Author: JkMack
Rating: NC-17
Copyright: Joss Whedon created the Buffy universe we all know. Thank you Mutant Enemy for not expanding the W/T relationship. I don't own anything here but the story idea and a few people I made up.

I was back in our little farm house in Ireland. The gray mist creeping over the never-ending hills. I could always remember sitting at my window and trying to figure out how God had let the clouds come so close to earth.

There was something strange in the surrounding air. The sense that you know something bad is going to happen, in my case it already did. I was now reliving the memory of that day everything was lost to me. The very day I watched my father murder my mother.

I was standing in the corner watching my younger self at the windowsill gazing out into abyss. The short red hair I have now, was then longer, reaching almost to the middle of my back. Now I cut it short, so as not to remind me of the tragic event that scarred me for life.

My mother came strolling into the room, since it was a small hut there was only three rooms. The main room, where the kitchen was and then a small area for me and a larger one for my parents.

My breath stopped as I marveled how beautiful she use to be. Her long peasant skirt swishing with her tiny movements and her dark auburn hair tied in a tight ponytail. She was singing the song that inspired my name. "The poor soul sat singing by a sycamore tree, sing all a green willow; Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee, Sing willow, willow, willow."

The younger me jumped up and ran to my mother wrapping her tiny body around the older woman's legs.

"Are you ready for bed my green Willow?" My mother asked hugging me tightly to her.

"Yes mommy." My tiny voice squeaked. It nearly made me cry to hear how innocent I use to be. My mother picked me up and whirled me around, my giggles matching hers.

I clenched my chest, trying to stop my tears from coming, I didn't want to see what happened next.

My mother pulled the covers up to my chin and tucked in the sides all the while still signing that song which still haunts my dreams. "Sing all a green willow must be my garland. Let nobody blame him, his scorn I approve; I called my love false love, but what said he then. Sing willow, willow, if I court mo women, you'll catch with mo men-" My little eyelids began fade and the younger me slumped down on the straw bed. My mother bent down and kissed me on the forehead gently. "Good night my little Willow."

The door crashed open and I jerked along with the figures I was watching. Our eyes caught the sight of my father standing in the doorway, his fangs barred and his clothes torn and bloodied.

My mother jumped up and moved to guard me. He advanced, his eyes ablaze and he wheezed terribly. His red hair was thick and gruffy at the beard. I put my hands against the wall to hold my shaking form in place.

"Give me the child, lass." He commanded stalking towards us. My little body shook and I held a death grip at the back of my mothers rags.

"Get away from her, you drunken loaf." She warned nudging me back in-between the bed and the window.

"Oh don't be misled woman, I am not drunk from a man's liquid but from a God's soul. You will give me our dear Willow for she has a purpose to uphold." He was now inches away from her and me on the other side of the bed near the open window.

She struck him, the sound was sharp and even I winced standing in my corner. He turned his head slowly back to her, an evil grin spreading across his lips. I watched with a new interest, the younger me slipped out the window and crouched down enough to see but still able to run.

He grabbed her arms and held them up. She struggled and cried out when he increased the pressure. There was a dull crack and she screamed in pain. "Don't think you'll use that hand again any time soon." He muttered. Her bone was sticking out slightly and blood ran down the slender arm.

Both me and my younger self covered their eyes. I could hear her panting that turned into an ear-shattering wail. I looked up and saw my father ripping her delicate neck to shreds. His hands were closing and snapping all the bones in her arms.

He dipped his head back and licked the crimson off his pink lips. My mother's body crumbled to the floor and lay in a discarded pile.

I heard a soft whimper and knew it was me still crouched outside. He heard it and rounded on me. My little form took off and the crazed man bounding out towards me.

My body jerked and I slowly opened my eyes. I was back in reality, I think. It took me a few moments to regain the use of my eyes, but when they came back into focus I lazily looked around. Stalactites and stalagmites where hanging and standing where they had been placed for thousands of years. I tried to lift my arms but a clanking came from them and I looked down to see silver shackles clasped around my arms.

"What the fu-"

"Easy now my little firefly. Don't use such language in a sacred place. "

"William? Is that you?" I asked my head swimming.

"That it is." He stepped into view. He was wearing all black. From his shoes to his hair-tie. He held his hands behind his back and looked down at me.

"How did I get here?" I said looking around then down to my chains. "Can you help me out of these." I said trying to lift my arms to him. I was still half out of it, not understanding why he wasn't helping me out of my confinements. Why was he smiling at me like that, and where the fuck where we?

"No, I will not release you. Not until we have served our purpose here, and then I can't even guarantee you will be alive." That's when I knew something was up.

"What fucking ritual?" I snapped, suddenly becoming angry.

He was upon me in a flash. The back of his hand connected with the right side of my face. My body flew sideways dragging across the rocky floor. The shackles making it impossible to lessen the contact. I slid to a stop and heaved heavy, heart-filled sobs. I couldn't understand why William, my William was doing this to me?

"Pick her up!" He commanded. Two hooded figures came forth from the shadows and picked me up by my arms, dragging me back to my original spot. They steadied me on my feet then stepped back a few paces.

