Buffy & The Daughters of Gaia Ch. 02

NOTE: This story takes place in an alternate Buffyverse, a few years into the future. Faith has remained with the good guys, and is Buffy's secret girlfriend. Willow and Tara are still together and Dawn is now at college. Although a separate story, this series follows chronologically from Buffy and The Corrupter.

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Buffy dodged beneath a swinging arm and pummelled the thing's side. Each blow knocked dirt loose, but the stuff just ran back up the creature's body to where it came from. "Hey, that's not fair. You're cheating."

Again, the monster swung at her and she had to dance backwards, out of range. When she stepped back in again, Faith was beside her. Together, the two Slayers went to work. Punches and kicks knocked chunks from the elemental. Gaping holes appeared in its head and chest. Nothing stopped it, though. Quickly, the earth skipped across the ground and filled in the holes as fast as the girls could make them.

The creature's mighty fist swept at Faith and she ducked. Like a wrecking ball, it smashed stone from one of the crypt's pillars.

Buffy blasted home a spin kick. "It seems to be getting stronger, not weaker. Don't let it connect with one of those!"

Faith grunted as she knocked clumps of earth out of an arm. "Been there, done that! I think it busted a few of my ribs... It sure hurts like hell."

Over and over they hit the elemental. Gradually, even the enhanced muscles of the two Slayers began to tire. It just slowly got larger and larger, gaining strength all the time. Faith seemed to slip into a berserk frenzy. She snarled and started pounding away at the creature's chest. She smacked clump after clump from it, landing each blow in the same place. Concentrating her attention on the same spot enabled her to keep just ahead of the flow of returning dirt. Slowly, the hole she was making got deeper.

As she knocked lumps of soil free, Faith saw something sparkle. Immediately, the returning earth covered it. Dodging blows, she renewed her efforts. This time, as a clod of earth was torn loose; Faith saw the shiny thing more clearly. With a savage cry, she plunged her hand into the elemental's body and grabbed it. Using all her strength, she pulled the thing from the creature's chest. Instantly, the elemental exploded. Both Slayers skidded across the floor under a rain of dirt.

As the debris settled, Buffy propped herself up and looked at Faith, who was grinning.

"Now you see, Bee, that's what I call fun!"

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As the Scoobies gathered around the table, Buffy tossed the object onto its centre. "Okay, guys, what's this?"

Willow, Tara, Anya and Giles recognised it immediately. It was a Gaian totem. Two twigs were carved with runes and bound together by black human hair. A small animus crystal was tied to one end. Wrapped around the other was a very dirty silk scarf.

Giles looked at Buffy with concern. "How did you get this?"

Buffy sighed. "It's a long story."

Faith leant back and put her feet on the table. "Pulled it out of an earth demon."

"Okay. Apparently not that long. And I'd also like to know how it knew my name, and how my scarf got wrapped around those sticks."

Giles looked puzzled. "It knew your name is Buffy?"

"Not exactly. It called me Summers."

Willow sat forwards and pulled the scarf loose. "And this is your scarf?"

"Yep, it even has the ink stain from when Dawn borrowed it last month. Without asking, I might add." She gave her sister a hard stare. "But what's it doing wrapped inside an earth elemental?"

"Well, what it's doing there is easy. By including something that belongs to you when they create the totem, the witches can make the elemental focus on you."

"Witches? Plural?"

"Ah-huh. The spell to animate something as powerful as an earth elemental would require the combined efforts of at least three or four."

Anya got up from Xander's lap, and went behind the service counter. She took out the sales ledger and began turning pages.

Willow twiddled the scarf in her fingers. "Also, it requires the witches to gather some quite primal energies." She blushed a little. "That's done by the sort of ceremony that Xander would buy a ticket for."

He paused, doughnut at his lips. "Nudie witchcraft?"

Willow nodded.

"Okay, so some witches have it in for me. Why? I haven't had any dealings with witches for a while, as far as I know."

Giles sipped at a cup of tea. "To the best of my knowledge, the two covens that are in Sunnydale are quite benign. They only practise white witchcraft, don't they?" He glanced at Tara. With a look like a rabbit caught in a car's headlights, she gave a quick, bobbing nod.

Faith pinched Xander's last doughnut. "So, we're looking for some new players in town."

Anya dropped the sales ledger onto the research table, in front of Giles. "You sold a copy of "Gaia, The Mother of Flora and Fauna" and "Peggarty's Woodland Lore" to the same person!"

