NEVER THE TWAIN? (Part 6/31)

TITLE: Never The Twain?
AUTHOR: Zahir
ARCHIVING: Just ask is all.
FEEDBACK: Well, that *is* the reason I write these, after all.
RATING: R (for violence)
COUPLES: W/T (kinda)
SPOILERS: Through "Primeval" with a few bits from "Angel."
SYNOPSIS: An alternate history in which Willow never completed the Soul Restoration of Angelus. From that moment on, things change. For one thing, Faith never worked for the Mayor. And Tara is a vampire.
NOTES: Special thanks to the Sunnydale Slayers and the Buffy Shooting Scripts, two sites that make these much easier to write.
DISCLAIMER: The enclosed toys belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. I promise to put them back where I found them if they'll just agree not to sue me.

* * *
"So what's going on? Do you know?"

Tara wasn't the kind to sigh in exasperation. She very nearly did anyway.

"I mean, something is up, right?"

"Probably." Tara had learned the hard way that she didn't have what it takes to banter with Harmony. Maybe if the other blonde wasn't all but disarmed in any battle of wits--but regret was pointless. She had only herself to blame. Harmony had been cute, and Tara feeling lonesome as well as hungry.

Now the former cheerleader (what was I thinking, Tara mused) was pacing a groove into the floor outside the Apostate's library. Tara herself simply stood, waiting. In truth, she was more nervous than Harmony seemed. But she never let such things show.

Just as she barely reacted when the door to her sire's library opened.

"Tara. Come in here." His voice, as ever, hummed with menace. Even Harmony could sense that. She backed up, trying as quietly as possible to leave the scene. Tara hardly paid her heed. Into the darkened room she walked...

She passed The Apostate (she knew no other name for him) going in. With something like courtesy he closed the door after her, then escorted her to the waiting desk. Seated beside it was a bizarre figure. His general shape was of a slender but muscular man. A few parts even looked like that's what he had once been. But roughly half of the rest showed a truly demonic heritage--scales for a start. The rest of him looked remarkably high-tech, as if one of his parents had literally been some kind of computer or robot. In short, he was a grotesque patchwork of man, demon and machinery--a fact made more obvious by the fiber optic cables running from his arms into a laptop on the Apostate's desk. As bizarre as her sire's visitor was, Tara found the images moving on the laptop's screen.

Willow.

At the Bronze. In the university library. Walking with her friends.

Talking with Tara.

Her sire's visitor gazed at Tara with unblinking eyes. "I've been thinking," it said, "about witches." Now it rose up, standing. She half-expected to hear hydraulics at the movement. "Witches," it continued, "are human, yet more. They are normal. At the same time, they partake of the paranormal. Like vampires, they are of two worlds."

On the screen, a new image suddenly appeared, this time with sound. Tara recognized the location--Willow and Buffy's dorm room. Evidently this had been taken with some kind of telephoto lens and sound enhancement. Willow's voice as well as the Slayer's were distorted by white noise.

"...go around freaking every time Faith comes near you. I mean, won't that interfere with the slaying and the working as a team?"

"Its not just me. Faith feels it too."

"Yeah, well, somebody's got to get over it first."

"How did you?"

"What?"

"Your vampire version--you said she was kinda gay. I assume she wasn't trying to get you to subscribe to Girlfriends magazine."

"No, she tried, or at least suggested--hard--that we could...anyway. What was your question again?"

"How did you handle it?"

Willow paused. "Honestly? I just didn't think about it at first. Then later, I thought about it a lot. Especially after Oz left."

"And?"

"And--I'm still thinking about it. Seriously."

So that's what Buffy looks like when shocked, Tara thought. "Wow, Wil. Just--wow."

"I haven't done anything about it yet..."

"That's--good! I guess? Or, is there someone you--never mind. I didn't ask that."

"Not exactly. There is someone, I think. But whether she even..."

"You don't have to go into details! Really!"

The screen turned an abrupt black, Willow's words ringing in Tara's ears. She did not, however, let that show in her face. While the...Demon Cyborg?...retracted its cables, Tara's Sire took his seat at the desk. Like most of his, the chair looked rather like a throne. Both creatures looked at Tara.

"You see, my dear," began the Apostate, "my guest has a plan that, frankly, intrigues me. But it depends on a certain logistical problem."

