AUTHOR: Kirk Baldridge
E-MAIL: KirkBwriter@juno.com
FEEDBACK: Yes, please. The more the better.
DISTRIBUTION: You want it? Take it. Just let me know where it is.
SPOILERS: If you haven't seen the episodes THE WISH or, more importantly, DOPPLEGANGLAND, this will probably not make a lot of sense to you. You're also way behind.
CONTENT: VW/T
RATING: Somewhere between PG-13 and R, probably.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters. If I did, I'd treat them better than...some people.
SUMMARY: Vampire Willow's alternate reality continued after
DOPPLEGANGLAND, with some new faces in familiar places and situations.
NOTE: In case you couldn't tell from the title, this story takes place in a slightly alternate version of THE WISH and DOPPLEGANGLAND'S already alternate reality. VampWillow has just been sent back to her own world. I'm diverging from the show's storyline from there. Read on and you'll understand, I hope.
***
It felt as if her entire body was being turned inside out.
Willow opened her eyes, thankful--not for the first time--that she didn't have to breath, and looked around. She knew in an instant she was back in her own world, and smiled. Everywhere she looked humans were running,
they were screaming, and they were dieing at the hands and fangs of her
brethren.
Of course, Xander was dead too. So was her puppy, Angel. One killed by
the Slayer, the other killed protecting her. It made no sense to Willow.
Why had her puppy turned on her so? And why she Xander gone? They were
too close. She missed him already. Not her puppy so much. She could
always find another, even if no other vampires had souls which could be
tortured.
Willow searched for the Master. He was their leader. He would tell her
what to do.
Almost too late she saw the White Hat. He grabbed her and shoved her
toward an exposed piece of two-by-four sticking out of the side of the
cage they'd kept the humans in. He wanted to kill her.
At the last moment she jerked her body to one side, just slightly. It
wasn't much, but he didn't seem to notice as he just impaled her and
moved on. The pain was excruciating. The wood had entered her back and
burst out of her chest, piercing one of her lungs in the process. Again
she was happy she didn't have to breath. She was also lucky it had missed
her heart. She was hurting, but still alive.
And angry. Snarling, Willow lurched forward, ignoring the sickening
squelch as she pulled free. She cursed and spit up precious blood. Her
wounds were severe, even by vampire standards. Rage and revenge
conflicted with an overwhelming need to feed. To replenish herself. When
she saw that White Hat again, staking one of her vampire 'siblings',
revenge won out. Howling, she leaped upon him.
Oz--in a moment of clarity she recognized him from the other world, and
delighted in the irony--never saw her coming. Willow ripped his throat
out and drank him dry. Then, remembering what he had meant to her other
self; she plunged her hand into his chest, forcing it through his ribcage
and ripped out his heart. Sated, for the moment at least, her body
already starting to heal, she stood up and stretched languidly.
Still no sign of the Master. The last time she saw him, before her
reality was ripped away from her, he had been fighting the Slayer. But
surely that slip of a girl had not been too much for the Lord of
Aurelias.
Willow's nose crinkled up as she smelled blood. Strong, hot blood. It was
intoxicating, and she traced the scent to a body. A girl. Her eyes
widened. The Slayer. Dead. Her face was crushed. At her feet though, lay
the skeleton of a man with what appeared to be an entire table-leg shoved
through the ribcage. The Master. Apparently, he and the Slayer had gone
for the kill at the same time.
Both succeeded, which of course meant they both lost.
Willow whimpered. She had asked her other self to send her home because
she didn't like that world. Only now her world was even worse. Xander was
gone. Her puppy was gone. And now, the Master. There was no one left to
play with. Even her brother and sister vampires had run off, either
because all their food was gone or because the Master was dead. They had
no reason to stay. None of them cared about her.
*****
The vampire left the factory in a daze. She was lost, with no idea where
to go. The Bronze would be empty. The Master had told everyone to attend
the ceremony at the factory. Any who survived would move on, to make
their own places in the world. But she had no place. No family. No
friends. She wandered aimlessly, until she became aware of a familiar
tingling sensation on her skin. She was starting to smolder.
