Title: Rain Falls On the Just (13/?)
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Type: B/X… surprise, surprise!
Description: Conspiracy, life altering events and love. Three things we love and hate.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but some Russian microfilm and Rock'em Sock'em Robots. Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and the fab folks of the WB own Buffy and all related characters. I just make up stuff for them to do.
Tara paced the floor. Her love, Willow Rosenberg, sat motionless in a circle of candles. The sight disturbed her, for she knew that Willow wasn't in there. She was in another dimension, possessing the body of a demonic seer, and trying to find a way home for Xander and Cordelia.
There was a knock at the door. It was soft and discreet. She glanced nervously at the door, then back at Willow. Only Buffy and Faith knew where they were, but they were both supposed to be keeping their distance so as not to lead anyone to discover their whereabouts. She picked up the crossbow that Buffy had left with them, and quietly moved toward the door. She heard another sound, but she was uncertain if it was another knock or the tribal rhythm of her own panicked heart.
She tried to take a peek through the hole in the door, but the glass was fogged, making it impossible to see. She backed up a step and listened. The knock came again. She hesitantly stepped forward and put her ear to the door. There was nothing to be heard. She swallowed hard, and glanced back to Willow, silently wishing she was back. Maybe the Scoobies had a secret knock she didn't know about. Maybe something had gone wrong.
"B-Buffy?" she said just above a whisper.
There was a noise. A loud crack and grind, followed by something wet. Her eyes went black for a second. She looked down unable to comprehend what had happened. There was something metal, sticking through the door. A sword. The place where it pierced her abdomen issued blood like a fountain, but the red was suddenly gray. She coughed and blood ran down her chin. She wanted to turn to Willow, but she was stuck. Then, as suddenly as it had come through the door, the sword was pulled back through from the other side. She managed to turn and take a step toward Willow just as the door shattered behind her. She barely felt the shard of wood that stuck in her shoulder. Then suddenly, she found herself face down on the floor.
"Look what we have here," Angel said, kicking the crossbow out of reach. "The gal pals escaped the plane crash. Who knew?"
Tara tried to yell. She wanted to scream at Willow to wake up. But when she opened her mouth, only blood came out.
"Don't try to answer," Angel laughed. "Just lay there and gurgle while I kill your girlfriend."
"That is SO not gonna happen," came a voice from behind him. He turned to see Anya. He spun into a kick, but connected with nothing.
"You're a ghost?"
"Thanks to you," Willow said, rising from her chair. She looked to the floor and saw Tara. "Tara!" She dropped to her knees and checked for a pulse. Nothing. "Damn it!"
"You killed her," Anya said. "You freaking killed her?"
"What can I say?" Angel asked. "It's what I do. Who's next?"
"Discede!" Willow screamed.
Before Angel knew what was happening, he disappeared.
"Where did you send him?" Anya asked.
"I don't know. Help me!"
"I can't call an ambulance. You have to. I'll stay with Tara. No, wait. She's slipping away. Do that initial thing."
"What initial thi… CPR?"
"Yes. Do that quickly!"
"She's losing blood too fast! I-I… I don't know what to do!"
"Where the hell are we?" Cordelia asked, leaning on Xander, trying to make her world stop spinning.
"From the stench of urine and gunpowder, I'm guessing Los Angeles," Xander said. "Willow said Oz was here somewhere."
"Why couldn't she just pop us back to Sunnydale?"
"It doesn't work that way. We had to return to the same general location we left from. At least we're alive."
"Some of us are," Cordelia said softly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't meant to…"
"I know. Let's just get out of here. The sooner we get to Angel…"
"The sooner we can kill him. Let's find Oz."
Grady's was a seedy place full of people Oz wouldn't typically associate with. Near the bar, a vampire was perched on a stool keeping an eye on the door. Oz wondered how many vampires were on Wolfram and Hart's payroll. The Host was waiting outside near a back door. Oz planned to use it as an escape route if he was able to find the baby. He had told the Host to boost a car and wait in the alley.
"What can I get you?" the bartender asked.
"Bloody Mary," Oz bluffed. "Light on the Mary, if you know what I mean."
The waiter poured some blood in a martini glass. Oz wandered over to the vamp and sat down next to him. "This place is dead, no pun intended," he said. "Where do you have to go to get some action in this town?"
"You're not fooling anyone," the vamp snarled. "You're not one of us."
"No, I'm not," Oz conceded. "But I had to get close enough to you to do this!"
Oz threw his drink in the vamp's face, momentarily blinding it. Before the vampire could recover, Oz plunged a stake through its heart and made a break for the back room. He knew the others would be on his tail, but he was determined to find little Alex, and the Host was convinced that the child was in a hidden room in back. He crossed his fingers as he kicked the door open.
"So I keep pretending I'm riding the line?" Faith asked.
"Yeah. Until we know more, you're double agent gal," Buffy confirmed. "Our plan hinges on Angel not knowing that we're on to him."
"It's too late for that," Anya said, suddenly appearing in Giles' living room. "He knows."
"What happened?" Giles asked.
"He found Tara and Willow at the abandoned motel."
"Oh my God," Buffy gasped.
"Willow's fine," Anya said. "But Tara… She didn't make it. Willow's still at the hospital."
"I'll kill him," Giles whispered.
"Willow teleported him away. She's not sure where," Anya said. "But we managed to get Xander and Cordelia back to L.A. before the attack."
"Thank God," Buffy said. "They're okay?"
"They're a little roughed up, but fine. I'll go to them now and help them find Oz."
"Good," Buffy said. "We'll pick up Willow and gather the troops in L.A. I think it's time we take the war to THEIR back yard."
