FIC: She's Gone (17b?)
"It's done?"
"It's done," the Coven's leader confirmed. "Our power is transferred to you."
"Will it be enough?" he asked.
The head Witch shook her head. "I don't know Rupert. There hasn't been a Witch as powerful as Ms. Rosenberg in a millennia."
"So I'm your last best hope?" Giles' lips quirked up in an instinctive smile. "Terribly sorry, Xander has forced me to watch Babylon 5." His expression sobered as he bowed at the waist. "I'll do my best."
The sky above grew bleak, blue lightning flashing as she cradled Tara's corpse in her arms. Wiping her tears away, Willow cast an uncaring look to the mage she'd incinerated before looking upwards. "By Osiris, I command you, bring her back! Hear me! Keeper of darkness!"
The clouds suddenly formed into a huge face. "Witch! How dare you invoke Osiris in this task!" it rasped.
"Please. Please, bring her back." Willow shook her head, tears cascading down her face. She couldn't lose Tara, not after Buffy.
"You may not violate the laws of natural passing," the voice intoned.
"How? How is this natural?" she shrilly demanded.
"It is a human death, by human hands." The face explained. "It is done."
Willow shook her head. "No. There has to be a way."
"It is done."
"NOOOO!" she screamed, a column of energy vomiting from her mouth at the demon. The face screamed and disappeared in a final flash of lightning.
Willow rose, her eyes blackening. If she couldn't be happy, if she couldn't have Tara back, if she didn't have a future, then neither did the world. And she knew just where to get the power.
But first, she had to deal with Rack.
Xander braked his car as he saw the column of flames erupt in the woods. "Well that was hellmouthy," he muttered as he pulled off the road, grateful for the superior suspension of his car. He grounded his teeth together as the vehicle shuddered over the rough ground.
His discomfort was forgotten when he saw the crumpled body by a small copse of trees. "Tara," he whispered. Tears blurring his eyes, he slammed on the brakes. "Not you too," he muttered. The car was still screeching to a halt when he opened the door and leapt from it. Moving at undreamed of speeds, he charged over and dropped onto his knees by the body, one look confirming that not only it was Tara but that she was dead.
An eternity later and he looked up and around, his dazed mind taking in the ashes behind the body and the footprints leading away from the corpse. "Too light for it to be a vampire," he muttered. "Two sets of footprints." Realisation hit him as he remembered Tara and Willow had been planning a picnic. A cold fear grabbed his heart in an inescapable hand, twisting it. "No, no."
After taking a calming breath, he considered the mystery of the ashes. Who or what were they? Only a really powerful witch or mage could turn a person to ash. According to what Tara had told him the physical manifestation of rage for wiccas was fire. "And what could make Willow angry enough to turn someone into flames? Gee Xander," he continued, his eyes moving to the corpse before shifting to the much more palatable tracks, "ask yourself an easy one." Yanking his mobile out, he quickly dialled the Magic Box.
"Is that it Faith?" Clem queried as he brought up the fourth of the boxes from the storeroom.
"Yeah Clem you did good," Faith hid a grin at the saggy-skinned demon's pleased expression. It was almost worth being treated like some helpless bitch from the days before bra-burning to make her bud look like that. He was like a five hundred pound teddy bear. "You wanna a soda po-," she was interrupted by the ringing of the shop phone. "Sorry guys," she grinned apologetically before picking the phone up. "The Magic Box, Faith speaking."
"Faith."
"X," concern replaced the light-heartedness of just a few seconds ago at her honey's pained tone. "What's the sitch hon?"
"Arrgh," Xander groaned. "It's Tara. Somebody, mages I'd guess because she doesn't look like she's been injured externally, came across her and killed her."
Faith felt the bottom fall out of her world. "No," Faith shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. She waved back Clem and Dawn's worried approach. "This ain't funny X, you shouldn't joke about something like this."
"Faith!" Xander's snarl made her blink. "I'm not joking. I think Willow killed one of them, incinerated them-."
