Safe In Her Arms

By The Rainbow Writers

Copyright © 2003

kathleen_wolf@yahoo.com

Part Eighteen

"So ladies." Rack slowly closed the door behind him as he entered the room to find Tara sat down on the couch and Willow stood on the opposite side of the room looking at the floor. "What's this, not all chatty?"

"There's not much to chat about." Willow looked up slowly.

"Really, so the decision has been made has it? Do I get strawberries or cream?" He smirked slowly.

"Neither." Willow kept her voice even and confident. "The rules have changed."

"Oh my little berry." Rack tutted and shook his head moving slowly across the room towards where Tara sat. "You made a promise." He reminded her.

"Yes, but you didn't tell her the truth, a promise made on a false basis is no promise at all." Tara looked up somberly and stared at the magic user.

"Oh really, and just what is the truth my little cream girl?" He looked now at Tara.

"The truth is that you aren't just interested in having one or the other of us under your power." Willow addressed him again. "You need me for something much, much different."

"Oh do I?" Rack chuckled and pulled a chair out and sat down on it slowly. He looked at the two women. "And what do I need you for, tell me strawberry what do I need from you?"

"Rack, I am neither stupid nor afraid anymore." Willow pushed herself up to stand forcing herself to do so in a tall and forceful way. "You might have dragged me here, but it is I who will decide how things go from now on."

Rack laughed loudly and then brought his hands together slowly and applauded Willow's performance.

"Oh very good strawberry, very good." He said over his clapping. "Did you work that little routine out with your little sidekick cream here?" He glanced at Tara and then back at Willow.

"She's not my sidekick." Willow shook her head.

"Oh really, so what is she strawberry, your shot at being a good girl?" Again he briefly appraised Tara. "Hoping her purity would mask your darkness?"

"What would you know of true darkness?" Willow turned away for a moment as the horrible words reverberated through her chest. "You dabble with the things you think are dark but you wouldn't know the dark if it engulfed you."

"Oh you forget I have watched you dance with darkness Willow." Rack's eyes narrowed and he pushed himself up from the chair. "I've seen you hold the fabric of this reality and play with it between your fingers like water. Has cream seen that, has she seen what you can do, has she experienced what it is to watch you embrace everything you are and could be, because I have strawberry and you can't tell me anything about you that I haven't seen for myself."

"Dance?" Willow laughed. "I came to you when I was crawling. When I danced I did so on my own, by my power I raise life from the ground." She held her hand out hating the taste of her own conceited words.

"So tell me Strawberry what is the new deal that you have for me, as you obviously have one?" Rack smiled watching Willow carefully.

"The new deal." Willow stopped and smiled at him. "Much like your old plan, except instead of tasting either of us I become your business partner instead of your slave."

Again Rack laughed and looked at Willow as if he was actually impressed.

"Share the domination I have planned?" He opened up the question as he looked at Willow, the contemplation obvious in his visage. "Would you really abandon your 'recovery' so quickly?"

"I have realized and accepted the simple fact that I can't get away from this without doing some sort of magic." Willow admitted. "So I would rather it is on my terms than on someone else's."

"I always knew you were wiser than those other sheep who come to me." Rack appraised almost proudly. "And what of Cream? Where does your little friend fit in here?" He introduced a strangely quiet Tara back into the conversation.

"She knows that if it is me who taps her I'll make sure she never consciously knows of any of it." Willow felt her own almost alien voice spell out the words of their farce and it made her stomach turn so badly she almost threw up.

"Willow, don't do this." Tara's unsteady voice choked out of her throat. She lifted her head slowly and looked at the hacker with water filled blue eyes. "You've come too far to give in like this. There is another way, there has to be."

"Tara, you know this is the only way." Willow turned and spoke to her with a slightly harsh tone. The only solace she had was that she knew by the flicker in the blue eyes that watched her that Tara understood her tone came from the horror she felt inside and not malice towards the blonde.

"No, there has to be something else." Tara's eye twitched and her lip trembled.

"Oh there is." Rack piped up. "Strawberry and I can have a feast and there won't be anything left of you to remember what happened."

"Back off!" Willow growled at him. "She's mine already and I'm not sharing."

Rack looked at Willow noticing the flame deep in her green eyes.

"She's been yours already hasn't she strawberry?" The man said assessing the pair anew. "Been yours but…" He paused glancing between them again. "But you lost her." He fitted a puzzle piece into place.

"You're quick but not quick enough." Willow smiled at him wanting to slap the look off his face. "She is mine again in an instant and if I don't have her she'll cause us more trouble then you'd ever imagine."

"I am not yours and I will never be yours voluntarily again if you do this Willow. I love you like no one ever in my life but this is unforgivable." Tara looked down to the floor unable to look at the small redhead as she spoke.

"It was never voluntary." Willow looked at the bowed crown of golden hair and felt her heart break all over again. "I used my power to take from you without even thinking, not even once thinking that you would say no if I had asked to, not thinking it was something that you didn't want." She caught Rack watching her intently from the corner and forced herself to switch her tone. "Which is why I can do it again." She looked at their capture, her eyes wild with anger for the situation they were being placed in.

"I forgave you Willow." Tara looked up slowly. "For all of that, I forgive you, but not if you do this, I won't forgive you if you do this again." Tara blinked hot tears onto her cheek.

"You'll learn to accept it when the world has ended and you are still alive and happy." Willow forced herself to turn away her small hands clenched at her sides.

"Listen to her Cream, when the world as we know it ends, you will be glad to be on the winning side." Rack smiled and reached out a hand to touch Tara's thigh.

"Hands off." Willow took a few quick eager steps over and slapped his hand away.

"Possessive?" He pulled his hand back slowly. "I like it Strawberry and I also like your taste in rewards. Perhaps though in time I could at least get you to let me watch your enjoyment of her purity."

"If you're lucky I won't poke you're eyes out for looking at her in the new realm." Willow hissed and grabbed Tara's hand pulling her up to stand. "I'm assuming you have the necessary ingredients to do this?"

"More or less, I have my sheep collecting the last things as we work though you have a little task of your own that needs to be done before we can proceed." His eyes flickered over the two women lingering a little on the grasp that Willow had over Tara's hand noting how she was physically commanding the contact.

"And what would that be?" Willow kept her grip far stronger than she wanted it to be.

"The books." Rack hissed. "Don't play with me Strawberry."

"Oh poor Rack you couldn't even crack open a simple binding spell." Willow laughed at his discomfort. "Well we both know I can but I'm not until I see all of what we need to proceed before me. I don't want unnecessary delays that could compromise our position."

"Fair enough, but also forgive me for confining you to this room until such a time when your presence is required." Rack countered his smile not fading.

"I would expect no less from you." Willow admitted. "But bring us something to eat and drink. I'll need strength for the incantation."

"How about I make your stay altogether more comfortable?" With a flick of his wrist the room shifted into a lushly decorated and furnished one with thick leather couches and an oversized bed on the far wall. There was a large silver trolley with various silver lidded trays and bowls of fresh fruit visible on the lower shelves. The only thing the room lacked was doors and windows. "Better?"

"Much." Willow nodded. "Though I hope to assume that in our confinement we will be given privacy by which I can prepare."

"Of course." Rack vowed easily. "I hope to have news for you soon." He added glancing around the room a final time. "If there is anything you need, just call."

"We will." Willow waved him off and she didn't ease the grip she had on Tara's hand until the man had vanished.

"Please Willow, let me go." Tara twisted her hand in Willow's.

"I'm sorry." Willow let her hand go and retreated away, horrified by the sound in Tara's voice. "I hate him so much." She whispered trying to swallow down the tears all her hateful words had caused her.

"You can't focus on that right now." Tara shook her head and moved away from Willow choosing to settle herself in one of the ornate chairs. "Anger is a perfect vessel for dark magic." She reminded almost sharply.

"What are we going to do?" Willow settled into the other chair.

"I think the course of action has been chosen for us." The Wicca replied pulling up her feet so she could sit on them. "The hardest thing now is making sure you remember that this is only a charade." She didn't see the point in lying as she glanced briefly over at Willow.

"Of course it's a charade." Willow looked back at her. "Do you really think I'd enter some pack with him to divide you up like cattle?"

"Of course I don't." Tara glanced up almost angry looking down again almost immediately.

"I know it's a charade, we need to get enough leverage to get out of here without magic." Willow stood up and crossed over to the trays. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really." Tara shook her head and rubbed her hand across her stomach lightly grimacing softly.

"Are you okay?" Willow noticed the uncomfortable move.

"Just a little cramping, I'm fine." Tara shook her head to the worry.

"Do you have any painkillers?" Willow walked back over to the blonde.

Tara pressed her hand into her pocket and pulled free a half empty blister pack of painkillers.

"Apparently so." She said with an attempt at a smile.

"Let me get you some water." Willow quickly filled a glass and brought it to Tara. "Maybe you should lie down for a bit."

"Maybe." Tara didn't sound convinced. "Are you okay?" She added to her sentence remembering that the redhead had been held captive longer than her.

"Just a bit of a headache." Willow handed her the glass and reached up to cradle the back of her head. "They knocked me out."

"Then you should be the one downing the pills." Tara stopped her motion to push the pills through the backing foil.

"There's enough for us both." Willow motioned to the pills. "Then we could rest for a bit. We'll need all our strength."

"We do." Tara couldn't disagree. She pushed the pills though before offering Willow the remaining ones. Silently both girls took the pills and retreated to separate areas of the room to let them work.

"I'm sorry for you, losing one person you love is so hard to loose two will be terrible for you." Hannah looked down to her lap and at her hands that she had placed neatly on top of one another. "There are many other ingredients required for a spell that would open up something like a Hellmouth may I suggest, harsh as this may sound, that you turn your attentions to making sure they are all unobtainable."

"With all due respect Hannah, I'm not quite sure you are fully understanding what I'm telling you." Buffy looked at the older woman in slight disbelief. "I don't intend on letting anyone open the Hellmouth or losing Tara and Willow. I need your help to save them."

"And I am not sure you understand." Hannah retorted back at her. "If your spellcaster is so set on his or her course of action then you're two friends are likely to be dead already." Never did Hannah's tone change. "There would be no reason to keep them around after the books have been unsealed."

"If the books were unsealed we'd both be sitting on a pile of molten hell rock." Buffy tried not to snap at the unemotional brunette. "So we still have time to save them."

"You're not listening Miss. Summers, now I understand that the emotions you have for your two friends run deep but their sacrifice need not go to waste. It is logical to deduce that as we are not, as you put it, sitting in a pile of molten hell rock that the caster does not have all the other things they need to complete the spell. It is not likely that the cause is that the books remain unsealed, unless there is some reason or purpose that would be best solved by keeping either witch alive." Hannah pointed out still not changing her demeanor or pose.

"There is a whole lot of purpose." Buffy finally put some bite into her voice. "They have power, they have skills and Willow has been fighting so hard to stay away from that influence it's bound to have pissed someone off."

"It is clear as you say that they have power and skills." Hannah agreed readily. "If very little sense of self preservation."

"Very little sense of what?" Buffy questioned immediately.

"Self preservation." Hannah replied a little annoyed. "You know nothing of the magic art Miss. Summers. This Tara either had great faith in your ability or great love for Willow, or possibly and indeed I suspect both."

"You're right I don't do much with the magicks, that's not my job." Buffy admitted her mind reeling. "Are you saying that Tara knew this would happen if she did the tracer?"

"Imagine for a moment the darkest room." Hannah pictured the scenario trying to explain. "Someone enters carrying a candle, looking for the smallest pin dropped onto the floor. What is the thing visible to everyone?"

"How do I kill him?" Buffy ignored the ramifications that Hannah seemed fixed upon.

"Well that depends." Hannah shrugged. "On who or what he is. If you are lucky he will be human and then you can kill him like you kill any other mortal, all you have to worry about is getting close enough to do it."

"How do I get close enough to do it? I can't even find him." Buffy tried to pick the pretentious ex-witch for information.

"Yes, I was thinking of that particular issue which is what makes me think that your foe is indeed human." Hannah pushed up from her chair and made a short walk to the fireplace. "There are spellcasters, and I use the term loosely, that have the ability to cloak themselves and their surroundings."

"How do I see through the spell?" Buffy watched her move.

"You don't." Hannah replied simply.

"Okay, I'm sorry the first time I came here that I upset you and if you believe me or not that really wasn't my goal." Buffy made herself stay sitting. "But this time I'm here because I'm desperate and I need answers. The only other spellcaster I can trust is half a world away and can't get here until Monday night and we both know that all of this will be over by then. I need answers, not riddles. I need ways to stop this. Please Hannah help me."

"And whether you believe me or not Miss. Summers I want to help you, if only so I can make this a safer place for Heather to live in." Hannah looked down directly at the Slayer. "But everything I have told you so far is true. You cannot see through such a glamour spell because in reality it is little more than a party trick. Little more than dressing up in camouflage gear and hiding in the jungle. To find the spellcaster you need to step through the glamour directly into his realm. All you need to do is find his realm, to do that you need a magic user, or at least someone who has magical sensitivities."

"Meaning you could find it easily but you won't help me." Buffy took a breath trying to digest everything she was hearing. There was something just so familiar about it: Cloaked areas that only witches and freaks could fine, little evil magical men hiding in the shadows. It was as she continued thinking about it that Buffy's mind froze. "His name is Rack. Damn, why didn't I think of this before. He was the guy who supplied Willow with the high class spells for her addiction."

"A magic dealer?" Hannah's attention seemed immediately caught. "That would make sense." She contemplated for a moment. "And would give you more hope that both Willow and Tara are still alive, both of them are more useful alive than dead."

"Use for him to drain them." Buffy growled to herself angry at the state of the world. "I know a way to find him." She thought immediately of how simple it was going to be to beat Spike into submission and use him as a homing device. "Is there anything else I need to know?" She stood up.

"Many things." Hannah stood up swiftly and crossed the room to the door. "But I can tell you them as we walk." She assessed.

"You're coming with?" Buffy questioned more than a bit shocked by the ex-witch's move.

"Believe me Miss. Summers I would like to let you leave this house and never see you again, no offensive, but I don't believe we could ever have a mutually beneficial friendship but I couldn't let you go and live with the guilt of what would then happen. If you are right and this magic dealer is the person you are fighting you will need guidance and assistance, if only for the fact that he will not be alone." Hannah replied still moving out into the hall. "And that is without even contemplating that Pandora has proven to weak for his temptations."

"Well, what do we have here, the slayer found a new friend?" Spike stepped out from behind a tree and eyed Buffy and Hannah up and down.

"Spike, this is Miss. Glaive." Buffy didn't even give him the consideration of giving Hannah's first name. "Now go away." She added sternly keeping herself between the vampire and the brunette.

"Oh I see." Spike smiled. "Miss. Maclay to vanilla for you huh?" He couldn't help the jibe. "This one looks slightly more, tried and tested." He noted pulling the lapels of his black leather a little.

"Spike, not funny." Buffy hissed at him with fiery eyes. The very last thing on earth she needed was Spike upsetting Hannah to the point where she couldn't help the Slayer get the two witches back.

"You know this, this undead beast?" Hannah wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Beast? Who you calling a beast?" Spike snapped. "I mean yeah." He growled. "I'm a beast."

"Yes I know him, God help me better than I ever want to admit." Buffy rolled her eyes. "He's harmless though, he has a chip in his head that means he can't hurt anything living." She pointed the useful fact out to Hannah.

"Then he's of no use to us." Hannah dismissed him and turned away causing Spike to huff loudly.

"Hey I'll have you know I often help out." He pouted. "I'm a core Scooby."

"I think he might be because I think he's been to this magic dealer's place." Buffy snapped off a look of disbelief at him. "You were never a core Scooby, tag along maybe."

"We don't need a vampire to help us, I can find any cloaked lair." Hannah shook her head and looked at Buffy.

"Yeah but this vampire." Buffy growled at Spike. "Has been supplying the guy who kidnapped them with kiddy bones haven't you?" Spike at least had the decency to look a little embarrassed.

"Don't know what your talking about love." Spike denied covering his look he shrugged and lit up a cigarette.

"Hannah please be prepared for the fact that if he doesn't start talking I will beat the information out of him. Okay?" She looked at the older brunette before turning to glare hard at the vampire.

"Doesn't bother me." Hannah shook her head.

"Talk about what?" Spike saw the look in Buffy's eyes and got worried.

"I'm enjoying your company more all the time." Buffy admitted as she shifted her weight and smacked Spike across the head with a stunningly quick spin quick.

"OW!" His head snapped painfully back.

Not giving him time once he hit the ground she stepped behind him and pushed him forward on his knees before bracing his arm around his neck to effectively subdue him.

"Now tell Hannah about the bones you dug up and gave to the weird disappearing man." Buffy hissed as she applied more painful pressure.

"Kid bones, an acquaintance wanted them, owed him a favor for a bit of mojo he did for me." Spike said through tight breaths and covered pain.

"You can ask questions and I'll squeeze the answers out of him." Buffy looked at Hannah for guidance.

"How many ingredients have you got for him?" Hannah turned to look at the pair. When the answer wasn't forthcoming Buffy leaned forward a bit digging her knee into his spine as she pulled his arm closer to breaking.

"Bloody Hell Slayer, go easy he's just a strange magic dealer. He wants out of Sunnydale, he just wants to use the bounty the place offers him before he goes." Spike snarled.

"Answer the question." She pulled harder and felt tissue begin to strain to the point of tearing.

