CHAPTER TWENTY: in the face of evil
Buffy smiled lazily as Tara began scanning the bookshelf after Lucinda had left. She watched in fascination as the blond carefully pulled a few books from the shelf and balanced them in her arms while she moved over to the desk and dropped them off before returning to get more. Buffy slowly stood and moved over to where Tara had set the small pile and glanced through the titles then shook her head.
"Just out of curiosity, what exactly are you looking for?" Tara turned from what she was doing and shrugged.
"I'm not exactly sure…I just feel like the answer is right there in front of us and somehow we keep passing it up." She set another pile of books on the desk and eyed the Slayer curiously. "I understand that the others were tired, but I figured what can it hurt if I put in a little overtime?" Buffy smiled at the Wiccan.
"You really are amazing you know that?" Tara blushed and looked away. "No I'm serious." Buffy said stepping closer to the blond. "Here you are staying up to the wee hours of the night." She ran her hand slowly down the witches arm and laced their fingers together. "When I know your tired…just to help me." Tara shivered at the slow tingle working its way through her system.
"That doesn't make me amazing Buffy." She whispered staring Buffy in the eyes. "I just want to help you in any way I can."
"Yes it does." Buffy grinned tapping her on the nose. "And seeing as how we aren't about to be interrupted again anytime soon…" Tara cocked her head to the side smiling shyly making Buffy take a deep breath her concentration broken.
"What?" Tara asked slightly confused as the Slayer got an odd look on her face. Buffy shook her head and groaned. Even the half smile Tara had just gave her sent chills down her spine and made her body heat up.
"You have no idea how gorgeous you are, do you?" she asked unable to look at the woman before her. "I mean just looking at you…is like…" she took a shuddering breath and leaned her head against the Wicca's shoulder.
"Is like what?" Tara asked her body becoming flushed at the small amount of contact, and felt the slayer tremble against her.
"Wow." Buffy mumbled out unaccustomed to the feelings that seemed to overwhelm her. Tara sighed, trying desperately to keep her own arousal in check and allow Buffy the time to say what she needed to say. "T-Tara I have never felt something this…this powerful before…"she trailed off keeping her head in the crook of Tara's neck and tried to figure out how to express in words what she was feeling. Tara internally groaned as the woman's breath trailed across her collar bone. Ever since earlier on the path she could see it written across the woman's face plain as day, and as patient as she was trying to be, admittedly she was growing frustrated. Tara sighed running her free hand through Buffy's hair…she just wished the woman would get on with it. Buffy shivered as Tara slowly ran her fingers throughout her hair. "G-God!" Buffy groaned catching the hand that was making her body pulse and stepped back a little. "Even the slightest touch Tara...it…it…aghhh…" Tara smirked, finally loosing patience and turned so Buffy was leaning against the desk.
"Buffy I've been waiting four years to find you." Tara said slowly her voice dropping while she looked Buffy right in the eyes. She smiled to herself as Buffy's breathing became labored and her eyes dilated to an almost black. She reached up and ran a shaky hand through the slayer's hair watching in fascination as Buffy's eyes took on a glazed look. "And if one touch can do that, than what would happen if…" Tara leaned in pushing their bodies flush against one another and breathed into her ear. "I did this?" Buffy's eyes slammed shut at the unexpected contact and groaned releasing the woman's hand to wrap her arms around her back and hold her. Not just for the needed contact but to keep her from falling over.
"W-Well at this point I think I might spontaneously combust." Buffy mumbled out breathlessly. Tara nodded her head in agreement placing a light kiss on the Slayer's pulse point. Buffy shuddered again and forced her eyes open. What she saw froze her in her place.
"Enjoying yourself Buffy?" the woman asked grinning evilly. Tara stepped away from Buffy chills running down her spine at the iciness in the voice. The two froze at what they saw.
Lucinda stood at the center of the room, a dark mist swirling around her figure while her hair rose around her face billowing by an unknown force. She grinned wickedly at the two and flicked her wrist sending the desk and furniture around the room soaring in the air and crashing against the walls. Buffy paled looking on in horror as the woman cackled.
"What?" she asked rising up off the ground and hovering above them. "You look so surprised." She laughed sending a glowing ball towards Buffy who instinctively moved out of the way then stood moving defensively in front of Tara.
"What are you doing!?" Tara cried out as another ball of energy hit the wall behind them, setting a row of books on fire.
"Oh common Tara." She said smiling as she heard feet coming down the stairs. "Don't be so naive." She sent another ball of energy towards the two which was narrowly avoided as Buffy pulled them to the ground.
