Single White Witch

by Birdie

Distribution: If you want to use any part of this fic please mail me first.

Spoilers: Nope.

Rating: PG

W/T Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns the characters of BtVS . 'Taraism' is based on 'Mercerism' from the novel 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' by Philip K Dick

Summary: Tormented by dreams and visions, a witch called Michelle becomes obsessed with Tara

***

It starts with the dream. The dream will lead to obsession, the obsession will lead to violence. But, for now, she has the dream. The dream is always the same. She stands in a barren landscape, a desert. Nothing grows. In front of her is a hill, steep, rocky and deeply imposing. Her religion, devout, pushes her forward. Sometimes she wonders why Taraism engenders such pain in its followers. Then she sees Tara, and all doubts melt away in the heat. The lovely young blond woman is halfway up the hill, beckoning to her. So she moves, starting up the hill towards her Goddess. She is filled with passion and an aching desire. Tara will make everything good again, take away the pain, absolve her of her sins. She is convinced that Tara will be her lover, her mentor, if only she can reach her.

A rock hits her hard on the arm, and she almost falls. Another glances off her forehead and the blood begins to flow into her eyes. She wipes it away with her sleeve and tries to locate her tormentors. As usual they seem to be just out of her field of vision. She knows she is being tested for her worthiness. There are others striving to reach Tara before her, to take the young witch for themselves. Sometimes she is convinced that they are the ones hurling the rocks, and she hates them for slowing her down, prolonging the agony that comes before the ecstasy. Tara has vanished over the brow of the hill. She howls in frustration.

Michelle awakes, dazed. The blood from her forehead seeps into her pillow.

***

Tara was daydreaming in class again. That would never have been the case with the diligent pre-Willow Tara. Then again, the pre-Willow Tara had never attracted the sort of admiring glances she now drew from other UC Sunnydale students, the cause and effect of her new glow. She was happy now to tie back her mane of blond hair in a ponytail allowing her pretty face to show, and she no longer shrouded her body in oversized clothes. Today she wore a plain white t-shirt and a pretty peasant skirt that subtly emphasised her 'yummy curves', as Willow would have it.

She was dreaming of Willow and distant lands on this hot Californian afternoon in Social Studies 1. The two girls were desperate to make a trip to Europe this summer, but neither could come up with a moneymaking scheme to fund the expedition. They knew they had to get some quality time together, away from Sunnydale, away from the others. They were caught in the timeless early flush of love, when all they wanted was each other - in beauty, in romance, in sex, in wandering for hours and talking of the silliest things - music, movies, monsters, the latest teen angst, whatever.

Tara was dreaming of all this when she was none-too-gently shoved by the guy sitting next to her. 'Lecture's over, sweetie'.

Tara checked out Ben, the guy talking to her. He was a study-buddy of long-standing. 'Didja get the notes?' she asked, hopefully.

'For you, anything. I'll knock out a photocopy, give it to you tomorrow.'

'You're a honey, Ben.'

'Please, do not make with the puppydog eyes, Tara. I said yes already.'

Tara thanked Ben again, and stashed her books. She made for the corridor, already late for a lunch date with Buffy.

'Hey..Tara?...Tara?'

Tara, not recognising the soft voice, spun on her heel in confusion. The voice belonged to a small, young looking girl, who Tara recognised as having joined the class half way through the semester. She didn't know her name.

'Hi..erm..?'

'It's Michelle.'

'Yeah, Michelle. Right. Did you want to borrow some notes or something?'

The girl flushed. 'No.it's not that..look, I heard you were a Wicca. Like a proper witch?'

Tara's smiled faltered. 'Well..it's my religion, if that's what you mean.'

Michelle nodded enthusiastically. 'It's just, I'm really interested. I was wondering if we could meet up, go for a drink and maybe you could tell me about it?'

'Sure.' Tara said, sounding anything but.

'How about tonight?'

'Um..I'm busy tonight.'

'Tomorrow?'

'Sure. Look, I have to run, I'm late for a lunch date.'

Michelle watched Tara disappear in search of Buffy. She began to route through her bag, muttering under her breath. She had gathered the courage to speak her first words to the girl she adored, and she had been rebuffed

' It'll be, it'll be,' she murmured, 'You and me, you and me.'

She had expected no less. After all, she had to be tested. But she was worthy.

Michelle finally located her Book of Shadows in her bulging backpack and scribbled a few notes on a blank page. Then she stood up and headed off for the library.

She had a lot to do before she could start shadowing Tara's movements in earnest.

Tara spotted Buffy almost right away when she entered the sparsely populated cafeteria. The Slayer was slumped at a small table, her head resting on the hard surface, her hair spread out in a ratty halo around her head. Tara gently pulled back a chair for herself.

'Buffy? You okay?'

Buffy's head snapped up immediately. There were dark rings under her eyes, and her hair really was a mess. She was still stunning.

'Tara! You look..so much like I wish I looked right now.'

'Rough night?'

'Routine patrol turns into all-night hunt. Still, you should see the other guy. And Giles for that matter.'

'Giles? Is he okay? I don't see him as much of a fighter.'

'I wish you'd tell him that, he's worse since he quit the day-job. So how are you?'

'Well.' Tara still wasn't quite sure of Buffy. She was so powerful, and Tara was afraid that Buffy might think she was taking her best friend away from her.

'Hey,' Buffy smiled, 'I'm not prying. I'd really like us to be, y'know,.friends.'

Tara beamed.

