Four's Family by AmberBenson Fan

Rating: R
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own any of the characters in here other than Joy. Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own everyone else. No infringement is intended.
Distribution: The Mystic Muse: http://mysticmuse.net
Any email lists that I post this to can archive this without letting me know, also, Wiccan Ways, Near Her Always, and anyone else who has permission for 'Three's Company' can take it. Anyone else just email me and let me know so I can put a link to you on my site and keep track of where my stories are. You can contact me at AmberBensonFan@hotmail.com or through my site at www.megawitches.net
Feedback: PLEASE! Any feedback you can send is most appreciated. Be honest, I can't make it better without honest feedback.
Spoilers: None.
Author's Notes: I don't have kids of my own and to be honest they kind of scare me so I try not to be around them more than I have to, but I have a two-year-old niece who is absolute precious (okay, so that's a biased opinion :-)) but she is the model for Joy. I don't know if any of Joy's actions and interactions are too advanced or too behind, all I know is this is what my niece does so that's what I write. It may appear like I'm bragging about my niece and I suppose I am, but I wanted Joy to be 'real' so I wrote about a real girl.
Thanks: I'd like to give kudos to my wife and to Hunter Ash for helping me out with some of the military lingo. To WillowFan:) for the wonderful encouragement, especially when I really needed it.
Pairing: Willow/Buffy/Tara

Summary: This is a sequel to "Three's Company." W/T/B had a daughter and now the tale continues – showing how everyone is dealing with the new addition to the family.

The sun was shining high in the sky and the temperature seemed just right, a cool 80 degrees. Well, cool for Californians at any rate. There was a gentle breeze that helped keep the group in the yard comfortable. Laughter and light chatter surrounded them, blanketing the group in its own kind of warmth.

A swing set with slides and other climbing apparatus was set up. On one side was a large sandbox littered with buckets, shovels, and little mounds that never quiet made it into sandcastles. On the other side was a plastic kiddy pool only filled enough to wet the feet of a child.

A little further away from the play area stood a large round table that held many close friends and plates with an assorted supply of food ranging from hamburgers, veggie burgers, salad, and other side dishes. Xander and Anya sat on either side of their six-month-old son who was secured in a high chair. Dawn and her boyfriend, Freddie, were there as well enjoying the food, conversation, and giggling at the antics of the babies. Willow and Tara sat in similar positions as their friends, flanking their two-year-old daughter, Joy, who was also nestled in a highchair. Buffy was standing away from the table keeping a close eye on the grill next her as the rest of the food cooked.

"So I was in the Magic Box yesterday with Joy," Willow started her tale, "and I knocked over one of the candles. Joy turns to me and goes, 'oh damn it, mommy.'"

The table laughed at the adorable personality that already took firm hold of Joy. Tara tried to look stern and asked, "And where did she get that from?"

The table let the laughs die down and all eyes slowly turned until they landed on the only one who could have taught Joy such language at such an early age. Buffy took a quick gulp of her drink and averted her eyes, looking anywhere but at the table of accusing stares. "Um, I think I'll check the food," Buffy stumbled out and quickly turned her back to her friends.

"I can't wait for Alex to start talking," Anya chimed in taking the focus off Buffy for a little while.

"I bet his first word will be 'money,'" Dawn quipped and though Anya shot the girl a look she couldn't help but chuckle while the others laughed heartily at her expense.

Tara finished cutting up a hot dog into tiny pieces, tested it to make sure the food was cool enough, and placed the meal on Joy's tray. Joy picked up her baby fork and took a few stabs at the round object before giving up completely and digging in with her hands, taking one piece at a time. "Juice Mama Tara," Joy asked.

"What kind do you want?" Tara asked, her voice a bit high, as people tend to do when talking to children.

Tara poured some orange juice, mixed with water, into a sip-cup, screwed the top on tightly, and handed it over to Joy who took it happily. "What do you say, Joy?" Willow asked.

Joy looked up at Willow, her eyes almost say, 'you can't expect me to say 'thank you' for every little thing, do you,' but at Willow's firm look Joy relented. "Thank you, Mama Tara."

Joy went about alternating between sips of juice and stuffing pieces of hot dog in her mouth.

The remaining bits of food were finished being cooked and Buffy brought them over on a tray before taking a seat next to Tara. "Figure out what college you're going to yet, Dawn?" Buffy asked.

"Dawn, you can go to better schools than UCS," Buffy started to complain and couldn't help the corner of her mouth curling into a small smirk as she remembered having a very similar conversation with Willow only a few years ago.

"Yeah, I know, but I'm not sure I really want to leave all this. I mean all of you guys, Joy, Alex, I'd miss everyone too much."

"What about you Freddie?" Willow asked always willing to lend a hand to Dawn's defense, especially since she remembered the conversation with Buffy about choosing to remain in Sunnydale. She hoped Buffy would get sidetracked and forget about harping on Dawn.

There were knowing nods around the table and Willow mentally smacked herself for being so careless. She just wanted to take the heat off Dawn and forgot that Freddie didn't have much help financially. Though the boy lived with them and didn't have to worry about paying rent thanks to Willow's high-paying job, he still had various other expenses that he needed to handle. His parents 'disappeared' and Buffy knew all too well what had happened. He and Dawn had only just begun to get to know each other and Buffy offered her home to the boy. She felt guilty that she, the slayer, was unable to prevent their death, and thought the least she could do was give him a home. Over time he and Dawn started dating and it wasn't long after that when he finally broached the subject of Buffy's odd behavior, especially at night. The gang explained to him their unique situation and since then he and Dawn have been serious and enjoyed living a close life with the Scoobies.

Tara took her chances and decided to sway the conversation into something very neutral. She leaned down to Joy's ear and whispered something. Joy shouted out, "How do you make a tissue dance," though she stopped in between to get coached by Tara, her mind not being able to remember the whole question yet.

It was a very old joke, one the gang has probably heard a million times in their lifetimes, but they still roared with laughter hearing it come from this little girl who was way too smart for her own age.

"Down please," Joy requested. She was antsy and wanted to play, but the adults just got settled with their own food and wanted to enjoy it before they had to run around the yard making sure Joy kept out of trouble and was safe while she played.

Tara took a bit of her veggie burger and then pulled out a little book. She pointed to one of the colors and asked, "What color is that?"

"Purple," Joy answered without hesitation. This seemed to distract their daughter long enough for them to finish eating. In between bites of food either Willow or Tara would quiz Joy on various colors and Joy nailed each one. As they finished their food they moved on to numbers and by the time they reached 11 Joy got stuck and frustrated and wanted down again. Tara wiped her hands and then Joy's hands and pulled her daughter out of the high chair. She followed Joy around the yard keeping the girl entertained while the others chatted.

"Yeah, she knows them all. I'm working on shades now," Willow laughed, joking. "Actually, I got all freaked out that she didn't know her colors so everything we saw I kept asking, 'what's that color, what's this color.' Then I got a newsletter in my email about children her age and found out that by the time she's three she should know two colors, so it turns out we're way ahead of the game."

That got some more laughs, especially considering the bookworm Willow is. "Aww, poor Joy. Here she is working her butt off and she's got at least one more year to slack off." Dawn joked. She was never a fan of schoolwork and felt a little sorry for her niece.

As night fell and the evening became too cool and unsafe to remain outside, the gang moved their get together inside. Tara laid Joy down to bed and Anya settled Alex in a small, rocking, chair as he dozed.

Fresh cups of coffee filled everyone's hands and the conversation became a little more subdued, punctuated by the occasional muted laugh as everyone was mindful of the sleeping babies (good spot to expand to show Dawn interacting like she wanted to in the first story).

Eventually the lovely day between friends ended. Xander and Anya took Alex home; Dawn and Freddie helped clean up and then went upstairs to get ready for bed; Tara and Willow went up to get ready for bed while Buffy finished straightening. After moving all the coffee cups into the sink, deciding to worry about cleaning them in the morning, she climbed the stairs.

Buffy leaned against the doorframe and enjoyed the sight before her. Willow was in the rocking chair holding Joy and humming softly. Tara was kneeling beside her with a hand lovely draped over the redhead's knee, a smile unconsciously playing on her lips. Tara was the first to look up and see the slayer at the door and she whispered, "Joy was finicky," and after two years with the young girl now in Willow's arms, Buffy knew well enough what that meant. Sometimes their daughter would suffer from night terrors and would only calm when one of them rocked her back to sleep.

Buffy nodded slowly and though she gave Tara a smile her thoughts were brought to a distant place. It broke her heart that at only two-years-old her daughter was already being affected by life on the Hellmouth. Once she was born Buffy and the Scoobies made a solid effort to keep the life of slaying as far away from Joy, yet it didn't seem to matter. Their daughter was still plagued by visions of horrors at night and though she held an impressive vocabulary, Joy was unable to tell them what tormented her at night. The doctors had said it was actually common for children of this age to experience such things, but Buffy knew that wasn't the whole truth.

She was brought from her thoughts when a soft hand brushed stray strands of hair from her face and she looked up to see blue eyes staring back at her. Tara's eyes held concern and understanding while Willow, who had her arms wrapped loosely around the blonde witch's waist, looked on knowingly. They all held the same fears and troubles and they knew Buffy was most affected by the thoughts that ran rampant in her mind.

"Ready for bed?" Buffy finally spoke in hushed tones as she took a final glance at her daughter who was now sleeping peacefully in her 'big girl bed.'

The witches nodded and walked down the hall with Buffy leading. As they readied for bed, Buffy turned and watched Willow once again. The redhead looked so natural holding Joy and she wondered if her lovers would want another child someday and if Willow would be interested in carrying this time. She entertained the thought of eventually being the one to have a child, but the thought passed almost as soon as it came. As a slayer she could never have children. For nine months she would have to be extra careful about any blows she took and that just wasn't likely to happen as she fought the monsters of the night. So, instead, she was content to play the 'father' in this unorthodox family and keep the family safe.

Willow and Tara had crawled into bed and watched their lover carefully. They knew Buffy was prone to getting lost in thought; they knew she held the weight of the world on her shoulders. There was little they could do to ease the lines of worry that seemed to be permanent on Buffy's young face. "Care to share?" Willow broached, hoping that as long as Buffy spoke her mind occasionally, she would feel at least a little better.

Buffy turned to finish what she was doing and crawled into bed taking the middle so that Willow and Tara would flank her. She normally liked to stay on the outside to allow the witches room to cuddle with each other, but at times she needed to feel them both. Needed to feel their bodies pressed up against her sides and know that she was loved, completely and utterly. The witches draped arms and legs over Buffy and nestled their heads into her shoulders and Buffy began to idly stroke the smooth skin she found beneath her fingertips.

"No. I mean, not me per se. I mean, I... I can't." She pursed her lips to keep the emotions from welling up inside her.

Willow cuddled closer and started to run her hand along Buffy's arms to sooth the pain she knew the Slayer was feeling.

"I, ah, I was thinking maybe Will..." she trailed off, now unsure of herself and of how Willow would react.

Tara looked over to Willow and noticed the green eyes staring back at her. There was a question in those eyes and Tara knew that Willow was seeking her opinion on the matter as well. "That's up to you, sweetie," Tara whispered to her lover, trying to tell her that she'd support any decision made by either Willow or Buffy, as long as it made them happy.

"Well, I thought about it. I mean, I grew up as an only child, but I always thought of Xander as like a brother. Well, except for that time I had a crush on him, because then it would just be ewww, but other than that, he was just a brother, well, like a brother to me. I mean..." Willow took a deep breath and let it out and looked up accusingly at Tara. "You're supposed to stop me when I do that."

"I like it when you do that," Tara quipped, giving the redhead her patented half-smile.

"Me too," Buffy put in, her eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of her lovers being so close, but she kept her lids shut to help block out the eventual rejection of her idea she knew was bound to come.

"He, he, thanks," Willow blushed slightly. "But yeah, I guess. I mean, I've thought about it. Especially after Joy. What do you guys think?"

"You already know my vote," Buffy offered up, a bit more confident now that she heard Willow was interested as well. Her eyes drifted open to gaze over to Tara.

Tara shifted a bit as both sets of green eyes looked at her for an answer. "I have a brother but it wasn't, well, you know…" Tara swallowed back the resentment and lingering pain that still surfaced sometimes when she thought about what her life was like back home. She thought of her mother and wondered - hoped - that her mother would be happy and proud of the life that she know led. "I think Joy would love a sister." She looked back up into their eyes and smiled.

The girls hunkered down for the night, no need to get into the details of when they planned to try for another baby. Each drifted off to sleep with content smiles.

"I'm telling you, we must bring her in. There's no telling what kind of danger she could bring to us. This is completely unprecedented and it must be studied so we can form a defense if needed."

"And how to do plan on bringing her in? Surely they won't just hand the girl over to us."

"I fear it won't be as simple as that, dear friend. Plus, do you seek the wrath of three extremely powerful women as a result?"

"The matter is final. We will bring the girl in and examine her. Determine what we need. If she survives we will consider returning her or keep her for ourselves. Now leave me."

The man shook his head. This was not good. This was about as far from good as you could get. The bring down the wrath of the slayer and two witches was not something he wanted a part of, but his duty forbid him from doing anything else. He shook his head and closed the door behind him, leaving his boss to his evil schemes.

By the end of the week the three lovers discussed trying the spell they had inadvertently put together almost three years ago and hoped that they could once again make it work. Now, aware of what they were doing, the women set up everything they needed with a giddy air about them It was hard to contain the broad smiles each woman wore or to keep back the giggle as they passed one another. An athame rested on the nightstand, the lights were off with candles lit all around the room. Dawn and Freddie were told to go out and stay out late, the others were told not to call or come over unless someone was hurt or the world was ending.

Buffy moved over to the bed where Willow was laying, reviewing the spell's words that would be needed. She straddled her lovers legs, resting on the hacker's small, firm butt and began to give the redhead a soothing massage. Willow's head dropped forward and she let out a long moan as she felt the Slayer's fingers press into her muscles and she let herself fall into the lull that quickly came over them.

Tara watched with a smirk from her position over by the dresser as she finished lighting the rest of the candles. She blew out the match, placed it on a dish, and slowly crept out of her clothes. She crawled onto the bed and captured Buffy's lips with her own, both groaning at the contact. Willow began to shift and Buffy lifted up slightly to allow the redhead to turn onto her back. Willow reached up and with one hand began to move her way under Buffy's shirt while her other hand started to trace lazy patterns along Tara's smooth skin.

Tara reached over and tugged Buffy's shirt off, breaking the kiss long enough to remove the clothing and they were quickly back to business. Buffy reached out and removed Willow's shirt and then felt the slender hands of her redheaded lover slide onto her skin once again, trails of heat following in their path until Willow's hands reached her breasts and Buffy couldn't help the gasp that came from her lips. It never ceased to amaze her how the touch of her lovers always set her on fire.

Buffy shifted off of Willow to allow them both more range of motion and slid onto the opposite side of Willow, effectively placing her in the middle of them. The Slayer broke away from her kiss with Tara, giving her a smile, before her lips met Willow's, her tongue immediately seeking access. Tara moved to lay down next to Willow and started to run her hands along the redhead's topless form, taking one of her small, pert breasts into her hand and gently squeezed it, lightly pinching the nipple until it hardened. Willow gasped into Buffy's mouth when she felt Tara playing with her breast and a deep groan came forth in response. Tara latch her lips onto Willow's neck, sucking on the pulse point there, feeling the heartbeat pounding fiercely beneath the skin. Buffy draped a leg over Willow's until it rested in between her lover's legs and she pressed upward. Willow immediately bucked against Buffy's thigh and moaned when the Slayer pulled her leg away. Tara kissed her way up Willow's neck and along her jaw line until she was up to Willow's lips. Buffy pulled back slightly, her hand reaching up to lace into Tara's blonde tresses, pulling her into another kiss. Willow reached up, pressing them both to her as she added her lips to the mix.

