Chapter 1

"Buffy!"

The Slayer turned around at Willow's voice, just in time to duck as a vampire threw a right hook towards her face. "That was so not okay." Buffy morphed her body into a lightening fast roundhouse kick and sent the vamp flying across the graveyard.

Willow stumbled to her feet just in time to see Buffy stake the unruly vamp.

Buffy rushed over to her friend, who was currently nursing her right arm. "You okay, Will?"

"Oh… fine. Never been better," she said sarcastically. "How bout you? You okay?" Willow pointed towards the cut above Buffy's right eyebrow.

"I'll be fine. We should get you to the ER to have that checked." She frowned as she remembered watching a vampire try to break Willow's arm.

Willow stretched the arm in question across the front of her body with her other hand. "It'll be fine," she said with a slight wince. "You grabbed him before he did any real damage."

"You sure?"

Willow's brow crinkled slightly and her lips formed a straight line as she looked at Buffy and pointed towards her lips. "See my resolve face?"

Buffy just gave her an understanding smile and threw her arm over Willow's uninjured shoulder. "Alright… let's get outta here."

They walked in silence for a short period of time as they made their way back to the house. Buffy was satisfied. She and Willow had dusted 6 vamps. Tonight had been a pretty heavy night. At best they usually only faced 2 or 3 vamps, if that.

"This is pretty cool. Us hanging out like this. I just hate to see you get hurt." She squeezed the redhead's uninjured shoulder.

Willow turned her head to look at her friend. "I just can't sit at home. I keep thinking… 'Well… what if I see her tonight? What if she's just walking down the street and we see each other?' and then I'll know she's okay." A sad sigh escaped Willow's lips.

"I know, Will. I miss her too. I just wish we knew where she was or what happened to her."

The redhead gave Buffy a petrified look.

"Not that anything happened to her. It's just… Why would she just disappear?"

It took all of Willow's will power to hold back the tears that were bursting to flood over at any moment. "I don't know. Things were going so good. I just wish I knew where she was. I miss her, Buffy."

Buffy gave Willow a strong squeeze as they walked up her driveway. "We'll find her. You'll get her back."

They failed to notice the pair of large blue eyes following their every move as they went inside. The eyes glowed from the reflection of the porch light, from their position in the bushes.

With a mournful whimper, the figure disappeared, swiftly running down the street and away from the Summers residence, as if it were being summoned somewhere.

In the house, Xander was arguing with Dawn about what movie to watch.

"I don't want to watch, "The Mummy Returns," we've watched that 3 times already this week!" Xander said, exasperatedly.

Dawn snatched the movie out of Xander's hand. "It's my movie and I want to watch it."

"Dawn… you can watch that movie anytime you want. Let Xander pick a movie."

"But…" she started to argue, but Buffy cut her off.

"Why don't you go watch it in your room?" She raised an eyebrow at her sister.

"Fine!" Dawn quickly took to the stairs and slammed her door once she was in her bedroom.

"Hey, Buff. Thanks for saving me there."

Buffy smiled at Xander as she plopped down on the couch. "No, prob."

"Wills, why the gloomy face?"

Willow sat down next to Buffy on the couch and leaned her head back on the blonde's shoulder.

"She's missing Tara," Buffy answered for the redhead, as she put her arm around Willow's shoulder.

"We all miss her, Will. It's just so confusing. You two just got back together, why would she take off?" Xander saw tears come to Willow's eyes and he instantly regretted his words.

He scooted over closer to her. "I'm sure she'll come back. In the meantime, you've got us Scoobies… and researchy Giles," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

This made Willow look up. She smiled at Xander and leaned over and gave him a hug. "Thanks, Xander. I know… I'll find her. I'll always find her. It's just… where is she?"

"If you keep looking at me like that, you're not going to get any food," a voice warned.

The only answer the voice received was a deep growl.

"Now… you might as well get used to that cage cause you're gonna be here for awhile. I see you've learned to listen to me now. You came back in time tonight. Don't like going without eating, do you? Or better yet… you don't like being shocked with magic bolts, do you? It's so simple. I control you. Without me… you would die. Let's just see that you keep behaving and I might consider letting you go soon."

The two large blue eyes that had watched Willow and Buffy return home from patrol had grown hopeful at those words.

"Hmmm… but maybe not. I like having you around, as leverage."

The captor received another deep growl in protest.

"Here." The voice threw two raw steaks in the cage.

The steaks were gone in a matter of minutes.

"You just go to sleep now. I'll be back tomorrow," the captor said and headed for the stairs. It flipped off the basement light at the top step and then was gone.

The figure in the cage whimpered again, as it lied down for the night on the blanket in the far right corner and eventually fell asleep.

Xander had left for the evening. He decided he should give Willow and Buffy some time alone.

Willow really was in bad shape. Just two weeks ago, her and Tara had gotten back together. They were going to start rebuilding on what they had again.

Tara was willing to start trusting Willow again. She had been confident that Willow was doing better with her addiction to the magic's and she longed for a future with the woman she loved and would always love.

All of this changed when Tara disappeared. It had been a week now since Willow had last seen her beloved. She didn't understand. 'Did I do something wrong? Does she still not trust me?' These are the questions that keep rolling around in Willow's mind. Every night for the past week, these were the questions that Willow fell asleep to.

Tonight was the same. The redhead was exhausted. Her brain was noisy and she couldn't get any rest. Thoughts of every kind kept torturing her. She would wake up in tears most nights, fearing the worst.

"You're gonna wear yourself out, Will," Buffy whispered to the sleeping redhead. She had fallen asleep shortly after Xander had left. She was lying on the couch on her back, with her head in Buffy's lap. The blonde was watching her sleep, thinking. "We WILL find her. I won't stop searching till we do."

Just then, Willow gasped and sat up with a start, "Tara…" She started to sob uncontrollably. "No!" she cried.

"Shhh… Will, it's okay." Buffy pulled Willow to her and the redhead wrapped her arms around the slayer and cried into her shoulder. "Easy…I've got ya. We'll get you through this. We'll find her. I promise." A tear slithered down Buffy's cheek as she held Willow, trying to comfort her.

Tara and Buffy had grown closer over the last few months. After all, Tara had been the first person to find out about Spike and Buffy sleeping together. From that moment, their friendship had started to blossom. Tara's disappearance was tearing the slayer up more than she could ever admit.

Buffy had also liked the blonde Wicca, ever since she first met her. When Willow had told her that she and Tara were together, she briefly wigged, but she was happy for her best friend.

The blonde was pulled from her thoughts as Willow pulled away from her shoulder.

Wiping her tears away, the hacker sniffled. "Your shoulders all wet."

Buffy looked at her shirt, but brought her eyes back to her best friend. "Willowtears," she smiled. "It's okay. I'm here for you." She squeezed the redhead's hand and then let it go.

"Thanks, Buffy." Willow gave her friend one last hug, then stood to her feet. "I'm gonna go to bed. I'll see you in the morning?"

"Bright and early," the slayer said, with far more enthusiasm than she believed in.

Willow gave her a half smile. "Night, Buff." She turned for the stairs.

"Night, Will." Buffy watched as Willow climbed the stairs and then soon after, she decided she would go to bed as well. Turning off the lights, she went to her room. She grabbed her nightshirt and a clean pair of underwear and then headed for the bathroom.

In the other room, Willow was peering out her bedroom window. 'Where are you, baby? Please come home,' she sent through her mind. 'I need you, Tara. I love you.' A tear ran down Willow's cheek.

She turned from the window and collapsed onto her bed. "Goodnight, baby. Where ever you are."

Across town, two large blue eyes slowly fluttered open.

'Where are you, baby? Please come home.' The figure heard the words in its mind. 'I need you, Tara. I love you.' The figured blinked its eyes and walked to the front of the metal cage, peering out into the darkness. The room was empty, the only sound being a humming from the small metal freezer across the room.

Inside the cage was a large metal bowl with water to the far left corner.

Confused, the figure walked back over to the blanket and lied down.

'Willow,' Tara sent out telepathically. 'Please find me.' With another whimper, she curled up to try and sleep. 'I'm waiting for you, darling,' she sent out, before drifting into slumber.

Once the voice hit Willow's ears, she sat up abruptly from the bed and turned toward the door. "Tara?" Confusion hit her features when she saw that no one was there. "Tara?" Willow got up from the bed and went into the hallway. A frantic look was etched upon her face, but still she found no one.

"Will… what's up?" Buffy opened the bathroom door upon hearing her best friend's voice. Thankfully she hadn't undressed yet.

"Uh… I don't know. I heard Tara." She took to the stairs two at a time. "Baby?"

Buffy was right behind her.

After searching the living room and kitchen, she was utterly confused. "Okay… what's going on? I heard her." Willow looked at Buffy as if she could give her an explanation. "Buffy… where's, Tara?" she said as she started to sob.

The slayer went to her best friend and hugged her close. "I don't know where she is, Will. Are you sure you heard her?"

"Yes… I heard… her…" she said, between sobs.

"Well… maybe she did some kind of witchy telepathic thing?" Buffy said, curiously.

"Maybe."

"That means she's alive. She's still alive, Will." The blonde pulled back to look at the redhead.

Her tears still stung her cheeks, but a smile now predominated her features. "Tara's alive," she said, relieved.

"Yes she is… and we'll find her. I'm here for you and I love you." Buffy gave her a smile.

"I love you, too. And I'll find Tara. We'll always find each other," she said and pulled Buffy into one more embrace.

"I'll look some more on patrol tomorrow night. You have your meeting, right?"

"The AA for witches… yeah," she said, proudly.

"I'm so proud of you, Will. You're doing really good with the recovery thing."

"I have to… for Tara AND for me. I can't fall into it again. And I won't."

"YAY for that," Buffy grinned.

"I guess I'm going to try and go get some sleep. I feel better knowing she's okay. I just wish she was here."

"I know… me too. She'll be here soon. She will." Buffy tugged Willow towards the stairs and they went back upstairs.

Willow could sleep knowing that Tara was still alive. The thing she neglected to notice is that Tara had telepathically linked with her, after Willow had called out to her. She could easily try to find her, if she just called out to her.

All of this slipped her mind as she clung to Tara's pillow, pulling it against her chest and hugging it. "Goodnight, my Tara."

Chapter 2

The morning sun poured in through the window illuminating the far left side of the cemented floor in the cage. A big black tail was slowly sweeping back and forth across the blanket it lay upon. The sun highlighted the bottom portion of the tail, making the hair shine richly as it twitched.

Suddenly it flopped up and then lightly smacked the floor before sweeping from back to front again.

A great, powerful paw pushed down beside the tail and was now bathing in the light of the sun. The leg momentarily stretched out as far as it could reach, followed by another back leg, making the huge black claws they were armed with, extend and contract in time as a throaty purr broke the silence in the stainless steel cage.

The feline's ribcage rose and calmly fell with each breath, content in its slumber. The morning sun warmed the cat from head to toe, as the heat traveled the whole length of its feline form. The thick black coat of fur was like a heat magnet, very easily activated.

The large cat's right ear twitched several times as if the hairs were being tickled. Its massive head was resting comfortably on its front paws that were stretched out, with the front half of the cat's body lying upright.

With another stretch of all its limbs and a healthy yawn, which bared all it's large, sharp white teeth, the feline's eyes fluttered open and blinked several times.

The cat slowly rose to its feet and stretched its front legs out in front of its body, its chest almost touching the floor. A contented growl escaped the feline's jaws as the lower half of its body rose up in the air; tail tucking between the back legs.

Once it was standing again, the cat stretched its back legs, one at a time.

The stretches lasted for several seconds each. This was followed by another yawn, revealing again its large fangs.

Turning around, it paced over to the water dish in the far left corner and lapped its tongue at the cool refreshing liquid, some of the water splashing up onto its whiskers as it drank contentedly.

