Shades of Gray by The Rainbow Writers

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Willow, Tara, Xander, Giles and all other characters who have appeared in the syndicated series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, together with the names, titles and back story are the sole copyright property of Josh Wheldon, Fox and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Please contact the author for permission to reproduce this story on any other fan fiction site.
Distribution: The Rainbow Writer's Homepage: http://www.therainbowwriters.com/
Mystic Muse: http://mysticmuse.net
Spoilers: Season 7.
Feedback: All feedback is welcome.
Pairing: Willow/Tara Buffy/Other Faith/Dawn

Summary: An unexpected ally shows up to assist with the battle against the First.

It was Saturday, Xander loved Saturdays, they meant he could lie in bed, watch cheesy TV and not have to worry about getting into work before the crew to check the site over for vandalism, or for the general 'disruption' that was often rampant in Sunnydale. Saturdays meant junk food and lots of coffee whenever he wanted it. Then there were scruffy clothes, back into the jeans and long sleeved T-shirts that still owned such a large part of his heart but had been banished from his weekdays.

This Saturday however was different. It was two thirty in the afternoon and he'd just stepped out of the shower, his second of the day. He'd been up since eight a.m., helping Buffy with the latest round of SIT training. His head hurt, his back hurt and he was pretty sure by the end of the day he'd have a shiner from the right hook that one of the young Slayer's had accidentally landed on him during sparring.

"So much for Saturdays." He groaned pulling on a pair of khaki combat pants and a cream T-shirt with black long sleeves.

He was due back at the Summers house by five. Buffy had said something about a group discussion on The First and how to deal and then he'd agreed to meet up with Anya on 'neutral' territory to discuss things like why he was being nice to her and why she was being nice to him.

"I need to tidy the apartment too." Xander moaned to himself as he wandered through to the kitchen, picking up two half drunk cups of stone cold coffee on his way. "God, I sound middle aged." He grumbled to himself as he put the cups in the sink and gave them a quick blast of lukewarm water trying to get the thick granulated sludge out of the bottom.

Standing up straight he flexed his shoulders back and then leaned forward trying to look in the glass panel of a kitchen cupboard to assess how his bruised cheek was doing. The redness hadn't spread upwards into his eye like he had expected and instead it ran in a slightly angry looking line tracing his cheekbone.

"Great." He sighed and pulled open the cupboard and pulled out of it a box of cereal. Pushing his hand into the badly opened top, he pulled out a handful and began munching it one piece at a time.

Deciding this was one of those moments he needed coffee, he flicked the kettle on to make himself one just as the doorbell of the apartment briefly resounded around the room in a shockingly pleasant ding-ding.

Dumping his small handful of uneaten cereal on the counter, he trudged barefoot towards the door getting there just as the doorbell sounded out again.

"Okay I'm coming but if you're a debt collector, a demon from hell or some kind of religious nut go away I'm really not in the mood to deal." Xander flicked the lock and pulled the door open, pushing his hand up through his wet, tousled hair.

A voice Xander never, ever counted on hearing answered him in a gentle almost heart soothing tone. Slowly the carpenter's head rose and dark brown eyes looked up meeting pale blue ones.

Standing in the hallway outside the apartment, Tara smiled softly and pressed her hand down the side of the three-quarter-length brown suede jacket she was wearing making the material go lighter to mark the trail of her palm. With her other hand trembling slightly she reached up and pulled the subtle rainbow striped hat from off her head and balled it up in the hand that removed it.

For a long moment Xander just stared at her and then backed up slightly away from the threshold.

"So you've started ringing the doorbell and getting all civilized rather than just showing up and pushing us towards insanity?" He eventually turned away shaking his head.

"Oh and doing the innocent trick, yeah very convincing. So come on, let me have it, the apocalyptic message, the image of death and Hellmouthy goodness that you have to sear on my brain and scar my existence." Xander turned and walked back towards the kitchen expecting her to follow.

"Have I c-c-come at a bad time?" Still standing in the doorway Tara watched the young man retreat into the apartment growing more and more confused before in order to keep him in sight she took a few steps inward.

"A bad time?" Xander laughed bitterly and shook his head. "Oh you're good aren't you?" He stopped in the sitting room and turned to look at the door. "Okay I'll fall for it, I'll ask the million dollar question, why her? I don't get it so come on tell me, why her? Why choose Tara?" His face was held in an angry snarl as he regarded her with cold eyes. "I know you're low, but this is like bottom of the stack low. Tara was a good person, you have no right to mess with her memory like this."

"Xander what?" The blonde raised a hand to her forehead and rubbed it briefly. "I think maybe I shouldn't have come, I should have waited until tomorrow, having just got back and all." She glanced nervously over her shoulder. "Yes." She nodded to herself. "I'll go, and come back when I'm less tired and…" She paused looking at him. "And m-m-maybe I'll call first…" She turned and took a slightly hesitant step backwards to the door into the safety of the hallway.

For a long moment Xander just let her turn and retreat, his angry mind tossing and turning over what the 'vision' had said before it froze.

"Back." He whispered, his dark eyes flicking up to look at the doorway. "Hey, hey wait!" He called hurrying to the door and when he reached it he looked down the corridor to see she was still retreating towards the elevator.

Tara stopped when she heard his footsteps. She turned back looking at him still apologetically, though she wasn't quite sure how she could be causing all this confusion.

"Yes." Tara nodded looking a little confused. "I just got back this morning, and I have to say things feel really strange." She admitted glancing around. "Even for Sunnydale."

"Holy shit, do you mean it?" Xander ran the short distance down the corridor down to the blonde. Remembering everything they had learnt about the First so far, that the images and visions it had produced had had no form nor physical presence, he reached out and almost roughly closed his hand around Tara's suede clad arm.

"Xander?" Tara turned and looked down at his hand frowning as his grip actually hurt slightly.

"Oh my God." His eyes went so wide it made the growing swelling on his cheek spike with pain.

Before Tara could blink she found herself wrapped up in strong thick arms that hugged her and held on too tightly.

"How… oh my God." Xander released her and stepped back only to pull her into another hug a fraction of a second later. Tara felt a left sided smile begin to creep onto her face, when suddenly Xander pushed her away again and stared at her. "No, wait a minute. How can you be back? Did someone one… God Dawn didn't…" He backed up a little, his dark eyes going wider still as the color draining from his cheeks. He suddenly put distance between himself and the blonde.

"Xander what is it?" Tara asked her voice full of concern. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder just in case something was behind them that could have been the cause of Xander changing so quickly. "Xander please, you're scaring me. You look like you've seen a ghost." She frowned gently and moved forward extending her hand to comfort him.

"No, no you're not a ghost, I know that with the squeezing and the hugging, but you could be a zombie, a brain eating zombie." Xander backed up more. "Or one of those things like in the high school, with the talisman. Where is it, where's the talisman?" He glanced around the empty corridor.

"Brain eating Zombie?" Tara looked down at herself with a frown. She had thought the chic suede jacket she was wearing and the lace up purple jeans underneath it made her look rather nice. "Talisman, high school? The Hellmouth High re-opened?" She shook her head confused as she tried to piece together what he was saying.

"Or maybe you're something new, some kind of girl on girl loving Hellmouth fiend?" Xander looked up his eyes wild.

"Xander please." Tara felt herself blushing hotly. "Look is Anya here, maybe she'll make just a little more sense than you are right now. I find myself hoping that it's not marriage that's done this to you." She tried the joke softly hoping it would have at least some kind of effect on the obviously panicking figure in front of her.

"Anya?" Tara's words did change Xander's reaction considerably, when her words actually filtered through to his brain. "Marriage?" He asked again.

"Look I really am sorry about missing that…" Tara bit her lip slightly and tried an apologetic smile. "I was going to call, you know, I sent a card and everything but I just couldn't be there. Not with Willow and I both being, you know, in the wedding party and everything." She shook her head. "I'm really sorry." She added quieter. "I'm sure it didn't spoil the day."

Xander's mania seemed to ebb a little as Tara's speech went on, he straightened up and looked at his visitor with a curious but gentle frown.

"Tara there was no wedding," Xander said slowly. "Well there was, that is people and wedding things were there but I backed out, last minute, after considerable wacky demon things going on that is." He explained the basics to her and watched the very real pained and sympathetic frown that creased Tara's brow as he spoke. "But Tara." He added smiling at her very typical gentle offer of condolence. "You were there."

Less than ten minutes later the carpenter and the Wicca were sat on chairs opposite each other in the apartment almost as if facing off for some high-strung political commentary show on CNN. Each cradled a mug of coffee in their hands, both looking slightly pale and uneasy. Tara was still wrapped in her suede and Xander was still barefoot and shell shocked.

"So you weren't at the wedding?" Xander said slowly looking up from examining the contents of his cup.

"I left Sunnydale after the spell… the crystal. I moved out of the house and then about a week, maybe a little longer I left. First I stayed with a friend in Oregon and then I traveled a little. I went to Europe you know, trying to sort my head out, deciding what I wanted, what I was going to do with my life." Tara shook her head making an attempt to meet his eyes. "It took a while, a long while, but nearly a year after I left I knew it was time to come back. I flew in from Florence today." She leaned forward and put her coffee down on the table.

Xander sat silently looking at Tara for a moment not sure what to make of either her presence or her story. She certainly looked like Tara. After all who else, apart from Willow, would put purple jeans, Dr. Martin boots, a brown suede jacket and a rainbow-striped hat together? She spoke like Tara, her words coming in that quiet slightly reserved almost apologetic tone, and her words carefully chosen for clarity and yet information.

'The problem is if I believe what she's saying than it means.' Xander argued with himself. 'No!' His brain couldn't even process what that would mean.

Xander knew at that moment, if he wasn't sure earlier, that he was way out of his depth. He had to call out bigger, stronger, more capable guns here. The only question was, who?

"Xander I'm sorry." Tara's soft tone brought the carpenter out of his thoughts and by the time he looked up at his visitor she had stood up and the soft muted colored hat was placed gently back on her head pressing down her long blonde hair so it flowed over her shoulders. "Maybe I shouldn't have come back." She took a little step away from the chair.

This wasn't at all how she had imagined returning to Sunnydale was going to be. Yes, she had been prepared for awkward, after all a year was a long time and a lot of things could happen. Yes, she had been prepared for anger, after all she had sent no word, only the card to the wedding that hadn't happened, she'd not even sent birthday or Christmas greetings. She had even been prepared for out right rejection, the fact that they might not want to see her, especially after so long and after the way she had just gone, without word, even to Buffy or Dawn. But Tara was not prepared for this. Not for complete and utter confusion, mystification and she had to acknowledge, fear.

"Tara, no wait!" He called putting his cup down, spilling most of it over the polished surface as he jumped up after her.

"It's okay." Tara stopped and turned back to look at him. "This was a bad idea, I shouldn't have expected to just walk back in here and everyone to be okay." She held up her hand warning him back a little, her voice sad and tired. She paused and linked sorrowful blue eyes with brown. "I'm sorry, I understand really I do." She said in little more than a whisper as she broke the eye contact and turned to leave.

"Tara no." Xander hurried after her despite her objection. "You don't understand." He shook his head quickly as he darted round in front of her baring her way to the front door. "You really don't understand." He stressed looking at her. He could see the confusion and hurt in her eyes, as well as the almost overwhelming tiredness. "Please." He dropped his voice slightly lower. "Come and sit down, maybe have a nap or something. You look beat." He offered her a warm smile.

"Long flight, hate planes." Tara admitted feeling herself waiver slightly in her determination to leave. That was until she looked up and caught a glimpse of a photograph of Xander, Buffy and Willow together hung up on the wall just beside the door. "But I shouldn't be here, I didn't want to put you in a difficult position." She shook her head, her resolve returning.

"Tara please, there are things I need to explain." He tried again. "Rest up a bit, take a shower, just chill for a while." He offered. "Just stay here." He re-stated. "I need to do a couple of things but then, then we'll talk, we'll sort things out. Come on Tara, you're done in and I have a great and comfortable apartment." He gave her a cheesy smile.

Tara took a breath and looked at Xander for a long moment, her head tilted slightly in contemplation.

"Okay, I'll stay, for a little while, a few hours." She conceded. "The lure of your comfy corner couch is just too much." She smiled at him seeing a flicker of the Xander she knew, the man who wanted to do his best to make everything right in the world.

"No one can resist the corner couch." He smiled back. "You okay if I pop out. I promise I won't be long." He pointed over his shoulder at the door.

"I'm fine, though don't blame me if I fall asleep while you're gone." Tara shook her head and took off her hand and unfastened her coat, slipping it off her shoulders she folded it carefully in half.

Xander stood silently watching as the blonde neatly laid her coat on the floor and stood back up to straighten out her jeans and the light pink top she wore. He tried not to stare as she walked over to drop lightly on the couch.

'She's got thinner, quite a lot thinner.' He thought as he watched her, noticing the change in her body shape as he compared her to the memory in his head. 'And her hair is a lot longer and lighter than it had been the last time…' His thoughts stopped in his head. They made his brain hurt. He so had to get someone else over here.

"Make yourself comfortable." He bid her as he crossed to the door picking up his keys and his coat off the peg as he backtracked. "Help yourself to anything in the kitchen."

"Thank you Xander." Tara called back pushing lightly off the couch to reclaim her recently abandoned coffee.

"And everyone stops and smiles as the Xan-man enters the house." Xander announced trying to be as normal as he could as he arrived at the Summers house.

From the bottom of the front drive he had heard the constant low level dim of young women arguing and he knew that this wasn't going to be an easy task. Now as he pushed open the front to what looked like a mini war zone, he was more than sure.

"Yeah I'm smiling, I'm so smiling." Buffy stamped by him throwing comics at the huddle figure of Andrew on the couch. The geek whimpered a little and clutched them to his chest, checking to see if any of them had been damaged in the Slayer's tirade. "I need you to go shopping again, they've eaten everything but the grout out of the tiling." The Slayer growled in the carpenter's direction.

"Actually Buffy…" Xander winced slightly as he watched her stomp off towards the stairs. "Can the shopping wait?"

"Not really." She turned to glare at him but something made her stop. "Xander what's wrong?" She saw the familiar look of mixed fear and anxiousness in his eyes.

"I..." He glanced around as two SIT's walked by bickering, none too gently pushing past Buffy to go up the stairs. "Can we slip outside." He pleaded with her trying to push through her agitation.

"This better be really good." Buffy scowled after the SIT's and then followed him out to the porch.

"Well, I don't know how to categorize it really." Xander beckoned her further from the house wanting to ensure the only two people to catch the conversation were Buffy and himself.

"We have three categories right now.... The First... the crazy potentials or other world ending news. Which is it?" She slowly followed him all the way out to the sidewalk his hesitation making her give an aggravated sigh.

"Other, I think." He replied uncomfortably having glanced down the street for a moment before answering.

"Xander…" Buffy looked over her shoulder at the house with a frown. "They are killing each other in my house for fun so do you want to spit this out?"

"I have a houseguest." He shifted edgily. "Well no, not a house guest, I have a someone at my house."

"Xander if this is about your love life I really don't think that it needs to involve me right now." She stated as she fixed him with a hard stare. "I will go out and buy you celebratory drinks and meet her right after I save the world, but right now I need to rescue my bathroom." She turned to go back towards the house.

"Buffy I really need you to come to my apartment, like now!" Xander blurted out his voice taking on a slightly panicky edge.

"I don't have time for this." Buffy shook her head she continued back up the front walk.

"Buffy please, you have to have time for this." He reached out and took her arm as tightly as he dared to.

For a moment Buffy just stared at Xander's hand around her arm. Her eyes angry and full of annoyance but she drew in a tight breath and looked at her old friend giving him the small birth.

"Fine, everyone else has lost their bloody minds today why not you as well. Let's go, you've got one hour." She pulled her arm back.

Xander didn't say anything else as they got into his car and he drove them the short distance to his apartment building. It was only once he had pulled his car into its designated parking spot that he pried his hands off the wheel and turned to Buffy.

"We going up?" She questioned him when he turned but didn't seem to be moving out of the car.

"I think I need to tell you who's up there before we go up there." Xander pulled lightly at the front of his shirt.

"If you have an uber vamp trapped in your closet it's not my problem." Buffy tried to get him to tell her with a little of the sadistic humor he liked.

"Xander, come on what the hell is going on?" She pushed him harder, Xander could be flaky but this wasn't Xander's style in the slightest to be outright insane.

For a heartbeat Buffy didn't say anything, and when she did her words were proceeded by a short harsh laugh.

"Wow Xander that sounded a lot like the name of a person who if she is in your apartment you've just delivered me to the First. You switched sides suddenly and decided the great all powerful evil needed a gift wrapped Slayer?" Buffy looked at him with cold eyes.

"No." Xander stated almost angrily. "I thought exactly what you did." He looked up and pointed at her. "I thought it was the First, I'm not stupid."

"Tara!" He stated again this time without mumbling or putting his head down. "Maybe a Tara clone?" He made a second guess his voice more uncertain.

"You're trying to tell me that Tara, Tara Maclay, girlfriend of Willow, is upstairs in your apartment?" Buffy checked the details before adding in a less than strong voice. "Xander she's dead."

"Buffy, all I know if that there is a girl in my apartment, she looks like, sounds like, acts like Tara. Add to that the fact she has never been to her knowledge dead and my brain is hurting too." Xander shook his head trying to show he understood it less that the Slayer.

"You need to see her Buffy, to talk to her, something's odd here and it doesn't add up." Xander pleaded with her.

"Let's go see the Tara clone or The First," Buffy sighed and pushed out of the car slamming the door hard behind her making the whole car rattle back and forth with the force. "Might be the quickest ending to a world apocalypse, for me at any rate because there's not a lot I can do about it if you 'houseguest' rips my head off." She growled pushing off towards the building.

Feeling his stomach fall even further Xander followed her and rushed ahead to open the building's security door.

His hand shaking slightly as he opened the front door, Xander swallowed and eased the door inside. Part of him was completely terrified at what horrible thing he might find inside, though he wasn't actually sure what he classed as horrible.

If he opened the door to find the place gutted and trashed with an apocalyptic message scrawled on the wall in blood maybe that would be terrible but at least that would clear up the First issue.

Then again if he opened the door and the apartment was empty it would clarify that he was going completely insane and would be the next one to spend a few days tied to a chair under day and night watch.

"So where are you hiding your Tara..." Buffy pushed past him wanting to get this over with quickly before she had to drag Xander home and tie him to a chair. "Clone?" She stopped her voice seizing in her throat.

Xander hadn't realized he hadn't actually looked up until he felt Buffy push by him and heard her voice crack. The uncommon noise made him raise his head.

The apparent was perfect, even the two coffee cups had been moved off the table and tidied away to leave a figure curled up on the corner couch sleeping soundly. The figure was Tara, dressed almost just as he'd left her though she had taken off the heavy black Docs and was curled up into a loose fetal shape on the sofa.

"It has to be the First." Buffy whispered in an icy hiss as she started to slowly move forward her arm extending. "It can't be..." She moved closer and closer leaning to reach her hand and close it over Tara's leg.

The slim figure sleeping on the couch tensed instantly her breath catching in her throat when she felt the hard grip.

"Oh my God." Buffy pulled back when her hand closed around real flesh and didn't pass through the apparition. She was pinned to her spot when blue eyes blinked open and focused past her onto Xander.

"Oh Xander I'm sorry I..." Tara stopped as her gaze shifted to take in the Slayer who stood stock still by the side of the couch. "Buffy." She whispered a well of emotion rising when she saw the blonde.

"W-W-What?" Tara's sleepy brow crumpled slightly in confusion. "Buffy?" She shook her head.

"Buffy, I know I've been away for nearly a year, but..." Tara stopped. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She frowned and titled her head to appraise the look she was getting.

"Because we buried you." Buffy felt the words slip out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"What?" If Tara had been standing up she would have fallen over, the fact that she was still lying down saved her from that particular embarrassment.

"This is why isn't it?" Tara suddenly looked at Xander. "Why you said what you said, why you went out?"

"Tara, I know you said you were in Europe and I didn't want to say anything. I couldn't tell you that here in Sunnydale you died." Xander tried to explain what little he could.

"I didn't just say I was in Europe I've been in Europe. I flew in this morning from Florence." With a shaking hand she reached into the back pocket of her purple jeans and pulled out a badly creased boarding pass. "Buffy I left Sunnydale eleven months ago." She turned pleading eyes back to Buffy.

"W-W-Willow..." She stopped and swallowed. "There was a spell." She felt herself choke up, unable to say exactly what had caused her to leave. "You have to remember what she did." Tears sprung into blue eyes.

"I remember lots of spells Tara." Buffy stared the real emotion before her but not letting herself react to it. "Then she got clean and you came back to her and then..." She didn't finish as her own resolve broke a little.

"Clean?" Tara blinked her eyes free of tears. "Willow's clean?" She stared hard at the Slayer, the news both exciting her and breaking her heart at the same time. After all wasn't that exactly what she had wanted to come home to find? That her lover, the person that completed her was okay and better than that had controlled the one thing that had forced them to part.

"If you're really Tara then tell me what you said to me after my mother died." Buffy pushed her not answering the question.

Buffy's query threw the blonde for a moment and made her focus on what was actually happening once more.

"In the hospital?" She asked for the small clarification. "When I told you about my mother, when you asked whether it was sudden and I said it's always sudden?" She tried to piece together the right words to reflect the memory.

"Tell me something else only you would know." Buffy pushed her strength faltering a bit.

"Something only I would know?" Tara frowned trying to wrack her brain. "The night Willow and I first kissed, I gave her my grandmother's dolls eye crystal."

Xander nodded almost without actually moving his head, though he didn't look any more content.

"Buffy please, what's going on" Tara watched the interaction beginning to feel slightly ill at ease. "When you said I died, what do you mean?" She pushed up to sit.

"Warren shot you, through the bedroom window." Buffy felt a bitter taste in her throat as she spoke the words.

"I… I don't understand." Tara pressed her hand into her forehead. "Buffy I swear to you, I left Sunnydale eleven months ago."

"You say you left after the memory spell?" Buffy cautiously moved over and sat on the end of the couch.

"Yes." Tara nodded again. "I moved out, it was horrible. Dawn wouldn't speak to me, you didn't know what to say, I couldn't even look at Willow." She shivered. "I couldn't be here like that." She shook her head. "All my life I've been in places that made me feel bad and this was my home, I needed to feel safe and wanted in my home." She explained her reasons as best as she could in this highly tense situation.

"It must have been the First, something the First made." Buffy reluctantly put two and two together, her stomach filling with a hard icy feeling as she worked things out. "It's been playing us for a year, that's how it knows us, how it knows what to taunt us with."

"The First? Who is the First?" Tara frowned more. "I swear to you Buffy I left here, I went to Oregon to stay with a friend and then to Europe. I've not been back to Sunnydale until today."

"Tara, this isn't going to make any sense." Buffy looked at her and took a breath. "But if what you're saying is true then for the last eleven months something was here living in your place, dying in your place."

"You mean I was never gone?" Tara looked between Buffy and Xander, she watched as the carpenter shook his head solemnly. "But… but that makes no sense." She pushed up from the couch and backed away from them slightly.

"You were distant, withdrawn but you came around when we needed you." Buffy filled in shaking her head.

"But... Dawn hated me, she wouldn't even say goodbye when I left the house." Tara shook her head. "You didn't want me around." She glared at the Slayer.

"The 'you' that was here made it up to Dawn, you two used to go out for shakes twice a week and movies." Buffy's voice was blank. "You helped me with the Spike thing and Willow... you forgave her."

"And then I was shot." Tara had turned deathly pale color that peaked whiter when both Xander and Buffy gave a hard nod. "And Willow?" She swallowed as she asked the question, her body trembling.

"Someone murdered you Tara, you died in her arms." Buffy could bring herself to give a clear answer.

"She killed him." The Slayer tried to keep some volume in her voice. She had first cast a sideways glance at Xander to see that his mouth was all but sewed shut.

"The boy who shot me?" Tara felt her stomach twist painfully and it only got worse when the Slayer nodded. "Xander, I'm sorry I have to use your bathroom." She managed to inform them what she was doing before hurrying out.

"Xander I just told her she died and Willow killed someone, give her a minute. I know I need one." Buffy put her hands up over her face as she leaned back on the couch.

"Yeah." The young man paced in front of the window. "Do you believe her?" He found he just couldn't keep silent.

"She's real, she looks like Tara, she sounds like Tara, she knows stuff Tara should know." Buffy leaned forward taking a deep breath. "I want to believe she's Tara because then she's alive."

"But it's not as simple as that is it?" Xander paced more. "Buffy, we buried Tara."

"Should we talk to Giles? Maybe there's some tests or something he can do on her. You know find out if she's real or something." Xander suggested reaching up to pull at his hair.

There came as small scuffle from inside and the sound of the toilet flushing, then water being run in the sink and only then the soft click of the door being unlocked.

"Tara?" Buffy pushed it open slowly to see her sitting back on the tub edge. "Look I know I just blurted that out but you have to understand what we've been going through."

"Of course." She raised her hand to her lip nodded slightly. "It must have been terrible for you, I'm so sorry." She dropped her head in a classic Tara position.

"No, you see there's a new big evil in town called the First, as in the first evil. It can take the form of anyone deceased and it's killing off all the Slayer potentials before it takes out Faith and I to snuff the line." Buffy blurted it all out.

"The girls who would be called when Faith and I die, the First's eyeless demons have already knocked off most of them. The last few left are shacked up at my house." She crouched down so she was eye to eye with Tara.

"I'm sorry I had no idea what things were like here. I ... I just thought it was time to come home." Tara looked up into Buffy's eyes.

"Tara, I have no right to say this but Willow needs you. She's fighting so hard to keep her magic in check and she's so lost without you." The Slayer sighed. "She's not Willow anymore, she's like she's empty, vacant, just trying so hard to go through the motions but she's not alive."

"But, I shouldn't be here." Tara shook her head. "I died." The words came in a haunted tone.

"Tara, look at me." Buffy leaned forward and took the very warm, very real hands in her own. "If you were in Oregon or Florence or wherever, it wasn't you. You never died."

Tara had to stop herself crying the instant Buffy took her hands, it was the first contact they'd shared for so long and it said that at least Buffy wanted to believe she was who she said she was. That fact combined with everything she had just learnt and everything she was feeling inside before that made her just want to fall apart and cling to the strong Slayer for support.

"I know." Buffy nodded. "The First has powers, powers that we don't understand." She was honest, there was nothing else that she could be. "Xander called Giles, he might be able to help explain."

Tara merely nodded. What else could she say in a situation like this? What voice did a dead woman have?

Giles staggered back a bit feeling the couch hit his calves and the comfort of a solid object made him sit down as he stared at the figure before him. Seeing the blonde Wicca at first had caused him to have the usual reaction. He'd gone through a very reserved concern that she was The First, asked a series of inane questions to see where she had been and what she had been doing, then the shock had settled in.

"I'm sorry... I just need a moment." He gave her a soft smile as he slowly pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his brow.

"I need to get a glass of water." Tara admitted and looked up at Xander, she was beginning to feel a little like a zoo animal or some kind of circus freak with everyone staring at her asking questions and then just staring some more. Of course she understood why they were like it, well no, she could piece together why they were like it, understanding exactly would come a lot further down the line, but still it didn't make her feel any better.

"Be my guest." The carpenter nodded that she should feel free to get one. He felt bad for the fact that he'd just sat and stared between the four of them all the time that Giles had performed his 'interview', but there was nothing else he felt he could do.

Tara softly pushed up from the couch and silently left the room and immediately Buffy pushed off from the windowsill where she was perched and looked at Giles.

"I know that but we have to comprehend it, so comprehend it and tell me how we can find out if it's true." Buffy pushed she paced lightly in front of the window, the heels of her boots tapping almost impossibly loudly on the polished wood floor. "How can we prove that that is Tara?" She looked at the Watcher desperate for him to have an answer.

"All of the conventional methods are useless, the autopsy performed on the..." He gulped. "I'm sure if there had been gross abnormalities they would have contacted someone."

"Was there an autopsy?" Xander said uncomfortably pulling at the front of his shirt, the material sticking to him and making him feel like he was choking. "I don't remember." He admitted, feeling green just thinking about it. "You know the bullet and the blood and everything, seemed kinda obvious how she, how it died."

"It was a murder investigation Xander, they had to do one. Why do you think we couldn't get her back to bury her for a week?" Buffy snapped at him feeling the tension in the room rise a notch higher.