"What's going on!?" Giles demanded stopping short of breath at the door followed by Joyce. His eyes widened at the scene before him. Lucinda grinned.
"Why how nice of you to join us." She pointed to the older couple with her hand lifting them off the ground. "Do come in." Buffy watched helplessly as Giles and her mother were lifted off the ground and pulled into the room before getting slammed against the wall where they continued to dangle held by an unseen force.
"What is the meaning of this!" he screamed fighting uselessly against the power holding him up.
"Rupert, Rupert…" she clucked her tongue. "Surely you can figure it out." She pointed to Buffy sending another blast her way as she did so. Buffy growled sidestepping the attack and lunged at the floating woman. "Ohh no you don't." she laughed as Buffy was sent back to the floor as if ricocheting off an invisible force field.
"I don't understand!!!" Joyce screamed tears welling in her eyes at the sight of her daughter being thrown back to the floor. Lucinda shook her head sadly then laughed.
"No I don't suppose you do." She flashed a smile at Tara who was helping Buffy off the floor, a golden hue begging to emerge around her. "You're as gullible as the rest of them." She laughed as Buffy stood a slow rage working its way through her body. "Like lambs to the slaughter." She mused, her eyes resting on the Slayer.
"You betrayed us." Tara said stepping forward. Lucinda smirked.
"Yes I suppose I have…" she sent a spell at Tara who was pushed out of the way by Buffy. Buffy fell to the ground her skin scorched by the blast where it grazed her side.
"Buffy!" Tara screamed in horror form the floor.
"You won't touch her." Buffy growled steadying her voice against the pain while avoiding another spell sent her way.
"Save your threats little girl you are no match for me…" she looked at the group and smiled. "You all are so easy. And you." she winked at Giles. "You all fell into your parts perfectly."
"Our parts?" Buffy said confused keeping the woman in her sight as she began to circle. Lucinda nodded eagerly.
"Oh yes Buffy." She said happily. "This has taken years of preparation and is about to pay off." She smiled sweetly at Tara. "And it's all thanks to you my dear…or…"she laughed to herself. "Well I shouldn't give you all the credit. It was actually your mother who brought it to my attention." Tara gasped.
"My m-mother?" Tara said gagging on the smoke.
"Yes your mother." She said watching as the Wicca began to stumble over her feet as the smoke continued to cloud the room, the fire rising to lick at the ceiling. "It turns out one of her premonitions finally paid off." Her eyes darkened and power crackled in the air as she sent a black bolt towards the approaching Slayer. Tara reacted mentally pulling the Slayer out of the way and instinctively put a shield in place around her and Buffy.
"I'm okay." Buffy said answering the woman's questioning gaze.
"Tara…even you know that the shield is only going to hold for so long, and when it gives out..." She smiled. "You'll have nothing to save yourself with." she tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Now where was I?…Oh yes, your mother." She laughed as Tara sent a spell out to extinguish the fire that was growing behind them. She laughed at her pupil's effort, then shrugged it made no difference to her how they died. She would inevitably get what she wanted, though admittedly it wouldn't be as fun if they were unconscious. "Yes, shortly after you moved in your mother had a premonition that you and the Slayer if brought together would harness an extraordinary power…not to say that she was wrong but you still seem the same to me." Lucinda shrugged. "But it makes no difference with the two of your powers I'll be unstoppable." She giggled." But I'm getting ahead of myself here." She floated towards the book shelf and fingered a couple of the books fondly then sent it into flames. "At the time when she told me of her vision I just thought she was rambling nonsense, but as I began to read up on past Slayers I realized that maybe there was some truth to what she was saying." She laughed as Tara glowered. "A couple of days ago I even ran across a book that almost reiterated what your mother had said and from there everything began to fall into place." She ignited the entire shelf with a motion of her hand and smirked as Tara quickly sent out a spell to slow the blaze. "By the way Tara," she added laughing wildly. "You may want to watch your power the more of your strength that you use the quicker your shields will diminish, just a word of advice." Tara ignored the warning and extinguished the flames.
"That's why you sent me there, isn't it?" she said her voice cracking, Lucinda nodded pleased that Tara had figured it out.