Tara pulled from the kiss first and Buffy looked up for only a moment to notice the blonde witch reaching for the nightstand. Buffy moved her body so it covered the lithe form of the redhead. Her hips pressing up against Willow's center and Buffy smirked as her lover whimpered with need. The Slayer resumed her kisses, soft and frequent until she reached Willow's quivering stomach. Her fingers dipped into the band of Willow's skirt and began to pull it down, her lips covering the skin with more kisses as each inch of flesh was exposed.

"Buffy, please," Willow whimpered further, her fingers sliding into and griping blonde hair as Buffy finished pulling off the skirt and began to kiss her way back up her lover. She nipped at the flesh on Willow's inner thighs and blew at the wet patch between Willow's legs making the redhead buck, wanting more physical contact. Tara moved back over to them and after kissing Willow passionately, began to chant her part of the ritual.

"Goddess, please look upon us with your grace. We ask that you bless this union and grant us the power to bring forth love into this world."

Tara, hating the next part, took a deep breath and steeled herself against what needed to be done. With the athame in hand she moved the blade against Willow's stomach. Buffy saw it and knew what to do to distract Willow. She let her tongue lash out and took Willow's clit into her mouth. Willow cried out at the same instant Tara pulled the blade across her fair skin. No one was sure if Willow's cry was in pleasure, pain, or both, but any discomfort she felt was quickly replaced by the overwhelming sensation of Buffy's mouth working her over expertly. Her hips slammed up against Buffy's mouth.

Tara quickly ran the blade across her palm, wincing and sucking in a sharp breath as the metal cut into her skin. Buffy held onto Willow's hips with one hand while she turned her other one up, her eyes silently asking Tara to do the same for her. With a quick swipe the Slayer matched her with a slice across her palm.

"Goddess..." Willow gasped out, "please l-l-look upon uuuuuussssss... with your grace. We-we ask t-t-that you blessssss this union and g-g-grant us the powerrrrrr to bring forth l-l-love into this worl..." the redhead barely managed to get out in between gasps and pants.

Tara climbed up onto her lover and Willow quickly positioned Tara the way she wanted her, and reached out with her tongue, deviling deeply into the blonde. Tara cried out loudly as soon as Willow started to lavish her with her tongue. Tara reached out across Willow and began to finger her clit to allow Buffy time to speak.

"Goddess, please look up us with your grace. We ask that you bless this union and grants us the power to bring forth loveintothisworld..." Buffy rushed out as quickly as she could and went back to Willow. Tara placed her still bleeding hand on one side of Willow's stomach where the cut was and Buffy did the same on the opposite side.

Tara motioned with her other hand for Buffy to move around and with a smile Buffy shifted until her bottom half was up by Tara, but her mouth still firmly planted on Willow's center. Tara leaned down, her mouth laying claim to Buffy, sucking greedily on the Slayer's clit. With her free hand Buffy easily slipped two fingers into Willow who ground herself against Buffy while crying out into Tara at the same time. Willow's cry vibrated through Tara who couldn't help but moan, which only served to have the same effect on Buffy and a circle quickly formed, pushing each woman to the edge.

As one the three of them crested and a bright flash filled the room, slowly fading until it sealed the small wound on Willow's stomach. The women laid there, panting, Tara sliding off Willow, and they laid there haphazardly. "I... I think it worked..." Tara panted.

Willow decided it would be foolish to even try to speak at this point and simply let her hand trail across her stomach. Buffy cracked an eye open and added her hand to Willow's stomach. Tara was quick to follow, the three of them rubbing Willow's stomach, innately knowing that the spell worked.

Buffy and Tara were in the kitchen, the Witch teaching the Slayer how to cook. Buffy threw a dish towel over her shoulder, wiping her hands on it as she went to answer the phone. "Hello?"

"Ah, no, she's working at the moment. May I take a message?" Buffy answered and looked around for a pen to jot down the message.

"This is Buffy Summers, who's this?" Buffy asked. She couldn't help but get suspicious of curious people.

"Oh, I'm sorry. This is Stacey over at Doctor Goldberg's office. I'm calling with the results of Ms. Rosenberg's test."

Tara came to stand by Buffy and watched as the Slayer paced in small circles. "The test has come back positive. Congratulations." Stacey announced, loving it when she got to give good news.

"Whoo hoo!" Buffy cheered. "Thank you, I'll pass on the news. Thank you." Buffy hung up and turned to Tara, unable to keep the huge smile from her face.

Buffy nodded, took Tara's hand, and pulled them down the stairs into the basement, now Willow's office. They knocked on the door and walked in to see Willow hunched over one of the three computers lined up on her desk. "What's up, guys?" Willow asked, immediately brightening up at the sight of her lovers.

Tara and Buffy stood there, without saying a word; huge, goofy grins plastered on their faces. Willow looked puzzled for a moment, but her brain kicked into gear and she bounded out from behind her work station and threw herself at her lovers. "Congrats, sweetie" Tara said, kissing the redhead passionately. As soon as Willow's lips were free from Tara Buffy took over, finally pulling away, leaving Willow gasping for air with a huge smile of her own.

Willow and Buffy looked at each other and quickly followed the blonde. As soon as they made it to the door they saw Tara tossing something from the stove into the sink and running water over it. She turned around and gave them a meek smile. "In all the excitement we forgot the sauce on the stove."

"Hmmm, sounds good. I can use a break," Willow leaned in and gave Buffy a kiss on the cheek.

"Great, so you finish up whatever you need to, I'll clean up this mess, Tara - wanna go grab Joy? She should be done with her nap about now anyway."

The women nodded and went about their tasks. Tara piled a bag decorated in Winnie The Pooh(TM) characters with bibs, diapers, and a plethora of baby needs. She walked into the baby's room and Joy was already scooting herself out of bed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her small hands. "Hey, honey" Tara called out, "Did you have a nice sleep?" Joy just nodded, not really wanting to speak so soon after waking up. "You want to get something to eat?" Tara asked and Joy nodded again. It didn't take too long for her to get Joy changed and more alert before heading back down the stairs.

Willow set about closing down the various programs she had open, saved her work, and headed back upstairs. Buffy was scrubbing the pot now lined with burnt and very stubborn sauce. Willow leaned up against the counter to watch with a bemused smirk on her face. "Agghhh! I've fought demons who've given me less trouble than this." Buffy exclaimed as she slumped against the sink, defeated.

Willow laughed until Buffy gave her an exhausted 'evil eye.' The redhead bit her lip, turned around, and set the pan down in the sink. She turned the water on to its hottest setting, put some drops of soap in, and then pulled Buffy away from the setting pan. "But, but..."

"Trust me. When you come back you'll still get to do the dishes," Willow joked and then she saw Buffy's pout, "But it'll be a lot easier," she tried to ease the lines that creased around Buffy's eyes.

"Ready?" Tara called out as she came down the stairs, baby in one arm, bag draped over the other one.

Buffy smiled, nodded, and then held out her hands to help Tara. Tara smiled sweetly and then tossed the bag into Buffy's arms. Again, Buffy couldn't help the pout that came to her face. "Aww, don't pout, sweetie," Tara leaned over and kissed her before turning out the door with a laugh.

"And what can I get you little one?" The smiling waitress asked as she squatted down next to Joy in the high chair.

Joy turned her head and seemed to consider Tara's words for a second before turning back to the waitress with a smile. "No thanks. Chicken and Fries please."

The waitress laughed and looked up to Tara who she marked as the mother. Tara gave a defeated chuckle and nodded. The waitress stood back up and headed out to place their orders.

"What's the deal with this chicken and fries?" Willow asked, a firm smile on her face.

"Who knows. You know how she gets onto her kicks with things," Buffy answered as though it explained everything.

"She's eating, how can you tell she's off from her eating?" the younger one commented, bored out of his mind.

"I don't see why we don't just sneak in, take the girl and go," the younger one griped.

"Because, you idiot, I don't want to get myself killed. We track, we inform, we go home. They'll send in a retrieval team when the time is right."

A crackling sound broke the silence that fell over the men. "Team Alpha, come in, over."

The older man snatched away the mic before the younger one could. "Alpha here. Over."

"We've just received a report that Willow Rosenberg may also be carrying. Observe and report. Over." The crackling voice demanded.

"Understood. Over and out." The older man replaced the mic and returned to his watch, zeroing in on the redhead.

"The reports have been confirmed, sir." Another man stood in front of the large desk, waiting for further instructions from his boss.

"Yes, sir. Our team spotted them entering the physician's office and we accessed her records to confirm that her tests revealed a positive pregnancy test. According to our scouts she is still with the others and has had no contact with a male in a sexual nature."

"Damn!" the boss exclaimed but calmed almost immediately, a new idea forming in his head. "Good, good," the other man looked on curiously wondering how someone could change attitudes so quickly, but he remained silently. "Inform the retrieval team that it is time to move in. Two targets. Both must be taken alive and well. If any, and I mean any," his voice grew dangerous, "harm comes to either of them you will beg for death before I'm through, understood?"

The man gulped visually and audibly, nodding almost til his head fell off as he quickly backed away til he reached the door.

"Time for bed," Tara announced as she herded Joy up the steps. Joy immediately began to come up with a million excuses why she couldn't go to bed that instant while Willow and Buffy went to the kitchen, chuckling at the same time.

"See," Willow pointed to the pot that had soaked all day, "now you can clean it," she threw a sponge at Buffy who easily caught it. With a groan she set out to scrub and was happy when it just wiped clean.

Suddenly flashing lights were outside their house and a loud pounding came at the door. "Fire department," someone yelled and the door crashed open. Buffy and Willow were startled and her slayer instincts kicked in, wanting to attack.

"What's going on?" Willow had to raise her voice over the sudden intrusion of noise while positioning herself in front of Buffy to stop her.

"Neighbors reported smoke coming from your home. Follow us, please," one man instructed, holding out his hand.

"They say there's a fire, let's go!" Buffy informed racing up the stairs to make sure Tara and Joy were fine.

"Smoke!" Willow announced from her position in the kitchen. Smoke started to billow out from under the door in the basement. She started to cough as it quickly rose and she breathed it in.

"Out! Now!" Buffy ordered and ushered Tara and Joy down the stairs right into a cloud of smoke. Tara tucked Joy's head against her shoulder and Buffy tried to cover Tara but the height difference made it difficult. A fireman grabbed Willow and pulled her out of the house behind Buffy, Tara, and Joy.

They were coughing and two sets of paramedics came rushing up. "We'll take you to the hospital to get checked out," one announced to Willow who was still trying to get the smoke out of her lungs.

"It's a precaution, miss, smoke inhalation can be serious, especially for children," one of the medics stated, nodding over to Joy.

Another medic took Joy and handed her to Willow while they looked over Tara quickly. One of the other medics started to usher Willow and Joy into one ambulance while Tara and Buffy were taken to another one. The ambulances took off, lights whirling, sirens silent.

"Um, the hospital is the other way," Willow noted as she tried to look over Joy and discover any injuries.

"Can you please place the baby here," he patted the cot. "I need to check her out.

"We know, miss," the medic smiled at her. "The fire trucks have blocked the road, both rigs couldn't fit through, we're going around and back up," he tried to explain.

Willow nodded and placed Joy on the stretcher. He kept Willow's attention on the baby while using one hand to check her out but his other hand snuck out and plunged the needle into Willow's arm.

"Got her, let's go," the medic announced. The sirens blared as they raced down the street.

"I'm sorry, miss, but you really must keep your voice down. This is a hospital," The nurse admonished.

"Screw that. Are you telling me that There was never a second ambulance? Are you telling me that my girlfriend and my daughter are missing? Is that what you're telling me?" Buffy was near hysterics.

While Tara was checking out Buffy had gone to see where Willow and Joy were only to hear that the hospital had no record of a second ambulance being sent to the scene or entering the hospital.

"Ma'am, if you don't maintain some control I'll be forced to call security." The nurse tried again.

"Fuck security!" Buffy suddenly screamed out and slammed her hand down on the large counter the nurse hid behind, causing a large dent to form. She stormed away and started to make some calls.

"Xander! Xander wake up this instant!" Buffy yelled into the phone at the answering machine. She heard the noise on the other end of the line.

"Xander, something's happened to Willow and Joy. Get to the hospital please. Tara and I are here. Something was set up. Something's happened."

It felt like an eternity, but by the time Xander and Anya came stumbling into the emergency room Tara was just being released and two pot-bellied security guards were trying to look menacing as they stood watching Buffy pace like a wild animal trapped in a cage.

"Buffy!" Xander called out, knowing better than to rush the blonde when she was like this.

Buffy and Tara raced over to Xander. "They took my baby!" Tara cried out and threw her arms around Anya who awkwardly, but genuinely tried to console Tara.

Buffy was enraged and in full slayer mode. "Can we go home? There might be clues there." She growled out.

It didn't take them long to make it back to Buffy's house and the Slayer was already racing from the car before it pulled to a complete stop. Dawn and Freddie met them at the front door, concern and confusion clearly etched into their young faces. "Buffy, what's going on?"

Buffy pushed past them and Tara took it upon herself to explain what little they knew. "Someone took Willow and Joy," was all she got out as she rushed into the house after Buffy.

"What?" Dawn yelled out and quickly followed the others, Freddie, Xander, and Anya not far behind her.

Buffy was downstairs when the others finally caught up with her. She was throwing piles of clothes around, pulling out tables and shelves, and finally pulled the washing machine from the wall and that's when she spotted it. "Damn it! I knew it!" She pulled out two packets and studied them. Without even acknowledging the others she pushed passed them and bounded up the stairs.

"Buffy, what's going on? What are those?" Xander asked as he tried to comfort his friend.

Buffy paced back and forth in the kitchen and growled when Xander got too close. He immediately and wisely backed off. "Smoke bombs. It was a fucking set up."

Everyone blanched at Buffy's angry words and knew that if the Slayer was resorting to full curses than she was beyond angry, easily taking up residence in the land of the livid. "What do we do?" Dawn asked.

Anya was about to suggest that they ask Willow to just track the serial numbers on the packets but quickly realized the folly in that plan. Before anyone else could put forth a plan the phone's shrill ringing broke into the fray. Buffy lunged forward and in her haste to answer it, nearly ripped the phone off the wall completely. "Hello?"

"They're safe. Stay away and they'll remain safe. This is not a trap. This is not a lure. We want you far away. Do be a dear and follow these simple instructions." The line went dead.

The near death experience the phone experienced before hand was nothing compared to the shattered pieces of plastic that flew outwards as Buffy slammed the phone down, leaving a considerable hole in the wall in the process. Tara was hesitant to go to Buffy and wondered if, for the first time, she was actually afraid *of* her lover. "Buffy?" She called out gently, not wanting to startle a clearly enraged Slayer.

Buffy spun on her heels but her eyes softened when she saw Tara and opened her arms. Tara didn't waste a second and fell into Buffy's embrace and the two fell the floor, crying. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Buffy cried out. She couldn't protect them. She couldn't stop them. She let herself get so lax over time and these English bastards had... "English bastards!" Buffy cried out and jumped to her feet, leaving Tara completely startled on the floor.