"The Slayer," said the Demon Cyborg.

"Yes. The Slayer." Whenever her sire mentioned that person, Tara noticed how volumes were going unsaid. This was no exception. "When the battle begins, the Slayer needs to be in the right place."

"Otherwise the battle will be too one-sided," agreed the Demon Cyborg. "What is needed is stalemate, an equal balance of forces. The problem is in placing her in the most advantageous location and at the appropriate time."

Every syllable Tara heard carried loads of meaning. She noticed how neither one of them were revealing what this plan actually entailed. Nor what the object of said plan might be. Precisely why equal forces were desirable also remained unsaid. But mostly Tara recognized a word that was very much at the heart of this plan. No one said it, of course, not yet. But the recording of Willow led Tara to guess precisely which word no one was saying, and in what way it related to her.

"What's needed," began the Apostate (Tara knew what he was about to say already), "is bait."

* * *

"Tara Maclay," said Wesley.

All those assembled around the young scholar listened to him, with varying degrees of tolerance. Over the past few year or so they'd gotten used to his stuffiness, as well as the arrogance that seemed part of the national heritage. They knew his heart was in the right place. And he was a genuine expert in the esoteric and occult. So now, as he proceeded to address them with an ancient scroll before him, they were prepared to listen.

Most were even willing to be polite. Certainly Willow was.

"Wesley," began Willow after several seconds obviously intended for dramatic effect. "Did you want to talk to us about anything in particular?"

"Yes. Tara Maclay."

"What about her?" Faith asked. Her tone wasn't even neutral. It conveyed all kinds of what-overblown-nonsense-are-you-going-on-about vibes. Not that Willow was entirely sorry about that.

"As...as you all know, I've been translating the Prophecies of Aubergion..."

"The scroll thingies Faith brought back from LA?" asked Xander.

"Who was O'Bergerac anyway?" added Buffy.

"Au-ber-gi-on."

"Right. So who was he?"

"It, actually," answered Giles. "A half-breed, whose father was a demon. Aubergion was born without genitalia of any kind, raised by a contemplative order of nuns in Southern France. It had a tendency to speak in tongues, which the Sisters jotted down."

"Precisely," said Wesley, trying to re-seize control of the briefing. "When Aubergion was twenty, demons attacked the convent. Only a single nun survived--the sister who'd been tasked with writing down Aubergion's visions. She recognized one of them as fortelling the convent's destruction." Xander raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Harris?"

"This Aubergion--he had no sex organs at all?"

Wesley and Giles just looked at each other for a moment, for once sharing an identical reaction. Then Wesley continued, "Aubergion's visions speak of a series of disasters or threats twenty centuries after the birth of the Crucified One. I think all of us can discern what is meant by that. Beasts, plagues and other dangers are mentioned, many occurring 'far to the west, beside the vast ocean of peace.' Which I take to mean the Pacific."

"So we're talking about ground zero being in this neighborhood," said Buffy.

"Exactly."

Willow spoke up. "But what has Tara got to do with this?"

"Good question. And I'll admit that what I have to say on that subject is rather speculative. Yet the prophecies mention one figure over and over again, someone who will smite the beasts and defeat the legions of plague, and so on." He paused for dramatic effect. "The Vampire With A Soul."

The room went utterly silent. Everyone waited for Buffy to say something. When she did, no one was surprised.

"Angel," she whispered.

"Perhaps," said Giles. "Or perhaps not. Remember Angel lost his soul, and had to be--well, the prophecy no longer seems to refer to him."

"Why not?"

"Because of the reward," answered Wesley. "According to the prophecies, the Vampire With A Soul will eventually be given back his or her humanity. That didn't happen with Angel."

"So you're saying," asked Willow "that Tara might have a soul?" She could feel her eyes getting huge but she couldn't help it.

"That would explain her rather untypical behavior. Helping the Slayers, saving you, the business with Lowry House. Not to mention the fact she's never taken any opportunity to attack us."

"Of which she has had...well, plenty," finished Giles. "Especially with Willow."

"How does a vampire get a soul?" This was from Faith.

"A spell?" Anya piped in. "Isn't that how Angel got his?"

Giles nodded, "The gypsies cursed him in revenge for killing one of their own. But that curse has been lost."

Willow spoke again. "Jenny thought she'd reconstructed it."