The sun! The sun was coming up, Willow realized. Snarling, she dove
toward the nearest door. A warehouse. In this part of town it would most
likely be empty. That meant no food. She would have to spend all day long
hungry and alone. She didn't know which was worse. Crashing through the
door she flung herself into the shadows with a grunt, rolling around on
the ground to extinguish her arm. The pain of the burns was almost as
great as that of her chest, which was not yet fully healed. She groaned.
"Are you okay?"
The question took Willow by surprise. It was quiet, timid, and oh so
feminine. The vampire twisted her body to find the source. A pair of wide
blue eyes peeked around an old piece of machinery. Her face was framed by
long blonde locks. She was pale and trembling.
"Hurt," Willow hissed. It was a struggle to maintain her human face. The
girl smelled delicious. The fear caused her heart to beat faster, which
made her blood hotter. The vampire feigned weakness, even though given
her state at the moment it was not entirely a lie. Humans usually
responded to helplessness.
The young woman crawled slowly out from under the machine. She was
wearing blue jeans and a flaky gold top, with a light gray jacket over
it. If she was a vagrant she had obviously not been on the streets for
long. A pleasing thought for Willow. She was untouched. Pure.
"I-I don't k-know much..." The blonde was hesitant to get too close.
"...but m-maybe, I can..." She stopped. "Your aura. It's all w-wrong.
I've n-never seen anything like it."
Willow's eyes narrowed. Most humans could not read auras. Only witches,
usually. Witches meant magic. Both the Master and Xander had warned her
to stay away from anyone who did magic. They were the only kind besides
Slayers who were really dangerous to vampires.
"I w-want to help you," said the young woman. "But I've heard s-strange
things...about this town."
Willow nodded. No doubt most of them were true. "What's your name?"
"Tara."
'Pretty name,' the vampire thought. It's owner was pretty too. She liked
pretty things. "I'm Willow."
"It's n-nice to meet you." Tara slowly edged closer. "How...umm, badly
are you hurt?"
"Oh, nothing a bite to eat wouldn't fix." As the girl got close enough
Willow caught her scent more clearly. And not just fear either, though
that was certainly present. There was a combination of lavendar and
vanilla, more than likely stemming from her perfume and perhaps her
shampoo.
"I don't have any m-money," said Tara. "I just got into town, and someone
s-stole my purse."
The vampire pouted. "That's terrible." Just a little closer.
Tara knew something was off about the redhead, but she just couldn't put
her finger on it as she kneeled. "I'll do what I can to help. What do you
want me to do?"
"You've already done it," Willow replied. She shifted to vamp-face and
attacked.
Tara screamed and threw herself backwards all at once, throwing off the
vampire's aim and forcing her up into a crouch position for a second
attack. But before the redhead could make a move her would-be prey lifted
her own hands and began chanting. Willow did not recognize the language.
Streams of thick gray smoke erupted from Tara's palms. They clung to the
vampire's face and head, temporarily blinding her. Had the redhead needed
to breathe it would no doubt have been choking her as well. But despite
this effort all Tara really seemed to accomplish was to make Willow
madder.
"Witch! This won't stop me!" Once the smoke cleared and the vampire was
finally able to see again she realized Tara was nowhere in sight. "Damn!"
Willow searched high and low, but the only living thing she found was a
little brown rat. It was little more than a light snack, but she was
quite hungry. After eating she searched for Tara some more, and her nose
eventually led her to a machine near the back door.
"Blood?" Fresh. Tara had, apparently, cut herself in her haste to get
away. Willow smiled. There wasn't much so it was likely only a scrape,
but an open wound of any size meant blood she could track. Regardless of
where Tara tried to hide the vampire would find her. And make her pay for
this humiliation. "As soon as the sun goes down, I will find you!" She
snarled. "And I'll eat you all up, little girl!"