"Please." Giles interrupted the pair, aware that they were both reacting to the situation in different ways and that those ways were enough to cause friction in themselves. "I think there is a spell. One that can at least confirm she is human, and isn't in fact a doppelganger." He pushed up to stand again.

"There is?" Buffy turned and looked at him the momentary anger at Xander forgotten as the Watcher offered a glimmer of hope.

"It's crude but it would be vaguely effective in this scenario." He nodded. "It was conceived many years ago when there were rampant fears that doppelgangers were being use to imitate important public figures. As I say crude but effective, designed to focus on a beings inner source." He stopped before he went into a lengthy explanation knowing that no one in the room was the slightest bit interested in a history lesson right now.

"It's not gonna hurt her is it?" Xander shifted uncomfortably in his place glancing at the kitchen door.

"No, no of course not. Mostly I walk around with a few things then point something akin to a divining rod at her, the basis of its reaction allows me to determine who and what she is. I'm afraid other than that there is no way to confidently confirm her identity." He paused momentarily and followed Xander's eyes to the door. "I think it is obvious that she believes that she is Tara Maclay, but then none of us for one moment thought the young lady that lived and died with us those short months ago was anything other than Tara Maclay." Giles finished then looked at them both.

"There must be something else we can do." Buffy sighed feeling tension and a thick swell of nausea build up inside her. "A way to check we can check her story out." Buffy felt herself clicking into research mode. "Tickets." She looked up proud that she had come up with something, "If she traveled a lot she must have bought tickets and tickets are traceable."

"She said she had tickets, we saw the plane one she had." Xander nodded catching on to Buffy's train of thought. "And we can check with her friend in Oregon, and she must have been staying with someone at least as a base in Europe, didn't she mention someone in Paris?" The carpenter's eyes were bright when the enthusiasm of the moment caught up with him.

"Exactly." Buffy nodded. "We can check dates and bank details we just need to know names and places. Giles…" She turned to the Watcher with a new sense of purpose. "Where do you have to be to do this spell?"

"I can do it here, I just need to pick up a few things." The Englishman replied with a short nod but then for an instant his face fell into a much darker, serious line. "Buffy…" He called for the Slayer's attention, his voice somber. "What do we plan to do if we discover she isn't who she says she is?"

Buffy stopped in her tracks, the click of her boots ending ominously short as she turned and looked at him, all trace of light and hope gone from her features.

"Then we get rid of it, before it can hurt anyone." Buffy said with out hesitation, her hazel eyes dark and focused on nothing but Giles' brown ones. Her voice was cold, her tone almost clinical.

"Buffy!" Xander's gaze flicked between the two other people in the room, unable to comprehend the sudden shift in mood and thought.

"As long as we're agreed." Giles ignored Xander's horrified gasps and remained focused purely on Buffy.

"We're agreed." The Slayer didn't flinch in the slightest also ignoring Xander's objection.

"I'll be back as soon as I can with the spell ingredients. Try to confirm all you can in the meantime. I don't think I need to advise you that she shouldn't be allowed to leave." He tucked his handkerchief away and moved to the door.

"Giles." Buffy called as he reached the door, the watcher turned and looked at her.

"Of course not." He took a visible breath trying to steady himself as he pulled the door open and slipped out.

As the door closed behind the retreating watcher, Xander turned to Buffy and caught hold of her arm. He pulled her almost roughly over to the window, as far away as her could from the still closed kitchen door.

"Okay." He said rather breathlessly. "Just what the hell was that?" He hissed staring between the Slayer and the door.

"That was necessary." Buffy replied though the edge had slipped from her voice, she took a breath and looked up at her friend. "Xander I don't like this idea any more than you do but if that isn't Tara..." She hissed back her voice low. "Then we can't afford to get wishy washy and let the First get to us or Willow." She said the redhead's name even lower.

"But Buffy are you seriously suggesting we do a bit of research, Giles waggles a pointy stick at her and if it wiggles left she's Tara if it waggles right we kill her?" Xander squeaked appalled.

"If she's not Tara, then it, whatever it is, is not human." Buffy underlined the most important fact.

"She sure as hell looks human. You want me to stab her with a stick see if she bleeds." Xander scowled.

"Xander." Buffy snapped at him. She didn't like the though any more than her friend did, in fact right now she couldn't even begin to comprehend how they would deal with it if the tests, the research and the spell confirmed that she wasn't real. The very thought made her sick to the stomach. "We deal with that when we have to." She tried to order her own thoughts as well as give the carpenter something he could work around. "Look, why don't you order us something to eat? If she has just flown half way across the world, then she's going to be starved." Buffy began walking towards the kitchen.

Xander watched his friend move feeling his body shaking inside though when he looked down at his hands he saw them hanging firm in the air.

"Remember you're big yellow crayon speech?" Buffy walked back over to him, her voice back to being low and hard. "Well guess what, its time to step up. We have to deal with this and we have to protect Willow from this, so suck it up and suck it up quick."

"But this is real, this is heavy." Xander felt his inside tighten more under Buffy's intense stare.

"But..." Xander began to object but felt all his arguments die in his throat. Buffy was right, they couldn't let anything hurt Willow, any of them and this, if this were a lie, would crush her. He took a breath and looked up at his friend. "You know…" He began with a sigh. "If she is Tara, the real Tara, there are a whole other bunch of issues."

"We can't think about those yet." Buffy shook her head and broke eye contact. "The first thing we have to do is figure out what she is. Then we can deal with telling Willow."

"One step at a time." Xander seemed to draw a little strength from somewhere as her straightened up and took a breath.

"Exactly." Buffy actually gave him a smile. "So get on the phone and do your pizza ordering thing." She turned towards the kitchen.

"What are you going to do?" He asked somewhat pensively as Buffy neared the door.

"Talk to her." The Slayer shrugged. "If she is Tara, she must think we've all gone insane."

"We're ordering pizza, any special requests? We could get that sausage and double pepperoni you used to like." She kept her voice light as she entered the kitchen letting the door swing closed behind her.

The blonde Wicca was stood in front of the kitchen window, her back turned to the Slayer. Her slim figure outlined by the dimming sunlight of the late afternoon. Her head was slightly dipped and one arm wrapped itself around her waist. The other tucked her hair repeatedly behind her ear.

"The questions, M-M-Mr. Giles." Tara turned, her pale face streaked with tears. "The pizza." She said needlessly pushing her hair back again. "You're trying to find out who..." She stopped. "What I am." She felt a hard shiver hit her body as she spoke.

"I won't lie to you Tara, but you have to understand what this looks like from our perspective." Buffy took a few steps in and leaned against the counter. "You've been a Scooby long enough to know how our life is."

"Giles says there's a spell, he's going to get some stuff so he can confirm you're who you are." Buffy felt the hardness in her body drop as she continued looking at the blonde seeing her very real tears.

"I should save you all the trouble and just leave." Tara dropped the hand from around her waist and pushed at the tears on her cheek trying to steal herself some inner strength, after all it would be the right thing to do wouldn't it? To just leave again, to everyone here she was dead and gone anyway forever.

"Tara, don't you think we want it to be you?" Buffy interrupted her thoughts, "Trust me, there is nothing I want more at this moment. I want to just be able to look at you and think that maybe, just maybe with you back, then all of the shit that has happened since you…" She felt a lump lodge in her throat. "Tara I want to believe its you more than anything. But I have to know it's you before I change the world." She took a breath and moved a little closer. "Tara the thought that you, the real you was never here, was never hurt that makes me…" She stopped again, "I can't tell you how good that feels inside." She shook her head.

"But if what I am saying is true, if I am Tara, and I have been away for the last eleven months, it means something worse doesn't it?" Tara revealed that she had indeed been a Scooby long enough to know the kind of things that happened to them, the kind of situations they found themselves in, the fact that every day their lives were about life and death not just for themselves but of the world.

"No, it doesn't mean worse, it just means supernatural and evil. We can deal with supernatural evil." Buffy shook her head. "We've dealt with it before."

"I don't want to make anything harder for any of you, that's not why I came back." Tara willed her voice not to crack as she made the sad admission.

"Tara, you not being here made things harder... you being dead made things impossible. You being here, being alive can only make things better." Buffy knew she should be keeping herself more in check but she couldn't. Ever word, every look just made her want to believe more and more that this was Tara Maclay.

"Why?" Tara shook her head. "What can I do? I was never the witch Willow was, I don't have the fighting skills that the rest of the gang do." She pointed out her weaknesses.

"We don't need a witch and we don't need a fighter." Buffy shook her head. "We need what you've always given us... stability. Tara…" She took a stiff breath. "You know how people say you never really know what you have until you don't have it any more? That's how it's been without you and it makes me feel sick to admit it because I so undervalued you when you were here but without you we're just a gang of individuals doing our best not to fall apart. You have no idea how bad it feels inside if you're real. To know that the First knew better than any of us did how important you were, are. Used our own ignorance against us."

Tara watched the obvious emotion play in Buffy's face. She pushed her hand into her pocket and pulled out the plane ticket she had shown them earlier and along with it a hotel key card.

"Do you want me to pick them up?" Buffy questioned a little bemused by the move after her emotional outburst.

"That's not what I'm taking about." Tara took a breath. "I kept receipt stubs and things like that, I always do. Well always since going out with Willow, we, we did things like that." She explained without really saying much. "Either you or Xander will find everything in my hold all, I think I dropped it on the bed." She continued. "Paulo, the friend in Paris, his number is in the pink address book in my purple square case, as is Sophie's." She glanced up to the ceiling trying to think of anything else she could tell the Slayer that would prove her story. "There are some photographs in there too, of Europe and things." She shook her head trying not to miss anything.

"Of course." Tara lowered her eyes and slid the things onto a kitchen counter when Buffy didn't take them. She took a slightly staggered breath. "Do you want me to sit down, I don't know, tie me up or something?" Tara's voice shook as she made the offer her hand tracing subconsciously over her wrist as if she could already feel the ropes there.

"To be honest I've had to tie way to many people up lately." Buffy watched the blonde's actions and fought down a shiver. "We could go sit in the living room and you could tell me about Florence, did you go to the chapel?"

"Actually I'm really, really tired right now." Tara looked up shaking slightly more, she couldn't cope with Buffy being chatty and amiable. Especially as she was more than aware that if she or any of the others found anything they didn't like about her or her story then the Slayer would have to 'sort' something out. "Perhaps if I just curled up on the couch again?"

"Let me change the sheets on Xander's bed, there's no reason to not get some proper sleep." Buffy backed away under the sad glare, knowing full well that Tara knew exactly what the score was, the blonde had always been quiet but very quick to catch on to a situation.

"No, no, M-M-Mr. Giles will need me at least fairly awake for the spell." Tara shook her head. "The couch is fine." She wrapped her arm around herself again.

"I'll get you a blanket." Buffy nodded. "I'm sorry." She whispered slipping back out knowing that the small apology was far from good enough.

Giles had set the spell up trying to make as little fuss and disruption as possible. They had had to move some furniture around so that Tara was sat isolated in the center of the room surrounded by a strange collection of artifacts and crystals. Dark green candles were lit at specific points around the room and thick smoke billowed from some burning herbs on a small silver platter near to the blonde's feet.

Giles slowly walked around the artifacts mumbling under his breath letting some dark powder slip from between his fingers as he walked the complex route over and over.

Buffy stood with Xander over to one side of the room watching everything that was going on with a curious eye. Xander had made it back before the Watcher with Tara's stuff and everything she had said so far checked out.

The large pile of receipts for everything from plane tickets to socks confirmed she'd been exactly where she said she had. Add to that the pictures and even newspaper clippings that she had gathered together in a large scrapbook, and it gave everyone a clear outline of exactly what this 'Tara' had done with the last eleven months of her life. The scrapbook that had obviously been designed to chart her journeys and provides points of reflection later in life now sought to prove she lived at all.

"That smoke's making her cough." Xander looked over at the blonde who was trying not to disturb anything, covering her coughs with her hand occasionally when they became too hard to ignore. "Does that mean she's an evil dopple-thingie." He hissed at Buffy.

"I don't know." Buffy shook her head. "Smoke makes anyone cough." She pointed out.

"There were presents." Xander whispered under his breath as they continued watching the spell. "For everyone, wrapped and everything."

"And…" Xander shifted uneasily in his place. "I found this." He added slipping Buffy something that up until now he had kept to himself.

It was a small navy envelope with the name 'Willow' written on the front in pastel pink pen. The name seeming to sound another bell of warning that they needed to figure out who she was as quickly as possible.

"We're not opening that unless the stick does the wonky." Buffy hissed at him snatching the envelope to keep it safe. She pressed it into the pocket of her dark jeans.

"Do you think it's her, I mean like really her?" Xander pushed the Slayer to make some kind of judgment.

"I want it to be her." Buffy's voice dropped softer as she admitted the truth. "Don't you?"

"Well yeah." Xander nodded but something in his eyes told the Slayer that he was lying.

What?" Buffy turned to him her eyes wide with alarm that maybe she was missing something glaringly obvious. "You don't think it's her?"

"No, it's not that, I mean no." Xander stumbled over his words. "It's just that, well, Willow." He pointed out his major concern.

"This is what Willow wants Xander, this is what she wants more than anything." Buffy whispered glancing over at Giles who seemed ready now to get to the important part of the spell.

"But she's moving on Buffy, all that work that she did in England, she's a different girl now." Xander argued to the contrary.

"What?" Buffy couldn't help but show her surprise in the carpenter's words. "Have you ever talked to her about Tara since the whole blow up the world thing?" She questioned him her voice too low for the others to hear. "Have you even heard her say her name? Seen her cry? She went to England to get the magic in control. Getting over Tara has not happened, moving on has not happened." She took a shallow breath. "For Christ-sake she turned into Warren to punish herself just last week."

"Yeah but maybe, you know with Kennedy." Xander queried finally saying the SIT's name.

"Kennedy is only an issue because Tara was dead." Buffy spelled out the situation as she saw it. "And if she is Tara, Kennedy doesn't stand a chance."

"I just want the best for Will, she can't deal with much more, you know that Buffy." Xander said sadly.

Buffy was about to respond when she saw Giles begin a tentative approach towards Tara with the two foot long gnarled stick he had carefully unpacked from within an aged wicker box. When the Watcher within range of the blonde, the tip of the stick centimeters form her nose, he released the end of it that he was holding. Buffy felt her breath catch in her chest as she watched mesmerized.

For a second the divining rod wobbled in the air and then hung perfectly horizontally in its place supported by nothing. Giles stepped back looking at Tara and the stick. Buffy watched not so much amazed by the fact that it was floating in mid air, but by the fact that once it became stable it didn't waiver one millimeter.

"She's her isn't she?" The Slayer whispered the question to the Watcher still not having took a real breath.

"Xander the candles." Giles pointed over to the pair of them stepping back forwards taking the end of the stick in his hand again.

Quickly he extinguished the flame and moved around to the others. The instant the first flame was out the stick dropped into the Watcher's hand.

The Watcher bent down and picked up the ash filled silver plate and carried them out of the way over to Buffy.

"That young lady is Tara Maclay." He whispered in Buffy's ear as he moved through to put the things in the kitchen.

Buffy wasn't sure if the words made her feel like her body was a million pounds heavy or that she felt as light as air.

Tara turned just her head to look at Buffy, tears streaked her pale cheeks. The Slayer couldn't decide if they were from relief or if they might have just been a result of the smoke.

Without another word the Slayer felt something inside her break and in two quick steps she was at the side of the chair, dropping down on her knees so that she could lean forward and throw her head into Tara's lap.

The blonde Wicca drew in a long breath and pressed her hands down over the back of Buffy's head stroking her long fingers through the shorter blonde locks.

"I understand, it's all right." Tara whispered, never stopping the soft motion of her hand.

Xander somewhat awkwardly picked up the candles and the strange orange colored glass ball that Buffy's foot was close to destroying and slipped off after Giles.

"I'm sorry... I just..." Buffy lifted her head after a long time. "I can't believe it's you."

"I knew I should have cut my hair, those extra three inches make all the difference." Tara tried to smile, but it was obviously hard.

"It's beautiful, makes you look all international." Buffy wiped at her cheeks trying to compose herself.

"The coat is from England." She reached out and bravely caught a tear on the pad of her thumb and brushed it from the Slayer's cheek.

"I don't have to stay Buffy, not if it makes things harder." Tara said softly, now that the issue of her identity had been cleared up the Wicca wanted Buffy to know that her offer to disappear still stood, understand that it was an unconditional one based on what was best for them all.

"No, no." Buffy shook her head instantly. "We need you... Willow needs you." The Slayer's last three words were almost a whisper.

"I need her too." Tara's reserve broke as she had so far managed to steer clear of mentioning her ex-lover. The blonde's brave façade crumpled and heavy tears fell from blue eyes.

"Doesn't she... won't you need to talk to her?" Tara desperately wanted to accept Buffy's offer without thought or question, but she couldn't, not after what they had just had to go through, not after what had obviously happened in her absence.

"Tara, I don't know the right way to do this." The Slayer shook her head. There didn't seem an easy way to slide this into a conversation.

"I don't know what to say." Tara admitted shaking her head back. "In all my coming back scenarios, this never came up." She admitted tearfully.

"Do you still love her?" Buffy asked the serious important question of the moment.

"Those are the only three words she needs to hear... thinking she had lost you... losing you... it hurt her so much." Buffy whispered the last part realizing that even though Tara wasn't really dead, for them all it had been as if she was.

"My question of does she still love me, seems a little irrelevant somehow." Tara replied softly.

"When..." Tara hesitated. "When did you lose me, the other me?" She shook her head trying to get her head around the facts and details.

"I..." Tara stopped, unsure of exactly what to say, she was saved from having to make any decision when Xander came back into the sitting room.

"Buffy, sorry." He stated hovering a little way back. "That was Dawn on the phone."

"Apparently a group of the SIT's have taken off, something about patrolling." Xander winced as he reported the news.

"Can't I leave the house for more than a few hours without them all growing brass balls." Buffy cursed as she moved over for her jacket. "Tara, I have to go... these girls can't fight to save their lives, literally. Do you want to get a few hours sleep and I'll bring Willow by later?" She questioned slipping on her jacket.

"Whatever you think is best." Tara watched the Slayer move a little thrown by the sudden activity. "I could go back to the hotel."

"No, I changed the sheets. Consider this your new home, we can't have you at a motel." Xander shook his head.

"Thank you." Tara turned and smiled gratefully at him, it was nice to have him look at her without that trace of fear in his dark eyes.

"No worries, I put some candles in there too and towels in the bathroom if you want to have a shower." He pointed back to the hall and doorway.

"I'll see you both in a few hours." Buffy smiled at Xander who she could see was trying so hard. She headed out the door though knowing she needed to get home. The last thing she needed was any of the SIT's getting into a situation they couldn't handle right now.

"Buffy." Giles called running after her as she hurried down the hall making her stop after she had hit the call button. "We need to talk, about what happens next." She said seriously as the elevator doors slid open.

"We've already got a next, I'm bringing Willow back once I round up the rogue SIT's and tuck them back in the house." Buffy spelled it out putting her hand back to hold the door open.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Giles stepped into the lift with her letting her release the door.

"Giles, that's Tara. We have to tell Willow." She hit the button for the ground floor.

"But what?" Buffy watched the change in his move and pushed for him to tell her what was going on in his head.

"How do you intend to tell her?" He asked. "How do you intend to explain to her that The First, as we assume this was, used a shadow of Tara to infiltrate our circle, to learn all it could about us and then to find out how far and how much power she possessed?" He sighed heavily. "We can only guess at the motives here Buffy."

"We know the First motive Giles, it wants to drive us all crazy and kill us." She nearly snapped at him but she managed to keep her voice in check. "What it wanted to do, what it did to us to propel this crazy plan it has isn't the issue right now. The issue for Tara and Willow right now is that Tara isn't dead and Willow needs to know that." She let her voice fall. "Giles we're losing her, you know that even better than I do. She's not herself and it's not the magic anymore, she's got that under control."

"When do you plan on telling her?" Giles saw that Buffy wasn't going to be moved.

"The SIT's are roaming wild, I have to round them up first then I'll bring her back with me." She filled him in. "I'll try to prep her all I can."

"I'll try and do some background, into exactly what it was that The First did." Giles nodded. "Be careful Buffy." He urged her knowing just how dangerous things were out there right now.

"Giles..." Buffy stopped as the door opened as she stepped out but held it open. The watcher looked up at her expectantly. "If the First replaced her, did all this... it can't have expected her to come back to town. It can't expect us to know what it's been up too." She filled in, her more strategic mind coming to life.

"Anything that we know and the first doesn't, helps us." Buffy nodded. "What we need to figure out is how it does."

It hadn't been the disaster it could have been for the Slayer, rounding up the SIT's proved to be fairly easy and they had between them actually managed to both stay alive and bag a couple of vamps before she'd found them wandering down main street. That hadn't meant that Buffy didn't give them all a lecture about safety and sensible planning, but all in all it hadn't been that bad. Now everyone was back at the house, with Anya and Dawn watching over the group. This fact had helped Buffy greatly as it meant that she and Willow had been able to slip away without concern or question.

'Though it was more like Anya and Dawn just being part of the hyped up crowd, but hey at least they should be sorted for the night.' Buffy thought to herself with a sigh. 'I just hope they keep it together long enough for me to get Willow to Xander's.'

The pair had gone a long way in silence. Each wrapped in their individual thoughts. Buffy's stomach was turning and churning inside her, while at the same time her head was filled with a feeling of elation and hope like none other she'd felt for the last seven months at least.

A few feet beside the Slayer, Willow wrapped her arms around her body shaking out her hair in the slight wind as followed what seemed to be the aimless path her friend was walking.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly noting how the whole night the Slayer had been very distracted.

"Yeah, I can't believe the SIT's." Buffy shook her head. "You'd have thought enough of them had..." Her voice trailed off. "Well you know, for it to have sunk in a bit by now."

"Me too." Willow nodded sadly. "I guess they figure if they get in the game they'll have a better chance of surviving. I know for one that Kennedy is eager to get things going."

"How you doing?" The Slayer asked gently, her mind racing over anything but the SIT's group death wish.

"Who me?" Willow shrugged lightly. "I'm okay." She gave the unconvincing answer.

"There aren't many to give." The redhead shifted her arms. "Just focusing on finding out info on The First."

"Oh." Willow looked down a little. "Better I guess, not turning myself into my own murder victim again." She gave an agitated laugh. "Though if I see Amy again I might be forced to threaten to re-rat her." The comment gave the Slayer a glimpse of the old Willow and she laughed genuinely before she took a slight breath.

"And Kennedy?" She asked more because it fitted with their topic of conversation than because she actually classed it as an issue.

"I…" Willow shook her head. "I don't know Buffy." She admitted. "Something doesn't…" She stopped again. "Do you mind if I don't answer that?" She concluded looking away.

"No problem." Buffy slid her hands into the pockets of her pants. "You haven't asked where we're going." She pointed out as they walked on.

"Where are we going?" Willow looked up at the crossroads ahead orienting herself to the location.

"To Xander's." Buffy replied trying to kept her voice even. "Because I need to talk to you." She added quickly and watched as Willow shook out her hair again looking at the Slayer waiting for her to continue. "Will." Buffy began but stopped taking a deep breath. "Something happened today." She tried to find a way to say this again. "Something that changes some things." She added watching Willow carefully.

"What? Did the First come out of hibernation?" Willow blinked a flash of worry settling on her face.

"Kinda." Buffy led Willow gently towards a bench close to the sidewalk. "Wanna sit for a minute?"

"Buffy, if this is about the hex... I sorted it. I told you I would." Willow instantly went on the defensive.

"It's not about the hex." Buffy shook her head and sat down. "Please." She patted the wood beside her and a little reluctantly Willow eased down. "Will, the thing, that happened today." She found herself pausing a lot between words, as if trying to order them in her mind. "It's made us see, that…" She took another long pause. "That the things that have happened in the last months, the last year, haven't exactly been." She paused again feeling the weight of the silence moments sitting heavier on her. "Real." She concluded.

"Buffy, you're not making any sense." The redhead stared at the Slayer and rather obviously reached out putting her hand on Buffy's arm to test that she was real.

"Willow I have something really important, but really unbelievable to tell you." Buffy took a deep breath. "And I need you to know that before telling you Xander, Giles and I have done everything to make sure that what I am going to tell you is the truth." She tried to make it clearer. "You following me so far?"

"I guess." Willow watched her carefully still not at all understanding what is going on. "Not really."

"When we get to Xander's." Buffy glanced down to the apartment block at the bottom of the road. "I'm going to take you up to his apartment." She bit her lip a little but carried on. "And…"

"And?" Willow pushed her not enjoying the tension in the air that was rising by the second or that Buffy reached out and the Slayer's hand rested on her knee.

The five simple words, strung together to make the sentence made every feature on Willow's face fall instantly.

"Will." Buffy jumped up. "Willow." She reached out catching hold of Willow's coat, trying to turn her round to face her.

"Is this some sort of sick test? A check to see if I start floating and burning the block down." Willow turned around angry.

In an uncontrolled reaction Buffy released her best friend's arm and took a step back, shaking her head.

"I'm saying this because it's true." Buffy continued. "I didn't believe it either, when Xander came and got me this afternoon, but Willow, she's there." She hated the look in Willow's eyes but had to continue. "She left Sunnydale, after the spell you cast on us all, the memory spell that made us all forget everything. She moved out of the house and then a week later she left Sunnydale. She's been gone over eleven months."

"But..." Willow tried to process what she was being told as her breath started to come faster, whistling into her dry body to make her already dizzy head swim more.

"She went to a friend, Sophie." Buffy remembered the name to see if Willow had ever heard of her to see if it would make her at least focus a little. The way green eyes were darting around made her edgy and uncertain that the redhead could handle what she was hearing.

"And then to Europe, she had a friend in Paris she used as a base." Buffy nodded quickly.

"Who? Jamie?" Willow didn't real internalize what she was being told. "Oh no, he moved to Brussels. It must have been Paulo." She stepped back sitting down again. "She used to have lots of friends." Her voice was tiny.

"She has lots of friends." Buffy sank to her knees on the floor in front of the bench. "Giles is trying to figure out what happened but we think that some how the First knew about you and Tara, and then when she left it saw the perfect opportunity to move in." She explained quickly, there was no need to focus on this aspect of things now. "We think it, it replaced her some how, with a clone, a doppelganger or a shadow as Giles called it. So that it could learn things about us, find out our weaknesses, test us, hurt us."

"Tara's not dead?" Willow looked down into Buffy's eyes her own wild and filled with tears.

The plea made Buffy stop her hasty explanation and as she looked up into her best friend's eyes she realized for the first time Willow understood, really understood what she was saying.

"She's not dead." She stated with a teary smile as Willow latched onto the main point of her statement.

"Just down there." Buffy clasped her hands over Willow's and nodded with her head.

Willow squeezed Buffy's hand for a moment before she broke away running full out the short distance down to the building. It took Buffy a moment to catch up with the fact that Willow had moved, she blinked and pushed up from her place on the floor and fled after her.

"TARA!" Willow screamed racing into the lobby and banging on the elevator button to call the lift. When it didn't immediately come, she ran to the side stairs and raced up the three flights to Xander's floor.

"TARA!" She screamed again feeling tears burning down out of her eyes as she reached her best friend's door and flung it open, the heavy wood rattling back on its hinges.

"Tara?" She looked around at Xander and Giles' shocked faces. "Where is she?" She threw the words at them daring them to not lie.

Xander blinked somewhat stupidly and then pointed at the bedroom door. Following the line that his finger created, Willow moved without another word over to it and flung it open.

All of her energy and provocation came to a hard stall as her gaze fell on the blonde who lay asleep, looking small and fragile in Xander's bed. Her hair was fanned out on the pillow behind her turned head, her pale pink lips slightly open as she breathed slowly during her slumber.

"Baby?" Willow whispered her chest rising and falling hard with each emotional breath.

With a soft moan Tara turned in the bed, disturbed both by the noise and the streak of bright light that seem to flood the room from the door. She raised a sleepy hand to her head and rubbed it across both eyes before they fluttered open.

"Baby?" Willow whispered again as she watched the sleeping beauty before her wake up just like she would in the fairy tales she had read during her childhood.

"Willow?" The name slipped from between Tara's lips in a sleep filled whisper as she pushed herself up in the large bed, blinking the figure framed in the doorway into focus.

"Tara." The redhead spoke the name as she stepped shakily closer not able to believe her eyes. She hadn't even dared to dream this could be possible.

"Willow." The blonde saw red hair lit by the living room light, and instantly she threw back the cover and pushed her sleepy aching body out of the bed.

