Ressick.Net - Modern Mythology - BTVS - XWP - Links - CordyHasFaith

Disclaimers: Everything belongs to Joss and the cardboard aliens. I am nothing. Please don't sue me. I'm really not worth it. Title is pure T.S. Eliot.

Girl-girl action of a canon and non-canon couple variety! I'll stick with PG-13, though.

Feedback can go to ressick@yahoo.com and if you really want to archive it, just ask. The few who regularly archive my stuff don't have to bother asking, though.

This story is the third (and so far longest) installment in the "Love and Fear" series. And even though this series obviously doesn't follow canon, I am going to introduce a very special character in this piece. And reintroduce another very special character. Just remember that pretty much every episode after "Hush" didn't happen in this 'verse, though Willow did keep Tara a secret for awhile.

****

"The Other Side of You"

by Ressick

...

It's so easy to get lost in her. In her eyes, her skin, the sweet scent of her hair, her smile, her laugh. To forget where you are, who's around you, what's going on. You just gaze into her eyes and everything is forgotten except that she is there. That she's looking back at you with eyes so full of love that you feel you're about to burst.

Whatever happened to the girl who would stutter and trip over her words when around this beautiful woman? I guess she passed on with the dodo, because when I'm around her now, there isn't much of a trace of that shy nervous wreck. She sees something in me- in me! And it's enough for me that she has said the words, that she loves me. It gives me a strength I never knew I could possibly possess.

****

Tara slipped from the dark night into the welcome haven of her room. She sat down on her bed and absentmindedly petted the dark furry head that suddenly appeared below her hand. I really need a better name for this poor cat! Miss Kitty Fantastico, as the precocious kitten was currently being referred to, proceeded to cuddle up to her first mistress. Her other mistress's scent was all over Tara, and she purred fiercely, enjoying having two such loving humans. They had been good to take her away from that smelly pound, with dogs- filthy animals! spat the kitten mentally- so close by. She purred to the point of a motorboat as Tara absently stroked her. She missed her other mistress, the one who had pointed out the small ball of fuzz in the corner of a large cage and had thereby taken her in. No doubt the two humans had been marking each other before her mistress had returned home- their scents mingled on the one called Tara's clothes.

She loved the small ball of fluff on her lap. Our kitten, she smiled. The little motorboat was an affectionate playmate, and a great comfort in the night when she missed Willow. Somehow, the kitten always knew to curl up near her as she slept, a warm purring life-force reminding her of how much she was loved- for the kitten loved her, and Willow had chosen the kitten, and Willow loved her. Sometimes the beauty of that logically roundabout thought dazzled her. Willow loved her.

They had been "together" for little more than three weeks. It was profoundly intense for both of them. Even as they moved beyond friends, they continued in their spellwork together. Now, so open to the other's thoughts, feelings, base emotions, their magickal power was increased tenfold. Neither held much of anything back, and the things they could accomplish startled them both.

Tara smiled, recalling the simple joys of the day. She went to class, and was 'picked up' by her girlfriend, who simply met her and they walked to her next class together. Then they parted with a quick hug- both were still uncomfortable with PDAs. Later, she picked up Willow at the hacker's last class and they just merely walked around campus quietly talking. Impulsively, on the way back to Willow's dorm, Tara stopped at a small flower vendor. The old woman sold her a single red rose, and she gleefully sneaked up behind Willow with the exquisite blossom. Holding it behind her back, she tapped the hacker on a shoulder. When Willow turned around, she handed the rose shyly to the other girl. For her troubles, Tara received a long kiss. She could still feel the tingle of Willow's lips on hers as she remembered the hacker's broad smile and single happy tear.

Slowly, the day caught up with her, and she yawned. Miss Kitty Fantastico follow suit, and Tara rose to get ready for bed. As she flicked off the single light in her room, she sent a brief thought to Willow and slid under the covers. The small kitten curled up next to her, and they drifted off to sleep.

****

Willow snuggled down under a pile of blankets, and glanced over at Buffy, who was curled up under her own pile of sheets and comforters. Her friend was turned with her back to the hacker, and the slayer's uneven breathing was enough evidence that Buffy was awake.

"Buffy?" she whispered.

"Mmm, yeah Will?"

"You up for talking?"

The slayer turned over and faced her friend. "Sure, Will. What do you want to talk about?"

"I dunno. It just seems like maybe we don't talk as much as we used to."

