The Bronze was packed early, even for a Friday evening; the sun had not
quite set, and already teens were flocking to the club. Willow sat at one
of the tables near the stage, head propped up by one hand as she twirled
her straw around in her coke with the other. Her emerald eyes stared
dazedly into the swirling dark liquid, her brow furrowed in thought.
Circles under her eyes marred her otherwise perfectly pale skin.
'It's been over three months, and I'm still having the nightmares,' she brooded to herself, nibbling on her bottom lip. Ever since Angel was sent to Hell and Buffy had run away, Willow had been having dreams. She saw Angel in Hell, shared in his pain and torment as he relived all the evil deeds of Angelus. Sometimes the dream faded into other, less coherent images. Willow barely repressed a shudder at those images. All she could remember from those images was intense pain, loss, and anger. For once she was glad her parents were away on another business trip, because there wasn't a night that went by that Willow didn't wake up with a scream caught in her throat.
A sigh of frustration escaped the redhead's lips. Taking a sip of her coke, she glanced around the room listlessly. Xander, after dragging her here on the pretense of "shaking those inner ghosts through live music and funky dancing," had since abandoned her for the dance floor.leaving the poor redheaded witch alone with her rather dark thoughts.
'It's just as well,' she silently reminded herself. 'I know they are concerned for me, but they would never understand what I'm trying to do.' After the first few nights of plagued sleep, Willow had been looking for a way to bring Angel back from hell. She hoped that, by bringing him back, the nightmares would end. So far, she'd had about as much luck in finding the right spell as she had in finding their missing Slayer.
Willow's eyes darkened in anger as her thoughts turned to the blonde who had run out on them all. She would have given silent vent to her frustrations at Buffy, had not a movement out of the corner of her eye forced Willow out of her dark musings. Glancing to her side, she noticed someone rather unusual standing nearby. A girl about her own age was lounging up against the wall, arms crossed over her chest as she scanned the dance floor. The young woman didn't seem familiar, and after glancing at her watch to confirm sunset was still twenty minutes away, Willow was pretty sure she wasn't a vampire. Still, there was something about her appearance that drew Willow's attention. Her face was delicate, yet possessed of an inner strength. Hair the color of chocolate hung down her shoulders in thick waves, her pouty, darkened lips and hazel eyes giving her an added mystique that had not gone unnoticed by the male patrons of the club. She was dressed from head to toe in black; black boots, black halter-top, black hip hugging pants. Whereas many young women would look brazen in that outfit, she looked as if the clothing was merely part of who she was.
'Who is she?' Willow's mind whirled at quiet strength the girl exuded. 'There's something about her; she looks like some dark goddess come to life.' She watched as the girl pushed off of the wall, her gaze swinging back and forth as she began to stalk forward, looking like some kind of caged animal.
* * * * * * * * *
Kat managed not to grit her teeth through sheer force of will as another guy brushed up against her 'accidentally.' 'This was a very bad idea,' she noted wryly as she continued to make her way through the throng in the room, scanning the crowd for signs of vampires. Having arrived a few nights ago, she was aware of Sunnydale's high level of vampiric activity, and she wasn't taking any chances. The sun hadn't set yet, but she had known a few vampires that could get around without waiting for the sun to go down. All they needed were a few underground passageways, and there were always an abundance of those in any town.
Kat prowled back and forth on the edges of the dancing couples, growling softly under her breath. She was tense, like an arrow about to be loosed from a bow. It wasn't just the vampires that bothered her; her nightmares had increased in frequency upon entering Sunnydale. One image kept popping into her head over and over, flashing like a neon warning sign: a full moon glowing dark with blood, nearly obscured by strands of crimson hair.
The hair on the back of her neck stiffened, and Kat became aware of someone watching her intensely. Slowly she turned her head in that direction, and met a pair of curious emerald eyes. A petite young woman sat in one of the benches nearby, twirling a straw absently in her fingers as she watched Kat slow in her pacing. Dressed in a long-sleeved blouse and a long skirt, she seemed to shrink back a little from Kat's gaze, ducking so that her hair fell across her face. Hair nearly as red as the blood from Kat's nightmares.