"I did?" The Watcher sat forward, putting on his spectacles.

"Yes. And you shouldn't do that! Sometimes, you can be incredibly stupid, you know!"

Xander spluttered on the remains of his snack. "Er, Ahn, Honey? Remember that talk we had about treating people with a little respect?"

She gave him a clueless look. "So?"

He made an embarrassed nod towards Giles. "The part about talking to elders?"

"He's not my... Oh."

She turned to the Englishman and plastered on her friendliest smile. "Of course, it's not your fault. You're a Watcher, owner of the Magic Shop and ex-librarian. You can't be expected to know about dangerous spell books."

"Ah, yes. Quite." He peered at the ledger.

Buffy glanced at Willow with incomprehension. The redhead explained, "By a bit of cross referencing between them, a witch would be able to work out several rather powerful spells for the summoning and control of Nature Spirits."

"Okay, so all we have to do is find out who bought the books."

Anya gave a long-suffering sigh. She tapped her finger rapidly on the page. Giles looked at where she indicated. "Oh, she paid by credit card. Someone called Megan Connelly."

Buffy shook her head. "Never heard of her. Why would she have a grudge against me? And how did she get hold of my scarf?"

Across the table, Dawn winced. "Ooops."

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The Daughters of Gaia sat in a circle, with a candle burning in the centre. All of the girls had their eyes closed and were humming. When the door crashed open, they jumped in startled surprise.

Megan looked angrily at the three women who entered her dorm room. A redhead and a woman in a rainbow coloured dress stayed by the doorway. Striding across the room was a very irate looking blonde in red leather pants and a black top. She grabbed Meg by the throat and, lifting her far too easily, rammed her back against the wall.

"You and I are going to have a little talk. That earth elemental you sent came after the wrong Summers. Lucky for you. If it had hurt my sister, you'd be in even more trouble than you are now."

Meg struggled, clutching at the hand that held her. "Sist... ack! Sister? I didn't even know she had a sister! Uck... Owww!"

Buffy's hair bounced across her shoulders as she spun her head towards Ruth. The young witch's hand was inching towards a ceremonial dagger. "Touch it and you'll draw back a blood covered stump."

The Slayer turned her attention back to Megan. "Now. Firstly, I'm confiscating your little collection of spell books. Secondly, I'm giving you one chance. Stop casting magic. Mess with my sister again, and I'll make what happened to your pet elemental look like a stubbed toe compared to what I do to you."

The choking Goth collapsed to her knees as she was released. Buffy stared at each of the girls, one by one. They sat in silence as Willow gathered up the spell books from Meg's desk. Nodding to Buffy, she took them over to where Tara stood. "Remember. No more magic." The Slayer gave Megan a final stare, then she walked from the room, followed by her friends.

The four girls cast worried looks toward the coughing Megan.

Clutching her throat, she got to her feet and opened the desk drawer. Taking out a bunch of papers, she looked at her fellow witches. "Don't worry; we've still got the notes I made. There should be enough spells here for us to get even. Gaia will empower us." Her head snapped toward the doorway when she saw movement there. The redhead and the hippy chick had returned.

"Y..you know," said the blonde. "Gaia's a dangerous and unpredictable power to worship. She d..d..doesn't just make nice things like roses and kittens. She is also present as the wolf tears apart the lamb. You have to be very careful that her interest in you, as you channel her power, doesn't change."

The redhead gave a little nod. "Plus, Buffy said no more magic, and you really don't want to piss HER off."

Megan spat at them and waved the loose papers in their direction. "Yeah! Well, you just wait and see. These spells will make that bitch sorry she ever laid a hand on me!"

Willow shook her head. "You're not too smart, are you?"

The two women turned and began to walk out. As they did, Willow called over her shoulder, "Ignis Incende!"

Both Wiccans smiled when Megan shrieked, as the papers burst into flame. Leaving the halls of residence, Willow and Tara walked across the lawn.

"You know, Honey, I think our old Wicca group was better off when they were just planning bake sales. These new members seem a bit too eager."

Tara frowned. "I just hope that they listened to what we said, and stop. Without proper guidance, it's all too easy for the power of magic to seduce someone and lead them in the wrong direction."

Willow made doe eyes at her girlfriend and gave her an I'm-really-so-sorry smile, before squinting up into the clear blue sky. "See. Not a rain cloud up there. I told you that time at the beach wasn't my fault!"