"We don't. But we've got classes, I've got Riley, you've got Tara, it's understandable." Buffy smiled in the darkness. "So how is Tara?" she asked.

Willow let her smile reach epic proportions. "Really good, Buffy. Really good."

"I'm happy for ya, Wills. She's a great girl. Maybe we could double date sometime- y'know, let us get to know each other a little better."

"I think she'd like that, a lot," mused Willow, remembering her friend's almost totally hidden hurt over having been kept a secret for so long.

Buffy grinned. "We'll have to do it then. So, Will, was she the one that gave you that rose?"

"Mmhmm," mumbled Willow, blushing as she recalled the kiss she'd given her girlfriend.

"That is pretty darn romantic there, you hooked a good one."

"Yeah, yeah, I did." Willow leaned up and punched her pillow absentmindedly. "Did I ever remember to thank you for giving me that little kick in the butt?"

"Nah, but it's okay. I'd do anything for my Wills." The slayer imperceptibly shook her head, "As soon as I paid attention to the two of you, together, I could see you both were totally head over heels."

Willow blushed again, and smiled. "Yeah," she said softly, as her best friend grinned.

****

She was almost asleep, almost, with a two pound ball of kitty curled up possessively against her head on the pillow. Her pager beeped, loudly, and vibrated, startling the cat and vibrating itself onto the floor. She cursed lightly, and pulled herself out of bed to check the page. She stared at the number for a long time, trying to remember where she knew it from. Then a flash of memory caught up with her and she lost her hold on the pager. Fumbling, she picked it up and checked the number before dialing it on the phone.

"Sunnydale General Hospital, how may I help you?"

"I need to speak to Dr. Bates, please, he just paged me."

"May I ask who's calling and what for?"

"It's Tara Ross, and I'm calling about my sister."

****

The conversation was quiet, and calm, reminiscent of a hundred conversations they'd had in high school about anything and everything. Drifting off to sleep, they were both a little annoyed when the phone rang. Buffy pulled herself out of bed first, and went to answer it.

She listened for a few minutes, provided the proper responses, and hung up. "It's Faith," she said, not looking at her best friend. "Dr. Bates says she's waking up."

****

Tara arrived at the hospital quickly, parking her old Acura haphazardly in a space meant for some doctor. She whispered a quick "No Towing" spell over the car and raced inside. She knew the corridors well, having visited every week since she'd arrived in Sunnydale from Boston. She waved at the various nurses, who smiled back at the young woman, and weaved her way in and out of the carts, moving beds, and wheelchair bound patients until she reached a far corridor. Quick spellwork the first time she'd visited had neutralized the Watcher who had been waiting for her sister to wake up. The woman had returned to England with a fake death certificate that she'd conjured, believing Faith was dead. The police had forgotten about her sister, so she knew no one would probably care or notice that she was there.

A doctor stood beside her sister's bedside, carefully monitoring vital signs. He smiled at her, "Hello Miss Ross, I think your sister will be waking up within a day. Her vitals and brain activity are returning to normal."

"Thank you, Doctor Bates," replied Tara, hurrying to Faith's bedside and taking a frail hand in her own. She could feel the dark slayer's mind returning to her body, could feel the barrier Faith had put up dissolving.

"Well now, I think it's okay for me to leave for a minute. I have a phone call to make," said the jovial man. He rustled away in a mass of papers and clipboards, to call a young woman who had insisted she be informed the moment Faith woke up. He put the phone to his ear and dialed, "Miss Summers?"

Tara knew little of what had happened to her sister. They'd not spoken for a period of about three months before she'd been called about her sister's injuries, and she guessed that Faith had finally given in to her dark side. She could only pray that the dark slayer hadn't hurt too many people. She patted the hand she held, and started to sing. Even as children, her sister had loved to hear her sing. A young Faith, slight and slighted, had said in her child's way that her big sister's singing chased the demons away. Tara wished that was literally true.

****

They called Giles and Xander, then rushed towards the hospital. It took a long time to weave their way through the unfamiliar corridors. Buffy had visited almost every day during the summer, but once college started she'd stopped going, and Faith had been moved in the meantime. The Scoobies, with Watcher in tow, finally arrived at the nurse's station on Faith's wing. They spotted Dr. Bates immediately, the big man's girth and smile unmistakable. "Dr. Bates!" called out Buffy, and he ambled over to them.