The others were about to leave the lovers to their cry-fest when Buffy's cry brought them all rushing back in. Buffy's brain kicked in and realized how she left her lover and reached down to help her up. "English! He had an English accent." Buffy tried to explain as she gave Tara a quick once over to make sure she was okay.

"But... but why would they?" Dawn tried to grasp what was happening. She'd known some of what the Council had done to Buffy as stories were told over the last three years and knew she didn't like them, but she didn't think that Willow and Joy had anything the Council would need.

"Because Joy's the daughter of a slayer and two witches." Tara started, the thoughts steadily clicking into their right places. "And you're the oldest living slayer, so they probably never had a situation like this before."

"Fucking bastards!" Buffy yelled and went to grab the phone and realized it was a lost cause. She pushed herself through her friends again and grabbed the phone in the living room, the others following, but keeping a safe distance. She began dialing frantically cursing at the unusually long phone number.

"But why take Willow? Why bring a powerful witch along for the kidnapping of her own child?" Xander asked, trying to get the whole situation squared away in his head.

"Well, we had hoped to announce it under better circumstances, but Willow's pregnant and the Council probably wanted to make sure they had complete control over the situation." Tara tried to answer though her mind was clashing with thoughts on the nastiest spells she could find to cause the Council as much damage as possible, while also trying to find ways to save her lover and daughter.

"Giles!" Buffy yelled into the phone. "The goddamn Council took Willow and Joy!"

"Wha-what?" Giles' groggy voice came over the line and he tried to process what Buffy just announced.

"But why... oh dear," he groaned as the same thoughts quickly clicked in his head as well. "I'll get right on it here. I'll see if they've come back to England at all, you make sure that everything's taken care of on your end there."

"They're human, Giles, but I can't promise anything if Joy or Willow are hurt." Buffy growled her warning.

"Understood, and neither can I." Giles tried to placate Buffy, knowing it would be useless to argue with her when she was like this, even as he felt the same way once his mind grasped what was happening. He just prayed that, if anything did happen to the girls, Buffy would pull through in the end and make the right decision, and no matter which one that was, he'd support her through it... if he didn't get to the Council first.

Buffy hung up the phone. "He's looking into it. Checking to see if they're on their way back to England. I'm going out on patrol and I'll try to catch them if I can. Can you guys stay here and watch Tara? They probably won't be back, but just in case."

Freddie was beside himself and kept his mouth shut as he took in the whole scene from Dawn's side. He'd never seen Buffy this angry before and he wasn't afraid to admit it scared him a whole lot. He knew about the slaying, about the weird goings-on that always seemed to pop up, and even went on an occasional patrol with them. But he never was apart of a crisis or an impending apocalypse. He looked over to Dawn as Buffy rushed out of the house and wondered how they did it. He heard the stories of the times when the world almost ended. How Dawn was the key. How she was kidnapped almost weekly and wondered how they could lead lives that had happiness and fun and go about their days like they didn't just save the world the night before. He smiled down at his girlfriend and couldn't help but take that moment to think how very happy he was to apart of this group, albeit by proxy, and hoped there was something he could do to help the women who had taken him in, but he couldn't help a bit out of place with all these 'super hero' types. Instead, he made a silent vow right there and then that he'd do the one thing he knew he could... support Dawn and with that came supporting everyone else.

It had been several hours and Buffy finally came dragging herself back into the house. Everyone had taken up temporary residence in the living room and at some point Xander and Anya left to pick up their son so they could watch him too while they tried to track down Willow and Joy. Buffy couldn't help but stare longingly at the little boy that slept soundly next to Anya, completely oblivious to the horrors that were going on around him at that very instant.

"Buffy!" Tara called out and then immediately sent an apologetic smile to Anya when she realized that she just risked waking Alex. Anya nodded to tell her it was understood and that no harm had come. Tara rushed forward and pulled Buffy into a hug, but immediately pulled away when she heard the gasp from her lover's lips. She let her eyes take in every aspect of Buffy and realized that she had several bruises and cuts. "You're hurt," she stated softly and started to move for the first aid kit.

"I'm fine," Buffy grumbled and before she could protest further the phone rang, interrupting any debate that was about to take place. Buffy raced forward and picked up the phone, this time being a little more cautious with the device. "Hello?"

"Buffy, it's Giles," he stated as though the slayer wouldn't have figured it out after hearing his voice for six years.

"Actually, I may have found something. There are no records to indict the Council's team will be returning to England soon." Buffy's shoulders slumped forward as she took in his words as bad news. "I did, however, manage to track them to New York."

"What?" Buffy cried out. She wasn't sure if she was shocked or happy, perhaps a mix of both. "What the hell are they doing all the way over there?"

"Well," Giles started, "I suspect that they figured you'd get in touch with me and would try to track them back to England. I imagine they picked New York so that they could blend in easier and get lost in the large crowds there."

"I already have two tickets for you and Tara being sent to you via courier service. It should be there first thing in the morning and your flight leaves at 10 am."

"Anything for you, Buffy, you know that. Now, go get my granddaughter and Willow," he commanded gently.

Buffy hung up the phone and turned to th group waiting expectantly. "They're heading for New York. Giles already has tickets on the way for Tara and I. We're going to get packing." Buffy gave the short version, as always, and bounded up the stairs.

"Dawn, you and Freddie need to take over the house for a while, can you do that?" Tara asked, trying to make sure that everything was under control before she took off after her lover and daughter. The two younger ones nodded seriously. This was not the time to think about the joys of having the house all to themselves. Tara smiled her thanks. "Xander, can you and Spike handle patrolling while we're gone?" She saw Xander cringe at the thought of having to work with Spike but nodded that it would be taken care of. With that Tara followed Buffy up the stairs and began to pack.

Xander had dropped them off that morning and they had an easy flight to New York, landing at La Guardia International airport. Buffy, the mighty slayer, actually gripped the back of the seat in front of her as they came in for their landing and Tara couldn't help the small smile that played on her lips. She patted Buffy's thigh, "Next time I'll take the window seat," she offered.

Buffy whimpered and nodded as she watched the plane get closer and closer to the water beneath them. If it wasn't for the sealed cabin, Buffy would have been able to lean over the side and touch the sparkling liquid, or so it seemed. "Are we ever going to reach land before we hit the water?" The blonde gulped.

"I'm sure they know what they're doing, just breath," Tara tried to calm her lover with soothing tones.

"It's always scarey the first few times, until you get used to it," a deep voice from beside Tara offered, a look of sympathy on his face.

He chuckled warmly. "Yeah, we should be coming up to the runaway any second now."

There were a light bump and the squeal of rubber tires meeting asphalt and then the grinding of the breaks being applied. Buffy audibly sighed and couldn't wait to get off the plane so her feet could touch solid ground once again.

Buffy had been to Los Angeles before but the hustle and bustle that buzzed around them was almost overwhelming to the slayer and shy witch. By the time they finally got their bags and located a taxi Buffy was about to spit nails. "I can't believe how rude the people here are," the Slayer groaned as she settled in for a relaxing ride to the hotel.

"Where to?" The cabbie's distinctly Hindu accent floated to them through the Plexiglass, bulletproof divider.

Without further word the driver shot his cab out into traffic, without even looking nor caring about the dozen or so horns blaring from behind him. "Christ!" Buffy yelled as she held onto the 'oh shit' handle and the cab sped out of the airport, flying over potholes, and finally veering onto the parkway heading west back towards the city.

It was a bumpy and scary ride and by the time they finally pulled up in front of the hotel Buffy was wondering if she'd ever done anything as scary before in her life, slaying included. Tara looked absolutely frazzled as she practically stumbled out of the car and waited for Buffy to pay the fare. A bellman came forward and started to unload the bags from the trunk and walked behind the women as the entered the cool lobby and went to the reception desk.

The man looked down at his console and typed in the information. "One room, queen bed, and you've requested that Internet service be available, is that correct, ma'am?" He spouted, without even looking up from his computer.

"Yeah, sounds about right," Buffy answered, too tired to even think about anything and just wanted to get up to her room, sleep for a little bit and get right into searching.

He passed a piece of paper to the bellman and their luggage was brought up to the room. "Please sign here," he instructed. Buffy quickly scribbled her name across the line and pushed it back, wanting to be finished with the stupid formalities and just throw herself on the bed she knew was waiting for them. He took the forms back, finished up his work, and finally handed Buffy an envelope with two cards. "Take the elevator to the third floor and exit to the right." He instructed.

Buffy eagerly grabbed the cards and then Tara's hand, pulling her to the elevator. It wasn't hard to find the room, but Buffy, in all her skills, couldn't manage to time the card and the lock just right to get through the door. Tara gently pushed Buffy to the side, took the card, and with one swipe entered the room. Buffy grumbled under her breath as she stepped past the threshold, but made sure to give her lover a grateful kiss. Before Tara could close the door the bellman arrived with their bags. He brought them into the room, setting them on the floor beside the bed, and left when Tara handed him a few dollars as a tip.

Tara pulled out the laptop and couldn't help but let a tear escape at the thought of her missing lover. Buffy came over and wrapped her strong arms around Tara, nuzzling her neck gently. "We'll find them, I promise," Buffy vowed. She pulled back and Tara plugged in the modem and the screeching could be heard as it tried to make a connection to the Internet. "I talked to Giles before we left. He said a hacker friend of his was going to try to get a better location on them and that he'd email us with the details." Buffy informed.

Tara nodded and started to log in, immediately checking the email, and sighed with relief when she saw one marked urgent with the subject line "Seek and Ye Shall Find." She bypassed all others and opened that one while Buffy threw herself onto the bed with an exaggerated groan. Tara read the email, not understanding any of the locations, but the hacker thankfully provided basic directions and different web sites they could visit in order to get exact directions from where they were. Tara jotted down the most important bits of information, saved the email as new for future reference, and shut down the system. She looked over and noticed Buffy was out cold, too exhausted from the stress, slaying, injuries, and travel, especially with a time difference to adjust to on top of it all. With a gentle, but loving kiss, Tara left the bed and headed for the shower. She'd give Buffy about an hour before she tried to wake her. At least it would give them time to eat and survey the area before they would attempt sneaking in.

As the warm water pounded against her aching flesh, Tara couldn't help but wonder if things were far too easy. This was the Council, after all. How would they allow themselves to get tracked so quickly. Not that the prospect of rescuing her family within the next few hours was a bad one, but something just seemed 'off.'

By the time they finally pulled up at the end of the block from the address they received in the email it was already 4pm. Sunset wouldn't be for at least another 3 hours, which meant they had to decide whether or not to charge in without the cover of darkness to help give them an advantage or wing it and risk being seen before they got inside. It really didn't take them long to decide that they'd split up, one taking the front, the other taking the rear, and with a little luck they both managed to get up to the doorways without any alarms going off.

Buffy kicked in the door, it flying off its hinges and sailing across the room. At the commotion, Tara opened the door on her end, snapping the lock with magicks. They both rushed in at the same moment and Buffy was a split second too late. "Tara, stop!" The witch skid to a halt, but Buffy's momentum from her slayer-speed carried her forward.

She tried to grab for something, anything, but all the jagged edges broke in her hands, ripping into her skin and before she knew it her body landed with a reverberating thud.

"Buffy!" Tara called out. The witch started to shuffle around the gaping hole in the building and tried to see into it, but it was like a black abyss. "Buffy! Are you okay?" Still no response. "Answer me!" Tara was near hysterics as she kept moving around the large hole trying to find an angle that would reveal the depths her lover fell into. She forced herself to calm down and as she took in a centering breath the idea to try the spell Willow had used to light up the burnt out school when they searched for Riley came into mind. "Fiat lux!" Tara called out and a pop echoes around her with some wisps of smoke wafting up through the air while a dim light grew and slowly filled the darkness.

A low groan was heard and as the light touched further into the hole Tara was able to see Buffy. Her mind, though frantic, knew instantly that the awkward angle Buffy's leg was at was anything but natural and in all likelihood broken. "Buffy!, don't move." Tara cringed realizing that the Slayer probably couldn't move even if she wanted too. "I'm going to call for help. I'll be right back."

"What were you kids doing messing around in that abandoned building?" The cop asked as Tara nervously fidgeted, wringing her hands, as they stood in the emergency waiting room.

Tara wanted to balk at the thought of still being considered a kid, but then she realized to him she really was just a kid. "We were, ah, were looking for someone." She knew the police wouldn't be of any help if the Council was involved and hoped that he'd just leave soon enough so she could worry about her lover alone.

"Ms. Maclay?" A woman's voice called out and Tara spun, rushing away from the officer. "We have Ms. Summers stabilized at the moment, but she's not yet conscious. The blow to her head was substantial and she has several fractures and breaks." The doctor took a deep breath. "Ma'am, your partner's injuries are quite severe. She's in a comatose state at the moment and her back was damaged in the fall. If she does wake there's a great chance that she may not be able to walk again." Tara gasped, but the doctor continued. "There's also a chance, due to the injure to her head, that she may experience amnesia."

Tara stumbled and would have collapsed if the doctor and the police officer didn't rush to catch her. "Are... are you sure?" Tara asked, not believing this. A Slayer who couldn't move would literally be a sitting target, not to mention the fact that if Buffy couldn't even remember who she or anyone else was could be just as dangerous and heart wrenching and now both of those fates were bearing down on them. "Can I... when can I see her?"

"We're going to be moving her into a private room shortly. Once she's settled I'll have someone bring you to her. Ms. Maclay," the doctor gently squeezed Tara's arm and the Witch looked up to see sympathetic eyes, "I'm sorry."

Tara nodded and the doctor turned away while the officer lead her to a chair. "I have to... I have to make a call." Tara said, pushing herself back up onto unsteady legs. She shuffled over to the pay phone, everything around her foggy, and she dialed, collect, to the Magic Box.

"There is a collect call from... Tara Maclay... do you accept the charges?" An automated voice, interlaced with Tara's own weary tone, crackled over the phone.

"Yes," Anya answered. A click was heard and then the lines were connected, "Tara?"

"What happened?" Anya asked, her pitch increasing. 'I don't know yet, stop it,' Anya's barely hushed voice was heard as she pulled the phone away, obviously talking to whoever was hording around her for the news as well.

"She fell," Tara answered simply. And it was simple. Just a tumble, a trip, a spill. No death defying flight from building-to-building, or intense battle. Just a fall.

"What? She what? Tara, I think something's wrong with the line here. Did you say she just fell?" Anya's incredulous voice came blaring through the ear piece.

"Anya, please," Tara was bordering on tears and she wondered how long she'd be able to hold on. "We can't keep up the search for Willow and Joy and I'm not sure how to get back home... she's... oh god Anya, she's in a coma," Tara spilled out and the tears finally came pouring forth.

Clink, clung, bang, boom... the phone tumbled along the counter at the Magic Box. "Hello?" Xander's voice came through the line.

"Ms. Maclay?" Tara turned to face a nurse. "You can see your partner now." Tara nodded and was guided silently to the room.

"Anya! Anya what happened?" Xander was frantic as Anya just stared at the phone.

"Huh? What? I mean wait, she's a slayer, she can't be in a coma." Xander tried to reason.

Xander slumped into a chair, suddenly exhausted. Faith was a slayer and she had been in a coma for about 8 months. They barely survived when Buffy had died for those four or five months. If she was in a coma... Xander shook his head and decided he wasn't going to think about it. "Anya, can you get me a ticket to fly out there, I'm going to call Giles and let him know."

Anya nodded and set out to locate the number of an airline while Xander started to dial the long digits to connect to Giles.