Mid lap, its ears perked up and it froze. A brief growl escaped its lungs. Lifting its head, a drop of water trickled down its jaw.

The door to the basement creaked shut as someone began to walk down the stairs.

The feline backed away from the water bowl and stood territorial. Its ears flattened back and the cat's stance was a little lower to the ground, eyeing the intruder wearily.

"I see you're awake."

Tara followed Amy's every movement with her eyes, as her pupils began to enlarge.

"What… you're not going to say good morning? Oh… that's right. You can't." She laughed menacingly. "Jaguars can't talk."

She took a tentative step towards the cage then crouched down in front of the bars. "And since I changed you, you can't perform magic on me."

The Jaguar growled its disapproval and took a step back.

"Well now… you're not acting very nice to me, this morning. Are you asking to be punished?"

A loud hiss was her only answer.

Amy held her hand out in front of the cage and with a few words in Latin, a lightening bolt shot through the cage.

Tara ducked to the ground in time before it could hit her.

Standing to her feet, "Smartening up, I see."

Tara charged the front of the cage, but stopped when she got to the bars. A growl penetrated the room. Her ears lay flat against her head with her tail hanging low between her back legs. A ridge of hair laid visibly standing on her back, tail somewhat ruffled.

Tara's stance was in fighting position; pupils enlarged and her large white fangs bared, the feral form taking over her nature.

"Now, now… be nice or I won't miss this time. I think just for that little nasty behavior, I might not let you out tonight."

The cat's large blue eyes hardened, as she looked the blonde witch up and down. 'Just wait till I get out of here, Amy. Maybe I'll lock you in here for a few days,' she threatened in her thoughts.

Amy turned toward the stairs and started to walk back up them. "Don't have too much fun now." She laughed wickedly as she reached the top step and opened the door. "See ya, Tara." The door shut firmly behind her.

The Jaguars features softened and it turned and looked up at the window, where it could see the outside. 'Willow… I need to get out of here.'

Realizing the only thing she could do was stay cooped up in the cage till Amy came back, Tara walked back over to the soft blanket and lied down. A whimper escaped her throat. The only thought on her mind was Willow.

"You could help me, Buffy," Willow said excitedly. "Yeah… you could do the spell with me."

"I don't know, Will."

"Come on. It's not dark magic and I've done this a couple of times… a-and it won't be like I'm breaking any promises, since I won't be using dark magic. Then I could tell Tara that we found her together… and she won't be mad at me…"

Buffy smiled at her best friend's babbling. "Alright. I'll help you. Tell me what I have to do."

Willow grinned from ear to ear and ran over to Buffy and hugged her close. She rocked her from side to side before stepping back. "Thank you so much." She hugged the slayer again.

"Will… feeling the need to breathe, here."

The redhead pulled away. "Oops… sorry, Buff." She looked at her apologetically.

"It's okay. So, how does that tinker bell thing work? And are you sure you should be doing this?"

Willow sat down on the floor in front of Buffy, beside her and Tara's bed. "Do you think it would be okay? I mean… I don't want to upset her or break any promises or anything. It's just… this is going to help. This will find her. Wouldn't she be happy that we found her?"

Buffy squeezed the redhead's knee. "Hey, calm down. I think it'll be fine. You're doing so well with the magic thing and Tara knows that."

"I know. I just don't want to upset her by doing this."

Cocking her head to the side, "We've gotta do something. And this might be our only way, right?"

Willow suddenly found the floor very interesting. She knew Buffy was right. This might be the only way to find Tara. 'I don't know why I didn't do this before. Big dummy. I should have thought about it earlier. She could be home by now, but no… I had to be stupid and not think about it. And now Tara could be mad at me for doing this spell…and I just…'

"Will?" Buffy waved her hand in front of Willow's face.

"What?" She finally looked up. "Oh… sorry, Buffy. What did you say?"

The slayer just laughed, "I said, do you want to do this?"

"Uh…" Willow contemplated. 'If I don't do this… we might not find Tara. And if I do… she might be mad at me for using magic. Ahhh… I hate this. What do I do?' She looked into Buffy's eyes for some kind of answer. "I just don't want to mess things up again. I couldn't live through that again. I can't lose her." Her eyes welled up with tears at just the thought.

Buffy scooted in so her knees were touching the other girl's and she put her hands on Willow's shoulders. "I know. You're scared… and you have every right to be, but I think we should do this. We have to. Come on… let's find your girl." She squeezed her shoulders.

Willow just nodded. "Okay… you'll need to sit where you are, right in front of me. Um… tuck your feet under your legs, like me."

The slayer did as she was told.

"Now… sit like your meditating, but I need you to hold my hands."

The blonde looked at Willow apprehensively. "Um… this is really touchy feely stuff, isn't it?" she joked.

"Buffy… this is serious. Take my hands."

"Sorry… I was just fooling around." Buffy gripped onto Willow's hands.

"What I'm going to do is recite the spell. You just keep hold of my hands and concentrate on Tara, okay?"

"Got it. Concentrate on Tara, I can do that. How do we know if this works?"

"You'll know. Now… close your eyes and concentrate."

Willow held tight to Buffy's hands as both girls closed their eyes. All of their thoughts moved towards Tara. The redhead sat in silence for a moment, before she squeezed Buffy's hands tightly and began to recite the spell.

"Araydia, Goddess of the lost.

The path is murky.

The woods are dense.

Darkness pervades.

I beseech thee.

Bring the light."

As she said the last words of the spell, two tiny lights of energy appeared before them. One was green, signifying Willow's essence, the other red for Buffy.

Willow briefly opened her eyes to make sure the spell had worked. 'YAY… it worked. Okay…'

"Lead us to Tara," Willow said, once she had closed her eyes again.

And that's when they could both feel it. Their essences were moving down the stairs and through the front door, flying out into the daylight as little forms of energy balls, appearing much like fireflies.

Once outside, they were confused. They hummed around, but could see nowhere to go. There was a barrier holding them back; like a wall of some sort. They tried to move forward, but were pushed back. Something was holding Tara back. There was a mist around her that was masking the spell.

Willow could feel her energy being tugged back toward her body, as could Buffy, but they couldn't give up. They had to find Tara.

The green energy pushed forward again, flying around Buffy's red. The two met in the air and buzzed around each other as if they were playfully chasing each other and then they zipped forward together. Flying a few more inches through the air, before they were pushed back. The barrier around Tara once again held them back.

The two energies tried to fly higher, but it didn't help. They were still pushed back.

They hovered in place for a moment, bumping into each other as if communicating. Willow slowly floated around Buffy's essence before slowly pulling back and floating back in the direction of the house. The red energy soon followed and they were momentarily pushed back inside their bodies.

"No!" Is all Willow could manage to squeak out as she collapsed forward and fell into Buffy. She sobbed loudly at the turn of events. "Tara…" she breathed.

All of her hope collapsed around her and she felt herself giving up. Willow couldn't bear the thoughts that were floating around in her mind. She just couldn't. The only thing the redhead wanted was to throw her arms around her beloved and never let go, but now it seemed impossible. Would she ever find her?

Her grip on Buffy tightened.

Buffy's thoughts toyed with her as well. She hated seeing her best friend like this. This was worse then anything she could ever dream about; it was too much.

Pulling back slowly, she put her hands on the other girl's shoulders and pushed her back. "Will… it's gonna be okay. We'll find her. Tell you what, instead of me just sitting here, I'm gonna go out and look for her. Okay?"

Willow nodded, her bottom lip trembling. She watched as her best friend jumped to her feet and headed out of the room. A couple of seconds later she heard the front door shut.

Her body fell back till she bumped into the bed. She stared up at the ceiling willing it to move. 'Just collapse, why don't ya? Get it over with.' As soon as that thought formed, the redhead knew she didn't mean it. That would mean giving up. And that was not going to happen. Not with Tara still out there somewhere.

She shook her head, shaking the thought away. Tears still slithered down her pale cheeks.

Bringing a hand up, Willow brushed them away. "Why didn't that spell work? It was all avoidy with the finding. I don't get it," she said out loud, as if the air could answer her back. 'Maybe I should call Giles. Or… should I go with Buffy? No… she probably wants to do this alone.'

Slowly, she stood to her feet and grabbed her house keys off the dresser. Taking the stairs two at a time, she quickly yanked the front door open and locked it, before taking off running in the general direction for the Magic Box. 'I hope Giles can help.'

The bell above the door chimed as the door was lazily pushed open. For an early Saturday afternoon, the shop was unexpectedly empty.

Two feet padded along the carpet and once they reached the research table, Willow collapsed into one of the chairs, slightly out of breath from running most of the way there.

"Ah… good afternoon, Willow." The watcher came in the room from behind one of the stacks of books.

"Hey Giles," she said, rather unenthusiastically.

This made Giles look over at her more observantly and he took in her tired features. The wrinkles on her forehead were more pronounced as if she had been thinking intensely. "Are you quite alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Just peachy," she said sarcastically, before looking up into the eyes of the man she considered to be a second father to her. "No… I'm not. I can't find Tara. The spell wouldn't work and… and… Buffy went out to look for her. And to top it off… I have a headache. So, no… I'm not alright."

Giles frowned at Willow. "Did you say spell?" He pulled one of the chairs over to sit in front of the redhead.

"Yeah. Buffy and I were doing the guiding spell to try and find Tara, but it didn't work. It was like something was holding us back."

"Holding you back?" he asked curiously.

"There was like a wall or something. We couldn't get through. And then, we were back in our bodies."

The former librarian squeezed Willow's forearm reassuringly. "I'm sure Tara's fine."

"I need her to be," the redhead whispered, sadly.

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose before continuing. "Now, about the spell. You said there was some type of barrier, not allowing it to work?"

"It was weird. It was like a wall or something holding Tara back. Like a masking spell or something? Do you think she would do that? Wouldn't she want me to find her? Why would she do that? She can't…"

"Willow, calm down. Getting worked up about this won't help. You must keep your thoughts rational. I don't think Tara would do this willingly. Someone probably put her up to it, or did it without her knowledge."

The redhead nodded, but a frown still formed on her lips. "Is there a way around it? Can we make it go poof? The barrier…"

"I don't know. I'll have to consult my books. Perhaps you could help me?"

"Sure. Where do we start?" Willow was happy to offer her help, if it meant finding a way to get to Tara.

"Start what?" Anya said as she came back up the stairs from the storage room.

"A spell Willow and Buffy did, didn't work and we're trying to find out why," Giles explained.

"A spell? I thought you gave up magic?"

"It wasn't dark magic," Willow said defensively. "And I did give that up. Nope… no more dark magic for me."

"Then what was it?" questioned Anya.

"It was a guiding spell," Giles offered.

"Oh… well, why didn't it work?" said the ex-demon, looking confused.

Willow puffed out a long sigh. "That's what we're trying to find out. Do you want to help?"

Giles was handing over a few books he thought might help, as Willow looked questioningly at Anya.

"I have, uh… things to do, Willow. We're not all students!" she said annoyed, as she trotted over behind the counter to the cash register.

"Fine… count the money. I might as well have asked you to go without sex for a day," Willow said this under her breath, out of earshot from Giles.

"I do want to help though. I like Tara. She's an outsider, like me," Anya pointed out.

"She's not an outsider!" Willow said, angrily.

"Well… she used to be then, but not now. She's a Scooby, kinda like me now."

"Yes… she's a Scooby," the redhead said proudly. 'A Scooby who should be here right now.' She whimpered sadly at that thought.

Coming back over to the table, the watcher sat down. "Alright. We should start with these and then move on accordingly." He motioned to the books on the table.

Chapter 3

Willow let out a frustrated sigh. She had been researching through the books Giles had given her for hours now and still hadn't found anything useful to help break the spell around Tara. Most references referred to dark magic incantations. This was an obvious no go. Willow would not use dark magic, no matter what the cost. She made a promise, to herself and to Tara that she would never tap into it again.