"Hello Miss Summers, Miss Rosenberg," he said, smiling at the group even though he didn't recognize half of them. "Miss Ross should be waking up within a day or so. Her sister is in there with her now, but when she's done I won't have any problem with letting you in to visit."

"Miss Ross?" said Buffy with a confused look, "We're here about Faith. And she doesn't have a sister that we know of."

"Well, her sister showed up a few months ago, quite a kind girl, and filled in the rest of your friend Faith's information," replied the doctor, nonplussed.

"I guess that's good," Willow offered. "We'll be in the waiting area, Doctor, so if you could have some one tell us when Faith's sister is gone?" She practically dragged her best friend towards the chairs.

"Could it be the Watchers?" Buffy demanded of Giles.

"No, no," replied the stuffy ex-Watcher. "I don't know why, but my sources in the Council believe that Faith is dead. Not too long after you stopped visiting on a regular basis, they say that the Watcher assigned to keep tabs on Faith returned to England with a death certificate bearing Faith's name and description- though without her last name, I believe. No one ever knew that piece of information, or anything about a sister."

"Then who is in there with Faith?" hissed Buffy. "Willow, would you mind wandering in, find out who's there?" she asked her best friend. The hacker nodded, and slipped away towards Faith's room. She turned to her Watcher, saying, "If I went in, and it was a Council person, they'd recognize me. And Wills can talk her way out of anything if there's a problem."

"Yes, quite," replied Giles, rubbing his throbbing temple. The situation was giving him quite a headache.

****

Willow slipped through the hallway, casting a slight spell over herself so no one would think it out of place for her to be where she was. Faith's room was dimmed, the light barely illuminating the banks of monitors hooked up to her greatest enemy. The curtain was half closed, blocking her view of whoever was holding Faith's hand. And singing. The voice was thick and rich, mellow against the harshness of the hospital setting. It seemed familiar somehow, and Willow inched slowly closer, trying to catch a glimpse of Faith's "sister." She couldn't believe the dark slayer would have a sibling, let alone one that would care enough to journey out to Sunnydale.

She stood dumbfounded as she looked at the woman sitting next to Faith's bedside. "Tara," she said, surprise coloring her tone.

The blond wiccan turned sharply, surprise etched on her face, "Willow?" she said, letting go of Faith's hand and rising from her seat, "What are you doing here?"

"The question should be what are you doing here, Tara?" said a voice from the doorway. Buffy's face was angry, and she stalked into the room with Giles and Xander mere steps behind her.

"I have a right to be here," said the wiccan defiantly, "I'm her sister. Now what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to make sure a dangerous killer isn't going to hurt anyone else, especially not my friends," said Buffy, slipping a steadying arm around her best friend who seemed about to faint.

Tara's face whitened until she was as pale as the sheets around Faith, and sat down, not trusting her wobbly legs. "Oh goddess," she whispered, staring at her sister's face. "What have you done now, sis?" she asked.

Faith chose that moment to slowly blink and open her eyes. Tara leaned forward, brushing a lock of hair away from her sister's face. Faith glanced up at the ceiling and then her eyes caught sight of pale blond hair and a familiar face. "Tara?" she croaked, lips breaking into a faint smile. "What are you doing here? It's not safe, the Mayor..." Her mind ran through a hundred thoughts in a few seconds. "How... how long?" she asked.

"Eight months," said Buffy from the end of the bed, where she stood angrily glaring at her enemy.

The dark slayer jumped at the sound of the angry voice. "B, now you leave my sister alone, she won't hurt anyone," she croaked, voice rough with sleep and injury. Then the information Buffy had shared sunk in. "Eight months?" she asked, looking to Tara for confirmation. The wiccan merely nodded, and took hold of Faith's hand. "The Mayor?" she asked Tara.

"Who?" replied the wiccan, turning to Buffy with a confused look.

"He's dead. We killed him. And he killed half our class. Too bad I didn't aim a little better, or you'd be with him," said the blond slayer bitterly.

Tara felt her anger rising at that statement, "You... did this?" she asked Buffy, gesturing at her sister's battered body. "You're supposed to help people, goddammit, not practically kill them!" she said loudly, not caring about who heard.

Xander went and closed the door to the room, then sullenly stalked over to Tara, "And she's not supposed to kill people either," he said angrily, as Faith shuddered in recollection of her deeds.

Tara paled again, and fell into her chair, "Faith?" she asked, as her sister turned away from her. "Oh, goddess," she muttered.