"Baby..." Willow's arms shook as they rose a little beckoning the blonde to come to her.

It took less than a step for Tara to be in reaching distance of Willow, a step that the blonde made quickly and decisively, her arms closing around the slender red head without a trace of hesitation. When Tara was close enough Willow collapsed against her, the hard tears she'd been holding back breaking free when she felt the blonde's warm familiar arms around her. Her hard sobbing gasps filling her nose and lungs with the damp taste of Tara, making her know this wasn't a ghost or a dream.

Tara closed one hand over the side of Willow's head lightly, the other went to wrap around her waist to hold them together as she placed kiss after kiss onto soft red hair.

"Shush sweetie." She whispered over and over. "It's okay." She rocked her gently.

"You're alive." Willow sobbed the strength running out of her legs as she started to sink in the grasp her arms still clinging to the blonde's body.

"Willow..." Tara slid too, not expecting nor able to cope with the sudden change. She gracelessly and somewhat painfully sunk to the floor with Willow partially in her lap. "I'm right here." She gathered Willow to her as best she could.

"I thought I'd lost you… I..." Willow couldn't even begin to speak as she sobbed pressing her body against the blonde's harder, wanting to crawl inside her and be free of the harsh painful world.

"I know sweetie I know." Tara rocked her over and over. "But I'm here now." She whispered knowing in no way did it make anything right or better instantly but unable not to say it if it might offer Willow any relief.

"Please don't ever leave me again." Willow sobbed leaning up to hug her closer, nestling her chin over Tara's shoulder as she had so often done in the past.

"I won't." Tara whispered shaking her head, rubbing Willow's back over and over. "I won't."

Anya poured the fifth bag of microwave popcorn into the enormous bowl preparing to bring it to the horde of SIT's watching videos in the living room.

"You know I think it is appalling that just because I don't have demon powers I get left to baby-sit as if that is the only task I am still suitable for." She grumbled turning to watch the last bag as it began to pop in the microwave. "Not that I mean you, as since I no longer own the shop you have nothing you can steal from me." She looked at Dawn who was putting ice in the dozen or so glasses lined up on the countertop.

"What do you think Willow and Buffy are doing out there?" She questioned shaking salt over the bowl. "I mean is it wise to leave all of them here alone, it's not like the Bringers can't just bust in the front door and kill them all."

"Patrolling maybe or maybe Willow needed something." Dawn played with the ice in the glass nearest to her. "I think Willow did some protection thing on the house."

"Well that's comforting." Anya spoke the words but it wasn't obvious if she meant them.

"Comforting?" Dawn sighed again. "We've still been abandoned. If they decide to jump ship the second time I'm not calling her again."

"I mean I know they haven't been around this as much as we have but even we have the sense not to go out when Buffy tells us." Anya agreed sticking up for the teenager. "I mean how many more of them have to be disemboweled before they get the picture."

"I don't know." Dawn shrugged. "Maybe to be a potential you have to be a little, you know, blind to the obvious."

"And be able to eat like a pig." Anya turned as the microwave beeped retrieving the steaming bag.

"Really the Council should be paying for this but I guess since they blew up there's not much of a chance of that." Anya nodded her displeasure. "And why do they think we're their waitresses?"

"Because they've been trained by the Council, you know how 'better than you' they are. Do you think they're really like exploded and destroyed or do you think they have a secret underground bunker thing?" Dawn turned and grabbed a handful of popcorn.

"Underground bunker." Anya nodded grabbing a handful as she leaned forward on the island.

"Maybe this is all some big test to figure out the best of the best." The ex-demon mused hopefully.

"She's unbearable now. Do you know she said I was looking flabby and should start training?" Anya commented disgusted. "Hello I am over twelve hundred years old and I look perfectly fine."

"Thank you." Anya beamed. "I hid some chocolate in with the cleaning stuff, did you want some?" She offered gently and wasn't surprised when Dawn nodded. "I knew they would never look for it there." The ex-demon grinned as she bent down and fished them out a bar each.

Just then the dull sound of the front door closed reached the pairs ears, Dawn turned and looked in that direction.

The idea that that it wasn't someone leaving but someone arriving was underlined when the noise from the lounge dimmed and a few small voices said 'Hi or hello'.

"Hide the chocolate." Anya hissed and quickly grabbed what was left of Dawn's chocolate bar and stuffed it back into her stash under the sink.

With soft slow footsteps Buffy moved out of the living room and entered the kitchen.

"Yes, we were just feeding your horde of baby slayers." Anya pointed to the popcorn.

"Did you lose Willow?" The ex-demon questioned grabbing another handful of popcorn.

"Kind of." Buffy smiled a little tightly as she eased herself onto a stool under Anya's confused glare.

"Buffy, what's going on?" Dawn asked quietly seeing the worry that was creasing the Slayer's face.

"I…" She glanced at them both. "There's something I have to talk to you both about. Perhaps you could both sit down." She encouraged.

Almost ritualistically they both sat down staring at her waiting for what they assumed would be bad news.

"Something's happened that's made Giles realize that this thing with The First has been going on a lot longer than we thought it has." She stated gently.

"Buffy, how long?" Dawn added putting her hands nervously in her lap. "What does he think it's been doing?"

"Watching us, learning about us, about our strengths, our weakness." Buffy answered knowing that neither of them could possibly understand the ramifications of what she was saying.

"Being one of us." Buffy felt her spine chill and tense as she whispered her reply causing them to both looked at her in disbelief.

"Buffy did you perhaps get knocked around the head again by another uber vamp?" Anya asked the serious question.

"So how is it been one of us? We haven't really hung around anyone new Buffy... Oh God was it doing its bad mojo on Spike?" Dawn gasp lightly as Buffy shook her head and reached out and placed her hand over her sisters.

"I know," Buffy apologized. "I'm sorry, but so many things make much more sense right now, but at the same time have gotten all crazy." She tried again. "The First has spent the last eleven months learning about us, finding out exactly how to hurt us."

"Actually you said that the First has been finding out how we hurt and how we live and then you just said Tara which would suggest that you're saying the First had something to do with her dying." Anya summed up looking between them.

"The First had nothing to do with Tara dying," Buffy shook her head again. "Because Tara isn't dead."

"That is funny, it sounded like your insane sister said Tara wasn't dead." The ex-demon's voice tapered off. "Wait, that isn't funny." She scowled at Buffy.

"No it's not." Buffy didn't flinch under the scowl. "Tara left Sunnydale eleven months ago, after her break up with Willow. She's not been anywhere near here since." She explained quickly. "The first copied her, created a shade of her, and used it to spy on us."

"Tara isn't dead?" Dawn backed up a bit until she collided with the fridge, two of the small magnets falling off and clattering on the tiled floor.

"We have ruled out that she isn't the First right?" Anya looked at the Slayer hopefully.

"In the bedroom... the blood... she..." Dawn stammered as her face drained of all color.

"It was a copy, created by the First." Buffy slid off her stool and slowly moved towards the teenager. "Made to hurt us, To test us."

"But... I... we... Willow..." Dawn started to shake as her long legs buckled slowly under her and she dragged the grocery list and a few other notes that were posted on the fridge down as she fell.

"I know." Buffy dived gracefully after her sister gathering her in her arms. "It was all a test." She rocked her gently. "It was all to hurt us." Dawn curled against her sister's body shaking, her eyes wide as her brain seemed to stall as it dealt with the information.

"Damn, damn, damn it." Anya pushed back picking up the bowl of popcorn and threw it at the far wall. "It did hurt." She screeched stamping her foot as her eyes filled with tears.

"It did." Buffy looked up shocked ducking the flying popcorn. "The First is good at what it does."

"It hurt a lot, she was nice, nice like your Mom and I thought she was dead. I lost my store because of what Willow did, and now it's for nothing." Anya paced around her hand on her forehead.

"I'll call Xander." Buffy moved to the phone glancing at the former demon that was almost guiltily picking up popcorn.

"I took Will there." Buffy looked at her sister's doe like eyes and lowered her voice slightly.

"Oh my God Willow." Dawn put her hand to her mouth again not having really thought about how this would impact everyone.

"How can she be okay? You're telling us Tara isn't dead." Dawn shook her head just not believing.

"I would like to see her too." Anya slipped the bowl back onto the counter before she tried to smooth out her skirt.

"Of course, I'll ring." Buffy picked up the phone. "Dawn are you okay?" She asked before dialing the numbers.

"I feel hot." The teenager sat down. "And cold." She stammered leaning against the island a bit.

"Yes!" Dawn snapped out the word as if she was afraid Buffy was trying to take back all that she had said.

"Common reaction to shock." Anya moved over and put her hand on Dawn's shoulder. "I think I'm going to throw up as well." She added trying to be helpful.

"Okay." Buffy dialed the number quickly. "Anya, can you please look after Dawn, Dawn, sit down please." She directed them as she listened to it ringing.

"Put your head between your knees honey it'll be fine." Anya encouraged not looking much of a better color as she rubbed Dawn's back.

"Pick up Xander, pick up." Buffy whispered over and over casting quick concerned glances at Dawn and Anya.

"Mmmm the wailing stopped awhile ago. We brought them in some drinks. Buffy, remember when the Byzantium boys hit Giles with a spear?" Xander kept his voice hushed.

"He had more color then did he did when he came out. I don't think Willow's holding up well." Xander tried to help her understand. "Though hey no fire balls or black eyed girl so we must be doing okay."

"Xander I hate to do this to you, but I can't leave the Potentials." Buffy began. "Do you think you could possibly?"

"Please." Buffy sighed. "Xander thank you." She added very thankful that she had him to rely on.

"Okay." Buffy placed the phone down and turned back to the girls. "We can go." She whispered to them.

"Xander's coming over." Buffy relayed. "Dawn are you sure?" She added softly, the teenager didn't look much better even after a few minutes of calmer breathing.

"Okay. Let's move." Buffy pointed to the hall encouraging them all to get ready.

"Tara." Giles rose softly to his feet when the blonde eased herself out of the bedroom.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you finished the other." The watcher frowned feeling suddenly inadequate.

"I didn't..." Tara glanced back towards the bedroom. "I just needed to move." She smiled tightly.

"Cramps." She replied gently. "Long plane journey and we've not exactly moved a lot in there."

"Oh course." He nodded. "Tara, I'm very sorry about before, not that I believe if I was in your place I could appreciate just how shocking it was for us all but I hope you do understand how difficult it was for us to comprehend on face value."

"I understand Mr. Giles." Tara shook her head that his apology wasn't necessary.

"How is Willow?" He asked the question a little reluctantly as he went to turn the kettle on.

"She's..." Tara glanced over her shoulder again at the closed door. "I'm not sure." The blonde admitted. "She's stopped crying."

"I doubt I have to impress this on you Tara as you know Willow better than any of us, but she took your demise... well the demise of what we all believed to be you rather..." He searched for the right word. "Hard." He finally filled in the completely inadequate one.

"It doesn't equate and I know it but…" She looked up through pained blue eyes. "I found it hard to leave." She whispered.

"I can't imagine how hard that must have been for you." He stepped a bit closer very fatherly putting his hand on her shoulder and squeezing. "I'm also very sorry I wasn't here." His voice dropped a bit.

"I tried to find you, in London when I was in Europe, but I couldn't bring myself to..." She glanced at him. "I shouldn't have left her."

"Tara, I know the last thing you need right now is a lecture and I sincerely hope you won't think of this as one but it is not your fault what happened in your absence." He squeezed her shoulder again. "Even by Hellmouth standards it was impossible to believe such a thing could occur."

"Do you understand what happened? How it happened?" Tara asked frowning slightly.

"I have a theory but it's going to take some time to piece it together. I believe the First must have seen an opening when you were leaving to truly infiltrate Buffy's inner circle and to do that it created a Shadow." Giles flicked the kettle off as it started to boil. "The problem I have to research is how."

"Perhaps I should go back in there." Tara took a step back towards the door before stopping. "Where's Xander?" She asked turning to Giles with a soft frown.

"He's gone to Buffy's to watch over the SIT's." He poured out his tea. "Dawn and Anya wanted to see you." He admitted in a soft voice.

"I apologize if this is all overwhelming." He looked at her regretting how much strain this was putting on her. "But they wanted to see you, they've missed you terribly."

"No, I don't think I'm hungry, I-I-I'll ask W-W-Willow." She moved back to the door.

"I'll knock when they are here and do my best to keep them out here in the living room." He nodded as she retreated away.

"Thank you." She bowed her head slightly, pushing the door handle down and easing herself back into the dimly lit room.

Willow by this time was sitting cross-legged on the middle of the bed, she'd managed to shed the heavy corduroy jacket she'd been wearing. Her hair sat a little wildly around her face and shoulders as she looked up immediately watching Tara close the door.

"Mr. Giles wondered if you were hungry." Tara asked pausing in the doorway before she pulled it closed.

"No." She shook her head lightly. "Are you? I could get you something..." She questioned not taking her eyes off of Tara.

"No, I don't think I am." Tara moved a little way away from the door towards the bed.

"This all must be super weird." Willow pointed out as she nibbled on her lower lip.

"It is." Tara nodded "You shouldn't do that, you'll make it sore." She added pointing to the side of her mouth "And you'll have to put that cream on you don't like."

"I ran out of cream." Willow informed her almost stupidly. "I keep forgetting to make an appointment at the health center."

"Did you use the emergence tube?" Tara prompted instantly. "From the Kitty box?"

"I..." Willow slowly shook her head. "I didn't want to disturb anything in the kitty box."

"No, of course." Tara suddenly felt chilled to her stomach, just as she was beginning to forget the events that had been happening in Sunnydale they hit her full on again.

"I can use it now though." Willow reached out the short distance touching the blonde's hand. Tara literally jumped at the contact her mind a million miles away. "Sorry." Willow jerked her hand back.

"No Willow, I'm sorry." Tara blinked blue eyes at her but didn't reach out to take the redhead's hand. "I just...." She tried to explain, but she wasn't even sure she had the words.

"Feeling overwhelmed, feeling like you've just walked into a nightmare." Willow offered trying to explain it for her. "I feel like I'm in the best dream I've had in months." She slowly moved over to sit next to Tara. "You're alive." She whispered ever so softly. "This is all I ever wanted."

"Tara you don't have to say anything." Willow shook her head. "You're alive, that's all that needs to be."

"It's not your fault." Willow contradicted immediately. "You didn't know any of this was going on. I know if you knew that baby you'd have come home right away to tell us all, it's that damn First." Her voice went angry at the mention of its name.

"But I should have kept in touch with someone, someone other than Candice, I can't understand why she didn't try to contact me." She shook her head and let it drop momentarily.

"At university." Tara nodded. "She was in my Art history class, I stayed with her for a couple of days before I left."

"Yes." Tara nodded. "She drove me to the bus station. I didn't know you knew Candice." She looked at Willow with a soft frown.

"Tara, I saw you with her a few weeks before..." She didn't finish. "I went to find you after class and I saw you kiss her cheek and got a bit jealous. You explained who she was and that she was just a friend."

"Kiss her cheek?" Tara frowned. "I wouldn't do that." She shook her head. "She's just a friend, I didn't really even know her, she just offered her spare room. She went to the Wicca group once or twice, way back, before you joined."

"The First with Candice? Oh God do you think she's been hurt?" Tara went a subtle shade of green.

"Tara, this might be hard to remember but when she offered you a place to stay and after that... did you ever actually touch her?" Willow checked.

"Occasionally, nothing more than a brush or a... no wait." Tara shook her head after a few moments of thought. "I cut my finger." She recalled. "There was a broken cup in the sink, I didn't see it, didn't check." She explained.

"Candice did have the one I like." She replied her blue eyes filling up with tears. "Or any pretty bandages."

"I…" She shook her head. "I…" She jumped when the intercom from the front door buzzed loudly.

Willow jumped with her instantly putting a protective arm fully around the blonde.

A brief scuttle sounded outside before the front door opened and more people entered.

The Watcher's reply wasn't as clear muffled by the wood and his obvious attempt to cover his answer.

"They have a right... they need to see me." Tara replied her voice quiet and anything but sure.

"I can tell them to come back tomorrow, if you're not ready." Willow offered protectively.

"No, I... Dawnie." The blonde's voice changed to a hushed whisper as the door was pushed open and the teenager stood framed in the bright light from the living room.

"Tara." The teenager repeated her name as she rushed forward throwing herself into a hug.

"Oh Dawnie." Tara closed her hand over the back of Dawn's head and cradled it softly.

"I missed you, I missed you so much." Dawn sobbed as soon as she felt Tara's soft arms cradling her as they had so often.

"You've grown, look at you," Tara blinked hard knowing her tears wouldn't help this already tricky situation. "So tall, and so pretty." She swallowed.

"It's okay as long as you're alive." Dawn pulled back a bit looking into blue eyes.

"I'm alive." Tara nodded. "And I bought you a skirt from Italy." She added with a lopsided smile.

"A skirt?" Dawn's face brightened through her tears. "It is you." She hugged the blonde tight again.

"Short is good." Dawn held on for along time before she pulled back before plopping to sit on the bed beside Willow as they both watched her in awe.

"Oh my God." Anya's voice squeaked from the sitting room. The former demon had been watching from there while Dawn had met up with blonde. "Is it really her?" She turned and looked at Buffy and Giles.

"Oh my God." She repeated still staring at Tara. "Have you checked?" She turned back and stared at Giles. "I mean she might be another one, The First might have an army of Tara clones."

"What?" Anya turned back and stared at Tara. "I'm just saying, I don't want to do this all over again I mean I don't want to make friends with her take her back into my heart and really like her if she's going to just go again." She defended her comment.

"Tara's tired, she needs to rest and doesn't need to hear your wild theories." Willow stood up trying to deflect the demon's stare.

"She does look tired." Anya nodded. "But maybe if she was a Shade she would." She turned back at Giles to see if he would support her statement.

"She's not a shade." Willow snapped looking at them all. "Stop saying that." She underlined.

"I'm just saying what people are thinking." Anya folded her arms across her chest.

"She needs to rest, go say what you think in the living room." Willow pushed them all back with her words.

"Tara if it is you, it's nice to see you're not dead." Anya huffed lightly and sunk down into the nearest chair.

"Do you want to have a bath baby? To help you relax for sleepies." Willow looking into distant blue eyes.

"Yeah and do you want something to eat?" Dawn looked at her showing that every one of them was ready to jump at her every wish.

"Willow why don't you run her a bath, Dawn go make tea and Anya you can make toast okay?" Buffy finally spoke and wasn't surprised when everyone started scurrying around. "Giles, you can go do whatever." She waved him off and walked closer to Tara. "Sorry, everyone is just in shock." She tried to explain their irrational behavior.

"I understand that." Tara nodded though her breathing was a little short and her cheeks turned from pale to suddenly flush. "I... I…" She raised her hand to her forehead.

"Overwhelmed... don't know what to say, I know." Buffy gently reached up and moved her over to sit on the bed. "When I came back from the dead I swear I kept thinking I had three heads the way everyone was looking at me."

"Yeah but to everyone you were dead so it's just like that." Buffy tried to explain.

"I don't know, but it's okay, I'll take my bath, drink my tea and eat my toast, and then go to bed." The blonde seemed to settle on the plan.

"I'll try to keep everyone as distracted as I can, but I don't think Willow's going to let you out of her sight." Buffy admitted.

"I think you're right." Tara nodded. "Do you think you could maybe pick up some more of my things?"

"Of course." The Slayer nodded. "We've got it in storage... I can bring all your clothes if you want."

"My clothes?" Tara looked a little strangely. "Oh the ones I left with Candice?"

"Yeah those ones." The Slayer felt the very large warning signal go off in her head, after all they'd been forced to go and pack up all of her stuff at the dorms when the shade had been killed. Apparently the First had thought of everything to the smallest detail.

"I meant the ones from the motel, from my luggage, but yes, whichever." Tara gave her a brief smile.

"Oh okay." Andrew put his hand up to his mouth and chewed his nail for a minute walking towards the door. "I'm sure he'll be here soon, I mean a few minutes won't make a difference."

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Just that was those English Wicca friends of Willow, apparently another of you was due in at the bus terminal about now."

"Wasn't Giles supposed to be picking her up." Kennedy queried through a mouthful of popcorn.

"Was he? Oh then no worries." Andrew came back over and sunk into his chair. "Can we watch the twin towers after this?"

"But why was there a phone call if she was already been picked up?" Vi asked seriously.

"Maybe something happened to him?" Molly put in reluctantly. "Maybe something happened to both of them."

"Bad idea, Buffy said to never leave the house without her." Andrew looked at them all.

"You can stay here and tell Xander where we are." Kennedy pushed up. "Let's get armed." She moved over to the weapons chest.

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Molly asked a bit reluctantly as the rest of the girls ran over to the chest.

"No, no if everyone is going." Molly got up and came over picking up a stake. "I'm a potential too."

"Let's go." Kennedy snapped the bolt into the crossbow and headed towards the door.

"Can I just say I really don't think you should do this." Andrew raised his hand hesitantly.

"We have to do something, she can't be out there by herself." Rona confirmed as she tucked the large bottle of holy water into her coat.

"Rona's right, we have to do this." Kennedy nodded. "Lets go." She underlined again hoping no one had any other objections to slow them down.

"Okay, okay, switch off the chick flick, the Xan man is here." Xander pushed open the door and carried in the buckets of fried chicken he brought with him. "The road was a nightmare, there was some problem at the bus station and why am I looking at one Geek and a hobbit?" He stood in the doorway looking between Andrew and the TV screen.

"That was covered by the 'the road was a nightmare' line in my greeting." Xander dumped the chicken on him "Where are they?"

"They went to the bus station, Willow's witchy friends called to say another potential was arriving and since none of you were around they decided to go get her themselves." Andrew opened the lid.

"How can I stop them?" Andrew wagged a chicken leg at him. "They outnumbered me."

"You remind them of a certain slayer who is going to kick you ass into next week if any of them are so much as scratched." Xander snarled.

"They didn't listen." He whined back. "I told them it was foolish and they'd probably all die."

"Oh crap, we so don't need this. Didn't they go missing earlier and Buffy had to drag them all back here." He pushed moving over to see that most of the weapons were gone.

"Yeah they decided they needed ice cream, this is way different they took weapons." He pointed to the chest as Xander peered in.

"What?" Xander smacked his hand to his forehead. "Do you like your comic collection." He turned and stared at the small man on the couch.

"Look they went to the bus station, you've only got say fifteen minutes on them."

"Do you know how long it takes to kill someone?" Xander pushed his finger up to Andrew's nose.

"Yes, yes I do." Andrew flustered. "Stop bringing it up." He pulled away putting his hands to his ears.

"Hey I smell chicken." From behind the carpenter a strong female voice announced her presence in the open doorway. Instinctually both men backed away from her.

"Okay I won't taunt you." The tall stocky girl that stood behind Xander shook her head, as she reached up and pulled of a close fitting black woolen cap. She pushed a scuffed hand up through her shoulder length brown hair, that from about an inch and a half up to the bottom was dyed pitch black. She then cupped her other hand underneath her bleeding nose. "But can I at least have a tissue?" She looked at Xander with dark brown eyes.

"Who are you?" Xander walked cautiously over to the desk and stood with the box of tissues held as far out as he could, waiting to see if she took one.

"Owl." The tall girl pulled one tissue out of the box and held it up to her nose. "I got in about twenty minutes ago, I would have been here earlier, but I ran into a little bother."

"Sorry don't mind the furniture." Xander moved over offering more tissues and rather obviously stuck his hand out to feel her arm. "We've just had some bother too lately. Are you a potential?"

"Do you mind not groping me?" Owl stared at his hand. "I'm Owl, I feel the phrase potential just asking for trouble and I have to say right now, I'm beginning to affirm my idea." She screwed up the tissue in her hand and threw it with perfect aim into the small bin just visible on the other side of the TV.

"Sorry, just had to check not groping." Xander pulled his hands back. "Welcome to casa Summers or better known as Slayer central. Where are the others? Did they get into this bother too?" He looked out the door.

"Others? What others?" The tall women stripped off a short brown leather jacket and scowled as she saw a large gash on the sleeve.

"The other potentials who went to pick you up at the bus station." Andrew supplied the information.

"Nice for them but I came by my own steam. Large bike on the front lawn, I take it someone can tell me where to put it." She motioned out the door.

"You can put it in the back." Andrew was more than happy to help her. "I can show you."

"Andrew get her settled, I have to go after them." Xander moved back picking up an axe.

"There are more of you running around that the bother wants to kill." He nodded. "I have to go find them."

"You feel up to fighting more of them?" He was surprised by her confident eagerness, most of the other potentials were eager but not really confident.

"Sure." She pulled her jacket on fully and pulled out one of the Bringers' daggers from the inside pocket. "After you." She nodded. "Does the weed come to?" She checked glancing over her shoulder at Andrew.

"I'm not a weed." Andrew started chasing after them. "I'm a vital link in the... hey be nice you just got here." He pulled the door closed after himself.

"Yeah whatever, you're going in the car with him." She pointed after Xander. "No offence but I don't want you hanging onto my back." She jogged over to the large Harley on the lawn

The bus depot was a maze of dark and light. Desolate shadows were broken up by the hazy yellow glow from tall pole lights more designed to mark off where the large coaches should be parked rather than to offer light to the concrete below.

"We missed her bus." Rona hissed as she crept behind Kennedy as they rounded a shadowed corner entering a long corridor created by two parked buses.

"Obviously." Kennedy hissed back as she kept the crossbow that she had ready to be raised and fired. Whatever moved first in front of her that wasn't human was getting the bolt as a present.

"She's probably in the depot and the others have found her." Rona glanced back when she heard something that was vaguely like a footstep echo above them but she shook it off as nerves.

"We'll make our way back there but I want to check out here first just in case." Kennedy nodded as they slowed their pace, edging their way to the front end of the long metal bus they were pressed against.

"I don't like it out here." The other SIT clung to the bus looking back and forth. "Why did you pick me to come scouting anyway?"

"Because Molly has two left feet and Amanda still has a headache from the last attack." Kennedy explained as she clutched the bow tighter. "It's too quiet, like we're being…" She didn't get a chance to finish as without warning two Bringers jumped down from the roofs of the bus they were hiding behind to cut off the exits of the small alley.

Even in the dull light the shiny blades they carried sparkled and confirmed exactly what they wanted to do to the two young girls.

"Run!" Kennedy announced when Rona hadn't moved. She took aim and fired the crossbow bolt at the closest Bringer, striking him in the shoulder. The wound made him lose focus on them for a moment but didn't bring him down.

"Under the bus, go… go…" Kennedy urged her to move by pushing down on Rona's shoulders to cram her under the metal underbelly of the couch before she threw the crossbow at the other Bringer and dove under it herself. Kicking off hands that grabbed at her ankles she scrambled across to the other side. "Keep going." She cursed at the other SIT making her move faster as they pulled out and jumped to their feet again.

The depot suddenly became a maze of metal as they ran from alleyway to alleyway blindly trying to find their way back to the main building. Around them they could only hear sudden distant calls for help and then screams, as it became clear that the Bringers were hunting and it was apparent they weren't the only things on the menu anymore.

"What's going on?" Rona questioned as they ran by the ticket building to see that it was eerily deserted.

"Something very bad." Kennedy rounded a blind corner and was nearly smacked off her feet when she ran headlong into Andrew who had been cautiously backing up.

"Don't kill me!" He squealed at first bringing his hands up to protect his face.

"They were in the depot, we were scouting out the parking lot when two Bringers jumped us." Kennedy filled him in quickly.

"But we heard screaming and we've been trying to find them." Rona added panting hard her eyes wildly looking around.

"This is why Buffy tells you to stay in the house at night." Xander cursed as he led them out into the main station platform.

"Who is this?" Kennedy asked Xander when a tall brown haired girl rounded the corner.

"This is Owl." She responded before anyone else could slowly looking Kennedy up and down.

"She's a slayer in training, I think you guys got your wires crossed because she didn't come in to the bus depot." Xander shook his head. "We need to find the rest of the potentials."

"This place is huge, we'll never find them." Andrew whined as they moved in a tight group across the open area. "Not with Bringers running around."

"If those weird eyed guys are around we better find your little friends fast." Owl moved forward boldly and everyone filed in behind her.

Following up the rear Kennedy felt her boot slip on something and she looked down to see a dark stain on the concrete. Looking up she saw that a trail of it led around a bus shelter and she followed it immediately. Hidden in a corner, wedged between a poster-covered wall and a garbage can was a slim oriental girl.