"Willow… most of the references you ought to stay away from. I wouldn't suggest trying them."

Looking up the redhead met the worried eyes of Giles. "I know… I'm not going to."

"Good," he said, as he went back to reading. "Although, there is one thing that we might have overlooked. Look here." He handed the book over to Willow. "Of course, this would only work if we actually knew where Tara was physically."

Taking the book from the watcher, she read over the paragraph he had indicated.

"You have a good day." Anya said cheerfully, as she handed a customer her purchase and sent her on her way. After securing her money, she went over to where Giles and Willow were commandeering the research table. "Find anything?"

"I believe we have, yes," he said with a smile.

"Oh… phone." Anya rushed over to the beckoning phone.

"Giles, is it really this simple?" Willow looked up from her book. "It is, isn't it?"

Giles removed his glasses and started wiping the lenses. "It is. We just have to find Tara now."

"…But… now we're back to the beginning. How am I supposed to find her?"

Somewhat defeated, Giles stood to his feet and walked over, kneeling in front of Willow. "There has to be a way. We will find it. Maybe you should try the guiding spell again?"

"I guess, but it didn't work before."

"Yes, I'm aware of that. Maybe this time try doing it alone. The fact that Buffy was doing it with you last time, may have caused some interference of some sort." He squeezed her knee. "I will keep watch over you the whole time, if you like. If you don't want to do this alone?"

Willow looked up into the soft green eyes of the watcher. "I can do it. I'll do it here, so you guys are around. I just… need this to work, Giles. I need Tara back."

"We'll get her back." Giles gave Willow a half hug as he stood to his feet. "I suggest we wait till sundown this time. Perhaps a change in the time of day will help."

The redhead gave him a nod and stretched. She let her mind wander back to the book in front of her. She would keep looking. Maybe she could find another way to make the spell work.

Tara's expressive blue eyes were patiently staring into Amy's, as she paced in the cage. Walking from side to side with a passive expression, her eyes pleaded with the other witch. She hated being locked in this cage.

Ever since Amy had kidnapped her and locked her up, she had tried to guilt the witch into letting her go. Tara would look at her with such sadness in her eyes or she would refuse to eat when the other girl offered her food.

The hard thing was keeping her feral form under control. Tara was not an aggressive person by nature. She could never hurt another person willingly. Most of her human senses were with her in this form, but Tara found herself feeling threatened more times then not by the witch. When this came into play, the feral form took over.

Amy had found herself several times, mere inches from bodily harm. If she stood too close to the cage when Tara was in a foul disposition, she would strike out at Amy. The former rat had the lacerations to prove it. The Jaguar's razor sharp claws had clipped her flesh on more than one occasion.

As Tara's powerful paws padded the cement back and forth, she thought back to the day when Amy kidnapped her.

Tara had been walking to Buffy's house from the library on campus. The sun had just gone down, so she was in a hurry to get to the Slayer's. As she approached the house, from a few driveways away, something had suddenly hit her. It hadn't been a physical object, but a mystical blow.

When it collided with her body, she had fallen to the ground unconscious. The mystical power packing enough punch to shock her motionless; when she had come to, she was in a cage. Amy had magicically teleported her there.

Tara's voice had sobbed and called out desperately to be released from the cage, but to no avail. Her magic wouldn't work on the cage. It was magically bound.

Amy quickly had grown tired of her cries and ultimately changed her form, so she could no longer cry out. Her magic was useless as well, in this state.

Amy's reasoning for holding Tara was to get back at Willow. She hated that the redhead had given up magic; and for what, to please her girlfriend? 'No one leaves me out in the cold like that,' the blonde had vowed.

The witch hadn't seen Willow yet.

The idea of stopping by the Magic Box or Buffy's house had popped into her mind a few times. 'Maybe I'll pay Willow a visit soon,' Amy had told herself.

Tara's thoughts returned to the present, as she stopped pacing and stood still, staring Amy down. Her eyes willing a challenge, or was it more of a plea? Her ears lie flat against her head; body somewhat low to the ground, tail tucked.

"If I let you out, you better come back on time or I'll deliver another care package to you." Amy's care package would be a magical shock that would leave Tara yowling in pain. This she did not want.

The black cat stood silent briefly, watching the other witch. As Amy stepped closer to the cage, Tara expectantly jumped up against the bars of the prison, her paws gripping tightly to the steel before dropping back to the floor.

As Amy opened the door, her eyes challenged the feline to behave.

It was a look Tara knew well. If she showed aggression towards the other girl, she would be zapped with magic and locked back up.

So, Tara was calm. She hesitantly stepped to the cage door. Locking her blue eyes with Amy, she cautiously ran out of the cage and over to the door at the back of the room.

"Don't disappoint me now, Tara," the witch said, as she magic'd the door open from her position beside the cage.

Tara let out a grateful roar, before taking off running up the steps leading to the ground level.

She ran in the shadows as to not be seen. It had become a routine with her. She could tell by the appearance of the sky that it was nearing 8 P.M. Buffy should be on patrol by now.

So, Tara set off to do what she normally did when Amy let her out. She would watch over Buffy, hoping Willow would be with her tonight. At least this way, she could catch a glimpse of her beloved.

One thing she wouldn't do was cross Amy, for fear of her life. Tara knew what she might do and she didn't want to find herself in that position.

Taking off towards the cemetery, the bushes would be her cover. This way she could watch over Buffy and Willow, if she was there, and not be seen. Tara knew if Willow or Buffy saw her, they would run away. This is what she didn't want.

If the situation prevailed, then Tara would leave her confinement in the bushes and help, but if not, she would just protect from a distance.

"Come on, Alex. Time to wakey, wakey. Time to slay. That means Mr. Pointy has a date with you." Buffy was perched on a fresh grave's head stone, waiting for its resident to rise, as she twirled her stake in her right hand.

Alex was only 20. He had been walking home from a football game when a vamp attacked him.

"Don't people know it's not safe to walk the streets of Sunnydale at night?" She looked down under her feet at the fresh dirt. "I guess not."

Just then, the dirt under her feet started to shift. She jumped off the gravestone and stood expectantly in front of it.

As Alex rose from the fresh ground beneath him, he looked around confused.

Buffy didn't give him the chance to fully rise. She sunk the stake in his chest and watched as his ashes showered the soil. "Come on guys. You're making this slaying gig too easy."

She wasn't complaining though. Buffy enjoyed an easy night when the vamps didn't give her problems.

It was pretty quite tonight. This was her first kill and quite possibly her only slaying for the night. That would be fine. Willow wasn't there to keep her company, so she was kind of bummed anyway.

Willow had been coming with her on patrol for the past few nights and she was quickly becoming accustomed to having the other girl with her.

Buffy had racked her brain trying to come up with something to say to her best friend when she did eventually go back home. She was coming up short. She knew the first question to her would be, 'Did you find her?' What was she to say to her?

Buffy was unaware of the eyes following her every move from the bushes nearby.

Tara was doing her duty to watch over her friend.

Tara and Buffy's reverie was interrupted by a deep male voice. "The Slayer!"

Buffy quickly turned around on her feet and saw five vampires approaching.

They sprouted out as if they were going to surround her.

"You guys picked the wrong night." She grabbed another stake from her jacket and twirled it around. "Wanna party boys? Take your best shot."

All at once they surrounded her.

Buffy fought them off to the best of her ability, staking one quickly. He appeared to be the new comer to the group. Not very smart, but the others pounced on her. She was ultimately overpowered.

Two of the vamps pushed her to the ground as the other two kicked and attacked her.

Buffy tried to take her power back. She managed to yank an arm free and punch one of the vamps near her face.

He doubled back, holding his nose, blood flowing from it.

"Grab her!" one of them yelled.

The two vampires holding her down gripped her arms and yanked her up off the ground.

Buffy let out a yelp when a fist met her stomach. It was a hard blow. She retaliated by kicking him and sending him flying. The other vamp in front of her charged, but she lifted her legs up off the ground and kicked him, sending him stumbling back.

He quickly recovered and charged at her again, this time catching her off guard as she was trying to break free of the grip on her arms. He quickly took her to the ground and the other two started attacking as well.

The one, who took her down, squirmed his way up to her neck and was about to sink his fangs in her flesh when a fierce growl from behind caught his attention.

Whipping his head around, he saw something approaching from the shadows. He looked down at the Slayer and quickly stood to his feet. He kicked Buffy in the ribs as he stood, but then spun around to focus on the approaching form.

His eyes grew big as he realized what it was. Just then another growl found his ears and he started to back up.

The vampire Buffy had sent flying, tried to attack the approaching newcomer, but failed. He was pounced on, with a fatal blow to the neck, which severed it from the spine. He was turned to dust.

When the other vamps made eye contact with the newcomer, they suddenly became petrified.

Tara went low to the ground, ears lying back, fangs barred. She let out a deathly growl and charged a few steps forward before stopping. Her pupils were very large.

She hissed at the vampires, before charging a few more steps forward. Tara swung one of her front paws in front of her at a lightening fast speed as another growl penetrated the air.

The two vamps holding Buffy looked at each other, before dropping their grip on the blonde and taking off running in the other direction.

Buffy stumbled to the side, petrified of what was before her. She didn't know what to do, so she just stood still, staring at the large pissed off cat.

The remaining vampire stood still, staring the cat down.

Tara's eyes locked with the vampire as she hissed at him. She stood perfectly still willing him to move. When he didn't, she charged forward again, her front paw shot out and her nails clipped him on the leg.

He doubled over with pain and she saw her opportunity. Tara pounced the vampire and her fangs clamped down on his neck with a deathly grip.

He quickly turned to dust.

Buffy had attempted to back away from the scene, but had tripped and fell.

Tara sneezed, the vamp dust having filled her nostrils. Once she regained her composure, she looked over at Buffy. She was terrified. Tara had never seen her this way. She couldn't blame her though. If it had been herself, she would have been just as petrified.

Turning her body towards the Slayer, Tara hung her head low to the ground. Her ears lying back as she slowly trotted forward. She crept lower to the ground with each step as she finally approached Buffy, showing her submission.

Buffy closed her eyes and fell onto her back. 'Oh God, what do I do? It's gonna kill me. I know it is. It's gonna…'

Her thoughts were cut short when the cat looked down at her. Its nose, mere inches from her face. The cat's eyes were soft, but the ears were now standing tall. That's when she heard a noise. It was a soft fluttery noise that almost sounded like a fan.

'No… that's a purring sound, it's purring at me!' Buffy froze when the cat lowered its head and its nose touched hers.

Tara nuzzled Buffy's face, her soft fur playing with the skin on the blonde's cheek. 'Buffy, you're safe now,' she said in her thoughts. When she pulled away from the slayers face, she moved back a little, but leaned down toward her chest.

Tara's teeth hooked onto Buffy's shirt and she started pulling back.

The slayer was confused, but she quickly figured out the cat was trying to help her sit up. When she did, the feline rubbed against her arms and chest, almost knocking her over again with it's full body weight.

The cat's nature once again took over her behavior.

Without thinking, Buffy lifted a hand up and petted the soft fur of the cat.

Tara purred as Buffy scratched her ears. She pulled back a little and looked into the blonde's eyes. Tara's eyes were full of love and affection.

Buffy reached up again to pet Tara's ears, which made her purr loudly again with satisfaction.

Pulling her head back somewhat, her long sandpapery tongue found the Slayer's skin of her hand and she affectionately gave it a lick. Stepping forward she looked at her friend and stood still briefly, before leaning forward and nuzzling her neck once.

Then, without warning, she pulled back, purred once more and ran off in the other direction.

This left Buffy very confused. She watched the feline run off. Her heart was still pounding wildly in her chest. "WOW!"

Climbing to her feet, she let her eyes scan in the direction where Tara had ran off in. Noticing the feline was gone, she quickly ran the other way to go home. She was still confused.

'Why didn't that cat try to eat me?' This was her only thought.