Tara stood outside the door for long minutes as she tried to scavenge up the courage to push through the small barrier, fortifying herself against the horror she knew awaited behind the door. With a deep breath of resolve, she pushed lightly and the door gave way. Slowly, she inched her way into the dimly lit room and wasn't quick enough to stifle the gasp as she took in the sight of her prone lover. The mighty Slayer has fallen and now she looked like nothing more than a young girl overcome by the webs of IV lines and cords that protruded from under the covers to monitor various vital signs. "Oh, Buffy," Tara cried out, her hand clasping over mouth as she rushed to Buffy's side.

A bandage was wrapped thickly around the top of Buffy's head, her eyes were puffy and closed, her hands rested on top of the neatly laid hospital blanket, each limb covered with medical tape to keep the IV drips from pulling out. A respirator was in her nose providing a constant supply of fresh oxygen, filling the otherwise silent room with a low hiss.

Tara pulled a chair close to the side of the bed and carefully slid her hand into Buffy's, cradling it while tears spilled forth. "Oh, baby, please be okay, please, please be okay."

Anya was able to get Xander on the next flight out, though it took a lot of haggling and negotiations. He grabbed a quick overnight back, which all the Scoobies already had packed in cases of emergency, and raced to the airport. He left instructions that Giles was going to be flying in as soon as possible and that he'd call when he got in and checked on Buffy.

A few hours later, after wading through the heavy traffic at J.F.K. Airport, Xander went straight to the hospital. After checking in at the nurses station he was directed to the 6th floor where he saw Tara walking out of the room. "Tara!" He called out and then quickly looked around realizing he was being a bit loud.

Tara's head snapped out at the sound of her name in a familiar voice and she looked surprised for a moment before rushing over to him. "My god, Xander, what are you doing here?" She asked while throwing her arms around him in a hug.

"I got on the next flight. Giles is flying in from England. He said he'll work on getting her transferred to a hospital in Sunnydale or possibly some in-home care once he gets in." Xander explained. Tara nodded slowly, understanding the words, but not really processing them. They stood there for a few moments, silently holding each other, Tara cried and Xander was close to tears himself. "How is she?" he finally asked.

"No change," Tara pushed out through a sob. "Oh, Xander, it was so stupid. A stupid accident."

Tara nodded. "We broke into this warehouse where a friend of Giles said they were keeping Willow and Joy but when Buffy ran in, the floor had this huge hole and she... she couldn't... stop in time."

"What about her slayer healing?" Xander tried to find the upside to this terrible situation.

Tara shrugged. "I don't know, it's not like there's a chart available to measure recovery time according to the different injuries." Tara bit her lip and looked up at her friend with sad eyes, "I'm sorry, Xander. I just wish this would end. Just wish we could settle down without worrying about who's out to get us all the time."

Xander nodded knowingly, they all wished that to one degree or another, but surely it had to be more difficult for Buffy and therefore for Willow, Tara, and Joy as well. Buffy, no matter what, would always be a target and by proxy so would her family and friends.

Tara kept up a constant vigil over her lover and while the nurses granted the witch some leeway with visiting Buffy after hours, Xander was forced to leave when the visiting hours ended at 9 PM. Through the helpful staff of the hospital and the understanding management at the hotel, they managed to get Xander to stay in their room at the Holiday Inn while Tara was set up with a room at the hospital's Mont Sinai hotel, which was just across the street from her lover. Still, Tara spent very little time there, opting instead to pace the halls, rest in the waiting room, or take periodic visits to Buffy's room.

Xander, however, was racking up an incredible phone bill at the hotel by keeping in almost constant touch with everyone back in Sunnydale. The laptop the girls left in the room was open and he had a private chat room running where he could talk to everyone whenever he wasn't on the phone with them. He was restless as the early morning hours crept across Manhattan and in any other circumstances he would have found the view quite breathtaking. With a heavy hearted sigh he pushed himself off the bed and went to gaze out of the window, pushing the curtain away from the large window and looked down seven stories with a gulp. He took in the constant movement, even at the early hour of 3 AM, people bustling around the streets, traffic vying for the road, the twinkling lights that gleamed off almost every building and yet all he could think about was his friends.

With a sad shake of his head, Xander turned from the window allowing the curtains to fall back into place. He looked at the computer screen and noticed that though the private chat room had people in it, no one was talking. He was just about to force himself back into bed when a message appeared in the room.

Xander pulled the laptop onto the bed and laid down in front of it and started to type, hoping that even if there was no news yet on either side, they could at least keep each other company on this lonely night.

DawnMister: Giles just arrived. Anya went to pick him up from the airport. They should be back pretty soon.

DawnMister: Sure thing. Heaven forbid he actually get on this 'infernal contraption,' huh?

Xander chuckled and gave the screen in front of him a sad smile, glad to see that Dawn was trying to be brave through this.

XanMan: What are you still doing up? Shouldn't you be all with the snugglies by now?

DawnMister: Freddie's here, we've taken up camp at the Magic Box. What'd you call it? Norad?

DawnMister: Oh hey, they just walked in. Giles is going to call you in a minute. Hang on.

DawnMister: Okay, he says Anya filled him in on what she knows so far and he has some information about the Council. He's going to take a minute to catch his breath, something about Anya's driving, and then he'll call, okay?

Xander put the laptop back up on the small table that sat against the wall and then returned to the bed, sitting on the edge, staring hard at the phone. When it finally did ring Xander jumped, lost so deep into his trance to will the device to ring that it startled him when it finally did. He snatches up quickly, "Hello?"

Xander smirked, knowing that after so many years if he didn't know Giles' voice there would be a problem, but he pushed it aside quickly and got right down to business. "Dawn said you have some news about the Council?"

"Ah, yes. It appears that the email my friend sent was tracked and changed to purposefully lead the girls to the wrong location. Unfortunately, that can lead us to believe that they know we're onto them and will go to great lengths to ensure that they are not located."

"So, what you're saying is, it was a set up and we have no way to know where Will and Joy are?" Xander, in all this skills, managed to once again cut Giles' abundant words down to a concise statement.

"Great," Xander muttered. "So what do we do now?" The young man asked, hoping the wise older man would have an answer for them.

"Right now I think it's best if everyone gets some sleep. In the morning I will contact the hospital and will make arrangements to have Buffy transferred out here as soon as possible."

"I'm not sure, Xander. I don't believe the Council would hurt them, but we need to research and try to find where they could have taken the girls. If they're not in England and not in New York, I'm not sure where they could be."

Xander slumped forward, deflated. "Okay, Giles. I'll call you in the morning with the contact information for the hospital."

"I'll try. Giles," Xander took a deep breath as a heavy weariness filled his body, "thanks for coming."

Xander's limbs felt like lead weights as he dropped the phone back onto the receiver and crawled under the covers.

It took some manipulation and lots of arrangements, but the hospital released the care of Buffy over to Giles and the trio were scheduled for a medical flight back to California by the end of the day. With some contacts he still retained, Giles managed to get a private set up at the Summers house so that they could keep a close eye on Buffy. If she managed to make a rapid recovery due to her slayer healing they did not want to deal with any hospital officials as a result.

Dawn paced anxiously up and down the large airport waiting area for arriving flights while Giles, the epitome of calm stood stoically with his arms crossed over his chest. Freddie leaned up against the wall next to Giles, watching his girlfriend frantically wear a track into the floor. Anya remained at the house to make sure everything was set up for Buffy when she returned. A clicking, clanking sound reached their ears and everyone was instantly on their feet rushing to the exit as they watched Tara, Xander, and some assistances pushing a stretcher down the hall.

Dawn gasped but fought back the tears that threatened while Freddie came up and wrapped a firm arm around her in support. Giles gave Tara and then Xander a comforting hug before taking up pace next to the stretcher and if anyone noticed the brief instant where tears sparkled in his eyes, no one commented. "There's a van waiting out front to bring her to the house," Giles informed one of the assistants who just nodded.

With Buffy safely secured into the van the assistants left to catch the returning flight while everyone else piled in and Giles carefully maneuvered the vehicle through Sunnydale traffic. Everyone let out a collective breath as soon as he turned onto Revello Drive and they saw Anya waiting anxiously at the front door. Giles pulled the van as far up the driveway as he could and then he and Xander pulled the stretcher out, lifting it up over the steps. The living room had been transformed from a familiar and comfortable gathering place to something akin to a hospital room, machines and supplies spread throughout.

Once the men transferred Buffy to the bed they were quickly pushed aside as Dawn and Tara took up permanent positions on opposites of Buffy, each taking a hand. Soft whispers of warm endearments wafted up to the other Scoobies who slowly backed out of the room to collect themselves in the kitchen while a nurse began to hook Buffy up to the monitors and make sure she was settled in properly.

Xander started digging through the fridge for drinks while Giles removed his glasses and began to clean them. Freddie sat at the table with Anya as he looked around, feeling somewhat out of place in all this.

"Now we wait," Giles informed wearily. "Buffy will retain consciousness in her own time and when she does we'll be there for her."

And thus they waited. Hours melded into days as Dawn and Tara kept constant watch over Buffy, moving her arms and legs to keep the circulation going. Periodic checks from a private nurse. Around the clock research into where Willow and Joy could be. The Scoobies filled the void, always keeping busy with one thing or another and a somber air filled the house, each one lost in their private thoughts.

Reports came in to Giles that the girls were being held in many different states and cities across the country and even some instances where they were tracked to other countries, but none of the reports turned out fruitful. With each failed attempt Giles dug further into his resources, calling on every friend and even some whose loyalties were questionable. He had people across the globe with talents ranging from sciences to illegal maneuvers searching high and low for Willow and Joy.

The phone rang and Xander answered it shocked to hear the familiar voice on the other end of the line. "Xander? Is that you?"

"Giles, hey, it's Riley. I don't have a lot of time, but we got a message here that something happened by you guys. What's going on? How can we help?"

"Ahh, so wonderful to hear from you. Actually, we're in the middle of a man hunt of sorts and I'm sure your expertise in the matter may be quite helpful."

"What? I'm sorry, Giles, the line must be breaking up. I thought you said we were tracking down Willow and Joy?"

"No mistake, Riley. The Council has kidnapped them and we've been unsuccessful thus far in locating them. Buffy was injured in her attempt to track them down."

"She's alive, but it's not good, Riley, I'm sorry." Giles knew that though the soldier was happily married to a lovely woman that he still cared a great deal for Buffy.

"Giles, take down this number. Tell the man there that you're sending this for me and I'll get a team on the search immediately. Send me everything you have so we don't waste time searching where you've already looked."

Giles grabbed a pen off the table and wrote down the number Riley listed off to him. "I'll have one of the kids send you the information as soon as we get it together into something manageable. Thank you again, Riley."

"No need, Giles. I have to go, but don't worry, we'll find Willow and Joy." Riley assured.

Giles hung up the phone and couldn't keep a hopeful smile from dancing across his lips, which Xander was quick to catch. "We have soldier boys helping now?"

Giles nodded and slowly made his way back to the chair where he was reading up on some material and cast a glance at the bed in the corner of the room. Tara sat in a chair, her head resting on the bed, eyes closed, her hand idly stroking lazy circles along Buffy's arm. Giles closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose praying that this would soon enough.

"Buffy?" Tara's voice drifted through and caught everyone's attention instantly.

Giles pushed up from his chair and nearly collided with Xander as they moved to the bed. "Tara?" Giles questioned when he saw that Buffy seemed to be in the same state as she had been all week.

"She's coming back," Tara whispered, afraid that if she spoke any louder it would break the moment and they'd lose Buffy again. "Buffy? Sweetie, come back to us," Tara soothed, brushing strands of hair from the Slayer's forehead.

Everyone stood still for long moments, holding their collective breathes. Giles was about to write off the incident as some common medical event but the moment he opened his mouth a distinctly female moan came out. He snapped his mouth shut and squinted his eyes at Buffy's prone form.

"That's it, baby, come back to us. You're safe now, come back," Tara kept whispering.

Dawn was almost beside herself. She thought she heard Buffy when Tara did, but after waiting long moments she started to give up hope. Now she was sure everyone had heard the moan and that she wasn't making this up in her head as wishful thinking. "Hey, Buffy, it's me Dawn. If you wake up I promise you can boss me around all you want," the young woman offered as a tear slipped down her cheek.

Freddie came up behind her and pressed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. With the hand that wasn't gripping Buffy desperately, Dawn reached up and gripped Freddie's, patting it gently in a silent appreciation of his gesture.

Slowly, almost achingly so, Buffy's eyes started to open. It took her a few tries while her eyes adjusted to being used again and she was silently grateful for the dim lighting around the room. "Wh..." her voice cracked out weakly and she tried to lick her lips.

In a split second everyone was suddenly bounding around the room nearly plowing each other over trying to get Buffy a simple glass of water. Buffy flinched, a bit frightened by the flurry of movement, which came across as blurred streaks in her vision.

Someone handed Tara a glass of water with a straw sticking out of it. The witch took it and turned to the Slayer. "Buffy," her voice was soft and soothing and Buffy immediately reacted to it, latching on to the one calm thing around her. "Try to take a few sips of this, okay?" Tara moved the straw forward and used her other hand to raise Buffy's head.

Buffy managed to get some of the liquid in her mouth but when she started to cough Tara pulled the glass away, barely noticing someone taking it from her. The witch pulled a tissue from the table next to her and started to wipe Buffy's chin. "Why can't I move? Where am I?" Buffy asked, her voice still incredibly hoarse despite the water, as it too needed to remember how to be used.

"You're at home, Buffy. You had an accident and were hurt." Tara tried to explain as gently as she could around the large lump forming in her throat. She fought valiantly against the tears that wanted to spill forth as she looked upon her weakened lover.

"Who..." Buffy's voice broke and she took a moment to collect herself and tried again. "Who are you?"

Tara had to look away as her stomach lurched painfully, flipping and flopping inside of her. She bit back the cry that was pushing up from her throat. Thankfully Dawn came to the rescue. "Buffy," she beckoned and waited until the Slayer turned to face her. "I'm Dawn. We're sisters," Dawn choked a bit on her own tears.

"I'm sorry. I don't... I don't remember," Buffy admitted. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut not wanting to see the hurt expressions or deal with the pain she could feel creeping through her body. "I'm tired." She announced, refusing to look at the group around her.

"It's okay, Buffy, just rest. We're here if you need us," Tara offered and slid her hand from Buffy's. She watched silently, knowing everyone's eyes were shifting from Buffy to her, but she ignored them. Once she was sure the Slayer had fallen back to sleep, Tara stood. "Excuse me," she announced and quickly walked from the room.

Everyone exchanged nervous glances, wondering if they should let the Witch have some time to herself and deal with this or if at least one of them should go talk to her. It was somehow silently agreed that Tara should have her moment alone and if she didn't return after a while someone would go to her.

The evening passed in sad silence, shifts being set up to care for Buffy, the nurse facility informed of Buffy's change in condition, and arrangements made to have her looked at to gauge when her physical therapy should begin.

"Commander!" A gruff voice called out from across the field as he ran to his commanding officer.

Riley turned from his conversation with Sam and three other soldiers, "Yes, Soldier?"

"Commander," he repeated as he stopped in front of Riley, "We have a solid track on your friends, sir."

Riley and Sam immediately gave the solider their undivided attention. "Details, Soldier," Riley ordered.

"Sir, we tracked them to...." A helicopter flew low overhead, cutting off the rest of the man's words and everyone's eyes drifted skyward to watch the approaching machine.

"We should touch down in another two hours. I have to go, we're losing the signal." Riley responded.