"I found someone." She called back for the others as she bent down trying to pull her out from the tight area. "She's hurt." She reached down to the large growing bloodstain that covered the girl's stomach. "Bad." Her voice was smaller as she felt the warm liquid cover her hand.

"We need to get her to a hospital." Rona added when she looked down at the injured girl. "I mean she must be the new SIT." She turned to Xander and saw him clenching his jaw as he looked over her shoulder.

"First we need to get rid of them." He raised the axe he had as four Bringers bore down on them.

Dawn literally skipped in the front door, she felt like she was walking on air and for the first time in months she was sure they were going to survive all this First stuff.

"I think maybe we need to give her some time guys, let her settle in." Buffy interjected looking into the living room. "Um okay who let the potentials out of their cage?" She asked in an annoyed voice.

"I don't believe this." Buffy cursed tightly jogging over and looking into the nearly empty chest "Don't they ever learn." She reached in and grabbed a short sword.

"Molly clear the couch." Kennedy's out of breath voice called from a little away as the door was pushed back harder and Molly pushed through. Kennedy followed a heartbeat later, carrying a badly bloodied oriental girl.

"We should have gone to the hospital." Molly hobbled in moving past Anya and pulled the pillows off.

"Yeah like what were we going to tell them?" Kennedy snapped pushing through and placing the girl in her arms on the couch.

"Bringers." Xander staggered in hanging off of Vi holding his side, one of his eyes was already swelling closed.

"I don't know how to stop this." Kennedy pushed both of her hands down onto the oriental woman's side, she wiped her forehead on her shoulder, her long hair dirty and straggly around her head.

"Here, here." Anya pushed towards her and she started applying pressure to the wound. "This is going to need stitches." She looked back at the Slayer frowning.

"Anyone want this?" Owl took long strides in carrying an unconscious Andrew over her shoulder.

"How bad?" Buffy looked at the ex-demon her eyes serious but stopped as she heard the new voice her head twisting round to stare at the tall girl. "Xander who the hell is that?" She hissed.

"Drop him anywhere we don't care much about him." Anya scowled. "It's bad, like more than we can do bad." She wadded up more bandages to put on the wound.

"Okay." Owl pitched Andrew on the bottom step, leaning his head against the rail.

"Should we call an ambulance?" Buffy pushed Anya to make a decision. The demon took another look at the wound and nodded. "Dawn the phone." Buffy called pushing forward.

Kennedy leaned back a bit wiping her hands on her dark jeans as the teenager ran off towards it.

"We tried Buffy." Kennedy frowned and pushed away at tears that threatened to spill onto her cheeks.

"Get everyone into the basement, if you're all here when they come we'll have more trouble then we have now." The Slayer instructed not having the time to deal with emotion.

The dark haired potential was about to argue, but instead she pushed up onto her feet. She moved over to Rona.

"There coming, I called Giles too." Dawn rushed back in and moved to help Xander.

"What are we going to tell them?" Anya wiped her forehead with her sleeve and looked up at the Slayer.

"Right now, I have no clue." Buffy looked at the girl on the couch and then at Anya. "Its bad isn't it?" She said quietly.

Owl rather unceremoniously dropped Andrew on the closet bed and glanced over to where Vi carefully cleaned Rona's cheek. Kennedy paced the floor near the door. Dawn fussed around Xander as she helped him slide down on the bed near where Owl had dropped Andrew. Amanda and Molly sat on a bed further back looking at each other sheepishly.

"Do we have any ice for this?" Owl looked at Xander who was just sitting there in pain.

"Here." She moved to put the ice on Xander's head. "You can put those on your leg." She tossed the bag at Kennedy.

"This is why Buffy keeps telling you not to leave the house." Dawn snapped at them as the sound of a siren rushing up to the house could be heard above.

"Yeah what happened to the Watcher picking her?" Vi queried looking at the teenager.

"I..." Kennedy frowned. "I can't remember, he did?" Immediately Molly reached out and poked her.

"Was he meeting me or the other girl?" Owl questioned as she hopped up to sit on the freezer.

"Girls, girls... we just need to look after everyone we can figure out the why later."

"Then lets try not to make this worse." Xander frowned as he heard the ambulance speeding away.

"Okay everyone" She called down. "Lets have you up here. I am so ready to hear this."

"He's fine." Xander pushed up gingerly and started to hobble towards the stairs.

Dawn got to the lounge just as Buffy was wiping the couch down with a sodden towel.

"She went with her." Buffy sighed as she picked up the discarded bandages and put them in the garbage.

"Oh, ok." Dawn looked down. "I think they're really done in Buffy." She glanced over her shoulder as the noise of the approaching group of people grew louder as everyone slowly made their way into the living room.

"Fine." The Slayer looked up at them all. "Molly, Vi, Amanda, Chloe and Rona take Xander upstairs." She waved them off.

"Does this look like my please argue with me face?" Buffy snapped at the young woman.

The potential dropped her head and gave her assistance to the others as they moved on mass upstairs. Kennedy sat down heavily on an armchair. Owl leaned against the wall.

"I thought Giles was picking her up, maybe I misheard something, but then it was pointed out, why would we get a call if she had been picked up already?" She paused. "As Xander wasn't here we couldn't ask him what to do we didn't know where you were. And we couldn't let her fight out there on her own, QuanLee just got in the way of a bad swing, the new girl didn't stand a chance."

"I just got in, followed my nose, well and the directions I was given." She pulled a scruffy piece of paper from her jacket pocket. "Had a little unplanned distraction, got here and found Xander and the weed all panicked because the rest of the girls weren't here."

"Unplanned distraction?" Buffy picked up on the words. "You mean you were attacked right?"

"Yeah two guys in brown robes, with these." She pulled out the knife. "Nearly scratched my bike."

"Who gave you directions?" Buffy stood up taking the knife and inspecting it to see the now familiar markings.

"I'm sorry." Buffy flinched at the knowledge and turned away. "Kennedy how many attacked you?"

"Look why am I getting the third degree?" She pushed up and looked angrily at Buffy. "You weren't here, what were we supposed to do?"

"Sit tight didn't seem like an answer, call for help?" Buffy snapped at her. "Instead of leading the rest of them out to get their asses kicked, you know better than that."

"You just took off with Willow, then with Anya and Dawn. No sitting tight didn't seem like the thing to do. There was someone new out there, alone at risk. We had to help, while you were off somewhere forgetting about us." Kennedy snapped.

"Excuse me but you have no clue what I was doing tonight." Buffy growled back at her.

"You're out of line Kennedy, I think its time you go upstairs too. You can get Owl settled in with you." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sorry, you can have my room I'm not going to sleep." The Slayer reached up massaging her neck.

"No it's okay." Owl moved a little closer to the stairs. "I'll see if I can't calm her down a bit."

Trying to make as little noise as possible Owl crept down the stairs, her bare feet clinging lightly to the carpet, the air fairly chilly on her long legs, before the dark cotton of her boxer shorts cut a line across her thighs.

"It's okay, I'm up." Buffy flicked on the lamp near the couch when her hearing picked up the movement.

"Oh hi." Owl stopped at the bottom step and pushed her hand through her slightly messy two-tone hair she then pulled her light gray tank top straighter.

"It's okay, kitchen's in there you might as well get oriented." Buffy pushed up and walked to lead her there. "I think we got juice and pop." She pulled open the fridge and held up a juice box.

"Anything is good thanks." She took it from Buffy. "Sorry to say this but shouldn't you be getting some rest?" She quickly opened it.

"I don't rest much lately." Buffy shook her head. "Especially not at night." She looked out the window to the dark sky.

"They did okay." Owl pointed out with a gentle shrug. "A little disorganized, but they did okay."

"So you took on two of them yourself?" Buffy questioned turning around her voice curious and without the harder edge it had held before.

"The bike helped." Owl nodded out of the window. "There was only one of them with a bit of help from it. Not many people get up after having a Harley slapped into them."

"Yeah." Owl dropped her head a little. "She fought hard, but they were too much for her. The Council's in trouble isn't it." She added swinging her bare legs a little.

"We get word occasionally that a new potential like yourself is on the way but other than that... gone." She underlined the fact softly.

"It's going too." The Slayer nodded thinking back to the other events of the evening. "But we can't have any more stupid stunts like tonight." She went back to get herself a juice box. "They might have done okay as you said but most of them can't hold a stake straight."

"Yeah, that did sort of look the case." Owl admitted. "A couple of them have the right idea. You okay?" She added looking at the Slayer.

"Yeah I'm fine." Buffy put the juice box down and reached up flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Just a crazy night."

"Yeah." Owl looked up nodding, just as the phone on the wall across from her began to ring.

"Yes, have you heard anything?" The slayer turned a little shielding the phone for some reason.

"She didn't make it." The ex-demons voice shook slightly. "She died in surgery."

"Oh God." Buffy put her hand up leaning on the wall. "Is Giles there with you?" She questioned after a few minutes regaining herself.

"No. I've done my best to do things right but there was no one her to help me." There was a slight whine to the woman's voice. "I can't get through to Xander's apartment."

"Anya... Anya you did great." Buffy tried to support her hearing how upset she was that was until she heard her last comment. "No one's answering?" She questioned standing up straight again.

"Anya get back here as soon as possible... I'll go check it out." Buffy instructed feeling her body go tense.

"I had to sign the papers." Anya's voice shook a little. "I will come back there."

"You did great, take a taxi and be careful okay. I want you home in one piece." The Slayer relayed.

"Shit." The SIT frowned. "Do you need me to go get your friend?" She slipped down off the island.

"She's taking a taxi." Buffy shook her head. "She's not a target really so it should be okay."

"Are you sure because it won't take me a sec to get dressed and where are you going?" She added following her.

"There's bigger problems... there's no answer at Xander's despite at least two people being there." Buffy didn't quite explain. "And Giles never actually made it to the hospital. I've got to find them."

For a moment the Slayer thought about turning the offer down, but the truth was it was going to take her at least fifteen minutes to run to Xander's. "Normally I'd say no, but get dressed."

With a nod the tall girl took the stairs three at a time to return literally seconds later with her pale brown jeans up around her waist, though still unfastened and her sweater was over her head. She pushed her arms through as she jumped down them again. She pulled a thick belt tight around her waist as she pushed her feet into boots that she had left by the bottom of the stairs. She pushed the big metal Owl etched buckle on her belt down to sit in the proper place as she pulled on her slashed jacket.

Buffy was busy stocking herself up with weapons and moved over to meet her at the door.

The Slayer couldn't remember the last time she'd been on a motorcycle but though she couldn't place the memory, she did know one thing and that was it was both the most scary thing and the most exhilarating thing at the same time. She tried not to hold to tightly, her small but very strong arms were wound around Owl's middle as the large chrome fatboy growled its way through the main strip of Sunnydale. The potential obviously loved the bike, as she knew its every response and nuance, gears popping at just the right rpm and the loud double pipes near Buffy's leg grumbling like a volcano about to erupt.

The half mirror helmet that Buffy was wearing made her feel a bit too exposed so she tucked in her head in behind the taller woman. After all, when they got to where they were going she wanted to be in one piece as she planned on killing whatever was keeping Willow from picking up the phone. Watching the shops and houses go by from her side view, she peered up briefly before letting one hand go to reluctantly point to the turn down Xander's road.

Nodding slightly Owl eased in and turned the bike, slowing down a little as she waited for further directions.

"At the end, the white building on the corner." Buffy pulled up a bit trying to be heard over the bike by putting herself close to the other woman's ear.

Owl nodded again and revved the bike driving them speedily up to the apartment block and then down and around into the parking bays. Pulling up right next to the entrance she stopped and steadied the Harley.

"Seems quiet out here." She began to call over the bike's engine just as Owl cut it leaving her almost screaming. "Okay it was till I did that."

"Yeah." Owl agreed pulling off her helmet with a smile. "Sorry she's a bit on the loud side."

"Can you get a quite Harley?" Buffy questioned curious as she fumbled to take off her own helmet.

"No." Owl smiled. "You have to undo the strap." She reached out and pointed to the clip just under Buffy's chin.

"I'm usually very pedestrian." Buffy managed to unclip it and catch the heavy helmet before she dropped it.

Owl knelt down quickly and pulled out a security chain, she looped it quickly through both helmets and then round the bike, clicking it shut.

Buffy was almost instantly on the move as they went up the exterior staircase and then into Xander's building. Owl had to run to keep up her dark eyes alert as they hurried.

Deciding to skip the elevator she headed for the stairs, almost sprinting up the three flights until they were at Xander's door. She checked the handle to find it was locked. For a moment her mind was stuck between knock, kick it down, knock, kick it down and then she remembered.

"Key." She bent down pulling up the corner of the carpet to retrieve the shiny gold key, silently she slid it into the lock and opened the door.

Owl used her height advantage to look over the Slayer's shoulder the apartment beyond was in complete darkness as silent as a tomb.

Buffy put her hand up signaling for her to stay there as she moved in creeping through the dark to check the living room.

Almost methodically Buffy checked seeing none of the windows were tampered or broken, the room was pretty much as she'd left it a few hours before. The next point of inspection was the kitchen that showed nothing before she went over to the closed door. Cautiously she opened it peering in through the darkness.

"Don't move." Willow's voice hissed it was cold and angry and right beside Buffy's left ear. "I'll kill you if you so much as take another step towards her."

Buffy couldn't even stop herself to register it was Willow as she dipped down coming back up to pin the redhead by the throat to the wall.

"BUFFY!" She called loudly smacking the wall in several places for a light switch. Suddenly her hand collided with it bathing the room in a bright yellow light.

"Willow." Buffy flinched and pulled back when she realized whom it was she was choking.

"We tried to phone... we thought you'd been hurt." Buffy tried to explain looking back at the bed where Tara was sitting up looking shocked and afraid.

"I'm taking it that she should be in a bedroom with her." Owl pointed between Tara and Willow. "And now, I am going to back out of the room, trying to be inconspicuous." She added back tracking towards the door.

"I'm sorry... we couldn't get a hold of either of you or Giles and a new potential got into town." Buffy began then frowned. "Oh course She's now dead and Quan Lee died at the hospital." She relayed her voice growing weaker. "I was afraid the First..." She didn't finish.

"Wanting to help…" Owl appeared in the doorway carrying a phone in her hand, the connector in her other hand. "I think someone unplugged it." She said awkwardly.

"Hello." Tara tried a smile in return as she pulled the covers up more her eyes heavy and her mind not able to take another shock.

"Since you're okay, we'll go out and try to figure out where Giles is." Buffy backed up reaching out to pull Owl with her.

"Buffy!" Willow pushed off the bed and walked towards the retreating Slayer. "Do you... I mean the others, are they okay?" She asked with a frown.

"A little worse for wear, they got a call that a potential was arriving at the bus station. Bringers were there en mass to meet them. Xander's a bit mushy but he'll be fine." Buffy hung explaining.

"Will, it's not your fault." Buffy shook her head. "Your place is here." She underlined glancing over at Tara.

"But I should have been there to help..." She stopped and looked with Buffy. "Do you think she's okay?" She whispered biting her lip slightly as she looked back at Buffy.

"She might need you to help her understand what's going on Will." Buffy whispered back to her best friend. "We'll be outside if you need us okay?"

"But Buffy…" Willow reached out and closed her pale hand around Buffy's arm the Slayer could see it was shaking slightly. Buffy stopped and reached up putting her hand over Willow's. "I've been thinking…" Willow whispered. "About everything." The redhead looked up and there was real fear in her eyes.

"But Buffy if Tara went away after the spell... that means she never...." Willow's brow creased.

"She never a lot of things Willow." The Slayer pointed out. "But that doesn't mean she won't want to be with you."

"But what if she doesn't?" Willow frowned more. "What if she doesn't and I'm here all, you know smothering and everything."

"Give her time, she'll tell you what she wants and doesn't want." Buffy encouraged rubbing her hand against Willow's. "She just came home to a huge shock, I mean we're all freaked out enough to know it wasn't her all these months. She came back thinking she'd have to see how she fit into your life again, now she finds out you've been dealing with this."

"Did she say she didn't want you too?" Buffy questioned glancing back where the exhausted blonde had all but gone to sleep again.

"She's not really said a lot." Willow admitted. "Well no, she has." She changed her reply. "But we can wait until morning to talk about that."

"Thank you for coming to check on us, sorry about the threat." She added with a meek smile.

The comment actually made Buffy smirk as she retreated out of the bedroom, closing the door behind them giving the pair a returned peace and quiet.

"She seemed, stable." Owl raised her eyebrow sarcastically as she hung by the front door.

"You're new in town so you get one freebie." Buffy turned to her voice cold. "Don't make cracks about Willow or Tara, off limits."

"Sorry." Owl apologized sincerely. "I didn't mean anything by it, I mean I'm guessing Sunnydale isn't the most lesbian friendly place or something?" The tall girl offered a reason for Willow's behavior.

"Up until about four hours ago Willow thought that Tara had died in her arms nine months ago." Buffy filled in walking further into the living room.

"Oh." Owl glanced at the closed bedroom door her demeanor changing completely. "Sorry." She added quietly.

"Don't worry about it, just ease on the Willow cracks please." Buffy moved over to the window looking out at the dark street. "She's been through a lot, more than just thinking Tara was dead."

"I would offer to go and try and find your Giles, so you can stay and you know watch over them but I've not got a clue who I'm looking for." She smiled tightly.

"Giles can handle himself and if he'd have known either of you were getting in tonight he would have told me." Buffy looked back at the younger girl. "We'll give him a few more minutes then take a tour."

Just a few moments later, an out of breath Giles ran up to the front door wielding a bread stick.

"Funny Giles, but we don't have any butter." Buffy scowled at him as he surveyed the room.

"I thought you were marauders" Giles lowered the bread stick and pushed his glasses back up his nose with the other.

"Marauders, house invaders." He shook his head. "Really Buffy this is no time to be ob... Who are you?" He turned staring at Owl.

"Dead? Why would I be dead?" He glanced over his shoulder at Buffy before turning his attention back to the taller girl.

"Bringers attack, two new potentials... now two more dead potentials. That's Owl by the way." Buffy filled him in unhappily. "We couldn't get a hold of you or Willow. Crazy me thought maybe you'd been attacked."

"I went to get the girls some provisions, and I unplugged the phone so that they wouldn't be disturbed." Giles explained frowning. "Did you say Owl?" He added looking between the Slayer and the potential.

"Yes Owl, who managed to keep herself alive no thanks to us." Buffy rather disappointedly sat down in a chair.

"No I meant more," He turned back to the potential. "I thought you and Shanti had resigned."

"Well go on, you might as well answer her." Owl backed up a little moving towards the door. "In fact you probably don't need me around to explain do you?"

"Owl wait." Buffy stood up calling the potential to a halt. "Giles, is she or is she not a potential?"

"Oh yes, she is a potential." Giles nodded making Buffy stared at him boring a hole in him till he gave her more information.

"You can't make me stay." Owl growled in a sharp reaction her dark eyes flicking up and catching Buffy's.

"Look Owl you've already been attacked tonight, can't we make this whole 'I'm better than you thing' easier by you just staying put till Giles takes his foot out of his mouth and tells me what the Hell is going on here." Buffy urged her tightly.

"Is Shanti at the house?" Giles turned to look at the potential as she paused in the doorway.

"Buffy." Giles turned and looked at the angry Slayer. "Shanti is Owl's watcher, she was one of the new watchers, young, dynamic, the next model Wesley." He replied.

"Could you be any more of an ass sometimes?" Buffy growled as soon as she got her answer. "Owl's watcher is dead!"

"Buffy before you do." Giles stopped her and she stared at him waiting for a reason for the delay. "You need to know…" He stood somewhat awkwardly looking at her.

Giles took a tight breath before answer, turning his gaze to the door and the recently departed potential.

"Owl's watcher resigned because of her?" Buffy quirked an eyebrow not quite understanding what he was getting at.

Without saying anything else Giles eyes shifted across the room and looked directly at the bedroom door.

"Oh my God can my life get any worse." Buffy's voice was tired as she slammed the door closed behind her and ran down the hall.

She knew that if Owl got to the bike then she'd have no way of catching her, so instead of heading to the underground she headed to the road and worked her way back cutting off the bike's exit.

"Owl!" She tried to scream as the potential revved the engine trying to get her to move out of the way. Owl pulled on her helmet and stared at Buffy

"I can't let you go off on your own." Buffy screamed back. "Look Giles is British, he doesn't always know the right time to say something."

"I know!" Buffy tried to speak above the roar. "But getting yourself killed isn't helping anything."

"So what are you suggesting I do?" Owl let the engine die down into a low rumble.

"You came here for a reason, to fight the thing that sent the Bringers." Buffy walked closer. "Help me fight the First."

"There is no ex anything in this war... there is evil and there is us. We're the only thing standing between evil and the rest of the world." Buffy spelled out for her.

"If I supposed to give a damn about the rest of the world, you're looking at the wrong potential." Owl pushed her hand back through her shoulder length hair.

"If you didn't care you wouldn't have come all the way here to find us." Buffy pointed out bringing her feet together to stand still.

"Then you did come to find me, because the only way you're going to kill it is if we work together." Buffy's voice was just as clear her response quick.

"I didn't come here to pour my heart out I came her to kill the bastards that murdered her." Owl shook her head defiantly.

"When Willow thought Tara was dead she tried to blow up the world." Buffy didn't know why but she blurted it out.

"Because I think she realized that was the last thing Tara would have wanted." The Slayer tried to fill in.

"If you don't want a ride you don't have to agree." She saw the Slayer's resistance.

"Just don't kill us." Buffy hopped over the back of the bike and clipped the helmet closed.

"I don't die until I've done what I came here to do." Owl vowed before pushing her helmet back on her head and pumping down the engine hard to make the bike skid slightly as she pulled away.

Tara moved silently through Xander's apartment, snoring lightly on the couch was Giles. His glasses on the floor by his relaxed hand narrowly missing a half filled cup of tea next to them. It was still quite dull, but Tara's body was still on European time and so she was up early

She crept over and picked up a folded blanket off the chair and gently draped it over the Watcher before slipping into the kitchen and putting the kettle on to boil. She smiled at the fresh vase of flowers and the bread that Giles had left on the side.

Enjoying the moment of solitude she leaned forward and sniffed the vase of while carnations.

"You're up early." Willow whispered from the doorway watching as the blonde smiled after inhaling the sweet fragrance.

"Part of me is still in Florence." Tara turned in her place and looked at Willow.

"I hope you got lots of pictures." Willow managed a slight smile as she tried her best to make the idle awkward conversation. She remembered another time it had felt like this when she'd been at the coffee shop the memory making her sad.

"You still..." Willow breathed in the words almost giving them a sharp pitch though she couldn't voice the complete question.

"I am s-so-o sorry for every hurting you." Willow whispered the words her breath heavy as her eyes brimmed up with tears.

"This isn't the time to talk about that." Tara shook her head. "So much has happened to you, to you all since then." There was an obvious trace of self-hatred that slipped into the blonde's voice

"No... I'm still sorry... for everything I did, for everything I let happen, for every time I hurt you." Willow stepped closer.

"I'm the one who let terrible things happen to you all." Tara watched her steps.

"No baby, the First is pure evil." Willow hissed its name. "You didn't do anything wrong, you didn't know what it had done and... and you came home."

"Willow." Tara breathed "I have to be honest with you." She jumped slightly as the kettle beside her boiled.

"When I decided to come back…" She glanced at the kettle. The redhead felt herself seize up as Tara spoke. "I didn't do it to come back to you." Tara swallowed almost painfully. "That is." She added. "I didn't expect you to just be here, waiting for me."

"Not waiting for you?" Willow asked the question having gone through a gamut of emotions that almost made her combust where she was standing.

"I left you Willow." Tara reminded her. "I didn't know what happened here in whilst I was away, I had to… I had to prepare myself for coming back and finding you... not alone." She swallowed again.

"It wouldn't matter who on earth I was with... if you came back I would want you." Willow underlined putting her hand on the counter. "I thought you were gone forever and all I wanted was you." She took a deep breath.

"He killed you." Willow finally felt the flood of tears swelling over her cheeks. "He took away my whole life, any chance of our forever."

"Buffy?" Willow looked to her to check for a moment. "He shot her too." She breathed in through her nose. "She... I used the magic to pull the bullet out of her."

"Not for the right reasons." Willow slumped a bit against the counter. "I was already overloaded on the dark magick... it was just about making him pay."

"I still have lots and lots of power but I'm controlling it. I want to control it." Willow whispered looking back at her.

"So you wanted me back?" Tara clarified. "I wasn't sure when you didn't write back to me."

"Yes, before I left, well when I left." Tara nodded. "Candice was meant to…" She stopped. "She didn't give it to you did she?" She stated the obvious.

"I never got anything." Willow shook her head firmly. "I would... I would have wrote you... I would have tried to get you to stay..." She floundered at the idea of what she had missed out on.

"Which is why you never got the chance." Tara worked out the plan with a sad shake of her head.

"Baby if you being in Florence meant you were safe from the First..." Willow shook her head to the idea as she stepped closer. "I need you safe more than anything."

"That's why I had to come back, to check that you were okay and that you were safe." Tara admitted softly. "That Buffy, someone was taking care of you."

"No." Tara smiled slightly, "But someone has tried? A special someone." She asked, feeling her heart quicken a little.

"Some one has tried to be special... but she's not you." Willow shook her head firmly. "She could never have been... ever."

"No! Oh no, no." Willow shook her head over and over. "There was this thing a little while ago when Amy put a hex on me, she helped me get rid of it but no!" She was adamant.

"Forever." Tara tried to breathe, but found it strangely hard. Her emotions choking her throat as Willow nodded and moved closer.

Tara jumped again pulling her eyes from Willow to stare at him a little surprised

"Mr. Giles." Tara looked at the Watcher. "You bought flowers and things." The watcher smiled pleased that as he expected Tara had noticed the little things. "I feel terrible for saying this but…"

"Well there's no butter." Tara glanced at the fridge. "I was going to make toast for everyone, but..."

"Oh." Giles frowned again. "I thought Xander used... he must have used it. Not to worry, I'll go and get some." He smiled. "Perhaps you would like something else for breakfast, I remember you developed a keen liking for the donuts the rest of the gang seem to be so fond of at ungodly hours of the morning."

With a small wave of his hand Giles acknowledged the added order and slipped out.

"He has the worst timing in the universe." Willow whispered turning back to Tara.

"Makes a change from it being Xander." Tara felt a soft smile pull at her lips as the familiar interruption made her feel that little bit more at home. She could hardly remember a time when they didn't find themselves interrupted by one Scooby or another.

"I think it's a boy thing." Willow felt herself pulled to smile just from seeing Tara's.

"Your lip doesn't look too sore." Tara had top stop from reaching out and placing her fingertips on the lip that yesterday the redhead had been biting.

"What flavor?" Tara queried watching as the redhead's tongue slid out of her mouth briefly.

"I missed her too, they have ice-cream in Italy she would sell her soul for." Tara smiled more.

"Maybe one day we can take her." Willow felt drawn a bit closer and Tara felt her eyes flicker up tracing every inch of Willow's face. "I missed you so much." The redhead whispered as blue eyes came to rest looking into green ones again.

"You have a sore spot." Tara lifted a trembling finger and rested it close to the corner of Willow's mouth. Willow's body released a visible tremor when Tara's fingertip touched her. "Oh, sorry." Tara pulled her hand back misreading Willow's reaction.

"No." Willow reached out her reflexes much faster than they had ever been to catch Tara's hand, her fingers pressing lightly into her pulse point. "Electric." She whispered shivering again when she felt Tara's heartbeat.

"Willow." Tara gasped at both the speed with which Willow had caught her hand and at the jump and heat that flared in her body from the touch.

"Electric." Willow whispered again concentrating on the pulse through her fingers.

"I..." Tara blinked. "I love you." She whispered the words that had been on the tip of her tongue for so long.

Tara swallowed feeling her lip and chin tremble slightly but she wanted to fight the tears.

"I..." Willow wanted to say so very much but as she saw the beginnings of tears she could only reach up cupping Tara's cheek with her other hand. "I love you." She whispered again leaning closer.

"I was going to leave." Tara whispered ashamed. "When Buffy told me." She heard her voice shake. "W-W-When she told me what had happened. I th-th-though it might be better for you. If what you believed was true."

"I traveled Europe hoping that I could find something to fill the hole." She looked down at Willow. "But nothing could."

"I..." Willow hesitated for a moment before drawing Tara's hand up and kissing it reverently.

Tara slid her hand onto Willow's cheek and eased it around, cupping the back of her head lightly to draw it up slightly as she bent her own down tilting to press their lips together.