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"Ahn, of course I still love you!"

"No, you don't. If you did still love me, we would have had sex last night!"

Xander unlocked the car door and slipped inside. "But, Honey. Willow and Tara were sleeping on the floor. Right by the bed."

Anya dropped into the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt. "So? They're lesbians. They don't care about your penis."

Talking to Anya sometimes felt like running up a slippery hill. "I know that, but they could hear us."

"That's just an excuse. You've gone off me." Frowning, she folded her arms across her chest and stared straight ahead.

Xander's mouth opened and closed, like a fish gasping for air. Anya refused to meet his gaze. Suddenly, she jerked and pointed out of the windscreen. "LOOK OUT!"

The car bounced under a mighty impact. Xander spun his head to see what had hit them. In front of the car, a huge demon was pulling a battle axe out of the hood. He was nearly eight feet tall and looked like a cartoon barbarian. Muscles bulged like mountains on his thick arms. His flesh was a pale yellow and threaded with tiny red veins. Long white hair cascaded past his shoulder in an unruly mess. Across his gigantic chest was draped a bearskin, with the head still attached.

"Anyanka! I'm gonna rip the bones from your living body. I'll suck the marrow out and then grind them into a paste! I'll crack your skull and spit on your brain!"

Xander frantically turned the key and listened to the engine splutter. Anya wound down the passenger window and stuck her head out. "Bullthrax! You didn't even like Darius! Get over it!"

With an infuriated roar, the demon smashed his axe back into the car. "Maybe not, you she-dog. But his cult provided me with many nubile virgins to slake my lusts." He tugged at the axe.

Anya had to shout over the sound of the engine springing to life. "Oh, that's just typical of a Sorval! You spend five hundred years hunting me, just because you lost your pimp!"

Xander shifted the car into reverse and floored it. Tires squealed and smoked as the vehicle leapt backwards. Bullthrax yanked his axe free and waved his fist at them. "I'll hunt you till the end of time, you crusty faced whore of a pasty flesh sack!"

Peering out the rear window, Xander steered the car down the street. With a look of disgust on his face, he cast a quick glance at his girlfriend. "I knew that you had dated a troll, but you never told me you dated a flesh sack. Urgh!"

"Oh, Sweetie," she said, patting his knee. "He meant you."

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Willow sat on the bed, cross-legged, eating a bowl of cereal. She was wearing pale blue pyjamas that were decorated with pictures of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. Tara sat on the floor, reading a large spell book. Their black kitten rolled on its back, jabbing her tiny claws at the fringes of Tara's dress.

Smiling, Tara scooped the kitten up and stroked it. "You know, I've been thinking about The Daughters of Gaia."

Willow placed another spoonful in her mouth and carefully chewed it. She knew Tara well enough to know what was coming next.

"I think that perhaps we should offer to help them. They obviously have some talent for witchcraft, and it may be better if that is guided in the right direction. After all, we're former members. That fact may convince them to listen to us."

Willow shook her head. "I don't think so. If they have been worshipping Gaia long enough to be able to conjure an elemental, then she has already connected with them. They have completed difficult and painful rituals to gain her trust. Her influence will already be too strong. They've tasted power, and will have liked it. There's no telling what lengths they could already have gone to, to gain her favour. Megan must have performed the blood rite of communing, at least. Someone who is prepared to do that is capable of anything."

Tara blanched at the thought of the girl eating the still warm heart of a fawn.

"Then, it's even more important that we help these witches. If Megan is in control of the coven, she will lead them down a dark path. Those girls didn't look like they had sold their souls to the night, just yet. They're misguided, that's all. We can help."

Willow sucked her spoon clean. She raised her eyebrows and made a maybe face. Leaning over, she placed her bowl on the bedside table.

"Will, you know that you should take that downstairs and wash it."

Willow grinned happily at her girlfriend. "I know. I'm such a rebel."

Shaking her head as she smiled, Tara put the kitten down and closed her book. The cat ran across the floor with little bounces, and jumped up onto the window sill, where it sat gazing out into the night. Tara placed the spell book back in the trunk where it was kept, and then walked over to the dressing table. Crossing her arms, she grabbed hold of her dress and drew it up, over her head.

As she began to fold it, she noticed Willow watching her. "Aren't you getting into bed?"