He glided towards me and placed a hand on my cheek. "You will be my vessel my little one, this is what you where created for. This is why you have been in my care all of these years. Why your father was sent to retrieve you to me and he failed, it was all part of the prophecy. Now that your precious Tarashitia has brought you into your power, we may now begin to extract the powers of the darker part of life." 

I shrugged him off and stepped out of his reach. "No y-you love me, what could you want that is more that what we've shared in our time together." I shook out.

William moved towards me again and put his hand on my shoulder he shoved me around to face where my back had been. My eyes must have bulged out of my head from what stood before me. 

Etched in the cave walls was four large pillars of marble that stood around a giant winged statue. There was markings and different symbols on each pillar and a huge pentagram on the forehead of the creature. I looked closer trying to figure out what it was. It had wings like a bat but two of it's feet where hooves while it's hands where claws. Its head craved like a wolf's but the teeth where more jagged and the ears where elf shapped not animal. Flames burst to life on the saucers that where placed around the area.

The mystic energy was rushing to my head in great amounts. I kept trying to look away but something kept forcing my head to look upon the figure. It opened something, something wanted to get out and I had a horrible feeling I was the one doing the letting out. I jumped at the realization and tried to back away but bodies stopped me and started to carry me forward.

With all my might I began to kick frantically, screaming and trying my hardest to break free of this madness. The closer I got to the alter the more the darkness engulfed me. It was like someone was pouring a pure bucket of ice on my head and it trailed down my skin causing me to shiver uncontrollably.

"Come closer my child." A voice hissed in my head.

I looked up and around at the walls and then back at William. His eyes where glazed over and he was gawking towards the statue in complete awe. He dragged his eyes towards me and gave me that same sly smile.

Ripping myself from him back to the stone creature its eyes where on fire, a glowing red that held me to it.

The voice spoke again. "So you have finally found me."

"What?" I asked aloud.

"Who are you speaking to my darling?" William asked carefully. I ignored him and looked terrified at the statue. "Could it be the dark God Charlakon?" He mused.

"You have come at last to free me." Charlakon continued. "To release my darkness from this cage and infect the world once again."

"You want his power, so you can plague the world with evil." I said turning to face my Maker.

He smiled and held his hands up in the air. "True, they didn't call me William the Bloody for nothing. But you are missing the point my dear. It is not so much about the power it's about the control. When Charlakon's soul mends with mine I will have control over every dark creature on the earth. The vampires, your precious werewolves, everything that evil made it's mark on. I never would have found this place with out the council's help. They brought to my attention the location of this tomb, they planned on destroying it and sent me personally to take care of it."

"That was a dumb move on their part." I put in sarcastically.

"Yes, yes indeed it was." He grinned. "But you my dear haven't asked the question that is hiding in that brilliant mind of yours."

"I don't want to play twenty questions. Just kill me and get it over with." I said angrily. That's when I stopped thinking about myself and started thinking about Tara. Gods I hope she was safe. Of course she was safe, Tara is Drappa now, she can do anything. Not if William gets the soul of what's-his-face. We'll all be dead then. Shit. I had to stall. If this ritual went though then we were all in for it, even Tara.

I came out of my thoughts and realized that several hooded figures where quickly setting up for my upcoming sacrifice. They where painting a small pentagram on the floor in front of Charlakon's statue and placing different bowls of herbs and animal bones. William was staring quite amused at me. Okay if he wants to play lets play.

"What have you done with Tara?" I asked trying to remain calm.

His smile faltered a bit but he recovered. "That wasn't the question I figured you'd ask. But to answer that one, I haven't done anything to her. She is no threat to me, I assume she woke up the next morning realized you where gone, figured you'd gotten over her and left to go rule that worthless pack of hers. You've been out for two days my dearest, I have a feeling you won't be seeing her again."

"Why me? Was all that we had together been a lie?" I asked my voice trembling. I wouldn't cry, I had to stay strong. I was going to get out of this, for Tara, she had to still know I love her and somewhere in my heart I knew she would be there to guide me.

William's face turned grave. "You mean all the trouble I've had to go though to keep you intact? Your constant whining, always disappearing. The way you cause rifts within the coven. I needed you to remain a virgin so that the Dark God would use you as his vessel then transfer his filtered power into me. Why do you think I've never pressed you to find a mate? All my years of planning would have gone to waste. I've even had to hide one of my best vampire servants for years. Not anymore though, perhaps you'd like to meet him? I know it's been awhile." He snapped his fingers and a hooded person walked slowly towards us.

"Go ahead man, let her see your face." William taunted.

The man moved his hand up slowly and tugged at his black cloak.

"No! No!." I shouted covering my eye trying to get his face out of my head.

"Have you not missed me my green Willow?" My father's voice quivered.

I felt sick, to the point of throwing up. I swallowed down my anguish and stood up straight. I could not appear weak.

"Willow."

"Huh?" I said startled looking at my father then William. Neither of them spoke but looked at me oddly. Damnit I have too many voices in my head.

"Willow it's me."

"Tara!" I shouted looking up.

"I'm not far away, stay strong baby, for me."

"She's gone mad." My father's irish tongue spat.

"Must be time to begin then." William announced cheerfully. He nodded in my direction and a cloud of black swarmed me and escorted me to the place of death. As I stared up into the face of the God before me, I knew I was going to die, but I wasn't going down without a fight.