OK, Jonas is in this because as you said, people like to make him look bad and I think he's quite sweet *hides from assorted projectiles*

Rain Dancer, I like cherries so you get another chapter :)

I made mention of Tara's skills as a witch, because a lot of emphasis is usually put on Willow and her strengths/weaknesses. Enjoy.

Chapter 5

Tara was finishing the last of the unpacking when the phone rang, she had only just managed to connect the one in the hallway which was now full of empty boxes. She threw them this way and that as she attempted to locate the trilling object. She answered it breathlessly as she sank down and squirmed as she tried to get comfortable between the mounds of crushed and torn cardboard.

"Miss. Maclay?"

"Speaking." She pushed strands of dark blonde hair away from her face nervously.

"This is General Hammond of the Cheyenne Mountain." She anxiously smoothed non-existent creases from her jeans and tee-shirt. Willow was staying at the military complex for a few days of training, standard procedure she had told her concerned girlfriend but that hadn't stopped Tara from worrying and now it seemed that her fears were about to be confirmed.

"I…is Willow….is she alright?" There was a long pause and she felt her stomach flutter in terror and apprehension.

"Miss. Maclay, there's been an accident…"

"What happened?" She barked with much more authority than she thought she had in her. She heard the General sigh and knew it was serious and he therefore probably wouldn't reveal much over the phone.

"We're not sure. I'm going to send an escort to bring you here. I think this is something that should be discussed in person." The phone line went dead and Tara's eyes welled with tears, she swiped them away determinedly and waited patiently. She didn't know how long she sat, not moving from the position she had been in. The dialling tone sounded like a fog horn although in truth it was muffled and tinny. There was a brisk knock on the door and she replaced the phone, an airman, with a tone as brisk as his knock, instructed her to follow him. They drove in silence, the street lamps glowed a mellow orange and cast strange shadows across the darkened pavements. Having lived in Sunnydale Tara was ever vigilant for shapes and shadows that didn't belong.

 It wasn't long before a huge mountain loomed above them, she felt tiny waves of natural energy rolling off it however, it was drowned out by the human activity above and below ground. There were guard stations positioned every so often and chain link fences topped in deadly looking barbed wire stretched into the distance. The driver stopped the vehicle at the entrance to the facility, leaving Tara and her guards to walk the rest of the way. She was lead through a labyrinth of concrete walls, concrete floors and concrete ceilings to yet another concrete room. This one was obviously a medical facility and Tara looked round it, searching wildly for Willow. Several faces met hers expectantly, a blonde woman in bed with purple bruises round her neck, next to her a greying man leaning back on the wall with his arms crossed across his chest and a younger man looking confused and groggy also bearing bruises round his neck. With a hitching gasp she spotted the person she had been searching for.

"Willow!" She bent down at her bedside taking in the oxygen mask and the traces of black on the bed and on her face. "Goddess…" she breathed gently brushing strands of red hair away "wh…what…h…happened?" A stout bald man enetered the room trailed by a pretty young woman in a lab coat as she asked her question.

"That's what I'd like to know Colonel and I think that now would be as good a time as any to explain. Miss Maclay, I'm General Hammond this is doctor Janet Frasier, Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter and Jonas Quinn." He gestured at each in turn and the nodded at her in greeting, Jonas raised a hand and Janet sent her a warm smile. At the General's request the man he had addressed as Colonel Jack O'Neill began to recount the events to the best of his recollection warily at first, growing in confidence as the memories came to him. As he finished he rubbed a hand over his eyes and glanced cautiously round at his audience. The Doctor and the General both looked sceptical.

"Miss. Maclay," began the Doctor gently, "does any of this make sense to you?" Tara nodded, she was shaking like a leaf caught in a stormy autumn wind and her face was marred into a worried look.  

"I…I'm…sorry…we h…have a ward. I nee…need to call her." Janet gave her a compassionate look and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'll call her for you." The young blonde woman felt tears drip down her face and muttered a thank you. She doubted that she'd be able to explain the situation without completely breaking down so she scribbled out a number for Janet.

"Sh…she's staying with a friend." She added quietly turning back troubled eyes to her girlfriend. She felt the slip of paper taken from her and tried to ignore the stares of the strangers behind her. She registered the creaking of the bed behind her and felt a hand squeeze her shoulder, a thrill ran through her body and she shuddered unexpectedly as she turned to face the man known to her as Jonas Quinn. She had never been as strong a witch as Willow but she still detected faint traces of something different about this man. He smiled and held out his other hand, it was then that she realised she was still kneeling and that her knees, through her jeans, were uncomfortable against the harsh floor. Jonas pulled out a chair and sat helped her into it before shuffling back to his own bed and leaning back against the wall.

"General…" Janet beckoned him from the doorway of her office, she had not thought about the number on the piece of paper until a very familiar voice had picked up the phone. He disappeared for a few moments. Tara fidgeted self-consciously until his grave-faced return, by his side the petite doctor was standing looking as if she was trying to hide a smile.

"Miss Maclay, we have a slight problem…" Janet, seeing that his words had caused her even more distress, let her grin loose and interrupted his flow of words.

"It seems that it's a smaller world than we thought." She laughed a little, Tara's brow creased in confusion at the cryptic words. Janet sought to explain what she had discovered during the course of her phone call.  

I hope you enjoyed. I also hope to add a little about how the Sunnydale folks are doing within the next few chapters.

Coffee Bean

xXx