"Just the bones and some burber weed, oh and a tugel root." The vampire replied quickly. "But I think he's calling in a few favors. When I dropped the last stuff off there were other people there doing similar things." He added appearing to try and be helpful.

"Why does he need magical help to leave Sunnydale?" Buffy kept the pain she inflicted on him high.

"I don't sit around and chat to him Slayer. His place is too full of magic junkies gives me the shivers you know." He spit back the pain starting to show.

Buffy looked at Hannah to see if there was anything else she needed to know.

"Where was the last drop off?" Hannah asked her eyes narrowing a little.

"Mid town, he's moved though I know that much." Spike's answer came quickly.

"You might as well let it go." Hannah looked at Buffy. Buffy quickly did as she was told and pushed him away stepping protectively back over to the older witch.

"What's the big deal Slayer? Why not just let Rack slip off?" Spike coughed as he straightened himself.

"Cause he kidnapped Willow and Tara." Buffy filled in trying to hide her own worried frown.

"Bloody hell, that was stupid of him." The vampire was shocked "Buffy, I'm sorry." His voice dropped to almost a soft soothing tone he took a step forward.

"Don't!" Buffy backed away. Spike froze and looked up at Buffy silently. "Let's go." Buffy looked at Hannah trying to ignore him.

"Hey wait, I can help!" The peroxide vamp pressed. "You know I can sniff him out, help you get them back."

"We don't need you, she can find him." Buffy motioned to the petite brunette.

"Buffy I swear to you I didn't know he wanted Red and little bird." He tried to catch Buffy's eyes.

"Would you have done anything differently if you'd know?" Buffy asked him with a sad shrug.

"I..." Spike stumbled for words knowing that the Slayer knew as he did that he wouldn't.

"Exactly." Buffy turned away from him and urged Hannah to leave.

"I could watch the little bit for you." He called to her back.

"Dawn is already out of Sunnydale." She informed him without turning.

Without anything more to say Spike watched the two women walk out of sight.

"There's a long story there with him." Buffy tried to make some sort of explanation.

"Isn't there with everyone?" Hannah said simply not sure if she even wanted to hear of the entire sorted tale.

"Those ingredients, what do they suggest he's going to do?" Buffy moved away from the topic easily when she was given the opportunity.

"What I thought he was going to do when you mentioned the books, he'll open up the Hellmouth and form a gateway between it and some demon or magical dimension." Hannah summed up. "From that point on it could be a simple case of sit back and watch the demolition or he could actually want to turn most of the population into mindless slaves."

"Just checking we're still on the road to screwed." Buffy wrapped her arms around herself as they walked.

"Screwed would encompass it completely." Never did Hannah's tone change.

"So what do we need to do to make things unscrewed?" Buffy tried to find a focus and a goal.

"A miracle." Hannah blinked slowly. "Buffy I'm not going to paint anything rose colored here, we have about one chance and that's all."

"What do we need for that chance?" Buffy jumped on it immediately.

"We need for Willow not to have given in." Hannah frowned slightly. "Because if she has then we don't stand a chance. Unless killing your best friend is high on your list of things to do on a Saturday evening."

Buffy stopped walking. She froze directly in her tracks to be exact feeling a bolt of icy pain go through her.

"If she's turned it's not Willow anymore." She whispered in a scared voice.

"I may have meant Tara." Hannah whispered back.

"I know." Buffy shivered more.

"Miss. Summers…" Hannah looked at the Slayer her face framed in pain as if what she were about to say actually caused her anguish and sorrow. "I mean this." She said seriously. "If Willow has turned, then I would almost guarantee you that she has taken Tara as a trophy."

"If Willow goes 100% dark, Tara is dead." Buffy conceded the point in an eerily calm voice. "I've been through this before Hannah, I've dealt with someone who I loved going completely and truly evil and trying to kill things I love."

"I'm sorry." Hannah gave a heart-felt apology. "I wish we had the time to full deal with this possible consequence but we don't."

"Best case scenario?" Buffy pushed for some ray of hope.

"Willow has stayed firm, her and Tara have found a way to delay and they are waiting for their knight in shining armor." Hannah gave a rare smile.

"To do what though?" Buffy smiled back at her option.

"Now that is the question." Turning again Hannah led the way with a faster pace.

"If he's using dark mojo he's not going to let me walk in and just snap his neck." Buffy moved quickly to catch up with her.

"No he's not." Hannah agreed happy to see that the Slayer was at least thinking ahead. "Which is why we need to have him far too busy with something else to notice you."

"Something else like what?" Buffy questioned.

"Something else…" Hannah stopped and looked at Buffy squarely. "Like me."

"Whoa!" Buffy moved around to block the small witch's path. "I know I'm a bit slayer thick sometimes but I do very firmly know you gave up the mojo. How on earth are you going to distract him? And oh wait on top of that, he has two of the three most powerful witches that are in Sunnydale, why on earth would I give him the third?"

"I have no intentions of either using magic, nor letting him drain the power that is resident within me." Hannah shook her head. "But to him I am interesting, to him you are a nothing more than a bug." She pointed out.

"So you're going to distract him while I get close enough to make the kill?" Buffy summed up what she was being told.

"So to get you close enough to him to do anything we have to have what I believe is called in such instances 'bait'. Yes, that sums it up." Hannah nodded to her own alliteration.

"How are you going to distract him?" Buffy questioned.

"Miss. Summers." Hannah tried a smile though this one came nowhere near her eyes. "To a magic dealer I give off an aura that is as blinding as yours is to a high level demon. I won't have to 'do' anything, I just have to be there."

"So you're like the prettiest girl at the party?" Buffy smiled knowing to herself that though dangerous it would work.

"For once in my life yes, I will be the belle of the ball." Hannah smiled at the irony.

"Won't he know the minute I enter his shift?" Buffy tried to put everything in order in her brain. She hated that she had to even consider putting Hannah in danger but it was the only hope.

"This outing isn't to find out where he is, it's to find out where he isn't which might sound a little backward but its necessary. He leaves a magical trace wherever his magic den is when he moves it. By examining that I can deduce how powerful he is and things like that. With that done we can go back to the house, and I can get you the things you will need." Hannah explained as they walked again. "As you have no magical trace if he can't see you Rack won't know you are there at all." She continued. "All we have to do is make you as invisible physically as you are magically."

"Sounds completely logical." Buffy nodded.

"It is." Hannah agreed, "The complication if any will be Willow."

"If Willow is turned she'll know you right off and know exactly why you are there." Buffy tried to show she wasn't completely stupid.

"Yes and worse than that, it won't matter how we try and cloak you. She would recognize you because you're bond is too strong."

"I couldn't hide from Will." Buffy admitted.

"So we have to do a bit of planning, and a whole lot of hoping." The older woman stated.

"There is only one way he'll make Willow turn." Buffy blinked as the reality struck her in the chest.

"Which would be?" Hannah queried genuinely interested.

"If he hurts Tara." Buffy let the words out with a slow breath. "She'll have a spell done before she even thinks about it."

"Unfortunately from what I have heard about Miss. Maclay, she is everything a dealer like Rack would desire. I believe our only hope there will be if he is too consumed by his other more destructive tasks to be concerned with draining an innocent." Hannah tried not to be too negative but the truth was they could not walk into this without knowing exactly how bad things could be.

"We have an equation with a lot of ifs and I am not great with the math." Buffy began walking again at a breakneck pace with the brunette.

Tara stretched out her back as she slowly woke up. She ached in places she hadn't ached before and it was mainly because she had slept for too long in an over stuffed chair in the corner of the room. Turning her head she moaned slightly and opened her eyes, only to look straight into Willow's gaze.

The small redhead had moved from her chair and was now sitting on the bed crossed legged looking at Tara. The blonde immediately sat up a little and pulled her legs up under her.

"H-H-H-How long have you been awake?" She asked trying to clear her throat.

"A little while." Willow blinked and turned her head away. "I couldn't get comfortable with my head pounding." She admitted softly.

"Didn't the pills help?" Tara asked not moving at all.

"A little." The hacker conceded. "I just think it's this place, it makes me so edgy." She held her hands in her lap trying to hide the slight shake in them.

"I know what you mean." Tara gave a small shiver. "But Buffy will find us." She stated hoping to at least that she sounded sure.

"I bet she's already looking." Willow nodded. "I bet she's got a brilliant plan to crack her way in here and bust some skulls."

"Yes." Tara's voice was quieter, though she desperately wanted to be out of here she didn't like to think of Buffy placing herself in danger.

"How are you feeling? There's nice fruit if you're hungry." Willow looked at the silver lidded trays in the corner.

"I'm not." Tara shook her head she hated all of this the place, the situation, the tension between her and Willow. "Though don't let me stop you."

"I don't eat much anymore." Willow explained softly. "Did you want to try and sleep here?" She looked at the bed.

"No, I think I need to stretch out for a bit." Tara pushed uncomfortably out of the chair and stood up.

"Hello my dear guests." Though the wall opposite the bed, Rack slipped into the room. He glanced at both Willow and Tara before crossing over and helping himself to a grape.

"How dare you?" Willow glared at him instantly reacting with anger towards the only outlet she could. "There is a door, I'd prefer you knock." She pointed to the mentioned entrance.

Rack didn't verbally reply he just put his head back and laughed loudly, taking another grape.

"You wouldn't be laughing if you'd interrupted something important." Willow slid herself slowly off the bed, begging her legs to hold her as she faked a confident swagger over towards Tara.

"Oh now don't make me wish I'd left it longer to check on you." Rack watched the hacker move and raised his eyebrow slightly. Tara took a little step to the side as Willow approached.

"If you ever see one inch more of her flesh then you see now, I'll blind you." Willow growled at him. "Don't be afraid, he won't hurt you." She remarked to Tara trying to put the Wicca at ease. One part of her brain couldn't help but realize that it wasn't Rack that had made Tara move away.

"No more than she will." Rack put in grinning manically.

"So other than check up on us is there something else you want?" Willow glared at him.

"I just came to check you hadn't changed our agreement, by perhaps having a little taste of what's to come Strawberry." Rack looked at Tara undressing her down to her very soul with his eyes.

"My name is not Strawberry." Willow informed him stepping into his vision. "And our agreement is firm. Though when this does come to a resolution, remember fundamentally she is mine."

Rack let his focus fade and he gave his attention to the redhead.

"And what then should I call you my little one?" He asked tapping his bottom lip with his finger.

"Pandora." She filled in quickly.

"Exotic and full of hidden promise." Rack assessed. "A suitable name and what I wonder will you call her?" He flicked is eyes up again at Tara. "Or does she not get a name, slaves seldom do."

"As you said foremost she is mine." Willow underlined. "But you may call her Lilith."

"Lilith." Rack assessed looking over Tara again. "The first woman." He smiled. "The first of you many conquest Pandora." He nodded at Willow.

"Conquest implies that I must conquer, when all I must do is ask." Willow smiled coldly and the expression made Rack laugh softly.

"You kid yourself Pandora." He shook his head. "Look at her, she would no more give you want you asked for than she would give me anything."

"She knows what I am like when I don't get what I want." Willow shivered a little as she caught Tara's hard stance out of the corner of her eye.

"I bet she does." Rack smiled sickly. "I'll leave you now." He moved, though this time to the door.

"Good." Willow nodded. "And knock before you come back." Chuckling at her ultimatum Rack slipped out.

"Goddess that was awful." Willow hissed stepping over to lean against the back of one chair for support.

"You coped." Tara replied moving away from the redhead. She wrapped her arm around her stomach slightly, feeling chilled through to the bone.

"Barely." Willow breathed out trying to still the churning in her stomach.

"I hate this." Tara hissed frowning hard.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault." Willow put her head in her hands.

"It's not." Tara watched sadly as the redhead physically crumpled.

"It is... if I'd never... if I was just..." Willow's body shivered more. "It's all my fault."

"You can't do this to yourself Will." Tara said making herself speak softer. "You're not like Rack, this isn't your fault and we will get out of here."

"I'm just so tired." Willow slinked around the chair and curled into it tightly.

"Then you should rest." Tara moved over very slowly and pulled a blanket off the bed.

"You think I'm going to hurt you again." Willow commented softly her eyes closed. "You think I'm going to lose control and this won't be a show anymore."

"I d-d-d-don't." Tara stopped on her way over to the hacker with the blanket but she couldn't stop her voice stuttering.

"I know you do and I don't blame you." Willow opened sad watery green eyes.

"I believe you don't want to give in to it." Tara tried again.

"I don't." Willow shook her head and a line of tears came down her left cheek. "But it doesn't matter, you'll never trust me again."

"Willow." Tara paused. "Don't." She whispered shaking her head.

"I can't do anything right." Willow whispered digging herself into the corner of the chair. She could feel the ugly throb of Rack's magic all around her and while it partly made her sick another part of her just wanted to give in. If she gave in she'd just have bliss, none of this would matter anymore but no matter how appealing oblivion seemed she just couldn't do it.

"You can Will, just there is no right in this mess." Tara sat down on the bed still clutching the blanket.

"You know I don't mean anything I say to him, I have never felt that about you." She underlined softly.

"I know you will do all you can to get us out of this." Tara pointed out what she did know.

Heather had paced the house at least fifty time and had just began another lap as she heard the soft sound of a key and the front door opening.

"Hannah?" She yelled out immediately retracing her way to the front hall.

"You're home?" Hannah's voice was slightly distant as the slight woman eased the door closed.

"Of course I'm home, I told you I'd be back by five, and here it is nine thirty and no you. No note either, where have you been?" Heather stopped in the hall staring at her sister.

"Nine thirty?" The news obviously shocked the older sister who glanced at her watch frowning.

"Nine thirty." Heather underlined with a slight tinge of worry and anger in her voice. "I've been crawling the walls."

"Sorry." Hannah stripped off her coat and hung it up.

"Where have you been?" Heather moved forward and asked again.

"We need to sit down Heather." Hannah eventually looked up.

"Why?" Heather took a step back instantly. "We haven't needed to sit down in years." The phrasing made her skin raise with goose bumps.

"Please." Hannah asked of her sister motioning to the living room.

"It's okay if you slipped." Heather paced into the living room. "You've been really good for along long time, longer than they figured you would I'm sure. As long as it wasn't big maybe they won't see the signature."

Hannah actually managed a brief and gentle smile, touched by her sister's worry.

"I haven't." She assured her.

"Great, I knew you wouldn't." Heather plopped down in a chair and looked at her sister. "What is it?"

"Willow and Tara are in trouble." She said very softly keeping her sister's eyes.

"What? But I just saw Tara this morning." Heather flushed with panic. "I know Willow stood me up but I never thought it would be anything other than she decided it was a bad idea."

"I think we can safely guess she didn't stand you up Heather." Hannah explained. "We have quite a bad situation." She chose her words carefully.

Heather just looked at her silently waiting for her to finish explaining before she lost her mind. Slowly and carefully the older Glaive explained the situation so far.

"So I have to help." Hannah finished, her eyes never leaving his sister's waiting for the younger woman's response. It had taken less time than she though it might to explain everything and in all that time Heather hadn't said a word.

"You can't do magic." Heather whispered her voice icy. "There must be another way."

"I wish there was." Hannah took a deep breath. "But I can't think of one, hopefully we can get through this without magic." She tried to be optimistic. "I still have some charms and things."

"Why can't Buffy just fix this? She's the slayer, we're not super heroes." Heather took a few quick breaths trying to clear her suddenly pounding head.

"Because she thinks that the person behind this is a magic dealer." Hannah said softly. "She can't find him on her own."

"Magic dealer?" Heather felt her blood run even colder. "A magic dealer has Willow?" Hannah nodded slowly. "You can't be near him, she can't be near him." She shook her head adamantly not quite comprehending what she was saying.

"She already is near him." Hannah restated. "And I have to help get her back, and if this gets out of hand. I'll be the only one with a hope or a prayer of bettering her."

"But if you do magic it won't matter if you're better than her..." Heather stood up pacing slightly. "You'll both be gone."

"Heather." Hannah watched her sister pace worried that the younger woman was working herself up unnecessary. "I have to do this."

"I need to think." Heather shook her head. "There has to be a way. I can't lose you... I can't lose anybody." She underlined.

"I know you do, but Heather you don't have the time. Before I came over her I called Jeremy, I want you to go there until this is over." Hannah explained her plan.

"Jeremy?" The brunette stopped. "You expect me to just run away?"

"It's not running away." Hannah said firmly. "It's staying safe."

"How can I be safe when you and Willow are being destroyed by some magical dealer?" Heather frowned.

"You can be safe by not being here to get hurt." Hannah sighed. "Heather you are the most important thing in my life, I need at least to know that you are safe, that you are away from all of this. Then and only then can I concentrate on what I have to do."

"Who is the dealer?" Heather didn't answer the plea.

"His name is Rack, Buffy tells me that it is the same dealer that Willow went to when she was at her strongest point in her addiction." Hannah gave the information easily as she felt her sister concede to her idea. "Which is why we have to act fast Heather. He has already tasted her essence. He has a link to her, which is going to unbalance her even more than she will be already. Add that to the fact that Tara is involved and that puts Willow in a very fragile place."

"A dealer like Coloma?" Heather questioned pulling the name from a dark period of their past.

"Yes." Hannah stood up and moved to the door. "I'm going up into the attic to look at the things I have that could help. The keys please Heather." The elder Glaive held out her hand.

"I want to help." Heather didn't move. Hannah stopped and looked at her younger sibling.