*****
Tara was in tears as she ran from the warehouse, as far and as fast as
she could.
It wasn't fear that motivated her though. Not just fear, at least. She
was also angry with herself. At how easy she had been fooled by the
vampire. She shook her head. That was still hard to imagine. A vampire.
She already knew demons existed, but she had never actually seen one
before.
Tara had a demon inside her. It was where the magic came from, and it was
the main reason she was reluctant to use her powers at all. Her father
told her it was evil. She was evil. That was why she had come to
Sunnydale in the first place. She wanted to get rid of the darkness
within her.
Once she was sure the vampire wasn't following her Tara slowed down. That
was when she became aware of the throbbing pain in her right hand. She
realized she had cut herself. It wasn't deep enough to need stitches but
it did still hurt quite a bit. She whispered an incantation that dulled
the pain.
Tara sighed. A part of her had hoped Willow would be a new friend in this
strange town. But once again she was on her own, which was okay. She was
used to that.
"I better get on with it. Have to...oh no. Where's the address?" Tara
began digging through her pockets, and after a prolonged search came up
with a folded piece of paper. "Thought I lost it."
It was a page from a local phone book. Normally she would never have
vandalized public property like that. But within minutes of stepping off
the bus in Sunnydale someone had stolen her purse, and while she hadn't
been hurt she didn't even have enough money for a lousy phone call. She
needed to get to one of the addresses on the page, and inwardly hoped she
had seen the last of the monsters.
A few minutes later, Tara found herself standing outside of a seedy
little bar called WILLY'S. She hadn't known it was a bar when she started
looking for it though.
After finishing her daily chores she would check to be sure her father
and brother were asleep, then sneak into his study to use the computer.
There, in a private chat room for Wiccas, she told other witches about
her mother, her magic, and how she desperately wanted to be rid of her
demon side. One mentioned Sunnydale and its history of dark magic,
mysterious rituals, and all kinds of demonic activity. They went on to
mention Willy, declaring he was the man to contact about these sorts of
things in Sunnydale. So she stole some money from her father, threw a few
things in her purse, and bought a one way ticket.
"I just hope this Willy guy can help me." Tara stepped through the doors,
and immediately began to question the wisdom of coming here at all. The
place was full of vampires, demons, and humans, who weren't reacting to
them one bit. She nervously approached the counter, where she sat down
next to seven foot tall creature that had green scales, red eyes, and a
tail. "Umm..."
The mousy, wiry little dark-haired man behind the counter dropped a
coaster in front of her. "What can I get for you, little lady?"
"Are you...Willy?"
He nodded. "That's what it says on my license. What can I do you for?"
"M-My name is Tara. I need some h-help, and I w-was told you were the
m-man with information."
"Could be." Willy stared at her for a moment. "But first, let me get you
a cup of coffee. You look like you need it." He waved away her attempts
at a protest. "Don't worry about it. I know flat broke when I see it." He
poured her a cup and slid it over to her. "Drink up. Calm down. Then
ask."
Tara smiled. "Thank you." It took her a while to calm down. She kept
seeing Willow's face, and shuddered at the thought of so beautiful a
woman actually being a monster.
Willy came back to her end of the bar, after pouring a vampire at the
other end a glass of suspiciously thick red liquid. "Ready to talk yet?
Or do you need some more time?"
"I need some...what do you know about magic?"
"Afraid that's not my forte."
"How about demons?"
"Them I know. What do you need?"
Tara considered her next question carefully. "If I wanted to get rid of
one, where would I go?"
"Here in Sunny-D? Depends. What kind of a demon are we talking about?"
"I-I'm not sure. One inside of...a person."
"Oh, those are nasty."
Tara blanched.
"You're not, by any chance, a witch are you?"
Tara gasped. "How did you know?"