Kat's eyes widened as she drank in the color of Willow's hair. 'No.her hair. Can it be? Is she the one my dreams told me about? The brunette's heart raced in her chest as she stared at Willow, fear stabbing her like a knife. 'But what does it all mean? Is she dangerous, or in danger herself? She looks too innocent to be evil, but looks can be deceiving.'
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Kat's eyes narrowed in grim determination. Once more, she began to head towards Willow, her lips pursed together in dark musing. Her pupils flashed quickly as her eyes darkened to a deep emerald, a tinge of red that vanished before anyone could blink.
'I don't know what she has to do with my nightmares, but I intend to find out!'
* * * * * * * * *
Willow stiffened slightly as she watched the young woman move in her direction. 'What does she want with me? Who is she? Why does she look almost afraid? Is it, is it because of me!' Thoughts spilled over Willow like a gushing waterfall, making her feel slightly faint. Swallowing, she started to rise from the booth, but the strangers' hazel eyes found hers and a wave of paralysis washed over her. Willow trembled slightly, feeling like a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming car and powerless to do anything about it.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed the brunette by the arm, forcing her to turn and deal with someone who had worked up enough nerve to hit on her. Eye contact with the dark girl broken, Willow sank back down into the booth with a thud, her overworked nerves nearly shot. Blinking rapidly, Willow tried to take slow, deep breaths to calm herself, her knuckles white as she grasped the edge of the table.
'Calm down Willow. Geesh, you are more tired than you thought if you have started to see danger everywhere! All work and no sleep has made you very, very paranoid.' Still, Willow couldn't shake the uneasy feeling she had. Risking a look in the dark eyed woman's direction, she noted that the stranger was having difficulty getting her would be suitor to leave her alone. A slight smile touched her lips as she noted just who was trying to get the brunettes attention. 'Poor Xander. He isn't having much luck with the ladies tonight.' Relaxing a little as she watched her friend's zany antics, Willow's eyes idly fell on the stranger's back. A slight frown marred her features as she tried to get a better glimpse at the small of the woman's back, where part of a tattoo could be seen.
"Hieroglyphs? Now there is one weird tattoo," Willow murmured to herself, noting the pictorial symbols splayed on the young woman's back. Recalling the Egyptian prophecy books Giles received and had her scan onto her computer this summer, Willow leaned forward, trying to decipher the word printed on the dark woman's back without much luck. Staring at those glyphs, however, Willow's mind thought back to some of the more recent websites she had been browsing in search for spells for rescuing Angel. She had found one that looked promising, a site for prayers to various gods and goddesses.
A light dawned in Willow's eyes, and she sucked in her breath, darting a glance at the girl once more. 'Egyptian glyphs, goddesses, Angel out of hell.' Realization dawned on Willow and she couldn't stop hope from blossoming inside of her as she scrambled to her feet. Making sure that the strange girl was still tied up with Xander, Willow silently thanked the goddess and rushed out the door, feeling refreshed for the first time in days.
'Angel, I'm getting you out of hell. Soon!'
* * * * * * * * *
Kat's head was already throbbing by the time she managed to convince the young man who had hit on her that she was too tired to dance, but she wouldn't mind sitting and sharing sodas with him. Just as soon as she talked to someone first. As he moved off to get their drinks, her eyes roamed back over to the spot where the shy girl was sitting. Or had been sitting at any rate. A low growl rumbled in her throat as she spied the petite redhead barreling out the door of the Bronze. 'Damn!'
She started to head in that direction, but her admirer had returned with drinks and she didn't want to be cruel in breaking her promise. 'The moon won't be full for another week,' she reminded herself as she was lead to, ironically, the same booth the redhead had just vacated. 'I'll just have to find her before then.'
Kat was so caught up in her own musings that she didn't notice Xander glance around the place in confusion, looking for the very same person her thoughts were fixed on. Finally he shrugged and sat down beside Kat, figuring Willow had gone home to get some sleep.
"Sooo.my name's Xander. And you are?" Smiling at the young woman who he had cajoled into sitting with him, he watched as she leaned back into the booth, folding her arms over her chest and regarding him with curiosity.
Kat smiled back tiredly, grinding her teeth softly to take the edge of her headache. 'This is going to be one long night.' "My name is Katura, but most people call me Kat."