"I know you do." She said her voice soft ready to explain all the reasons that Heather could not.

"No, I don't think you understand." Heather shook her head. "I'm not a little girl, you don't have to protect me."

"No, you're not a little girl." Hannah sighed. "But I do have to protect you. I made a promise you know that Heather."

"Molly wouldn't want you putting yourself in danger." Heather stalked over to the closet and dug around till she came up with the key ring. "And you can't do much if I don't give you a choice." She stalked up the stairs towards the attic.

"Heather stop it, I understand that you're worried." Hannah moved off after her sister.

"No, you don't understand." Heather stalked up and around the landing to the second staircase.

"I do." Hannah stressed. "You are worried that something might happen to me."

"Yes and now I have to be worried that you are going in to have a magical show down with Willow." Heather turned her voice anger with emotion. "Oh yes this is my idea of a dream." She fumbled with the keys at the upper door.

"Heather." Hannah called for her sister's attention.

"What?" Heather all but threw the keys at the door.

"What do you want me to do?" The older sister questioned softly. "Do you want me to call Miss. Summers and tell her I've changed my mind, that I'm not going to help her? I'm not going to give her the edge that may well save the life of her best friend oh and the love of her life?" Hannah's voice wasn't angry it was just sad.

"No." The taller woman stopped. "I just want to live a normal life. I want to whine that Willow stood me up because I'm not pretty enough or cause she was too busy, not because she is now about to be drained by a magical dealer who my sister has to go risk everything to help a slayer kill."

"I'm sorry." Hannah said even sadder still.

"It isn't your fault." Heather shook her head.

"Isn't it?" Hannah smiled tenderly at her sister.

"How could it be?" She smiled at her sister.

"I started the magic." Hannah was honest in her reply. "Hardly set the scene for a 'normal' life did it."

"You started the magic cause Dad used to beat us so blue we couldn't walk straight." Heather remembered with a shudder.

"Again so not so much of a normal life." Hannah reached out and put her hand on Heather's shoulder. "How about I promise after this, we have normal until your sick of it?" She suggested. "And if Willow stands you up on the next date for any other reason that Martians from Pluto wanted her to browse the web for them, I'll do the big sister thing and buy you endless amounts of comfort presents."

"Well chocolate would have been nice last night." Heather admitted. "Are you sure there is no way I can help?"

"Yes, by staying safe." Hannah stressed again.

"What charm did you want?" Heather turned back opening the door with a steady motion as the lock gave way under her key.

"Well my big plan is to cause a distraction long enough for Buffy to get close enough to end to do what she has to do to Rack. Honestly I'm not planning on anything big or fancy. If I remember correctly, there's an invisibility charm in the chest." Hannah explained her idea. "It's what I was thinking of."

"The hide and seek charm?" Heather stopped a few feet inside feeling her anxiety run higher again. "You want to trick a magic dealer with a charm you made me when I was ten to win hide and seek games?"

"Yes." Hannah smiled at her sister's phrase but then fell a little somber as her sister continued. "Who'd have thought it'd be our best hope?"

"We don't even know if it works." Heather moved over to pull books off a small chest.

"It'll work." Hannah couldn't afford to entertain her sister's worries right now.

"Is there anything else you need?" She asked opening it up and shuffling through till she came to a small pouch.

"I don't think so." Hannah shook her head. "Oh no wait. Perhaps I should take the mananite crystal too."

"It's in the other box." Heather pointed out not sure if her sister remembered. As Hannah moved over towards it with her back turned she carefully took out a folded paper and tucked it into her pocket.

'I know you want me safe Hannah, but I have to do something.' She thought as she looked at her sister.

Hannah claimed the crystal and slipped it into her pocket and then held her hand out for the charm.

"How am I going to know when its safe?" Heather questioned as she handed over the pouch.

"I'll call you." Hannah forced a smile. "Now throw a few things in a bag, get Tru and get out of here." She moved to the door. "I need to get to Buffy and review the plan, I can trust you to do the right thing cant I Heather?" She met her sister's eyes.

"I always do the right thing." Heather nodded. "Would you please go save the world before I come to my senses and don't let you?" The brunette walked over and hugged her sister tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too and by the way." Hannah held her tightly before pausing and looking at her sister. "I know what's going on."

"What's going on?" Heather stammered as she pulled back. "What do you mean?"

"You and Willow." Hannah smiled. "And believe it or not, I think she's a nice girl."

"You do?" Heather breathed a sigh of relief. "It's funny, cause I'm not even sure what's going on really." She caught up with herself.

"Oh Heather." Hannah smiled more. "What's going on is that you are having your first 'crush' and you've taken your time haven't you?"

"A crush?" Heather blushed and gave a soft laugh. "The world is ending and you think I have a crush on Willow?" She smiled. "Okay maybe a small one."

"A small one." Hannah's smile turned into a smirk. "Your rooms next to mine sis, and you talk in your sleep."

"I talk in my..." Heather turned an even darker red. "Liar." She hissed embarrassed.

"It was worth it."

"Would you go save the world please." Heather smiled and hugged the fragile woman again hating that she would have to let go.

Willow wasn't sure how long she had cried. At first her tears had been borne out of her feeling of helplessness. Fed on by the nauseous feeling the dark magic around her caused as the world shifted in and out of synch. Soon the tears had turned into something else, something much more primal and personal. She had kept waiting, waiting for a word, a hand on her shoulder but as her tears continued it hadn't come. Her Tara, the woman who she knew had loved her like no one else couldn't even find the trust to comfort her.

If she had tried to explain her thoughts to anyone she was sure it would have sound like self-pity and resentment. Yet that was so far from what she felt, and so far from what caused her tears. The truth was that at this moment she understood just what she had done, understood the complete consequences of her spell. She had broken the one thing between Tara and herself that couldn't be fixed. Tara would love her forever but the blonde would never naturally trust her again. Doubt would always crawl around in Tara's head, whispering to her to worry about what she was capable of.

"We should have asked for sweaters." Tara's small, slightly shaking voice called over to Willow from her place on the other side of the room. The blonde Wicca shivered hard to subconsciously underline her own words.

"Sorry?" Willow looked up to see the blonde shiver. "You should curl up in the blankets." She prompted softly wiping at her stained cheeks.

"I didn't think about that." Tara began her instant reply but her voice stopped in her throat. "Will, you're crying." The blonde made a half move to get out of her chair.

"It's nothing." Willow quickly got up to yank the heavy blanket off the bed and bring it over to Tara. Carefully she tucked it around the Wicca's body before she crouched down, looking at her hands that sat over the heavy material.

"Of course its something." Tara shook her head and blinked down at the redhead. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Willow shook her head blinking more tears onto her cheeks as she looked up. "I'm the one who's sorry, more than you'll ever know." She whispered.

"I shouldn't have been so, so cold and judgmental." Tara shook her head again.

"No." Willow's held her voice as solid but soft as she could. "You had every right, every right to do everything you did. Never ever doubt that."

"Do you think we will get out of this?" Tara's voice was very small as she looked into green eyes.

"You will." Willow nodded solidifying the fact in her heart and soul. "Whatever I have to do you're going to get out of this and be back with Buffy." She found herself able to refer to the two of them for the first time without a sharp overpowering stab of jealousy.

"Will, either both of us get through this or neither of us do. I know that much at least." The blonde moved her hand from inside the blanket and lightly took Willow's.

"We will." Willow nodded.

"So much has changed Willow." Tara frowned softly. "But I'd still..." She stopped and looked into sad green eyes.

"I don't deserve anything Tara." The hacker shook her head.

"Yes you do." Tara stated reasonably firmly. "You made mistakes Will, everyone does."

"My mistake was huge." Willow admitted.

"It was only huge in one way, not in lots of ways." Tara frowned slightly.

"The huge way." Willow frowned. "But I understand more now."

"Do you?" Tara whispered.

"I think I do." She nodded softly. "I can't take it back, I wish I could but I can't."

"Do you?" Tara asked again her eyebrow arched a little.

"I wish I'd realized what I had become, what I was doing to myself and to you even before that." Willow's head hung down. "I cast the spell because I didn't want to fight with you and because of it I've lost you forever and the worst part is I have no one to blame but myself."

"Blame? What's this Strawberry? Having doubts?" Neither girl had noticed Rack's entrance into the room via the door. Not that this was surprising though, as though her used the door he had merely walked through it rather than open it. "I did knock just you didn't seem to hear."

"I was ignoring you." Willow stood up collecting herself.

"Busy I assume." He walked into the middle of the room and looked at the pair.

"What do you want?" Willow stood to block his view of Tara.

"Just checking on my partner in, let's see now, I can't really call it crime. My partner in…" He paused thinking carefully. "Conquest. How is the reward doing?" He flicked his hand and the chair Tara sat on slid out from behind Willow, nearly tipping the blonde on the floor with its speed. Rack gave Tara a smile as the startled witch righted herself and looked up.

"You're trying my patience and my benevolence Rack." The redhead hissed at him. "I could easily make this partnership a solo project."

"Why so testy Strawberry? I can almost taste her in the air in here, there's enough for us both." Rack moved forward a tiny step running his finger over his lower lip.

"Might I suggest you step back before I remove your ability to taste!" Willow stalked over to him. "Stop playing games with me Rack, this isn't me coming to you for assistance anymore. This is you coming to me, remember that."

"And to think I was going to show you just some of what our partnership would bring and I get such open hostility." Rack gave a mock hurt look.

"Entertain me then with your preview." Willow moved back over towards Tara.

"Dose the reward get to see, maybe she'll decide to join the merry gang voluntarily." Rack inquired.

"She sees what I see, I'm not about to let her out of my sight with your lackeys running around." Willow glanced at Tara who was sitting very silent. She was trying to walk the fine line between being believable and scaring the blonde again.

"Your trust in me is inspiring and I have no objections to the slave joining us only." He paused. "I was thinking of taking you to see the books, to check the things I have collected for the necessary spell. I wouldn't want to risk her doing anything silly, after all, deal or no deal strawberry, she ruins things or evens tries and I will have to take her out of the equation."

"And if you try to take her out, I will extract you from this equation." Willow reached her hand out for Tara's. Her hand shaking violently Tara reached out and took Willow's.

"Perhaps then the best thing to do is just leave her here." Rack offered a solution. "I'm trying to be reasonable here."

"I think reasonable is a little unthinkable here." Willow squeezed the hand in her own looking for a sign.

"Well what if I say she can come along as long as you put her in these." He held up something that looked fairly similar to a pair of handcuffs. "Binding manacles, just keeps us all safe from all the chaotic good witchy energy just waiting to leap out and save us all."

"You have to be kidding me?" Willow scoffed at him.

"It's the deal strawberry, the untapped doesn't leave the room all wild and free. Oh come on don't say you didn't notice the buffer this room has round it? You're little slave is as weak as a kitty cat in here, as soon as she leaves we can't guarantee she'll be as tame. I promise they don't chaff." He held the cuffs further out.

"Why don't you just bring the books to me?" Willow turned. "Because I doubt you'd trust me outside these walls either."

"You're different Strawberry." He shook his head. "I've tasted you, I know you. The books stay where they are, they can't be messed with by anyone where they are."

"You know nothing of me!" Willow turned on him. "What you have tasted is not who I am."

"I don't mind." Tara's voice cut through the angry atmosphere as she felt Willows tension hitch up a notch. She pushed herself out of the chair and pulled her hand free walking towards Rack with her arms in front of her, her wrists held out.

Willow watched in a horrified stupor as Rack closed the all be it loose fitting cuffs around Tara's wrists.

"Now that we're ready let's begin." Rack licked his lips.

Buffy did a slow lap of the Magic Box around the central table that Hannah sat at pouring over books.

"So is there anything else I need to do?" Buffy put her hands on her hips anxiously.

"Think small." Hannah tried to keep the mood light as she studied the book open in front of her.

"Well if it helps I didn't have lunch." Buffy caught her train of thought.

"We're lucky that you're slight and not very tall." Hannah ran her finger over the page but try as she might she could see no way of extending the charms radius.

"What's the problem?" Buffy sat down. "You got the same 'what are we going to do look' that Giles used to get."

"The problem Miss. Summers is that the charm was designed for a pre- pubescent girl, not a slayer wielding an axe and a broad sword." Hannah tried to explain.

"Well I could skimp down to just the axe." Buffy offered. "And can't we use an amplifier or something?"

"Just what I'm looking into." Hannah admitted. "And so far I've found ways of making you smaller but not it bigger."

"Me smaller isn't necessarily going to work in our favor." Buffy shook her head to the idea.

"My thoughts exactly." Hannah noted that at least they were in agreement. "There must be a way." She mused turned the page again. "A way that doesn't involve casting magic that is. Which makes it a little harder."

"Now I'm wishing I didn't send Anya away, at least she sorta does magic." Buffy frowned. "Can I do the spell?"

"No, what I need is a wider base for this charm. I need something like a glamour charm that I can weave the invisibility into. Don't happen to have one do you?" Hannah smiled somewhat forlornly at the Slayer.

"Glamour charm?" Buffy stood up. "Let me think. Anya would keep that where." She wandered over to the back counter. "Is it something expensive?"

"Yes, it's something that makes something into something else." Hannah explained as she began leafing through another book.

"Hold on." Buffy's mind stilled down. "You mean a thing that makes you appear like one thing to some things?" She unconsciously put her hand onto the leather bracelet Tara had given her.

"Yes. Can make a puppy look like a frog for example." Hannah pulled the comparison out of the air.

"A molecularly sun burnt slayer look like a real person to a microchip?" Buffy walked back.

"Not something I'd ever considered but yes." Hannah frowned not understanding.

"Tara made it for me." Buffy held out her wrist.

"Tara made you a pretty bracelet that's nice Miss. Summers…" Hannah stopped as she looked at the gift closer. "Oh." She had the decency to sound ashamed. "She must love you very much." The older woman said gently.

"She does." Buffy nodded. "Can you use it?"

"It's perfect." Hannah admitted pulling the small pendant out of the pouch that rested on the tabletop close by. "Though I'm afraid." She looked down for a moment.

"Afraid?" Buffy frowned at her reaction.

"To use it we'll have to destroy it, partially at any rate." She explained reluctantly.

"Mmmmm keep my bracelet get Tara and Willow back." Buffy sat down. "I'll pick B for one thousand dollars Alex."

"Then can I have it please, while you go and choose your best weapons." Hannah nodded and set to work.

Part Nineteen

Rack smiled as he led Willow into a dimly lit, heavily draped room. On three small plinths sat the three books he had stolen from the Magic Box and arranged around them were various ingredients and candles. Entering the room slightly behind the pair was Tara, her hands lightly shackled though she was still flanked between two of Rack's attendants. The atmosphere in the room was literally heavy and it almost had a sickening taste to it.

Willow felt her insides curdle as she entered the room. Whatever had been left inside her to feel unstained by Rack's domain again was dirty as she breathed in the heavy scent.

"I can't say I like the decorating." She turned back trying to check on Tara without looking suspicious.

Tara's blue eyes flared open slightly wider as she caught Willow's gaze, alarmed by the dark pupils that regarded her. The blonde took a slight step backwards her breath stilling in her throat.

The hacker blinked, her mind and soul tuning into the blonde's obvious fear and without knowing it the dark seeped out of her eyes so they were normal green again.

Tara tried to ease her tight breath out of her body, shifting forward a little this time as she watched the change in her ex-lover. On her second move the two attendants next to Tara took a step in closer and roughly placed a hand on each of Tara's shoulders keeping her firmly in place.

"So you have everything?" Willow tried not to react to their movements, though her first instinct was to blow them both back to the far wall. She could feel the magic skimming just below the surface of her skin as it tried to find an outlet, tried to find any means of escape. It wasn't so much a worry for her right now of doing a spell so much of a reaction coming out of her without her consent.

"Not quite." Rack stepped over a thick red rope that spanned the space just in front of the three small pillars and picked up a small wooden bowl. "But I have that taken care of." He sniffed the contents and then put the bowl back down this time on top of one of the books. "Getting anxious are we Strawberry?" He smiled at her.

"Despite what you might think this is not the only thing I have on the go." Willow remarked surveying the area for anything that would show the spell wasn't going to work.

"Oh no, I am aware that you probably have many things that you are working on." Rack deliberately looked up slowly straight at Tara. "Though right now she's not looking very much like a suitable conquest for someone as powerful as you." He shrugged at Tara was looking particularly pale.

"If you think her so weak why do you keep her in chains?" Willow pointed out with a heavy amount of judgment.

"Oh I know she's not weak." Rack stepped back over the rope shaking his head. "But maybe she's feeling a little drained." A strange smile crossed his scarred face.

"Well maybe something suitable for her purity would be in order." Willow tried to manipulate the opening. "She is quite devote to her Goddess, a small cleansing ritual would assist us in the end."

Tara looked up from her place, her eyes a little paler than usual and slightly unfocused. She wondered just what Willow was doing, though she hated to admit it the magic dealer had been right when he had mentioned that she was feeling a little odd.

"You forget I know you Strawberry." Rack smiled and shook his head.

"You knew me." Willow underlined. "Before I gained control over myself and my power, before I gained dominance. I am no longer the weak addict you manipulated for your own gain."

"I never thought of you as weak neither in will nor in power my dear Strawberry." He contradicted her assumption.

"But you did manipulate me." Willow walked over boldly crossing the barrier and moving closer to the books. "You don't have enough crushed marrot bulb." She chastised.