"Safe flight," Giles offered before the line went dead. He turned and all eyes were on him. "Ah, that was Riley," he reiterated the obvious. "It appears they've finally obtained a solid lead on where Willow and Joy are."

"Great, where? Let's go?" Xander stood up, bouncing on the balls of his feet ready to take off.

"Giles, if they know where Willow and Joy I want to be there," Tara voiced her opinion as she stepped forward.

"Stupid," Giles cursed himself. "The bloody bastards hide the girls in plain sight."

"What? I mean, how could that be?" Xander tried to wrap is mind around the fact that Willow and Joy were right under their noses the whole time.

Giles walked over and slid onto the couch, pulling his glasses from his weary face and rubbed his tired eyes. "They had us searching everywhere else all over the world and the whole time they never left town. I really don't know how many more ways I can explain this," he started to snap, exhaustion filling his body.

"Okay, so we just grab some weapons and kick in the door, much in the way of John Wayne?" Xander tried.

"Riley and Sam are on their way with some back up. He said they should land in about two hours. Once they arrive we'll discuss the best plan of action and..."

"Giles, I understand your views on this, really I do," Tara tried diplomatically, "but I want my baby and lover back and I'm really not in the mood to plan out a huge battle only to find out they've slipped away in the night while we were sitting on our asses. So when Riley and Sam get here I'm grabbing that ax and I'm walking out of that door," Tara pointed to the two items. "In the mean time, I'm going to sit with my other lover who has absolutely no idea who I am and pray that she will at least remember her daughter." Tara spun on her heals and stormed out of the room leaving behind a group of shocked friends.

Giles knew he was outnumbered and just let his head fall back against the couch, praying that no one else would get hurt in the process. Praying that Willow and Joy were still safe.

Anya, Tara, Giles, Sam, and a soldier were piled in Giles' car while Riley and three other soldiers rode with Xander. The cars raced through town curving down towards the woods until they reached the old caves. Giles pulled to a stop on the side of the road and looked over to Sam. "It'll be okay, Giles." Sam gave the older man a warm smile before climbing from the car.

"All weapons on stun. This is a no-kill mission, soldiers." Riley was informing his men as Sam and the other soldier joined them.

Giles couldn't help but release a relieved breath when he heard them. It didn't do much to quell the fear he had, but Sam had informed him of a basic plan that was developed on the flight over. At least they wouldn't be charging in blindly.

Tara was fidgeting anxiously, while Anya tried to comfort her with awkward pats on her shoulder. "Can we go?" She finally asked.

"Sorry, Tara, just trying to make sure this goes does as smoothly as possible," Sam offered an understanding smile..

"Lock and load," Riley announced and his team fell in behind him, the Scoobies taking up positions behind the soliders.

They trekked through the woods, crouching behind trees and boulders as they slowly but steadily made their way towards the caves. They could see the red glow of someone smoking from inside the cave and knew they'd just hit the jackpot. Riley made a bunch of hand signals and his team responded instantly, while the confused Scoobies stayed crounged next to him and Sam.

Riley looked to Sam and then the group behind him and nodded. "Engage," he announced. Two men skulked forward and there was a quick grunt followed by a thud and the man in the front of the cave was down. Everyone moved forward, quickly and silently. They wove their way through the inner workings of the cave, the skill of trained soldiers allowed them to easily disarm the stray men who they came across. "Target down," kept crackling over the ear pieces the Initiative members wore.

"I thought they'd have more security," Xander whispered to no one in particular.

They entered an opening into the center of the cave and suddenly hordes or military and plain-clothes guards were swarming the area. Riley looked back and gave Xander a stern look. The young man just shrugged. Riley pulled his team back and looked to Giles. "With this many guards our best bet is to go in charging before they realize we're here. We can keep them occupied while you guys go in to get Willow and Joy," Riley explained their very limited options.

"You too," Sam answered before they turned back to the center of the cave. "Baker, Charlie, prepare to engage."

Suddenly flashes of light, smoke, and chaos erupted everywhere. Riley, Sam, and their team rushed into the room and began to take down guards before they could realize what was happening. The Council's team recovered quickly and began to fight back, not afraid to use real bullets. Giles ushered the Scoobies along the wall.

If it wasn't such a deadly situation Xander would have given Giles a look that just screamed 'Duh!' but as it was, they were busy dodging bullets and pawing their way through the haze of smoke. They came to a large door and Giles was about to fret over how they were going to get past the security device without the pass-key and code when Tara raised her hand and a small shockwave hit the keypad. It sparked and fizzled, and the others stood almost shocked for a moment, especially when Tara didn't give it more than a cursory glance and kept walking towards the door.

"Tara! Watch out," Xander cried out as he made his way through the door next just in time to see three guards raise their guns at the blonde.

Tara turned and nothing happened. The guards didn't move, the guns didn't fire, and Xander stepped out into the hall to see Tara with a look of intense concentration written on her face. "Get the guns, knock them out," Tara grunted, straining to talk against the effort it was taking to freeze the guards.

Xander hesitated for a moment before he rushed forward, that part of him that was still G.I. Joe-man taking over. He grabbed the guns from the three guards and smashed the butts of them against the back of the men's skulls, knocking them unconscious. The oddest part was that even though they were unconscious, they remained standing, and it was only until Tara saw the last one slump that she finally released the spell. The men crumpled to the floor in a boneless heap and Tara had to lean against the wall, her breathing ragged.

While Xander searched the guards for weapons or anything they could use, Giles rushed forward and put a hand on the blonde witch to help support her. "Tara, are you all right?" His voice was tinged, not just with concern, but respect and perhaps even a touch of fear.

Tara closed her eyes and tried to focus, the job was not yet done. She took a deep breath and opened them while nodding at the Watcher. "We have to keep going."

The Englishman had hoped to get Tara away from here but he knew there was no way she'd ever sit back and wait when it came to her child and lover. Additionally, Giles mused that they probably wouldn't have ogtten this far this fast or might have even been captured already if it wasn't for the witch he was now helping down the halls.

While Riley, Sam, and their crew drew the main fire and most of the attention, the Scoobies wove their way through the maze of the caves, keeping to the shadows whenever possible until they reached another dead end blocked by another door. All eyes turned to Tara, perhaps expecting the blonde to have already fried the device and gone charging onward like she had before, but she was drained. She reached out her hand her muscles tight, her limb shaking with the exertion and just as the device popped and fizzled like the last one, Tara fell to her knees breathhng like she ran a marathon.

Giles immediately grabbed Tara, helping her soften her decsent. "Go on ahead, I'll watch her here," Giles instructed.

The Watcher sighed and then looked up to the kids, "Go as far as you can, if you're blocked then come back. Watch your backs," he said, his attention going back to Tara who was fighting to keep her eyes opened.

Xander and Anya rushed through the door and down the halls in their trek to locate Willow and Joy.

"Willow and Joy," the blonde took a breath that was very close to a yawn, "they'll be behind the doors."

Giles took off his glasses and pinched his nose. He had hoped Xander and Anya would be able to complete the rescue without needing Tara's magick again, but that was quickly not becoming the case. "Tara, why are you so drained? I thought..."

Tara shook her head slowly, "The spell for the new baby, the stress, everything with Buffy, and that freeze spell really has been draining me. If I rest just a bit more I can go and get the doors," she informed.

The fact that Tara was drained concerned Giles, but now that he realized the full extent to which Tara had been pushing herself and her powers he was now growing more concerned that she held more magick than anyone even knew about. He knew that, after all these years she had the discipline to control her skills, but he couldn't help but worry about just how much power truly laid within the seemingly shy blonde. He realized that he'd been staring and Tara's blue eyes were watching him closely. He cleared his throat and gave her a half-hearted smile, "Ah, do you think that you can stand well enough now?"

Tara took a moment to run a mental inventory of her strength and then nodded. Taking his proffered hand, she pulled herself up, needing just a second to steady herself before pushing onward. It didn't take them long to catch up with Xander and Anya and as soon as Tara saw the pair standing in front of a sealed door she forced her legs to carry her faster. She looked up and saw Willow's broad and relieved smile through the small window.

"I tried to hit the pad with a spell but it just bounced off," Anya informed, stepping back with Xander's hand in her own.

Tara frowned as she eyed the blinking device that was keeping her from Willow and Joy. She looked up and locked eyes with Willow, "Can you use a spell?" she asked. Willow frowned and shook her head while pointing to her ear.

Tara groaned and then tried to use hand motions to signal her intent to her lover. She pointed to herself then to Willow and back again. Willow nodded that she understood that Tara wanted them to do something together. Tara waved her hand and sent up a little burst of sparkles and Willow again nodded that she understood they'd try to do a spell together. Lastly Tara pointed to the device and Willow tried to move enough to see what Tara was pointing to and then nodded again.

They each took a step back from the door followed by a deep breath before they both closed their eyes. The witches started with something low-level and it kept bouncing off a magick ward so the witches kept increasing the strength of the spell. Tara, however, already drained from her earlier spells, started to wan and Willow could feel the pull as more of the spell started to rest against her. Anya pushed forward and grabbed Tara's hand, closing her eyes to focus her own energies into the witch. Tara gave her a hand a quick squeeze and the power started to come back, but she couldn't give it any further boosts. Giles took up the blonde's other hand and Willow could feel the sudden surge, but more so, they all felt the cracks in the ward. The four of them poured the last bit of strength they could muster and the ward shattered along with the device.

Xander caught Anya as she slumped and Giles was barely able to hold himself and Tara up. Willow flew through the door and grabbed her lover, covering almost every inch of the woman's face with small kisses. "Oh, Tara, I missed you so much, baby."

"Always... find... you," Tara answered as her eyes started to roll back, but she fought to stay conscious.

"They took her from me as soon as we got here," Willow answered with a growl as she tried to support her lover's weight.

"I suggest we move on, she has to be close by and I don't think Tara can handle much more," the Watcher informed.

Everyone nodded and moved through the halls, already knowing the rooms behind them were empty. Xander, being the only one not drained, pressed on ahead to scout out the rooms while the others took their own pace. He called out, "She's down here!"

Perhaps there is something within a mother, perhaps it was a blessing from the Goddess, but Tara found new strength in Xander's words and got her legs to move faster. She looked in and notice Joy was surrounded by toys, puzzles, games, stuffed animals, and anything else a child could ever dream of. She sent a silent thank you to the goddess that Joy wasn't harmed and seemed to have been treated well.

"With another ward," Willow filled in, sensing the magicks surrounding the door. She should have expected that the Council would use magick wards against her and Joy to stop them from just breaking through the door. "Where's Buffy? Can't she just kick the door in?"

Willow looked into her lover's eyes and immediately became frantic, "Tara? What is it? What's wrong? Where's Buffy? What's happened to her?" Her questions spilled forth in a frantic blur.

"She's been injured. She and Dawn are back at the house. Willow, do you think you can handle the ward on your own?" Giles filled in. He knew that most of his own powers were taxed and could guess Anya's were as well. It was no secret that Tara was already pushed beyond her limits.

Willow frowned, but turned her attention to the door and ran her hand through the air, testing the strength of the spell. "It's stronger than the other one. I can try." Everyone stepped away from Willow as she began to concentrate.

Joy looked up and noticed her mother's outside the door thanks to the larger observation windows surrounding her. She ran to the window and started to pound on the glass, tears falling freeling. Tara crumpled to the ground and pressed her hand up against one of the windows, Joy matching the move on her side. "Willow," Tara cried.

Willow cracked an eye open and noticed the scene. Suddenly, the air around them all crackled and charged sending Xander, Anya, and Giles a few more steps back. A low-grade buzzing started to ring in everyone's ears and a wind began to gust around them as Willow's emotions fueled her magicks like gasoline fed a fire.

"Willow!" Giles called out over the malee trying to warn her, get her to bring down the power level before it hurt her or someone else.

Willow ignored him, but she knew the risks that a full unleashing of her power would bring to her lover, friends, and daughter. Her eyes narrowed and her hand shot up, a concentracted blast hit the shield, the two conflicting forces making the ward become visible. The others watched with slack-jaws as Willow carefully and skillfully worked her own magicks into the ward and started to pull it open like a rescuer pulling away the rumble of a collapsed building. The shield buckled and with one more burst of power Willow took out the security pad.

The door clicked open and Tara rushed into the room, throwing her arms around her daughter, hugging and kissing her; their tears mingling. Willow took a moment to quell the forces within her and to thank the goddess for granting her not only the power but the focus to wield it. As she felt the excess energies safely drain from her Willow pulled her lover and daughter into a group hug.

Giles gave them a brief moment before he cleared his throat. "We really should be getting on. Riley and the others will only be able to handle the Council for so long and Tara really needs to rest."

Willow looked up, a strong version of her resolve face slamming into place. She reached down and pulled Joy up into her arms, her other arm wrapped around Tara's waist. "Let's go," she declared and moved from the room, back down the hall.

As the group came back up to the main area the bullets were still flying but they could see a lot of the Council's men were already down and soldiers were starting to close in. "Is there any other way through?" Willow called out over the fighting. Giles shook his head sadly. Willow nodded and closed her eyes for a moment, asking the goddess to please protect her family once more. She felt the surge run through her but also felt it extend further than she even had before.

Tara and Joy both asked at the same time, feeling the power flood through the redhead first. "Stay close," she informed looking over her shoulders to Giles, Xander, and Anya to include them as well. "Move." She rushed forward and the others followed close behind, ducking low. Willow passed Joy to Tara and kept on step ahead of her friends. A stray bullet flew at them and Willow turned towards it, blocking out Tara's outcry. "Keep moving," Willow instructed as the bullet bounced off the invisible shield around them.

Stunned, but knowing that whatever power Willow had tapped into wouldn't last much longer, Giles started to pull the others along. 'We are most certinly going to have a discussion about this when we get home,' Giles demanded within his mind.

Giles nearly stumbled at the sudden, but soft voice of the hacker in his head. He shook his head to clear it of thoughts, including Willow's voice, and pushed the others into the tunnel they came into the cave through. "Riley!" he shouted to the soldier he could see crouched nearby.

Riley looked up and signaled that he understood. His focus immediately went back to the fight to make sure the others were covered while their fled.

Once outside Willow dropped the shields, once more thanking the goddess and knowing that she would have to do some extra and special prayers to show her true gratitude once they got home and were safe. Giles ushered everyone to the car and peeled out, rushing away from the scene.

"They're more than capable. It would do no good for us to linger about and remain targets." Giles answered a little more curtly than he intended, but now that they were away from the physical danger his body was still buzzing only to now have the extra concern of realizing that Willow and Tara were far stronger than anyone, perhaps even themselves, were aware of. Additionally, he feared for Willow's unborn child. He couldn't help but wonder and worry about the child's well-being after Willow channeled the amount of power she just handled.

Thankfully Sunnydale was small so the trip home was considerably short. The car sat at the curb, but no one moved. "Willow," he started but stopped, unsure how to explain the sight that she was about to see as soon as they walked into the house.

"Joy is asleep, I can take her upstairs and try to explain things to her tomorrow," Tara informed, quessing Giles' concerns. She turned to her lover. "Willow, when we went looking for you, Buffy was hurt. She..." tears sprang back into her eyes at the thought of their broken and battered lover who didn't even know their names.

Anya figured that her ability to blurt out information without blundering through it would come in handy at the moment. She actually had to prepare herself for saying the words, as she knew how hard it would be to say and for Willow to hear it, but she also knew that Tara and Giles would never get around to it and everyone needed to get some serious rest. "She has amnesia and is paralyzed. We don't know if her slayer powers will heal her completely or not."

Tara looked up and gave the ex-demon a weak but grateful smile as she held Joy close.