'My life.it's never really meant anything 'till now. Suddenly I've got all these incredible friends. I mean, The Slayer!' She shook her
head as if in disbelief. She met Buffy's expectant gaze, and her big eyes widened. 'And I've got Willow. It's like when I met Willow the missing piece just slipped into place.'

Buffy smiled gently and nodded 'Willow's pretty special, huh?'

Tara flushed. 'Buffy, do you remember how you felt the first time you fell in love?'

Buffy gazed quickly to the heavens. 'You can't eat, right? And you think about them all of the time. When they're not there you're desperate. Sometimes you think about them and it just makes you cry for no reason. Any of these things sound familiar?'

Tara giggled. 'I thought it was just me!'

Buffy reached out and touched Tara's palm. The witch felt a tremendous surge of warmth.

'My best friend is in love with you, Tara. For what it's worth I think you're a great kid. You know that Willow's had a bad time this last year. She's serious about you. I want to believe in you too. I'm asking you not to hurt her. You're not the only one that Willow is special to.'

'I couldn't. She's..my light. She's everything I ever wanted. More. 'Willow is a force of life, Tara. I know that you already know that, but you should know that we love her too. Me and Xander and Giles. Any one of us would give our lives for her. Would you?'

'I'd give my soul for her.'

'Welcome to The Scooby Gang, Tara.'

***

Michelle peered over the top of an enormous physics book at the girl studying at the microfiche adjacent to her alcove. The redhead was pretty cute and Michelle had nothing personal against her, but she would have to die, and soon. She didn't like to kill, but it had happened in Orleans.

She knew a lot about Willow Rosenberg. A Wiccan. Born to be a witch, like herself, like her friend, the beloved Tara. A demon hunter, a leader in the battle of Sunnydale High, keeper of the familiar of Amy Madison, rumoured to have turned down the offer of demonhood from D'Hoffryn. A powerful adversary. Combined with Tara, a potentially lethal one. This skinny little girl. Michelle shook her head in wonder.

So Willow would be the first to go. Something nice and natural so as not to arouse the suspicions of the others. Rupert Giles she knew of as an amateur magic user, like that idiot Rayne, who had been so easy to find, so quick to talk. Nothing she couldn't handle. The roomie though, there was something awry about her.

When Michelle had first begun to dream about Tara she had bumped right into Buffy Summers as she and Willow had shown up to meet the blond witch from class. For a stunned moment Michelle had taken Buffy for a demon. She had met enough in New Oleans. Still, given that Buffy Summers was such a close friend of Willow Rosenberg it was not surprising that she fairly reeked of the supernatural. Michelle suspected that the two women were lovers, though Summers seemed equally taken with the dullard TA, Finn.

***

She couldn't understand the students who hated homework. She found it sooo interesting.

Tara put down her book and spotted a sheet of discarded notepaper she had been using to work out her finances. The figures didn't add up. She frowned, then screwed the piece of paper into a ball and threw it. It sailed gracefully through the air until it struck Willow on the back of the head and fell to the floor. Willow turned away from her laptop and shot Tara a disapproving look.

Tara bit her bottom lip like a guilty child.

'I'm bored.'

'Busy.' Willow said. 'No smoochies till I'm done.'

'Take a break.'

Willow typed a few more words then gave in and swivelled on her chair to face her girlfriend.

Tara was on her bed, her legs stretched out in front of her. Miss Kitty slept soundly on her lap and the paperback novel she had been reading was open and sitting precariously on top of her head. She grinned a lopsided grin at Willow.

Willow giggled, despite herself. 'You silly object.'

Tara laughed too, causing the book to fall off her head.

'Watcha reading?'

Tara held up the book for Willow to see. 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Isn't that the Blade Runner thing?'

She nodded. 'It's pretty different to the film though.'

'What do you fancy seeing tonight?'

'Isn't there a new Alien sequel out?' Tara did a quick impersonation of a snapping alien tongue with her hand.

Willow looked at her quizically. 'Wouldn't you prefer a smugly clever Gwyneth Paltrow comedy?'

'Blech. I think Ripley's a far better role model for young women such as ourselves. She kicks ass.'

'I can't argue with your impeccable logic.

The phone on the desk next to Willow started ringing. Tara nodded at Miss Kitty on her lap to indicate that Willow should pick up.

'Hello, Tara's residence? No it's not. Yes she is. Who should I say is calling?'

Willow offered the phone towards Tara. 'Michelle?'

Tara pulled a face. She gingerly removed Miss Kitty and took the proffered receiver.

'Hello? That's okay. Yeah, I guess that would be okay. I'm not big on the pub, how about the coffee shop? Yeah, okay. 8.00pm. See you then.'

'What was that about?' Willow asked.

Tara frowned. 'There's a girl I have a class with. Someone told her I was a witch. She wants to know all about Wicca. I said I'd meet her tomorrow.'

'Is she okay?'

Tara raised her eyebrows. 'Oh, she's five by five.

Willow frowned. 'Are you saying she's a bunny boiler?'

'I'm not sure. There's something odd about her. I guess I'll know soon enough.'

***

'She'stheslayer'she'stheslayer'she'stheslayer'she'stheslayer'she'stheslayer' she'stheslayer'she'stheslayer'

'Get out of my head!'

'she'stheslayer'she'stheslayer'she'stheslayer'she'stheslayer'she'stheslayer' she'stheslayer'she'stheslayer'

'GET OUT MY HEAD!'

'She is the Slayer.'

'Who are you?'

'Use the crystal.'

'No.'

'Don't you want to see who I am?'

'No.'

'You want to know who Buffy is?'

'You're not real. You're in my mind. I'm sick.'