"Oh crap," Faith muttered. Killing someone, the way Red was wired these days and with her power, that would be more than enough to send her over the edge.
"But she's gone after the other and I'll have to-."
Faith's blood froze. "Don't you fucking dare Harris," she growled. "Tell me where you are and I'll-."
"There's no time Faith," her boy-friend interrupted. "Find a spell or something to stop her if I can't."
"Harris-," Faith's voice trailed off when she realised her lover had hung-up. "Fuck!" Temper blazing, she slammed the phone down.
"Faith," she winced at Dawn's quavering voice. "What's wrong?" Girl loses one big sis, then another. Maybe another if Red had gone psycho. Taking a breath, she turned to face the former dimensional key.
Rack's lungs heaved as he ran through the forest, using the dark arts to push him to inhuman speeds. Yet somehow he knew it wouldn't be enough. "Mistake," he muttered. A few weeks ago, he had a successful business and two beautiful women with amazing power willing to do anything to he told them. If he'd just cut his losses and left town with Amy, found another Strawberry.
Except there wasn't another Strawberry, no one to compare to her potential. "Hello Rack."
Rack's head snapped up. He swallowed at the sight that greeted him, levitating some ten foot above him. "Strawberry," he whimpered.
Except it wasn't Strawberry, not anymore. Gone was the pretty red-head with the shining green eyes who'd he'd helped strip of her innocence, corrupt and turn against her friends. In her place was a dark, gothic goddess. "Time to pay the piper," Willow smiled manically.
Rack started to back away from the witch, desperate for any added second of life. Suddenly the branches of the trees sprang out, grabbing both his arms and his legs, holding him prisoner.
"I bet," Willow hovered down to the ground just a couple of feet away from him. "All this magic addiction crap is about power, gives a pathetic loser like you power with women, power that you'd never otherwise have. I almost feel sorry for Amy. Almost. You though…."
Rack swallowed. "It doesn't have to be like this. It really doesn't."
"You get off on it." Rack shuddered as Willow approached him. "Abusing women. Using your powers to addict them. Beneath all those tattoos and hocus-pocus, you're just a scared little boy who never grew up."
Rack trembled. "Just get it over with," he begged. "Kill me."
Willow chuckled before running a cold, lifeless palm down his cheek. "We've not even started." He screamed as the bones in his legs shattered and his groin burst into flames. "Oh dear," Willow mockingly cooed, "it looks like poor Amy gave you an STD. It'll all be over soon," one after another his teeth were ripped from his mouth, leaving searing agony behind. "It'll only take a few hours for you to die."
"Willow no!" He forced himself to move his thundering head to look over his shoulder to see the carpenter who was screwing the Slayer running up, a concerned look on his face. "You can't do this! You can't kill a human!"
"You want to listen to him Strawberry!" Rack mumbled through his bloody mouth. "Once you kill you're not human, not really!"
He realised his mistake the moment he'd finished speaking. Rosenberg turned to him, a triumphant look on her face. "Is that right?" the witch glanced at Xander and smiled. "And yet you killed my Tara. Just condemned yourself with your own words. Bye Rack."
"No please," he babbled, eyes filling with tears.
"Bored now," the witch intoned. A half-second later and his skin began flaying from his body.
"Oh my god." Xander muttered before dropping to his knees, unable to do anything but vomit uncontrollably at the sight of the de-skinned corpse. After a minute or so, he looked up at his best friend. "Will, what have you done?" he asked through his suddenly dry lips.
Willow looked at him for a long second. "Bye Xander." Suddenly she was gone.
After a second, Xander reached a shaking hand into his jacket, pulled out his mobile, and hurriedly dialled the Magic Box, his eyes still fixed on the slumped skeleton now lying on the ground. "Hurry Faith, come on…"
Dawn wiped at her eyes as she read at the text before her, Faith and Clem's presence not comforting her at all. Tara dead, when would it end? She looked up when the phone rang. "I'll get it," Faith muttered, a hopeful look on the Bostonian's face. The Slayer probably hoped it was Xander ringing to tell her he'd talked Willow down.