"But of course, I saw your powers rising to their peek and decided it was time." She looked back to Giles and stared him in the eyes, reveling at the defiance she saw there. "Ah there's the Ripper I remember…too bad that you played a role in this as well." She levitated over to him. "You see Rupert over the years you have given me all the information I could have ever needed." She laughed as his eyes widened and floated back to the center of the room. "Did you know?" she said lightly "The easiest way to split a slayer is to find the host's greatest fear and play into it?" She laughed as Buffy stiffened. "And Buffy you are so easy to read. The guilt was just eating you up inside, you were already hating yourself so much, all it took was a little push…the slayer side of you felt no remorse for the lives lost. She is bred to kill and live in isolation, while you can't seem to understand and accept that I'll never know…but in the end it's the guilt that eventually broke the tie between you." She sneared, her lip curling up. "You were already on your way to loosing the bond between you and your slayer half, I simply just sped the process along." She growled. "Unfortunately I had to act quicker than I thought since our little sorceress over here was getting through to you at an extraordinary pace, mending the gap…not that I would have let the little set back foil my plans, but it was rather annoying."
"That was you in the cemetery?" Buffy said the revolution hitting home. "You've been behind this from the beginning?"
"Finally catching on are we?" She laughed sending a blast at the Slayer and frowned as it dissolved into the air. "Your shields are still intact?" She glanced at Tara. "I'm impressed… well not really."
"But the books?" Joyce said fear etching her voice as she began to suffocate from the smoke still floating around the room, despite Tara's best efforts. "They said…"
"Ah yes the books how could I forget, keep in mind my dear that I'm the one who sent Giles those books. I just said a few choice words and let him come to his own conclusions." She clapped a little. "And Giles you played right into my plan. Bravo, truly bravo."
"You bitch." He spat fighting against the invisible restraints again. Lucinda laughed then turned back to Tara as Joyce fell into unconsciousness.
"MOM!!" Buffy screamed moving towards her limp mother who was still held against the wall. She was instantly sent back to the floor by an invisible force.
"You see Tara," Lucinda said wickedly, ignoring the slayer. "It was all a matter of timing." What surprised me was how the Slayer began to heal so quickly…tonight when I realized her strength had returned I was a little surprised, I hadn't planned on that and Travis…" Tara put her hand to her mouth.
"Travis was a part of this too?" Lucinda smiled sweetly.
"Well of course Tara. You said it yourself. If there was black magic in the house I would have sensed it. Normally you would have picked up on it as well but there are ways to hide it if you aren't openly using it." She laughed as Tara gaped at her. "You see when I made my little astral jump to Sunnydale I needed someone to anchor my body here…" she laughed at the gawking looks she was receiving "like I said I've been planning this for quite sometime now." She rolled her eyes. "He was an idiot though, unleashing his powers like that…it was unfortunate but I had to strip him of his powers. It would have raised too many questions if I hadn't." she sighed "I had really thought he had more sense than that…but children…well you know how they are." She cackled manically.
"What is it you want then?" Buffy growled edging away from the hysterical woman. "You've won now what do you want from us?"
"Isn't it obvious?" she asked a shock wave through the floor sending the two onto their knees and books falling upon the floor. "With the two of your powers I would be unstoppable, and the earth would once again be shrouded in eternal darkness."
"What?!" Buffy screamed standing.
"The council and religious bollocks have weakened us to the point where the Black Arts are nearly a figment of the imagination, a scary story told to children meant to fuel there fears!" she spat angrily causing the windows throughout the room to shatter. "But through me the powers will rise again! All light will diminish in my wake!" She smiled sadly at Tara. "I'm sorry child but it seems your time has come to an end." she laughed as she felt Tara's shields finally falter. She sent a bolt towards Buffy who screamed in pain. Then whispered another spell pinning the two to the floor and began chanting. The walls around the room all ignited as one as her words began to run together in a sickening rhythm.
"You mustn't!" Giles screamed seeing what she was planning. "STOP!!!" She was going to rip them of their very essence he realized. It was a spell that had been banned by the council centuries ago. The very mention of the spell was forbidden. It allowed for the caster to absorb the very soul of another, and in this case two others.
Tara watched on helplessly not believing that this was how it was going to end, never having imagined it happening this way. She tried to move against the force keeping her still, knowing full well that it was a futile move. Tears of frustration began to stream down her face and she couldn't help but think back to what her mother had whispered to her all those years ago. Find the lighted path that shines in align with the calling of your own daughter. Find your soul, find your way, find the light. The voice in back of her mind spoke the words loud and clear, overpowering the roar of chaos surrounding them.
Tara looked to Buffy and stopped short as she saw the fiery gaze staring back at her. The Slayer's skin was glowing, a golden hue that had nothing to do with the fire blazing behind them. She looked back to Lucinda who was spinning wildly above them ashes rising off the ground around her, while burning pages and shattered glass swirled up in her wake, like burning bats from hell. She looked like the spawn of Satan himself rising again, Tara thought in disgust. Tara looked down at her own arms and realized they were glowing in much the same way as Buffy's. Her eyes widened in realization.