"It didn't work." Buffy's voice was very controlled. No, she did not like this conversation at all.

"Ah!" said Wesley, "but Willow was the merest of novices when she tried invoking it. For all we know she simply lacked the raw power with which to complete the spell."

"Or maybe," added Anya, "her aim was off. Instead of giving Angel his soul, she accidentally gave it to Tara."

"No." Willow shook her head. For Buffy's sake at least she had to nip this idea in the bud. "That spell didn't work. I know. Besides, Tara showed up at Sunnydale the next fall. She enrolled in classes, moved into a dorm, was seen in daylight. She didn't disappear until later." Aware she was getting some speculative looks, Willow added "I did some research after we saw her Dad putting up posters."

"Is there any other way she could've gotten her soul back?" asked Faith. Giles and Wesley looked at each other. "You don't know."

"More accurately, we are not sure. At present." Wesley did his best to make this sound authoritative. He succeeded rather better than Willow expected.

"The point is, according to the prophecies there is--or will be--a vampire with a soul," added Giles.

"And there aren't any better candidates," finished Xander.

"Precisely."

An uncomfortable pause followed, broken by a knocking at Giles' front door. He went to answer it. Soon, Willow heard a voice she hadn't in nearly a year. Frankly she'd hoped never to hear it again.

"Is the Slayer here?"

"How did you--that is, yes. But why would you...?"

The all-too-familiar voice interrupted. "I've got to tell her something. Right now! It's way important!"

Buffy was already on her way to the front door, followed by Faith and Willow. None had any idea how Harmony of all people would know what a Slayer was--much less want one. Yet there she was, looking arrogant and lost at the same time. Some things just didn't change.

"Buffy!"

"Harmony, what do you want?"

"Oh, and Willow! Good!" The irritating blonde dug something out of her purse. A computer diskette. "She said I was supposed to get this to you."

"Who?" This from Buffy.

"To Willow, not you," Harmony sniffed. "Tara said you'd need this."

"You know Tara?" Willow blinked.

"Of course! In fact, she madly in love with me. That's why she trusted me with this very important errand. Unless I heard otherwise I was get this disk to Willow Rosenberg as soon as I could tonight." Harmony smiled with pride at a job well done. It took her nearly five whole seconds to remember she still had the disk in hand, then quickly hand it over.

"So why were you looking for Bee?"

Harmony looked down her nose at Faith (which took something like skill, seeing as she was the shorter). "Duh. They are roommates. Among other things."

Buffy's jaw dropped. So did Willow's. They started talking together.

"You think me and Wil?"

"Tara's in love with you?"

Harmony looked very confused. Willow recognized that look. The ex-cheerleader had worn the same expression in most classes for four years in high school. "You're confusing me," she whined. "Besides, there was something else."

Everyone waited. Harmony said nothing. Finally she cringed under the stares of the three young women and one man. "Yeah, Tara said you should know some guy named Riley was nabbed by someone named Adam."

* * *

Tara was nearly insane with hunger. One of the other vampires, in a cell across from hers, had gone all the way. He'd nearly gnawed off his own hands in an effort to drink his own blood. After he'd passed out, Tara stopped her pacing and crouched in a corner. She marshaled every drop of willpower to hold on. For the thousandth time she crushed the idle wish that she'd fed before being captured. Unfortunately she had not, and now the starvation was eating away at her mind.

She was no longer completely sure her name was Tara. It might be Willow. That felt right but not, somehow. Just as she was fairly certain there had been a plan. But what was it. The unconscious vampire across from her twitched. She wrestled with the urge to hurl herself in his direction, to satiate her thirst with his blood. Only the knowledge that not one but two walls lay between them stopped her. For now. Remembering the walls were there took effort. She focused on her initial efforts to break them. How utterly she'd failed.

Now she waited. For something. Anything. Conserving her blood for as long as possible while the hunger grew. She didn't know if the decor--white and sterile with fluorescent lighting--was intended to torture. Perhaps not. Still, it resembled day too much for any vampire to be comfortable. Especially a vampire on the verge of losing it.

How long she waited was impossible to say. Each second seemed to last weeks. Yet nothing changed. Nothing.

Nothing.

NOTHING!

Trembling, the vampire named Tara (or was it Willow?) forced herself back into the crouching position. Wait. Must wait. Why? Because...that's the only chance. The only hope. Hope. What was that? Where was it? Not here, certainly. Or was it?

