Double Edge
by Raven White
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: "Stories I create are copyrighted and owned by myself. Stories based in part, or whole, on characters owned or copyrighted by others remain the property of their respective owners. Material owned, copyrighted or otherwise legally belonging to another will be removed upon request by the rightful copyright owner, or their designated representative(s)".
Spoilers: Up to Tabula Rasa. Hopefully, you have seen all of BTVS by now.
A/N: Jason requested a Willow/Tara story in the TCM group.
A/N2: Started on January 17, 2007.
A/N3: *_* is thoughts of someone.
Tara is standing in a low-rent hotel room. One of the old Scoobies would recognize it - it was Faith's old room.
Willow had lied to her. The scene in the sewer plays in her mind over and over: the almost kiss, the crystal falling out, Xander stepping on it. She remembers the fact that she had stopped right at the end of the sewer, before exiting the small area, watching Willow, seeing her look at the crystal with hate and longing. It had torn at her heart.
Was it the first time her lover had done a spell on her? What about the others? Was anything about their relationship real? Didn't Willow realize what could have happened if the spell had not been broken? What would have become of Sunnydale? Of Buffy? Or anyone of them, for that matter? Her heart was breaking for all of them. *How do I get through to her that she can't be using magic all the time? I don't want her to give it up. She just needs to learn not use it for every little thing under the sun. Magic...*
Pacing...one..two...one...two...three...one...two...three...one… Sitting down on the bed, looking out the window, she sees it is dark outside still. The boxes sit by the door, unpacked and unmarked. The clothes and belongings still inside remind her no one would want her, that her father and brother would always be right.
A tear falls down her cheek as her heart tightens in her chest. "I'm not losing you, Willow. If this is a test, then so be it. Somehow, we will get through it. It can't get much worse, can it?"
Picking up the phone, she gave the number to the front desk, and they placed the call.
"Summers’."
"Hey, Dawnie, is Willow there?"
"Tara, OH MY GOD. Are you coming back home? PLEASE!"
Chucking, she answers, "Dawnie, not yet. I need to talk to Willow."
"I'm sorry, Tara. She went out with Amy... Oh, the rat, she changed her back to human, isn’t that cool?"
"Yeah. Cool"
"Tara?"
"Sorry, Dawnie."
"Tara, I think they said something about heading to the Bronze. We still okay? I don't want to lose my milkshake partner."
"Dawnie, you’re not going to lose me. Willow and I are just having some problems. All couples do. It doesn't mean that either of us love you any less. I am still here for you, whenever you need me. You know that, right?"
"I do now! Now, go kick some Willow butt and get yourself back here, back home!"
"DAWN!"
No one is there, so she hangs the phone up and shakes her head at the youngest Summers. Out of the mouths of babes.
She changes into something she would wear inside of the club and grabs the key to the motel room, locking the door on the way out.
There had been the two guys at the beginning of the night, when they first came into the Bronze. Amy had danced with them. At first, they had been great; then when Willow stood up to the one guy for being grabby hand happy -well, he had called her Ellen, and things went down hill from there (from their point of view, anyway). The boys are now in dance cages above the dance floor, wearing loincloths. Both of them look shocked to be where they are.
The two girls play pool, not using pool cues. They point with their fingers, moving the balls around on the pool table. As Willow makes a shot, two girls walk toward them.
The two blondes look the girls over. "We were wondering if you two are here together?"
"No, no togetherness here. NO, Sir." Willow said.
"Willow! Sorry, she is having girlfriend problems right now. Don't mind her; she just gets nervous. So, no, to your question."
The two newcomers giggle.
"OH, GOOD."
"Sydney, will you stop that damn laughing!"
More giggles. “Sorry, Jessica, but her babble is cute, and you know I just love it when you babble like that, and you never ever let me babble when I can do it, and we don’t get a chance to do it a lot anymore, and I really, really want to do it a lot, and, well, I just want to say it sucks that you just don't let me be myself anymore. You want me to be something I am not."
"Oh, for the love of Mike, breathe."
"C.a.n.'.t. .b.r.e.a.t.h.e..."
"No shit."
Magically, a paper bag appears and Willow hands it to the girl.
"Sydney, breathe into this bag. It should help you to catch your breath. Then Amy will dance with you both."
"Come on, Willow, dance with us at least once. You owe it to the both of us. Okay, you don't, but dummy, here, lost her breath over you. So, could you at least dance with us once? We aren't going to bite - well, unless you want us to, that is!" Jessica said.
"Come on, Willow. It's only dancing. It's not like you’re going to get laid. You’re not cheating on your girlfriend. There are many others around here. Come on, I know you want to!" Amy was laying it on thick.
"Alright, but it's only two dances, one each, and that is it. No grabby hands, you got it, Missies?"
Heads nod.
"Let’s dance, then." They move off to the dance floor with the still out of breath Sydney.
Willow takes Sydney’s hand and gets lost in music and thoughts. *I just wanted to have some fun, without all the headaches. Without all the bitching about what I should and should not be doing. God, Tara, I miss you.*
As the four girls dance, Tara slips into the Bronze and hides away in the shadows. This she learned to do during her time spent with her father and brother. She sees her lover and a redhead that Dawn told her is Amy, the former rat. Looking at Amy makes her wonder why her lover never made a move on her; her loss. She’s just glad there is magic in the air; Willow shouldn't be able to feel her in here.
The girls dance three songs and say goodnight to Jessica and Sydney. They're bored and head up to the to upper level of the Bronze and look over the dance floor. The girl band is playing; the boys are still dancing with that shock look on their faces.
"You feel that, Willow?"
"What, Amy?"
"The magic. The power. What's ours!"
"Ours?"
"Everything, Willow, just for the taking. You know it. Come on, I know you’re feeling it. I could feel it when you turned me back to being human. You are itching, just as much as I am right now, to turn loose on everyone in here with magic. Don't hide away from me; we both know each other too well. I have seen too much of you from my cage over the years."
"EEK!"
"See, you even sound like me."
"That's not funny. FINE, I feel it. I WANT IT. How do we get it?"
"First, we play in here and then...well, we go see an old friend. You up for that, Willow?"
"You know me." Willow pauses briefly. "What’s first?"
"See that guy over there in the yellow shirt? God, what was he thinking anyway? Ugly color - he had this coming. Now watch. Just point your finger, think what you want, and before you know it, it's right there before your eyes, just like the pool game."
Amy demonstrates. Suddenly, a small, yellow chaos demon with a pink tail stands there dancing a polka.
"Oh, God, Amy. How the hell am I going to top that?"
"Come on, I know you have it in you. Or do I have to kiss you?"
"AMY!"
"WELL…"
"I'm thinking."
"Going to kiss you."
"Why is it that you want to kiss me all of a sudden?"
"I've seen you in action."
The blush was hard to be notice in the lights. "Oh, fine. See the girl in the pink garter and white top?"
"Leave it to you to see the garter."
"Amy!"
"I see her. Keep your clothes on." Amy smirks at her.
"God, you’re turning into Faith. Now, look at the girl. You looking? Good."
Fingers point; the girl before them changes shape and develops a pointed head.
"Showoff!" Amy decides on her next target. "Watch this."
People begin to float around and their clothes change colors.
"I KNOW!" Amy says.
Tiny fireworks go off everywhere inside the club.
"WILLOW...STOP....WILLOW...STOP!!"
"WHAT?????"
Tara stands at the top of the stairs.
...to be continued...