"Didn't," Willy replied. "It has recently come to my attention that one
of the local magic shops wasn't looted. If you're lucky, there might
still be some books there. Nobody in town does much magic anymore, 'cause
it attracts too much vampire attention. Anyway, if you want some spells
on exorcising demons, I'd wager that's the best way for you to start.
Assuming you're staying in town, of course."
"Do you know the address?"
*****
Tara stood in front of the shop, wondering if it was even worth her time.
Many of the stores in this part of town had been looted, ransacked or
torched long ago. But the doors and windows of this particular place
still appeared to be intact, so there was at least a chance.
Tara sighed. "The Magic Box huh?" Shaking her head, she approached the
door. Only when she got close did the aura of magic finally register. She
realized, now, she had been sensing it all along, but since Sunnydale was
more or less seething with magical energies all the time it was hard to
tell one from the other. "Is that...a ward? Or just a protection spell?"
Either way, it explained by the shop remained untouched.
It also presented the witch with a problem. How to get in. This kind of
magic was usually hard to counter under the best of circumstances. If the
caster really knew what he or she was doing, it might not be possible for
anyone else to get in at all. She took a deep breath and considered her
options.
"If I can figure out what kind of spell is protecting the place, I'll
know how to counter it." Of course she knew it wouldn't be that easy.
Even if she knew what it was, there was no guarantee she could get
through. Still, this did seem like her best shot.
When her purse was stolen Tara had felt terrible. But nothing like she
would have felt if they had found what she now took out of her jacket
pocket. It was her most prized possession.
A large crystal, shaped almost like a diamond, that was delicately cut
and clear. The dolls-eye crystal belonged to her grandmother. She found
it in the attic and took it with her when she left home because she had a
feeling its mystical properties might come in handy. Apparently, she had
been right.
"Goddess Thespia." Tara held the crystal above her head. "Please. Reveal
that which is unseen. This I beseech of you, Thespia. Open my eyes...that
I might know the truth." The crystal began to glow, and a similar glow
filled her eyes. She gasped. "It is a ward. A powerful one. But I think I
can break it." She held the crystal in her left hand and pointed the
other at the front door of the Magic Box. "Open!" She channeled her
energy through the dolls-eye, to amplify her spell's power, and though
there was a great deal of resistance at first she eventually felt the
ward thin out and then shatter like so much glass. The effort left her
exhausted. "I hope it was worth it."
Tara wasn't sure what she was expecting as she entered the magic shop,
but she knew it didn't involve the heater being on or candles lining
several of the walls. There was a cot set up behind the counter and some
lawn chairs in various places around the room. "Someone's living here."
"Yes," said a voice. "Me." There was a woman standing in a door near the
back of the shop. She had long, stringy brown hair, and was wearing an
ill-fitting blue jumpsuit. Under her arm was a folded gray shape Tara
guessed was a laptop computer. "Question is, what are you doing here?"
The blonde started. "Oh. I'm s-sorry. My name is Tara."
"Tara?" The other woman sat her computer down on the counter. "Tara
Maclay?"
"That's right? Do I know you?"
"Yes. Well, no, not really. My name is Amy. I'm the one you talked to in
the chat room."
"You're WiccaWannaBe?"
Amy nodded. "I never had the patience for the whole religion thing. I
just like doing the magic."
"Wow. I'm glad to meet you. You've been so helpful."
"I see you made it. I didn't know if you'd ever take my advice or not.
How's Willy?"
"He's fine. I don't know about that bar though. All those demons..."
"I wouldn't worry. Most of them will leave you alone, so long as you
don't piss them off. You have to watch out for the vampires though. You
can't trust a bloodsucker."
Tara nodded. "I know what you m-mean. I got attacked by one earlier this
mornning."
"Oh my God. Are you all right?"
"I think so. She didn't bite me or anything."
Amy went for one of her lawn chairs. "Here. Sit down and tell me about
it."
Tara spent some time recounting her story for Amy, including everything
she had been through both before and after coming to Sunnydale.
"This vampire," said the other witch. "Her name was Willow?"