Willow wasn't sure if she was going to manage to stay on her feet as the soft lips that she had never thought she would get to ever taste again pressed against her and baptized her in love.

Pulling back briefly Tara breathed before kissing Willow again, this time her lips open to capture Willow's bottom lip lightly before releasing it and meshing their mouths together again. The kiss made the whole world spin around them as everything was lost to them other than the touch. Pulling back again Tara smoothed the hand on Willow's head over longer red hair.

"Willow, oh God Willow." She breathed before pressing lips full onto the redhead's.

"Tara." Willow managed to moan her name before pressing back into the kiss, her hand went to the blonde's waist pulling her closer.

"I didn't know what I was going to do." Tara admitted between hot quick kisses onto Willow's lips. "If when I got back you were with someone."

"But you're so..." Tara breathed. "So beautiful." She pressed Willow into a deep kiss wanting to take both their breath away.

"You're my everything." Willow vowed breaking for just a moment before kissing her back hotly.

"Giles will be back soon." Tara took a hurry breath glancing up the large faced clock on the wall.

"I need you." The redhead whispered almost silently not thinking to check her words.

"If... not if you..." A thread of the very core of Willow's usually lacking confidence crept in.

"That wasn't really a question Willow." Tara tilted her head and gave a classically lopsided smile.

"Oh." Willow bit her lip and her head dipped just briefly before coming back up.

Breathing after the long kiss, Tara pulled back and looked down moving her hand into the redhead's and interlocking their fingers. Slowly she looked up at Willow with what could only be described as her best 'come to bed eyes'.

The redhead nodded squeezing Tara's hand as she reluctantly took a step back hoping that the blonde would mirror her moves. Tara moved after her, step for step.

Willow didn't want to say a word to break the spell that was around them as they walked the short distance back to the bedroom and locking the door behind them went quickly over to the bed.

"Are you okay?" Willow questioned seeing the moment of hesitation in the blonde as she stood at the foot of the mattress.

"Are you sure?" Tara's blue eyes flicked to the bed, knowing all the things that it could bring and that she wanted so very badly.

"Yes." Willow breathed out the word that seemed so laden with want and desire it almost left a plume of smoke when it combusted in the air.

"Would you?" Tara looked up as if Willow had offered her the world on a plate instead of just the simple action.

"Anything." Willow licked her lips as she found the button with her fingertips and slid it through, slowly she moved down to the others each step revealing more and more of Tara's body. The blonde amused herself by reaching up and curling her fingers around the bottom of red hair, twisting it round and round to soak in the silky feel.

Willow smiled softly as she pushed the material of the shirt back to reveal a light floral slightly see through bra and the pink hued skin of the blonde's tummy. She wasn't sure if Tara could see that inside her stomach twisted in anticipation, the response added to by the wave of new endorphins that rushed through her bloodstream. Tara blushed a little as she saw Willow's eyes trace and focus over her body.

"Though not as beautiful as you." She reached out with a light finger and traced the thicker flowered edge that slid around the pushed up swell of Tara's breast and then dipped down low into her cleavage.

"It's very..." Willow swallowed as she traced up the other side noting the silkiness of the material even though it didn't appear to be actually made of silk. "Sexy." The word again came out hot and smoky.

"I..." Tara paused. "I… bought you one." She blushed as she made the admittance.

"Oh baby did you?" Willow shivered for a moment, her utter joy at the idea that the blonde had been thinking of her, had well been alive to think of her almost overwhelming the hot passion that was heating her body.

"You like me in blue." Willow whispered stepping closer as her fingers sprayed out over the light material easily transferring through to the blonde's lightly tanned skin.

"I do." Tara nodded breathing in, her eyes dipping closed as she breathed in the soft smell of Willow's hair. "Do you like the tan?" She asked her voice shaking a little.

"Tara you don't have tan lines?" The redhead's eyes lit up slightly as she caressed her fingers back and forth.

"Private beach." She whispered feeling herself go redder with the memory of her boldness.

"God you are so amazing." Willow stepped closer as her hand closed over the blonde's breast at the same time their open mouths met.

Tara literally whimpered as they kissed sliding her hand over Willow's shoulder onto her back as she stepped forward and drew Willow closer still. Willow kissed her for a long moment before she pulled back, dipping down her head so that she could place a line of kissed up Tara's throat.

"It's not a dream sweetie." Tara shook her head tenderly. "I'm really here, you're really here, we still have forever." She breathed back her fingertips caressing Willow's cheek lightly.

"Forever." Willow pulled back looking into blue eyes as she tipped her cheek against the blonde's fingertips.

"I-I-If you still want…" Tara stuttered as she felt the reality of the world crash in for a brief moment.

"It's all I ever wanted, all I ever need." Willow whispered leaning down to kiss her again. "When I didn't have you baby I was empty inside."

"So was I." Tara nodded. "Can I…" She stopped as she ran her hand over across the bottom of Willow's top.

"Please Tara." Willow whimpered as a stray finger touched the flesh on her stomach, there was nothing she wanted more right now then for the blonde to peel off her clothes so that she could be naked before her.

"Of course." Tara slid her hands up Willow's side, dragging the tight fitting material with her she eased it up over Willow's head and then down her arms gently dropping it onto the bed. She moved her hand back to flick red hair neatly over the soft freckled shoulder.

"Too skinny?" Willow felt much more exposed now standing there in the rather skimpy cotton bra.

"You've not been eating have you." Tara commented sympathetically as she curled the ends of red hair again.

"Not a lot." She shook her head slightly her chin tipping down a bit. "I couldn't... with the magic and then... you were gone, nothing had any taste."

"I could make you pancakes." Tara smirked softly, she tried not to focus on the overwhelming effect that her leaving had forced on her lover, it was just too heartbreaking.

"Yes, much later." Tara draped her arms around Willow's neck gazing into her eyes.

"I missed you so much my love." Tara nodded breathing in her body trembling a little.

"You could never know how much I missed you." Willow took a breath in synch, her hands rather automatically sliding down to trace around the belt at Tara's waist moving to undo the leather.

"I had to go." Tara breathed as she resumed stroking her hand over Willow's locks.

"I know, I know baby. You going that's not, it was what I thought had happened to you." Willow shook her head trying to melt the ideas in her brain. If all of this had played out as Tara had thought, if she'd gotten a letter to say where Tara was going and why then Willow knew now she could have dealt with that. She could have waited and got the magic in control all in anticipation of her return. What she had gone through because of the First was something else entirely.

"You have, you did, the moment you came back to town." Willow underlined holding her closer. "The moment I saw you this nightmare stopped."

"You're alive angel, that's all I have wanted since this horror started. To have you still love me was something I couldn't even wish for." Willow cuddled against her.

"Of course I still love you Willow, I remember once telling you I didn't fall in love fast and I didn't fall easily but I did fall into it with you." Tara slid her hand under Willow's chin and tilted it gentle pressing her mouth against the soft one so close to her.

The kiss sent a shot of electric through Willow's body making her feel more alive than she had in months. Breaking the kiss Tara immediately repeated it latching lightly to Willow's lips one at a time before kissing her fully over both lips.

As their kisses became more needy and conversation fell away again Willow's hand managed to finally pull Tara's belt open and then undid the metal button beneath. Tara slid her hand down and around Willow's ass, gently stroking over the soft material literally hanging off the redhead's tiny body.

"Yes." Tara nodded taking a step away from Willow, letting her pants slide down her long legs before stepping out of them carefully and kneeling on the bed.

Quickly she undid the laces of her cords and then let them slide down off her body before she too moved onto the bed on her knees.

"I have to feed you pancakes." Tara said softly as she reached out to touch the bony curve of the redhead's hip.

"No need for sorry." Tara shook her head. "Just lots of need for pancakes and snuggles."

"Both are my favorites." Willow moved closer feeling better about herself. If Tara had a plan to fix things then things would get fixed, she believed in that.

"And you're still beautiful." Tara underlined easing from her knees down to lie down on her side.

"A little thin." Tara nodded. "But I think I put on a few pounds." She ran her hand over the pale cream panties over her hips.

"Not an ounce." Willow's hand chased up to sit over the same area caressing her thigh. "Still gorgeous." She whispered feeling the heat her fingers pressed into the blonde's skin.

"Through your eyes." Tara glanced down to where Willow's fingertips touched her.

"I've seen so many amazing things over the last year, paintings, sculptures, and Goddess listen to me." Tara shook her head. "I mean this Willow, I couldn't look at any of them without think that none of them were true beauty, because you're the only thing that is." She ran her hand around Willow's collarbone. "I've met amazing people, been propositioned by a few." She smirked, thinking of them fleetingly. "But all of them, only made me miss you more." She looked into green eyes.

"Apart from the Italians." Tara blushed more and tipped her head a little gazing at Willow. "Who can't resist propositioning any foreigner I think."

"Because you are so beautiful how could they resist." Willow pressed closer wanting to feel the heat of their bodies together.

"But I'm yours." Tara pressed back moaning softly as her leg pressed lightly against Willow's.

Breathing out Tara slid her leg over Willow and pushed her whole body up slightly to brush against her lover's. Willow's form shivered from the contact and arched as her hand slid around to the small of Tara's back. The blonde concentrated on sliding her leg softly up and down over Willow's, her back arching slightly as it was caressed.

"Does it feel like you've been away now?" Willow whispered leaning in to kiss her bare shoulder.

"Not for a minute." Tara shook her head as her body flooded with memories and feelings that made her remember what home was.

"I want to touch you." Willow pointed out rather obviously as her hand stroked down Tara's back.

"You are." Tara chuckled. "It unhooks easily." She added feeling the redhead's fingers sliding over the material.

"Oh this?" Willow twisted her fingers and rather more than easily the clips flicked open and the bra dropped to hang looser around Tara's body.

"Innate skill from my breast gal." Tara winked and slid the straps down her arms and eased the now useless bra off.

"Do you know just how kissable you are looking right now?" Tara shook her head smiling.

"Vixen." Tara blinked and pressed her lips over Willow's, sliding her hand up the thin girl's side. Willow's head swam as they kissed again, the liquid center of her body flooding as they fell deeper into the mattress together. "Oh Willow." She breathed as the laid against each other on their sides. She smoothed her leg up Willow's again and slid her hand along the back of the bra still encompassing Willow's chest.

"I love you." Willow breathed back dipping to pave wet kisses over the blonde's shoulder and collarbone.

"Yes." Tara agreed as she eased over onto her back, guiding Willow up and over her.

Willow instantly settled into the new position, her legs straddling Tara's as she dipped her head lower kissing over tanned breasts to reach peaking nipples. Tara moaned slightly louder and arched her back to Willow's lips, her hands sliding up and down over her thighs and hips.

"Did you want to go slower?" Willow checked a bit breathless as she pressed her hips down against Tara's thighs while her mouth ravaged the blonde's breasts.

"No." Tara shook her head. "No slow, I've not touched you for eleven months Willow." She ran her hand shakily over Willow's hips. "I need you." She heard her voice growling out of the back of her throat.

"Me too, just checking." Willow's words were short, as her tongue was too busy flicking and licking over the blonde's nipples and breasts to waste effort on the words.

"Checking is fine" Tara nodded a little breathlessly. Willow groaned her agreement as she kissed lower over the blonde's stomach down towards pale panties. "I missed you so much." She slid her hand up Willow's back as the redhead moved lower, her other hand running lightly through red hair.

Willow nodded her agreement against the blonde's hip as she drew lower and placed her lips over the darkened patch of cotton right at the apex of Tara's legs. Tara pushed her body up to Willow's lips sighing softly, her hand clutching red hair lightly.

"Mmmm Tara." Willow moaned to herself as the taste and smell confirmed everything to her dulled senses. She pressed her lips in tighter, flicking her tongue against the material to draw more of the seeping wetness out into her mouth.

"Sweetie." Tara breathed tightening her grip on silken locks slightly. Willow moaned again in question as she pressed deeper against the fabric. "Off." Tara panted tightly. "Take them." She breathed heavily. "Off." She tipped her head lightly to the side, nuzzling into the pillow.

Willow pulled back just enough to yank the material down off Tara's body before she cupped her hands around the blonde's knees and spread her legs back open. Tara breathed out deeply as her legs slipped apart over the sheets her back arching gently.

"They're off." The redhead soothed as pressed back with her lips to dart her tongue out over the droplets that clung to the outside of Tara's flesh.

Drinking in every drop, Willow pressed the tip of her tongue deeper, opening up the wet swells that poised within swollen lips ready to spill out.

"Baby." Tara pressed her head back into the pillow breathing in and out through her mouth.

The only response she got was another moan as a warm tongue quested in further finally pressing against Tara's center, lapping the juices that settled on it away to press directly on hot skin.

"Oh sweet heaven." Tara moaned pushing her head to the side as her hand gripped Willow's hair tighter still, her other hand carving out the line of Willow's shoulder blade.

Feeling the pressure on her scalp, the redhead pressed her face in closer drawing her tongue down to the source of the flood while her nose pressed in against Tara's sensitive center. Tara's hips flared in a soundless response of pleasure and delight, her legs tensing slightly as one slid up bending at the knee to help push her body up to Willow.

Greedily Willow had almost licked everywhere she could clean before she pressed her tongue in deeper, drawing out more of Tara's sweetness for her to devour. Tara pushed up with more rhythm her breath shorter and shallower.

Press for push Willow delved her tongue into Tara's body, her hand coming up to caress Tara's thigh before moving inward spreading the blonde more open so she could press deeper.

Tara felt the muscles of her inner thighs tremble in a spasm, caught between tensing and relaxing as Willow brought her unspeakable pleasure. She eased the grip she held on Willow's head and changed it to soft but rapid strokes matching her breathing and hip movements.

"That's it." Willow pulled back her lips just long enough to blow out the words over hot flushed skin.

"I... Oh GOD WILLOW I LOVE YOU." Tara's thighs tensed as she pushed hard up with her hips.

Willow let her hit the peak of the arch before she moved closer her lips closing over her pulsing center to suck lightly. Tara's cries became a jumble of moans, and pleas to her lover as she pressed up shoulders into the mattress lifting her hips further as her eyes fluttering closed. The move made Willow lose her grip so she pulled back blowing out a cool stream of air onto the flesh before her.

"Love." Willow slipped her lips back into place rolling her tongue to tease the hood of flesh back into the nerves it tried to shield.

"I love you." Tara panted more than pleased to once again have Willow's tongue and lips touching her.

Willow moaned the words out against her as she teased with her tongue. Tara felt her body slip back into the rhythm again, her hips rising and falling with the flicking over her center, her body sweating lightly as she bucked over and over off the bed.

"That's it baby." Willow groaned as she slid her fingers in more gliding them over her hot flesh before she put her tongue back in place.

Willow's finger slid over the hard flesh followed by her tongue before she passed back the other way, her movements jolted by the hard bucking of Tara's hips. Tara felt herself tremble at Willow's touches, never before since they had parted had she felt so complete, so happy, so loved.

Wanting more, needing more Willow slipped her fingers lower as her lips closed again sucking harder, wet and slippery she eased two of them into Tara's body as her hips bucked up again.

"WILLOW." Tara pushed up a little panting hard, her blue eyes flaring as she looked down at her lover between her legs. "Yes, baby yes." She did her best to control the hard roll in her hips.

Green eyes flicked open and up to confirm for a minute before she concentrated again on the stroke of her fingers and the tension in the flesh under her lips.

"Willow baby." Tara pressed her hand down seeking Willow's other hand and after a few moments Willow's hand entwined with the blonde's.

Tara's eyes dipped closed again as their fingers slipped beside one another and she eased their palms together. Panting louder and faster as she relaxed into their love making again. Willow felt every change between them, every nuance in Tara's body as she rose higher and higher to release.

Tara knew that Willow could feel her body changing, preparing to tip over the edge of pleasure into ecstasy she let herself loll back onto the bed her fingers gripping Willow's hand even tighter as panted every breath.

Willow pushed each of her motions and movements to be faster and harder wanted to drive Tara onto the release they both craved.

Literally throbbing with anticipation and build up, Tara's almost overloaded body tensed, her muscles locking around Willow hard and tight as her back arched and her breath was drawn sharply into her lungs. Willow pressed in deeper as she did, her lips sucking harder to ease her over the ridge of pleasure.

"BABY!" Tara cried loud and hard as her body toppled over into blissful oblivion, her back and muscles relaxing and releasing in a hot flood of pleasure.

Willow's body shook as she groaned and worked her mouth to lap up all that she could as Tara's body rumbled underneath her.

Panting and jerking almost uncontrollably Tara's body eventually sagged still on the bed. Her breathing ragged and shallow her fingers gripping Willow's almost painfully tight even after she relaxed.

Willow slowly licked as she withdrew her fingers and then slowly eased up over Tara's body again.

"Oh Willow." Tara wrapped her arm around Willow's back holding her tightly to her, kissing her back. "I love you too sweetie."

"Mmmm you're so beautiful." Willow snuggled down, their bodies pressed together.

"You're perfect." Willow kissed her shoulder. "Botachelli hips." She kissed warm flesh again.

"You're amazing." Tara's eyes brimmed with happiness as she kissed the crown of red hair.

"You try to convince me of that as you lay here radiant?" Willow shook her head.

"Can I slather it over you?" Willow wiggled her eyebrows and Tara tipped her head back and laughed softly.

"Can't be messier then the spray cream and Baileys missy." Willow squeezed her hand making the blonde laugh harder.

"Well we did have to dye the sheets after that night!" She squeezed Willow to her.

"I never did like the green color they turned out." Tara laughed to herself as she pulled the top sheet over them.

"Penny's has these new rainbow stripe ones I though you'd love." Willow sighed as she squeezed Tara's body. "We could buy them now." She added quietly.

"I know." Tara nodded. "I... I love you too so very much." She straightened her leg under the sheet and cuddled Willow closer. "I was so worried you wouldn't want me." She admitted stroking her hand over and over Willow's arm.

"How could you even think that?" Willow looked up shaking her head. "Tara, I have never not wanted you. Even when you left, when you moved out... I wanted you, I just didn't know how to get you back yet."

"But I shouldn't have tried to make you choose." Tara shook her head. "It should never have been about magick or me, it should have been about how I could help you with the gift and power you have. I… I just got scared."

"It was scary." Willow assured her softly. "It's still scary sometimes, but I know now what I have to do with it. That I have to control it, just like you said all along, you helped me see that baby."

"But I didn't help you do learn that." Tara looked a little ashamedly at her lover. "And that was almost as bad as what happened in the first place. I was as wrong and as at fault for leaving you alone Willow when you most needed me."

"Tara, you did what you had to do." Willow held her closer. "All that happened, all the horrible things the First has put me through aren't your fault. I don't really understand all of it yet but I do know that no matter what it did it couldn't ever make me stop loving you."

"Willow, I probably shouldn't ask you this but… did you… is there somewhere… a…" Tara just couldn't ask as a cold shiver hitting her spine.

"You wanted me here." Tara hugged Willow tighter. "Thank you." She breathed out relieved by the news.

"Where else would I?" Willow was confused. "I didn't want to let you go baby, I couldn't."

"No baby no, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I just wondered if maybe my Father... Oh Goddess." Tara suddenly went pale. "D-D-D-Did you t-t-tell my Dad?"

"He wasn't mean to you was he?" Tara held her lover tight, forgetting that it might have been just too tight.

"I'm so sorry." Tara pressed her lips to Willow's head over and over. "I love you so much."

"You can ask me anything, I don't ever want to hide anything from you." The redhead vowed wanting to have the strength to always be honest this time.

"It can wait." Tara shook her head and stroked Willow's back gently as she pulled the blankets up around them more. "I just want to hold you, to be with you right now." She underlined gently.

"The stroking?" Tara asked as she repeated the gentle action. "Or the holding and wanting to be with you?"

"Anything else you like?" Tara asked leaning her head and kissing Willow's forehead.

"Marry me." Willow suddenly leaned up and looked at her seriously. "I never want to lose you again."

"Marry me." Willow said again leaning more upright. "Today, right now... I never want to be apart from you again."

"Willow…" Tara felt her face break into the brightest smile. "I don't even think we can." She heard a laugh break from her lungs. "I don't even think its possible in California. I don't know, I'm just guessing but…" She beamed at Willow. "You really want to marry me?" She asked her brow a little furrowed, her lips a crooked smile.

"Yes, I really want too and I don't care what California allows." Willow shook her head. "We ask the Goddess for blessing, we pledge to each other. Paper is just paper."

"Or we could wait." Tara caught hold of Willow's hand. "Wait until all this is over, maybe go to England. Giles said you made friends with a Coven there and that they helped you." She offered her blue eyes sparkling.

"There is, they did help me lots to get more in control... to see how I was a part of everything." Willow nodded smiling back. "But you want to?"

"Want to?" Tara laughed. "Of course I want to, Goddess Willow I love you." She pulled the redhead into a bear hug.

"I love you too." Willow's voice was muffled from where her face was pressed into Tara's breast.

"I wish we could do it today." Tara relaxed her grip realizing that she was more or less smothering her lover.

"We can do a pledge." Willow thought up immediately. "To show that we mean it, that we want to... to link ourselves together."

"And maybe swap something." Tara sat up. "Something, oh I don't know what." She tried to think quickly.

"I don't have any, no… no wait I do." Tara gave Willow the quickest kiss, and slipped out of the bed. Completely naked she dashed out into the living room and picked up her knapsack carrying it back in to the bedroom.

She pulled open the front pocket and pulled out a small leather purse. Tipping out its contents into her hand, Tara separated from the earrings and necklaces in it a small silver ring.

"It was my mothers." She dropped everything apart from the ring onto the floor and climbed back onto the bed.

"I don't..." Willow looked at her as she crawled back into bed. "Have anything."

"Yes you do." Tara shook her head. "You have dolphin ring." She grinned. "The ring I bought you from the fun fair, you remember, with the little blue dolphin on it, you put it on your keys because you didn't want to lose it and you were going through your grown up phase." She tilted her head and tried her best Willow impression.

"Oh yes my very short lived grown up phase." Willow giggled and scrambled off the bed over to the chair to where her coat was.

"We're scrambling around Xander's apartment naked." Tara sat back on the bed watching her chuckling.

"Payback." Willow giggled as she retrieved her keys and came back on the bed. "One dolphin ring." She unhooked it from her rainbow key ring.

"Should we have clothes on or anything?" Tara looked a little worried for a moment as she sat crossed legged opposite Willow.

"No naked is best for this type of pledge don't you think? I mean all the naked Amazonian traditions." Willow mused looking over Tara's body.

"Wouldn't we have to shoot an arrow or something then?" She looked at Willow's face beaming.

"Hold on." Willow grinned as she scrambled again leaning over the bed to soon come back with a loaded crossbow. "Xander has that thing about being bitten in his sleep, he's had one since high school."

"Does one of us fire it, the other retrieve it or something?" Tara sat back a little on her haunches clapping. "Or do we break it in half and each keep half?"

"Just what I was about to say." She laughed. "Oh and…" She slipped off the bed again and dashed back through to the lounge this time holding her arm over her chest more for comfort than anything.

"Willow!" Tara laughed as she returned carrying a greeting card, on the front of it was a painting of a bird but its tail was made up of real feathers. Carefully she eased off two of the feathers and dropped the card on the floor. "These are from pigeons in St. Marks Square." She climbed back onto the bed and tucked a feather behind Willow's ear. "Now you're a real Amazon." She beamed.

"Wow you find the coolest stuff." Willow took the other and tucked it into Tara's hair.

"Don't suppose you know any Amazon pledges off the top of your head?" Tara snuggled closer and looked at the crossbow lying between them.

"To thee Artemis we pledge our hearts and our souls together, to fight for love and honor, to protect the gifts of the forest and all of your bounty." Willow whispered holding the bow with her right hand.

"How do you know so much?" Tara whispered kissing Willow's cheek as she moved her left hand to it and squeezed her finger around Willow's on the trigger.

"Geek." Willow grinned as she squeezed too and the arrow shot off lodging in the wall opposite. "Good sign?" She tilted her head.

"I guess we..." Willow didn't get to finish her sentence as the arrow started to shake and with a slight squeak pulled back out of the drywall. Tipping so the point was straight up it floated back and hovered in front of them. "Are you doing that?" The redhead's voice was a surprised whisper.

Tara shook her head watching as the arrow instead of coming to rest in front of them made a slight cracking sound and split down the center. It didn't break in the middle as one might have expected, but rather sliced in two to create two almost identical half arrows that then dropped silently onto the bed.

"I think someone just gave us her blessing." Willow turned towards the blonde and reached up to cup her cheek, Tara in turned cupped Willow's. "I love you Tara." She whispered leaning in to kiss her.

"I love you." Tara echoed, closing her eyes and then her lips over Willow's. "My forever." She whispered, laying her mother's silver ring in the palm of her other hand and holding it out to Willow.

"I don't want to let go." Tara spoke of her hand on the redhead's cheek that she knew she would have to remove it to put the ring on her lover's finger.

"Here we can do this." Willow turned her hand over palming the ring and then slipping it up to put it on Tara's finger, slipping it down her pinkie.

Tara managed to repeat the motion and slip the silver buckle ring onto Willow's middle finger. She then pressed their lips together again and was met enthusiastically by the redhead.

Tara looked down at the bed and picked up one shard of Arrow, she looked at it and drew in a breath.

"What?" Willow turned to see what she was pointing too. In the wood almost burned or etched was a word in script. "Xulon?" She whispered picking up the other half to see if there was anything there.

"Tree, it's ancient Greek so it must be your half." Tara beamed. "Tree, Willow."

"Cool, Artemis has a sense of humor." Willow smiled. "Astron." She pointed out the other word on the other half of the shaft. "What's that mean?"

"In Greek it means Star." Tara shrugged slightly. "I can't think…" She looked a little bemused for a moment

"Tara." Willow filled in remembering how they'd looked up their names once on a website. "Tara means star too."

"I think we're supposed to keep each others halves." Willow looked at how they had fallen.

"Like keeping each others hearts." Tara looked from Willow's hand up her arm to her face.

"Forever and always." Tara nodded. "I think." She sat up a little and began gently removing things off the bed laying their arrows carefully on the floor and just dropping the cross bow off the side with a thump. "That Amazons would seal the vow another way too." She reached up and took Willow's feather from behind her ear and put it carefully on the side.

"Mmmm how would they my Amazon Princess?" Willow shivered as Tara looked at her, just the gaze in the blonde's eye made her feel more and more turned on.

"Well all the books I read about them suggested they were rather…" She paused and retrieved her own feather, drawing it lightly over Willow's breast before pulling it back. "Passionate." She finished looking up sultrily.

"Now I know why they used feathers all the time." Willow shivered her skin tingling as the nipple on that breast quickly puckered up hard.

Tara giggled as she leaned forward and kissed Willow's collar bone her hand sneakily move to trace the feather up Willow's side.

"I just liked it for the outfits." Tara giggled more as she drew a slow figure eight around Willow's breasts.

"And you had a huge crush on Gabrielle." Willow drew in a slow breath as her body arched.

"Yes when she was a redhead, rather than the blonde. Wait how did you know that I never told you!" Tara pulled back a little and stared at Willow grinning.

"You used to drool and you made me program your VCR to catch all the different times it was on in the middle of the night so you could watch them during the day." Willow giggled at Tara's shock.

"You got the magazine when Gabrielle had the full center spread." Willow giggled more.

"Oh in my version of the story they did, the last fifteen minutes of the last episode, it never happened." She pointed out her voice deadly serious.

"The fifteen I always said they cut because they were having first time snuggles."

"Can't have that on tape, need their privacy." Willow nodded licking her lips as she watched what Tara was doing.

"That's right I mean some Amazon rituals should be kept private." She leaned forward a little still twirling the feather.

Giles pulled at the front of his dark green sweater and flicked a speck of lint off it as before he reached out and pressed the doorbell of the Summers house for the second time.

"Hello Mr. Giles." Vi opened the door with a smile and let him in. "You're just in time for breakfast."

"Am I, well that's good." Giles looked up and held up the small collection of two coffees and a small bag of donuts he held in is free hand. "I have an offering." He added as he stepped inside.

"Great we all are dying for..." Buffy looked at what he had. "I get one of the coffees." She called dibs quickly grabbing one. "But did you really expect us to split it?"

"Well if I'm honest no." Giles looked down briefly and pulled off his glasses cleaning them somewhat hurriedly.

"Is everything okay?" She raised an eyebrow looking back to give everyone a glare that made them clear out into the kitchen.

"Yes, yes, I think one would describe everything as fine." He replied trying a quick smile as he slipped his glasses back into place.