"You don't think?" Rack stayed the other side of the rope watching Willow carefully though slowly he inched backwards towards Tara.

"I know." Willow turned on him staring at him to fix him in his place. "Do you not think I've figured out what you have planned?" She challenged him.

"Planned?" Rack challenged back.

"You want to play the dumb game?" Willow stepped back over and went straight to Tara placing her hands over the cuffs.

"Enlighten me."

"Well you are considering the fact that once you have manipulated me into doing what you are too incompetent to do yourself then you can turn her to your side and use her to best me." She stared at him.

"What you lack in trust you make up for in vivid imagination." Rack slowly raised his hands and clapped.

"We'll see." Willow smiled. "Take us back to my room."

"Don't you even want a taste of what the books can do?" Rack asked licking his lips.

"I am well aware of what they can do." She laughed at him and then narrowed her eyes. "Would you like me to recite you passages, show you what I can really do?"

"Willow." Tara glanced up again fear filling her eyes and voice.

Rack turned to watch the blonde reaction to Willow's offer and turned back to Willow.

"She fears me Rack." Willow whispered her voice eerie and light. "You have something to learn from her."

"I promise I will watch her very carefully if that is what you wish me to do." He gave a sly smile turning back to Tara looking over her from head to toes undressing her with his eyes.

"If you look at her that way again... I'll tear your eyes from your head." She felt herself growl just barely holding a thin shield of control over her abilities.

"Take her back to your room yourself Strawberry, you don't need a guard." With a wave of his hands Tara's two guards released her and stepped back. Tara instantly sagged a little without their arms holding her in place.

"You're making better choices all the time." Willow moved over and put an arm around Tara helping her back out of the room.

When the pair reached their room, instead of pulling away from Willow like she had before, Tara stayed close.

"Are you okay?" The redhead whispered leading her over to the bed.

"T-T-T-Take them off." Tara begged in a tiny whisper looking down at her thin wrists.

Willow nodded and quickly pulled at them the connection breaking away so that the blonde was free.

"Are you okay?" She checked as she guided Tara down to rest and rushed back to get the blanket to drape over her. Tara shook her head as a soul deep shiver hit her body hard. "We can't do this anymore, this place is making you sick." Willow whispered feeling her fear growing as she appraised the blonde's pale color.

"It's the darkness." Tara whispered as she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.

"I'm going to put a stop to this." Willow vowed softly.

"Willow, no…" Tara looked up at the redhead "This place is worse for you than me."

"I don't care, this has to end." Willow shook her head. "I'm going to teleport you as far away as I can and then I'll finish this."

"You can't do that." Tara put her feet down again and pushed up from the bed, only to reach an upright position far too quickly for her head.

"I can do what I have too." Willow reassured her as she caught the blonde and eased her back down. "I have too." She whispered as she put a cold hand to Tara's hot forehead.

"Don't, not for me." Tara closed her eyes relishing the contrast.

"Not just for you, for everyone." Willow's mind ran a mile a minute. "You have to get to the shop, get to Buffy and phone Giles. Once I take Rack out I'll probably rush for a few hours but then I'll crash. Stay safe till then, I can't guarantee..." Her voice trailed off. "Wait till I'm down then bind me." She found her voice again solidifying the plan.

"I can't let you do this Willow, it makes no sense. You've fought too hard against this." Tara shook her head trying to ignore the spin that had begun in her head.

"It makes perfect sense." Willow shook her head. "I can't let him hurt you or Buffy and if I don't stop this now it'll go too far to stop."

"It makes no sense." Tara flatly refused to accept anything. "Why does it make more sense for you to do it that it does me? I could give myself to Rack, if I'm right my light magic power will neutralize his dark magic at least temporarily. It gives us the chance to get the books and get out of here. Well you could get out of here."

"With you losing everything." Willow shook her head. "I'm not letting that happen."

"But I'm supposed to let you?" Tara frowned.

"Tara, this might be the scariest thing I can say to you right now but this place... it's not just getting to you." She swallowed hard. "And I want to do this on my terms, I want all this to mean something and not just end up with me stuck to the ceiling moaning."

"I know what its doing to you Willow." Tara admitted. "And I've been thinking about that." She swallowed hard.

"What?" Willow felt her giant plan come to a small pause.

"I think I can neutralize the effects on you." Tara blinked up her blue eyes soft.

"You're too weak, it will drain you too far." Willow protested in a whisper.

"I'll be okay." Tara shook her head she held out her hand. "We need to give them more time Willow, just a little longer and I know if this does put me out, you'll watch over me." She smiled softly.

"I won't let anything touch you." Willow vowed.

"Sit down." Tara patted the bed next to her.

"You're sure this is a better idea then me just..." Willow sat down though she babbled a little worried.

"Shush." Tara rested her finger on Willow's lips and then slid her hands up to Willow's temples guiding her head forward slightly letting her own forehead rest lightly against the redhead's. Once again the contrast in their body temperatures made the blonde shiver. "It's just like osmosis." Tara explained as she closed her eyes. "But instead of absorbing the darkness around you, you absorb the light. Okay?"

"I can try." Willow conceded.

"You don't have to try." Tara smiled. "Just close your eyes."

Willow did as she was told, the world seeming to wave around her in angry shadows when she did. Tara dropped her hands from Willow's temples and took hold of her pale hands, leaving their foreheads pressed together as everything in the room seemed to still a little and lighten. In short moments the two women were breathing in tandem, their chests falling and rising in unison. Behind their closed eyelids their eyes tracked the same pattern, the pulse points on their necks minutely showed that even their heartbeats settled into rhythm.

After what seemed like an eternity and yet a millisecond at the same time Tara pulled her head back and opened her eyes.

"Willow." She breathed quietly.

"Yeah?" Willow questioned dreamily as she opened sleepy eyes.

"How do you feel?" Tara couldn't help but smile at the stillness and peaceful look on Willow's face

"Better." The hacker took a slow breath for the first time out of pace with Tara's.

"Really?" Tara checked.

"You know when you have a really long hard day and then you have like the best most perfect long hot bath?" Willow whispered reaching up to slowly run her hand through her hair. Tara nodded still smiling. "Better than that." Willow mused. "I'm going to go kill Rack now." She added still dreamily.

"No, no you're not Will." Tara shook her head she eased her hands free from the other woman's.

"Sure it'll only take a minute then we can go have a picnic." Willow slurred a little.

"You're not, I know you're not." Tara stressed her voice changing.

"Mmmm we should get lemonade, I really want lemonade right now." She continued a bit oblivious.

"Later." Tara breathed a little faster. "Right now Willow you have to do something else to do."

"What?" Willow blinked slowly trying to focus on Tara.

"Keep your promise, look after me." Tara's voice was a breathed whispered as her blue eyes rolled back into her head and she fell forward landing heavily on Willow's shoulder.

"Tara?" Willow wasn't sure for a second if she was dreaming or if Tara had really passed out. Carefully she peeled the limp body away from hers and eased Tara down on the bed.

'Okay get it together.' She tried to talk herself to a calm place.

Though the dark magic of Rack's imaginary world wasn't eating away at her anymore, she couldn't shake the fake euphoria Tara's pseudo cleansing had caused.

"You can do this." She whispered to herself as she tucked the blanket around Tara and shook more clarity into her head.

Heather had waited until Hannah had been gone a short while before locking up the house and heading out. Something drew her to this darkest part of town, something she couldn't put her finger on but was what was drawing her closer as she vaguely concentrated on the guide that sent her twisting and turning down streets.

"You'd think I had some sorta..." She turned and stepped backwards as she tried to get her bearing and in an instant the world swirled slightly.

The dark smelly alley was replaced by an aged rotting room. Several pairs of dark eyes fell instantly on her as she turned back around trying to figure out what had just happened.

"What the hell?" She questioned under her breath.

"Mmmm." Rack looked at his visitor slowly eyeing her up and down. "I smelled you a long, long way away." He stepped forward, the three underlings blocking his direct view seemed to melt away to the side as he inched forward. "A kind of rich exotic smell." He sniffed the air again. "Vanilla?" He offered smiling more to himself than at Heather.

"My perfume." Heather nodded trying not to grimace at his gnarled exterior.

"Why of course" He looked around at his minions all of who shifted uneasily under his stare before chuckling along too. "Tell me, girl who likes vanilla, what are you doing here?" He asked the strange question looking Heather up and down again.

"I'm looking for a friend." Heather figured she might as well go with the truth.

"Mmmm don't have too many of those do you." Rack couldn't help but comment his scared face turned up in something akin to a smile.

"I don't appreciate people doing the mind reading thing." She informed him politely as if it was the most common phrasing to speak.

"Forgive me." He tapped the side of his head as if to show him being thoughtless. "So tell me, what makes you think your friend is here?"

"I'm not particularly sure where here is but this was the direction I was led." Heather shrugged, she knew one thing that could often get you places was appearing stupider than you were.

"You're friend led you here?" Rack seemed to ponder the idea for a moment. "Just who is your friend Vanilla?"

"She is a powerful witch." Heather spelled out looking at the retreated addicts who seemed suddenly more scared. "Her name is Willow."

"Oh I see." Again Rack tapped his lower lip. "Called for extra rewards…" He chose the word carefully. "Has she?" Taking his eyes off her for a moment he glanced around the room. "Grey, Wyle, take… sorry I missed your name." He looked back at Heather.

"Heather." She gave him a slim smile.

"I think I prefer Vanilla, do you mind?" He asked politely.

"Fine. Is she here?" Heather asked getting a little impatient.

"Yes, as I was saying. Boys take Vanilla here to Strawberry." Two minions moved toward their dirty heads bowed. "I take it you're here to join the party and not spoil it." Rack checked as Heather began moving off with the magic addicts.

"Do you think I'm capable?" She questioned as the door was held open for her.

"If I thought you were vanilla, I'd have killed you by now." He assured her his smile turning feral.

"That would be a mistake of the fatal kind." Heather snarled back as she stepped through the door away from him.

Standing by the closed door the addicted Rack had called 'Grey' nodded to it, more than obviously afraid of what lay behind it, Heather found herself hesitating. For the first time realizing she actually had no clue exactly who was behind this door. Was it Willow, 'her' Willow, shy babbling little redheaded running partner or was it 'Strawberry' maniacally dark magic power witch. Suddenly she felt very out of her depth and very alone.

"In there." 'Grey' prompted again, obviously wanting to be out of there quickly.

"Yes." Heather stole a quick breath and stepped forward closing her eyes momentarily she gripped the door handle. 'You can do this Headly.' She told herself. 'You've faced Hannah on a dark magic high, you can face Willow there too if you have too.' Taking another breath she pushed down the handle and opened the door.

Willow blinked as she looked up from her spot on the floor to the opening door. She had expected Rack of course and was trying to prepare herself for the encounter.

Heather moved through the door trying to take it all in as she closed it behind her. Her eyes fell immediately on the sight of Willow crouched on the floor.

"Willow?" She breathed unable to place exactly what she was looking at as her eyes traced upwards and saw Tara on the bed beneath a light blanket.

"Heather?" Willow breathed out almost unable to believe what she was seeing.

"Willow." It was with a flush of relief that Heather noted the wide green eyes that looked at her and she moved more boldly into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Willow tried to push herself up and stumbled a bit. "You can't be here, it's not safe." She kept talking as she righted herself.

"I'm here to rescue you." Heather explained moving forward instantly reaching to help the redhead. "Gosh that sounded all 'Star Wars' didn't it?" She stopped short when Willow managed to right herself.

"Princess Heather?" Willow giggled. "You'd look cute in a gold bikini."

Instead of making Heather smile, Willow's comment made her frown again.

"Willow, are you all right?" She asked carefully.

"Tara did a 'no black magic' thing on me to help me cope so I could keep her safe until Buffy gets here to save the day." Willow tried to fill her in. "I think it sorta backfired a bit." She admitted softly.

"Backfired how?" Heather began to feel worried.

"I feel better, not all antsy but I don't feel right." Willow leaned her arms heavily over Heather's shoulders. "I feel sorta drunk."

"It's probably just that you're too like light." Heather tried to think about things logically. She knew about this stuff, she'd had too and she had learned a lot from Molly. Who though had no magical powers what so ever, indeed she refused to have anything to do with them, had researched a lot to understand Hannah as much as she could. "There's a balance, everyone has a balance." She went on as she moved Willow back a little delicately easing her onto a chair and extracting the arms from around her neck.

"That could be it." Willow agreed dreamily. "Tara was trying to buy us time."

"Okay, good plan, you being all super light charged certainly will do that." Heather nodded. "Is she ok?" For the first time Heather glanced over to the bed realizing that the blonde hadn't spoken in fact hadn't moved in all the time she had been in the room.

"I think she's unconscious." Willow tuned in better for a moment. "I have to protect her, I had a plan for that. Oh yeah I was going to kill Rack."

"I'm gonna check her, we'll talk about the plan in a bit okay?" Heather tried to calm herself as Willow's 'plan' found words.

"Sure, I'm fine." Willow nodded. "Did you know your hair is all dark in a really nice way?"

"Thanks Willow." Heather actually smiled. 'God.' She thought as she stood up fully and began moving to the bed. 'Damn my sister was right.' She didn't know why she was thinking it as she crossed the room and perched on the side of the bed. 'I do have crush on you, oh God, why now?' She added both desperate and sad at the same time.

Trying to at least tune Willow out for a moment Heather focused on Tara. She placed a hand on the blonde's forehead and then with a frown slipped her hand down onto the pulse point on her neck.

"Will." Heather called over her shoulder.

"Yes angel face?" Willow's head tilted as she answered the call slowly.

'Oh.' Heather's heart melted a little more. 'Damn it Glaive focus.' She snapped internally, where was all that inner control she always had when she needed it. It only took a millisecond as Heather felt again where her fingers rested for her to refocus.

"Willow." She said again though this time firmer.

"Mmmm yes?" Willow stared intently.

"She's cold, Tara's really cold." Heather kept her words clear and focused.

"The darkness is draining her." Willow's voice was distant but her words somehow knowledgeable. "It's like the opposite of sun stroke. We should keep her warm."

"Okay, can you get me the blanket next to your chair?" Heather spoke over her shoulder as she maneuvered Tara a little higher on the bed wrapping the blanket she had already around her shoulders and easing the velvet comforter from underneath Tara's body to rest on top of it.

"Sure." Willow reached out and pulled it up before dragging it over.

"Thanks Willow." Heather gave the redhead a smile as she put the blanket over the comforter.

"You have the coolest colored eyes." Willow mused as she sat on the opposite edge of the bed. "I mean green like mine but this much better sparkling green."

"You have lovely eyes Willow." Heather smiled over to the redhead.

"Can we do anything else?" Willow questioned glancing at Tara. "Buffy should be here soon."

"We're keeping her warm." Heather noted. "So waiting for Buffy is the plan right?" She checked.

"Yes." Willow nodded. "She's the Slayer, she does the whole winning over the bad guy thing. Did I tell you she was the Slayer? Its sorta a secret but I trust you, I know you'd never tell anyone."

"It's okay, I won't." Heather smiled again. "And I'm sure you're right to trust her."

"It's funny cause I've spent the last little while being mad at her because of Tara." Willow looked down at the blonde for a moment. "But Buffy didn't do any of this, I mean if I know Buffy and I do she probably spent most of the time trying to avoid it. She's a bit chicken really."

"Is she?" Heather asked without thinking about it. Bizarrely enough she was actually feeling rather relaxed. Here she was in what was probably about to become the epicenter of an impending major catastrophic and she was feeling comfortable chatting away to someone who could more than likely be the one wielding the power filled hand.

"She is." Willow nodded. "I mean not that I'm much better, but she's always trying so hard to be something so big when really she's Buffy and that is spectacular enough as it is and who could blame her for falling in love with Tara, I did."

Heather glanced back at the blonde in the bed.

"She's beautiful." She admitted brushing a strand of blond hair off Tara's forehead.

"She's scared of me though." For the first time Willow's euphoria dimmed a bit.

"Maybe." Heather admitted. "I was afraid of Hannah for a long time after everything happened, but I never stopped loving her. It changes things Willow, but it doesn't have to ruin them beyond repair." Heather made a gentle push to keep calm.

"But Hannah never hurt you." Willow shook her head. "She's better with Buffy, safer."

"She's better with both of you, with her, beside her, which ever of you she's in love with. I'm sure she needs you both there supporting her." Heather continued to be logical though caring as she smoothed her hand over Tara's forehead again. Noting that it was no warmer she slipped her hand underneath the layers of blankets and sheets as she checked the temperature of the blonde's hand before again moving her hand up to her neck.

"We all need love." Willow nodded as she vaguely watched what Heather was doing.

"Willow." Heather turned to look at the redhead. "You know Tara well right?" The older woman's tone had changed completely.

"Yes." Willow nodded. "Really well."

"Her heartbeat, it's normally higher than sixty yeah?" A deep frown creased across Heather's brow. She didn't really know why she was asking, most peoples were higher than sixty, hell wasn't everyone's?

"Is seventy-eight higher than sixty?' Willow's brain stalled for a moment.

"Yes Willow it's higher, seventeen beats higher." Heather shifted her position slightly on the bed so she was more clearly facing Tara.

"Something's wrong." Willow whispered as she softly grasped Heather's hand and brought it up to her throat pressing the brunette's fingers onto her skin. The hard and fast thumping of the redhead's heart was obvious.

"Okay, you're right, something's wrong." Heather tried to force herself to be calm.

