"Oh my god! Willow! Can you hear me? Willow, please wake up! Oh gods,
somebody, help me!"
Tara shook her friend in fear over what may have happened to her. How long had she been lying there like this, she didn't even want to think! And why wasn't anyone coming over to help her out?
"Please, could somebody get the nurse?" she pleaded to anyone walking past, but achieved no more than the strange passing glance from University goers who had better things on their minds.
"I've got to get you somewhere safe. But how?" Tara mused to herself. "Oh Willow, won't you please just wake up? Wait, of course."
As subtly as she could make in whilst in the middle of a crowded area, Tara cast a lower level spell to animate the body while keeping brain functions still as they were. This achieved, it would be relatively easy to walk Willow back to her own dorm where she could try to figure out what was really wrong with her. She just hoped that it wasn't anything serious!
"You're burning up, Will. What can I do for you?"
Tara had lain Willow down on her own bed and revoked the spell from effect just in case that worsened her condition. Her vitals appeared to be ebbing, she was breathing only very shallowly. Tara decided then to look into her aura and her energy, to see how far the damage really went.
"Oh no," she whispered under her breath. Her aura was paling, growing thinner and even breaking away in sections. But it was the state of her energy that confounded her.
Strips of energy seemed to be taking their leave of Willow's body and trailing off and away to... somewhere else. Even as Tara sat beside her, she could see wisps of energy flowing out of the window to this unseen source. Willow was being drained, to a very critical level! She could have siphoned off her own energy, but there was no way to know that that wouldn't seep away in time also. There was only so much that Tara would be able to offer before she too turned to a crucial level.
She had to tell Willow's friends. Only, she didn't really know them. At all. She'd heard all about them, but had no way of knowing if they knew anything about her. And what if they didn't? What if they thought that it was her doing this to Willow? And without Willow to argue it for her? She could be getting into more trouble than ever if that happened. But she couldn't just sit here and do nothing! There had to be some way for her to find out what this thing taking Willow's energy was, even without the Sc- scoobies.
Tara made her decision quickly and decisively. If Willow had gotten hurt and the so called Scoobies had been the first to find her, they would never have thought to let Tara know about it, so why should she have to report to them now? Besides, she was sure that she could figure all of this out without their help.
Just as she'd decided on a spiritual cause of action and was about to step into her aura and take in the vantage point from there, a sound escaped from Willow's lips.
"What sweetie?" Tara asked, leaning in closer.
"Sp...ike..." she repeated.
Tara sat back in shock. She was calling for Spike? Or saying that Spike had done this to her? Well, it would make sense, from all accounts he was evil and everything but... whatever had done this would need a whole lot of magical power to get it done. She just wasn't sure that Spike had access to that kind of power!
"Spike, honey?" Tara asked, trying to make sure that that was exactly what she had really said. Looking out the side window, she saw that it was growing into twilight. Better not be Spike who had done this to her, Tara thought, otherwise she was almost certain he would be coming back to finish what he had started soon enough.
"Want... Spike..." Willow's eyes flickered, but they didn't actually open. Tara chewed on her lip in worry. Well, that sounded less like the 'he had done this to her' theory, but it was still worrying that she would call for him while she way in a way like this.
"But honey, Spike is..." Tara didn't quite know how to go on from here. "Spike is... not a good person to have around right now." Twilight grew darker. It was always amazing at how quickly Sunnydale could go from full light to total darkness every night. Tara looked out the window again in consternation. Perhaps choosing against going after the Scoobies by light hadn't been the best idea after all. Now it was surely too late. Maybe for both of them!
Willow moaned softly, and tossed back and forwards on the bed that Tara had set her upon. Tara's lip trembled. It killed her to see Willow like this. What if something happened to her, and she never got to tell her how she really felt...?
"Bloody hell, what are you doing to Red?" a deep and familiar voice said from behind them both.
Tara gasped and spun around, instinctively protecting Willow with her own body.
"S-spike," she stuttered in her fear. "Wha-what are you... how did you get here so fast?"
