustrated. She was tired, just one night without something going amiss would've been too much to ask for she supposed. Spike sat up slightly onto his haunches, his hands resting soulfully on his knees as he looked at her anxious form.

"Listen, pet-" He said calmly in his somewhat father-like tone that he often took with Dawn but Buffy overpowered him, still arguing with the so-called 'flower shop' she didn't turn to look at him. Didn't even acknowledge his presence, her hair staying neat in its cradled view from where he was sitting. He looked down that the door then, its dark striations boring into his unfocussed eyes. A sudden jolt of pain wrestled through his temple until he was holding it to prevent himself from passing out. He almost convulsed, the short nasal sound leaving his throat as he shuddered against the hardwood.

When Buffy noticed she dropped the phone like a leaf and rushed over to his side, gently holding his head as she shook steady. As he gradually came back to the room Buffy shifted from underneath him and moved away, like she feared hurting him. Which she did, but she was trying to hold herself up, make sure she came off as strong and confident and tall. Which she wasn't, but not that that mattered.

"Sorry." She uttered in a silent whisper, he only heard it because she was so close to him, she'd inched from him but not so far as too be out of his reach. In a way she still feared his dark side, but knew it was well hidden by now. She knew he had a soul, Angel had a soul and she understood he would never do to her what Spike had done. But things were different now, he had a soul, a regret for every past action unaccounted. She was apologising to herself for internally pretending it was all ok, that he was harmless and could love her, like Angel, but never like Angel.

"It's ok pet." He understood, he knew she wasn't sorry for him. He knew what he'd done and he carried the burden each day he had to see her and love her and know that he'd eternally blown it. Bollocks. Had been his first response, back then he only thought with his, muscle cramps, and his head told him she'd never be suckered into sleeping with him again. He thought she'd accept a soul, that spineless brat of a dead man, thought getting a soul would stand him in good stead. But she always lead with her heart didn't she? She always saw him as a shadow, never a real person, only a faint approximation of her guilt. He was the same temperature as Angel, sleeping beside him she could pretend it was her lover and not him. He wasn't her lover, he was her slave. He loved her and she pushed him around because it made her feel something, to bully him, toy with his heart and then give him up because he drove her too far.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, a split second moment of understanding. She'd missed parts of him, sometimes his eyes shimmered with kindness and the way he cared for Dawn was impeccable, she respected him more than anything. They were so close, she'd moved instinctively to hold his head and now they were staring at each other. Is this a mistake?

"Hey, Tara come here." Willow whispered, following the air with her finger, pulling Tara to her with an invisible string. She was only a little drunk, Tara not at all, but she was tired enough for the same effect. Willow wrapped her lips around Tara's in a steely kiss, it was far too warm for the evening chill but it kept them more intoxicated the longer it lasted. They walking alongside the cemetery on the walk back to the house, the promise of a free room seemed incredibly inviting as they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

He was short, a stumpy dirty blonde vampire emerging from his unwanted grave. He rose slowly, just getting used to his bearings as he spied an easy meal, two women inhibited and kissing quite obviously in one corner of the flood of headstones. Treading quietly over the blunt grass, shaking his head slightly to try and shift the headache and pain in his knuckles from fighting his way out of the coffin, he was bleeding - not that it mattered. On any other day, he would be a complete match for them, they'd be able to do a quick holding spell and stake him, but they were so tied up in themselves they didn't see him heading straight for them.

Willow opened her eyes slowly, still heart fluttering as she gazed into those deep soulful blue eyes she loved. But it was just beyond her periphery that kept her attention, she spied the vamp before it hit, but it was too late, she only had time to cry out as Tara was dragged away from her. "TARA!"