The back door opened just as Giles was pouring himself a cup of tea. Startled, he turned to find himself meeting the eyes of Buffy. "Are you quite alright?" He said, noticing the bruise on her left cheek.

"I'm fine, Giles. Just battle wounds." She smiled at the older man.

"Wounds? Were you hurt elsewhere?" he asked, concerned, as he approached her.

"It's nothing. I got kicked a few times. I'm fine. How are things here?" Buffy tried to change the subject.

"Oh, things are fine. Willow and Dawn are asleep." Giles noticed her flinch somewhat at the mention of the redhead. "Buffy, is everything alright? Did you find, Tara?" He motioned for her to sit with him at the island.

Buffy sat down and shook her head. Her features were fallen.

"Are you alright, Buffy?" Giles questioned, concerned.

She was about to speak, but was interrupted by another voice joining in on the conversation.

"What's goin' on?" Willow asked from the doorway. She was awoken by voices and wanted to see what the commotion was about. "Buffy!" The redhead ran over to the slayer when she caught site of her and pulled her into a hug. "Did you find her?" She pulled away from her friend.

Buffy just stared back at Willow. She didn't know what to say. She just looked away from her friend's questioning eyes and stepped back.

"Buffy, what's wrong?" She could see the emotions playing out on the other girl's face.

"I didn't find her," Buffy looked at the hacker apologetically.

"No! We have to find her," her voice whimpered as tears started forming in her eyes.

Giles cleared his throat. "I'll just leave you two alone," he said as he left the kitchen.

Buffy met Willow's eyes with her own. They were filled with tears and confusion. She knew she was the cause of that and it made her sick to her stomach. Willow had shed enough tears over the past few weeks. Buffy didn't want to be the cause of anymore.

"Buffy?" Willow took a tentative step to her friend.

Seeing her approach, she wrapped her arms around Willow. "I'm sorry, Will. I'm sorry I didn't find her."

"Its not your fault," the redhead returned the embrace, soft sobs racking her body.

Buffy held her for a few moments, letting her grieve. She wished there was more that she could do.

When Willow finally started to pull away, she brought a hand up to her face and wiped away her tears.

Buffy's eyes suddenly went wide as she remembered something. "OH… Giles!" She ran into the living room, pulling Willow along with her.

Giles was sitting on the couch with his legs crossed, reading a book. He saw the two women approach and he smiled. "Are you two quite alright?"

Squeezing Willow's shoulder, "We're okay. Do you have a minute for Watcher talk?" Buffy sat on the couch next to him.

"Oh… yes, Buffy. What's the matter?" He said in an alarmed tone, fully prepared to accept whatever news she was about to enlighten him with.

"Well, I'm not sure. Tonight on patrol, there was this cat, this huge cat. It attacked."

Willow sat next to Buffy. "It attacked you?" her voice full of fear and worry.

"No, not me. It attacked the vampires. It… protected me."

"Dear lord," Giles said concerned. "You're quite positive?"

Looking at her Watcher, "Yeah. It killed two of the vamps and ran the other two off. Then, I thought it was going to eat me or something, but it… it purred at me," Buffy said in awe.

"It purred at you? Like a little kitty?" Willow was smiling now.

"That is rather odd." Giles was dumbfounded. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Giles, what could this mean? That thing was huge. It easily could have killed me, with its teeth alone, but it didn't. The cat just rubbed up against me, licked my hand, and then ran off. Oh…" She turned to Willow, "It purred at me again, before it ran away."

"That is strange. I'm not sure what this means. And there was no sign that it wanted to or would harm you?" he asked, questioningly.

"Nope. It was nice to me. I think it was protecting me, but why would a huge cat protect me?" Buffy looked at Giles in question.

"I don't know. Perhaps we should do some research and see if anything like this is referenced. It is rather peculiar. The fact that it didn't attack you and protected you, would suggest that it favored you. And you've never seen the cat before?"

The slayer shook her head. "Never."

"What did it look like?" Willow asked curiously.

"It was black, but I could see lighter patches on its body. Like little squares of lighter colored hair. The eyes were blue."

"Sounds lovely," Giles smiled.

"Blue? Is that normal? Don't cats usually have green eyes? Its eyes should be green. All the large cats have yellow, or green eyes. I've never seen blue before," Willow said indignantly. "Oh… maybe it's possessed!" She shook her head up and down.

"Willow, I'm sure there's an explanation. We'll do research tomorrow and see if we can't find anything. This is the Hellmouth. It is quite possible that might have something to do with it. Maybe we can find something out tomorrow. In the mean time, I suggest you rest. It's late. We can talk about this more in the morning." He spoke in a protective father mode.

Buffy yawned as if on cue. "I am kinda tired."

"Then you should rest. Tomorrow we'll try to get to the bottom of this," Giles promised.

Standing, Willow and Buffy both headed for the stairs. "Goodnight, Giles," they said in unison.

"Goodnight, Buffy. Willow. Have a restful sleep." He smiled warmly at them.

Once upstairs, Willow paused at the top. "Buffy?"

Turning towards her, "Yeah?"

"Thanks." She smiled.

"For what?" Buffy arched an eyebrow.

"Trying to help me find her."

Buffy gave Willow a hug. "I'll continue to help you until we DO find her. Goodnight, Wills."

"Night, Buff." As she pulled away, Willow took hold of Buffy's hand and gave it a loving squeeze. "See you tomorrow." She let her hand drop from the slayers and stepped to her door.

The redhead gave her one last smile before closing her door behind her.

The blonde watched her friend until she was out of sight before walking into her own room and closing the door.

Chapter 4

"Dawn! You're gonna be late!" Buffy yelled up the stairs to her sister. "Xander's here. Hurry up!" she shouted impatiently.

"I told you I was coming," said Dawn, incredulously, as she stomped down the stairs.

The slayer just raised an eyebrow at her sister.

"Hey Dawnster. Ready to go?" Xander asked from the door. He was twirling his keys around his finger on the key ring.

Smiling brightly. "Yeah, I'm ready," she beamed at him.

"Alrighty… let's go." He opened the door and made a motion with his hand for Dawn to go ahead.

Buffy walked up beside Xander, "Thanks for taking her."

"Hey… no prob., Buff," he said with a proud smile. "I'll see you later. I'll pick Dawn up from school on my break and bring her to the shop."

"Sounds good. I'll see you there." Buffy shooed him out the door.

"See ya," he said, as he hurriedly ran to the car and hopped in.

Buffy gave him a quick wave before going back inside. After closing the door she headed up the stairs and walked over to Willow's door. She listened for any sign of life, but the room was silent.

Knocking lightly, "Will, you awake?" she asked.

No response from the other side.

Buffy gingerly turned the knob and stepped inside. She found a still sleeping redhead, who was mumbling something in her sleep. Stepping closer to the bed, the blonde tried to see if she could make out any of the words.

"NO! It'll eat you, Buffy," Willow said, as she turned her head upwards, still deep in slumber.

The slayer smiled at her best friend. She kneeled down beside the bed in front of Willow and whispered. "What will eat me, Will?"

"The frog," Willow mumbled.

"The frog'll eat me? But I'm the slayer. I'll slay it." Buffy laughed softly under her breath.

"No… you can't," the redhead replied somewhat frightened.

"Why not?" she playfully asked.

"Cause it's radioactive."

Buffy could barely contain her laughter. Willow would often talk in her sleep and you never could predict what words would fall from her lips.

"Then how do I kill the frog?" the slayer played along.

There was a short silence and a repositioning of the redhead's body before she spoke again. Once she stilled, she said, "Smoochies."

"Huh?" Buffy scrunched up her brow at that. "I have to kiss it?" She frowned. "But it's radioactive."

"No… you have to hide," Willow said sleepily.

"Why do I have to hide?" the slayer asked confused.

"So you can't see my red cheeks." Willow quickly flipped over onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. She was embarrassed that she had been caught talking in her sleep. And the worst part of it was that, it was Buffy that caught her. She would never hear the end of this one.

"Will, are you awake?" The blonde laughed at her friend's sudden shy behavior.

A muffled, "Yes," found her ears.

Buffy ran a hand over Willow's back. "Good. Cause Giles is waiting for us at the Magic Box."

Another muffled answer was heard, "Okay."

"We're gonna to do research, remember?"

All of a sudden, Willow sprung up from the bed and almost knocked Buffy on her backside as she flipped over again. "Yes, research." She picked up on her friend's scowl. "I'm sorry, Buffy," the redhead's eyes full of apology.

"It's okay. I'll go downstairs so you can get ready to go." Buffy started to stand, but Willow's hand gripping her own stopped her.

"Do you think she's safe?" Willow asked sadly.

"Do I think who's safe?" the slayer asked as her eyes found her best friend's.

"Tara…" the redhead whispered.

With a sure expression, "I'm sure she's fine, Will." Buffy tried to keep her tone even. She couldn't bear to think of Tara hurt or in danger. That wasn't even an option.

"Really?" A tear snaked down Willow's cheek.

"Really." Buffy squeezed the hand in hers.

"Buffy?" the redhead whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Will you do something for me?" Her eyes locked with the blonde's.

"Anything," Buffy said without question.

"Will you hold me?" Willow whimpered, as her tears started to flow ever.

Buffy got up off the floor and slid in beside her friend on the bed, pulling the crying redhead into her arms. "Always. All you have to do is ask."

Willow nodded her head on Buffy's chest and just held tight to her.

Tilting her head down, she kissed the top of Willow's head. "It's gonna be okay, Will. I promise."

In response, the redhead pulled Buffy's body closer and she cried into the warmth of her embrace.

The slayer comfortingly ran her hand up and down Willow's back and whispered calming words to her. Her words inadvertently calmed her own tears that were just aching to flow over.

At the Magic Box, Giles was in full research mode. He was combing through every page of the various volumes in front of him, looking for anything useful.

He had found a few passages on animal possession. Most of them referred to certain behaviors that different animals might display, if suspected of being possessed. He didn't quite know what to look for in the text. All he had to go on was what he had learned from his conversation with Buffy the night before.

Every now and then a, 'Hmmm… that's interesting,' could be heard.

"Anya, did you ever deal with any type of animal possession while you were a demon?" Giles asked, hopefully.

Anya was sitting across the table from him flipping through pages in a book. "Not really. I would hear talk about it, but it wasn't really my thing."

Nodding, he replied. "Yes, of course."

"Although, I did deal a little bit with punishing men by turning them into animals for the rest of their lives. It could be quite unpleasant, if you ask me," she said, with a hint of malice in her eyes.

Giles looked at her somewhat horrified. "I can imagine." He quickly looked back to his book.

As soon as he started reading again, the bell above the door to the shop rang and in walked Buffy.

Willow was following close behind.

Re-adjusting his glasses on his nose, he smiled at the sight of the two and gladly called out to them. "Ah… Willow, Buffy. How are you this morning?"

Willow found her way over to the table and sat next to the watcher. "Woo Hoo," she said flatly. "YAY… couldn't be better." She slumped down in the chair until her head was resting on the back of the seat.

The sight of Willow's features was enough to be concerned. "Are you quite alright?" Giles asked the sorry sight beside him.

All the redhead did was shake her head no. It took everything she had to hold her tears back. She desperately wanted to just curl up in a ball in the corner and just stay there, but she couldn't.

Willow forced herself to stay strong; her thoughts betrayed her though. 'God… please let this be over soon. I can't do this.' Her lower lip quivered.

"Anything yet?" Buffy tried to steer the attention away from her best friend. She knew Willow didn't like being the center of everyone's focus.

Pulling his attention away from Willow, "Oh…I'm not entirely certain. I have found some interesting passages, but I'm not sure if they mean anything or not," Giles admitted honestly.

Buffy put her hands on her hips and let out a long sigh. "Do you think I should look for the cat tonight? See what it will do?" She was almost afraid to hear the answer to her inquiry.