"Don't be a stupid little bint!" Spike told her impatiently, stalking around her to get a glimpse in at Willow. "I could feel the chit's trouble from the other side of town. Couldn't keep myself away, not after that. Even if the slayer had been..."
Spike drifted off, but he had already said enough. Too much, Tara thought, as she looked at the way the vampire was looking at her redhead love lying on the bed. She seemed almost more restful there now that he was in the room, even though she hadn't yet opened her eyes to see him. Her breath caught in her throat. Evidently the Scoobies hadn't been the worse choice after all.
Spike turned around to face her once again. "How long has she been here like this?" he asked sharply.
"I-I don't know," Tara bumbled. "I was a-at the lib-bray and found her... like she is now. I managed to get her b-back here, and sh-she's been like this ever since.
Spike stepped down beside the bed, and took Willow's little hand within his. His jaw hardened.
"I'll kill it. Whatever is doing this to her, I'll kill it. Just you wait and see!"
"H-how long have you two been... been...?" Tara tried to ask, but was unable to actually get the question out the way she wanted to.
Spike looked up at her again, his eyes narrowed as if not quite understanding her question for a moment. Then his forehead cleared as understanding dawned.
"It's not like that," he admitted grudgingly, looking back down at her, tenderness in his eyes. "I never told her yet. She doesn't know."
Just as he obviously didn't know how she'd been calling his name earlier on, Tara thought, although she didn't say anything. While neither of them knew about the other, there was still a chance... still a chance that...
"Stupid werewolf never deserved her," Spike continued, rubbing a calloused thumb back and forth over the back of her hand. "Never knew what he had in her. Not like I did. Do."
Tara stepped back a few paces, feeling for the wall of the room behind her. She couldn't just stand here anymore. She needed to do something, anything!
"Uh, I'm just going to let the Sc-coobies know about this," she told him to his back. "I think that maybe... maybe they should know."
"You're probably right," Spike said. "I'll wait here until you come back. Just don't tell the slayer that I was here, alright? Don't want her knowing just yet. I can be gone as soon as I smell her in the hall."
"Okay then," Tara said slowly, before turning around and fixing her hand on the doorknob, eager to get out of the room.
Tara shook her friend in fear over what may have happened to her. How long had she been lying there like this, she didn't even want to think! And why wasn't anyone coming over to help her out?
"Please, could somebody get the nurse?" she pleaded to anyone walking past, but achieved no more than the strange passing glance from University goers who had better things on their minds.
"I've got to get you somewhere safe. But how?" Tara mused to herself. "Oh Willow, won't you please just wake up? Wait, of course."
As subtly as she could make in whilst in the middle of a crowded area, Tara cast a lower level spell to animate the body while keeping brain functions still as they were. This achieved, it would be relatively easy to walk Willow back to her own dorm where she could try to figure out what was really wrong with her. She just hoped that it wasn't anything serious!
"You're burning up, Will. What can I do for you?"
Tara had lain Willow down on her own bed and revoked the spell from effect just in case that worsened her condition. Her vitals appeared to be ebbing, she was breathing only very shallowly. Tara decided then to look into her aura and her energy, to see how far the damage really went.
"Oh no," she whispered under her breath. Her aura was paling, growing thinner and even breaking away in sections. But it was the state of her energy that confounded her.
Strips of energy seemed to be taking their leave of Willow's body and trailing off and away to... somewhere else. Even as Tara sat beside her, she could see wisps of energy flowing out of the window to this unseen source. Willow was being drained, to a very critical level! She could have siphoned off her own energy, but there was no way to know that that wouldn't seep away in time also. There was only so much that Tara would be able to offer before she too turned to a crucial level.
She had to tell Willow's friends. Only, she didn't really know them. At all. She'd heard all about them, but had no way of knowing if they knew anything about her. And what if they didn't? What if they thought that it was her doing this to Willow? And without Willow to argue it for her? She could be getting into more trouble than ever if that happened. But she couldn't just sit here and do nothing! There had to be some way for her to find out what this thing taking Willow's energy was, even without the Sc- scoobies.