Pulling her hand back from Willow's throat Heather leaned over Tara and eased blonde's eyes open, only to find only the tiniest trace of blue high at the top of her eyes.

"Okay, not good. This is crazy." Heather shifted again pulling back the blankets away from Tara a little. "She's not hurt is she? At no point in time did either of you get hurt?"

"I got hit in the head on the way to your house." Willow tuned in again slightly. "Oh Goddess Heather I'm so sorry, I even had flowers. Damn what did I do with the flowers?" She looked around distracted.

"You can buy me more." Heather shook her head. "Many more." She stressed. "On our next date." She needed Willow back with her.

"You still want to go out with me?" Willow blinked light green eyes at her.

"Of course." Heather smiled and shook her head once again feeling that warmth seep into her as she caught sight of Willow's happy eyes. "Tara hasn't been hurt, you're sure." She added though remembering the situation at hand.

"Nope." Willow shook her head. "Except for this place draining her."

"I don't under...." Heather stopped and looked up at Willow suddenly. "That's it." She pressed her fingers against Tara's pulse point again noting how it had slowed even further.

"What's it?" Willow questioned.

"Tara's display classic symptoms of massive blood loss or internal bleeding, you know leakage of something important." Heather explained.

"Magic." The redhead filled in catching up and Heather nodded.

"Which is great on one hand." Heather said brushing back another hair from Tara's forehead.

"You can heal her." Willow whispered suddenly looking at Heather.

"Willow I can't." Heather shook her head. "I couldn't even if I was a medical doctor, and I'm not. I'm only a mathematical one."

"No silly." Willow moved around slowly leaning a little on one of the bed posts before coming all the way around. "Magical healing thingie." She tried to explain.

"Magical healing thingie?" Heather asked frowning even more. "I'm not a witch."

"Sshhh." Willow soothed instinctually as she took Heather's hand in her own. "It's not hard and you have the power." She whispered as she placed the brunette's hands on Tara's head.

"Willow no…" Heather pulled her hand back hard. "I don't know what I'm doing." She shook her head.

"It's not a know how to thing." Willow shook her head as she stayed close to Heather's shoulder. "You have the light, I can see it dance around you." She raised a warm finger and traced it over the brunette's bottom lip. "I can see it wrap up your words when you talk."

"I might hurt her." Heather closed her hands on her lap shaking her head, but the tension in her body eased slightly as Willow's finger traced her lower lip.

"You've never hurt anything in your whole life." Willow shook her head as her finger traced out along the brunette's cheek and curled around her chin. "And you won't hurt her or me." She whispered.

For a moment Heather had the almost overwhelming desire to kiss the redhead, the only thing she could focus on was the bright green eyes and soft lips that hovered so close to her.

"I…" Heather stared back at willow licking her suddenly dry lips and raising her hand she lightly cupped Willow's cheek forcing herself to refocus. "What do I have to do?" She asked the redhead.

"Just share a little of your light." Willow whispered slowly taking Heather's hands again. As she put Heather's hand on Tara's head she moved around behind the brunette, poising her head near the other woman's shoulder. "And say..."

"Iubar meus, iubar vestrum." Heather whispered the words without having a clue where they came from. As she did so the brunette was pushed back a little on the bed as it felt like a surge passed from her into Tara's being.

"Vanilla what are you doing!" Rack's voice surged suddenly in the room with a deafening pitch.

An intense feeling of heat traveled up through Heather's hand into her arm and then flared to a point that the lecturer pulled her hand back, her body falling sideways on the bed as Rack appeared in the doorway.

"She's helping me." Willow turned to him with a sharp glare.

"Helping you how?" Rack demanded he glared at the two now prone women on the bed, both out cold.

"Silly little man." Willow shook her head pushing up. "You're nasty smelly world was making Tara sick, and sick goody witch does no one any good. Heather came to help with that since you wouldn't give us the proper stuff."

"My nasty smelly world?" He pointed out her illustration. "Hardly a way to describe your new home."

"Well we'll have to improve it when I take over." Willow waved her hand.

"Take over?" A new voice scoffed from the doorway surprising all of them.

"What is this Strawberry a pretty girl party?" Rack turned around to inspect the new comer.

"You're a pathetic little university student, you couldn't take over the student bar without a large loan from your Daddy here." Hannah glared at Rack her eyes inky black which matched the darkness in her hair and fingernails.

"Iris?" Willow gulped as she tired to stand straighter.

"Oh please." Hannah took a step into the room. As she did so the bulb in the bedside lamp shattered. "I preferred you groveling around near floor level." She looked at Willow as from behind the redhead was shoved forward onto her knees.

"Rack I suggest you get on your knees too." Willow hissed at him as she was pushed down trying to buy herself time to think. Iris must have figured out where Heather had come and now with her sister in danger then the unthinkable had happened.

"Rack." Hannah moved the name around her mouth a little like sampling a wine. "A rather pathetic name wouldn't you say?" As she spoke a second bulb in the room exploded.

"It has done me quite well thank you." He snapped his fingers and from the walls a dozen dazed minions crawled out to stand guard around him.

"Well I'm sure it has amongst the little magic addicts you surround yourself with." She regarded the small group with disdain. "I couldn't stand the stench personally." She noted.

"Iris, Heather came her on her own. I wouldn't ever purposely involve her." Willow pushed up off her knees.

"Are you still talking? Do stop before I make it so you don't ever speak again." As Hannah spoke a pillow moved from off the bed towards the redhead.

"Iris, I won't let you do this." Willow stood against her.

"Okay look." Hannah turned to Rack. "Let me talk to you as you are the one running this little charade. I offer you so much more than she does, I am sure you can sense that purely from being there and I offer you a reformed idea of a partnership.

"I'm listening." Rack nodded from behind his wall of protectors.

"Now if you'd just get rid of a couple of minions and come a little closer, you can taste what it is that I offer." Hannah stood as tall as she could and faced the dealer.

"Now why would an obviously powerful woman such as yourself..." Rack tentatively moved a bit closer. "Want to offer me a free sample?"

"How else would I be able to tempt you away from the vinegar you are used to, surely the simplest way is by offering you a taste of champagne." Hannah reasoned.

"Iris, I can't let you do this." Willow finally managed to force the pillow away from her mouth as it dropped to the floor. "Stand down or I'll make you." She snarled unable to let this continue.

"Willow?" From the bed there came a confused and muffled voice as Tara pushed herself up from the mattress.

"Tara, stay there." She moved to take a more protective stance over the blonde and Heather.

"You, you're too dosed up on light energy to stop me Willow." Hannah said looking at the redhead briefly but concentrating on Rack as she continued. "You're just a little girl, a lost little girl. With her ex, who tried to sacrifice herself for you and my sister who looks to have tried the same. Not even your Slayer friend can save you, unless you plan to raise her from the dead a second time."

"No, oh God no." Tara whimpered dropping from the bed to the floor.

"You killed Buffy?" Willow felt bile rise in the back of her as she realized what Iris was saying. 'How could everything have gone so wrong?'

"Rack I'm waiting the free taster won't be on offer forever." Hannah ignored Willow's words.

"I would never keep a lady waiting." Rack waved his hand and the protection around him parted as he walked up to Hannah. "I promise just a little taste."

"Down!" Hannah heard the call just as she noticed the glint of the tip of Buffy's blade as it arced out of the invisibility screen the amulet provided and she threw herself forward bracing her arms for collision with the floor with an amateur roll.

Buffy's sword literally hissed through the air connecting with Rack's side with a hefty thud and a spray of blood. With a groan the dealer doubled up, a look of complete surprise on his scarred face. In slow motion he dropped to the floor, the growing pool of red around him dark and thick.

"Mmmmm didn't expect that did ya big boy." Buffy's voice happily exclaimed as one of the stunned minions was snapped back towards the wall away from Hannah. "Score one for invisible Slayer."

"Buffy?" Tara blinked her eyes looking around, her ears hardly believing the tones she heard. Having had no reason to doubt that Hannah had lied when she had said she had disposed of the Slayer she was unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Right here." Buffy's voice exclaimed as in her state she waved and then laughed. "Opps." She pulled the amulet off over her head. "Sorry forgot about the amulet."

"Oh God Buffy." Despite her fragile state of health Tara scrambled up and over to the Slayer, her blue eyes misty with tears.

Buffy moved on from any sort of witty hello and just dropped her sword, moving over to hug the blonde tightly.

"Sorry everyone." Hannah said quietly moving slightly away from the fast retreating minions. "It was the best we could come up with in very short notice." The ex-witch looked specifically at her sister.

"It was very realistic." Willow looked up from her place on the floor feeling a hard shiver settle into her body.

Tara nestled her head against Buffy, oblivious to anyone else's movements and words concentrating on Buffy's breathing, memorizing the warm body in her arms.

"It had to be." Hannah stressed.

"It was just to make him take down his guard." Buffy whispered to the blonde as they held each other. "I had to get close."

"I was so, so afraid." She admitted still shaking.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore." Buffy tried to comfort her rubbing her back. "Everybody is safe." With the words the created realm melted away and left the five of them in a dirty alley with the three books.

"We need to get out of here." Hannah glanced at the body of the dead dealer. "Quickly." She stressed.

"Will, you able to walk?" Buffy looked at the still prone hacker. "Because I think Heather might need me to carry her."

"Yeah, I'm good." Willow didn't look at the Slayer as she rolled over and pushed herself off the cold ground.

Tara pulled back from Buffy and hung away from the small group a little, her arm around her waist. Hannah reached out for the books glancing down at them very briefly.

"These need to be separated." She said somberly.

"I'm s-s-sure M-Mr. Giles will take one back to England with him, we could keep on in the safe where it was and Buffy perhaps you could send one to Angel?" Tara suggested, though she still hadn't moved particularly.

"He's got a whole storehouse of stuff for me." Buffy smiled. "A book shouldn't be a problem."

"I th-th-think I can walk." Heather put a shaky hand down on the ground and pushed herself upwards as she became more conscious.

"No, Heather." Willow scooted closer. "Buffy can manage you."

"It's no big deal. We really need to move." Buffy underlined Hannah's statement.

"I'll help Tara." Willow said moving to do just that as the small group made their way from the alley.

Buffy hung near the side of the chair that Tara was curled in, the books sitting on the table between them all. A quick check over everyone showed that no one was injured, though Willow had brought Heather upstairs to try and get the young professor to relax and sleep off the effects of the small spell.

"As soon as Willow gets back down we'll... well get out of your life." Buffy smiled softly at the older witch who was curled up on her couch looking very frail.

"No, no you've all been through it, you're more than welcome to all stay." Hannah shook her head wearily. "Heather keeps all the bedrooms ready for guests." She added with a weak smile.

"I think everyone would be better off with a little post apocalyptic space." Buffy conceded. "Though if you ever need anything..." She left the offer open.

"No." Hannah shook her head and then glanced briefly at Tara and Buffy. "I can make sure Willow gets home."

"Tara?" Buffy looked down at the blonde.

"Hmm?" Tara blinked looking a little confused as she looked up at her lover.

"Are you ready to go?" Buffy smiled softly at her recognizing the shell-shocked look in her eyes.

"Yes." Moving slowly Tara eased her aching body out of the chair wrapping her arm around her body immediately.

"Here let me get the books." Buffy moved to pick them up. "Who'd think three little books could cause such trouble?"

"Thank you for everything you did." Tara said, stopping by the door momentarily to look at Hannah.

"Thank you for keeping my sister safe." Hannah returned with a soft smile.

Tara managed a brief weak smile before moving out into the coolness of the hall and the front door. Buffy followed her out, pulling the door closed behind them.

"How you doing?" Buffy put one arm around Tara while she held the books in the other. Tara ducked shallowly and moved out from beside the Slayer, hugging herself tighter.

"I'm okay." She said quietly.

"He didn't hurt you did he?" Buffy double-checked again seeing the blonde's body language.

"No, he didn't." Tara shook her head.

"You mad at me for the invisible thing?" Buffy hugged the books as they walked at a fairly quick pace away from the Glaive house.

"How could I be mad at your for saving my life?" The Wicca stopped and turned to Buffy with a frown.

"More the specific bit about worrying you about Hannah having killed me." Buffy admitted.

"I thought I had lost you." Tara's bottom lip trembled.

"You could never lose me." Buffy kept her voice a whisper as she moved closer. "Not like that, not when I was too busy saving you."

"You're the Slayer Buffy I could loose you every time you walk out of the door to patrol." Tara shook her head and looked at her over with frightened blue eyes.

"You could... but you won't." Buffy stated honestly with all her heart. "I've already died twice, three times would just be so overdone." At this the blonde actually smiled.

"I so love you." Tara moved into the blonde's personal space, pressing her body against the Slayer's.

"I love you too." Buffy shifted the books into one arm and hugged the Wicca closer.

"Are Xander and Anya looking after Dawnie?" Tara asked from her place in Buffy's arm.

"They were closer to LA then here so they are going to go stay the night and then head back tomorrow." Buffy kissed into blonde hair.

"I can't believe its over." Tara whispered relief filling her voice.

"It's over, he can't hurt anyone." Buffy reassured her.

"I wasn't really thinking about Rack." Tara admitted her voice heavy.

"Then what?" Buffy whispered not understanding.

"Willow." The blonde breathed back.

"Oh." Buffy let out a small breath.

"Oh God you hate me for saying that don't you?" Tara suddenly pushed away.

"No, no... I just..." Buffy took another breath. "What happened?"

"You do, oh God." Tara pressed her fingers against her forehead. "I'm sorry Buffy, I know she's your best friend and I don't mean that I can't be friends with her. I don't mean.... Oh Goddess I don't know what I mean... I-I-I should go."

"Whoa, Tara, am I missing something?" Buffy's forehead furrowed. "Do you mean we're over cause of Willow?"

"No, no, not unless you want us to be." Tara shook her head.

"I don't, of course I don't." Buffy mimicked the movement.

"I mean Willow and I, we're over. Over, over." Tara stressed the repetition softly.

"She didn't do something in there did she?" Buffy panicked. "We're all congratulating her for not killing Hannah and Rack but..."

"She did what she had to do to get us as far as we did unharmed Buffy." Tara tried to soothe.

"But did that include magic?" Buffy didn't see the good side yet.

"No." Tara stressed. "But even when she didn't mean it - it was hard to hear her talk about me as some kind of…" She paused for a breath. "Magical s-s-slave."

"I can't imagine how hard that must have been." Buffy admitted moving a bit closer to the blonde.

"It was..." Tara seemed to struggle to breathe for a moment. "It was s-s-so hard."

"Come here." Buffy offered her arms again as best she could with the books.

"Oh Buffy." Tara clung on to the Slayer.

"I love you." Buffy held her close.

"Do you?" She whimpered softly.

"I do, when I realized you were gone I was going to do anything it took to get you back. Thus the convincing the big ex witch to help me." Buffy kissed her quickly. "And trust me that was not easy."

"I can imagine." Tara agreed softly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the traceability of the spell."

"It's okay... it's Willow. Neither of us want her hurt." Buffy conceded with a smile. "But I know what you're saying before I sound all freaked out again."

"Are you glad Mr. Giles will be back soon?" Tara asked suddenly.

"He's not staying." Buffy summed up her position. "But it will be good that one of these evil books will be very far away."

"Would you want him to stay?" Tara looked up at her lover.

"Well when the panic of you and Willow missing hit, it would have been really nice to have him say 'Buffy do this'." The Slayer admitted. "But I guess that was the whole point of him leaving, I had to learn to do things for myself. But yes, I want him to stay."

"You could ask him, we could ask him." Tara suggested.

"We can try." Buffy nodded and kissed her lover on the forehead.

"We can."

"You ready for a much deserved rest?" Buffy looked down the road in front of them.

"Maybe." Tara admitted she fell in step with Buffy as they began their walk.

"Hungry? In need of big shakes? Bad movies?" Buffy slipped her hand into the blonde's.

"Post stress, need my girlfriend." Tara assessed seriously squeezing Buffy's fingers.

"Girlfriend right here, needs you." Buffy squeezed back.

"Let's hurry home." Tara urged.

Feeling like she'd been hit with a sixteen-wheeler truck Heather eased her eyes open and slowly began registering her body, specifically that someone was holding her hand.

"Do you need water or anything?" Willow questioned softly. "You might be hungry but take it from me food will not be your friend."

"I'm not actually." Heather replied her voice weak. "And no I don't need water." She added trying to deal with the pounding in her head.

"If it's still like it in the morning we can get some crystals from the shop. Just to help take the edge off." Willow kept rubbing the hand she held.

"Magic crystals?" Heather queried.

"Mmmm more empowered crystals." Willow soothed. "They help focus the energy out of you and into the natural environment."

"I don't want anything to do with anything magical, ever again." The lecturer stressed.

"Good." Willow breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me to death when you passed out."

"I had to do something." Heather turned her head away slightly pressing her head into the pillow.

"I know how much your sister means to you." Willow nodded holding loosely onto the brunette's hand in case she wanted to pull it away.

"I did it for both of you Willow." Heather pointed out quietly.

"You did?" Willow felt her throat go dry.

"Well you're the first person who's ever been kidnapped on their way to a date with me." Heather made a weak attempt at humor.

"Do you have any idea how upset I was when they knocked me out?" Willow backed up. "I kept telling them I couldn't be late and I had flowers. I don't know what they did with them."

"I would have thought in pain would have summed up your feelings mainly." Heather kept up the humor. "And to be honest they didn't look the flowery type!"