"How fine?" Buffy raised an eyebrow taking a sip of what she then discovered to be a barely warm coffee.

"Well Tara got up early this morning, she appreciated her flowers." Giles pointed out with a genuine and yet somehow still awkward smile.

"Yes, though I noticed her and Willow seemed a little tense when I met them both in the kitchen. I decided to give them a little time, picking up donuts and coffee you see." He pointed to the two items on the side.

"They have a lot to talk about." Buffy nodded pulling her legs up under her as she settled into the couch.

"Giles, I'm getting funny vibe from you." Buffy looked at him curiously. "Is everything okay?"

"No, not funny." He looked up and again tried to smile but instead managed to look exactly how he really felt, which was embarrassed.

"How come you didn't bring this to them?" Buffy put one and one together somewhat.

"Well I did you see." Giles explained. "Tara had said the apartment needed butter, and so I got that as well and..." The Englishman's cheeks turned a little scarlet.

"I'm not sure I am going to be able to look Tara in the eye for a few days." He cleared his throat again.

"Pervert, you should have knocked." Buffy scowled at him. "Walking into a bedroom Giles, that is not cool." She shook her head.

"I did not go into the bedroom Buffy, I assure you I went no further than the entrance hall." Giles looked up horrified.

"I nearly left these for them to..." He stopped embarrassed all over again. "But I didn't want them to realize I had heard them. I'm going to stop talk now." He shook his head.

"I can't believe she's back, that she never died." Buffy looked down into the cup with a bemused smile. "I mean it's totally good but what do we do now? How do we deal with the First if it has that kind of power?"

"Whose back?" Kennedy strolled down the stairs and moved in to grab the donut bag. She pulled it open and took out one with a frosted coating. She looked between the Watcher and the Slayer when no one answered. "Did I come in at a bad time?" She turned and only then noticed the empty room.

"Um no Kennedy you should probably sit down." Buffy frowned and looked at Giles.

"The First, something big and bad? Or oh God its not the hospital, I've only just surfaced I've no idea how..." Kennedy frowned as she glanced between Buffy and Giles some more.

"Wow, two lots of bad news." Buffy reluctantly put her coffee down. "She didn't make it Kennedy, the damage was too much." Kennedy's head dipped and the young woman put down her donut. "It's not your fault though, you tried your best." Buffy reached out and patted her arm.

"I…" She took a breath. "I thought maybe that had happened, it looked real bad." She tried to control her reaction.

"Tara's alive." Buffy didn't know how else to say it. For a moment Kennedy just laughed and then she looked at the Slayer seeing that she was attempting to be serious.

"The First? It's trying to hurt Willow again." Her face crumpled into a frown. "Why cant it just leave her the f..." She stopped herself. "Alone." She finished.

"This is Tara, the thing that died was a shadow the First put in her place. Tara is alive Kennedy." She tried to stress all that it meant without saying anything out loud.

"But she can't be, I mean Warren shot her, did we all miss the whole freak out session?" Kennedy looked wildly between Giles and Buffy to see if this was some how a test.

"The First is capable of great power Kennedy, we've discovered it used this power months ago to create a copy of Tara, to infiltrate the group." Giles explained more to her.

"But how, how do you know that this is Tara?" Kennedy pushed back shaking her head.

"Giles did a check with a magic stick, it's her." Buffy watched her move. "Kennedy I'm sorry, I know..." She didn't finish.

"A stick." Kennedy stared at her and backed away more. "You do some crazy magical crap and you say its her?" She growled. "Have you left her with Willow?" She added her eyes hardening. "You have haven't you." She pushed around Giles.

In a quick move the SIT threw back the lid of the weapons chest and grabbed the first thing she could get her hand around.

"I wouldn't leave Willow with just anyone." Buffy came after her and stopped when she saw the potential with the sword.

"Yeah right, you're all too blind to see it, you all just want her back because some how she's gonna make it all better. This isn't a story things don't work out like that." Kennedy snapped as she pointed the sword at Buffy and began backing towards the door.

"Kennedy put the sword down." Buffy stared at her moving closer to the potential.

"No, I have to save Willow." She backed up more her hand reaching out closing around the keys to Owl's bike that were on the side.

"I'm the only one that's not." Dipping the sword she turned and pulled open the door running out onto the path towards Owl's bike.

"You're making me do this." Buffy scowled as she raced after the potential. "Come back in the house Kennedy." She warned in a solid tone.

"I have to save her." Kennedy slammed the sword down on the lock and chain that was wrapped around the Harley's wheel to lock it in place.

"HOLY SHIT!" Owl's voice screeched from the top floor window. Inside the house angry footsteps bounced down the stairs coming to a halt at the door as the older potential stopped.

"She's already saved." Buffy reached out grabbing Kennedy's hand to stop another strike and wretched it till the sword fell to the ground. "Owl I'm dealing with this!" She yelled before Owl could leave the porch. Right now she wanted to calm Kennedy down and not have a fistfight between her and Owl making this worse.

"Not till you listen to me." Buffy didn't let her go. "It's Tara, not the First. We have checked and double checked."

"I know how you feel about Willow." She dropped her voice lower. "But it can't happen now." She whispered pained.

"Come back in the house." Buffy let go and slipped her hand around the potential body to guide her.

"As soon as you go in the house." Buffy nodded happy when Owl at least stepped back out of the way. "I'll take the sword."

"I'm thinking I'm missing something." Owl glanced at Dawn who had appeared beside her as the pair slipped by.

"Kennedy has this huge massive crush on Willow." Dawn frowned. "They were sort of dating I guess."

"But Willow's kinda taken, saw the smooches with my own eyes." Owl replied hushed.

"Well no, not smooches, but you know. They, her and the blonde, looked kinda, well you know..." Owl stopped. "Are you even old enough to hear this?" She queried with a frown.

"Okay now she's locked in her room." Buffy came back down the stairs and sighed. "I'm sorry about the bike thing." She reached Owl at the bottom.

"No, I think she's okay. Just needs to get her head around the fact Tara's back." Buffy frowned. "Not great news for her prospective love life."

"Well I guess she's gonna learn the big rule today, she's a potential and we don't have lives, let alone love ones." Owl stretched out her long body not at all conscious of only wearing boxers and her tank top.

"Sorry?" Buffy watched her move and then realized she hadn't heard a word the young woman had said.

"Nothing I was jut being cynical." Owl shook her head. "Go on tell me about how I'm too young for it." She reached out and patted Buffy lightly on the upper arm, before squeezing past her to go through to the kitchen.

Willow straightened out the pillows on the bed, wishing now she'd bought Xander something better than the Hawaiian shirt she'd gotten him for Christmas so that she wouldn't have to be putting a set of ram rusty gray sheets on the bed now. Happily though she plumped up the pillows and turned down the comforter before she moved back to the mirror fixing her hair slightly. Slowly she made her way to the window, drawing back the heavier curtains but making sure that the lighter sheers were still in place to shield them from the outside world. A very adamant call from the Slayer earlier had stressed that they stay inside and out of sight for now, something Willow was more than happy to abide with. She didn't want the 'real' world pressing in on them right now. She needed time. Time to just be with Tara and forget about all the hell she had lived through the last few months.

"A perfect bath sweetie." Tara stepped into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around her body with another one around her shoulders that she rubbed against her hair occasionally.

"Well I do my best with only a bargain spice rack and some regular soap." Willow grinned and walked over to her. Tara looped her arms around Willow's neck and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Just a little so that we don't blow our cover." Willow giggled and reached up putting her arms around Tara's waist.

"Our cover?" Tara frowned gently, but shouldn't stop a smile at her giggling lover.

"Buffy phoned, she wants us to stay in and lay low for a bit until they can figure out a bit more what's going on with the First." Willow admitted not wanting to dim their mood.

"I think we can cope with the prescription." Tara kissed the redhead's nose. "You?"

"Definitely. I took a look in the kitchen, we don't have the stuff for pancakes but we could make French toast." Willow smiled under the kiss.

"Why don't I look after cooking, while you settle on the couch, maybe put some music on, Xander said he had candles." The blonde kissed her again.

"We could see if there is a good movie on, snuggle up and watch it." Willow added looking into blue eyes.

"Rosenberg." Tara clarified, watching Willow's mind trying to work out what she was asking.

"Tara Rosenberg, don't you think it has a ring? I mean I know legally probably we can't, but you know, legal doesn't make any difference to what we want to do, does it?" Tara gave a slightly hopeful smile.

"It doesn't mean a thing." Willow leaned in and kissed over the blonde's happy lips. "I love you Tara Rosenberg."

"Mmmm you know we might never get to the kitchen." Willow kissed her cheek softly and then placed more soft kisses towards her ear.

"You need munchies." Tara slid her hand down, and slipped it between them rubbing it over Willow's tummy.

"Not quite." The redhead pressed her hand over Tara's and massaged her thumb into the blonde's wrist.

"The towel's not that secure." Tara eased the side of her mouth into a brighter smile.

"So if I..." Willow reached up and flicked the edge rather easily making it slide open.

"Which would completely put French toast on hold." Willow looked down admiring the curves of Tara's sun kissed body. "For awhile." She urged Tara back towards the bed with her.

"I'm not." Willow shook her head seriously. "I promise to eat twice as much after." She sat down immediately pressing her lips to Tara's stomach, the height difference putting her at the perfect level.

Willow groaned her agreement as she passed her tongue across Tara's stomach. Tara felt the muscles of her belly flutter under Willow's tongue, her body that had calmed a little in the bath flared with a renewed passion. Small kisses traced Tara's hip and then dipped across her stomach again. Tara tried her best to keep her hips and lower body still, but finding she couldn't she glided them slowly left to right. Seeing her difficulty, Willow slipped back and urged the blonde to lie down. As soon as Tara was settled she went back to lavishing her torso with kisses.

"I can't resist you fresh out of the bath." Willow kissed down each of her thighs and then kissed back up her stomach.

"I remember several Saturdays when we got stuck in the bath, snuggle, bath circle." Tara admitted with a sly smile.

"Mmmm Sunday's meant whipped cream and marshmallows." Willow grinned as she kissed towards a stiffening peak.

"That was your favorite." Willow reminded as well. "Something about an after dinner drink."

"I love you." Willow leaned looking into blue eyes. "So much baby." For the first time since initially seeing the blonde again Willow felt herself become completely overwhelmed as her eyes went glassy with emotion. "So much." She whispered her words thick.

"I know." Tara nodded and eased Willow up to come and lay against her as she enclosed her arms around the slim redhead. "You can cry if you want sweetie." She whispered pressing her lips against Willow's head.

"I don't want to cry." Willow's lip trembled as she pressed into the arms that held her. "I don't want to think about it, none of it was real."

"I know, I'm just saying, if you want to you can." Tara pointed out. "And even though none of it was real, it still happened, to you." She soothed.

"How come you can always do that?" Willow hugged closer as she felt the tears coming down her cheeks.

"Make me feel safe, like the rest of the world can't hurt us." Willow rubbed her wet cheek into Tara's shoulder. "I was so scared without you."

"I think its because…" Tara dropped a kiss onto Willow's head again. "Because I love you, love all of you and I believe that we were meant to be together." She stroked over and over. "I was scared all my life before I met you Willow." She assured her. "But the day you faced my father, the day you held my head in your hand and loved me despite my lies, his lies." She breathed. "I knew then, with you, I had nothing to be afraid of again."

"Not without you I'm not, I'm just shy stuttering Tara." The blonde shook her head.

"No, no you're not. You're a gorgeous, beautiful, intelligent thoughtful gorgeous woman." Willow looked up reassuring her.

"No, I'm nothing... not compared to you." She shook her head. "You're everything."

"I'm not going to take that Willow, you never used to take it from me." Tara shook her head.

"You did a spell that went wrong." Tara repeated the words Willow had used while defending her two years earlier.

"It hurt so much to lose you." Willow admitted her voice honest and scared. "I know I probably shouldn't be thinking about it because you're here and you're alive and you want me and everything's going to be okay now." She babbled slightly, trying to convince herself her outburst was totally unwarranted.

"That's why you can think about it sweetie, because I am here. I am with you, it can't hurt you anymore, you can talk about it all you like and I will still be here holding you when you've done talking, when the crying and the shaking stop, I'll still be right here." Tara whispered not letting her run away from her feelings.

"I love you baby. I love you so much." Willow leaned closer kissing her so tenderly.

"I... I don't want to make you feel sad." Willow curled against her a thousand things whirling around her mind.

"Willow," Tara stopped their gentle motion and tilted the redhead's head up to look at her. "What hurt you, hurt me, what affects you, affects me. I'm sad if you are even if I don't know exactly why, all I'm offering is the chance to maybe help." She smiled tenderly.

"It felt like I had died with you." Willow blinked her eyes filling with tears the second time.

Kennedy stamped her way into the kitchen and yanked the fridge open pulling out a can of soda. She clicked it open and began chugging it. When she had muttered a bit and finished off the can she threw it in the garbage and stalked back into the living room. She looked at the television not really seeing what was on.

"Maybe you should get off your ass and get one yourself." Kennedy kicked the coffee table a little making Rona's feet fall from their place leaned against it.

"You know that type of attitude isn't going to keep you alive when the First comes to get you." Kennedy barked at her passivity.

"She was sticking up for you so I'd shut up if I were you." Owl said in a low tone, looking up from her game of chess with Dawn in the corner.

"Oh and what do you know about anything?" Kennedy whirled around at the new voice. "Coming in here on your big bike with your big attitude like you're better than all of us."

"You gonna make me?" Kennedy slipped her weight back staring at the other brunette.

Owl glanced up at Dawn and mouthed the word 'Sorry' before shifting in her chair to look up at Kennedy.

"Sit down and calm down, I know you're feeling crap and tense, but you don't want to do anything dumb." She informed her.

"You don't know anything about what I feel." Kennedy reached out and poked her in the shoulder.

The taller girl watched as the small finger jabbed into the dark gray fabric of her T-shirt.

"Why, big bad attitude girl going to take me out?" Kennedy finished the move contacting her finger into Owl's shoulder again.

Owl's hand flashed out and gripped tightly around Kennedy's wrist, she linked her dark eyes to the other potentials.

"Make me." Kennedy twisted her wrist to free her hand as her other came up as a fist.

"You wan to make something of this fine, but I'm warning you… don't." Owl kept her tone calm but it tuned icy cold.

"Would you rather I split your lip and laid you out?" Owl arched a dark eyebrow.

"You really aren't going to give in on this are you." Slowly Owl pushed up to stand and shoved back the long sleeves on her T-shirt.

"Just cause you ride a Harley doesn't mean you aren't low on the totem pole." Kennedy stood her ground when Owl stood up.

"She doesn't mean it." Molly got up moving over. "Come on Kennedy, we can go in the basement and you can show me some training stuff." She went to take the angry SIT's arm.

"Molly, get off!" Kennedy flicked out her arm to block the attempt but rather accidentally caused Molly's own hand to go back and smack her in the head.

Kennedy saw Molly holding her cheek and heard the nasty comment from her side and before she knew it she turned cocking back her arm and snapped off a right hook at the taller SIT.

The badly aimed but hard punch connected with Owl's chin causing her to flinch her head back a little cursing under her breath.

"Let this go." Owl growled trying to calm the inner flare reaction just to flatten the younger woman.

"BUFFY!" Rona managed to call for the Slayer just as Kennedy tried to hit her with another combo of punches.

Owl managed to duck the first flying fist, but caught the second mid abdomen, bending her forward slightly with a groan.

"Okay lets do this." She growled flicking her leg around catching Kennedy in the ribs with her knee.

The other brunette bent around her leg giving out a deep groan of her own, she did her best to do as she was taught absorbing the blow clawing her arms around Owl's leg trying to tip her off balance.

Owl used the smaller girl's concentration against her as she was more than stable on just her left leg, she flared her open palmed hand onto Kennedy's shoulder pushing her hard to the side

As Buffy scrambled down the stairs to arrive in the archway to the living room Kennedy was thrown sideways and bounced off the coffee table before she landed on the floor.

"Really?" The Slayer looked as Kennedy coughed and pushed up as best as she could while she held her stomach. "Why does that sound like the answer you give the principal?"

Owl stood up straightening out her back and inspecting the side of her chin lightly with her fingertips.

"And Owl and I sort of got in the way." Molly smiled despite the red scratch from her nail on her cheek. "All good."

"Yeah and the Easter Bunny is real." Buffy put her hands on her hips and looked at Kennedy with accusing eyes.

"Great then I'll be in the kitchen, if anyone else falls down it better really seem legit." Buffy rolled her eyes knowing there was no way to get the truth out of them.

"Really Buffy, it was an accident, hard not to trip over people I guess." Owl smiled as she sunk back down in the chair opposite Dawn.

"Well we're having a meeting tonight about arrangements, maybe then we can all stop tripping over one another." Buffy looked at her. "If any of you want ice after the fall I'll be getting it in the kitchen."

Sharing a quick round of what could only be described as guilty glances the SIT's all settled back into what they had been doing before the skirmish.

"I'll go make sure Buffy's okay." Dawn excused herself from the chess game and followed her sister into the kitchen.

Buffy calmly took a tray of ice out of the freezer and started to crack it up before dumping it in a tea towel.

"So are you now going to tell me what really happened?" She didn't look up when she heard her sister enter.

"Kennedy started a fight." Dawn whispered glancing over her shoulder before moving closer to Buffy.

"Mmmm with who?" Buffy pulled the ends of the towel into a tight ball and then smacked her fist into it crushing the cubes down.

"Well it really started with Rona." Dawn relayed. "And then Molly told her, that is Rona to back off and leave Kennedy alone and Kennedy turned on her and then Owl said to leave her, that is Molly alone and then Kennedy kinda turned on Owl."

"Kennedy." Dawn admitted looking down. "Owl told her to back off like three times at least." She explained. "I just think Kennedy's having a bad day." She tried to stick up for her.

"I think Kennedy has broken heartitus which gives her a free pass just once." Buffy nodded holding out the pack. "You want to bring that too her."

"That's why it'll be okay in a few days. Kennedy's not a stupid girl, she'll get her head around what's going on." Buffy assured the teenager. "Does Molly need one?"

"Can you take care of that?" Buffy asked her knowing the answer already. "I should talk to Owl and then to Kennedy once she's cooled off a bit."

"I'm guessing you don't need a jar opening like Dawn suggested." The older potential cocked her head to one side.

"I'm pretty good with the jar opening." Buffy actually had to smile at the lame excuse. "Are you okay?" She asked finding a more serious face.

"Yeah, I'd make me feel better if you told me I don't have a red chin." She turned her head slightly for the Slayer to see.

"Let me get you some ice, I lie better with ice." Buffy put her hand up inspecting for a moment before she pulled back. "So what happened?" She asked beginning to repeat the ice pack procedure.

"She needed a bundle you know how it gets." Owl shrugged. "I figured that it was better she tried to take me out than Molly."

"A what?" Buffy questioned then began to incorporate the slang. "Oh... well no. I'd rather she didn't take shots at anyone on the good side of the Hellmouth."

"You could have done more than pushed her down." Buffy pointed out as she came back holding the ice pack up to the red mark. "Thank you."

"She's scared and she's hurting." Owl moved her hand up to take over the icepack from Buffy, accidentally resting her larger hand over Buffy's "And it's kinda crowded." She arched her palm letting Buffy slip her hand free.

"Yes." The Slayer did just that and nodded moving back to the sink to refill the trays. "Though we're working on that. We were thinking, well I was thinking and Giles was nodding lots." She laughed lightly. "Do you object to being posted here so to speak?"

"I meant more we've found a way to spread everyone out a bit but we want the Bringers and the First to still think everyone is here-ish. For that I want to keep some of us here and since you've already taken down some of the messengers." Buffy made the offer.

"Don't mind at all, Dawn plays a mean game of chess." Owl shook her head with a shrug.

"Actually I was going to put Dawn over at the new secret location." Buffy frowned slightly. "There's an apartment that has miraculously opened in Anya's building, old tenant had a neck hemorrhage." She poked at her throat giving the real reason. "The plan is to move Willow and Tara in there to hide her being back from the First till we can figure out just why it did what it did."

"Twice as good." Buffy fibbed as she put the trays back in the freezer. "It's just... Dawn lived with Tara and Willow for awhile and I think it's important that she spend time with Tara now that she's back." She took a deep breath. "Wow you have no idea how weird that is to say out loud."

"Yes and yes." Buffy smiled. "How are you doing? Other than the red chin. Is there anything you need? Giles said we can get you clothes or stuff if..." She motioned uselessly.

"I have some gear." Owl shrugged. "I just kinda took off without much thought of that."

"Yeah, well let's just say Kennedy needs to be grateful she caught me on a good day." She gave a tight smile.

"Somehow I get the impression you still wouldn't have cleaned the floor with her like you could have." Buffy pointed out.

"Maybe." Owl agreed with a nod. "She's just a kid, like I said, an angry scared kid."

"Aren't we all." Buffy laughed tightly and moved to get a drink out of the fridge. "You want anything?"

"Hopefully no longer than a day or two." Buffy spelled out. "Giles is trying to get the other lease straightened out."

"My life just keeps getting better." Buffy pulled open the door and watched as Spike sidled in through the front door. "So are you chip-less?"

"Yeah, though the buggers didn't even drop me at the door, made me walk from the main road." Spike replied caustically.

"Your false attitude doesn't work with me Spike." Buffy shook her head. "Save it for scaring Andrew and the SIT's. Are you okay?" Her voice dropped a little.

"Better." Spike nodded his voice soft too. "I know you save me Buffy." He admitted. "Thank you."

"It was necessary." Buffy replied stiffly. "We have a few people for you to meet, and one of them is going to shock you."

"You won't even believe it." Buffy shook her head and closed the door behind the returning vampire.

"So how much more crowded are we?" Spike stripped off his leather duster and rubbed the edge of a white square plaster on the side of his head.

"Well that at least is something that is getting a little better in the next twenty four hours." Buffy smiled tightly as together they went through into the crowded lounge.

"My room is my room, you will have to sort something out with the spare room." Anya put her hand on her hip and looked at Kennedy, Molly and Vi who stood in the living room with rucksacks on their backs. "The couch pulls out and the bed in the spare room is a queen."

"The closet and drawers are empty in the room, you'll have to put your things in their Kennedy, I can't have them littering the sitting room." Anya stated.

"It's just nice to have some breathing space." Molly smiled amiably and eased her bag off her shoulder.

"Yes, this way there's only four of us fighting over the bathroom." Vi added smiling as she clutched her bag.

"So... do they need help moving stuff in Willow's place?" Kennedy tried to ask the question nonchalantly.

"Well its not on this landing, its on the one above, more expensive, nicer windows." Anya bitched subtly. "I think the boys are moving big things in for them." She added shrugging and turned to move through the living room towards the kitchen.

"The kitchen is there, if you eat anything write it down." Anya called out the instructions, "I have drawn up a list with all your names on it and columns, just write it in there." She continued completely missing the on going conversation

"Does anyone get the idea we should have pushed to stay at the house?" Kennedy frowned when she heard about the food list.

"I don't know, I like it here." Vi moved further into the room and smiled as she sunk onto the armchair. "Just think only four of us to a TV." She pointed to the flat screen TV in the corner of the room.

"And she didn't say we couldn't eat anything, just that we had to write it down." Molly flopped down on the couch.

"Oh yes about the television." Anya reappeared in he lounge. "You can of course watch it, but I have the channel I want on if I want to watch." She watched the two potentials sit down. "You can unpack any time." The former demon stared at the two abandoned bags.

"Come on guys, let's not piss her off." Kennedy slunk off with her pack towards the spare room. Nodding the other two followed.

"Now remember everyone, this is my apartment so..." He looked. "God trying to pick one of you to bunk with is like having a death wish."

"Well I think being the oldest, it is quite clear I should have the blow up in your room." Giles moved to pick up the rolled up plastic.

"Yeah fine but now I have to pick between him or him." Xander pointed at Andrew and Spike.

"Um wouldn't it be me since Spike is up at night and asleep during the day?" Andrew raised his hand.

"Fine by me Nancy boy." Spike sniffed and jumped onto the corner couch. "This is kinda comfortable, still smells all girlie in here if you know what I mean." He grinned and winked at Xander.

"What do we want for dinner? I could make fajitas, we could have Mexican night." Andrew threw in.

"Do we have to be quite so tenacious with each other?" Giles sighed shaking his head.

"I'll have you know I'm extra scrumptious." Andrew stood up and put his hands on his hips.

"Look lets all just have Mexican and blood for him and try to get along." Xander offered trying to make the peace.

"Because there are five of them there already which puts them at capacity." Xander spelled out again.

"And it wasn't a good idea before you had the chip removed Spike, it is even more of a bad idea now that you don't have it." Giles pointed out.

"Out? Out?" Andrew squeaked. "The Slayer told me he'd had it fixed." He looked at Xander.

"This is so cool." She grinned as she slid down the hall on her socks. "It's like when we all lived together before but Buffy's alive." She grinned at Tara who was carrying towels.

"Be careful Dawnie." Tara chuckled watching the teenager's antics. "Do you want towels in your room or in the bathroom?" She added holding up some purple ones.

"How could I not be." Tara smiled broadly. "Are you? I mean do you think you'll be alright staying here with us?"

"Totally, away from the house that the First comes to visit at." Dawn nodded. "I think this whole new plan could work out."

"I have to admit I'm looking forward to actually finding out more about what we're actually dealing with." Tara nodded. "That is if Willow even lets me near a book, let alone allows me to open it."

"Buffy's already told us to tone it down when you're around, so you don't have to worry." Tara chuckled at her little show.

"She's such a spoiled sport." The teenager rolled her eyes. "I am totally down with the snuggles, I mean in a its cool that you two. Wow I should shut up I'm starting to sound like Xander."

"Its nice to know that you understand how much Willow and I love each other and that you realize that us touching sometimes is kinda necessary." Tara felt herself blush a little.

"Yeah I get that." Dawn smiled at her. "And you have no idea how glad I am that you're back." She reached out and hugged the blonde.

"Well I have some idea." Tara hugged back. "You haven't taken the skirt off yet." She gave her a squeeze and then eased back

"This skirt rocks. I had three different jocks and a cheerleader comment on it." Dawn did a twirl. "Oh course she was jealous not flirting."

"I hope I've not missed out on my favorite teenagers love life too much." Tara began crossing the highly polished floor to the bathroom.

"No, it's been boring." Dawn's revelry ended quickly. "I mean especially with Buffy working at the school." She followed Tara around.

"Willow told me that." Tara glanced over her shoulder at the teenager as she reached the bathroom putting the towels into the empty cupboard under the pristine white sink. "About Buffy working at school." She clarified.

"Though I think there is something creepy about Principle Woods." Dawn leaned against the door watching. "He's just too nice you know, especially to be at

"Are you sure that's not just because he's your principle?" Tara arched her eyebrows gently.

"Perhaps I need to meet him." Tara offered closing the cupboard and pulling out three new toothbrushes, still in their packages from her jogging pants pocket.

"Mmmm Willow will whine if she doesn't get the spotted one, so I take stripes." Dawn pointed at the middle one.

"Sure." Dawn took the toothbrush and wrestled to get it out of the plastic. "So how is Willow?" She asked her voice lower as she glanced down the hall where the redhead was watching over the phone technician who was putting in her hard-line for her computer.

"Up and down." Tara replied honestly as she took Willow's toothbrush effortlessly from its wrapper, slipping it into the center slot in the yellow and white striped toothbrush holder on the sink. "How does she seem to you?"

"She told me." Tara put her own toothbrush in place and put her hand on Dawn's arm. "She told me what you did for me, well the thing that wasn't me, when you found it, after the…" She stopped herself from further making a mess of the sentence. "What I'm trying to say Dawn is, thank you."

"I thought it was you, I couldn't just leave." Dawn shook her head, her doe eyes glossy. "I'm so glad it wasn't." She whispered and Tara pulled Dawn into another hug.

"I know." She assured her tenderly. "Are you sure you're okay about being here with us, well with me?" She checked again.

"Yes..." Dawn hugged her back tightly her voice squeaky. "I want to keep you safe."

"Don't think I'm going to let you get out of doing your homework and things." Tara rubbed her back.

"I missed you giving me the so your homework pout." Dawn closed her eyes as she leaned on Tara's shoulder.

"As much as you miss my pancakes?" She gathered Dawn's hair and released it over and over.

"Not that much." Dawn shook her chin against Tara's shoulder feeling safer and more secure then she had in ages.

"Do you think I should go and rescue the poor cable guy?" Tara asked happy not to move from the comfortable embrace.