"That's what she told me. Why? Do you know her?"
Amy shook her head. "Not personally. I've heard about her though. She
works for the Master."
"Who?"
"Oh, the Master is the supreme vampire in this town. He's supposed to be
really old and really powerful. All the other vamps pretty much bow down
to him. Willow is one of his favorite servants. I've heard she liked to
prey on pretty young woman, so I'm not surprised she came after you."
Tara felt her cheeks reddening, and she turned away. Her gaze fell upon
the cot behind the counter. "So, um...do you really live here? All by
yourself?"
"Yes. I have for, oh, I guess going on two years now."
"What about your parents? Your family?"
"My Dad left us a long time ago. I don't really remember him. And my Mom,
well...let's just say that dark magic got the better of her. I tried to
get her to stop but she never listened."
Tara nodded. "I'm sorry. I-I lost my mother too."
"Magic?"
"N-No. I mean, yes she was a witch, but it wasn't the magic that killed
her."
Amy leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Anyway, after my mom...I
couldn't stay in the house anymore. I mean literally. The bank took it
away. I didn't have anyplace else to go, so I wound up on the streets.
About that time, as I understand it, the Master got free of wherever he
was locked up and the whole town went to hell. One night just before the
sun went down I wandered into here. I figured it'd be a safe spot to
sleep for a change, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever
happened to me."
"How so?"
"Look around you. Books. Crystals. Just sitting around. There's nobody
left in Sunny-D who does this stuff. All the other witches died or took
off, and the monsters don't seem to care about magic. This place is a
gold mine. In the first evening alone I learned more new spells than I
ever did from my mother's books, and the next day I put a protective
barrier around the shop. It collapsed pretty quick, but I managed to
figure out how to do a sealing ward so none of the doors or windows would
open again."
"But how do you get in and out? I mean, you must have to eat and you
smell...clean." Tara blushed again. "You've obviously been taking care of
yourself."
Amy nodded. "In the back room I found a hidden sewer entrance. It lets me
come and go without being seen. It's under the same ward as the rest of
the shop, and I'm the only one who can get through it." She arched an
eyebrow. "At least, I used to be. You must have some power."
"I-I don't have much...in the way of power," said Tara. "Just l-lucky I
guess."
"Anyway, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I waitress over at Willy's. He
gives me a few bucks, or a meal, and lets me use his washer and dryer and
shower too. It's a pretty good deal."
"And the computer?"
"I found it under the counter. The phone works, and I found a spell to
create mystic electricity for powering the computer and the little TV I
used to have. It would work on the lights too, but I enjoy the ambience
of the candles myself." Amy shrugged her shoulders. "That's pretty much
it."
Tara nodded. "It sounds like you're the one with all the power. Can
you...help me?"
"Maybe. You say this demon inside you, it's a family legacy kind of
thing?"
"Yes."
"Hmm...it doesn't sound like Tobin's would be much use. Maybe the Codex."
Amy stood up. "Let's look upstairs in the stacks. This may take some time
though. Hope you're not in a hurry."
Tara shook her head as she followed.
*****
Willy always knew precisely when the sun went down even without any
windows in his place. The few vampires who ventured into the bar during
daylight hours became more active, in preparation for the hunt, and large
groups of others often came in together. He was used to the ruckus that
followed.
However he wasn't prepared for one particular arrival. A leather-clad,
female vampire with red hair. She'd never been in his place before, but
he knew her face. Everyone in Sunnydale did. He nervously cleared his
throat as she stepped up to the bar. "Help you?"
Willow's smoldering golden eyes narrowed as she snarled. "Where is she?"
"To whom are you referring?"
Willow lowered her head and sniffed the bar. "Tara. I know she's been
here. I can smell her!"
"I'm not...uhh, I don't know this individual. Perhaps you could describe
her for me?"
The vampire dug her nails into the surface of the bar. "You're lieing!"