"I'm a Scooby, I do pain without thought. Standing up a beautiful woman is a whole other thing." Willow smiled at the flower comment.

"You're bordering on the corny Willow." Heather turned back to look at the redhead.

"I can start to babble incoherently if that would be funnier." The redhead gave a slight smirk.

"You should be resting." Heather smiled back.

"That is your order, I'm on guard duty." Willow shook her head to the idea.

"There's no bad guy who needs your magical key or anything any more Willow, it's an off duty time." Heather pointed out.

"You might need water or to be talked out of food or need someone to babble..." Willow smiled as she tried to find a real answer for staying. "And I don't want to go."

"The chair you're sat on is a recliner and there's a blanket in the chest at the bottom of the bed. I wasn't relieving you of your duties." Heather smiled and yawned softly.

"Aye Captain." Willow couldn't help but grin widely as she moved to get the blanket.

"Night Willow, it was a date to remember." Heather closed her eyes as she heard the redhead move back to her seat.

"It was." Willow tucked the blanket around herself and leaned back though she didn't fall asleep for a long time.

Buffy tucked the last book in the back of the closet and closed the door.

"There we go, evil trio of books littered around the house." She clapped her hands and walked slowly back to the bed where Tara was sitting. "You sure you don't want something?"

"I don't think so." Tara shook her head lightly. "Perhaps a hug?" She suggested gently.

"I can do hugs good." Buffy leaned down and hugged the blonde to her.

"You feel so good Buffy." Tara breathed as she ran her hands over and over the Slayer's back.

"So do you... missed my snuggles last night." Buffy admitted rubbing her hand down silky blonde hair.

"Did you manage to sleep?" Tara asked innocently.

"Sleep? What is that?" Buffy hugged her tighter.

"That thing that you need." Tara pointed out lovingly. "To be a big strong healthy Slayer."

"Naw had more important things. I had to kill the punch dummy at the shop while trying to figure out ways to get my girl and best friend back." Buffy admitted.

"Well the plan could have done with some girlfriend intervention, purely on the letting her know you weren't dead but other than that it seems you did just great without the sleep as a one off." Tara actually managed a smile.

"I really didn't think Hannah would be that convincing." Buffy smiled back. "I mean who knew she had a theatre major or something."

"I think what we saw tonight was just the tip of the Hannah Glaive iceberg." Tara admitted the obvious fact. "I think she is a very, very scary lady or could be." She added thoughtfully.

"I was thinking that, well the 'worried think the worse me' was thinking that. Sorta the girl to keep close rather than far eh?" Buffy admitted running her fingers through blonde hair.

"Very much so." Tara agreed feeling some of her tension drift away as Buffy soothed her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Buffy checked in a soft voice still rubbing her lover's hair gently.

"I'm getting that way." She whispered'

"I'm just glad you're safe and home and safe." Buffy eased down next to the blonde still keeping her arm around Tara's body.

"It's the only place I ever want to be." Tara admitted feeling more of her worries melt away here in their room.

"Though no more Tinkerbell disappearances okay?" Buffy gave her a slightly serious look.

"No more." Tara agreed drawing a little closer to Buffy.

"And I promise to always sleep when you're around." Buffy caressed her cheek. "Well not always but you know what I mean."

"I was going to challenge you on the sleeping all the time when I'm here." Tara gave Buffy one of her rarest smiles. "Because there is so much we could do instead."

"Like?" Buffy questioned softly as she rubbed her lover's cheek. Tara glanced down blushing briefly though her long hair barely hid her smirk. "Come on I've been thirty six hours without any TDT." Buffy pushed lovingly.

"Like make love, with our bodies, hearts and souls." She breathed bringing her head up to look Buffy in the eye.

"More Tara Romantic Talk." Buffy leaned in slowly. "But I'll take it." She pressed their lips together.

"Mmmm." Tara replied agreeing though the words were lost as she drew Buffy's kiss out.

The Slayer moved her other hand up, cupping Tara's face as their kisses ran headlong into one another. Each of the girls savoring the sensation knowing that for more than a brief moment they had been faced with the possibility of never getting this again.

Tara slid her hand out and up Buffy's thigh, resting it on her hip as she inched closer, making the kiss more heated and passionate.

"Do you need to rest?" Buffy broke a bit breathless out of the kiss needing to check before she let her own desires get the better of her mind.

Tara silently shook her head pressing in to reclaim Buffy's already missed lips her hand squeezing the Slayer's hips pulling them slightly towards her.

"Mmmm… hummm." Buffy moaned her surrender as she shifted closer and kissed the blonde back hungrily.

Hastily Tara's hands slid around Buffy's waist to the closure of her pants, unfastening buttons and zippers easily. The Wicca soon had both the Slayer's top and pants unfastened, their lips having broken contact only briefly in the time for both women to breathe.

Buffy smiled through another kiss as she felt herself being quickly unrobed, not that she wanted to complain. Her heated skin wanted nothing more than Tara's loving touch. Quickly she moved to undress her lover as well, wanting them both to be able to enjoy the feeling of one another uninhibited.

Breaking their embrace only to get completely undressed., both girls were soon back on the bed naked, their bodies intertwined.

"I love you." Tara breathed as she leaned in and kissed Buffy's neck.

"I love you." Buffy whispered back her whole being in the words as her hands roamed over Tara's bare back and behind.

"Oh Buffy," Tara breathed out in a hot whisper as she pressed her body closer to the Slayer.

"I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you." Buffy admitted softly kissing her again as they pressed closer.

"Did you think you had?" Tara asked stopping their kissing momentarily waiting for Buffy's answer.

"I was worried about Rack, not Willow." The Slayer clarified keeping very conscious of the early mix-up.

"Were you?" Tara checked, making sure she kept Buffy's eyes.

"Yes." Buffy nodded her eyes honest and unflinching. "Iris kept asking me what I would do if Willow had gone mental or if she'd done something to you... or he'd done something to you. And I knew I wasn't worried about Willow, it was Rack who could do the most damage."

"Why?" Tara asked, tenderly she brushed her hand over and over the soft skin at the swell of Buffy's breasts.

"I knew..." Buffy frowned though even that emotion was distracted by the arousing movements of her lover's hand. "I knew the only way Willow would do magic was to keep you and her safe and if Rack pushed her that far..." She hesitated. "By the time I got there I wouldn't have anything left to save, I had to get to Rack first."

"So you're saying you had decided that if Willow had already given into the darkness you had accepted you'd lost me?" Tara asked carefully for clarification, her hands never faltering.

"I couldn't accept that in a lifetime, how could I accept that in a couple of hours?" Buffy questioned her honest never wavering. Tara's hand stopped and moved slightly, cupping the warm rounded flesh. "I knew I had to get to you before Willow was cornered." She tried to explain more that it was strategy not emotion as a light moan escaped her.

"Tonight wasn't about losing me, it was about saving the world." Tara offered a conclusion as her thumbs brushed over Buffy's skin.

"It was about saving you." Buffy shook has head as her body arched.

"Save me then." Tara locked blue eyes with hazel inching her body closer still.

Buffy leaned the short distance to capture ruby lips with her own. Her strong arms cupped around her lover's curves as they melted together. Tara shifted her hands around Buffy's body holding her close as she opened her mouth inviting Buffy's exploration.

The Slayer's tongue moved slowly to fill the invitation, exploring and enjoying every inch of wet lips along the way as she went deeper. Tara let her lips and mouth close around Buffy's tongue, sucking on it lightly as she moved her body expressively against the Slayer's.

Buffy moaned as the move sent a shudder of pleasure down her body. She shifted more, her legs opening to let the blonde snuggle between them. Tara instantly moved to fill the gap, aware of the heat and energy her body was exuding as she released Buffy's tongue only to reclaim it with the nest heated kiss.

Buffy wasn't sure if she moaned again or if she just managed some other wordless approval as the onslaught of Tara's kisses and the pressure of the blonde's body made her stomach quiver.

Changing the leaning point of their bodies Tara shifted so she was more over Buffy and then continued her onslaught of kisses as she pressed the Slayer down onto the bed, moving easily over her, their bodies still fitted together so closely. Releasing and claiming her lover's mouth as they moved, her breathing was heated and rapid.

Buffy's body shifted on automatic to pull her lover closer so that the rock of their bodies against one anther offered a new more pressured stimulation. The Slayer was more than caught off guard by the feverish pace that she was rising towards release.

"Oh Buffy." Tara panted in a rare moment that they were able to speak in. One thing the Wicca wasn't good at was hiding what was happening within her during lovemaking and it was more than apparent that she was building up fast. She pressed her body hard against her lover's grinding it around sensually.

"I know." Buffy relayed as she pressed back as well wanting as much contact as possible. She worked against the circular motion that Tara introduced bringing her hands around the blonde's body and cupping pale breasts.

"Ah!" Tara ached everywhere for Buffy's touch, she locked her position panting hard while her hands pressed all over Buffy's body. The Slayer matched her lover's insistence as her hands roamed over milky flesh, one pressed to cup over her hip drawing the Wicca closer still.

Tara began moving against Buffy, letting her lover feel the wetness she had already caused, as she slid her body against the Slayer's. The sudden drench that was smeared onto her inner thigh made Buffy question for a minute if it was from her own overheated body or her lover's. Needing to feel more she pulled away just enough to press her hand down between them and as she turned her hand, her wrist pressed up between drenched lips rubbing against the blonde's center.

"Oh Buffy." Tara gasped as bolts of pure pleasure coursed though her.

"Mmmm." Buffy moaned as with the next rock of their bodies she managed to arch her hand upwards, her fingertips sliding slightly into Tara's aroused and open body.

Tara held her body more upright giving Buffy the chance to move her body and hand with more freedom. As she moved her weight rested on one hand as she brought the fingers of the other to dance and play near Buffy's mouth.

Buffy took every opportunity she was given as she closed her lips around two of Tara's fingers sucking slightly as her hand lower pressed higher and deeper into the blonde's body.

"Ohhh." Tara's sounds were little more than a whimper of pleasure as Buffy sucked lightly on her fingers and rhythmically entered her body subconsciously she sped the pace a little, her moans getting a little louder as Buffy's penetration became easier and deeper.

Buffy sucked harder as the movement between them became under Tara's control, the Wicca's hips arching up and down to manage how fast and deep her movements were. It gave the Slayer the opportunity to gaze up at her lover, the ecstasy on Tara's face making her moan around the blonde's fingers.

"More." Tara whispered as she gazed back at Buffy lovingly her whole body felt on fire with passion and desire.

Buffy instantly moved to fulfill the request, easily able to add a third finger in the slick environment.

"Ohhhh yes." Tara's response changed from words into a low pleasured moan as she felt Buffy stretching her jumping muscles.

Buffy's eyes closed as she felt Tara's pleasure coursing through her own body, the movement of the blonde's hips allowing her to brush her fingertips deep inside each motion causing her to moan again and again.

Tara gave up all attempts at talking, she just let her body show the intense pleasure she was feeling, the rhythmic gush of fluid over Buffy's hand more than confirmation enough that the Slayer was meeting all of the blonde's needs. Suddenly with a loud and clear scream of complete fulfillment Tara climaxed hard.

"I got you." Buffy whispered as Tara's body fell against her as the blonde tried to get her bearings. She rocked slowly with the residual movement that shuddered through Tara's hips but didn't actively move her hand. She could tell by the way her lover's body had released and then collapsed that Tara would need a few minutes just to land on the planet again.

As usual Buffy had judged her lover perfectly, the taller blonde taking some time to even open her eyes. When she did though soft blue eyes gazed adoringly at the Slayer and though Tara made no conscious effort to move her body, it rocked ever so slightly against the fingers Buffy held inside her.

"I wish you could feel how this feels, inside, right now." Tara whispered lovingly.

"I know exactly how it feels." Buffy whispered back leaning in to kiss her lightly. "It's how you make me feel."

"Do I, are you sure?" Tara had no real idea where her moment of self-doubt suddenly came from.

"I'm positive." The tone of the Slayer's voice was louder though not out of anything but wanting Tara to understand. "I just know in my heart, I'm always safe in your arms."

Part Twenty

The airport was crazy with people hurrying everywhere eager to get to their destinations or reticent to leave their loved ones and it was into this swarm that Rupert Giles strolled. He had a heavy looking bag on his shoulder and a medium sized suitcase in his hand, the back wheel of which squeaked a little as he walked. As he breeched the outside doors to the main terminal area he looked up and around trying to find a friendly face in the masses.

"GILES!" Buffy put her fingers up to her lips and whistled loudly.

The Watcher's heard turned sharply his face changing from tired concentration to warm pleasure as he spotted the Slayer.

"Giles!" She yelled again one hand firmly around Tara's waist as she waved over her head, the two small women almost lost in the large crowd waiting for the plane from New York to let out. She was wearing a simple light pink peasant top and a short brushed black skirt with high boots.

"Mr. Giles." Tara's face held a bright grin as she waved more lightly. Her hair was pushed up into a silver clip contrasting the dark red Chinese jacket she wore over a red shirt and long dark skirt.

The Englishman's smile grew as he took in the scene and its meaning. Buffy and Tara together, not a sight he'd ever expected maybe but as he began the walk towards the pair he reflected on how happy both girls looked.

"Wow that flight must have been ugly." Buffy stepped forward and hung for a moment before she hugged him.

"I look that good do I Buffy?" He closed his arms around her and rubbed her back.

"Yeah." Buffy laughed and pulled back taking the heavy bag from him.

"Tara." Giles said in a slightly softer voice as he moved to the Wicca and hugged her more gently but with no less affection.

"Not that I am complaining you understand, but there's only the two of you in my welcoming committee?" Giles looked around briefly as he let Tara go smiling as the taller blonde moved straight to hold Buffy's free hand.

"Everyone else has been sanctioned by Anya for wedding duties." Buffy smiled as Tara took her hand. "We've been allotted two hours to pick you up and bring you home before we have to go pick up flowers."

"Well I must remember to pass on my sincere thanks to her. How are the preparations?" Giles chuckled and shook his head slightly.

"Tara has banned me from talking about the wedding because I'm being negative." Buffy laughed again smiling at the blonde.

"I said pessimistic sweetie." Tara corrected with a soft smile.

"Did you see the zoo at Xander's? If the Hellmouth doesn't open I'll be surprised." Buffy shook her head.

"Now Buffy I am sure it can't be that bad, who is on the guest list that would cause real trouble?" Giles asked openly. The Slayer looked at her girlfriend letting her answer.

"You actually don't want to know the answer to that." Tara assured the Watcher gently.

"Ah." Giles made the small noise that said so much.

"You've got tux fitting at four and menu consultation at fife thirty. Then we all have napkin folding at seven and if we're lucky we get a pizza and some pop." Buffy laughed rolling her eyes.

"Look why don't I go and get the car, while you two wait here." Tara offered as they reached the main door as she watched Giles go a little greener with the planning details.

"Thanks sweetie." Buffy smiled knowing it was a task well she just couldn't do, unless they wanted the car to have smashed into a few others in the short timeframe.

Giles watched as the Wicca moved off, smiling again as she skipped a little hurrying along, her blonde hair catch the wind slightly as she moved.

"She looks happy." The Englishman said softly turning to look at Buffy, unsurprised when he found her still looking off after Tara.

"Yeah." Buffy smiled not really turning to him until Tara was out of view. "How are you doing?"

"Well as you accurately assessed the flight was rather dreadful, and you?" Giles steered the focus back to the Slayer.

"Good, getting back to normal after the mini apocalypse." Buffy shrugged. "Oh Willow said she's sorry she wasn't here, Anya has her cutting out lace swatches for the chairs."

"Is she well?" Giles asked shaking his head to the apology.

"She's..." Buffy thought for a moment. "Better. She's still got a ways to go but I think you'll be proud of her."

"I'm proud of all of you." Giles underlined. "Are you avoiding my question or am I not being blatant enough with my questioning?"

"Avoiding?" Buffy looked up at him.

"How are you?" He glanced up back in the direction that the Wicca had taken stressing the last word.

"We're really good." Buffy smiled brightly. "It was a bit worrying with the whole missing thing but we made it through."

"It's good to see you smiling." Giles lowered his voice it took on a new level of warmth and affection.

"It's good to have you back." Buffy felt her voice drop a bit too as she thought of just how glad she was to see him. "Especially with the world not being in jeopardy of ending anymore."

"I must admit that part is rather a welcome and unexpected bonus." Giles grinned.

"You'd have been amazed at how well Hannah did as evil dark mistress woman." Buffy thought of the scene and still felt her heart skip a beat.

"I look forward to meeting our latest ally." Giles admitted and looked up as a light toot of a car horn demanded both of their attentions.

"Our ride." Buffy moved to carry the bag to the trunk.

"Yes." Giles moved with her to the car unable to quite believe how much like coming home this felt.

The rehearsal was thankfully almost over. Willow had snuck out as Anya drilled everyone on placement and the 'step then together' walking march. She sat on the small pew at the back of the church a little out of view, she was glad to have a few moments of silent reprieve.

The days since being kidnapped had been blurry and busy, she'd barely had a chance to catch her breath it seemed between fittings and chores. All the while she'd been watching the interaction between Tara and Buffy and for the very first time every touch between them didn't bring a stab of pain to her heart. Yes, she was still hurting and it wasn't easy but it wasn't the end of the world either. She'd almost seen the end of the world, brought by her hand and that was something she never wanted to face again.