'Buffy?'

'No.'

'BUFFY?'

'NO!'

Michelle's hand flashed backwards, striking a shelf, palm opened outwards.

She sobbed in pain. Sometimes now, she couldn't control the spirits. She didn't want to listen to them, see them. But she still wanted Tara. They must leave her when it was done. A flash of green and it was in her palm. The crystal was twice the size of Tara's dollshead. Michelle couldn't remember when it had come into her posession, or how. Same time she had first seen Tara, she guessed. Same time as the dreams. The voices. The spirits. She crossed the dormroom to the oval mirror mounted on the wall. She used the green crystal to trace around the edge of the the polished glass. Her own pallid reflection faded, replaced by that of a vivacious blond, her long hair piled high on her head.

'What are you?'

The girl in the mirror sighed sarcastically. 'Pleased to meet you, hope you guessed my name?'

'No. Who are you?'

'Why, I'm Sunday, you silly girl!'

***

The giant white balloon bounced determinedly down the long stretch of white sand after the man in the black jacket, roaring like a crazed Rhinoceros.

'Go Rover!' Spike howled enthusiastically.

'What the hell is that?' Xander asked in utter bemusement.

'Well, it's Rover isn't it?' Spike said, 'It's a giant, killer..balloon.'

'So let me see if I've got this straight.' Anya said. 'This guy is being held prisoner in an Italian village full of antique bicycles and he can't get out because of a big weather balloon?'

'Damn straight.'

'Giles?' Xander appealed. 'This is junk!'

Giles rubbed his chin. 'Much as it pains me to admit it, I'm going to have to side with Sid Vicious here.'

'Thank you Rupert,' Spike crowed, 'It's a bloody classic. You yanks couldn't make a decent TV show if you wanted to. Mind you, with The Fox Network around you don't stand a chance. Apart from The Simpsons, and that's a fluke.'

'Finished?'

'No. Whatever happened to Patrick McGoohan anyway?'

'Perhaps he's still in The Village?' Xander suggested.

'Nah, he gets away in the end.'

'Oh great. Thanks.' Anya switched off the video. 'What now?'

'I hear they showing films at the cinema?' Giles suggested. 'I tell you what, I'll pay for you all to go.'

'Monopoly?' Spike suggested.

'Good thought,' Xander said, 'Giles has the Sunnydale version. I always land on the Hellmouth.' He glared at Spike, 'bags I get to be the stake.'

The phone rang. Giles, happy to escape the bickering Scoobies, took the call upstairs.

'Hello Rupert.'

Giles scowled. 'Ethan.'

'Think I was dead?'

'Not really. I've long since given up on life being that kind to me.'

'What do you want?' Giles could still hear Xander and Spike arguing. 'Take as long as you like.'

'Thought you might like to know that someone wishes harm to you and yours.'

'Oh?'

'Mmmm. Witch. Sucked me out of my body and stuck me behind a mirror. Bloody painful. The thing is, she's awfully keen on killing your lot. And she's barking mad.'

'Do you know why?'

'Haven't the foggiest. I gave her all your addresses, past histories and the like. Didn't tell her about the Slayer though. She seemed more interested in your little witch. I suppose with Willow out of the way, the rest of you should be a pushover. Buffy aside, obviously.'

'You'd know, having defeated us so many times.'

'Very sarcastic from a man who currently hides behind an impotent bleached vampire.'

'Why are you telling me all this?'

'If she'd have knocked on my door and asked, I'd have taken her to you and watched you burn. But I don't like being abducted by rogue magic forces. I'll be around to watch the battle, Ripper, you might not see me, but I'll be there to see you all fry.'

'Charming as usual.'

'Oh, Rupert. There's something else. I didn't call you right away. Your sweet little friend should already be pushing up the daisies.'

'If Willow's dead, Ethan, so are you!'

'Yawn. Catch you next time.'

The phone went dead in his hand

***

'My parents went to Krakow..that's where..you know?'

Tara squeezed Willow's hand gently. 'I know.'

'They went to the camp.it's like a museum now. And mom's just so matter of fact. She's like, "Oh and this room is full of human hair, how extraordinary!"'

'We don't have to go to Krakow, Willow.'

'No, no, it's beautiful, apparently, and it is part of my, y'know, heritage?'

'We could chug on to Budapest. Hot spas. Mmmmm.'

'And Prague. We have to go to Prague. Lots of vamps, though, apparently.'

'Busman's holiday?'

'Hello Tara.'

The two women looked up from the colorful guidebook that Willow had spread out on the coffee shop table. The dark-haired girl looked pale and unwell, the coffee cup clutched so tightly in her hand that her knuckles had whitened noticeably. Her gaze was fixed unerringly on Tara. Willow immediately felt excluded from the pleasure that Michelle clearly felt in Tara's presence.

'Michelle, sit down.' Tara gestured to the empty seat next to her.

'I thought it would be just the two of us.' Michelle hadn't taken her eyes off Tara since her arrival.

'This is my friend Willow. She's a Wicca too.'

'Wicca?' The strange girl looked confused.

Tara and Willow exchanged worried glances.

'Tara said you wanted to learn about the Wiccan religion?' Willow suggested.

'Oh, I know all about that.' Michelle said irritably.

For the first time she turned to look at Willow. 'Look, I don't mean to be rude but we're trying to have a quiet evening alone.'

There was a stunned silence. 'Michelle,' Tara said finally, 'I really think you've got the wrong idea. I thought that you wanted to talk about practising.'