"Maybe, Willow can be you know obsessive when it comes to her DSL." Dawn giggled but didn't move either.

"Buffy asked if you wanted to go there for dinner this evening." Tara remembered as reluctantly she eased back.

"I don't mind either way, I have to ring her to let her know that's the only thing. She said she'd send Owl to pick you up if you said yes." Tara explained.

"It's our first night, we could make something cool and eat in the living room." Dawn mused.

"I haven't eaten in ages." The teenager laughed and moved to drop her toothbrush into the holder.

"Go call your sister on your cell phone and tell her you won't be home." Tara advised gently.

Tara shook her head smiling as Dawn darted out and followed more slowly down the hall and into the lounge. Willow was holding the door open as the young technician was just leaving.

"Very, I'm hard lined and ready to find any info I can." Willow smiled she stepped closer and slipped her hands on Tara's hips. Tara made the easy move to slip her hands around Willow's neck.

"I think maybe we need ice-cream for dessert." Tara added the idea making her happy.

"We'll have to call Buffy she doesn't want us leaving the house remember?" Willow pointed out softly.

"Great idea." Tara kissed Willow gently, she couldn't believe how easily life had just slipped back into this comfortable and normal routine.

"It's yours." Willow moved her lips to cover Tara's mouth again kissing her tenderly.

"Wow." Amanda looked around the kitchen. Rona and Chloe were cooking, Owl was fixing drinks and Buffy came in and out carrying things to set the table. Though the last two trips in she had been chatting away on her cell phone. "It feels weird."

"That we're not tripping over one another." Chloe looked up from where she and Rona were conferring on spices.

"Are you sure you don't want one of the put up beds from the basement up in the room for you Rona? You don't have to share the bed when we have three down there." Owl offered as she finished pouring fruit juice into the last glass.

"No, I don't mind at all, it's going to feel odd enough as it is at night." Amanda shook her head.

"Fair enough." Owl nodded and confidently gathered all five glasses carrying them off towards the dining room. Buffy was sitting on one of the chairs and flicked off her cell phone.

"No, the slimmed down crew look kinda efficient." The potential admitted. "Am I reaching for my spare helmet?"

"No, Dawn's opted for Tuna gunk with her favorite couple." Buffy put the phone down by her plate.

"She was so hyper when I dropped her off there this morning." Owl shook her head chuckling.

"Having Tara back is like Christmas for her." Buffy smiled softly. "I can't blame her really, they... well Tara and Willow took care of her when I couldn't."

"I think its cool, that you don't have any problem with her staying with them." Owl admitted.

"Well you know, Willow and Tara are lesbians, I mean everyone knows that right?" Owl suddenly found herself hoping she hadn't just shattered illusions.

"What?" Buffy stood up looking horrified. "They are what?" Instantly Owl shifted in her place and winced.

"I mean here I thought they were just girlie on girlie action loving but know you're telling me they've embraced a title." Buffy watched her worrying and started laughing. "Owl I'm kidding." She laughed more. "We all know, old news."

"No, that was me proving that I don't care who anyone I love falls in love with as long as they are happy." Buffy smiled back. "I mean okay at first I was wigged but that was just the initial shock."

"Around." Owl smiled at the gentle tone Buffy used. "She lives in Birmingham with her husband and two kids."

"That's great." Buffy smiled instantly. "You know if you want to call her and tell her where you are or anything." She waggled her cell phone.

"Thanks but I'd have to tell her something I'm not sure I can talk about." Owl drew in a breath.

"When you're ready." Buffy nodded her voice soft again. "You know if you need to talk or anything." She added feeling very sad for the young woman, she knew what it was to lose love and it wasn't the easiest thing to ever talk about.

"Thanks." The taller girl nodded. "How ironic is it that it took her four years to get her head around the fact that her baby sister was gay and the only reason she really got over it was Shan…" Owl didn't even manage to finish the other woman's name.

"I can't imagine how much it hurts." Buffy reached out slowly and put her hand over Owl's.

"She wouldn't want it to." Owl shook her head. "She wouldn't want me to be hurting."

"No it doesn't." Owl agreed looking at the table and then at that hand that was over hers. "Have you ever, you know lost someone?"

"My mom to a brain tumor, Tara... well you know." She flustered. "Lots of people, in this line of work its like that."

"My Dad was great." Owl replied. "Mom was a little more stressed by it, but it got better when Jodie had kids. She had grandchildren to fret about."

"They're cute." Owl dug her hand into her faded jeans and pulled out her wallet. She unclipped it and flipped it open obviously intending to show Buffy a family picture. Instead she was faced by the smiling face of a slightly Asian looking girl, whose long black hair was clipped up but sent tendrils of rich black down her cheeks and in front of small ears. Dark brown eyes sparkled with love and the small soft toy she clutched in one hand proclaimed 'I love you' on his tummy.

"She's beautiful." Buffy whispered when Owl glanced to see what picture as there and stopped slightly stunned.

"She was." Owl seemed unable to tear her eyes from the small passport sized photograph.

"I'm sorry, I wish none of you had to go through this." Buffy whispered seeing how much pain was flashing over the girl's face.

"So do I." She admitted gazing at it for a long moment before easing her fingers behind it and pulling out a large picture folded into quarters, she unfolded it quickly and passed it to Buffy.

This photograph contained two people who were obviously Owl's parents, on the man's side stood Owl. Her arm around the girl in the previous photograph, on the other side stood another woman who bore more than a passing resemblance to Owl and beside in a wheel chair, was a man, no doubt her husband. He held a small toddler on his lap. On the floor, sitting in front of Owl's parents was a young girl of about four her chin up proudly in the air.

"I'm sure one day Dawnie will meet someone nice and have some kids." Buffy mused with a sigh.

"No." Buffy shook her head leaning back after another long sigh. "I think I'm better if I concentrate on the whole fighting evil thing."

"I'll wash up." The taller girl stood up and pushed her wallet back into her pocket, the moment slipping away into silence.

The backyard was very quiet and peaceful, those two things were part of the reason the ambience and the soft light of the crescent mood had drawn Chloe out into the night.

'Though just on the back porch.' She assured herself looking back to check the door was still open.

She hugged her hand around the cup of tea she was nursing and watched the dark clouds floating through the sky enjoying the serenity for along time before she nearly jumped out of her skin when a rustle sounded in the far bushes. Almost immediately she darted back to the door but her retreat stalled when a limping tabby cat came out of the underbrush nursing its right front paw.

"Oh poor pussy cat." Chloe put her cup down on the counter and walked outside quickly, moving without hesitation down the stairs to the grass and then more slowly as she tried not to scare the creature. "Here baby cat, let me help you." She bent down as she got within a few feet and the poor cat seemed to shy a bit more retreating away from her. "I won't hurt you." She kept her voice low as she inched forward towards it.

"Its okay sweetie." Chloe moved down on her hands and knees, crawling forward even more holding her hand out.

The little cat's ears suddenly flattened and it breathed out a low angry hiss, baring all of its bright white sharp teeth.

"Shssssssshhh kitty." Chloe's eyes went wide at the reaction and she backed up a bit coming up to stand again. "Maybe you need some tuna, then you'll come inside."

As the young woman backed up, the cat's ears flicked back into their usual position and it took a bold limp forward.

"Please kitty-kitty, it's okay." Chloe tried to keep soothing as she backed up a bit more. "Just don't run off we need to get you to a vet."

"Hey Chloe, what you doing?" From the kitchen Owl's voice called through, though the woman didn't leave the house to follow the other potential.

"There's an injured cat." Chloe looked back to the doorway. "I'm trying to get it inside to look at its paw. Can you get some tuna?"

"Sure." There came the sounds of cupboards opening and shifting cans from beyond the open backdoor.

"There you go, Owl's going to get you some tuna, that's got to be good right." Chloe smiled at the animal.

The little cat hobbled forward again seeming this time to stumble a little as it gave a rather pathetic meow.

"Oh, please let me pick you up." She started to bend down again putting her hand out slowly to the approaching animal.

"I found salmon." Owl's voice grew louder as she came to the door looking out into the backyard as she did so. She saw the other potential more or less kneeling on the floor her upper body forward and her head stretched out. The problem was in all of this she couldn't see a cat, though her keen eyesight did catch the glint of something in the moonlight that she just couldn't make out what.

"Bring it here." Chloe flicked back with one hand urging her to come out further.

"I don't see a cat Chloe, maybe you should just come back in." Owl felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle up.

"It's right here Owl." Chloe inched her hand closer. "Its paw is bleeding, oh get me a towel too."

"Really Chloe, I don't see a cat." Owl took a step out onto the porch her face drawn into a hard frown, something just felt wrong.

"It's right here, aren't you poor kitty." Chloe fretted as with a more pathetic meow the cat collapsed to the ground in front of her. She managed to pet the cat's small head a few times relaxing it. "Let me bring it inside." She reached her hands down around the small furry body.

The came a soft click as Owl watched the SIT's hand close around something on the floor and a brief flash as a glint of shiny metal caught another stray moonbeam.

"CHLOE NO!" Owl's high-pitched scream filled the silent night air in warning but Chloe didn't see anything but the cat she was trying to rescue.

In an instant a razor thin trip wire shot up out of the grass as weights in the trees dropped cutting the blade through Chloe's throat and almost completely severing her head. The blade caught on her spinal column holding her slightly upright until the pressure of her limp body pushed it between the vertebrae and she slumped forwarded in two pieces.

"Oh God no." Owl ran out diving to the floor slipping slightly on the gushing arterial blood that was quickly spilling all around Chloe's body. "BUFFY!" She shouted her hand wrapping around Chloe's vainly.

"Wow that was easy." In a flash the First appeared as Chloe beside Owl clapping gleefully.

"You bastard, you fucking bastard!" The potential looked between the carnage and the ghost that taunted her.

"Was this overdone? Come on you can tell me, I trust you Piper." The First stepped closer with a questioning look.

Owl dropped the corpse's hand and pushed herself to her feet, slipping and sliding in her panic to back up.

"Piper, please relax. It's not your time yet." Chloe held up her hand. "I like you, almost as much as I like Buffy. I promise to leave you for last, right before her and the other slayer. If you're really like I might kill her and let you be activated just so you can feel the rush."

The young woman's wild eyes flicked around looking for the lethal drop blade, it only took a moment to pinpoint the broad but stiletto thin arc of metal that was hidden in the grass. Throwing herself forward she gripped it in one hand hardly seeming to notice the blade pressing in to cut her flesh. With a low guttural yell she swung it around in a wide circle

"Piper." Chloe shimmered as the blade passed through her uselessly. "You're making a scene honey. There's no need for this."

"Owl?" Buffy appeared in the backdoor her eyes shocked when she saw what was going on.

"You bastard." Owl pitched forward to her knees again dropping the axe like blade, before she dropped forward to the blood soaked grass sobbing.

"I'll talk to you both later, have a good night. Oh and I think you should find a new burial spot Buffy, the old one's getting full." Chloe waved and shimmered out of existence.

"Owl? What happened?" Buffy rushed down turning away when she saw the bloody body.

For a long moment Owl just curled where she was sobbing, clutching her bleeding hand to her stomach.

"Owl..." Buffy moved over to her quickly. "Owl? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She moved down next to her trying to check her for injury. She couldn't be sure if all the blood was Chloe's or not.

"I tried…" Owl looked up flicking her red tipped hair backwards. "She wouldn't listen, didn't have a chance." She tried to draw in breath, but ended up mainly gasping.

"It is, I didn't do my job." Owl pushed out of Buffy's embrace and staggered to her feet dropping her hands to her side, blood clearly flowing from her right one.

"You're cut." Buffy moved over to her again. "In the house, come on. I'll deal with this." She urged her towards the building.

"I let her die." Owl pushed her uninjured hand through her hair and backed up a bit

"I… I shouldn't have come." She shook her head more and stumbled backwards, her foot catching on a root sending her sprawling on her back.

"Owl, it would just have come for you. You're safer here." Buffy tried to find some way of comforting her when she saw her fall. Quickly she dropped down to her knees beside her. "Please Owl."

"No Owl, it baited her out here. It knows how to get someone in a weak position." Buffy tried to sooth pulling off her sweater to tie around Owl's hand.

"This... that...." Owl's eyes flicked to the decapitating blade. "Shanti." She whispered squeezing her bloodshot eyes closed.

Buffy slowly looked over seeing the blade and then looked back the sad reality clearing in her head, the First had done this before. Been playing with Owl, playing with the only SIT among them that was threat to weaken her the only way it could.

"I let her die." Owl sobbed hard for a moment holding herself taut in Buffy's arms and then collapsing into them.

"You didn't, you didn't... you couldn't stop what happened." Buffy soothed her softly.

"I did." Owl sobbed harder. "She left them, the protection they gave her, for me."

"Owl, listen to me." Buffy pulled back and cupped Owl's head so she had to look her in the eye. "The Council is gone, the First destroyed it. They couldn't have kept her safe. That she had her life, her choice to love you and be with you." Her voice cracked. "That's what means everything."

"But I should have know, I should have known to save Chloe." Owl shook her head angry with herself.

"It's not your job, it's my job." Buffy released her hands. "Let's get you inside so I can look at your hand."

"But I should, the cat." Owl's face formed a hard grimace. "It, the bastard used her dog. Shanti's dog, our dog." She stubbornly refused to move. "It killed my dog to trap her."

"It is a bastard." Buffy growled angrily. "Come on we need you in the house." She pushed up and pulled Owl with her suddenly realizing how vulnerable they were.

Buffy wearily pushed open the door and pushed into the dark house. She went straight to the kitchen and running the water very hot washed off the dark soil stains that ran up her arms. Only when she had made the skin raw and red from the effort did she turn off the tap and slowly move upstairs. Pressing the already open door forward more she peered into her room. After they'd bandaged Owl's hand she'd insisted the SIT come lie down here instead of in the basement.

The taller girl's dark haunted eyes were open and staring straight up at the ceiling. She lay flat out on the bed on her back, her injured hand over her stomach exactly in the place Buffy had rested it when she had finished bandaging it.

"Do you need anything?" Buffy moved over to the bed and watched as Owl silently shook her head. "I..." She sat down in the chair near the bed. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"No, Amanda and Rona are asleep." Buffy answered in almost the same tone. "No point in telling them till the morning."

"You're allowed." Buffy didn't accept it. "You've been through a lot, something like tonight would be impossible not to react too."

"The blade, the blade that it used, well that its bastard lackeys must have set up." She corrected in a hiss. "Was it still there, when you... when you did what you had to do?"

"Yes, it's in the garage I thought Willow might figure out something from it." Buffy offered an explanation.

"Do you want some painkillers?" Buffy moved to the side table and pulled out a small bottle.

"In case you heard it." Owl shook her head to the pills. "And are wondering, my name, my real name, is Piper."

"Why Owl then?" Buffy took out two pills and picked up the glass of water she'd left at the side. "And you're taking them." She held them out.

"When I was a kid, coming home from school one day I found an owl. A truck or something had hit it. Its wing was broken so I took it home, nursed it. Everyone told me it was a waste of time that it would be better dead. But I wouldn't listen, I nursed it and nursed it." Owl smiled somewhat but the look soon dissipated.

"Nearly took my eye out once." She used her good hand to point to a jagged scar down through her eyebrow that continued down to the corner of her eye. The faded memory was an almost invisible discolored line. "But I did it." She took a breath. "Months later, she could fly again in all her beauty and grace."

"Maybe, my sister was the one that started it but I think she meant I was as bad tempered and stubborn as the bird to be honest." Owl replied with a snort.

"I called." Buffy nodded giving her the water, happy when Owl quickly took the pills and held onto the glass.

"Owl you didn't mess up, don't even think that okay." Buffy shook her head and moved back to her chair.

The door to the bedroom eased open though no lights had been turned on and there hadn't really been any sound through the house. The shadowed figure moved straight through the room towards the bed.

"Spike do you have a death wish?" Buffy growled in the dark and caused the peroxide vampire jump as he turned towards the voice.

"Easy, I overheard your conversation with Giles, I came to see if I could help." Spike looked up apologetically.

"You think stalking into my bedroom at five am is going to be helpful?" Buffy questioned him with a skeptical look.

"I meant with the burying and everything, you act like this doesn't effect you but I know it does. I can do the burial thing." Spike rubbed his hand on his jeans

"It's done." Buffy shook her head. "I couldn't leave her in the backyard for one of the neighbors to call the police, very hard to explain." She pointed out with a hint of anger in her voice.

"How about you do what I asked you to do and stay at Xander's looking after everyone?" Buffy shook her head again to his charming attempt.

"I could help you look after everyone here." Spike looked up again. "You don't have to be alone in this Buffy."

"I don't need your help, I don't need you and your big speech about being there for me and caring and loving me." She shoved him backwards. "I need you to take this seriously and focus on doing something other that hitting on me while the First kills them all off. You're supposed to have a soul now, doesn't it hurt you at all that they are all dying?"

"No, you didn't did you? Because you're all happy puppies and poetry Spike now, but this isn't want I need. I need the vampire that can kick ass and likes to do it. I need a fighter not another idiot handing me tea." Buffy's voice was a low yell.

"But Buffy…" Spike frowned. "I thought I was helping, now I'm without chip I can be helpful with the training." He tried to rally her support.

"Training them to what throw a punch then die? I need you scratching and clawing to protect them or at least you getting off and beating the shit out the First so you can go on about how tough you are." Buffy countered. "I need the old Spike who didn't stay down when someone smacked him, the one that got up gloating for more."

"You know I'll stand by you, fighting with you until the last." Spike stated clearly.

"That's the whole point Spike, I don't want a last. I want to kick this things ass way before that and if it keeps killing off potentials I can't stop that from happening." Buffy leaned against the wall.

"It's not your fault they're dying off like flies. You're trying to keep them alive." Spike argued with her.

"Whose fault is it then?" Buffy glared at him. "Who is supposed to be the slayer who can keep them alive? Who have they all come scrambling to for help?"

"That's just you taking everything to heart." Spike shook his head again. "You're sensitive love, that's all."

"Spike, do you have one shred of something useful to tell me this evening?" Buffy stood back up staring at him. "Because if you don't why don't you be helpful and get back to Xander's before the sun rises."

"Okay look, you have a soul and yes I was really worried when the chip thing reset to brain fry setting." Buffy put up her hand. "But do not for one minute misplace my general concern as any indication I want to be with you again, especially in that way."

"I'm just being a friend Buffy." Spike shook his head. "I realize with all this going on, you can't make any decisions about anything."

"Why is it every second word out of your mouth has something to do with 'don't worry I'm not going to pressure you' but all you do is pressure me?" Buffy raised her voice again. "Stalking into my bedroom, following me everywhere, giving me the doe eyes."

"You're tense." Spike reached out to touch Buffy shoulder. "Come on pet, you should sit down."

"Get out Spike." Buffy smacked his hand away. Spike drew his hand back and looked down at the floor.

"Okay." He took a step backward he but stopped looking up again. "I can't figure you out."

"What do you want from me Buffy" Spike held his arms out to the side. "Everything I try is not good enough."

"That's just it, don't try anything, just be Spike." Buffy tried to explain. "This whole charade change of personality thing to please me just makes me not trust you."

"But it doesn't have to be a charade," Spike shook his head. "I could be anything for you Buffy. So much has changed." He softened his tone.

"Yes, but the stupidest thing about that is how can you be what I want if I don't even know what I want?" She questioned him.

"You're right, you're right." Spike backed up a little more. "Sorry, I just thought I could help, I was wrong."

"Spike, I don't want to hurt you but..." Buffy voice was slightly remorseful. "But just because I need your help to keep them alive, doesn't mean 'I need' your help."

"Then you shouldn't have did what you did." Buffy added softly her voice vulnerable and hurt.

"And sometimes mistakes ruin everything." Buffy turned and pushed back into her room for a moment forgetting that Owl was even there.

She walked straight to the window looking out into the still dark night as she heard the front door closing with his exit and she watched his dark figurehead down the road out of sight.

"One mistake and Chloe is dead." Buffy whispered to herself thinking about his words as her usually hard tough exterior broke a bit and she frowned.

"Oh I don't have to hide the sugar puffs." Amanda reached up and did a little dance with the cereal packet before tossing it to Rona whom was doing a continuation of the dance routine with two breakfast bowls and spoons. "Do you think Buffy and Owl are down there training already?" She asked glancing down at the basement door.

"I don't know. Buffy's door was closed, maybe she's sleeping in." Rona laughed lightly.

"Well she has got her bed back, not sure the last time she saw it let alone slept in it." Amanda laughed back.

"Yeah though no complaints from me, I got even longer than I planned in the shower." The potential added happily.

"Maybe I could even start to convince you guys that Sunnydale has its okay side."

"Should I put coffee on, Owl seems to be drawn to the spell of the filter stuff." Amanda glanced over her shoulder to the coffee machine.

"We might as well make a good morning good for everyone. We can make Buffy that oatmeal stuff she seems to like." Rona took another quick few mouthfuls and went to pull a packet out of the cupboard.

Dropping her spoon back into her bowl Amanda pushed up and walked over to start the coffee

"Making you oatmeal and Owl coffee." Amanda nodded. "Stop us now if you're not in the mood."

"Actually I have to talk to you both about something, maybe it should wait." Buffy decided this part of her duty was almost as bad as what she had to do the night before.

"No, Chloe..." The Slayer couldn't quite figure out how to start this. "The First killed her last night." She managed to get the rather blunt sentence past her lips.

"What?" Amanda's squeak was small. "But, she was… we were... she was coming to bed straight after us." She shook her head.

"Upstairs." Buffy frowned. "She got hurt. The First lured Chloe outside and it was a trap."

"Where is she?" Amanda stood behind the other potential and put her hand on her shoulder.

"I buried her." Buffy wiped her hand over her hip almost feeling the dirt there again.

"I'm sorry I let you all down." It was Owl's voice that followed Buffy's coming from just behind the Slayer.

"It's going to pick us all off." Amanda stared at Buffy. "Isn't it? One by one, and none of us can stop him." Her voice edged towards hysteria.

"We're not going to let that happen." Buffy tried to reassure her. "Just from now on after dark I don't care if I'm on the front walk injured, you don't come to help okay? Either of you." She tried to steer them to the present moment and safety precautions.

"We should make the coffee." Rona put her arm around Amanda but her hand was visibly shaking.

"You need to tell Kennedy and Molly and Vi." Amanda tried to will herself to move.

"You're leaving us?" Amanda stopped and turned looking at her obviously panicked.

"I have to for just awhile. Just stay in, train in the basement." Buffy assured them.

"You'll be fine Amanda, it always waits a bit before it tries to play with us." Buffy shook her head. "This is the best time for me to go out."

"We'll be okay." Rona breathed a little deeper. "Won't we Owl?" She looked up to the other girl.

"You're going to need a lift." Owl pointed out turning her head to look at Buffy.

"Get yourself some breakfast while I get a shower then." Buffy saw the hint of question in the younger woman about her abilities and knew that the last thing she needed was to foster her belief that she was somehow less than now that Chloe was dead. Owl nodded and moved past her into the kitchen.

Buffy knew that the news she had delivered had made a sad heaviness settle into the room. It was to be expected of course, the bigger picture being that another teenager innocent had lost her life in this struggle. While the one they had to focus on more was that the First had another victory and they still had no way to do anything to stop it for good.

"So any good news would be really good right around now Giles." Buffy looked rather hopefully at the Watcher from her place on the beat up couch they'd managed to purchase at a second hand store and move into the Wicca's new apartment.

"Any time soon." Dawn encouraged with a worried frown as the Watcher glanced around his apparently captive audience.

"Well I have been researching quite extensively on the art of mimic creation." He chose to fix his gaze on the polished floor.

"Giles she knows she was mimicked." Anya pointed out to him as she put down cookies on the coffee table.

"Yes, yes I was about to explain that some of what I have discovered could be classed as encouraging." Giles flashed an angry glance at her. "To create a shade, like the one who lived among us would demand considerable skill and power." Giles sat back in the armchair. "The kind of which could only be harnessed by a none corporeal creature. To create form when there isn't any is an impossibility for a human, or indeed vessel bound entity. Without knowing details about the time Tara spent just before she left it is hard to say exactly how The First was able to produce something so accurate and believable. Such perfect mirroring usually needs the involvement of the mimicked."

"She did not help it Giles!" Willow snapped closing her hand tighter around Tara's.

"No." Giles shook his head and looked up apologetically. "Oh no Willow, Tara I'm sorry I didn't mean to in anyway suggest that this was done with your knowledge and help." He backtracked. "More than it may have been done with 'parts' of Tara." He explained not realizing that this didn't actually sound any better.

"Don't worry Will, Giles is going to explain what he means really quickly aren't you Giles." Buffy stared at him too.

"Yes, perhaps I am not explaining this well at all." He pushed up out of his seat. "I believe the only way this could have happened is that unwittingly Tara crossed paths with someone working directly for The First."

"Tara wouldn't talk to anyone she didn't trust." Dawn shook her head coming to the blonde's defense.

"Before you left?" Buffy clarified not wanting to cause her best friend discomfort. She watched Tara give a solid nod.

"Well that would be the right timing wouldn't it." Anya noted. "She leaves... shadow shows up."

"Yeah, so let's go kick her ass then." Dawn pushed off from where she was leaning on the wall.

"Hold on." Buffy held up her hand to stop her sister. "Since when would the First be recruiting humans Giles?"

"Well it would be unprecedented." Giles nodded. "But it is the only way I could perceive it happening, even the most talented user of the dark arts would need basics like blood, hair and similar samples from the person to be mimicked."

"I think we need to go pay Candace a visit to get answers." Willow pitched in modifying Dawn's plan slightly.

"I think we should both go. I mean if she doesn't know that we know Tara is back then I can pretend I'm just looking for information." Willow looked at the Slayer.

"We need any information you can gather, she may talk more openly to someone she knows." Giles stopped. "You do know her Willow?"

"You know we should find out where the Candice girl could have gotten the ingredients for this spell, because they aren't common I bet." Anya added trying to be helpful.

"She was a member of the Wicca group." Tara added reluctantly, she knew this information wasn't going to help things. "She had connections."

"Perhaps you are unaware Owl, he is the one we turn to for carpentry and being a coward not, going on dangerous covert missions." Anya glared at him.

"Exactly, it'll look the least obvious." Owl shrugged. "I mean the Slayer rolling up with Tara's grieving lover?" She shook her head. "Big alarm bells. Even if you are nice and super understanding the carpenter rolling up say looking for a book or something that Willow in her distress thinks Tara may have given to Candice, perfectly understandable."

"But I don't know what I'm looking for." Xander shook his head. "Or what I should say."

"You want me to voluntarily go to hang out with a minion of the First?" Anya looked at the teenager concerned.

"Fine, I will do what everyone else would do because I am a good person." Anya put her hands on her hips. "Come on beady eyes lets get this over with. If I can go into another dimension to ask a floating eye for advice I can go see a girl named Candice."

"He can talk, I'll just use gentle probing techniques." Anya assured him putting on her coat.

"If she says anything important call us right away." Willow underlined her eyes narrowing.

"I should go back to the apartment." Giles stood up too. "Andrew wasn't happy to be left with Spike even in the sun lit lounge."

"I should try to make my last few classes." Dawn admitted moving towards her book bag.

"I could give you a lift." Owl offered. "Take you via the house so that it doesn't look like you're coming from here and all that."

"I wont be more than twenty minutes, if you're ready Dawn." She glanced at the teenager.

"Yeah lets go." Dawn slipped into her backpack. "But if you wrap me around a tree I won't be happy."

"Dawnie your lunch." Tara re-entered the room pointing at the kitchen as she handed Xander a slip of paper.

"Wish us luck and a safe and alive return." She gave them all a tense wave before she stalked out.

"See you all after school." Dawn waved and ran out holding her little neatly folded lunch bag.

"Drink anyone?" Tara hung somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the room as the commotion died down.

"That would be great honey." Willow turned and smiled from her place on the couch.

Tara nodded and slipped out and immediately Buffy sunk into a chair near Willow.

"You weren't there Willow, not last night," Buffy shook her head. "It was..." She shivered and sat back.

"Buffy, we're going to beat it." Willow moved over closer. "It's what we do." She put her hand over the Slayer's. "How is Owl's hand? She looks rattled."

"It's sore, it was deep but I couldn't take her to emergency." Buffy admitted. "I'll take a look at it later. There are issues."

"With Owl, The First knows she's good and she is good Will." Buffy looked at her friend. "It hurt her terribly."

"It killed her watcher." Buffy swallowed as she realized what she was about to tell her best friend.