"Well then, I guess there's no sense in dawddling any longer," Giles let out in a huff as he got out of the car.

Willow sat in shock, her eyes locked with the front window of their home somehow knowing that's exactly where Buffy was. "Oh, Buffy," she let out in a weak whisper.

Tara took the redhead's hand in her own and gave it a comforting squeeze as the others got out of the car. "She'll be okay, just give it time."

Willow pulled up the last ounces of resolve and gave her lover a quick kiss before pulling herself from the car. She walked around and helped Tara out and then squared her shoulders as she turned toward the house. Each step seemed like a mile but she was finally at the door. Tara moved in and quickly went up the stairs to tuck Joy in for the night as Willow took slow steps into the foyer and slowly turned to face the living room.

She took in the sight of Dawn sitting next to her sister, the young woman looking drawn and exhausted. Buffy was neatly tucked in bed, eyes closed and resting, and the blonde looked to be at peace. It was only the machines and tubes and the bhealing bruises tinged with yellow that told Willow that Buffy wasn't just sleeping and would wake up to ravage her lover any minute. Willow slumped against the doorframe, her hand covering her quivering mouth as the tears dripped steadily down her cheeks, over her trembling fingers to be absorbed by the area rug beneath her. "Oh, Buffy," she whispered.

The group spent a somber hour back at the Summers house welcoming back Willow but split up for the night as everyone agreed that rest was the top priority right now and that they'd reconvene in the morning to go over what Willow knew about the Council and why they were taken. Anya and Xander had taken their son home, Dawn and Freddie were sleeping in each other's arms upstairs, Giles had opted to pass out back at the Magic Box, and Riley and Sam met up with their team at a safe-house located somewhere in town.

Tara walked into the living room carrying two cups of herbal tea. She handed Willow her cup while sitting down on the couch beside her lover, tucking her feet up underneath herself. Willow scooted over to nestle close, craving the warmth of her beloved. Her green eyes left Buffy's prone form for only a second to look up at the blue loving gaze and give Tara a grateful smile before returning to her other lover. "How are we going to explain this to Joy?" she whispered, exhaustion and heartache clear in her broken voice.

Tara let out a long breath, casting a glance to Buffy before returning her attention back to the redhead beside her. She ran her hand slowly through the fire-colored hair knowing it was one of the few things that would sooth her love. "The best way we can. We just have to be honest and have hope," the blonde witch answered solemnly.

Willow took a slow sip of her nearly forgotten tea hoping that the warm liquid would somehow take away the chill she felt deep within. "Joy is her daughter, she has another daughter on the way, how can someone forget that?" Willow asked, her eyes moving to Tara's as they pleaded with her silently.

"Daughter?" the soft question easily reached them in the otherwise silent house even though it was barely more than a whisper.

"Buffy?" Tara called gently, leaning forward to put her cooling tea on the table in front of them, Willow moving quickly to do the same as both witches moved towards the Slayer. "Are you okay?" she asked upon reaching the blonde who kept her eyes closed.

"I have a daughter?" the question came out slow and haltingly, heavy eyelids fighting their way open to reveal slightly unfocused blue eyes that held so many more questions and fear. They took in the sight of the redhead beside her and Buffy cast a glance towards Tara. "Who is she?"

Willow fought the lurch that her body tried to make and she had to look away to hide the tears Tara knew were sure to be there.

"That's Willow, she's a very close friend of yours. You've known her since your sophomore year of high school," Tara explained, her voice comforting and never reproachful.

"I..." Buffy started and Willow, slightly more in control, turned back to face the blonde. "I'm sorry... I don't... I don't remember."

"Shhh, it's okay, Buffy. We'll get through this together. We always do," Willow promised with a gentle squeeze of Buffy's hand and a smile that tried to be reassuring.

Buffy studied the redhead for a moment, trying to force her mind to unlock and remember who she was. It was almost as though a memory was perched on the edge of her brain, taunting her but still refusing to come out from hiding. Her strength quickly waning, Buffy took a deep breath and looked away. "Daughter?" she asked again.

"Yes," Tara's voice hitched as emotions flooded through her. "You have a very beautiful daughter named Joy, after your mother Joyce. And she certainly has your stubborn personality," Tara quipped through the ache in her heart, hoping to get a smile from her lover.

Buffy could see the effort and gave the blonde a token smile that barely moved her lips, her mind reeling at having a daughter yet she couldn't pull up any images to her mind's eye. Broken flashes, garbled words, and ghostly laughter pounded through her head as the memories of Joy demanded release, but it soon became too much and the Slayer moaned, squeezing her eyes shut.

Tara reacted quickly, running a motherly hand over Buffy's hair, "Shhh, take it easy, Buffy. This'll take time, don't force it."

"Water?" Buffy asked, refusing to open her eyes knowing that she'd see the pair above her filled with pain and for some reason the pain inside her head was easier to deal than the flips her stomach did when she looked into the blue and green sets of her 'friends' and saw the pain there. It was not something she ever wanted to see in those eyes even though she couldn't really remember who these women were.

Willow moved quickly to pour some water into a cup sitting on the bedside table and held the straw up to Buffy's lips. Tara lifted Buffy's head gently and the blonde sucked greedily at the refreshing liquid and then pulled away. "Any more?" Willow questioned.

Buffy shook her head slowly and finally opened her eyes to look at Tara. "Where's the father?"

The question tore through Tara's heart and soul more effectively than weapon could have. She pushed walls up around the hurt and went to explain but every time she found an answer she realized it would only hold until the morning and that once Joy and Buffy 'met' the story would fail. How could they explain it to Buffy when Joy called all three a version of 'mom' or that Buffy's daughter carried Tara's last name. Normally that wouldn't be a problem since it would be unlikely that Buffy would have come across any legal documents that stated the fact, but Joy was on a recent kick where she went around and proudly announced her full name, phone number, and address, albeit with some assistance. Buffy was bound to pick up on the difference in last names soon enough. The only option would be the full and honest truth, especially with their newest addition on the way, but was Buffy really ready to handle the fact that she was in a three-way lesbian relationship and that Joy and the new child was a result of that relationship?

"Tara?" Willow's gentle voice prodded the blonde witch from her thoughts. The redhead left the ball in Tara's court since Buffy seemed more comfortable with the blonde at the moment. Even though that stung, the hacker supposed it was only natural since she wasn't around when Buffy first woke and she couldn't help but wonder how they were going to explain that on top of everything else.

"Sorry, um," Tara blinked a few times and then looked down to Buffy and gave her a warm smile, "I think it's very late and everyone is very tired. Why don't you rest and we'll try to explain everything to you tomorrow?" Tara asked, referring to Willow and herself. She hoped the blonde, who was practically famous for her stubborn behavior - and thankfully so since that was probably the one trait that kept her from getting killed most nights - wouldn't rear up and demand further answers.

Her silent prayer was answered when Buffy let her eyes drift and she nodded slowly. It had taken a great deal of effort to keep her eyes open and she wasn't really sure she wanted to know the answer just yet anyway. "Yeah... tired," Buffy answered.

Tara brushed some hair from Buffy's cheek and squeezed her hand gently, "Rest well, Buffy."

Willow started to lean over to kiss her lover, something she'd done every night over almost three years. For over a thousand nights she'd press her lips to ones of the Slayer and whispers terms of endearments and wishes for peaceful sleep and now the woman beside her was a stranger. "Let us know if you need anything," Willow offered and quickly turned away from the Slayer and went for the stairs.

Tara waited a moment more to make sure Buffy was okay and noticed that the blonde was already drifting into sleep and her breathing was evening out. She sent a silent prayer to the goddess to keep Buffy safe in her dreams before rushing to her other lover, catching up with her on the second floor. "Baby?" she questioned the woman who stopped outside their bedroom.

Willow turned with tears streaking down her face and collapsed to the floor. Tara rushed forward, barely catching her lover in time to soften the impact as they both went to the floor. Willow clung desperately to the shirt Tara wore and her body jolted with sobs. Tara pressed and held Willow close, rocking her gently, "Are you okay?" she asked to make sure that nothing was wrong with the baby.

"Oh, just peachy," came Willow's sharp retort quickly followed by an apology. "I just... I just don't know if I can go in there and lay in our bed knowing that she's downstairs instead of lying next to us. When I was with the Council... each night... each night I dreamt of getting home so I could curl up in the arms of you two and know that everything was going to be all right," Willow barely managed to choke out through her tears. "And now..." she couldn't finish.

"Shhh, baby, I know. It was so lonely every night without you and it broke my heart to know she was just downstairs, right here in the same house, but that I was nothing more than a stranger to her," Tara offered her understanding and her own copious amounts of tears.

Willow pulled back slightly and locked her eyes with the watery ones in front of her and leaned forward, kissing the full lips she missed so much. The kiss was desperate, a need to reassure herself and Tara that they were once again together in each other's arms. They pulled away, leaning forehead-to-forehead, "Tell me... tell me that I'll wake up and all this has been one long nightmare. That when I open my eyes in the morning Buffy and you will be there holding me tightly and Joy will be jumping on the bed demanding funny shaped pancakes. Tell me, please Tara, tell me."

"Oh, sweetie," Tara's voice broke reflecting the breaking of her heart at Willow's frantic pleas. "I wish it were just a dream... just a nightmare."

The lover's held each other, offering comfort and allowing each other to let the pain out, before finally helping each other to stand up. Hesitantly they made their way into the bedroom, closing the door with a hushed click.

A path of tears ran from the corner of Buffy's tightly closed eyes mingling with her hair and it frustrated her that she couldn't raise her hands to wipe them away. If her own heart wasn't breaking over the words that drifted to her she probably would have wondered how it was that she could hear the muted voices of the women up the stairs so well. Instead, her own heart ached for the strangers that obviously loved her very much and knew that there was more between the three of them than a basic friendship.

It was a week before Files brought in a physical therapist who had the knowledge and skills that a slayer needed and the smarts to not ask questions. After that it was a pain filled month of intense therapy that often ended with Buffy in tears when she thought no one was looking. However, Willow and Tara were never too far away and their hearts ached each time they saw what could only be sheer agony etched across the blonde's face as she laid motionless in the dim living room.

The therapist was in the kitchen with Giles, each held a forgotten cup of tea in front of them. As the Witches came down from tucking Joy in for the night they entered the room just in time to hear, "I don't think she wants to remember."

"What do you mean?" Willow pushed, her brow furrowed in concern. Tara placed a comforting hand on the redhead's lower back, hoping it would be enough to quell her pregnant lover's often-fluctuating emotions.

"I think she's had some glimpses of who she was, but doesn't want to go back to that. She didn't have a choice about her destiny when she was first called, but now she has a chance to change that," the woman tried to explain.

Tara, feeling the muscles beneath her hand tense, knew her lover was about to inundate the poor woman with a barrage of questions and jumped in only a moment before Willow could start. "I'm not sure I understand. Buffy's destiny is just that – a destiny. How can she change that now?"

"I don't think Ms. Wilson is saying Buffy can change her destiny," Giles intercepted the question and sent a quick glance toward the woman, who smiled in appreciation that he was going to field this question. "Buffy thinks that if she stops remembering who she is then no one can expect her to return to her duties."

All eyes turned to the doorway between the kitchen and dining room; a stunned silence met the comment. Willow was the first to react and immediately jumped in front of Tara and held out her hand, ready to send the first spell she could think of at the woman. Giles moved next, stepping in front of Willow in an attempt to stop an attack from either side and protect the irrational Willow and her child.

"Easy there, Red," she said and slowly moved off the wall. He body was coiled, ready to strike if needed. Her calm and cocky attitude covered the nervousness that rippled through her. "I heard you were preggers, but didn't believe it. Guess I was wrong," she shrugged." Congrats," she offered almost dismissively as she turned her attention to Giles.

"What do you want, Faith?" he asked, his voice going down into a dangerous register.

"Hey, man, if I wanted you all dead you would be, so just chill. I heard B wasn't in tip-top shape anymore. Figured if I heard about it then others would too, ya know?" Faith left the insinuation open as she glanced at the new woman.

"We're well prepared for that eventuality," Giles snipped. "What are you doing out?"

Faith shrugged. "They really didn't have much on me to keep me for life or nothin'. I think five years is enough, guess you don't think so, huh?" The dark Slayer straightened and started to turn. "Look, B isn't in any condition to handle what's out there and it's only a matter of time before what's out there starts to come here. Now you can sit here with your books or you can have the strength of a slayer back you up. Your choice," she turned and left the room.

More silence followed and then Willow jolted into action. "Buffy!" she screeched in urgency and rushed from the room, the others following close behind.

Just as they rounded the corner they all skid to a halt at the sight before them. Sitting next to the bed was Faith, the walls that were normally in place seemed to be forgotten and a small tear trickled down her cheek. With slow and uncharacteristic hesitation, she gently brushed aside stray strands of blonde hair. "You never do anything half-assed, do you?" the rouge slayer whispered. "I know our time has passed and that I screwed up real good, but I'll still protect you. I hear you're a mom, who'd have thought, huh? Well, you were always meant for more anyway. You get better and enjoy your family, I'll go out and keep everything away from you." She stood slowly and leaned over to place an almost chaste kiss on Buffy's forehead.

Willow, Tara, Ms. Wilson, and Giles quietly moved back to the kitchen, each stunned and lost in their thoughts about what they just witnessed. Faith sauntered in only a few moments after them, her tough façade back in place, but now they could see through it. "So what's the what? I got places to go, things to see, people to do."

Because of their history together, Willow was silently made the decision-maker on this matter. She stepped forward, her own feelings conflicting inside. "You try anything, and I mean anything, and you won't have to worry about jail next time, understood?"

Faith knew she deserved that and so much more – and she knew the redhead could follow through on her threat. A brief flicker of softness passed through Faith's eyes before she gave a nonchalant shrug and answered, "Sure thing, Red. I'll do a patrol and then catch ya whenever." She spon on her heels and left the house.

The follow days were tense as Faith easily slipped into a routine with the slaying while the other tried to keep the house protected. Tara worked the magicks with Giles assisting while Willow split her time researching any news about planned attacks against the slayer and working for her job. Dawn and Freddie prepared for files and stayed with Buffy as moral support. Since everyone was preoccupied, Joy spent a great deal of time with Buffy, something the blonde was not happy about.

As much as she was starting to get attached to the young girl, the slayer was constantly bombarded with flashes to a life she did not want to remember. Images of happy times were seemingly few and far between, as the moments of death, apocalypses, mayhem, and pain always came in overflowing waves. The blonde knew she held some type of vital position in life, but it was a position that she was more than willing to forget. Even when she thought of this girl who was her daughter, the warm feelings were clouded over with flashes of stuffy men, a fire, and a moment that she wished remained forever buried. A moment where disfigured men surrounded her – hurt her – and she wasn't sure which she feared more; their wish to have her or kill her.

"Buffy?" the gently prodding voice broke through and Buffy's eyes slowly opened. "I have to take Willow to the doctor," Tara informed.

The blonde gave her a weak smile of acknowledgement and let her eyes drift shut again. She had little interest in the matter, especially since she didn't know that the child Willow carried was also her very own. The topic about the three of them being lovers was never broached and the details of how Joy was conceived were always dodged.

Tara lingered a moment and then turned with a sigh. Though the slayer showed some initial improvement around Joy, she now seemed to be slipping deep into a depression. It was time the Scoobies went into action and got Buffy put back together.

"What can we do?" Xander asked as the group sat around a table at the Espresso Pump, minus Giles who stayed behind to watch Buffy.