'Oh, you knew I was asking you out on a date. Come on Tara, we're in tune. She's just jealous. I know she hangs around you, I've seen it. Makes me sick.'

Tara had had enough. 'You're the one who's hanging around me.' she said flatly, 'Willow is my girlfriend, Michelle. I'm sorry you got the wrong idea, but we're very much together.'

There was shock in the other girl's eyes, and tears too. 'You love her?'

'Very much.'

Michelle turned to glare at Willow. A flash of venom in her eyes, and the red-haired witch flew backwards off her chair and landed square on her butt five feet away. In the shock of the moment Michelle leaped to her feet and fled.

Tara ran to Willow's aid. She helped her friend to her feet. Willow was shocked but otherwise unhurt. 'Well, that's up there with Oz on the bad reactions scale.'

'W-we should tell Buffy,' Tara said nervously, 'She might be really dangerous. I think she's crazy.'

'Yeah, about you.' Willow was thoroughly pissed. 'She'd better not come anywhere near you. I'll punch her right in the kisser. She thinks she can come in here, flash her magic powers and walk off with Willow Rosenberg's girl. No sir. Did I tell you I'm crazy about you?'

Tara kissed her gently on the lips. 'Yeah, but don't let that stop you. Seriously, Willow, let's tell Buffy.'

Willow checked her watch. 'She'll be patrolling. Let's go home. We'll Buff first thing tomorrow.'

Tara took her arm. 'So what do we do if she turns up?'

'Three witches?. Macbeth or Charmed?'

'Definitely Charmed.'

'Who gets to be Shannon Doherty?'

'She does.'

'She was cool in Mallrats.'

'Mmmm.'

***

Michelle lay on her back staring straight up at the tiny sliver of light that leaked in from the moonlight outside her dormroom. The voices were quiet, seemingly content in the aftermath of the pain that this evening had brought her. No long-dead vampire girl taunting her about the powers of vampire slayers. What the hell was a vampire slayer anyway? No seers convincing her that the slut witch was a goddess. Michelle began to cry quietly. She loved Tara so much, how could she think such wicked things about her? That bitch Willow had ruined everything. Made Tara unclean. After the incident in the coffee shop she had used the crystal and the mirror and she had watched them. They talked about the things they had done and the things they meant to do and their wonderful friends. Then they made love. She made herself watch every sinuous movement, listen to every passionate sigh and moan. And she hated.

Willow lay on her back on Tara's bed and watched the dancing pyrotechnics on the ceiling. She had found the spell in one of Giles' old tomes a few weeks ago and it had yet to abate. The tiny glo-worms were generated by strong sexual energy. Consequently, every time she and Tara made love they were accompanied by a free light show. They had considered casting a countering spell, but Willow seemed endlessly fascinated by the lively tracers. Sometimes they didn't dissipate until dawn. Willow was worried about
Michelle.

Tara lay on her back and slept. She dreamed of toasting marshmallows.

***

Buffy lay on her back for just a second. She executed a perfect forward flip, dusted a hulking vampire, backflipped, took out another two, then paused for breath. She spotted Riley some 20 feet away having some problems with an arachnoid demon. She tutted. She was thinking about Xander.

***

Willow checked her watch as she turned into the corridor that housed the dormroom that she and Buffy called home. 6.30am. Buffy didn't normally turn up until 8.00. Never mind. She was pretty much expecting company anyway .

Michelle was sitting on Willow's bed as the young witch let herself into her room. She had cut her long hair into a collar-length bob, died red and accompanied by Willow's crazy birthday cake shirt. She looked up casually.

'Oh, it's you.'

'And you would be..Jennifer Jason Leigh?'

'You don't like my new look?'

'What was the old one? To be honest you didn't leave much of an impression.'

'You know that you're just a distraction? Just a test for me.'

'Get out of my room. Walk away. Last chance.'

'Make me.'

'I think you know I can.'

'Battle of the Witches.wooo'

'Michelle it doesn't have to.'

'Oh shut the fuck up.'

Willow barely had the chance to see the butcher's knife before it pierced her stomach and pinned her to the door with tremendous strength.

Michelle stumbled back, shaking. She felt both elation and disgust at what she had done. Willow made a horrible gurgling sound as a gout of blood poured from her mouth.

'Thought I'd use the craft, huh? There are even older ways. Does it hurt, dear?' Michelle taunted the dying girl. 'I guess I'll taste you on her. Your legacy?'

Willow's eyes were closed. There was an extraordinary amount of blood now. Michelle decided it was time to go. She tugged on the dormroom door, fascinated by the way Willow's body moved with it, still firmly pinned. For a moment she felt a flash of genuine human pity. The dead girl looked so young and innocent.

She felt a wave of sickness and disorientation wash over her. The room swam sickeningly before her eyes. Willow's eyes opened and glared accusingly at her. Michelle yelped in horror and fled from the room. It seemed she could no longer trust her senses. The Summers girl could find the butchered corpse of her roommate at any time.

She would have to do Giles and the boy quickly. She feared she would need all her wits about her to deal with Buffy Summers.

In the cab from the UC Sunnydale campus to Rupert Giles' apartment in the leafy suburbs of the town, Michelle felt a terrible tiredness overcoming her. She was afraid. She had allowed the horrible pain of witnessing Willow making love to Tara (and how the blond witch had loved it, every tormenting second) to drive her into acting rashly. She had gutted Tara's beloved Willow with a savage blade. Sure to endear her to the blond.

After the murder she returned to her room to collect the crystal and wash the blood from her hands. There was very little, though she had left the room looking like an abattoir. Somewhere in her head alarm bells had begun to ring. She ignored them.