Willy knew he had to be very careful here. Not only was this girl one of
the Master's most prized disciples, she was also said to be a bit of a
lunatic even among vampires. "I would never..."
"Bored now." Willow lunged across the bar and grabbed Willy's shirt.
"Tell me! Or else!"
Willy's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Help!"
A huge, leathery gray hand clamped down on Willow's wrist. It didn't
squeeze hard enough to cause the vampire any real pain, but it definitely
got her attention. She glared up into the ugly, scarred face of a Gargo
demon. They were very strong, not very intelligent creatures who usually
worked as bodyguards.
"Let him go."
Surprisingly, Willow did so. She released Willy and drew her arm back, so
the demon did the same. She hissed, then before the demon knew what was
happening stepped forward again and punched it in the throat. As it fell
she grabbed its head and twisted so its neck cracked in a particularly
satisfyingly sickening way. The vampire grinned as she turned to face the
barkeep once again. "Ready to talk now?"
Willy nodded.
*****
Researching took the better part of a day, and by the time they started
setting things up in the front room it was well past sundown. Not that
either witch noticed.
"Are you sure about this?" Tara asked. She was kneeling inside a circle
of candles and crystals while Amy stood nearby, holding a book.
"It's safe, if that's what you mean. The worst thing that should happen
is it just doesn't work."
Tara nodded. "Tell me again what's going to happen? I just want to be
clear."
"Since we don't know for sure what kind of a demon is connected to your
family line, we're going to try doing a general cleansing of your spirit.
To rid you of any demonic qualities."
"Okay."
Amy handed Tara the book. "Here. I've highlighted the passage you need to
recite."
"I can't...Amy, I don't know how to read this. What language is this?"
"It's an offshoot of Latin but don't worry. You don't need to understand
the words to make it work, you just have to read them outloud."
"If you say so."
Amy really hated to say the next part. "One more thing. This is a one
shot deal. The ritual is very delicate. Once it has begun, if you stop
reading or if the circle is broken for any reason it will end. Pow. Just
like that. We won't get another shot at it either. It works once per
person, and that's it."
"So, no pressure." Tara chuckled nervously. "I'm ready."
"Good. You concentrate on the ritual. Remember, nothing can go wrong as
long as you aren't interrupted." Amy crossed her arms. "And I'm here to
make sure that doesn't happen."
Tara took a deep breath. "Okay. Here goes." She lowered her head and
began reading. For a few minutes nothing happened, then one by one the
candles flared up and gave off more light than should have been possible.
The light was absorbed by the crystals, which in turn glowed even
brighter. In addition, the air around her became ionized, a strange
tingling sensation that made both women's skin develop goosebumps.
Amy stepped back, her eyes wide. There was energy coming off the blonde
in waves. She couldn't see it but she could feel it. She wasn't sure
whether to be excited or scared.
The decision was taken out of her hands when something hit the front door
of the shop. Hard. She turned to see the frame of the door and its locks
holding up, but one of the hinges had been bent by the impact. As she
watched it happened again, and this time the door itself was dented. No
human could do that.
Amy gasped. "The wards!" In her efforts to help Tara she had completely
forgotten to put them back up. It was a stupid mistake, born out of a
complacency she was now forced to accept. She had been so safe for so
long, she'd forgotten just how dangerous the world was.
The door was struck a third time, and this time it collapsed under the
pressure. The hinges tore like so much tin foil, and the whole door fell
flat forward. Behind it, in a haze caused by dust and a half-working
streetlight, stood a wiry, leather-clad figure with long red hair.
*****
Kirk B
Life is much too serious to be taken seriously.
Willow is a tree that weeps, but Tara is firmer and will hold.
Pax! -bev 
... GREAT ! It was also excellent the way you laced the drama with humorous and tender interludes between W/T. [Willow cuddles...trying to cook...in the shower......Willows growl at Rack etc. and her bemused attitude towards Tara's reactions. ] Bravo 
I just found it today...so yay I did not have to wait for updates...some days all goes right! 