"It'll be okay Dawnie."
Dawn smiled weakly at Clem's clumsy hand on her shoulder even as she read on. She squinted as she read something, something maybe useful. "Yo X," she allowed the conversation to go on in the background. "What's the sitch? Oh crap," Faith's forced jauntiness melted away. "She did what? Oh man." Dawn glanced up, Faith looked, she gaped, looked scared, she couldn't ever remember seeing Faith looking scared. Her friend looked to the doorway and gulped. "Yeah well, I've got an idea X. She's here."
Dawn's blood froze when she saw the black-haired woman stood in the shop entrance. "Willow," she croaked.
"Dawn get out of here," seeing the teen's mouth open in protest, Faith glanced to Clem. Instantly the demon had Dawn tucked under his arm and was carrying the vociferously protesting teen towards the back of the shop, the book she'd been reading still in her hands. "Hey Red," Faith stepped towards the witch, her heart thumping furiously. Willow had just burnt Amy Madison to a crisp and tortured Rack to death. "I'm sorry about Tara-."
"Why?" the witch snarled at her. "Were you fixing to steal her from me next? Like you tried with Buffy and did do with Xander?"
It was an effort but Faith managed to keep a hold on her temper by reminding herself that the Wicca could kick her ass without breaking a sweat. "No," she said slowly. "Because she was my friend. Look, I know how things went with Rack," she fought down the bile rising in her throat. "I can help you. I know -."
"HELP ME!" Willow's eyes pulsated with power. Suddenly she was lifted up and flung into the wall. "The town skank thinks she can help me?"
"Put me down Clem," Dawn ordered.
"No," Clem shook his head. "Faith said I -."
"Damn it Clem!" she snarled. "I've got a spell that can help."
"Really?" she nodded. Clem sighed before pulling her down to hide behind the far end of the counter. "Well let's give it a try."
Willow beamed at the crumpled Slayer. Faith thought she had power, but now it was time to show the bitch who had true power. She raised a hand and shot off an energy bolt that would turn the low-rent ho's world to agony. Nothing happened. Confused, she attempted to send a bolt into the table in the middle of the floor, the table exploded into firewood. Willow smiled, so she couldn't use magic directly on Faith, but she still could use magic. "I can work with that," she muttered before turning her attention back to the glassy-eyed Slayer.
"Red," Faith shook her head, Willow smirked at the wince that followed the movement. "Ya don't wanna do this. Tara wouldn't-."
"Huh, huh," Willow shook her head. She wished she could sow the little slut's mouth shut. "You don't get to mention her name."
"Okay then," Willow could tell the skank was struggling to hold onto her temper. "What about X-."
Blood fountained from the brunette's nose when she rammed a fist into her face, knocking her into the wall. "You stole him from me!" Willow raged.
The brunette's answering smirk was forced. "Thought you didn't swing that way anymore Red?"
"I do what I want with who I want," Willow grinned as an idea occurred.
"Look Red, I don't want to hurt you."
Willow side-thrust kicked the Slayer into a near-by magazine rack, knocking the rack and the supernatural warrior into a wall. "Oh you won't."
"Okay," Faith pushed herself back upright. "Time out. I lied." Faith ducked her roundhouse kick before smashing an uppercut into her jaw. The impact of the blow lifted her off her feet and flung her into a glass display case, shattering the case, flinging wood, glass, and merchandise everywhere. "I'd love to kick your ass."
Willow smirked. "That's more like it." Leaping to her feet, she smirked at the Slayer. "So here we are."
"Are we really gonna do this?" Faith shook her head. "It doesn't have to be this way Red."
"Oh come on, this is a huge deal for me! I finally get to step out of the shadows, become the Slayer."
"You're wrong Red," Faith argued. "A killer isn't a Slayer. Being a Slayer means something you can't conceive of. I should know."