The cab rocked gently. She slept.

A monster was in her life. Monsters were real, but they didn't live under the bed. They beat her with a stick when they drank too much. Which was always.

'I had this last night!' the stick came down on her back.

'If you want to eat pigshit, eat pigshit!' A kick this time. 'Don't give it to me. You got that, you stupid fuck? You got that?'

And so on. And then, when she thought she was sure to die, another monster came. One looking for a cause. Michelle barely remembered her mother. But she did remember her stories. Bedtime stories about the Louisiana demons. A Louisiana demon crossed paths with Michelle Stevens shortly before her 16th birthday. A revenge demon called Desun. Michelle dreamed on.

Desun didn't so much kill Michelle's father as destroy him. Torn into a billion tiny fragments of flesh and bone and fed to a pig, thus to become pigshit for all time. Michelle chuckled in her sleep. She hadn't dreamed of Desun for so long. She didn't remember him or what he had done for her in her waking hours, as is the way with such things, but her dreams could provide a doorway into her past. Desun was old. He should have moved on after carrying out the girl's revenge fantasy on her father. But he didn't. He was tired, and the girl was so helpless. So he stayed in the dank old house in the French Quarter and gave her a grounding in the dark arts. If the truth be told, the girl had little natural ability, but the Harahan Crystal he wore around his neck amplified all her efforts, which made her happy. And that made Desun happy.

A few months before graduation, Michelle returned home from school to find Desun stiffening in the late afternoon sun. She was alone. She took the crystal and laboured long into the evening digging a grave in the garden. The next morning when she awoke, she remembered nothing of Desun. The Harahan Crystal pulsed between her breasts.

'Ten bucks.'

'Huh?'

'This ain't a flophouse, honey. Ten bucks.'

She paid the driver and stepped out of the car. She checked the address against that given to her by Ethan Rayne. The door of Rupert Giles apartment stood slightly ajar. Michelle felt more afraid than ever. She squeezed the crystal in her pocket. Giles had no real power. If Xander Harris and Anya Emerson were here, all the better. They were all unwanted influences. They would not die in agony like Rosenberg, though. Weren't they, after all, innocent?

'Get a grip.' she said out loud, and stepped into the apartment.

As Michelle stepped into Giles airy apartment, the only sound she could hear was the distant music of birdsong from the courtyard.
The lounge was brightly lit by sunlight, not a person to be seen. She located the steps to the loft and mounted them silently. Giles' bed had not been slept in. She cursed softly. Rayne had said nothing about a lover that Giles' might have spent the night with. Anyway, the open door was an invitation..she felt a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach

Tara was waiting for her back in the lounge. She was clad in a flowing white gown, her straw-blonde hair spread out around her
shoulders like a veil. She was stunningly beautiful.

'Oh my.' Michelle whispered. Tara looked exactly like her image in the dream. Michelle descended the steps down to Giles' lounge slowly, never once taking her eyes from the blond girl.

'You.you look beautiful.you know I love you, don't you?'

'Like I loved Willow?'

'That wasn't real. Not like you and me.'

'So you murdered her?'

'She violated you.'

'You're a very sick young woman, Michelle.'

The voice came from the shadows of Giles' kitchen. A lithe figure emerged from the shadows. She flicked a few stray strands of red
hair out of her eyes with her good hand. 'Never say die, Michelle.'

'No, you're dead. It's a trick.'

Willow stepped fully into the light. Her right arm was tightly wrapped up in a sling. 'You're really not much of a witch, are you Michelle? Not without this.'

She reached into her pocket and pulled something out. She held it up to light. A large, green, crystal.

'Can't be!' Michelle pulled out her own crystal. It was clear. Glass. 'No!'

'It's a fight, isn't it Michelle?' Tara asked. 'Between you and the crystal. That's why you don't carry it with you all the time. It's stronger than you. While you went to Willow's room with a knife, we went to yours with a lockpick.'

'When you were busy killing me, Tara was outside with your crystal.' Willow took over. 'That thing can make you see pretty much whatever the user wants. My arm hurts like hell though.'

'You shouldn't have hurt Willow,' Tara said, 'I can't let that go, Michelle. I think you're going to go and phone the police and tell them what you've been up to.'

'No. Tara..'

Tara gestured towards the phone. Michelle hurtled across the room towards it.

'It's not very nice, is it?' Tara asked. 'To have your own willpower taken away? To have a knife stuck in you?'

With a flick of Tara's head a carving knife from Giles' kitchen flew across the room and imbedded itself in a wooden panel behind Michelle's head.

'IS IT?'

Michelle was sobbing now. 'No.'

'Tara?' Willow placed her hand on Tara's shoulder. 'It's okay now?'

'Oh, I don't think so, do you?'

'Oh, great.' Willow muttered. Ethan Rayne stood framed in the doorway, clutching a handgun.

'I didn't know you were into guns, Ethan? Is that part of chaos theory?'

'Give me the crystal, Willow.' He pointed the gun at Tara. 'And no tricks. She won't look so pretty with a bullet in her head.'

Willow reluctantly tossed the Harahan Crystal to Ethan. He studied it for a few moments then passed it to an astonished Michelle.

'Go girls.' he said.