"In a minute," the redhead whispered. "This is one of my favourite parts of the day."

"Harlot." Tara draped her dress over the back of the chair. Turning toward the dressing table, she hooked a finger through the elastic leg of her panties, and ran it across her buttocks, to smooth the crumpled silk. Sitting down, she lifted a small tub of moisturising cream and unscrewed the top. The cream felt cold and oily against her fingers as she scooped out a bit, and smeared it across her forehead. She put some onto her cheeks and throat, and then began to massage it all in.

Rolling onto her belly, Willow cupped her chin in her hands and watched her girlfriend. Even after all this time, it still made her heart warm to think that this lovely young woman had chosen to be with her. To be her friend, her lover and her soul mate. As Tara tilted her head, beginning to gently rub the cream into her throat, Willow moistened her lips.

When all traces of the cream had soaked into her skin, Tara reached for the jar, once more. This time, she lifted out a slightly bigger scoop of the moisturiser. Her eyes flicked sideways to check that Willow was watching. Of course she was, she did every night. Feeling her cheeks grow warm as she blushed, Tara smoothed the cream over the uppersides of her breasts. The coolness of it made her nipples harden. Using the flat of her hand, she rubbed the clammy white stuff in circles. Her soft and supple flesh glistened as the cream soaked into them.

Dipping into the jar, again, she smeared the cream around the curve of her breast. Her oily fingers made the puckered nipple bounce as they traced across it. With a long, slow swaying motion, Tara smoothed the moisturising cream into her body. The slick, cool coating felt wonderful against her warm skin. With a sigh, she grasped a breast in each hand and began to caress them. Her hands ran in circles around her shiny flesh. Knowing it would thrill her girlfriend; Tara pinched both her nipples at once, and rolled them between her fingers. Even when the cream had completely soaked into her skin, she stroked herself.

Willow clambered under the bed covers. Tucking her self in, she looked at her lover and patted the bed beside her. "C'mon, Baby. I need to be snuggled."

Stretching out, she turned off the lamp. The light in the room changed to the gentle blue of moonlight. With feline grace, Tara uncurled herself from the chair and slipped across to the bed. With slow, exaggerated movements, she crawled on her hands and knees across the sheets. When her face hovered above Willow's, she lowered her mouth for a kiss. Their lips brushed together with feather-like softness, and Tara's hair framed them both with a golden curtain.

Drawing back the cover, she slid into the bed beside her girlfriend. Willow twisted onto her side, facing away from her. Tara cuddled up to her back and with a light touch, brushed the red hair away from an ear. Leaning slightly, she planted little butterfly kisses onto the sensitive skin. Her tongue flicked out and drew the earlobe between her lips. Like a baby at a teat, she suckled it. Willow squirmed with delight and giggled.

As her lips worked, Tara slid a hand across Willow's belly and up under her pyjama top. Playfully, her fingers tickled their way over her belly button and then rose toward her breasts. Feeling the smooth, soft flesh swell, Tara cupped her hand around it.

"Mmmhh," Willow moaned, signalling her approval.

The hard bud of her nipple poked into Tara's palm. With a gentle caress, the blonde pinched it and stroked it. She could feel the tiny hammering beneath it. Rolling her hand, Tara ran her fingernails across the sensitive nub. With a little gasp, Willow reached back and tangled a hand in her lover's hair. Pulling gently, she steered Tara's mouth away from her earlobe. Twisting her head back, she met those soft lips with questing ones of her own. The tenderness of the kiss was blissful.

As Willow parted her lips to allow Tara's tongue into her mouth, she felt her girlfriend's fingers slip down her belly. With a touch so light it could barely be felt, Tara stretched out her fingers and drew a wave pattern across the smooth skin. As her hand reached the elastic waist of Willow's pyjama trousers, she hooked it underneath and slid it lower. Soft, wispy hairs gathered around her fingertips. With gentleness, she stroked the pussy hair and twirled some between her thumb and forefinger. It was damp.

With a peck, she lifted her mouth an inch and whispered, "Juicy already, my love?"

"For you? Always."

With unhurried love, their tongues entwined, once more. While they kissed, Tara began to rub her hand across Willow's pussy mound. The soft flesh slithered beneath her fingers. As she felt the petals of the labia part, she dipped her fingertip into the hot slit between them and circled her girlfriend's clit. Willow pushed herself backwards, until her buttock's was pressed firmly into Tara's groin.