* * * * * * * * *
Willow scanned the webpage she had found on Egyptian deities, her eyes traveling over the names and hieroglyphs of the many gods and goddesses contained therein. She leaned forward, propping her head on one hand as she searched for the information she needed. So far she wasn't having much luck; most of the prayers and invocations had nothing to do with what she needed. Name after name flickered in front of Willow as she scrolled down the page even further.
Suddenly she sat up straight, eyes widening as she came across a familiar set of hieroglyphs. 'Those look just like the ones on her back!' Interest piqued, Willow moved her mouse slowly over the name of the goddess. 'Sakhmet.I wonder.' Clicking on the name, Willow felt a sense of trepidation as the page on this lion-headed goddess appeared before her. Her lips moved as she read off the page, murmuring under her breath a few of the phrases. 'Goddess of divine vengeance.also revered as healer.blessing for fallen warriors of justice.Oh Goddess, this is it!' Willow's fear was quickly replaced with elation as she discovered her answer staring back at her from her computer. All she needed were the proper ingredients and she would be able to bring Angel back from Hell! A tear slid down her cheek, unnoticed by the redhead as she stared at the computer screen. Her search was over.
"Oh Angel," she whispered, a smile touching her lips. "Finally.finally I'll be able to bring you back." Turning, Willow glanced outside, her eyes lifting up to gaze upon the light of the waxing moon. One more week and then she would perform the spell. A smile stretched over her lips, turning into a yawn as exhaustion depleted her remaining reserves. Turning her computer off, the redheaded hacker crawled over to her bed. It wasn't until she was snug under the covers that she remembered about the strange new girl and the hieroglyphs.
'Such an odd tattoo,' she thought sleepily, another yawn escaping her lips. Too tired to think on the mysterious tattoo, its connection to the Goddess Sakhmet, and the brunettes' reaction to her, Willow vowed to think on it some more in the morning. Her last thoughts as her eyes closed and she drifted into sweet oblivion were of Angel.
'Soon Angel.soon we will both be free.'
* * * * * * * * *
Somewhere in the back of Angel's mind, he thought he heard Willow's promise to him. An unexplainable peace suffused his body, and he moved his lips, echoing her sentiments. 'Soon.' And the darkness embraced him like an old lover, and for once he felt no pain.
'It's been over three months, and I'm still having the nightmares,' she brooded to herself, nibbling on her bottom lip. Ever since Angel was sent to Hell and Buffy had run away, Willow had been having dreams. She saw Angel in Hell, shared in his pain and torment as he relived all the evil deeds of Angelus. Sometimes the dream faded into other, less coherent images. Willow barely repressed a shudder at those images. All she could remember from those images was intense pain, loss, and anger. For once she was glad her parents were away on another business trip, because there wasn't a night that went by that Willow didn't wake up with a scream caught in her throat.
A sigh of frustration escaped the redhead's lips. Taking a sip of her coke, she glanced around the room listlessly. Xander, after dragging her here on the pretense of "shaking those inner ghosts through live music and funky dancing," had since abandoned her for the dance floor.leaving the poor redheaded witch alone with her rather dark thoughts.
'It's just as well,' she silently reminded herself. 'I know they are concerned for me, but they would never understand what I'm trying to do.' After the first few nights of plagued sleep, Willow had been looking for a way to bring Angel back from hell. She hoped that, by bringing him back, the nightmares would end. So far, she'd had about as much luck in finding the right spell as she had in finding their missing Slayer.
Willow's eyes darkened in anger as her thoughts turned to the blonde who had run out on them all. She would have given silent vent to her frustrations at Buffy, had not a movement out of the corner of her eye forced Willow out of her dark musings. Glancing to her side, she noticed someone rather unusual standing nearby. A girl about her own age was lounging up against the wall, arms crossed over her chest as she scanned the dance floor. The young woman didn't seem familiar, and after glancing at her watch to confirm sunset was still twenty minutes away, Willow was pretty sure she wasn't a vampire. Still, there was something about her appearance that drew Willow's attention. Her face was delicate, yet possessed of an inner strength. Hair the color of chocolate hung down her shoulders in thick waves, her pouty, darkened lips and hazel eyes giving her an added mystique that had not gone unnoticed by the male patrons of the club. She was dressed from head to toe in black; black boots, black halter-top, black hip hugging pants. Whereas many young women would look brazen in that outfit, she looked as if the clothing was merely part of who she was.