The sun finally cools on her blistering shoulders. An indescribably beautiful sunset, blood red and benevolent, welcomes the new era
of the witch. She is finally to be united with her beloved Tara. It seems that every inch of her body is raw from the brutal assault of the rock throwers, but they are so far below her that they are just a distant memory now. She crosses over the brow of the hill,
so long just beyond her reach. She cannot believe she is so close. Her dream awaits her. Her fabulous fantasy. Tara. She is dressed in white, her hair shining in the dying sunlight. She feels so many emotions now her icon is almost within her grasp: love, excitement, awe, joy, and most of all, power. Power and lust. Tara raises her arms to the skies to welcome her into her brave new world.

Michelle's eyes flashed again, just as they had back in the coffee shop. Tara could see that they had actually changed colour, her
pupils transforming from a watery gray to the same emerald green as the Harahan Crystal. An icy glance at Willow and the embattled redhead found herself on her knees, as though her feet had been pulled out from under her by an invisible assailant.

'Ow!'

She glared at Michelle 'You just don't know when...'

Michelle gestured casually in the floored girl's direction. Willow clasped her throat in horror. When she was 11 she had suffered a terrible bout of laryngitis that had left her literally speechless. It had taken Sheila Rosenberg several days to notice. She suddenly found herself again unable to even emit a croak, and those early feelings of helpless impotence returned. For Willow it was like the hush had descended once more.

Tara tried to aid her lover, but all the strength seemed to have gone out of her. Her legs felt like towers of Jello.

'Willow...'

Michelle seemed to have swollen in stature with the return of the crystal. She held her arms triumphantly above her head. 'Goddess!'

Tara's head swivelled stiffly on her shoulders. 'M-michelle... d-don't do this.'

'Love me!'

'I can't!'

Tara felt Michelle forcing her way into her mind, spiderlike, grotesque. She shivered in disgust. Time to go to a warmer place.

'Join me.'

Tara's head dropped backwards and she gasped, as if in pleasure. The blonde witch seemed to glide across the floor of Giles
apartment towards Michelle. Willow felt a chill of fear run down her spine. It reminded her of nothing less than the movement of The
Gentlemen. Was she being reminded of her first meeting with Tara only to have her taken away by this twisted creature?

Michelle opened her arms as Tara approached and held her head back deliriously as the object of her obsession slipped easily into
her embrace. For a moment the two young women gazed, just savouring the moment, into each other's eyes, before their lips grazed over each other. Tara and Michelle kissed passionately. Willow could see Michelle's tongue probing, wormlike, between Tara's lips. She felt a sick agony in her stomach. Michelle cradled Tara's head in her hands, stroking, caressing.

'No!' Willow screamed, but no sound issued forth. She sprawled forwards onto her stomach, screaming another silent scream as
she crushed her badly injured arm. She felt a heavy weight was pressing down on her, like gravity had inexplicably localised over her body, and multiplied. By ten.

Tara broke her kiss with Michelle to look at the helpless Willow. There was no love in her eyes. Nothing. Just cold indifference.
Michelle stroked Tara's hair, loving Willow's pain. She had never felt so excited, sexually. The touch of Tara's skin, the agony of
Tara's lover. She touched Tara's breasts, letting them fill her hands, feeling the nipples between her fingers. Nothing was shielded by the diaphanous material of her gown.

She dropped a hand to the blond girl's thigh. 'She's hot, Willow. I can feel it from here. Does she taste good? Oh, I'll know soon,
Willow. I could spend hours there. I saw you fuck her. I watched you. You're good. You have a nice body. You're prettier than me. And smarter. But I have Tara now. You'll never feel her breath on your thighs again. She'll be crying my name when she comes. She'll be...'

Willow sobbed silently. Michelle's words trailed off into cascade of obscenities. It was the psychotic witch who was aroused, not Tara. Willow knew. Her lover was cold, blank. Without Tara there was nothing Willow could do. She was badly injured and helpless against a mad woman with a fearful power at her command. Where the hell were...

'What do you think of Willow, Tara?'

'She's pathetic. Unworthy. Ugly.'

Willow struggled against the force that held her to the floor as the cruel words crashed around her. Words that were utterly without feeling. She wanted to tell Tara that she loved her, that Michelle was putting words in her mouth, thoughts in her mind.
Blood was slowly pooling beneath her and she felt weak and faint. She was afraid that if she lost any more she might lose consciousness.

'Would you end Willow's pain, Tara?'

'For you?'

'Yes, for me.'

Tara smiled her gentle smile. 'Oh yeah..'

She stepped towards Willow.

'It'll be over soon. Don't fight anymore.' Michelle's voice was almost hysterical with the joy of her success.

*TRUST ME*

Willow started in alarm. Tara was with her. In her mind. Her voice was soft and reassuring.

*I LOVE YOU. I WILL PROTECT YOU*

Tara reached Willow's prone form and knelt before her. She placed her hands around the helpless girl's neck.

*I'M NOT WHAT YOU THINK I AM*

Tara began to squeeze Willow's throat.

*NOT WHERE YOU THINK I AM*

Willow tried to fight against Tara, but it was no use. She just didn't have the strength. The roaring in her ears was taking over from the pain. She wished, a distant wish, that she could see her friends just once more.

And then Buffy was there, and the rules changed again.