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Type: B/X… surprise, surprise!
Description: Conspiracy, life altering events and love. Three things we love and hate.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but some Russian microfilm and Rock'em Sock'em Robots. Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and the fab folks of the WB own Buffy and all related characters. I just make up stuff for them to do.
Tara paced the floor. Her love, Willow Rosenberg, sat motionless in a circle of candles. The sight disturbed her, for she knew that Willow wasn't in there. She was in another dimension, possessing the body of a demonic seer, and trying to find a way home for Xander and Cordelia.
There was a knock at the door. It was soft and discreet. She glanced nervously at the door, then back at Willow. Only Buffy and Faith knew where they were, but they were both supposed to be keeping their distance so as not to lead anyone to discover their whereabouts. She picked up the crossbow that Buffy had left with them, and quietly moved toward the door. She heard another sound, but she was uncertain if it was another knock or the tribal rhythm of her own panicked heart.
She tried to take a peek through the hole in the door, but the glass was fogged, making it impossible to see. She backed up a step and listened. The knock came again. She hesitantly stepped forward and put her ear to the door. There was nothing to be heard. She swallowed hard, and glanced back to Willow, silently wishing she was back. Maybe the Scoobies had a secret knock she didn't know about. Maybe something had gone wrong.
"B-Buffy?" she said just above a whisper.
There was a noise. A loud crack and grind, followed by something wet. Her eyes went black for a second. She looked down unable to comprehend what had happened. There was something metal, sticking through the door. A sword. The place where it pierced her abdomen issued blood like a fountain, but the red was suddenly gray. She coughed and blood ran down her chin. She wanted to turn to Willow, but she was stuck. Then, as suddenly as it had come through the door, the sword was pulled back through from the other side. She managed to turn and take a step toward Willow just as the door shattered behind her. She barely felt the shard of wood that stuck in her shoulder. Then suddenly, she found herself face down on the floor.
"Look what we have here," Angel said, kicking the crossbow out of reach. "The gal pals escaped the plane crash. Who knew?"
Tara tried to yell. She wanted to scream at Willow to wake up. But when she opened her mouth, only blood came out.
"Don't try to answer," Angel laughed. "Just lay there and gurgle while I kill your girlfriend."
"That is SO not gonna happen," came a voice from behind him. He turned to see Anya. He spun into a kick, but connected with nothing.
"You're a ghost?"
"Thanks to you," Willow said, rising from her chair. She looked to the floor and saw Tara. "Tara!" She dropped to her knees and checked for a pulse. Nothing. "Damn it!"
"You killed her," Anya said. "You freaking killed her?"
"What can I say?" Angel asked. "It's what I do. Who's next?"
"Discede!" Willow screamed.
Before Angel knew what was happening, he disappeared.
"Where did you send him?" Anya asked.
"I don't know. Help me!"
"I can't call an ambulance. You have to. I'll stay with Tara. No, wait. She's slipping away. Do that initial thing."
"What initial thi… CPR?"
"Yes. Do that quickly!"
"She's losing blood too fast! I-I… I don't know what to do!"
"Where the hell are we?" Cordelia asked, leaning on Xander, trying to make her world stop spinning.
"From the stench of urine and gunpowder, I'm guessing Los Angeles," Xander said. "Willow said Oz was here somewhere."
"Why couldn't she just pop us back to Sunnydale?"
"It doesn't work that way. We had to return to the same general location we left from. At least we're alive."
"Some of us are," Cordelia said softly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't meant to…"
"I know. Let's just get out of here. The sooner we get to Angel…"
"The sooner we can kill him. Let's find Oz."
Grady's was a seedy place full of people Oz wouldn't typically associate with. Near the bar, a vampire was perched on a stool keeping an eye on the door. Oz wondered how many vampires were on Wolfram and Hart's payroll. The Host was waiting outside near a back door. Oz planned to use it as an escape route if he was able to find the baby. He had told the Host to boost a car and wait in the alley.
"What can I get you?" the bartender asked.
"Bloody Mary," Oz bluffed. "Light on the Mary, if you know what I mean."
The waiter poured some blood in a martini glass. Oz wandered over to the vamp and sat down next to him. "This place is dead, no pun intended," he said. "Where do you have to go to get some action in this town?"
"You're not fooling anyone," the vamp snarled. "You're not one of us."
"No, I'm not," Oz conceded. "But I had to get close enough to you to do this!"
Oz threw his drink in the vamp's face, momentarily blinding it. Before the vampire could recover, Oz plunged a stake through its heart and made a break for the back room. He knew the others would be on his tail, but he was determined to find little Alex, and the Host was convinced that the child was in a hidden room in back. He crossed his fingers as he kicked the door open.
"So I keep pretending I'm riding the line?" Faith asked.
"Yeah. Until we know more, you're double agent gal," Buffy confirmed. "Our plan hinges on Angel not knowing that we're on to him."
"It's too late for that," Anya said, suddenly appearing in Giles' living room. "He knows."
"What happened?" Giles asked.
"He found Tara and Willow at the abandoned motel."
"Oh my God," Buffy gasped.
"Willow's fine," Anya said. "But Tara… She didn't make it. Willow's still at the hospital."
"I'll kill him," Giles whispered.
"Willow teleported him away. She's not sure where," Anya said. "But we managed to get Xander and Cordelia back to L.A. before the attack."
"Thank God," Buffy said. "They're okay?"
"They're a little roughed up, but fine. I'll go to them now and help them find Oz."
"Good," Buffy said. "We'll pick up Willow and gather the troops in L.A. I think it's time we take the war to THEIR back yard."