Willow had remained silent throughout the entire exchange, leaning against Giles in shock. She came out of her surprise slowly, and walked towards her girlfriend, "Tara?" she said again. "Is Faith really your sister?" she asked, gripping Tara's shoulder.

"Yes, she is," said Tara slowly, unsure as to how Willow felt about the dark slayer.

"You can sound more ashamed then that, Tar," said Faith with her back still to the group. "I know you are ashamed of me, and you don't know half of what I've done."

Tara ripped her attention from Willow, and gently pulled Faith to her, until their eyes could meet, only a few scant inches apart. "I never was ashamed of you, and I never will be," she said hotly, intently. "You are my sister and I love you."

Faith's eyes slowly watered, and Tara pulled the frail body of her sister close, rocking the younger woman gently and humming. Soon Faith was sobbing in her sister's embrace as the Scooby gang looked on, shock evident on their faces.

Something seemed to shake Faith from her grief, and she sat upright, still in Tara's embrace, "The Watchers! Oh god, they're gonna come after me! And the cops!" she said, panicking.

"No, they won't. I sent that Watcher back to England with a death certificate. She thinks you're dead. And the cops are Sunnydale cops, you know they've already forgotten about you," replied Tara comfortingly. "No one's after you, I promise."

"Except them," said Faith, softly pointing at the Scoobs. "I hurt them too much for them to forgive me," she said to her sister, whispering so that the other people in the room wouldn't hear.

Tara bent her head, and pale blond hair covered her face for a moment. "I wouldn't worry about that," she replied softly.

"I would," said Buffy, her slayer-hearing having picked up the entire exchange. "You have no idea what Faith did, Tara, and I don't care if you are Willow's girlfriend, you're not going to keep me from making sure she pays for her crimes."

Faith's eyes widened. She glanced at her sister, who was blushing and angry at the same time, then towards Willow, who stood like a deer in headlights under the dark slayer's gaze, "Geez, Tara, you finally decided to come out huh? Could you have possibly chosen a girlfriend that hates me less?" she said, a slight note of teasing entering her voice.

Tara's eyes widened, and a slightly wicked gleam entered her eyes. She started to tickle her sister, and Faith writhed laughing under the tickle attack. "Why would Willow hate you?" she asked her sister, honestly confused.

"I don't know, maybe because Faith put Willow in the hospital!" answered Xander angrily.

Tara stopped the tickle attack instantly, and looked at her girlfriend, who nodded, then at Buffy who was furious. "I think someone needs to fill me in," she said softly. Then she noticed that Faith was a little pale. "But I also think that you need to sleep," she said to her sister, sliding off the bed and tucking the younger woman in gently.

"But I've been in a coma for eight months!" argued Faith childishly.

Tara glared at her for a second, then said, "Sleep, and I'll be back in the morning, I promise."

Faith looked away for a moment, "They're gonna tell you their side of the story, you know," she said, continuing only when Tara had nodded, "Just..." she couldn't finish the sentence.

"I won't let them hurt you," said Tara hotly, "and I'll wait to make up my mind after I've heard what you have to say. You know me better than that, Faith."

"I know," replied Faith, eyes watering a little. Tara went to kiss her forehead, and Faith wrapped her arms around the blonde. "I've missed you," she said, voice pleading.

Tara pulled out of the embrace, and smiled, "I've missed you too, sis," she said, wiping Faith's tears away. "Love you," she added.

"Love you too," replied the dark slayer, hope filling her eyes at that statement.

Tara turned to her friends, who glared at her angrily. Even Giles seemed very upset. "I guess we all have some explaining to do. Let's go back to Mr. Giles' place and talk, okay?" she said, exhausted, amazed that she wasn't reverting to her normal shyness.

"What about her?" said Buffy and Xander simultaneously.

"She'll be here in the morning," replied Tara, glancing at her dozing little sister. "She knows that if she doesn't listen to me, there's hell to pay," she added, trying to reassure her friends.

"I trust you, Tara," said Willow softly, "but I don't trust Faith."

Tara seemed to take that sentence as a blow. "Please, Willow, I promise she'll be here in the morning," she pleaded, stepping towards the hacker but unsure as to how welcome her touch would be at the moment.

Willow seemed to shrink inside of herself for a moment, and wrapped her arms around herself. "Okay," she said softly. "Come on, guys, I think we all need to talk and calm down a little," she said to her friends.

Part 2