'Who is she?' Willow's mind whirled at quiet strength the girl exuded. 'There's something about her; she looks like some dark goddess come to life.' She watched as the girl pushed off of the wall, her gaze swinging back and forth as she began to stalk forward, looking like some kind of caged animal.
* * * * * * * * *
Kat managed not to grit her teeth through sheer force of will as another guy brushed up against her 'accidentally.' 'This was a very bad idea,' she noted wryly as she continued to make her way through the throng in the room, scanning the crowd for signs of vampires. Having arrived a few nights ago, she was aware of Sunnydale's high level of vampiric activity, and she wasn't taking any chances. The sun hadn't set yet, but she had known a few vampires that could get around without waiting for the sun to go down. All they needed were a few underground passageways, and there were always an abundance of those in any town.
Kat prowled back and forth on the edges of the dancing couples, growling softly under her breath. She was tense, like an arrow about to be loosed from a bow. It wasn't just the vampires that bothered her; her nightmares had increased in frequency upon entering Sunnydale. One image kept popping into her head over and over, flashing like a neon warning sign: a full moon glowing dark with blood, nearly obscured by strands of crimson hair.
The hair on the back of her neck stiffened, and Kat became aware of someone watching her intensely. Slowly she turned her head in that direction, and met a pair of curious emerald eyes. A petite young woman sat in one of the benches nearby, twirling a straw absently in her fingers as she watched Kat slow in her pacing. Dressed in a long-sleeved blouse and a long skirt, she seemed to shrink back a little from Kat's gaze, ducking so that her hair fell across her face. Hair nearly as red as the blood from Kat's nightmares.
Kat's eyes widened as she drank in the color of Willow's hair. 'No.her hair. Can it be? Is she the one my dreams told me about? The brunette's heart raced in her chest as she stared at Willow, fear stabbing her like a knife. 'But what does it all mean? Is she dangerous, or in danger herself? She looks too innocent to be evil, but looks can be deceiving.'
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Kat's eyes narrowed in grim determination. Once more, she began to head towards Willow, her lips pursed together in dark musing. Her pupils flashed quickly as her eyes darkened to a deep emerald, a tinge of red that vanished before anyone could blink.
'I don't know what she has to do with my nightmares, but I intend to find out!'
* * * * * * * * *
Willow stiffened slightly as she watched the young woman move in her direction. 'What does she want with me? Who is she? Why does she look almost afraid? Is it, is it because of me!' Thoughts spilled over Willow like a gushing waterfall, making her feel slightly faint. Swallowing, she started to rise from the booth, but the strangers' hazel eyes found hers and a wave of paralysis washed over her. Willow trembled slightly, feeling like a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming car and powerless to do anything about it.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed the brunette by the arm, forcing her to turn and deal with someone who had worked up enough nerve to hit on her. Eye contact with the dark girl broken, Willow sank back down into the booth with a thud, her overworked nerves nearly shot. Blinking rapidly, Willow tried to take slow, deep breaths to calm herself, her knuckles white as she grasped the edge of the table.
'Calm down Willow. Geesh, you are more tired than you thought if you have started to see danger everywhere! All work and no sleep has made you very, very paranoid.' Still, Willow couldn't shake the uneasy feeling she had. Risking a look in the dark eyed woman's direction, she noted that the stranger was having difficulty getting her would be suitor to leave her alone. A slight smile touched her lips as she noted just who was trying to get the brunettes attention. 'Poor Xander. He isn't having much luck with the ladies tonight.' Relaxing a little as she watched her friend's zany antics, Willow's eyes idly fell on the stranger's back. A slight frown marred her features as she tried to get a better glimpse at the small of the woman's back, where part of a tattoo could be seen.
"Hieroglyphs? Now there is one weird tattoo," Willow murmured to herself, noting the pictorial symbols splayed on the young woman's back. Recalling the Egyptian prophecy books Giles received and had her scan onto her computer this summer, Willow leaned forward, trying to decipher the word printed on the dark woman's back without much luck. Staring at those glyphs, however, Willow's mind thought back to some of the more recent websites she had been browsing in search for spells for rescuing Angel. She had found one that looked promising, a site for prayers to various gods and goddesses.