Ethan barely knew what hit him as The Slayer marched into Giles' apartment, but the safe money was always going to be on Buffy
Summers. He always had the best intentions of staying out of the way of the rotten cow, since it was rare that their encounters ever
ended without him sustaining a painful injury or two. But the fight between the three witches was just proving so.....entertaining. Willow and Tara, so innocent and charming, such a cute little couple that even their parents were probably delighted with their lifestyle choice. But Ethan knew that Willow could be a wolf in sheep's clothing, a real hellcat. Tara was more of a mystery. The little research he'd managed to do on her had come up with the same results: quiet, gentle, sweet-natured and devoted to Willow. And yet he felt that she could be the one who held the key to the real magical powers in Sunnydale. You had to watch the quiet ones.
And then there was the strange, sad case of Michelle Stevens. A witch of little noticeable ability, other than a flair for the theatrical,
wielding the power centre of a vengeance demon. A sufferer of a borderline schizophrenic illness. A nasty accident that had waited to happen until the day she spotted a young woman of natural beauty amongst all the Californian Barbies and Valley Girls at the University of Sunnydale. Poor Michelle was doomed the first time she saw Tara's beautiful smile. In Sunnydale she was way out her depth. The crystal would eat her up eventually, even if the two little gay Sabrinas managed to botch things up.

Buffy just pushed Ethan out of the way. This alone nearly knocked him unconscious. Xander Harris, however, did knock him unconscious. Anya Emerson did a little hop over Ethan, gave a 'whoop' and kissed Xander for his efforts. Giles, bringing up the rear, couldn't resist a quick kick to the prone figure on his way through.

Buffy immediately saw Willow's battered and bleeding form on the floor by the kitchen. The unlikely sight of poor Willow having the
life choked out her by her shy young lover stopped even Buffy in her tracks.

For a second.

'Let her go.' She said evenly.

Tara released Willow, then collapsed to floor herself.

'You are SO going to wish you hadn't done that.' Buffy told Michelle.

'I'd very much like to kill you now. But I'm not supposed to kill people, even trash like you, so it'll make me all cranky and stuff, and then my boyfriend will think he's done something to piss me off, and we'll have a fight and it will all be your fault.'

'You talk too much.' Michelle said. Raising her hand she loosed a pure bolt of green energy at Buffy. The Slayer ducked easily, leaving the energy bolt to punch a hole through the wall of Giles' apartment. From somewhere behind Xander and Anya came a groan of despair. 'Straight back atcha!' Buffy dropped into her standard battle stance, but instead of introducing Michelle to the business end of kickboxing, a golden energy orb streamed from her hand, striking Michelle in the stomach.

Shocked and hurt, she fell, groaning.

Xander took his chance and ran to help Willow. With Michelle's influence interrupted Willow was released from the crippling force. Xander helped her to her feet. The amount of blood she had lost concerned him. Instinctively, his placed his hand over the stab wound to try and staunch the flow of blood. Willow howled, and a little colour came back to her cheeks.

'Oh God, sorry, sorry.' He helped Willow re-arrange her bandages to staunch the flow of blood. Xander kissed Willow on the forehead. 'You're okay, sweetie, no-one else is gonna hurt you. Not without hurting me twice as much first.'

Anya was heard making barfing noises.

Xander ignored. C'mon Will, we've got to get you to hospital.'

'How'd she do that?'

Xander glanced back at the still stunned Michelle.

'I thought you were in on it?'

He looked down at Tara's supine form.

Willow felt a wave of nausea sweep over her. Of course. It had to do with Faith.

'Oh..oooh. Tara's in Buffy?'

'Don't test me on the physics.'

Willow gently freed herself and staggered over to Buffy and held up her palms. She could see Tara in Buffy's eyes. She managed a weak smile. 'Game on girls,' she gasped. Buffy raised her palms and met Willow's. As one, the two women s napped around towards Michelle. Still in unison, Buffy and Willow raised their eyes to the heavens. Michelle's feet left the ground. Willow and the disembodied

Tara levitated her to several feet in the air. Willow broke into a cold sweat with the effort.

Hanging in mid-air, her arms pinned behind her back, Michelle looked pathetic and deflated once more.

'When did you switch?' she asked.

'Just before you made Tara your zombie.' Buffy said. 'Learnt the trick off a friend. Actually more of a psychotic bitch. You two would have got along like a house on fire.'

'You think this is it? The end?'

Tara's supine form rose behind her, her mind returned once more to her real form.

'Don't use the crystal any more, Michelle.' She said softly 'It will destroy you more surely than any of us. You must understand that I am a person, not something to be owned. My love is for Willow alone in this world.'

Michelle shook her head. The crystal pulsed around her neck. 'This ends in my world.'

Rupert Giles' apartment fractured and blew away like broken glass in the wind.

A barren wasteland was their new battleground. A hot, featureless desert, the only landmark a desolate hill.

'Well this is quite the home from home.' Buffy announced, 'Why can't dream locations ever be in the Caribbean?'

Willow nodded. 'Could be more wacky shenanigans with the First, I don't hope.'

Tara touched Willow's arm sensually. 'Look at your arm.' She brushed the red fringe
out of Willow's eyes 'It's fixed.'

'It's not real,' Buffy decided. 'I'd guess that we're still in Giles' apartment. It's some
fantasy of Michelle's own funky creation.'

'Ow!'

'Willow, what's the matter?'

'Someone just threw a rock at me!'

'Can't see anyone.'

'How can we fight her, if we can't see her?

'Harsh language?'

The grainy sand beneath their feet began to shift as the very ground began to shake.

'We're definitely in California.' Willow said resignedly.

The next rumble was longer and stronger. Willow had to reach out and grab

Buffy's shoulder to stop her from falling.

'Look!' Tara pointed.

Around ten feet ahead of them the sand gave way to a dry muddy flat. The quake had opened up a large fissure from which a pair of clawed red hands had emerged, and were clearly trying to pull their owner out of the hole.'

'There's another!' Willow said in alarm.

'One day without demons. Is that so much to ask?' Buffy muttered.'Better kill 'em, I guess.'.