The connection she felt with Buffy, the weird vibe she had whenever they touched, the comfort she felt in her presence, the protective nature they felt for each other. It all made sense now, the power she had been feeling between them had always been their, waiting for them, lying just below the surface. Buffy was her other half, her equal. It all was coming together.
She couldn't believe it had taken her this long to figure it out. She looked at Buffy and caught the blond staring at her in wonderment. "I need you to open yourself up to me Buffy?" Tara mentally sent the message already knowing Buffy wouldn't be able to hear her over the piercing laughter and raging fire behind them.
Buffy's eyes grew wide as she could hear the Wiccan in her mind though her lips hadn't moved. She shook her head not understanding but knowing they didn't have time to discuss it and did as she was told, quickly lowering her walls.
Tara gasped, the power radiating off the Slayer when she opened her senses to it was unbelievable, slowly she allowed her own essence to mix in with the Slayers. She smiled as she felt the last threads of the split within the slayer heal and become one. Buffy's own eyes shot open when she felt their aura's mix and her Slayer side come together. The power between them seemed to intensify as if feeding upon the other.
Giles felt a strange power growing within the room and squinted through the blackness to what looked like a golden light. He watched in aw as the golden light grew into an almost blinding white and had to look away.
Tara and Buffy both stood no longer held down by the darkness, the power between them quickly intensifying to an all time high. Lucinda stopped in confusion as the two stood and locked hands.
"What is this?!" she shrieked fighting against the light that was scorching her eyes. As the brightness became too much she, in desperation began throwing spell after spell blindly towards them. Tara easily deflected each beam sent their way with her palm upraised, directing them away from her and Buffy into the ground. The power radiating between them like nothing she had ever felt before. "This is impossible!" Lucinda shrieked as she was pulled from the air and onto the ground.
"No." They said in a unified voice that seemed to echo throughout the house. "This is redemption." They moved as one with steady strides despite the magic Lucinda continued to send their way. Her spells as they got closer, diminished the moment it touched the expanding light radiating from them.
"I will not be beaten." She screamed bringing her hands together, blue veins popping out around her features while her eyes turned to solid black. The power she possessed finally coming to the fore front. "I have come too far!" she said fighting against the light that was creeping in around her and began to shake as it slowly surrounded her. "Nooo!" she released a large collaboration of power, pushing the light back away from her. But as fast as she had pushed it away it came back swooping in around her. "This can't be!!!" Only a small fracture of darkness remained around her figure and it was slowly decreasing against the white light emanating from around the two blondes.
Then in one final swoop, when Lucinda was no longer able to fight it off, the light flooded the entire room, quickly swallowing the deranged woman in its wake, bathing her in light. As she disappeared beneath the blinding glow the room flashed a bright white.
As the power between the two died down to an ever present hum and the unearthly light faded to a bearable glow, Buffy slowly released the hand that she had been holding and turned to where a loud thump could be heard coming from the back of the room.
"MOM! GILES!" Buffy shouted heading over to the two.
Buffy ran to her Mom and Giles who had fallen upon the floor and were lying in a heap covered in black ashes. The watcher stared at his Slayer as she moved towards them with a speed he couldn't fathom. He watched stunned, unable to find words to describe what he was seeing.
"Are you okay?" she asked helping them up. Her mom nodded coughing then looked around the room.
"What happened?" Joyce said looking around the room. "What happened to Lucinda…did she…?" The question was left open ended but as all eyes turned to the black char marks upon the floor where she had been standing the answer was obvious. "I still don't understand," she whispered recalling what had happened. "Why would she have done this?" Giles glanced at Buffy then to Tara, noticing the slight glow still remaining around the two. He looked around the room which was a wreck and watched as the remaining fire seemed to die down on its own in the two women's presence.
"At this point there is no question in my mind what she was after." Giles murmured still in a state of shock, never having seen such power in his life.
Buffy looked to Tara who was eerily silent. Now that their souls were connected she could feel the confusion and hurt come crashing upon the woman. She had thought of the woman who was now gone as a mother and with what had just happened she was barley holding herself together.
"We can talk later." Buffy said already at Tara's side grasping her hands with her own. "Everyone pack your bags, we are leaving this place as soon as you have finished." She looked at Tara who was trying to hold it together. Then to her Mom and Giles, "We are not staying here a moment longer than need be. Do I make myself clear?" She said, her voice holding a tone of command. The small group nodded and quickly made their way to their own rooms. When the two adults had left Tara collapsed against the Slayer too overwhelmed to discuss what had just happened.
Okay now ya know ya gotta send me something...gotsta here what ya think! the final chap is comin soon