Tara made her decision quickly and decisively. If Willow had gotten hurt and the so called Scoobies had been the first to find her, they would never have thought to let Tara know about it, so why should she have to report to them now? Besides, she was sure that she could figure all of this out without their help.
Just as she'd decided on a spiritual cause of action and was about to step into her aura and take in the vantage point from there, a sound escaped from Willow's lips.
"What sweetie?" Tara asked, leaning in closer.
"Sp...ike..." she repeated.
Tara sat back in shock. She was calling for Spike? Or saying that Spike had done this to her? Well, it would make sense, from all accounts he was evil and everything but... whatever had done this would need a whole lot of magical power to get it done. She just wasn't sure that Spike had access to that kind of power!
"Spike, honey?" Tara asked, trying to make sure that that was exactly what she had really said. Looking out the side window, she saw that it was growing into twilight. Better not be Spike who had done this to her, Tara thought, otherwise she was almost certain he would be coming back to finish what he had started soon enough.
"Want... Spike..." Willow's eyes flickered, but they didn't actually open. Tara chewed on her lip in worry. Well, that sounded less like the 'he had done this to her' theory, but it was still worrying that she would call for him while she way in a way like this.
"But honey, Spike is..." Tara didn't quite know how to go on from here. "Spike is... not a good person to have around right now." Twilight grew darker. It was always amazing at how quickly Sunnydale could go from full light to total darkness every night. Tara looked out the window again in consternation. Perhaps choosing against going after the Scoobies by light hadn't been the best idea after all. Now it was surely too late. Maybe for both of them!
Willow moaned softly, and tossed back and forwards on the bed that Tara had set her upon. Tara's lip trembled. It killed her to see Willow like this. What if something happened to her, and she never got to tell her how she really felt...?
"Bloody hell, what are you doing to Red?" a deep and familiar voice said from behind them both.
Tara gasped and spun around, instinctively protecting Willow with her own body.
"S-spike," she stuttered in her fear. "Wha-what are you... how did you get here so fast?"
"Don't be a stupid little bint!" Spike told her impatiently, stalking around her to get a glimpse in at Willow. "I could feel the chit's trouble from the other side of town. Couldn't keep myself away, not after that. Even if the slayer had been..."
Spike drifted off, but he had already said enough. Too much, Tara thought, as she looked at the way the vampire was looking at her redhead love lying on the bed. She seemed almost more restful there now that he was in the room, even though she hadn't yet opened her eyes to see him. Her breath caught in her throat. Evidently the Scoobies hadn't been the worse choice after all.
Spike turned around to face her once again. "How long has she been here like this?" he asked sharply.
"I-I don't know," Tara bumbled. "I was a-at the lib-bray and found her... like she is now. I managed to get her b-back here, and sh-she's been like this ever since.
Spike stepped down beside the bed, and took Willow's little hand within his. His jaw hardened.
"I'll kill it. Whatever is doing this to her, I'll kill it. Just you wait and see!"
"H-how long have you two been... been...?" Tara tried to ask, but was unable to actually get the question out the way she wanted to.
Spike looked up at her again, his eyes narrowed as if not quite understanding her question for a moment. Then his forehead cleared as understanding dawned.
"It's not like that," he admitted grudgingly, looking back down at her, tenderness in his eyes. "I never told her yet. She doesn't know."
Just as he obviously didn't know how she'd been calling his name earlier on, Tara thought, although she didn't say anything. While neither of them knew about the other, there was still a chance... still a chance that...
"Stupid werewolf never deserved her," Spike continued, rubbing a calloused thumb back and forth over the back of her hand. "Never knew what he had in her. Not like I did. Do."
Tara stepped back a few paces, feeling for the wall of the room behind her. She couldn't just stand here anymore. She needed to do something, anything!
"Uh, I'm just going to let the Sc-coobies know about this," she told him to his back. "I think that maybe... maybe they should know."
"You're probably right," Spike said. "I'll wait here until you come back. Just don't tell the slayer that I was here, alright? Don't want her knowing just yet. I can be gone as soon as I smell her in the hall."
"Okay then," Tara said slowly, before turning around and fixing her hand on the doorknob, eager to get out of the room.