A light dawned in Willow's eyes, and she sucked in her breath, darting a glance at the girl once more. 'Egyptian glyphs, goddesses, Angel out of hell.' Realization dawned on Willow and she couldn't stop hope from blossoming inside of her as she scrambled to her feet. Making sure that the strange girl was still tied up with Xander, Willow silently thanked the goddess and rushed out the door, feeling refreshed for the first time in days.
'Angel, I'm getting you out of hell. Soon!'
* * * * * * * * *
Kat's head was already throbbing by the time she managed to convince the young man who had hit on her that she was too tired to dance, but she wouldn't mind sitting and sharing sodas with him. Just as soon as she talked to someone first. As he moved off to get their drinks, her eyes roamed back over to the spot where the shy girl was sitting. Or had been sitting at any rate. A low growl rumbled in her throat as she spied the petite redhead barreling out the door of the Bronze. 'Damn!'
She started to head in that direction, but her admirer had returned with drinks and she didn't want to be cruel in breaking her promise. 'The moon won't be full for another week,' she reminded herself as she was lead to, ironically, the same booth the redhead had just vacated. 'I'll just have to find her before then.'
Kat was so caught up in her own musings that she didn't notice Xander glance around the place in confusion, looking for the very same person her thoughts were fixed on. Finally he shrugged and sat down beside Kat, figuring Willow had gone home to get some sleep.
"Sooo.my name's Xander. And you are?" Smiling at the young woman who he had cajoled into sitting with him, he watched as she leaned back into the booth, folding her arms over her chest and regarding him with curiosity.
Kat smiled back tiredly, grinding her teeth softly to take the edge of her headache. 'This is going to be one long night.' "My name is Katura, but most people call me Kat."
* * * * * * * * *
Willow scanned the webpage she had found on Egyptian deities, her eyes traveling over the names and hieroglyphs of the many gods and goddesses contained therein. She leaned forward, propping her head on one hand as she searched for the information she needed. So far she wasn't having much luck; most of the prayers and invocations had nothing to do with what she needed. Name after name flickered in front of Willow as she scrolled down the page even further.
Suddenly she sat up straight, eyes widening as she came across a familiar set of hieroglyphs. 'Those look just like the ones on her back!' Interest piqued, Willow moved her mouse slowly over the name of the goddess. 'Sakhmet.I wonder.' Clicking on the name, Willow felt a sense of trepidation as the page on this lion-headed goddess appeared before her. Her lips moved as she read off the page, murmuring under her breath a few of the phrases. 'Goddess of divine vengeance.also revered as healer.blessing for fallen warriors of justice.Oh Goddess, this is it!' Willow's fear was quickly replaced with elation as she discovered her answer staring back at her from her computer. All she needed were the proper ingredients and she would be able to bring Angel back from Hell! A tear slid down her cheek, unnoticed by the redhead as she stared at the computer screen. Her search was over.
"Oh Angel," she whispered, a smile touching her lips. "Finally.finally I'll be able to bring you back." Turning, Willow glanced outside, her eyes lifting up to gaze upon the light of the waxing moon. One more week and then she would perform the spell. A smile stretched over her lips, turning into a yawn as exhaustion depleted her remaining reserves. Turning her computer off, the redheaded hacker crawled over to her bed. It wasn't until she was snug under the covers that she remembered about the strange new girl and the hieroglyphs.
'Such an odd tattoo,' she thought sleepily, another yawn escaping her lips. Too tired to think on the mysterious tattoo, its connection to the Goddess Sakhmet, and the brunettes' reaction to her, Willow vowed to think on it some more in the morning. Her last thoughts as her eyes closed and she drifted into sweet oblivion were of Angel.
'Soon Angel.soon we will both be free.'
* * * * * * * * *
Somewhere in the back of Angel's mind, he thought he heard Willow's promise to him. An unexplainable peace suffused his body, and he moved his lips, echoing her sentiments. 'Soon.' And the darkness embraced him like an old lover, and for once he felt no pain.