Pondering his answer briefly, "That might actually be a good idea." Giles smiled at his slayer. "Yes. I think you should."

"Do you want me to go with you, Buffy?" Willow asked. She didn't like the idea of her best friend patrolling with a Jaguar running the streets of Sunnydale. They didn't know yet if it wasn't dangerous.

"It could be rabid, you never know. OH… rabid animals can act like that. They can act all nice and sweet, but really they are just sick and you could get sick from them. Buffy… you could get sick."

Willow was working herself up with worry. "It should have tried to eat you last night, not help you. And why didn't it? Not that I want it to eat you. I still think it's possessed. Why else…"

The redhead's babble was cut off by Giles, "Willow, I don't want you putting yourself in danger by helping Buffy. We don't know what to expect, if she should come across this cat again."

Willow tried to object. "… But…" The redhead knew she didn't have anything to worry about. She knew Buffy was capable of taking care of herself. 'I just don't wanna be left at home doing nothing, when I could be out helping Buffy and trying to search for Tara. Tara. Where are you, baby?' She frowned at her thoughts.

They automatically went back to her love, no matter what she was talking about or doing.

"No, 'buts,' Will. I don't want you in danger." Buffy's tone implied that she would not accept any argument from her friend. 'As long as I'm around, you're not gonna be in any type of danger. Not if I can help it.' She added in her mind.

The slayer had watched her best friend go through her depression and mood swings, since Tara had disappeared. 'An injured Willow, is not gonna help find Tara. And we have to find her,' Buffy thought to herself as she watched the redhead's face accept the final decision that she was not going to go out slaying tonight.

A pout formed on Willow's lips, as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Here," Giles said, pushing a book in front of the pouting girl. "Why don't you see if you can't find anything useful in here that we can use."

Willow put a hand on each side of the chair by her thighs and pushed herself up into a sitting position. After forcing a smile at Giles, she flipped open the book and started reading.

"I want you to be extra careful, Buffy. Here, why don't you read these few chapters on Animal possession? I want you to watch this cat very carefully, if you should find it. Watch its movements, its actions. Just be on top of everything it does, it could be imperative to your safety." Giles searched her eyes for understanding.

"Gotcha. I can be watcher girl," she half joked.

"Buffy, this is not a matter to joke about. It could be your life that is in danger if this animal shows any type of aggression. I need you to be extra careful. I don't want…"

"Giles… I'll be careful. I promise." She squeezed his forearm for reassurance.

"Yes, well, lets just see that you hold to that promise." He smiled at his surrogate daughter before looking back to the text at his fingers.

"What if…" Willow began to say something, but cut herself off. She continued to read the words of her book.

"Yes, Willow? Did you find something?" the former librarian inquired.

The redhead crinkled her brow as if in deep concentration. There was a moment of silence before she turned towards Giles; he was staring at her curiously. "What if it wasn't possessed? What if it's just a really nice kitty? There can be some like that you know, if they are handled and raised properly."

"What's goin' on in that noggin of yours, Will?" Buffy looked at her expectantly.

"I don't know. Will you go with me to the library at the campus? Maybe we can find some books on kitties to use. They might have something in them that might help." She looked at Giles for his reaction. 'Anything to get out of here.'

"I say, that's a good idea, Willow. Yes. Buffy why don't you go with her and see what you can find." Turning back to the redhead. "Can you check them out and bring them back here?" He knew the answer to that without even asking.

"Me, check out library books? Giles, you know better than to ask me that." Willow smiled warmly at him, her former mood lightening somewhat, but not disappearing. 'I can put on this act and then everything will be okay, right? No… it won't, but what else am I supposed to do?' She argued in her mind.

"I'll see what they have and bring back what we can find." She scooted her chair back and stood.

"Okay, Giles can we take your car?" Buffy asked. "I promise to behave while driving." She all, but batted her eyelashes at the watcher.

"Alright, but be careful." He reached into his pocket and handed over his keys. "Bring it back in one piece, will you?"

"Yes… I promise. Besides," pointing at Willow, "She'll see to it that I behave." Buffy grabbed Willow's hand and yanked her towards the front of the shop, towards the door.

"We won't be gone too long," she said, as they hurried out the door.

Willow barely squeaked out a, 'Bye,' before being pulled completely out of the shop.

"I hope my car will be alright," Giles said, worriedly.

"With Buffy driving?" Anya started laughing.

"Oh, Dear Lord!" was all the watcher could say at the thought of Buffy behind the wheel of his convertible.

At the library, Willow and Buffy had found the section on animals and were looking through the books vigorously.

"Awww… kitties," Willow exclaimed. "Look, Buffy." She pointed at the book that was open in her hands.

"Yes, Will. I see the kitties." Buffy studied her friend for a moment. A smile lit up her features whenever she saw a new picture of a cat in the book. She didn't appear to be down, at least at the moment. Willow was certainly smiling more than Buffy had seen her smile in the past few weeks. 'Give her a book on cats to concentrate on and she smiles. I know half of that smile is put on, though. She's so brave. Just wait Will, we'll get your girl back.'

The slayer took a step closer to the redhead and threw an arm over her shoulders. "You feeling better?"

Willow turned her head and met Buffy's eyes. "Um… you want a fake answer or a real one?"

"How about one of the honest variety?" she prodded.

"I'd be better if I knew this research would help me find Tara. I just hate this. Why can't we find her? And why didn't that guiding spell work and why can't I just get a gutty feeling to know where she is? We're always supposed to be able to find each other. So why… can't I… now?" Willow started to sob. She had been holding back her tears, trying to put on a brave face, but her heart wouldn't let her hold that shield up any longer.

Standing in the middle of the animal section of the campus library, Willow sobbed. She didn't care who saw her, it's the only thing she knew to do.

Buffy placed a tentative hand on the redhead's shoulder and momentarily found her friend leaning into that touch for strength.

Willow grabbed onto the Slayer's shoulders and started to sink to the ground, her tears falling faster and harder now. It felt good to finally let it out.

The blonde followed her to the ground, to offer her support and she just let the other girl cry. "Let it go, Will. It's okay. You just cry as long as you need to." Buffy hugged her close.

Once Willow calmed down, she pulled back from her friend's embrace and looked at her embarrassed. "I'm sure I look all silly sitting here crying in the middle of the library. I just don't know what to do, Buffy. Tell me what to do."

She knew Buffy didn't hold the answers, but she was growing more and more desperate everyday.

Buffy locked eyes with those searching for guidance, "You live, Will. You try to be strong… as possible, anyway… but you have the right to grieve. This is a huge thing. If it were me in this position, I don't know what I would do. Just remember, it's good to talk about stuff. Don't keep stuff locked away, that won't help."

She paused a moment. "…But, don't give up. Tara's alive and she's out there. We'll find her, Will."

Willow attempted a smile. It wasn't a full Willowsmile, but it would have to do.

Smiling warmly, "That smile looks good on ya, Will. Why don't you keep it there." She winked at her before helping the other girl stand.

"Thanks, Buff. I'll try," she promised.

"Good. Now, did you find anything in that book?" Buffy inquired, trying to change the subject.

"Um… I don't know. Most of it is stuff I already know," the computer whiz said, as she picked up the book from the floor and started to flip through the pages.

On one of the pages, a particular photo caught her eye. "Buffy look. This kitty has blue eyes." She held the book in front of her friend. "I forgot that Bengal tigers have blue eyes. Well, the white Bengal's do anyway. Isn't it pretty?" Willow cooed.

"And then there are the white lions. They have blue eyes. I forgot about them, too." She frowned. "Jaguars have green or brown eyes though, not blue. They're still pretty though."

"Yes. Very pretty, Will." Buffy sighed. 'I love seeing her smile. When she's smiling, things are usually right with the world, although… they aren't really right right, right now. That just sounded stupid,' she thought. "Maybe we should just take these back with us and just go through them with Giles and Anya?"

"You've got my vote." Willow closed the book in her hands and grabbed four more books off the shelf on large cats. "Just grab a few more of those." She pointed at the books. "Most of the large cats have the same personalities and things, so there should be something useful in all of these books."

"You're the boss lady." She smiled affectionately at the redhead. "Here, give me those. I'll carry them. My slayer muscles need a workout," Buffy threw in for good measure.

Willow gladly handed them over and they made their way to the front of the library. Once the books were all checked out, Buffy and Willow turned to go.

"Can you drop me off at the house? I think I'm just gonna go lay down for a while," the redhead asked.

"You okay?" Buffy's concern was kicking in again.

"Yeah, I'm just tired," she affirmed.

"Okay, but I think you really should come back to the shop. I think you need some distraction right now, Will… but it's up to you. I'll do whatever you want me to do." The slayer wanted to show her support, but she knew the last thing Willow needed was to be alone right now.

Willow nodded. Once again Buffy was right. She really DIDN'T need to be alone right now. "Okay. As much as I really want to be broody girl right now, you're right. So… let's go."

Chapter 5

Tara flipped her tail back and forth as she stared at the bars of the cage. She studied all the corners of the metal contraption intensely and with what could be considered a deep moan, she paced nervously. The blonde witch hated being locked up.

'I need to get out of here,' she said in her mind. 'I need, Willow.'

With a determined grunt, Tara's tail twitched excitedly. She stepped in front of the steel door and eyed it briefly before jumping up on it with all her strength. The impact shook the door, rattling its bolts.

Tara jumped up on it a few more times; making all the noise she could muster up.

A piercing growl filled the room.

Just when Tara was poised to jump up again, the door at the top of the stairs opened. "What's with all the noise?" Amy asked as she climbed down the steps.

The Jaguar backed away from the front of the cage, as a growl rattled in its throat. Her right ear twitched as she stared at Amy.

"Awww… what, you don't like being in that cage?" the former rat sneered.

Tara lowered her head, but kept her gaze locked on the other girl. Her eyes hardened as she watched her carefully.

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" she teased.

Walking over to the door of the steel cage again, Tara jumped up and hooked her paws around the bars as she looked back to Amy.

"I see. You want out. And why should I let you out?" Amy's voice was flat, cold.

Tara let her front paws drop to the cold cement covering the floor. She locked eyes with the brunette and gave her a pleading look.

Amy just stared back at her, daring her to make a move.

Tara's powerful paws padded the floor as she walked over and stood directly in front of Amy; the only barrier between them being the steel bars. She sat, her tail twitching from side to side as she stared the other girl down.

A soft growl found Amy's ears as she stared into the blue eyes in the cage. The eyes were pleading with hers, their pupils enlarged. The brunette finally spoke. "Alright… I'll let you have your run again tonight. You just come back on time."

The Jaguar stood, still eyeing Amy as she approached the door once again. Tara took great caution with each step. She didn't trust the other witch, but as much as she hated it, she had to. There was no other choice.

Slipping the key in the lock, Amy released Tara from the cage and watched as she graciously accepted her release from the steel prison.

Without thinking twice, Tara ran to the back door and waited as Amy magic'd the door open. She took a quick look at the other witch before taking to the stairs and disappearing.

"B-Buf-fy… stop… it," Willow wriggled. "Stop!" she squeaked.

"I'm not gonna stop till you take back what you said." The slayer continued to tickle torture her best friend, who she was kneeling over on the floor. "You give up?" She started tickling her ribs.

"Ahhh… okay… okay," Willow finally gave in.

Buffy stilled her hands, but she didn't let the redhead move away. "Take it back."

"You're not a whiner," Willow finally said.

Smiling proudly, the blonde started to back away to stand when she heard, 'You're a quitter.' Buffy looked down at the redhead who was grinning from ear to ear. "You asked for it now," she said, as she started to attack Willow's ribs again.

"Not… again… AHHHHH!" she screamed.

Upon hearing the commotion, Anya ran in the room for the back of the shop. Giles was right behind her. They looked on at Buffy and Willow who were on the floor close to the research table.