A lot of things had been forced to the forefront of her brain while being held against her wishes. Realizations about just what she had done, just how much distrust it must have caused and how very hard it had been for Tara to leave let alone get on with her life. But she had always known Tara was strong, much stronger than she was and it was something now she admired with a silent awe.

She was able to remind herself constantly now that at least she was getting that chance. A chance to be clean from the magic, a chance to still be an active member of life, especially in the lives of those around her that she loved.

"I lost you." Tara's voice broke the silence surrounding the redhead her voice low and soft.

"Tara?" Willow didn't even realize she'd had her eyes closed till they blinked open and she saw the blonde sitting beside her. "Hi."

"I was talking to Buffy, and when I looked up you'd disappeared." Tara explained why she was there. "I was worried."

"Oh I just needed a breather, I've walked the aisle about a hundred times already." Willow tried to give a reason for her retreat.

"You and me both." Tara nodded. "Are you ok?" She asked crossing her legs and leaning back into the wooden seat.

"I'll think I'll be relieved when this is over. Xander is so wigged out its starting to rub off on me." Willow smiled softly. "How are you doing?"

"Well you know, little me, big job." Tara shrugged.

"You do great with big jobs." Willow reassured her. "Anya would be lost without you helping."

"Did I interrupt anything when I came over, you know private thoughts. I didn't mean to." Tara apologized softly.

"No, not really I was just thinking about everything that's happened." Willow answered gently.

"That's enough to take you forever." Tara smiled.

"I think I've finally got it." Willow looked back up to the front of the church where Anya was ranting at Xander about something.

"Really?" Tara looked at the redhead.

"I'm sorry I hurt you." The redhead's voice stayed infinitely soft.

For a moment the blonde thought about turning down the apology or assuring her ex lover that it wasn't needed but none of these things seemed appropriate.

"Thank you." She said the two very big words instead.

"We're going to be okay aren't we?" Willow checked gently patting her hand over Tara's that was sitting on the bench.

"We are." Tara nodded and turned her hand over to squeeze Willow's.

"How's Buffy doing? She looks like she's ready to throttle someone." Willow looked up to see the Slayer having to move something rather large at the front back and forth as Anya pointed.

"Oh no she's just going to stake something, why bother throttling when you're a slayer." Tara chuckled.

"Are you guys ready for tomorrow?" Willow laughed a little with her.

"As ready as we can be. Anya's insisting I stay with her." Tara revealed the latest plan.

"Is she? She made me promise that I would stay over too." Willow was a bit shocked that Anya was keeping such a tight tab on all of them. "I think she's afraid we'll get kidnapped again."

"As if we'd dare." Tara shook her head laughing more.

"I for one do not want to face the wrath of Anya." Willow's eyes widened at the idea.

"Buffy is in charge of making sure Xander makes it tomorrow, I'm not sure which of us got the better deal." Tara filled in Willow with a grimace.

"I think we did, Xander is so nervous your girlfriend isn't going to get any sleep." Willow smiled as she used the word without feeling the words burn her lips.

"Thank you Willow." Tara's face turned into a brighter smile.

"Oh did Dawn tell you, she's been telling everyone. Heather's coming to the wedding now." Willow smiled back softly.

"She is?" Tara's smile grew. "That's great news."

"You're sure? You don't mind?" The redhead checked not wanting to do something too fast.

"Does she make you happy, on any level? Provide company for you when you run, not put up with your self depreciation, make you smile?" Tara asked the monumental questions.

"Yes, many, definitely, not if she catches me and a lot." Willow filled in each answer. "And the best part is she knows about everything and she's okay with slow."

"Then how could I be anything but okay with it?" Tara's smile was stunning.

"You're opinion is important to me." Willow underlined to her.

"Good because I'm bound to give you it." Tara smirked. "Especially if I see you pulling any Willowish on her, like denying your beauty or doing your geek thing."

"Heather thinks she out geeks me." Willow laughed. "You might need to call her on that."

"Oh I will." Tara felt happy warmth inside her heart. "At least I know she'll make you eat." The Wicca pulled her hand back and covered a slightly yawn.

"Looks like we have a sleepy Wicca." Willow smiled at the yawn.

"You could walk me back home, I'm sure my girlfriend won't mind." Tara wanted to in some way 'reward' Willow for everything she was trying to do. "That is if you're not seeing your girlfriend." She used the word softly and suggestively

"She's not my girlfriend." Willow giggled and rolled her eyes playfully.

"Oh right, okay." Tara made a point of winking so hard her hair fell forward.

Xander gave a sigh as he heard another set of footsteps resounding on the tiles of the kitchen behind him. He'd only just got rid of Giles and his lecture about responsibility and the future. Before then it had been an uncle warning him of the dangers of marriage and monogamy, and before that an uncle's wife's friend who was staying because he'd rowed with his wife the night before. Quite frankly he didn't want or need any 'good advice'.

"Hey handsome boy." Buffy smiled at him seeing the tension in his shoulders.

"Hey Buffy!" Xander forced some cheer into his voice for a moment as her turned and smiled at the Slayer. "Boy am I glad to talk to someone who isn't going to give me tips on how to keep a woman happy… that is..." The young man's face changed for a moment as he obviously pondered his statement and the fact that Buffy was dating Tara.

"Maybe you should give me tips." He grinned brightly. "I've a feeling I could listen all day to those kind of tips." He wide boyish grin changed his whole body shape the tension dissipating.

"Don't you even go there." Buffy laughed and swatted him on the arm. "You get no 'tips' from me."

"But you're my best man, we're supposed to laugh and joke and swap best sex stories." He chuckled at her expected reaction.

"Xander if I tell you about Tara and I in an intimate moment, I'll be taking you to the emergency rather than your wedding and I am not facing off with Anya when you're late." Buffy laughed at him. "Only hint you get is don't skip foreplay." She winked at him as she opened the fridge and pulled out a fruit juice.

"And foreplay would be?" He pretended to play dumb.

"You are so lucky Anya agreed." She laughed more and shook her head.

"Thanks for doing this Buffy." Xander's tone grew serious briefly.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world Xander." She put down the container and moved both hands up straightening his tie. "You're one of my best friends, I'm so happy for you." She added softly. "And happy I'm here to share it with you."

"You can tell me I look like a shmuck if I do." Xander held himself straighter and taller as Buffy tidied him up.

"No, you look very handsome." Buffy stood back and admired the long black tuxedo. "How do I look?" She did a slight twirl in her matching one.

"Probably better than me, so I am not going to comment." Xander grinned and reached up to flick a speck off her shoulder before looking at her properly. "Seriously though Buffy, you look beautiful." He said softly.

"We clean up nice." She smiled back at him.

"You should see the dress Tara has." Xander smiled pulling his sleeves down and playing with his cufflinks.

"Hey how did you see the dress, I didn't get to see the dress." Buffy pouted.

"Last minute thing, I was showing her the tux's and she insisted that she couldn't wear one if you were." Xander explained. "Her and Anya picked it out just Wednesday."

"Can't wait." Buffy grinned the idea of Tara in a formal dress more than enough to make all this hell worth it.

"You love her don't you Buffy?" Xander's voice went back to soft as he watched the play in his friend's face.

"I really do Xander." Buffy admitted leaning back on the counter.

"Angel type love?" Xander pushed softly as he took up a similar position close by her.

"I was so young when I feel in love with Angel and so naive." Buffy admitted not trying to downplay the comparison but show the difference, show that line she had drawn in her own head.

"And now you're old and worldly wise?" Xander arched an eyebrow.

"I've had to grow up a lot." Buffy looked at him. "I know love doesn't always make it at the end of the day, but I know I want to fight for it."

"She loves you too." Xander said gently he reached out and tucked a twirl of blond behind Buffy's ear.

"I know its it amazing." Buffy didn't flinch as he touched her, not feeling at all hindered by the closeness. She felt relaxed and at ease.

"No I mean loves-loves you." Xander stressed as he rested his hand on her shoulder. "She told me."

"What?" Buffy questioned a bit curious when exactly that sort of conversation would have come up between him and Tara.

"Wednesday." Xander explained seeing the confusion. Buffy silently told him to continue his explanation. "She was trying on the dress, Anya was doing her oh you look beautiful thing, right before the but I don't want her to be more beautiful than me, its my wedding day freak and she did look beautiful, not more beautiful than An." He stressed quickly. "But beautiful, I told her she'd make someone a great wife." Xander felt a little stupid admitting he'd made the comment.

Buffy's eyes widened a bit.

"And before you panic she didn't mention you and marriage. She just said how lucky she was to have had two beautiful women in her life who she loved with her whole heart and that she didn't need to be someone's wife she just needed to be someone's someone." Xander explained. "I think I got that right." He double-checked himself before continuing. "And I kinda figured the someone's someone she was happy being was you."

Buffy smiled on happily at his reliving of the short event wishing right now that Tara wasn't being help captive in the bride house.

"It's nice to be someone's someone." She finally commented.

"And…" Xander looked up for a moment. "There's something else but I don't think I'm supposed to say." He fidgeted a little with his shirtsleeves again.

"What? Come on now you have to tell me." Buffy pushed him.

"Well apparently you and she talked, about Giles?" He checked first.

"What did she say about that?" Buffy thought back to their conversation about pressing the Watcher to stay.

"To me nothing." Xander admitted. "She talked to Giles." He explained knowing Buffy would know what an uncharacteristic move this would be for someone who still called him 'Mr. Giles'.

"She did?" The Slayer tensed up for the first time when she saw Xander nod.

"He was in here before you." Xander explained how he knew.

"What did he say?" Buffy swallowed hard.

"He asked if I needed him to look after the apartment for the time we're away on honeymoon." Xander revealed with a broad smile.

"He wasn't mad or indignant?" Buffy questioned standing up straight.

"He looked like he'd just won the lottery or something." Xander laughed lightly at her worry.

"I can't wait until we're all back together." Buffy smiled finally.

"Well there's at least one little cookie fighting her hardest for it." Xander noted.

"Dawn just wants everyone to be happy." Buffy thought of her little sister who probably loved all the morning's activity.

"I think I kinda meant Tara, but that would mean I just called you're girlfriend a cookie which would probably get me into trouble, right?" He gave a wide boyish grin.

"You don't want a black eye for the photos." Buffy play punched him in the arm. "So come on you we don't have that much longer until it's time, we should start rounding up the family."

"Is this the point where I start getting all sweaty and tell you I've changed my mind and you get to tell Anya?" Xander's grin didn't fade.

"I already have a contingency plan for that." Buffy laughed. "I knock you out and carry you down the aisle. When you come too you get to tell Anya and I'll already be in Bora Bora with Tara."

"Now you see that is why I chose you as my best man." Xander laughed out loud and pulled Buffy into a spontaneous hug.

"And Willow was taken." Buffy laughed more as they embraced.

"No, honestly that's got more to do with the fact that I couldn't walk down the aisle WITH Wills. Having her come down with An is fine, but actually with me." Xander shook his head. "It would be like a weird twist on childhood nightmares."

"I don't think I want to know." Buffy laughed and hugged him again.

Tara took a slight breath and gave Anya a soft smile as she offered the soon to be bride her arm. Behind her Willow and Dawn glanced at each other, each holding their small posy of white roses. Anya glanced down at the large bouquet she carried and then slide her hand through Tara's arm.

"Ready?" Tara whispered as the soft piano and string music filtered through to them.

"Are you sure I should take sex poodle out?" Anya fidgeted with her tiara looking a little nervous suddenly.

"I think love of my life is better." Tara said softly trying desperately not to snigger as Willow and Dawn failed to contain themselves.

"Okay I'm ready to take my vows and spend the rest of my short mortal life with Xander." Anya stood up straight holding Tara's arm tighter. "Hey you two go!" She waved at Willow and Dawn.

Coughing slightly to cover their chuckles the pair began their walk.

Anya and Tara started off a short time later, their careful and slow march up the central aisle taking a few long moments as everyone momentarily turned from their conversation and squabbles. Tara watched as Willow glanced quickly towards Heather as she passed the end of the lecturer's row. The small gesture made the Wicca smile a smile that stayed in place, until she looked up and caught hazel eyes for the first time in just over sixteen hours.

Tara's smile turned into a look of complete love, as she took in the Slayer dressed in her tuxedo looking so striking that it almost made her nervous breath away.

Buffy had been waiting rather impatiently at the front with Xander. Her wait suddenly became worth it as Willow stepped over to the side and she got her first full look at Tara. The dark green of the off the shoulder dress contrasted beautifully with Tara's light skin and hair, the color drawing out the darker hues of her eyes making them sparkle.

"Hi." Tara mouthed desperately wanting to wave.

"Wow." Buffy mouthed back wiggling her eyebrows. Tara felt a slightly hot blush spread up her cheeks.

Having reached the front Tara moved off to the side and watched as Xander gazed adoring at his soon to be wife. With after a brief welcome the service began and as the words of love and commitment were spoken Tara couldn't help but look over to Buffy. Buffy was of course already looking back at the blonde. She been completely missing everything going on around her as she stared at Tara daydreaming of being able to take her hand and run away from here to have some alone time.

"Ring, ring, Buffy." Xander hissed for about the third time wiggling his fingers.

"Oh." Buffy clued in with a slight start and fumbled in her jacket. "Sorry." She smiled at him as she handed it over.

The large reception hall was a hive of noise, music and dancing. The serious formal section of the dinner was long over and so the real partying had began. A disco ball sent light spinning all over the room and large flashing lights and a small lazar light display similarly illuminated the dance floor.

People had begun relaxing, loosened ties, and in Dawn's case she'd slipped off the high-heeled shoes she had been in to dance barefoot. Dancing opposite her was Xander on a rare break from Anya who was fawning over the wedding gifts having hijacked Tara to join her.

Willow was seriously considering losing her heels as she made her way through to the punch bowl, getting two glasses of the wickedly spiked red liquid before she moved back to the head table.

"Hey there best man-woman." Willow sat down next to Buffy and offered her a glass. "Looking very men in black."

"Just need the shades." Buffy took one with a grateful smile.

"Well you already protect the world from the baddies so if they do exist they should so give you a call." Willow laughed as she reached down to slip off her shoes sighing lightly at the ease in comfort.

"You lasted longer than Dawn." Buffy nodded to her sister, who she had been keeping a subtle eye on.

"And I think that Dawn has even had more punch." Willow laughed lightly at the blushing teenager.

"I thought as much." Buffy nodded. "Elliot's not even had a glass." She nodded slightly towards the smart young man who was watching Dawn dancing, he held a glass of coke in his hand.

"Okay now why is that disturbing me?" Willow eyed him. "Do you think my hunt him down with a shovel speech worked?" She sat back smiling to herself.

"I actually think he's a nice guy." Buffy heard the stress in her own voice.

"You want to hold him while I beat him?" Willow joked lightly glad when the Slayer laughed softly in return.

"How are you?" Buffy asked softly after silence took them for a few moments.

"Mmmmm tired. Anya had us up writing place cards till three am." Willow sipped her punch. "How were things at the Harris house?"

"Weird, tense." Buffy admitted.

"It was nice wasn't it?" Willow absently commented on the wedding.

"It was amazing." Buffy nodded though it was obvious that the Slayer was slightly distracted.

"It was." Willow nodded with her. "When are you and Tara heading home?" She questioned softly.

"Anya's keeping her really busy." Buffy replied managing to tear her eyes off the Wicca to look back at her best friend.

"I think Anya will probably clue in enough soon to take Xander to the hotel." Willow assured her softly. "Their flight to Mexico is pretty early."

"Heathers coming out of her shell." Buffy glanced up to where Heather had joined Dawn on the dance floor.

"She has." Willow leaned forward and smiled as she watched the brunette dancing.

"Shouldn't you be up there too?" Buffy urged gently.

"You going to join me?" Willow bumped her softly.

"I don't want to crowd." The Slayer smiled.

"How would you be crowding?" Willow questioned momentarily turning from the dance floor.

"You and Heather." Buffy nudged her best friend's arm.

"What about me and Heather?" Willow giggled.

"Did I imagine the smiling Willow looks throughout the reception?" Buffy faked confusion.

"No, of course you didn't." Willow blushed a little. "I just... I thought we could dance you know... best friend's dancing."

"I would love to dance Will, I just didn't want to get in the way. I've missed best friend dancing." Buffy admitted.

"Buffy…" Willow turned and smiled. "I know things have been strained between us but I really don't want us to lose best friendliness."

This comment made Buffy smile lovingly at the redhead.

"Me either. I don't know what I would do with out you Will." Buffy put down her glass and leaned forward to hug the hacker.

"Me either." Willow leaned to hug her back. "I'm sorry for everything."

"It's okay, I'm sorry too." Buffy rubbed her hand down Willow's back comfortingly.

"There's so much I want to say but you know hugging just seems to sum it up." Willow hugged her tighter. "That and maybe mochas."

"Just what I was thinking." Buffy agreed. "Will…" Buffy took a slightly breath and pulled back slightly. "About Tara…"

Willow was about to jump in but she just kept her mouth shut to let Buffy continue first.

"I know it must be really, really hard." Buffy swallowed, not actually sure what she was going to say. "But I love her so much."

"I... I know you do." Willow whispered. "It took me along time to figure that out and to figure out that it wasn't your fault what happened between Tara and I and if I have to see her with someone I'd rather see her with my best friend so at least I know she's always going to be taken care of."

For a long moment the pair just looked at each other in silence.

"Wow." Buffy finally spoke. "We've come a long way huh."