Like an animal, Tara knew instantly when something changed. The mildest sound, like a muffled click, awoke her senses. Sure enough, the walls of her prison--began to move. And not just hers! Already her demon face had emerged, while Tara launched herself to the wall. It was rising slowly. Down the hall, she could see other walls rising, and weird shapes practically jumping up and down behind the glass. Red lights began flashing along the corridor.

Soldiers began pouring into the corridor. Only a few. All Tara could see were walking bags of sweet blood. One of them got to close to rising wall. A barbed tentacle reached out to seized him by the leg, dragging him towards other waiting tentacles. The soldiers opened fire, trying to save their own.

A mistake.

The other walls were soon high enough for all the prisoners to get out. Including Tara. She joined a small wave of creatures--claws and scales, hooves and forked tongues--racing towards the badly out-numbered soldiers. Most probably wanted escape with a little bit of revenge on the way. Not Tara.

Bullets ripped into her.

They felt like bee stings. Both she and another demon--some distant part of her mind identified it as a marrow-sucker--literally tore a weapon from one soldier. He tried to fight them. But the other twisted his head off. A gusher erupted from his neck. Tara caught the blood in her open mouth and drank. Delirious with the taste, she let herself be pushed aside as others copied her, and marrow-sucker began dismembering the limbs.

One look told her the other soldiers were retreating. Snarling, she followed. Nor was she alone.

She and two other vampires grabbed one soldier. Three sets of fangs tore into his veins. When Tara finally stopped drinking, it was because the man's body was a dried husk. But at last, at long last, her hunger was under control. She knew who she was once more. And why she'd been sent here.

The underground complex had clearly been built into natural caves. A central cavern was where most of the fighting was. Tara moved from one defended position to another, aiming herself for a specific goal. Halfway there, she found a scientist (well, she was wearing a lab coat) cowering and hiding. Unlucky for her. Tara needed all the strength she could get. Once her victim died, Tara tossed the corpse in the direction of main fighting. No doubt some of her fellow demons would be just as hungry as herself and find a use for all that flesh and bone. Besides, it was a good distraction.

She resumed looking.

There. Just as her Sire had noted. A door which led to the another door which led to the secret lab. Heading through it right now were the very people she'd expected. Both slayers, Giles, Xander--and Willow. Of course they were fighting they way to that door, Buffy and Faith leading.

A familiar-looking insectoid shape was approaching them from the side. The slayers, each wrestling with another demon, were distracted. So Tara looked around. A severed arm, hand still clutched a pistol, lay nearby. She snatched it up and ran.

Less than five yards from Willow, Tara yelled "Down! Get Down!"

Willow at least did exactly as she said. Giles and Xander, to give them credit, copied her almost immediately. Faith and Buffy finished their own fights just in time to see Tara empty a magazine into the She-Mantis. It shrieked before collapsing.

Curiously, Xander mumbled something about "Again?" Tara didn't have time to try and puzzle that one out.

"Are you alright?" Willow nodded as Tara helped her to her feet. The others were giving Tara looks that were mixed to say the least. But Buffy and Faith refocused quickly.

"This way!"

All six of them made it to the door without much more trouble. Once inside, Giles insisted the door be baracaded. Tara helped.

"You do have a plan, I hope?"

"As a matter of fact, we do, yes."

In moments nearly every piece of furniture lay blocking the door. Sounds of combat--gunfire, screaming, growling, a few impossible to identify--were muffled. But Faith and Buffy were already headed for the secret door. Willow, along with Giles and Xander, began to prepare for what Tara recognized as some kind of spell.

"Tara?" Buffy's expression was even more deadly serious than it had been. "Are you with us?"

"Look at where I am."

"Good enough. Here's a job for you--protect Willow and the others."

"Done."

"Okay." With that the two Slayers headed into the secret lab. Silently Tara wished them luck. Turning back, she noticed Willow's eyes on her.

"Um, can I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Are you really in love with Harmony?"

Giles looked distinctly annoyed at Willow for asking this. Even Xander did a take. Tara herself was shocked.

"Where would you get THAT idea?" Her tone made the answer obvious. Willow just shook her head as if to dismiss the whole idea.

"Never mind." She returned to her spell.

And Tara took her place as guard.

TO BE CONTINUED