"Look…" Anya pointed at the two laughing and joking around, "Buffy's trying to have sex with, Willow. I always thought she had a thing for her!"

"Oh, Dear Lord!" Giles pulled his glasses off and started cleaning them.

"She started it," Buffy continued to tickle her best friend. "And I'm not trying to have sex with her, Anya!"

"You sure sounded like you were," Anya said forthright.

"I… said… I was… sorry… now stop!" the redhead pleaded.

"You'll stop calling me names?" The blonde smirked at her flushed and somewhat aggravated best friend.

"I promise," she said, with a promising smile.

"Alright." Buffy rose to a standing position, pulling Willow up with her.

"…But I didn't say I wouldn't get you back," Willow chimed in as she grabbed onto the slayer and started to get her revenge. It felt good to let go of all her worry's and aggravations and just laugh. Later on, after all the laughter would die down, she would be back to the same old depressed and saddened Willow, but just for a second she reveled in the absurdity of it all.

"WILLOW!" she squeaked, trying to get away from her best friend's fingers. Buffy quickly ran over behind Giles and used him as a human shield.

This didn't slow the redhead down. She crossed over to Giles and tried to get to the blonde. Every time she thought she had her, Buffy would push the watcher in front of her.

Willow finally gave up trying to get through Giles and started attacking him with her fingers.

"Willow!" he tried to protest, as he was pushed back into his slayer.

Buffy decided to help her tickle monster of a best friend and started to tickle Giles from her position from behind him. It didn't stop there, as Anya quickly joined in, feeling a little left out.

Before they all knew it, Giles was on the floor being tormented by the two young women and the ex-demon, laughing hysterically.

This is how Xander and Dawn found them when they walked in the shop.

"Ooooh… Hey, not without me you don't." Dawn threw her backpack down on the floor and ran over to the mass of giggling joy on the floor.

Xander just stood there laughing at the sight. He never thought he would see Giles in this position. He was always the leader, never one to joke around. The young man couldn't help, but throw a few jibes at him. "What's the matter G-man? You out numbered? To much woman there for ya?" he snorted.

"Alright, alright… that's quite enough!" Giles practically shouted. It worked, everyone stopped abusing the poor watcher and started to stand. As soon as they were all on their feet, he started laughing. "I say, that was rather amusing. However, we do have research to attend to. Buffy, will you help me up?"

Buffy gladly obliged. "Sorry Giles. Guess we got carried away." She stuck her tongue out at Willow. "Blame her, she started it!"

The half smirk on Willow's features showed that she had no objections.

"Yes I did. Sorry about that, Giles." Willow gave him an apologetic look.

"It's okay, Willow. Now… since everyone is here, why don't we get back to our research, shall we?" He nodded at the books on the research table.

"You all heard the man," Xander crossed over to Anya. "Hey, baby. How goes it?"

Anya embraced her fiancé. "Hey, sweetie." She quickly kissed him.

"Did you find anything out about the cat?" Dawn asked from her seat in between her sister and Willow.

Willow frowned. "Not really, Dawnie. We're still looking for stuff." She looked up from her book to peer at Giles. He was engrossed with whatever it was he was currently reading. 'I wonder if they would get all mad at me if I just left? I don't want to be here. Why can't they see that?'

Willow's eyes moistened as she turned her gaze back to her book.

"This party's gonna have to go on without me. I gotta be back at the site."

"Be careful, Xander." Anya looked up from her book.

"I will, An. Bye guys." Xander waved his farewell as he left the shop.

Willow looked up from her book. "Giles, are you sure I shouldn't help Buffy tonight?" She still didn't like the idea of Buffy being out on her own after dark. "That cat is out there and if anything happens, she'll be all alone!" Her voice saddened. 'I know this won't work. He won't give in. All I want is to be out there. I just want to find my Tara. Is that too much to ask for? Consequences be damned!'

"That's precisely why I don't want you out there. The cat IS out there and anything could go wrong. Slaying is Buffy's duty. She must go out tonight." He looked over at his slayer, who was frowning right along with Willow.

"However, I wouldn't send her out this evening if I didn't think she couldn't take care of herself."

Buffy reached for Willow's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I'll be fine, Will. You need to stay here or at the house. I don't want you out there."

"I know you'll be fine. I just want to help. I just want to get out of the house…" the redhead pleaded, but was cut off.

"No, Willow! And that's final!" Buffy's features took on a shape much like that of the redhead's, 'resolve face.'

"Fine!" The witch huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm just trying to protect you. It's one thing for me to go out there and face the fact that I might get hurt…" pausing only long enough to pull Willow's vision to her own, by gently pulling her chin around, "…but… I won't risk you, Will. I can't! None of us can."

"Alright… go out by yourself. Have fun. Laugh even. I'll just go home and cry my eyes out like I've been doing for the past week and a half wondering where Tara is and why she's not home and why I can't get that damned spell to work when I want and need it to, but I'll be fine and maybe I can invent a new way to wallow, you never know..." huffing for air, Willow finally cut off her words that seemed to all come out at once.

As she looked on at her friends, their worried looks of confusion, it was all she could take before her tears started to waterfall over again. She ran from the room and scurried out of sight through Buffy's training room. A moment later the alley door could be heard, slamming shut.

"I should go after her," Buffy said, standing from her chair.

"I wouldn't suggest that, Buffy. She needs some time alone. She's going through quite a lot right now. Just let her be." Giles choked down the lump in his throat. It took all of his own ability, not to run after the lithe redhead and try to offer some sort of comfort.

The room grew silent. Dawn preoccupied herself with homework, while Giles and Buffy continued to read their books. They both had a look of concern forming on their features.

Anya sighed and stood. "Everyone's all uncomfortable now." She looked around.

Giles looked up at her, his expression timid.

"I'm going to count the money," she said, before expediting herself from the table of sorrow.

The sun was beginning to fade into the horizon, as dusk beckoned to come forth. Once Tara had safely reached the cemetery unseen, she had found a bush to confine herself in until nightfall.

Tara had been so focused on trying to figure out a way to get back home, that she hadn't slept much in the past few nights. Her exhaustion finally caught up to her, as she lay passed out on her side in her hiding place. Some of the leaves of the bush were lightly tickling her ears, making them twitch in response.

She lay there till the sun disappeared and everything grew dark. The moon highlighting the only glow in the blackened sky now, except for the stars. They all seemed to be twinkling.

With a stretch of all her limbs, Tara crawled out from her hiding place and cautiously began to look around.

'Buffy should be here soon,' she thought.

Spotting a small rock in front of her, the cat pawed at it. Tara's claws batted it to the side. After watching it skitter away, the Jaguar pounced the new toy and rolled over on her side as she began kicking at it with all her feet. Her back feet coming up much like a rabbit's would. The feline in her wanted to play.

Tara stood again and continued to paw at the rock.

Just when she was wiggling her backside to pounce again, she heard a twig crack somewhere from behind. She froze and looked behind her. Upon hearing another cracking, Tara ran back to the confines of her bush again.

Peeking out through the leaves, her black nose the only visible feature, Tara could hear the footsteps coming closer. Soon enough she could see two feet come into view. As they moved forward it became apparent that the new arrival was Buffy.

'It's just Buffy. Calm down, Tara!' her inner psych babbled.

The slayer stopped and sat down on one of the tombstones. It was a fresh grave. It's resident would soon rise and try to wreck havoc on Sunnydale. The blonde would make sure that didn't happen.

Buffy sat so her back was to Tara and her bush.

'Should I go to her? I don't want to scare her like last night. I'll just be real quiet.' Tara remained still. 'B-but what if she freaks? W-what will I d-do t-then?'

She closed her eyes, cursing her stutter even in her thoughts. 'I won't be n-nervous. Just go to her, Tara.'

Buffy was too wrapped up in her daydreaming to even hear the cat approach.

Tara paused just behind a head stone and tried to figure out the best way to reveal herself. Finally she began her trot forward to greet her friend.

Chapter 6

Buffy's slayer hearing was one of her many prized possessions, next to her strength and speed. She relied on it. She had to. Her hearing allowed her to pick up on things easier than most humans could ever dream of.

In the back of her mind she could have sworn she heard something approaching from behind. Turning around from her perch on the new headstone, all Buffy could see were the various other graves and the bushes guarding the property. And unless one of the cement stones was high tech and could make sounds, than there was nothing to look for.

With a soft sigh, Buffy turned back around and sat patiently awaiting the arrival of what would probably be many new vamps tonight.

Tara saw her moment and took it. Very slowly and gingerly, she approached her friend. Her paws made as little noise as possible. When she reached the head stone Buffy was resting upon, she purred. It was a deep throaty, affectionate praise.

It wasn't the affectionate noise that caught the slayer's attention, however. When she felt something brush up against her thigh, she spun, her slaying instincts kicking in over drive. The stake was raised in the air and just about to make contact with Tara's back, when Buffy realized what had touched her.

The fast movement startled Tara and her first gut feeling, her first, 'human,' reaction, was to cower. So that's what she did.

Buffy heard the somewhat loud thud, as the Jaguar fell over on it's side and exposed it's tummy to the night air; completely taking on a submissive pose. The blonde lowered her stake slowly and kept her eyes locked on the cat.

Taking a chance, Tara tilted her head up and caught the gaze of her friend. She once again sympathized with her. 'I'm sorry, Buffy.' Tara wished this could reach the slayers ears, but that wasn't possible.

Buffy was somewhat frozen. Her pupils enlarged and her breathing erratic. 'Calm down, just stay calm, it's not gonna hurt you… right?' As Buffy stared into the soft blue eyes of the feline, a calming filled her senses. She felt peaceful. Somehow in the back of her heart, she knew she was safe. This creature of the night, didn't want to harm her.

Tara remained perfectly still. Her stomach remained poised in the air, eyes locked with Buffy's.

The slayer drew in a deep breath and exhaled before pushing off the cold cement and slipping her stake into the pocket of her jacket. With a tentative step forward, Buffy stopped right in front of the animal.

Tara's soulful eyes bored into the other girl's as she watched her slowly kneel on the ground beside her.

'Please tell me this is not a wishy washy thing to do!' Buffy said in her mind.

Bravely, she reached forward and let the tips of her fingers brush over the cat's velvety underside. A purr immediately found her ears. With more courage, she let her whole hand soon pass over the belly of the powerful predator.

Tara's first thought was, 'this is weird. That feels good, but it kinda tickles.' Her muse giggled and presented itself; a wholehearted chorus of music came from deep within her lungs.

Buffy could feel and hear the cat's silent language and this put her at an even greater ease than before. "Nice kitty," she said.

'This is way cool. What Willow would give to be here right now.' She frowned at that thought. At this point she wished she had let her best friend tag along. 'At least she wouldn't have ran out of the shop all depressed again if I had just said yes.'

"Wow… your hair's all soft," the slayer cooed, as if she had just remembered that this powerful creature was in her presence.

The Jaguars right front paw pushed up and hooked around Buffy's arm. It loosely laid there, no threat to the slayer what so ever.

The blonde somehow knew that to be true. The cat's claws alone could rip her to pieces, but it wasn't going to happen.

Tara flipped over onto her left side and slowly stood. Her eyes finding those of the Slayer's as she approached her.

Rubbing up against Buffy's left arm, Tara almost forgot her feral forms strength. She watched as her friend tipped over somewhat in the other direction, completely caught off guard by the feline's actions.

The Jaguar quickly moved to the other side to catch her and rubbed against the other arm, this time gentler than before. Once she was standing in front of the girl, Tara purred again.

Reaching up, Buffy petted the cat's ears.

Tara tilted her head to the side when the slayers fingers found her soft spot behind her left ear. She leaned into the touch and gave Buffy's wrist an affectionate lick.

The sand papery tongue felt rough against the blonde's skin. 'I can't believe this is happening... again!' Buffy thought.

Tara stepped closer and rubbed against Buffy's chest a few times before flopping over to reveal her underside once more.