The next few minutes passed as a brief inkling for Willow's intoxicated mind. She watch in horror as her love was dragged from her by a short stumpy vampire with an attitude problem, his fangs about to force their way into her slender neck... She fell to the ground in a perfect faint, hitting the ground with a short thud, Tara didn't Willow in the distance anymore but instantly pushed it to the back of her mind whilst she focussed. She'd managed to wriggle free out of his grasp and had her hands outstretched in front of her, palms facing upwards as she whispered in dark Latin and called upon forces she couldn't bare. When the first had fallen through her, she'd seen the dark magic circling in Willow and some of it had clung onto her.

Her hands revolved in circles as storm energy swirled between her soft palms, her chanting grew louder as she called up to Hecate in the sky. Her neck finally clicked back into it's forward position and her eyes locked with the pathetic demon's, her eyes black as she prepared to toss him across the stones. But he fled, picked up his haunches and ran, tripping once or twice but she allowed him, scaring him out of messing with a witch again was far better than having no weapon to kill him with. They'd been so ill-prepared and stupid, walking through a cemetery as vulnerable as they'd been, Willow too tipsy to think clearly. Oh my goddess, Willow!

"Will?! WILLOW!" She called out as she came by her girlfriend's laying form on the concrete, she was still unconscious, the spell only having taken bare seconds. Tara's hands were stroking Willow's furrowed brow, brushing red hair away from her forehead. Silent kisses pressed to her cheeks as small tears fell from worry, she knew in her heart of hearts that Willow would ok, she'd only fainted, she had to be ok. Tara quickly panicking checked Willow's steady pulse, breathing out shaky air Willow came too and her eyes flickered open. They were as black as pitch, Tara hadn't noticed her hair turning to its dark blackened state in her fingers, veins poking too far out of her face.

"Tara what is it?" Willow was dark on the inside, she still held the same pitch and tone to her voice as usual but with paler skin and a darkness lurking behind her eyes. When Tara felt the soft palm against her cheek, she looked up, horrified at what she saw, standing abruptly, pulling away from this Willow's grasp.

"No, no it can't be. You can't be, oh Willow." She let the tears fall quickly then, plummeting down her face as her hands came up to wipe away the tears. Willow stood slowly, bringing her heels firmly downwards and managing to hold herself steadily above the concrete. She rushed at her girlfriend, completely confused as to why she was acting so strangely, she had no idea she looked so evil. Tara closed her eyes and let herself be held, if Willow wasn't trying to kill her, she could be soft for a silent moment, the anger would come later. The feeling they'd both learnt to control, that magic was all well and good if it could be controlled and that included controlling strong emotions.

"Tara, what is it baby?" Willow said calmly, Tara opened her eyes slowly, finally relaxing a little that Willow's eyes had turned back to green, a small miracle even if her hair was still jet black. It must've been early good magic shining through, installed by memory, the kind Xander had managed in the summer. But it'd been nine months of careful training and adapting, but it was these little changes that meant the most to Tara when dark magic was concerned. But something was off about this, Willow didn't seem to be dark natured at all, in fact she seemed perfectly herself which didn't fit at all with her appearance.

"You look, you've gone all dark, not your eyes though they're back to green." Tara was careful in the way she worded it, any slight change in mood could trigger the darkness within. Willow recoiled slowly, not believing what she was hearing. She couldn't be dark, no, this isn't happening, I'm fine, still red see? She picked out a tress of her now black hair and her throat choked when she saw her usual auburn had been replaced with darkness.

"No, no Tara, this can't. Be. Happening." With each word Willow took a sharp intake of breath, it was harsh and panicked as her hands began to fidget endlessly. She was getting anxious, fearing the worst, that the evil was back and spirally through her, that she couldn't handle the pain, the withdrawal, so much magic and then nothing in an instant it was gone. It's too much, no, no, help me.

As Willow began to faint again, Tara rushed to her aid catching her love before she disappeared completely. She knew they needed to find Buffy, find anyone that would help, they were so close to the house, she could walk them back and slip in the door without anyone hardly noticing. Picking Willow up, she was surprisingly weightless as they hobbled together towards the Summers' house, hoping that somehow this was all a grief nightmare they could fix in an instant. But it was never going to be that easy.