"Guess what?" Willow tilted her head to the side and grinned. "Don't care, all I care about is getting those magic books and kicking your ass."
"Not going to happen," Faith replied. "Let me show you what a Slayer really is."
"A Slayer?" Willow snorted. "Buffy was a Slayer, you're just street-trash. Still," Willow laughed. "All that time in a woman's prison, you must have had plenty of cat-fights!"
Faith's face tightened. "Let's see what ya got Sabrina!" Leaping forward, the Slayer threw a right at her that she swayed away from before grabbing hold of the brunette by her shoulder and moving in for a headbutt. The Bostonian grunted from the impact, she followed up with a kick to Faith's flat stomach, doubling the brunette up. Clenching her fists together, she drove them into the Slayer's back knocking her to the floor.
"On your knees Faith, just were- ah!" She screamed in surprise when the east coast native snatched hold of her feet and pulled her to the ground.
"Here's a hint bitch!" Faith snarled. "Less talk," she screamed when the Slayer straddled her and crashed a left into her face, smashing her nose. "More fight."
"Thanks," the Bostonian's chocolate brown eyes filled with surprise when she brought her legs up from behind the Slayer, "for," and slammed her feet into the raven-haired beauty's armpits, knocking the Slayer off her, "the tip!"
Both of them made it back to their feet at the same time, Willow caught the Slayer with a spin kick, knocking her over the shop counter. Faith responded immediately by vaulting back over into a dropkick that caught her in the chest, cracking two ribs that began healing instantly, and flinging her to the far side of the shop, smashing into the ladder leading up to the loft, the impact smashing it in two.
Even as she rose the Bostonian came at her. Grabbing a ladder leg, she smashed the wood into the Slayer's mouth, sending blood flying and the brunette sailing through the air and out of the shop window, hitting the pavement outside the shop. "Ouch," Willow smirked, "that has got to hurt."
"Red," Faith croaked as she struggled to her feet. "I can help you."
"Oh the pleading part of the fight," Willow taunted, "I like this." She scowled as she noticed Dawn with Clem, the teen chanting from a book. "You'd turn on me."
Eyes widening, Clem leapt to his feet and charged her, but a casually executed backhand sent the demon flying into the wall. In an instance she had Dawn held by the throat and dangling a foot off the ground. "Your sister would be so disappointed." After a shake of her head, she flung the teen headfirst into the training room door.
"You bitch!"
Turning, she caught a right to the jaw from a bloody Faith. Shaking it off, she grinned at the brunette. "Faith... I gotta tell ya ... I get it now. The Slayer thing really isn't about the violence. It's about the power. "
She chuckled when the Slayer's eyes widened in terror as the air began to crackle around her. Energy bolts bombarded the brunette, forcing her lithe frame to convulse uncontrollably. Finally Willow grew bored with the torture and with a casual gesture, threw the Slayer across the room and into the wall. Willow turned to the loft, raised a hand and allowed the power and knowledge from all the black arts books stored there to flow into her. A smirk on her face, Willow started for the door.
And turned back to Faith. After a second inspecting the crumpled Slayer, she walked over and crouched beside the unconscious Slayer, lifting her chin in her hand. "Ah Faith," she cooed. "Did you know that ever since I realised I was gay, I've fantasised about all the women I've known? Miss Calendar, Buffy, Anya, and Cordelia. But especially you, there's something so deliciously wanton about you." She leaned into the Slayer and whispered into her ear. "Destroying a world takes time, and I'll need someone to entertain me. You're no Tara, but breaking you will keep me from getting bored." Letting go of the unconscious Slayer, she stood and kicked her opponent in the ribs. "And there's no one in the world with the power to stop me now," she said in a louder voice.
"I'd like to test that theory."
She screamed as a blast of white energy hit her, searing her very being and throwing her across the room. Wiping blood away from a cut on her forehead, she rolled onto her back and looked up in disbelief at her attacker.