"Well, from what I learned in psych…" Willow started but was interrupted by Xander's groan. "I know she was insane, Xander, but Professor Walsh did make sense when she was in class. Tara and Anya both remained silent, having only been told the tale of Walsh and Adam. Xander and Willow also shared a moment of silent until an unspoken understanding passed between them. "Anyway, the best I can suggest is to surround Buffy with happy things. Pictures, stories, try to be more cheery around her instead of all doom and gloom like."

"I don't see how that could hurt anything," Tara put forth as her acceptance of the preliminary plan.

Soon they were putting together a solid battle plan of how to insinuate all the pleasantness they could without overwhelming the blonde and risk pushing her further into the shell she'd created.

Over the course of the next week they would leave a photo album behind while cleaning up, sitting close by and talk about found memories while the slayer rested though they knew she was listening, and constantly smiling whenever they were near. It was beginning to drive Buffy crazy.

Buffy knew what these people who called themselves friends and family were trying to do and a part deep inside appreciated the effort. However, a larger part of her resented them; irrationally thinking that the only reason they wanted her better was to send her back into the night; into the source of those horrid memories. Her own counter plan began to form.

Three more months passed and both Willow and Buffy were progressing. The redhead's moods were in constant flux and her body ached in places she didn't know existed. Buffy pushed herself hard during her therapy, even going so far as to ask for sessions five days a week, instead of the original three. With some effort she was able to walk and move her body to do basic tasks, but remained on the ground floor. She longed for the day she could walk easy enough and far enough on her own and planned to walk out the front door – never to return.

There was a buzz through the house when Buffy made her first attempt to climb the stairs. After she reached the third step she slowly turned and was greeted with both applause and a sudden memory flash, which caused her stumble and topple forward. Everyone cried out and lunged forward, but it was Faith who, thanks to her slayer-abilities, reached Buffy first. They both crashed to the floor, though the dark slayer took the brunt of the impact. The blonde slayer frantically scampered away while pandemonium erupted all around them.

Everyone's first thought was that Faith somehow attacked Buffy and Xander made that point known when he landed a solid punch to the woman's face. It was a lucky shot, in that the force caused Faith's head to snap back and connect with the hard floor where darkness greeted her. Willow and Tara were immediately at Buffy's side, trying to both sooth and find out if she was hurt.

Buffy stared passed the women and watched the motionless form on the floor. 'You killed me,' reverberated through her mind, compounding until she screamed "Shut up!" The slayer slumped forward, joining Faith in the welcome oblivion.

SMACK! "What'd you do to her?" came Xander's demanding voice through Buffy's haze. She slowly opened her eyes and took in the alarming sight. Xander, Anya, willow, Tara, Giles, and Dawn were seated and standing around a tightly bound Faith. Her eye was bruised, lips split, and in general looked ragged.

"Nothing!" Faith snapped back. "Touch me again I'll kick your ass. Now, just let me go and I'll disappear," she snarled.

"Yeah right," Anya jumped in. "So you can come back later and hack us all up into little pieces."

Everyone turned to the slayer and then rushed to the bedside. Everyone but Faith, who let her head slump down, the hurt she felt inside need to be hidden from the Scoobies.

"are you okay" came from so many voices it was impossible to tell which was from who. Buffy immediately closed her eyes and groaned against the onslaught and everyone quickly quieted down.

Once again a clatter of noise came at her, this time she opened her eyes to silence them – the determination in her eyes enough to get everyone moving. Once alone, Buffy watched Faith, head still bowed. The slow, rhythmic motion of her chest made her appear asleep, but Buffy knew better. "Look at me."

A few moments passed before Faith finally looked up. Their eyes locked and something released – a lifetime, a generation, a history, flooded through Buffy. Realization, discovery, and surprise slammed into Faith. All that Buffy ran so hard from forced its way back into her mind and Faith understood that the woman she thought infallible was far more frightened than she ever imagined – and both knew they each could see inside the other.

Pushing herself from the bed, Buffy limped toward the bound slayer, a grimace the only display of the pain she desperately tried to hide – from who, no one was quite sure. She hovered silently, in the dimly lit room, close to Faith. Two slayers stared into the souls of each other discovering the same dimness, the same duality where neither black nor white won. Here they warred in silence, each pushing the other to retreat and surrender; each aching and begging the other to keep close and guard their secret; each making that vow; without a single word spoken.

With slow movements, Buffy untied Faith, who, though free, remained seated, not really sure what to do. She flinched when the blonde raised her hand and for a moment both paused – Faith waiting for yet another strike, Buffy waiting for Faith to relax before she reached out and gently stroked the battered skin. "Thank you for helping." Words whispered and almost lost in the tidal wave of sensations that rose and swarmed through and around Faith. Almost, but Faith heard them, and somehow it was enough.

Faith's body jerked and she gasped before the tidal wave crashed and she slumped forward, her eyes flooding and released. She cried into her hands, her face pressed firmly against them, as she hunched forward and let it all flow. Buffy came along side her, pulling the seemingly broken women close against her, and stroked long, dark, disarrayed hair while softly cooing words of comfort.

How much time passed, neither was sure, but they knew it was a lifetime – another lifetime. Joy crept silently into the room and watched her mother and the crying woman before finally piping up and announcing her presence with a gentle tug and a whispered, "Mommy, why is she crying?"

Buffy looked down to the always inquisitive child and smiled as she remembered the times where only her slayer speed managed to get the rug-rat out of some tight jams she worked herself into because of her curiosity. The smile grew as she reached down and gently stroked the stray bits of hair away from the small, up-turned face, before turning back to Faith who watched intently while trying to sniff back her tears. Slowly, a smile crept to Faith's lips as she looked from Joy to Buffy before she answered instead, "Because I'm happy."

"GO!!!!" Faith shouted and watched with a smile the startled features of the redhead in front of her. "Look, Red, the runt is fine here, just go. If I need anything, I'll call, okay?"

"Okay, well," Willow started as she walked over the small table in the living room and picked up the pad next to the phone, "I left all the important phone numbers I could think of in case you need help."

Faith took the pad and burst out laughing as she saw the items neatly listed in order of urgency, written in varying colors that the meaning of which only Willow knew. Giles, Buffy, Tara, Willow, Xander, Anya, the hospital, poison control, police, the fire department, even a pizzeria with late night delivery was included. Cell phones, main phones, and beepers all listed clearly and neatly. "You're a trip," Faith chuckled as she replaced the pad on the table. "Just go, I think if I can handle all the vampy badness that's out there I can handle one little child."

"Ha!" came Buffy's bark of disbelieving laughter as Tara helped her down the stairs. "I can't wait to get back home and see just how good you did." Willow, Tara, and Buffy took quick glances at one another, all three remembering how a certain slayer faired with a one-week old Joy. It certainly would be interesting to see how Faith would handle a two-year old version of that same child.

"Let's play! Let's play!" came the pleading voice as Joy relentlessly tugged on Faith's hand, urging the slayer over to the couches where some odd contraption sat sprawled out in every direction. Faith cocked her head at it and turned a puzzled gaze back at the three women.

"Let the games begin!" Buffy announced as the three women shrugged and started to leave.

"Wait, wait, wait," Faith called out and started to rush forward, only to find herself face first on the floor and a two-year-old firmly attached to her legs. "Help! You can't leave me like this. I don't know how to play these things. You can't leave!" she begged and pleaded, even as the door clicked shut. She growled as she heard them still laughing outside until the sound of car doors opening and closing cut off the sound.

The dark slayer turned and shimmied until she was on her back, planning to work the little hands free from around her legs when suddenly Joy let go and launched herself at Faith. She landed with a thud, quickly followed by a loud OOF from Faith, right on the slayer's stomach. She bounced up and down prattling off at a million miles a second about some story – or maybe it was the instructions on how to play the game. Faith desperately tried to listen and follow the speed talking, but she quickly resigned herself to her fate. "Can they put me back in jail?" she said and slumped to the ground.

"I think we still have the bibs from Joy, but they're packed up," Tara informed Willow who was holding up a few packages.

"Yeah, but these have some really cute sayings that the others don't," Willow countered, very close to whining. "Come on, 'Spit Happens'… Isn't that just the cutest?"

Tara couldn't help the small smirk that played along her lips as she gave her lover a slight nod. Clapping in child-like glee, Willow dropped the packages into their cart and the duo walked down the aisle of the baby store. "Okay, where to next?" Tara asked.

"Ummmm," the redhead stalled as she leaned around the end of an aisle and spotted the Slayer. "Looks like Buffy's got things under control.

The witches made their way toward Buffy, and Tara couldn't help but chuckle at the pathetic look of being lost that Buffy's eyes held. Knowing her lovers were coming up behind her, the slayer didn't even turn around before she started her complaining. "Why in god's name are there so many?"

"Oh, yeah, or…" Willow went to provide another answer but the slayer put an abrupt halt to any future words with a solid kiss. "I should huff that you shut me up, but what a way to do it," the redhead joked.

"Ohhhh, I think I can probably come up with a few more suggestions. I'm not sure I can stop myself…" Tara's lips were covered in kisses as well.

"Humph," came from behind them and the trio turned to see a woman giving them an arsenal of dirty looks. All three women arched an eyebrow, daring the woman to make a comment. She turned on her heels quickly and stormed off, probably on her way to report their obscene behavior to a manager.

"Okay, so," Buffy tried to get them back on track. "Winnie the Pooh, Dora the Explorer, Teletubbies, or Elmo?"

"Hmmm, not to mention the various ballerinas, animals, letters, numbers," Tara supplied.

"Plus there's the standard blocks and shapes, pastels seem to be a hit, clowns, stars and hearts. Not to mention you have classic pooh verse today's pooh – or even just picking group Pooh, single Pooh, Tigger, or Eyeore. And Sesame Street too – which character to pick or should it be a group thing," Willow expounded.

Buffy's eyes widened with each new option until she just plopped herself into a nearby rocking chair and groaned loudly. "Can't we just stick with standard wood like we did when Tara was pregnant?"

The witches walked over and flanked the slayer, each offering their best efforts to comfort her. "Because, baby, she's a big girl now and needs a big girl bed. She has to be 'cool' for when her friends come over," Tara explained.

"How about you rest here and we'll get a sales person to help us with one of the beds, okay?" Willow offered.

Buffy narrowed her eyes once more, knowing they were trying to placate her, but she couldn't hold the look for too long, before she wound up smiling instead. "You're the one who should be resting, Will. Tara and I will go scout out someone."

The redhead opened her mouth to debate the issue, but when she saw the solid looks on both Buffy and Tara's face she knew she was bested. With a mock pout she sat on a display rocking chair and crossed her arms over her chest. Satisfied, the two blondes began their trek to find the ever elusive sales person who they would have to wrangle in just to take their money. Buffy shook her head with wry amusement knowing something was terribly wrong with that scenario but resigned herself to the hunt.

It really didn't surprise either woman to find that, when they returned to the aisle, Willow was not in her seat, but rather, had a stack of sheets, accessories, and toys piled up next to the bed that she obviously decided on during their absence. "Uh, glad you got to relax a bit, Will," Buffy quipped.

Tara crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes in an attempt to look stern. It worked and Willow meekly turned away. Buffy burst out laughing but when the same look was sent in her direction she too backed down quickly. Years of being the woman of the house back home and a few years of raising the hellfire rugrat that was Joy leant strong validity to that look. Content that her lovers were now properly put in place, she turned with a disarming smile to the sales clerk who looked absolutely bored. "We'd like to get the Pooh bed set, please."

With a nod that bordered on being curt, the young man shuffled off to the back of the store like he was on a stroll through the park and clearly in no hurry. Rolling her eyes, Tara turned around and scanned the items that seemed to be forming a mountain in the middle of the floor. "All this?"

"Well, I was just thinking that we gave Xander and Anya a lot of the toys and things when they had their son so there really isn't too much left over to hand down. Besides, who wants second choice stuff, right? I know I don't like it," Willow tried to sell her point.

"Will?" Buffy interjected. "You're an only child, how can you get hand-me-downs?"

"Thanks, Buff," she muttered before straightening up to ready herself for a full on debate.

The suddenness of it all caught both the hacker and the slayer off guard, especially Willow as she stood there with her mouth open and poised to unleash a stream of thought. Buffy was brought from the moment when Tara started to load her arms with the bounty.

"We should see if Xander can come by with the truck so we can fit the bed in it," Willow offered.

"Cell phone is in my front pocket," Buffy offered, angling her hips to present said pocket to the redhead. An evil gleam glinted in Willow's eye at the thought of rummaging through her lover's pocket. "Be good, Will," Buffy warned, noticing the look.

Willow huffed, "No fun," before she dug out the phone with only a minimum amount of groping. She dialed and waited for her best friend to answer. "Xander? Yeah, I can barely hear you too. We're in the baby store, probably too much interference. We were wondering if you could come by here with the truck? No, I didn't buy out the store, ha, ha, very funny. We bought a 'big girl bed' for Joy and I don't think it'll fit in our car with all the other bags and things. Fifteen? Sure, might be a few days or so before the sales guy comes back with the bed anyway. Ha, ha, never mind you kind of have to be here. Okay, we'll see you in a bit." Flipping the device closed, she slid it into her own pocket as they turned to make their way to the front of the store and check out.

"We should stop by the Magic Box too and pick up some more protection and blessing charms," Tara presented

Buffy winced. She knew that Tara didn't mean anything by it. Catholic families hung up a cross in a baby's room and other religions were sure to do similar things as well. But the slayer couldn't help but note that their children really did need that protection just because of who their mother was. The slayer. The one person in all the world who was chosen to fight against all evil. The one person in all the world who wore the largest bulls-eye that encompassed all those she loved, especially her children.

The blonde blinked a few times and noticed she was standing off to the side of the line while her lovers moved up several places ahead. Shooting a smile to her lovers, Buffy moved to catch up to them, now only third in line.

Both women could tell the smile never reached Buffy's eyes; that it was meant to placate them, but the lost and almost tormented look in her blue eyes told the women that for a few moments the slayer was not with them. The doctors all said there may be moments like this and thankfully there was only one other before this, at least as far as they knew.

Tara gave the blonde a soothing smile as she wrapped her arm around the smaller woman's shoulders and pulled her in close. Some of the tension seeped from Buffy's body as she let herself take in the comfort of Tara's body next to her and suddenly wished they were back home where they could curl up together. Neither witch was sure if they should make a comment about it, but the opportunity was lost when Xander came sauntering up and grabbed Willow and Tara into a hug.

After giving them both a kiss he moved over and took some of Buffy's load and gave her a nudge as a form of greeting now that they both had their arms full. "Women. They sure do know how to spend," he joked. Somewhere over time the relationship between Buffy and Xander transformed into something more along the lines that fathers share together. Not that the triad of lovers made any clear distinction of roles that way, but as the Slayer it was pretty much assured that Buffy was the protector and that translated into something that Xander could relate to now that he had a son to watch over.

By the time the group made it to the register the bed was finally brought up. It seemed like everyone there worked in slow motion but everything was finally tallied and Buffy groaned as Willow happily turned over the credit card, watching as the triple digit charge was made with a single swipe of the plastic. Once more they were loaded, but at least now things were a little more compact in bags, but now Buffy carried the awkward and heavy bed set.

With some cursing and grunting, Buffy and Xander managed to win the fight over the box and got it secured in his truck while Willow and Tara filled the trunk of their car with the bags. Leaning back against the side of his truck to take a breath, Xander asked, "Okay, where to now? Another store or back home?"