'Wait.' Tara said. 'Don't touch them.'

'Why?'

'Think, Buffy. Think, and see what they do.'

The three demons who finally emerged, though scaly a hideous enough, took no interest in the three girls whatsoever. They milled around the crevice as if not knowing what to do with themselves.

'Not exactly rushing for the violence and the killing, are they?' Willow observed.

Tara gestured to Buffy. 'Say this isn't real. Michelle's created some kind of illusion and we're actually still in Sunnydale. Like you said?'

'Okay?'

'If we take that idea further...the binding spell that Willow and I put on Michelle is stopping her from touching the crystal. That's where her power source lies. But she has some natural ability. She can probably focus that through the crystal by thought alone. So what can she do through pure mental projection? I'd guess she could create something like this illusion.'

'What about the three stooges?' Buffy nodded at the inactive demons.

'Well, what do you usually do to demons?'

'Ahhh...kill 'em?'

'And who else is here with us if we're still at Giles'?'

'Xander, Anya and Giles.'

They looked at the three demonic figures.

'Oh Goddess.' Willow muttered. 'I should have recognised Anya. Shifty eyes.'

Buffy looked darkly at the others. 'We have to get out of this. They could be in great danger. What's she going to try next?'

'We can't maintain the binding spell much longer.' Tara warned.

Buffy shook her head sadly. 'May God forgive me.' she said softly.

From her jacket pocket she pulled a small but deadly crossbow pistol. She took a good look around her, then closed her eyes, visualising Giles' apartment as it had been when the illusion was created. She lifted and panned the crossbow. Stopped. Panned again. Paused. Fired.

An anguished howl that none of them would ever forget. The sound of Michelle Stevens dying.

The room reformed before their eyes. Michelle fell to the ground, her heart pierced by Buffy's crossbow bolt. Giles quickly checked for a pulse, but there was none. He shook his head at Buffy.

Tara held tightly on to Willow, lost in both relief and sadness.

'What are we going to do with Ethan?' Xander asked.

'You can bury him in the garden for all I care,' Giles said. 'But he'd probably grow into Ethan trees. Let him go. Again.'

Buffy shook her head slowly. 'I took a mortal life Giles. I murdered her.'

'You did what you had to. She would have killed us all if given the chance.'

'There has to be a better way.'

'The crystal is of demonic origin. However it crossed her path, it would have destroyed her eventually.'

Anya tutted. 'Mortals. Think they can control anything. It takes centuries of training and then you have to take a theory and a practical test. Took a friend of mine 600 years to pass. I'll look after it if you like.'

Giles shot Anya one of his patented withering glances. 'Another one for Angel to take care of. We don't want any other poor soul corrupted by this thing.'

'I'll take it.' Buffy announced glumly. 'Something's going on in LA. Angel's a terrible liar.'

'You've spoken to him?' Willow asked, surprised.

'Mmmm. Shop talk. But he's holding out. You know how transparent guys are.'

Willow declined to comment.

Buffy shrugged, then smiled. 'Tara, Willow. Bronze. Tonight. Girl's night out. Up for it?'

Tara and Willow exchanged glances. Huge grins all round. 'Oh, yeah.' They said in unison.

Anya pouted. Buffy glared at her. 'Other plans, remember?'

Anya smiled guiltily. They were all surprised at how pretty the simple gesture made her. 'Oops.' She said.

***

Willow, Tara and Buffy sat in the Bronze nursing a selection of chocolate based beverages. A loud guitar band thrashed away from the stage.

'So when did you cook up this little plot?' Willow asked disapprovingly.

'Well, it was kind of on the fly.' Tara explained. 'I did the spell with Buffy a few days ago. After Faith, Buffy was kind of worried and wanted someone she could bail out to in an emergency. It's a two-way spell, short lived without the kind of magical mechanism Faith got from The Mayor. It ended up with me sharing Buffy rather than the other way round. It was kinda cool.' Tara shared a look with Buffy.

'Why was I not involved in this? Why, why?' Willow was both agitated and jealous at the same time.

'Well we went back to mine after we had lunch the other day and it just sort of happened.'

'So what was going on with your body? You know, when it was, like, killing me?'

'That was the best bit! Michelle was controlling it. It should of just hit the deck when Tara's mind jumped into mine. Couldn't have worked out better. Other than the strangling, of course.'

'Could you see Tara's thoughts?'

Buffy grinned slyly. 'We have little in the way of secrets.'

'Memories?'

'Uh huh.'

Willow turned scarlet.

'Believe me, you guys are made for each other.'

'Thanks.' Willow said gloomily.

'What's the story with Anya?'

'Huh?'

'Back at Giles' earlier?'

'You should know, Willow.' Buffy suggested.

'Oh?'

'It's Xander's birthday!'

'Oh my God!

'So I'm having a particularly demonic night, there's vamps and spider demons, and Riley's got this problem with spiders, and all I can think about it what Anya can get for Xander's birthday! Duh!'

'Well?'

'It's obvious. Food. She's taking him to the new Italian place. He'll love it.'

'I forgot!' Willow wailed. 'He'll never forgive me!'

'It's okay, we dealt.' Tara smiled. 'You're paying for the limo.'

'I love you guys.'

Willow leaned over and kissed Tara tenderly on the lips. 'It's not as if it's anything Buffy hasn't seen already.' She murmured.

'What was that for?' Tara asked.

'You have to promise you're not going to freak?'

'I'm not freaksome.' Tara said sweetly.

Willow cleared her throat.

'I'm going to England.' she said.

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