"Miles." Willow nodded.

"And the rest of the way we can travel together." Buffy encouraged subtly.

"Do you mind the newest Scooby?" Willow questioned glancing back to the dance floor.

"Heather?" Buffy checked they were talking about the same person.

"Unless you think Elliot is permanent." Willow laughed lightly and the Slayer rolled her eyes.

"She's great Will." Buffy assured her.

"You know we haven't officially had a best friend to best friend chat session over this, I mean I'm completely lost." Willow smiled more.

"Lost?" Buffy queried.

"I'm at a wedding with a totally beautiful girl and I'm not sure what is appropriate." Willow chewed on her lip.

"And you're asking me?" Buffy laughed softly.

"Yeah, you're the best friend of me." Willow smiled realizing they probably hadn't been in a place to use their famous phrasing in along time.

"I am, but Will I'm sat at the same great wedding and I'm dating a beautiful girl and she's off with the bride!" Buffy chuckled sipping her punch and then grimacing a bit at the bite it had she put it down.

"Then we better dance." Willow stood up and held out her hand. "Maybe one of them will give us some attention if we're pretending to ignore them."

"Good plan best friend of me." Grinning brightly Buffy took it.

Buffy had barely noticed as the songs melted into one another. There had been an amusing slow dance with Willow, another with Xander as Anya insisted of dancing with the hacker and then they'd settled into a high school circle of dancers. It hadn't been hard for the Slayer to figure out the DJ's ingenious one oldie, three dance, one rock and then two slow dance system and as they were now listening to a slightly retro Jon Bon Jovi song she knew the time for slow was about to begin.

"Hey Wills, don't you think it's time you shimmy over to Heather so that you can woo her into the next slow dance?" Buffy bumped her hip into the redhead's.

"Shimmy and do what what to who?" Willow's eyes went wide as she looked at her beat friend.

"Ask Heather to slow dance." Buffy repeated in a slower voice. "You know don't stand by the wall go get her."

"Oh, do you think that's a good idea?" Willow asked nervously.

"Will you haven't managed to actually take her on a date, well not counting the wedding." Buffy bumped her again. "Don't you think dancing might be a good first step?"

"Hmmm." Willow looked around hesitantly. "But she might say no."

"She came just to spend time with you, why would she say no?" Buffy shook her head. "Come on, my best friend is braver than this."

"Ok." Willow took a deep breath and ran her hands over her dress. Buffy smiled as Willow relented. "I have sweaty palms I can't do this with sweaty palms." She panicked not really having moved very far.

"What am I here for?" Buffy pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and handed it to the redhead.

"Thank you." Willow wiped her hands. "I can do this." She whispered. "Can't I?" She looked to Buffy for reassurance.

"You can do it." Buffy nodded.

"Ok." Willow took another breath and took a slight step forward before stopping and turning back. "What do I say to her?" She asked biting her bottom lip.

"How about 'Hi Heather, would you like to dance with me?' for a start." Buffy made the offer in a serious voice knowing that Willow was hitting redline panic nervousness.

"Ok." Willow took another breath. "Keep it simple." She stood a little straighter.

"Simple and easy." Buffy nodded reaching up to squeeze the redhead's shoulder. "Now go and get her."

"I love you." Willow darted forward and hugged Buffy and then set off towards the lecturer. Buffy was left with a goofy smile as she proudly watched Willow walking off towards her target.

Heather was slightly off to the side, absently dancing with Dawn who was attempting in her slightly tipsy state to show the lecturer some new move or another. Her long white dress was made of silk, fine threads of black lotus flowers bloomed over her lower legs and a single bloom hung over the thick strap of her left shoulder. She had a soft shawl draped around her back and looped over her arms. She was laughing and giggling as she attempted to follow Dawn's instruction and was still trying to recover when the notes of the hard song melted away and were replaced with something soft and light.

Willow had stood off to the side for a bit, just waiting for Heather to give her any attention before she spoke. As warm green eyes came to focus on her she cleared her throat.

"Hi Heather, would you like to dance with me?" Willow felt the words squeak a bit.

"I would love to Willow." Heather's voice surprised even her with how warm and low it was. "You don't mind do you Dawnie?" She asked without thinking using a pet name that she had heard throughout the day.

"NO!" Dawn gushed grinning widely. "You two dance, really close. Get really close." She giggled She smiled at Willow and then toddled away still excited.

"I think she had too much punch." Willow smiled as she moved a bit closer feeling her stomach do flip-flops.

"She has, but her beau hasn't touched a drop." Heather nodded to where Elliot was just guiding Dawn onto a chair and passing her some chips. While doing so she moved closer to the redhead.

"I threatened him if he stepped out of line. As I often say a vague disclaimer is no ones friend." Willow summed up looking at Heather as they were now very close. "You look really beautiful."

"Hardly as beautiful as the Maid of honor." Heather smiled back.

"Oh much more beautiful." Willow disagreed as the soft sound of a voice added to the music she held out her hand.

"You know as a friend I might let you get away with that." She slowly placed her hand in Willow's. "But if we define ourselves as more than that ever, you are in big trouble for statements like that." She slid closer still and reached her other arm up onto Willow's shoulder.

"Good big trouble or bad big trouble?" Willow couldn't almost believe the edge to her teasing as she slipped her free hand onto Heather's waist holding lightly.

"Well that you'll just have to find out." Heather grinned.

"I can't wait." Willow felt herself grinning back. "Are you having a good time?" She questioned after a few turns and glides.

"I am now." Heather said, having no idea where she had found the bravery to do so, perhaps she too had had a little too much punch.

"Oh I'm sorry being all with the busy wedding party stuff." Willow apologized knowing that she'd been forced to leave the brunette quite a bit for her duties. "I'm all yours for the rest of the night." She assured softly.

"That's quite alright, you had a big part to play today and you did just fine." Heather soothed.

"I felt a lot braver knowing you'd come." Willow held her waist a little tighter.

"I'm glad I could help." Heather slid her hand a little further round Willow's neck.

"You do, you're like my little lucky charm." Willow smiled easing herself a bit closer.

"Less of the little you." Heather smirked.

"What?" The redhead tried to look innocent.

"Lucky charm I can handle, little lucky charm gets a watch it warning." Heather's smirk turned to a wide grin.

"Sexy lucky charm?" Willow tried her luck without really thinking about her words. Heather coughed and widened her eyes looking at the redhead. "Okay lucky charm, just lucky charm." She covered up stiffening a bit when she saw the reaction.

"Relax Willow." Heather softly dug her fingers into the tensing muscles across Willow's shoulder. "You can say words like sexy in front of me, its just I've never really had them addressed to me before."

"You should have, you're completely that word." Willow stuck up immediately. "I mean if the rest of the world has been too blind or probably too shy to tell you then I think I should remind you ever day."

"Well I think that would be someone other than my friend's duty don't you?" Heather bated softly making sure she kept eye contact.

"Then I would have to upgrade my status from friend to other than friend."

Willow held the eyes in front of her feeling their bodies rocking together to the music.

"To what?" Heather found herself whispering the question.

"Dating friends?" Willow tried something her voice merely a whisper too.

"We'd have to go on dates then." The lecturer reasoned.

"I want that, I mean I wanted to go on our last one before I was kidnapped. I even had flowers." Willow put forward her evidence.

"I know." Heather said quickly. "I was just stressing the desire to go on more."

"I have that desire too, say we could go to get your favorite breakfast tomorrow?" Willow put her luck on the line again..

"We could." Heather nodded. "Though would you mind terribly if it was a late breakfast?"

"Why? Are you okay? Do you need me to take you home?" Willow was worried instantly.

"Yes, that is no I just think that I might need to sleep in. It's already two thirty." Heather explained her reasoning. "And I was hoping it wasn't home time just yet."

"I could spend all night dancing with you." Willow added wistfully.

"Good he is I'm not sure the DJ will last that long." Heather let her hand spread out on Willow's shoulder.

"We don't need music to dance." Willow dipped her head closer her words softer.

"We don't need it, but it does mean the chances of you not getting your foot trodden on break about even." Heather chuckled quietly.

"I'm willing to take this chance." Willow wound her hand around to Heather's lower back.

"There's still music, little or no chance of trampling." Heather felt their movement become more natural and relaxed.

"Then I say we enjoy ourselves for now to the fullest." Willow felt them turn the rest of the room melting away.

The moonlight bathed across the wooden of the porch in a soft wave. The outdoor lights were just small bulbs that outlined the area doing little to add to the glow that the moon provided. Music from the reception was just creeping out enough to fill the air with a light rhythm. The two figures made the picture complete, dancing silently together in the silver light.

Buffy had her head leaned against Tara's shoulder as they swayed to the undertones. She'd given up on her jacket and had pulled the crisp white shirt out to give some semblance of femininity.

"I love you Miss Buffy Summers." Tara whispered as she held Buffy loosely in their dance.

"And I love you Miss Tara Maclay." Buffy leaned back a bit so she could see soft blue eyes.

"I've been wanting to get away all day like this, to make it just you and me." Tara admitted happy to gaze into hazel.

"It's been crazy hasn't it?" Buffy reached up playing with a lock of blonde that had escaped the intricate design that Tara's hair was in.

"Very." Tara agreed. "But this is better."

"This is what I've been waiting for all day." Buffy brushed their lips together.

"Me too." Tara agreed letting her lips linger in place for a longer while.

"We could gather up Dawn and head home to our own private love shack?" Buffy smiled as they danced.

"We could or we could wait and see what gem the DJ has for the last dance, it's bound to be something good from way back before we were born." Tara smiled. "And it should be soon as I think the halls only booked till three thirty."

"Mmmmm last dance, very romantic." Buffy leaned in to kiss her again lightly.

"I used to hate them." Tara revealed as the kiss gradually stopped. "I'd be left in a corner on my own, watching the glitter ball reflections sparkle in my patent shoes."

"This time you don't get to watch." Buffy hugged her tighter. "I need you to dance."

"Need me to?" Tara questioned the Slayer's phrasing.

"Well I can't have my romantic last dance be perfect if I don't have it with you." Buffy whispered curling her fingers to trace around Tara's ear.

"I wonder will I always fall for your soft touches and corny lines?" Tara smiled lovingly.

"That wasn't corny, I've been saving that one up all night." Buffy laughed lightly.

"I wouldn't care if you'd read it in a book and remembered it for me, the fact you cared enough, wanted to say it to me, makes it wonderful." Tara beamed.

"Of course I want to say things like that." Buffy kissed her again. "I love you remember."

"When Willow and I split up, I was dreading this day." Tara suddenly admitted in a low voice as she snuggled up closer to Buffy in their dance. "I was going to have a big assignment due or maybe even have relatives to stay, old and very distant type relatives." She revealed to her girlfriend the thoughts she had had.

"Just so you wouldn't have to come to the reception?" Buffy questioned softly knowing that she hadn't been too excited about having to come to the wedding alone. Tara nodded. "I wasn't too happy about having to go by myself and mope either."

"Oh it wasn't that so much as…" Tara paused but more or less instantly found the strength in Buffy's eyes to continue. "It was more Willow, I couldn't bear being near her at something about love, commitment and the future."

"I know it must have been hard, I mean I understand it's not going to be easy instantly... or even ever." Buffy reassured her softly.

"It wasn't easy." Tara agreed, "But there's a kind of balance in all this now isn't there." She pondered as they swayed.

"I think so." The Slayer nodded.

"There is, Anya has Xander, Willow has Heather, Giles has the Magic Box and his slayer back, Dawn has everything she wanted, and I have you." Tara kissed Buffy softly.

"You think that Willow and Heather will do okay?" Buffy questioned having honestly wanted to talk to Tara about this for a while. After all Willow was still her best friend and she worried.

"Stop it Buffy." Tara chastised her lover, though very gently. "We're doing it again."

"No... I didn't mean it that way." Buffy shook her head. "I meant more in an I want Willow to be happy."

"I know you didn't and I want her to be happy too but we still are doing it." Tara smiled softly. "Tomorrow we can talk about Willow, we can plot a little and watch out for her and Heather, like best friends would. We can pack up Dawnie off to her friends so she can gush about her first wedding with a boyfriend and we can call Giles at Xander's apartment to check he's okay and maybe invite him to dinner. But we to all that tomorrow." She stressed. "Tonight." She continued. "I don't want to think of anything other than you."

"I like the way you think." Buffy smirked as Tara's words enflamed her body.

"I was hoping you would." Tara admitted.

"Mmmmm you know you look very sexy this evening." Buffy ran her hand down Tara's neck slowly.

"I was hoping you'd like the dress." Tara smiled tilting her head a little.

"I love who's in the dress and the idea of getting you out of that dress especially." Buffy whispered leaning in to press her lips to Tara's neck.

"Mmmmm you see much better focus." Tara pointed out.

"My favorite focus." Buffy kissed upwards closing her lips lightly around Tara's earlobe.

"So you like it just about you and me?" Tara checked as she let her eyes close briefly. Buffy slowly pulled her lips back and kissed Tara's cheek.

"Us, is one of the very best things in my life." Buffy whispered kissing her lips lightly.

Tara was about to reply when the beginning cord of the last song drifted through to them and a female singers haunting voice began.

"What are you doing the rest of your life?

North and South and

East and West of your life

I have only one request of your life

That you spend it all with me."

Tara blinked blue eyes and gazed lovingly at the woman in her arms as she recognized what song it was.

"You were right." Buffy smiled as they fell into time. "Before our time but completely romantic."

"Completely." Tara nodded very gently and brought her cheek to nestle along side Buffy's as the pair danced together as one. Through the soft melody of the chorus they crossed the wooden floor the moonlight catching and highlighting the white of Buffy's shirt and the silver trim on Tara's dress.

"All the seasons and the times of your days

All the nickels and the dimes of your day

Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days

All begin and end with me."

"I don't think I've ever paid attention to the lyrics before." Buffy whispered trying not to cover any of them with her voice.

"I'd be surprised if you'd ever listened to the song before, out of choice anyway." Tara noted openly.

"We should buy it." Buffy smiled knowing that Tara was right. "Have it as our secret song."

"I want to see your face in every kind of light In fields of gold and forests of the night And when you stand before the candles on a cake Oh let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make."

"You're right." Tara agreed softly. "Though I noticed the word secret there, you're just never going to admit to owning a Streisand record are you?" She teased her lover.

"I'm the Slayer, I have a reputation to hold." Buffy grinned and laughed. Tara chuckled as the song drifted along.

"So what are you doing the rest of your life?" Tara asked vaguely in time with the song.

"Loving you." Buffy answered instantly in a soft voice.

"Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes

In a world of love you keep in your eyes

I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes

It may take a kiss or two

All of my life

Summer winter spring and fall of my life

All I ever will recall of my life

Is all my life with you."

"It's crazy, but that is such a beautiful song." Tara held Buffy a little looser as the melody continued but the singer stopped.

"It is." Buffy agreed her voice soft as she just memorized the beautiful woman before her.

"And that's what it feels like to actually dance the last dance." Tara whispered slightly in awe as the music came to a soft stop.

"You know the best part?" Buffy reached up and ran her fingers down Tara's cheek.

"What?" Tara breathed out.

"The song might end but we go home together." Buffy reached down and took her lover's hand. "Ready?"

"For anything." Tara beamed confidently as they made their way, together, back into the main hall.

As the last of their footsteps echoed on the wood a slim figure stepped out of the thick darkness into a stream of silver moonlight. Drawing on a nearly finished cigarette he threw it too the ground and twisted it out under a black shoe. With the rustle of old leather, he then straightened his back and cleared his throat a little.

"Spike, stop stalking Buffy it's creepy." On the other side of the patio the bushes rustled for a moment before Dawn emerged dragging Eliot with her. She looked over at the vampire as she spoke.

"For your information nibblet, I was just watching out, making sure her and the little bird weren't disturbed." Spike defended quickly.

"Rrrright." Dawn rolled her eyes. "It's creepy Spike and not in a scary you way, just in a scary creepy pathetic stalker way."

"Well I could ask what you and Captain America here were doing outside, I'm sure big sis would want to know that you were out here by yourselves." Spike childishly challenged.

"Its called kissing Spike and you think Buffy's slayer hearing went MIA tonight?" Dawn rolled her eyes. "She made the hand signal to say get my butt inside we're going home now." She looked at him for a minute and her feelings melting into something remorseful at his lonely situation. "It's how it's supposed to be Spike."

"Yeah the humans get to be happy and the vampires go home alone." He shrugged his voice hollow.

"If you really love her Spike, love her as much as you keep trying to tell us you do then you'll let her go." Dawn frowned at him. "It's the right thing to do."

"Ah but why would I do that nibblet, I'm evil remember." Spike countered quickly, though is heart wasn't in the comment.

"Because you know it's the only thing you can do." Dawn turned back to the door.

The peroxide vamp took several long steps away from the pair and then stopped, turning back round to face them.

"Hey nibblet." He called and Dawn looked back at him. "Tell the Slayer I'm sorry." He offered the words. "And tell the little bir..." He stopped himself. "Tell Tara." He paused again. "Tell Tara the best one of us won."

With that the gaunt vampire turned and melted into the darkness.

"Who was that guy?" Elliot asked taking Dawn's hand in one of his and the hall door in the other to open it for her.

"That was Spike." Dawn looked back at him and smiled. "I don't think we'll be seeing him again so don't worry."

"Oh right." The young man said as Dawn began to lead him through the doors. "And about what you said about Buffy could she really hear..."