"Uhhhh," Willow broke in, her voice holding a touch of pain to it. "How about the hospital?"

"Honey?" Tara questioned, taking hold of Willow's arm to hold her steady while the redhead bent over in pain.

"Tara, you get in the backseat and we'll lay her down on your lap. Xander? Can you help me get her in?"

He was there in an instant, taking Willow's other arm while Tara moved around the car and got into the backseat. Taking it slow and easy they walked the redhead to the door and gingerly helped her into the seat. Tara was there instantly, brushing back hair from her lover's face, which quickly began to stick to her forehead as beads of sweat started to form.

"I'll drive," Buffy announced the obvious. "Xander, can you drop that monster off at the house and let everyone know what's going on and meet us back at the hospital?" she called out as she moved into the driver's seat and started the engine.

Tires squealing and rubber burning, Buffy took off for the hospital. Normally the drive to the hospital for a second child wouldn't be as drastic, but then again, this was Buffy driving.

"Damn it, not again!" Buffy groused as she slammed her fist against the steering wheel. She leaned out the window and called out, "We have a woman in labor here!"

The officer moseyed up to the window and studied the three women carefully. "Wasn't it you the last time?" he asked, pointing to Tara.

He rolled his eyes, put on his ray bans, and strolled back to his cruiser. Hitting the lights he waved at Buffy as he sped past, the slayer hot on his heels as they once again got a police escort to the hospital. Jumping out of the driver's seat as the car still lurched from it's sudden stop the blonde threw open the backdoor.

"Should I expect you in a year?" the cop called out to Buffy, who just ignored him as she carefully shimmed her lover from the backseat. Shaking his head the officer pulled away sending a quick wave to the women who never noticed.

A nurse came speed walking out with a wheel chair and made an immediate U-turn going back into the ER with an empty chair. Apparently no one forgot this triad, even after two years. Buffy carried the redhead into the lobby where a stretcher awaited them and Buffy was forced to relinquish Willow over to the doctors.

It didn't take long for them to have the hacker hooked up to the monitors, dressed in a gown, and examined. "You've got a while yet, Ms. Rosenberg. If you want your friends to call anyone now would be a good time."

"Thank you, Doctor," Willow smiled weakly up at the man before turning her attention to the women who stood beside her.

"Xander probably made the announcement already," Buffy answered Willow before she could even voice the question.

A smirk crossed her lips and nodded. "Will you go see if they're here yet, then?"

"Sure thing, Will," Buffy assured and leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on Willow's forehead before leaving.

"BABY!!!! Where's the baby? She's okay, right? I hear it hurts, but she's strong, right? She'll be okay. The baby's okay, too, right? What happened? Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?"

The receptionist stared at the weirdo in front of her desk with a look of fear mixed with humor. Frankly she was amazed that someone could say that without taking a breath.

Hearing the doors swish open, everyone turned to see Buffy walking out. Xander and Anya stood but waited where they were, knowing how overwhelming it can be when you're waiting for your child to be born.

Buffy stared with utter confusion, clearly stunned, before shaking her head and answering, "Uhhh, no baby yet. They said it would be a while so we're here for the long haul."

Dawn, Anya, and Xander shook their heads as they moved up to Buffy. "I had no idea she would get so psyched about a baby being born," Dawn chuckled.

"I think she terrified the nurse over there," Anya nudged her head over to the desk.

"Who would have thought?" Buffy muttered as she looked past her friends and family to watch the fidgeting slayer. No one would have imagined Faith's complete turn around and solid redemption, but this is beyond simple atonement. 'She's not here because she's obligated. She's not here because it's part of her duty. She cares.' The blonde slayer was drawn from her thoughts when Dawn wrapped her long arm around her sister's shoulders.

"I get the picture, thanks," Buffy interrupted their litany as a smile and groan broke out at the same time. "Been there, done that, and yeah, I'm ready again." That sense of assurance in her voice came through again as she answered, just as it always did whenever the slayer made up her mind about a certain course of action.

"Well, if it's going to be a bit before there's any action we're going to head back to the house and check on our own son," Xander informed. "We'll be back in a little while. Does anyone want something to eat that we can bring back?"

"Not right now, but how about someone gives you a call later with an order if we get hungry?" Buffy answered.

"Uhhh, I'll hang here for a while. Just send Freddie over here when you get back?" Dawn asked, referring to the fact that her boyfriend offered to watch the baby while everyone else made the mad dash across town to be with Willow at the hospital.

Anya nodded and linked her arm through Xander's as they walked through the lobby.

"I'm going to head back in to let Willow know what's going on and see if there's any updates on that side of the field," Buffy smirked. It was sometimes dizzying playing the messenger, but at least it helped kill some time during the wait. She leaned in close to her sister and whispered, "Keep her out of trouble, please?"

Two pairs of eyes turned to see Faith picking up one magazine, flipping threw it, and then tossing it back on the table. She'd sit with her legs bouncing and hands twisting in her lap before leaning over to pick up another magazine to start the cycle all over again.

Buffy laughed and gave her sister a pat on the back before walking through the large double doors back to her lovers. With a sigh of resignation, Dawn took a seat next to Faith and the two sat in awkward silence for a few moments.

Buffy walked in as Willow was grunting through a contraction. "How'd I ever let you guys talk me into this," she bemoaned as the muscles started to relax.

"Oh, no, you had an equal part in this," Tara informed in a friendly warning tone.

Buffy shook her head and smiled as she walked over to the women. "Going well, I see?"

The blonde witch simply shook her head, letting the slayer know she was on her on in this battle. Having already gone through what the lithe redhead was experiencing, she knew there was no way to rationalize with the normally logical hacker. Right now there was pain and waiting; little else mattered right now other than focusing on getting through the next contraction.

Groaning, Buffy pulled up a chair and resigned herself to a long wait. She just hoped that the redhead didn't spout out some weird spell during one of her incoherent cries of pain. Better yet, she hoped Tara would be ready just in case something did slip out of the redhead's mouth.

Another contraction slammed hard into Willow and she grabbed hold of Tara's hand, squeezing so tightly that both their knuckles instantly went white. Tara's face crinkled as she grimaced in pain, but tried to ride it out with her lover. "I swear, if you had a dick I'd rip it off!" Willow ground out through gritted teeth.

Well, that certainly wasn't Willow-esq, Buffy thought. And, though it was kind of scary, at least it didn't have any magick behind it. The slayer couldn't help but take a discrete look down to her lap, just to make sure, though. Relieved, Buffy was brave once more and offered to take Willow's hand so the blonde witch could take a few moments to recover. It was a switch pattern the duo quickly fell into as the time slowly ticked by on the clock.

After six hours, many foul words and threats, pleas for it all to be over with, and plenty of soothing words, the end was drawing near. The doctor began to check in more frequently, ignoring or simply smiling at the pain induced insults thrown his way by the redhead and the openly begging stares of her lovers. Pulling up a stool and nestling himself between the redhead's legs, he cautiously examined the patient, aware of the low warning growl that came from Buffy.

A nurse came in moments later and suddenly the place was abuzz with activity as Willow was instructed to push. Tara and Buffy gave her support, breathed through the harsh contractions with her, and allowed their hands to be bruised as the hacker pushed with all her strength. Ice chips were rubbed along the quickly drying lips and along her overheated neck while sweat dripped from Willow's trembling body. Buffy brushed back strands of hair that normally was perfectly styled, but now were a matted mess sticking to the redhead's sweaty forehead.

Grunts, growls, and howls tore through the small witch as she felt each labored push move their daughter closer to the outside world. Through the haze of exertion Willow almost didn't hear the order to stop pushing, but this time found it hard to keep her muscles from doing that very thing. She strained, using all her willpower, to keep her body relaxed until she felt a sudden flooding sensation and a mighty wail reverberated through the room. Through the flutter of activity, the trio of lovers smiled through their exhaustion.

"Uh, which one of you would like to cut the cord?" A nurse asked, her voice unsure, but at least not condescending like so many others.

Buffy and Tara shared a look and then both smiled, not needing to share words as the Slayer stepped over and took the scissors. She watched Willow do this with Joy, but Buffy still paid very close attention to the instructions the nurse gave before carefully placing the scissors and snipping. A moment of bliss, where everything seemed to fall suddenly quiet, before it all erupted again in a blur of actions. The baby was swept away for the routine checks and the Slayer was forgotten once the scissors were removed from her limp hand. Slowly moving back over to her lovers, an almost goofy smile plastered on her face, she leaned down and kissed Willow lovingly on the lips. Pulling away, Buffy leaned further over the bed and shared the same kiss with Tara, both a silent 'thank you' and 'I love you.'

Tara went with Willow as they settled her into the room she'd be staying in for the next two days while Buffy went to spread the news to those waiting in the lobby. The instant she walked through the double doors she was surrounded and the questions immediately began in earnest, each Scooby vying for her attention. When she held up a hand everyone fell silent and a smile slowly formed on her face until it easily reached her eyes. "Guess I don't have to tell you that it's a girl?"

Everyone lunged forward at the same time, each trying to fit their arms around the Slayer, until the distinct clearing of a throat broke them up. The group pulled away and all eyes turned to the tall Englishman who stood poised and waiting patiently. A hush feel over the group as Buffy took a staggering step forward, then another, until her arms were wrapped tightly around Giles in an almost bone-crushing hug, which he eagerly returned.

"I'm so glad to be here this time," he whispered as his voice choked with emotion.

There was indecision regarding Giles on whether or not he'd return to England or remain in Sunnydale. His job as a Watcher was no longer needed, but now, with his petite Slayer in his arms, he knew there was no place in the world he'd rather be. He may not be needed as a watcher, but now he had a new job; a new purpose in life. It was to be the best grandfather he could be to those two children, and he couldn't be any happier than he was right here on top of a Hellmouth. Pulling away and locking eyes, both Teacher and Student realized that a decision had just been made and a smirk played on both of their lips.

"Come on, gramps," Buffy teased as she tugged on his hand, pulling him forward. The others filed behind them and trekked through the double doors, up an elevator, and down a stark white hallway until they came to a window with Looney Tunes babies and Sesame Street stickers plastered along the edges.

Buffy stepped aside as the Scoobies ran to the glass like a trampling herd of elephants and couldn't help the laugh as she noticed Giles barely managed to hold onto his stoic decorum as he quickly followed suit. Various imitated baby sounds emanated from the group as they 'ohhed' and 'ahhed' at the tiny baby on the other side of the glass, who was unfortunately being poked and prodded to ensure her health. The doors opened and a nurse came out, scanning the faces until she noticed the one standing apart from the others. "Do you have a name picked out?"

With a quick nod the nurse returned to her station and began to fill out the birth certificate, which for now would display the last name of Rosenberg. Silence reigned as all eyes turned to Buffy and then to Giles. His face was unreadable until a small smile began to slowly come to his lips. "Well done, Buffy. I think Jenny would be very happy."

Breathing a sigh of relief Buffy's smile grew when an overly excited sister suddenly slammed into her. "Thank you!" Dawn exclaimed as she wrapped Buffy in a bear hug.

Laughing, the blonde patted her sister's back before forcibly extracting herself. "No problem, Dawnie," Buffy answered with a playful ruffle of Dawn's hair.

Tara strolled down the hall, her step light and happy. The lovers quickly embraced and shared a kiss before the witch parted with a gentle squeeze to Buffy's shoulder. "I'm going to check on Willow," the slayer announced while the others greeted Tara with just as much fervor as they did to Buffy a few minutes earlier. Waving and agreeing to meet up again later, the Slayer made her way down the hall until she came to Willow's room.

She pulled up a chair next to the bed, took the soft hand in her own, and watched as her exhausted lover slept. Buffy never tired of looking at and watching her lovers, especially when they slept and the stress of this life seemed a million miles away. It was during these times that the slayer enjoyed watching just how peaceful they were and hoped that she could make their waking lives just as comforting.

Glancing down she grimaced at how her body still ached, even though she did her best to hide it from her friends and family. It would not do to have the slayer gripping about the nagging pain and so she put on a strong face and went on as best as she could. She knew that this accident, regardless of her special healing abilities caused permanent damage, but she had a responsibility to keep the world safe, especially when she had so many precious people to protect… and that number just increased by one.

"You always were stubborn," came the soft reproach that brought Buffy out of her reverie.

Looking up Buffy confirmed that the husky voice was indeed coming from Faith. "The same could be said about you." The fact that Faith's stubbornness was centered on destruction was left unsaid, though they both knew it could easily have been tacked onto the end of Buffy's statement. The brief flicker of hurt across Faith's eyes made Buffy look away, feeling bad for her unprovoked attack.

There was a lot of damaged history between the slayers and everyone knew things weren't going to heal and be hunky-dorey right off the bat, but Buffy knew Faith was trying. For the most part a great deal of healing already happened between them, but once in a while a loose-lipped comment like that one would slip out from one or the other. "I'm sorry," Buffy whispered.

"Don't sweat it," Faith blew off the apology, her need to be tough and in control a natural reflex for her, even now. "Look, I just wanted to let you know that you can chill here all you want and I'll take over the patrols." They both knew that Faith wasn't offering a one-night break for Buffy, it was time to hand over the mantle of slayage.

Buffy smirked and slowly nodded as her gaze drifted back to the redhead who managed to sleep soundly through the entire conversation. "Thanks..." Buffy offered as she looked back to the door to find the dark slayer gone. Shaking her head with a rueful smile her attentions went back to Willow, lovingly stroking the soft, still slightly damp, tresses of fiery hair from her face.

People were in and out visiting Willow and the baby in a fairly constant flow and it was no secret that the hospital staff would be all too happy to see this rather odd family leave once more. They were pretty happy to be packing up as well and Buffy pushed Willow in her wheel chair down the hallway, while the hacker held her tightly wrapped daughter close to her chest whispering sweet nothings all the way. The entourage followed behind them, until they reached the car waiting just outside the main doors. Xander sprang into action and began to load the trunk with flowers, balloons, and all the things they brought for Willow and baby while Giles, always the gentleman, opened the doors and assisted with getting Willow and Jenny settled. Quick words were exchanged confirming that everyone was going to meet back at the Summers home before the sound of various car doors closing filled the air.

The trip back was silent, but comfortable as the triad sat staring at their baby with goofy smiles plastered across their faces. As they pulled up Dawn and Joy were eagerly waiting outside and with a burst of childish glee, the two-year-old sprang forward as they Scoobies began to pile out of the car. "Is she here? Is she here?" Joy cried out, anxious to see the baby sister she was already promising to love and protect.

Willow knelt down just outside of the car and turned the baby so that Joy could see her sleeping face. "Shhh, she's sleeping," Willow advised gently.

"Hi, Jenny," Joy greeted, her voice a whisper, although it sounded more like she was conspiring great schemes.

"Let's bring your baby sister inside, okay?" Tara said as she walked around to help Willow stand.

Joy bounced around in response before finally getting her legs to run forward toward the front door. Chuckles surrounded the yard at the adorable antics of this little girl who was sure to be a great big sister, even through the normal angst between siblings.

By nightfall all the children were in bed, Xander and Anya left, Dawn and Freddie were calling it a night, and the trio finally had a chance to be alone for the first time in what seemed like ages. Sitting back on the couch with the bassinet between them, the witches and slayer shared a long sigh of relief. The peace and quite and alone time seemed so foreign neither knew what to say, so they enjoyed the calm and the steady rhythm of Jenny's breath while the slight hum and gentle snore came from Joy's baby monitor, which sat on the table in front of them.

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Four's Family

by AmberBensonFan

Copyright © 2004

amberbensonfan@hotmail.com