Buffy couldn't help, but chuckle at the cat. "You like your tummy rubbed, huh?" She said, as she ran her hands over the black fur. "Willow should be here."

The Jaguar's body stiffened and rolled over immediately at the mention of the redhead. Tara then sat right in front of Buffy, staring into her green eyes. Her ears twitched with anticipation.

The blonde was quickly aware of the change in the cat's demeanor. It was now sitting poised as if in expectance of something. She just tilted her head and studied the creature very carefully. "What? I don't know what you want, kitty." Buffy was confused.

Tara lifted her right paw and rested it on the slayers knee. Her eyes saddened and she lowered her head, but kept eye contact with the girl in front of her.

Buffy knew or thought it was trying to tell her something, but it was beyond her comprehension. "I don't know what you want. I don't understand."

The paw on her knee lifted and then made contact again, as the cat's eyes pleaded, a visible tear streaking its fur.

As the blonde opened her mouth to say something, Buffy heard a noise behind her. She spun her head to see her long awaited vamp starting to rise. Quickly jumping to her feet, the slayer took her stance, stake ready for action.

Tara's eyes turned cold as she watched the vamp. Her stomach started to feel queasy and she felt a sudden need to growl with fury. She took a step closer to Buffy, a piercing growl rattled her chest and presented itself to the night.

The vamp snarled as it rose to its feet. He was still somewhat dazed, but he didn't let that faze him. He went after Buffy, catching her off guard as she looked back at the cat. The young vampire struck the blonde across the face and she stumbled back.

Tara's protective instincts rose within her; the Jaguars feral nature awakening and taking over, as she roared a deadly growl and charged at the vamp.

He tried to side step the cat, but failed.

The great cat pounced and sunk its claws into the vamp's chest as they hit the ground with a loud thud.

The soulless creature yowled in pain as the cat attacked and with a swipe of its claws, the vampire was decapitated. Its ashes showered the ground seconds later.

The ashes played with Tara's nostrils, making her sneeze as she grunted and ran over to her friend.

Buffy had fallen over when the inexperienced vamp hit her. She was propped up on her elbows and watched the cat as it approached.

Tara stepped next to the girl, her nose mere inches from the blonde's, much like it was when they first encountered each other.

The slayer reached up and petted the Jaguars head. "Thank you…" she paused and twisted around to lift up the cat's back leg, "…girl." She smiled. "I owe you one." Buffy giggled when Tara leaned forward and nuzzled her face, her whiskers tickling the blonde's nose.

After paying attention to the black cat for a few more minutes, Buffy finally stood and brushed off her clothes. She pulled a leaf from her hair and let it flutter to the ground. "I should go, girl." Buffy said, scratching Tara's ears one more time.

Tara stepped back and looked up at the young woman before her, tail tucked. She blinked at her and then turned and ran into the bushes.

"Alright… this is just too weird. Time for Giles to get… Gilesy." Buffy turned and hightailed it out of the cemetery.

Staying out of sight, the Jaguar followed the slayer. At this moment, Tara didn't care if she was supposed to be heading back to her cage. She knew Amy would be pissed and she was likely to be punished, but she needed to get home, 'Home to my family, to Willow. My Willow. I'm coming home, darling.'

"Where is she? She's supposed to be back by now," the brunette witch said, angrily. She paced in the small room. "I never should have let her out of that cage." The girl stopped pacing and walked over to the corner of the room behind the stairs that lead out of the basement.

Opening a door that led to a small room, she stepped in.

After flipping on a light, the witch spoke. "She has disobeyed me. You said she never would, that she had a loving soul and would surrender to any threats."

Walking forward, she stopped in front of a figure lying slumped over on the floor. "You lied to me." The witch raised her palm and energy crackled over her fingers, before it shot out and flowed into the girl on the floor; she screamed in pain.

"No!" It was the only word the girl could speak, curling up into a fetal position and clutching her chest.

"Now… time for you to pay attention little girl," the witch ordered.

Feeling the pain subside, the young woman backed up and pushed herself to the wall, sitting finally. She still held a hand to her chest and kept her eyes on the other form before her.

Blinking her eyes, the young woman watched as the witch changed forms; morphing from a young brunette, identical to herself, to an older and scruffier male form.

"Are you ready to help me?" He asked.

"Yes," Amy said. Her head was now pounding with pain and she was feeling lightheaded.

"Let's pay strawberry a visit." He grinned evilly, energy still crackling on his hands.

Amy knew she couldn't argue. She would only be subjected to more magical torture, but what Rack didn't know was her only defense. "Okay," she said.

Her eyes closed briefly when she felt a warm liquid trickle over her lip. Wiping her face, she looked at her hand. Her fingers were streaked with blood from her nose. Lifting her gaze back up to the warlock, he smiled dangerously at her. 'How do I do this? I have to help Willow and warn her, but how?'

Puzzled, Amy just closed her eyes and rested her head back on the wall. Her mind floating with hundreds of possibilities, but only one out come; Tara. Tara was the only way to help Willow and keep her from harm, but if Amy helped her escape then Rack would come after her and she would suffer his torment for betraying him.

'I don't care. I have to help her,' she vowed, as she watched Rack leave the room in a shimmy of black energy. "…But, how do I get out of here?" Amy frowned. She would find a way.

Buffy finally approached her house. As she stumbled in the door breathlessly from running, her eyes landed on her watcher.

He was sitting in a chair talking to Xander and Anya.

Pushing the door closed, she pulled her jacket off and draped it over the railing on the stairs.

"Hey, guys," she said entering the room and collapsing in the chair across from her friends.

"Hey, Buff. How was the slayage?" Xander had his arm draped around Anya's shoulders.

"One vamp, one slay… although, I didn't do the slaying part," she said, remembering back to the event.

"Then who did?" Anya asked, a confused expression on her face.

"The cat did," Buffy's voice hinted that, that fact should have been obvious.

"Are you quite alright?" Giles sat forward in his chair, leaning his elbows on his knees as he eyed his slayer. "You weren't injured, were you?" His fear was apparent in his eyes.

"No, I'm fine." She assured him. "Giles, it protected me again. This is really starting to make me confused gal. Why does it keep doing that?" she asked him, under the assumption that he would just hold all the answers.

"I don't know. I'm afraid I don't have any new theories since earlier." The watcher was clearly disappointed in him self.

"Well, is it…" Anya was about to ask a question, but then she paused. She looked around the room. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what, An?" Xander looked at her curiously.

"It was like a scratching noise." She stopped. "There it is again." The ex-demon followed the noise with her ears.

Standing, she walked towards the stairs. That's when she knew for sure she wasn't just hearing things. Anya spun around and stared at the front door. "It's coming from the door, outside."

Buffy got up and walked to the door, looking out the glass at the top of the doorframe. "I don't see anything."

She jumped, startled, when the noise beckoned them again, "There's something out there," she said, surprised.

"Well, duh… I just said that, but forbid you ever listen to and believe the ex-demon. I mean, what do I know. I've only been around for over 1,000 years." She huffed.

"An, calm down. We didn't say we didn't believe you," Xander said, stepping up beside his girlfriend. "Did we, Buff?"

"Huh? No… sorry, Anya." Her ears perked up at the scratching again. "There it is again." Buffy bravely grabbed onto the door handle.

"What's goin' on guys?" Willow said from the top of the stairs.

"I don't know. There's a scratcher thingy, scratching the door from outside," Xander said, his eyes wide with wonder.

"A scratcher? Well… what is it?" Willow slowly descended down the stairs, stopping when she stood on the third step from the floor.

"How are you, Willow?" Giles asked in his best paternal voice, as he approached the stairwell.

Finally closing the distance to the floor, she walked over and stood beside him. Her eyes were enough to answer his inquiry. They were puffy and bloodshot from crying. Her nose was reddened as well. She just looked at him, her heart aching for guidance and relief from her sadness.

"Oh, Willow… I'm sorry. It will be alright." Giles pulled the young woman to him, embracing her tightly.

Willow just clung to him. He was one of the only ones, besides Tara, who could mend her worries and she depended on him like any daughter would her father. "I love you, Giles."

The watcher didn't hesitate before answering back. "I love you, too, Willow. I promise you…" He pulled back, putting a hand on each side of her face to look her in the eyes, "…I will always be here for you. You are my daughter, you know," he said proudly.

Everyone had grown silent, not wanting to interrupt their moment, but it hadn't stopped the noise from outside, which was growing louder by the minute.

"This is all moving and special and all, but… that noise isn't going away. Something's still out there," Buffy said, before being cut off by Anya, who had just gasped loudly.

"What, what is it?" Xander asked her.

She was staring wide eyed at the door.

The ex-demon just pointed at the small window on the doorframe. They all followed her finger and the gasped alike when they saw what she was looking at.

Anya sighed and then inhaled sharply again. "See… I told you that was appropriate," remarking her sigh.

"Holy moly schpedoinkle…" the young man spit out. "Golly look!"

"Oh my God. It's the cat. It must have followed me home," Buffy exclaimed, as she watched the cat drop out of sight. The slayer reached for the doorknob again and started to turn it.

"What are you doing?" Xander's voice was full of fear.

"I'm going outside," she answered, matter of factly.

"…But the big scary killer cat!" the construction worker pointed out. "Is it safe? It can't be very safe."

"Guys, I'll be fine. I can't explain it, but I know she won't hurt me. Now… I'm going out there," her tone hinting no fear.

"She… who's she?" the young man was confused.

"The cat. It's a girl, a female," the slayer remarked and went back to the task of opening the door and then paused. She turned to Willow. "Will, come outside with me," she offered.

"What? But, the kitty?" she said, questioningly

"It won't hurt you," Buffy promised.

Willow looked at Giles, who had a very worried-Giles expression on his face.

"Buffy, I don't think that's a rather good idea. It could be dangerous. I know it hasn't harmed you, but we don't know how it will react to others, other than yourself." He stepped closer to the blonde.

"Giles, I want to. I wanna see the kitty. Please?" Willow's eyes pleaded with his. Something was pulling her to do this. She didn't know what, but it was a very strong feeling of need.

He peered on at her briefly, before pulling of his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright… but if you sense any immediate danger, what so ever, promise me you'll come back inside?" he conditioned.

"I promise," she said, with her resolve face intact.

Willow stepped up behind Buffy, as the blonde opened the door and they carefully slipped out. The redhead gripped the back of the slayer's shirt for protection.

"Oh, boy," Xander said. He stumbled backwards and sat down on the stairs, resting his head on the railing. "Wake me when that thing turns them into Willuffy soup," he said before passing out.

Chapter 7

Tara stood proudly on the sidewalk leading to Buffy's porch, her eyes fixated on the door. She stood waiting to see if anyone would answer her callings.

'Oh Goddess, what am I gonna do? What if they don't come o-out here? W-what if I s-scare them? That's the l-last thing I want t-to do.' Tara stretched her tired body out on the ground, resting her head on the bottom step of the stairs.

'Just r-relax Tara. Everything will be fine. Oh, Willow… I need you baby.' She sighed before curling up into a ball. At this point, she didn't care if anyone saw her. The Jaguar's body was the last of her worries. All she wanted was Willow.

Buffy discretely motioned for Willow to be quiet as they calmly slinked out the door.

The redhead froze when her eyes landed on the curled up figure of the cat. "Are you sure it's not gonna make a Willow Happy Meal out of me?" she whispered.

"Just stay close to me, but stay behind me. You'll be fine," Buffy promised, as she cautiously inched her way forward.

Willow was still frozen; she couldn't convince her legs to move if her life depended on it. "Be careful, Buffy," she warned.

The blonde turned her head back towards the house. "It's okay, Will. Come on."

Willow just shook her head and took a step back.

When the Slayer neared the top step, the Jaguar's ears perked up and she raised her head. 'Buffy,' Tara said in her mind.

Buffy crouched down and cooed, "Hey Kitty. You weren't supposed to follow me," her tone was curious, but somewhat playful.

Tara stayed on the ground, but crawled forward, inching up the steps until she reached Buffy.

"Buffy!" Willow squeaked.

Disregarding her best friend's protest, the girl reached her right hand forward and scratched Tara's ears. "These are becoming regular visits… you and me and the slaying gig," she laughed softly.

The Jaguar leaned into the loving ministrations. She was too caught up with the Slayer's appraisal that she had yet to notice the redhead, who was standing silently close to the door.

Buffy turned her head again and eyed Willow. "Wanna pet the kitty?" she smiled.

Tara watched the blonde turn her head the other way and that's when she looked past Buffy and her eyes fell upon, 'Willow… darling!' As if forgetting that she was still in her feral form, Tara quickly scampered up the stairs toward her target.

Willow squealed when she saw the cat approaching her. Her love for cats slipped her mind as the animal closed in on her. Backing up as far as she could, she bumped into the wall, her eyes wide with fear.

"Don't eat me!" she begged, before sliding down the wall. She didn't take her eyes off the cat.

Tara's heart shattered, watching her soul mate cower. 'I'm not gonna hurt you, sweetie.' Her eyes saddened, her movement halting.

When the cat reached out with its mind, Willow somehow had heard it. They connected. The redhead's brow crinkled, her expression softening. "Tara?"

The Jaguar lifted its head and stared at the girl. 'Willow?'

Willow's eyes brimmed with tears, the realization hitting her. This cat that she had been afraid of, is Tara. Her heart and soul would recognize her lover's presence anywhere. "Tara, baby?" She pushed herself onto her knees and stared into the feline's eyes.

"Will?" Confusion was Buffy's only companion. She didn't understand what was going on.

Tara stepped closer, somewhat fearful of getting too close without Willow's permission. 'Will, it's me. Sweetie, please…' she pleaded.

Stepping forward, she went the rest of the way to her love, immediately rubbing into her chest, nuzzling her. If the other girl hadn't been on the ground already, she would have been knocked over.

Pulling away, Willow searched those blue eyes that she would know anywhere. Only this time, they were larger then when she had last peered into them. "Buffy… this IS… Tara," her body started to shake as her floodgates opened.

Falling forward, she wrapped her arms around the cat, squeezing tightly.

Buffy was utterly taken aback by that, "Who-the-where-the-what? Wanna run that by me again?" She stared at her best friend, who was still hysterically crying.

Tara affectionately licked the redhead's face several times, before nuzzling her skin. Her body pushed closer to the other girl's, until she was ultimately sitting in her lap. 'Darling, I missed you. I love you.' Calmly she dropped her head onto Willow's shoulder and just sat still, her ribcage rising and falling erratically.

As Willow ran her hands down the cat's back, her tears began to calm somewhat.

Buffy kneeled down in front of her, trying to make eye contact. "Will, what's goin' on?"

Opening her eyes, she looked into the Slayer's. "She's Tara," is all she could manage, as a fresh batch of tears soaked her cheeks.

Buffy inched closer and ran her hand down the cat's back, her eyes softening with her own tears that were threatening to fall. When she spoke again, her voice wavered. "How?"

Willow shook her head, "I don't know… but it's her. She came back to me." Her arms tightened around the black feline again.

Nuzzling the redhead's neck, 'I'll always come back to you, sweetie. Always,' she promised, purring softly in the hacker's ear.

"I know, baby," Willow reassured.

Buffy was adjusting to this new information the best she could. It all made sense to her now. The cat protecting her, it's gentle nature, and it's devotion. Even now, in predator form, the gentle witch's love for Willow was apparent. The way it nuzzled up to her and wouldn't let go of the contact.

'Oh, My God! That really is Tara,' her conscious said, over and over again.

The Slayer's thoughts were interrupted when she heard Willow say, 'I love you, too.' Clearing her throat, "Is she talking to you?" she asked curiously.

The redhead lifted her head, "Yeah. I don't know how, but she's reaching out to me and we can hear each other. Remember a couple of nights ago when I went all freaky cause I heard her?"

"Yeah. I remember that," Buffy answered.

"I knew I wasn't goin' looney," Willow sighed.

'You heard me?' Tara continued to purr in her lover's ear.

'Yeah, baby. I did. Then I went all running around the house looking for you. That's when I realized you were still alive and I didn't have to worry anymore. I mean, I still worried cause you weren't here, but I didn't have to be all freak-o girl thinking you were…' Willow said in her mind, but her babble was quickly cut off.

'I'm still here, darling. I never left. I just wish I could get b-back to me again.' Her thoughts saddened and she inched even closer to the redhead's body.

'We'll get you turned back. We have to,' Willow vowed, massaging Tara's ears.

The feline laid down on her back between Willow's legs. Her front left paw, pawing at the other girl. She tapped at her chest, but when she didn't get the response she wanted, Tara pushed her paw at the girl's hand.

This just made the computer hacker smile down at the cat. Her tears having calmed now, she was relieved and her heart was singing.

"She wants you to scratch her tummy," Buffy pointed out.

No other words were necessary. Willow joyfully petted Tara's velvet soft underside, her hands stroking back and forth from her chest down to her lower abdomen and back up.

Tara's whole body seemed to come alive at Willow's touch, her body shaking as she purred, making her chest sound like a car motor. Her soul was alive again.

"Can I?" Buffy asked, positioning her hand over the cat's abdomen.

Willow beamed, "Sure."

Smiling back, the Slayer's feather light touch ran over the Jaguar's belly. Buffy petted her for a moment before pulling her hand away.

"Buffy, how did you know?" the redhead finally asked. "Did you know she was Tara?"

"No, I didn't. I just got this intuitive feeling that I was safe… that she wouldn't hurt me. I understand now," she thankfully admitted.

Tara pawed at Willow again. She had stopped her ministrations and the cat missed Willowhand.

Willow chuckled lightly at her lover before going back to her petting task.

Buffy stood up and stretched her legs. "You know… I'm gonna go back in. Why don't you spend some alone time with her? I'll be inside if you need anything."

"Okay, Buffy. Thank you." Willow didn't take her eyes from Tara's gaze. Now, the only challenge lying in her way, was figuring out how this all happened and how to change it back. "It's gonna be okay, Tara. We'll figure this out," she promised.

Tara flipped over and curled into the other girl, laying her head against the warmth of her stomach.

The redhead had so many questions for her partner, but neither one of them wanted to break the moment they were sharing. Willow glided her hand over Tara's chest as she relaxed back against the wall. Tears of relief found her cheeks and slithered their way to freedom. Tara was home, that's all that mattered to Willow. 'I love you, my Tara.'

'And I love you, my Willow,' she nuzzled in closer to her stomach. Her large nostrils taking in the scent she knew by heart.

"Oh, God! Where's Willow?" Xander fearfully asked, as Buffy walked back in the front door. "Well… why isn't she with you? Did something…"

Buffy walked over beside the couch he and Anya were sharing. "Relax. She's fine."

"Then where is she?" the young man was slightly confused.

"Will's with Tara," the Slayer said, with a relieved smile.

"Tara's back?" Giles scooted to the front of his chair, his eyes full of hope.

"She's been back," Buffy admitted, somewhat defeated that she didn't see it sooner. 'I should have known it… the cat… is her.'

"What do you mean?" the Watcher asked, picking up on his Slayer's tone.

"Just what I said." She slumped down in the chair across from the couch. "She's been here the whole time. The cat…" pointing at the front door, "its Tara."

"Dear Lord!" Giles removed his glasses. "You're quite certain?" He needed reassurance.

Buffy nodded and looked over at Xander, whose jaw was somewhat agape.

"Honey, you're gaping," Anya rubbed his back. "That's very unattractive!"

Looking from Anya to Buffy, "WOW… Is she okay?" the construction worker asked, his voice full of concern and wonder.

"Uh… well, aside from the fact that she's all furry, she looks fine. I mean, her and Willow were talking so…"

"Talking? How so?" Giles' brow furrowed in confusion.

"You know… that telepathic thingy they do. They were telepathing." Buffy grinned, as she watched her Watcher stand and start walking towards the door. "Giles?" Buffy also stood, following after him.

"Maybe we should go outside and make sure that Tara has not been injured?" he suggested.

Buffy stepped in front of him and blocked the door. "Nope! They need some alone time. You can play doctor when they come back in."

Backing away from the door, Giles nodded. "I suppose you're right. They should be alone. They have an awful lot of time to make up for. I say while they are outside, we do some research. We need to find a way to change Tara back to… well… Tara," the older man spoke, as he walked back into the living room.

The blonde looked out the door through the small window and she smiled. Tara was nuzzling the redhead's face and Willow appeared to giggling. "Good to have you home, Tara," she whispered, before joining her friends in the other room.

"Your whiskers tickle, baby," the redhead chirped. She loved the affection, even if it did make her laugh.

Tara pulled away and stared into Willow's eyes. She was happy again. She was home. Home with her love and the gentle witch couldn't ask for more.

Lifting her right front paw, Tara pushed it onto Willow's chest as she kept her eye contact with the other girl.

The redhead could feel the vibration on her chest; Tara was purring. She was content. Leaning forward, she rubbed her nose against the Jaguar's. "Cold! Nose cold," she wiped at her face as she stood. The hard wood was starting to make her uncomfortable.

'Sweetie?' Tara asked when her love moved away from her.

"Just need to move around, baby," she stroked the top of the cat's head.

The feline raised its head somewhat to get closer to the touch. Feeling frisky, the cat stood and lightly jumped up onto the redhead, her paws hooking onto Willow's shoulders.

Willow squeaked, losing her balance. She hadn't braced herself enough to hold the cat's weight. Stumbling backwards, she landed on her butt.

Tara was immediately sorry for making her fall down. 'Darling, I'm so sorry.' She rushed over to the fallen girl and stood above her, staring down at her.

Willow was now lying on her back, laughing.

The Jaguar's large blue eyes just peered on at her. She couldn't believe, of all the things, that Willow was laughing. She lowered her head until it was mere inches from the girl's face. 'Why are you laughing?' Tara inquired in her mind.

The computer hacker didn't answer though. Instead, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around the cat's neck, softly massaging the muscles there.

Tara purred at the touch and gave Willow's face an affection bath with her tongue, before nuzzling her skin again.

'I missed you,' Willow sent telepathically.

'I missed you, too,' Tara sent back.

While lying there, all the redhead could think about was how to get Tara changed back. There had to be a way, but how? The only spells that she knew of that were strong enough, were dark magic. 'That won't work,' she said in her mind, not thinking.

'What won't work, Will?' Tara searched her lover's eyes. She stepped back when the girl started to sit up.

"I was just thinking, you know, of how to change you back. The only thing I can think of is…" she trailed off.

Tara sat patiently waiting for Willow to go on, but she didn't. She just looked away. 'Think of what, sweetie?' she pressed on.

"Dark magic, Tara. That's the only way I know that would work, but we're just gonna have to find another way. I'm not gonna use it, baby," Willow reassured her girlfriend, who had just started purring at her lover's admission.

Tara stepped closer and dropped her chin on the redhead's shoulder. 'I'm so proud of you, Will. We'll find a way,' she promised.

"I know. I just want to hold you," Willow sadly pointed out.

'You can,' Tara told her and scooted her body even closer so she was almost in Willow's lap.

"I know… I mean as you. I want to hold you, baby." A tear escaped her eye and she pulled the cat close to her anyway. No matter what form her lover was in, she still needed her to know that she loved her. "I love you."

Tara just purred affectionately in the other girl's ear. 'I love you, too,' she said. 'Let's go inside, okay? Maybe Mr. Giles will know something, of how to change me back?' She pulled her head back.

"Okay. Let's do that." Willow extricated her body from the felines and stood. She ran her hand over Tara's ears as she stepped past her to the door and opened it. She let the cat enter first.

Continued...

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