"Oh." Willow's voice notched down to an even sadder pitch. "How did he..." She asked for the obvious detail.

"Exactly." Buffy nodded. "It was like it was taunting Owl by killing Chloe almost the same way."

"It's something the First would do Buffy, like when it used Cassie to pretend Tara was telling me to kill myself." Willow pointed out.

"I think she's part of it Willow, part of how we beat this." Buffy tried to express what she was thinking. "I just don't know how to keep her okay. How to keep anyone okay."

"Buffy the best way we can do that is to find a way to beat the First." Willow put forward.

"Feels good?" Buffy smiled at her seeing just how much more alive it made her best friend look.

"You're looking great together." Buffy relayed softly. "Gives me hope you know."

"Okay you, enough with the sexy." Buffy actually laughed. "Oh I wanted to check, Tara did know I was joking when I told her to watch the physical stuff when Dawn's around didn't she?"

"I think she's conscientious in case you mean it." The redhead made the soft admission to her best friend.

"Dawn puts me to shame with how okay she is about you too. And I'm... I can't tell you how my heart leapt when I saw you hold her hand when we were talking." Buffy smiled and shook her head.

"Thank you." Willow reached out to touch Buffy's hand again. "It means a lot for you to say that."

"Hey I might be slow, but even I can see when two people are made for each other." Buffy put her hand over Willow's.

"When this First business is all done we'll just have to find your someone you're made for." Willow assured her.

"If it looks like we're loosing, I was thinking maybe you and Tara should go, leave, take Dawn with you." She held green eyes.

"It wants the Slayers Will." Buffy tried again. "I'd rather give it that than risk you, what you and Tara have, its something I'm never going to have and I want to preserve that and Dawn too, I want her safe and with you is safe."

"We'll keep Dawn safe Buffy." Willow conceded the fact that if they were going to lose this she might have to give into the Slayer's request if only to keep Dawn alive.

"But we'll figure out things long before that so it's not necessary." Willow pointed out firmly.

"Buffy." Tara suddenly hurried into the lounge from the kitchen frowning slightly.

"I think Owl may have come off her bike." Tara pointed to the window, she moved over to it and pulled back the drape.

"What?" Buffy jumped up and ran to see that a small crowd had gathered around a car that was stopped sideways across the road. On its side by the curb was Owl's distinctive dark Harley and a smaller group were knelt on the grass bank directly to the side of the bike. Buffy took off backwards as soon as she had focused in on the accident. "Stay here." She warned racing out of the apartment.

"Owl!" She screamed loud enough to cut through the crowd to get to the figure on the grass.

"No, don't take her helmet off." A middle aged woman snapped at an older man who seemed insistent on unfastening Owl's chinstrap.

"Get away." Buffy pushed everyone aside. "What happened?" She barked at them reaching to hold Owl's head in place without moving it, just in case of injury.

"The car just veered at her." One on-looker explained. "She tried to swerve but didn't have anywhere to go but up the curb."

"No, no it was her fault." Another argued. "She only had one hand on her handle bars."

"Owl... Piper..." Buffy heard them in the background as she tried to see if she could ease the injured potential into consciousness. "Piper please." She whispered. This was not the way she wanted to loose another potential, especially not Piper.

"Oh God are you okay? Don't move, where does it hurt?" Buffy fretted not letting go of her head in case Owl did try to move.

"Right now everywhere, is my bike okay?" Piper tired to raise her uninjured arm to her chinstrap.

"I guess I'm just having a bad day." Owl winced. "I dropped Dawn off all safe." She added not wanting Buffy to fret.

"I guessed. This is my fault I should have told you to go home." Buffy frowned as she heard the sirens in the background. "The ambulance is coming."

"I can't go to a hospital." Owl bent one leg and gave a feeble attempt to push up.

"You can and you are. Don't make me use certain abilities to make you stay put." Buffy kept her down gently. "I'll come with you, it'll be fine. We need to get you looked after."

"I'll send Giles over." Buffy shook her head. "I'm going with you." She reluctantly moved back to let the paramedics do their job.

"Just in here." The nurse smiled gently to Buffy and pulled back the curtain around Owl's bed.

"Thanks." Buffy went in slowly looking at the tall woman who looked rather frail and meek in the muted green hospital gown and bedding.

"Kennedy and Vi got it into the parking at the building. So it's safe and sound." Buffy assured her.

"Little worse for wear." Buffy winced at the large bandage that was now around her injured hand and the stitches that were on a cut on her chin. "You're red mark has a match now." She tried to be upbeat as she leaned on the side of the bed.

"Good I hate to be uneven." Owl tried a smile but it didn't reach her eyes. "Can I get out of here yet?" She asked impatiently.

"A few more hours observation and then I can take you home." Buffy nodded. "They're afraid you scrambled your noggin."

"I was just driving home, I was fine and then there was this car, just there, across the road. I tried to swerve but there was no way I was gonna make it so instead of doing a face plant over its hood I went for the grass." Owl shook her head very gently. "I swear though it came out of nowhere."

"The police took a statement from the driver, we'll get Willow to hack into their records." Buffy assured her.

"Just shook up apparently." Buffy nodded. "Are you sure you don't want to stay in the night? Let them be sure you're okay?" She checked rather worryingly looking at the IV.

"It probably looks worse than it is, I only fractured a couple of the right ones." Owl shifted a little and then realized that Buffy rather than looking at her side as she had thought and had been looking at the IV drip.

"Okay now I feel stupid for some reason I was mixing up slayer skills and superman's x-ray vision." The Potential tried to laugh.

"You know you've now got me on your back to keep you staying still until you're healed." Buffy's resolve face came out.

"I wish slayer healing was something granted to us potentials." Owl smiled at Buffy's face. "Hey steady you could scare a girl looking like that."

"I don't matter as an individual Buffy." Owl dropped her voice. "What matters is what we're fighting."

"No." Owl shook her head. "Buffy everything I've seen from you, everything you do is just the opposite of that. It's how I feel." She tried to clarify. "Everyone you lose hurts you, I can see that."

"It's already hurt me Buffy, there's nothing he can do to me now." Piper shook her head.

"You know I thought I had the blame complex but you have it even more than me." Buffy reached out and put her hand over Owl's uninjured one.

"Would you rather I stayed in, they were quite keen on keeping me" Piper looked up into hazel eyes and for a moment just lost herself in them.

"If you want, but we can take care of you at home." Buffy offered softly not able to look away either.

"Hey it might make Rona and Amanda's life easier, you know having a patient to faun over." Owl smiled trying to find an up side.

"I'm sure they'd love it." Buffy agreed with the idea. "Look we both know how serious life is right now, but I don't want us to forget the big picture." She swallowed as she looked at the angry cut on Owl's chin again. "And that is taking care of each other."

"I remember once before Shanti and I got serious, she gave me a lecture about how you could never make it personal, that it was a destiny and not a grudge match." Owl gave her a genuine smile. "The first thing she renounced when she ditched the Council and we moved out together was that sentence."

"Giles tried that lecture with me too, but we've come to realize the only way to win is to make it personal." Buffy nodded that she understood.

"I don't mind if this fight costs me all I have Buffy, if it's me or you, then its me you know." Owl said seriously.

"Okay I did not make that agreement." Buffy looked at her firmly. "I make life and death decisions, I'm the slayer."

"You're Buffy Summers, twenty two year old with a future." Piper shook her head.

"You're Piper..." Buffy realized she didn't know her last name or her age. "And you're have even more ahead of you."

"McCaffery, twenty and I wasn't asleep last night Buffy." Piper shook her head. "When you had your visitor. Does he love you?" She added her voice lower.

"He thinks he does." Buffy nodded sadly. "But I don't think he knows what that is, I know he doesn't."

"He what?" Owl frowned and sat up a little painfully. It was the first time she'd seen the Slayer back down on anything and it made her very uneasy.

"Nothing, be careful." Buffy looked back up reaching to keep her from sitting up. "Watch the ribs."

"It's not nothing." Owl shook her head putting her uninjured hand over her side to ease the pain slightly.

"It is." Buffy tried to convince her. "We just have history, ancient history. Whatever you heard last night doesn't change anything."

"I've been with you for a few days now Buffy, I've seen and shared things with you that would send most people running but I've never seen that look." Piper nodded pointing out she was not going to be put off. "What do you mean by history?"

"It's a long story and you don't need to worry about this." Buffy tried to sidestep again. "I also don't come off particularly well in it so I'd rather not give you a reason to think less of me."

"No, it's not that." Buffy put her hand up to her face trying to shield the uncertainty this topic put in her.

"No really it's okay, I mean I'm just another potential, hey we've hardly enhanced your life have we." Owl shook her head again. "I think maybe I should stay the night here you know out of the way."

"If you think that's best." Buffy pulled the words back that were about to spill out of her and settled on the bland statement.

"No actually if we're being honest I don't think that, I think it'd be best if you leveled with me and maybe then I'll start thinking beyond this ever looming end I'm looking into with The First." Owl shrugged.

"Awhile ago we were fighting a hell God, I threw myself into a temporal portal and died." Buffy began knowing she had to explain somewhat.

"Made Slayer history." Owl nodded. "You're the only one who ever came back, twice." She smiled encouragingly.

"Well the whole second time didn't work out perfectly, the world was so harsh and I felt so cold inside." The Slayer tried to quantify things. "Spike and I, he offered a way for me to feel something."

"In the lowest form of the word." Buffy scowled at herself. "He said he loved me, says he loves me." She sighed heavily.

"Back before he got his soul... he tried... when I wanted to stop being with him he..." Buffy looked away again finding the words just wouldn't come.

"We had bigger things to deal with." Buffy shook her head. "Tara had been... Willow was..." She sighed. "Then he was gone, came back with a soul."

"That was then." Owl shook her head. "And since then, has he hurt you?" She asked bluntly. "Tried anything." Buffy shook her head not able to meet the potential's eyes. "You think you deserved it don't you." Owl said looking at the way Buffy avoided her gaze. "That somehow it was you, your fault." Her voice dropped. "That's why even now you don't want to let him go. Like you feel responsible for him. Responsible for how he is."

"We need him, he's a good fighter, the First thinks he's useful so he must be a key to getting to kill it." Buffy didn't turn back.

"Look at me." Piper instructed. "Look at me and tell me that's why he's not floating as dust through the air."

"I... I had let him do things before... he thought... I should have been clearer." Buffy glanced back into the potential's eyes hating the broken cadence of her words.

"Yeah you let him do things before and you want to know what I think, I think probably most of those times were rape too." Owl's voice dropped low as she raised her hand and cupped Buffy's cheek. "Buffy you were lost, hurt, confused and scared, you needed love, support and guidance. Not abuse, which I'm guessing at by the way, and you didn't deserve to be used."

"You're Buffy Summers, twenty two year old school counselor. You're a woman before anything else." Owl shook her head. "Okay so say things were different. Say I rolled up to your door and poured my heart out to you about my entire sorry story. Then imagine I say wait, what would make me feel better and get over it would be if you were to throw me around the room a bit and then we grind together for awhile, would you do it?"

"Never." Buffy hissed looking back at her firmly. "I would never let that happen."

"You need us to support you, to look after you and help you deal." She answered immediately. "When Willow lost Tara I saw, I've seen how hard grief can be."

"You lost paradise, big loss I'd say, don't ask how I know that by the way." She added with half smile.

"I know you know." Buffy nodded softly. "I think that's why I feel like you're different from the others, you've lived a slayers life even if you haven't been called.

"I'm not a man hating lesbian Buffy." She pointed out. "But a rapist who abuses his best friend, better steer clear."

"Thank you." Buffy nodded that she understood. "We should get you out of here, it smells like hospital."

"Can we make sure they give me painkillers?" Piper added a little less confidently.

"Already on order." Buffy reached back into her pocket showing she had three pink slips of paper. "Painkillers, something to help you sleep and antibiotic cream."

"They said it shouldn't scar, can I poke it?" Piper moved her hand to hover over her chin.

"No, missy." Buffy reached up moving her hand away. "No poking, agitating, rubbing or anything of that sort."

"Hey, I heard someone needed a lift." Xander's smiling face poked round the curtain.

"Right on time." Buffy turned and smiled at him. "How did the Candice thing go?" She questioned remembering where Anya and he had gone.

"No go, she's not in her dorm. Some floor mates told us she moved out about two months ago, no ones heard or seen her since." He shrugged. "Sorry."

"Okay, give us five minutes to get dressed and then we'll meet you out front?" Buffy requested.

"He was zapped to be a solider once, he has flashbacks." Buffy laughed as she gathered up Owl's clothes from the side chair. "You're going to need help." She pointed out rather calmly.

"You'd rather grab a nurse?" Owl asked hoping to give the Slayer an easy way out.

"No, I meant don't be a hero, let me help. I know what it's like trying to get dressed when you've had the shit pounded out of you." Buffy smiled and began easing back the bedclothes.

"Apparently tomorrow I'll be attractive blue shades rather than the red." Owl leaned back a little.

"You will be, then nice blacks and then even prettier purples and yellows." Buffy put her bra aside and checked over the shirt for rips before she put it over Owl's lap and helped her out of the gown. "You have instant bra with the ribs wrap." She smiled as she helped her into the long sleeve shirt.

"Ow ow." Piper moaned slightly as she settled it in place. "I think that was singularly the most painful thing I've ever done."

"Now that was an inspiring pep talk." Owl smiled her reserve of energy draining.

Buffy frowned and moved to get her pants situated so they could start shimming them up her legs.

"Oh and I have a great graze on my thigh apparently." Owl turned her leg showing the ripped skin down the back of her leg.

"Yes you do, road rash queen." Buffy gave the abrasion a good look. "Mmmm maybe leather is not the best choice. I'll get you some surgical pants."

"I thought I heard home based discussions going on in here." The curtain pulled back and the nurse entered smiling at both Buffy and Piper.

"Could we get some surgical pants? Hers will only aggravate the wound." Buffy asked politely.

"Eager to get your girlfriend home?" She smiled again. "Let me see what I can do, and I'll get the doctor to arrange discharge papers, you know you really shouldn't have tried to put her shirt on until I'd properly detached her drip." She admonished gently

"Perhaps you should try and talk her out of riding something as dangerous as a motorbike then." She smiled again before slipping out. "We call people who ride them organ donors, I'm sure you can figure out why."

"Live and learn, as long as you live I'll forgive you." Buffy pointed out the threshold of importance. "Though we do learn driving one handed leads to problems when you are attacked by large automobiles."

"I meant the girlfriend line, I had to tell her something else she wasn't going to let you in." Owl explained.

"It worked, good thinking." Buffy nodded as she gathered up Owl's other personal effect in a plastic bag, she added some extra gazes and two rolls of tape to the stash. "Though you're way too good for me." She added softly as she moved over to the bed again.

"Not according to her." Piper laughed. "And I quote 'with a pretty girl like that why do you risk you life riding a bike?'."

"Ow I think, she discovered my ribs the next second." The Potential laughed and then gripped her side groaning again.

"At least I'm somewhat desirable." Buffy smiled as got Owl's boots ready to be put on.

"Oh you know it." Piper smiled at her as the nurse came in briefly to hand Buffy the pants.

"I'll take the line out when you're dressed." She noted before pulling the curtain closed behind her.

"Naw." Buffy shook her head moving to gently ease the thin pants up over the potential's injury.

"For the record you're beautiful." Owl smiled as she shifted painfully and managed to get the pants on.

"For the record I know they gave you morphine, so officially you're on drugs." Buffy smiled despite her negative comment.

"That would explain the wings, the gold glow and the fact that there are three of you but not the beauty." Owl shook her head.

"I would be a great girlfriend and carry you but as I look like a weakling I think we're safer with the wheelchair." Buffy moved out a bit into the hall. "I'm sure the nurse will bring one back with her."

Willow quickly knocked on Anya's door and looked down the hall. She wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. Mostly she wanted to spend the least amount of time in the dark garage as she could. A quick call from Buffy had told them that at least Owl was allowed out of the hospital but that the SIT was desperately worried about her bike. Seemed none of them had realized the wheel could be locked up to ensure it wasn't stolen overnight.

"Willow?" Anya opened the door. "What are you doing here? Do you have permission to leave your apartment?"

"Yes, I need the keys to Owl's bike." Willow smiled at her actually appreciating the demon's worry for once. "I promised her I'd give it a quick check."

"Why? You can't take it out, Xander said he had a friend that could take a look at it and maybe punch out the dent." Anya shook her head.

"No, she just wants me to lock it up properly so it won't go missing." Willow explained more. "She explained what I needed to do."

"Willow." Before Anya could react, the ex-demon was pushed aside and Kennedy stood at the door.

"Kennedy... hi." Willow took a step back a bit surprised when the SIT filled her vision unexpectedly.

"God I was worried about you." Kennedy stepped forward and put her arms around the redhead.

"I... hi." Willow stood stiffly for a moment and then hugged her lightly. "It's been crazy, yeah. Are you okay?" She questioned softly.

"Yeah I'm okay." Kennedy nodded. "I heard you want to check the new SITS bike." She dived back in the apartment for a moment.

"Got them." Kennedy pushed them in her pocket, pulled Willow out into the hall letting the door close behind them.

"Great." The redhead found herself trying to catch up as she was herded forward.

"Kennedy." Willow looked at her not understanding the SIT's relaxed conversation. "Tara is alive." She added quietly.

"I know you haven't got to meet her yet, I'm sorry. She's just getting used to the whole we thought she was dead now she's not and the jet lag and that we're all being hunted by a First eternal hell evil." Willow babbled well past when the elevator doors opened.

"Ride's here Will." Kennedy put her arm out and kept the doors open and she brought the redhead's attention to it.

"Oh right." Willow moved into it and hit the button for the underground garage. She stood near one wall staring at the buttons as the doors closed gnawing on her lip.

Kennedy watched the doors slide close and then moved in front of Willow, she reached out and took the redhead's hand.

"Oh they are, crazy... super crazy." Willow eyes went open wider a she felt Kennedy squeeze her hand.

"I know, and that's okay." The dark haired SIT raised her hand and cupped Willow's cheek. "I can wait."

"You, silly lickable Willow." Kennedy stroked her thumb on Willow's cheek. "Remember I'm you knight in armor."

Willow let out a rather funny noise as she reached up and grasped Kennedy's hand with both of hers and pulled it down gently.

"Kennedy, Tara is alive." She repeated the words slower looking into the SIT's eyes.

"No, no we were working on stuff." Willow nodded slowly. "Kennedy, I don't want to hurt you but Tara is alive." She summed it up rather badly again.

"Willow, I know you don't want to hurt me or Tara. I know that you have to make the right decision which is why I'm saying it's okay and I know you need time and thinking space." Kennedy nodded.

"Oh, of course." Willow squeezed her hand before letting go. "Thank you." She looked up and saw the elevator land at B3. "The floor." The door began to open up slowly.

"Though speaking as a biased bystander, I think Tara should move out of your apartment." Kennedy leaned back and hit the door-closed button.

"Kennedy, that's the floor." Willow stepped back as the door closed again, she reached down to hit the open button.

"I know it's the floor Willow, I just want to talk to you." The SIT replied reaching out to stop them from opening.

"We were talking." Willow turned around. "I thought we could get checking the bike out of the way, it's creepy down here."

"I can do it for you." Kennedy shook her head. "So do you want me to talk to Anya, there's space for Tara at her place."

"Willow have you been listening to anything I've said or are you lost and unfocused thinking about my neck or my lips?" She grinned. "To give you space and thinking time Tara should move out, mentioned it about a minute ago."

"No, I'm not unfocused." Willow shook her head. "I just didn't hear you. Kennedy, I don't want Tara to move out."

"It's okay I wasn't suggesting you should be on your own, Dawn would stay with you and Anya could move in." Kennedy shook her head. "I wouldn't be happy with you being alone."

"No, Kennedy you're not hearing me. I don't want Tara to move out because I don't want 'Tara' to move out." Willow shook her head. "I know this is hard, I mean neither of us every anticipated this could happen." She reached up to the SIT's arm. "And I never want to hurt you, I always want to be friends Kennedy."

"I know it's impossible to understand but my Tara, my everything is alive." Willow pulled her hand back seeing the look.

"But she came back, Kennedy I did horrible things to her with the magicks, you know all of this." Willow turned away leaning against the door.

"I know but I also know that she left, she left you and went to Europe, she let all these things happen to you." The SIT's tone grew harder.

"But she came back." Willow countered. "She came back and now she's with me. I'm sorry that it hurts you but I never wanted that to happen." She reached over to hit the door open button.

"And if she hadn't of left me she would have died!" Willow shrieked back startled by the hard smack the SIT's hand made on the wall.

"But she did and because she did you life was ruined." Kennedy shook her head. "She let you get hurt, she's not good for you. I can look after you."

"I don't care about any of that, all I care about is that she's back." Willow shook her head. "Kennedy, I want to get out now." She moved to hit the button again slowly.

"No, no wait." Kennedy took a few deep breaths. "It's okay, this is okay, we can work this out." She pulled her own hand back from the buttons.

"No, we can't." Willow pushed the open button waiting for the sliver between the doors to be big enough before she pressed her body out and began walking down the concrete corridor her boots echoing in the empty space.

The redhead didn't turn around she just continued on forward, glancing up trying to figure out where she was going to find Owl's Harley.

Cursing angrily Kennedy hit the close button and let the elevator doors slide closed cutting her off from the redhead.

Kennedy pushed the button to go back to Anya's apartment, then changing her mind she hit a different floor. She kicked the metal plate at the bottom of the door with her heavy boot making it rattle on its hinge back and forth for the five floors it took to reach where she wanted. Without hesitation she stalked down the hallway and knocked on the door to the corner apartment. The door was opened moments later by Dawn.

"Where is she?" Kennedy pushed past Dawn. "I want to talk to her." She looked around seeing she wasn't in the living room and pushed on.

"Who.... Kennedy Willow's not here." Dawn stared at the empty doorway for a moment before turning and watching her stalk into the apartment.

"Not Willow, this Tara." She pushed open the door to the bedroom and stared at the figure on the bed.

Tara was awake by the time the bedroom door opened, she jumped to sit up gathering the blankets around herself.

"How dare you come back after you just left her? Do you even know how much you hurt her? Do you even care one little bit?" Kennedy spat at her.

"C-C-Can you just s-s-step outside for a moment, I'll just put a shirt on and join you in the living room." Tara stuttered feeling very intimidated, mostly as she was lying in just her panties.

"Couldn't wait to get her in bed could you? Couldn't wait to do all those things you two used to do? You think I can't do any of that? You think I'd leave her?" Kennedy didn't back down.

"Kennedy you shouldn't be in there." Dawn hurried up behind the SIT and patted her on the shoulder.

"Kennedy." Tara nodded softly and slipped her hand out pulled the short pink T-shirt Willow had been wearing, she know it would be far to small but at least it was something. "Look Kennedy, really if you'd just let me g-g-get dressed." She tried to reason understanding now who the young woman was.

"Fine get dressed." Kennedy glared at her. "I don't even want to look at you like that." She hissed pushing past Dawn towards the living room.

"Tara, I'm sorry." Dawn shifted her gaze back to Tara. "She's not usually, I don't know what's going on with her."

"It's okay Dawn I can deal." Tara held her hand up and then stopped. "But..." She frowned for a moment. "Where… where is Willow?" The blonde went pale. She couldn't imagine that with Kennedy ranting and raving the redhead was within earshot or she would have come immediately.

Tara pushed up from the bed, pulling on the small T-shirt and standing up in that and the short blue shorts she wore. Pulling on a pair of gray jogging bottoms from beside the bed she pushed towards the door.

"Let me get you a sweater." Dawn moved over to the closet and pulled out a thick hooded sweatshirt for her.

"No." Tara shook her head and ran through the bedroom and the room beyond to the door.

Kennedy stood with her hands on her hips waiting for Tara's arrival. When she heard the blonde's hurried footsteps she locked her jaw and waited.

Completely ignoring the SIT Tara ran to the door, still barefoot, pulling open the front door and running down the hallway to the elevator.

"Hello, I believe we were going to talk." Kennedy followed her out surprised by the blonde's move.

"I'm taking it you were with her." Tara threw an angry glare at the SIT as she hit the elevator call button, frustrated when it didn't arrive.

"Yes, of course I was, I am. I'm not giving up on her just because you've flown back into town." Kennedy took her hands on hip stance again.

"I mean just now!" Tara growled flinging open the stairwell door and taking off down them.

"She's in the underground." Kennedy followed after her. "All she could talk about was..." She stopped as Tara made it down another flight of steps. "She's in the underground." She finally tuned into the blonde's point of concern and began racing down the steps.

Tara wasn't even aware of how cold the concrete was on her feet as she yanked open the basement door and ran out onto the chilled tarmac.

"WILLOW!" She called loudly looking around. "Where is it?" Tara flicked her head over her shoulder.

"Far corner." Kennedy raced past where the blonde slowed knowing that the slip the bike was in was at the far end of the parking lot.

Tara turned and pushed forward in a hard run as Kennedy charged on rounding the alley that ran out from the doors down to take another right at the cross lane. When she did her boots began to slow as she rounded a tall van to see where Willow was. The redhead was lifted off the grounds, the gnarled hands of an uber vampire wrapped around her throat slamming her against the pillar next to Owl's bike.

"WILLOW!" Tara skidded to a stop. "Vashanta." She hissed flinging out her hand towards the pair, causing the fingers of the vampire's hand to spasm and release.

"It's a Turakan." Kennedy's eyes went wide. "We need Buffy." The SIT did a double take as Willow's body slid away from the uber vamp. "We have to get away from it." She looked around and ran forward before she jumped up grabbing one of the overhead pipes and hitting it with a swinging kick to send it back into the wall.

"Solunda liberatum." Tara focused her vision on the redhead whispering the spell and instantly Willow's fallen form flickered out of vision.

"What? Where is she?" Kennedy landed and looked around horrified. "What did you do to her?" The Uber vamp snapped back up to its feet snarling at them.

"Shut up." Tara snarled as she stared at the vampire. "Forward come forward." She whispered under her breath.

It snarled again looking between the two of them before it dug down making a leap over a car towards where they were.

"That's it." Tara kept her eyes locked, her bare feet backing up on the cold floor.

Kennedy felt her breath coming faster and harder as she watched the blonde taunting it out to her. The Uber took a few heavy steps seeming to size her up as it breathed in tilting its head and registering her power its eyes flared more. It then raised its arms, lowering on its legs ready to pounce at her.

Flicking her eyes from it Tara looked over to the side where a large blue jeep was parked, pushing both hands toward it she moved them in a fast arc to the space where the vamp was jumping.

"Run!" Kennedy saw her opening again and began running at the Uber vamp throwing her body into a hard kick to try and send it off balance.

"Kennedy no!" Tara separated her hands and flicked one off at Kennedy sending the SIT flying back into the door of a parked car just before the jeep took flight. The metal machine sideswiped the vampire throwing it to the wall and then crashing into the wall on top of it. "Oh Goddess." Tara sprinted forward to check the SIT.

"That won't kill it." Kennedy sputtered trying to push up off the ground just as there was a screech of metal as the vamp tried to free itself.

"What did you do to me?" Kennedy blinked trying to get her bearings as she was pulled to her feet.

"I got you out of the way." Tara replied, glancing over at the moving rocking jeep. "Get Willow and get her to the elevator."

"Exactly where she was." Tara frowned waving her hand at the pillar where Willow had fallen. "Tascata." She whispered while moving off towards the jeep.

Kennedy didn't waste time trying to figure out what was going on. She hobbled over and lifted Willow up over her shoulder starting to run as fast as she could back to the elevator.

From behind the jeep the Uber managed to get enough leverage to push the jeep away and dig its way up the concrete with its claws. It turned hissing at Tara.

"That's it." She whispered glancing over at the elevator to see the large metal doors slide open and Kennedy bundle Willow inside. "CLOSE THE DOORS!" She yelled as she backed up a little.

"CLOSE THE DAMN DOORS!" Tara growled her blue eyes sparkling as she whispered something under her breath and the air around her seemed to shimmer a little.

The SIT obediently hit the button to make the doors slide close. The Uber lined up and took a hard leap at her intending to land and rip her throat out.

"Insendria." Curling herself up, Tara closed her eyes and whispered the spell. The jeep hood that the creature leapt over that instantly burst into a fireball of flame that caught onto the uber vamps legs.

The creature started howling as the gas fuelled fire engulfed up its body, sending its form into incineration just before the overhead sprinklers came on showering the area in cold water.

Tara kept her eyes closed long after the cold water started showering down over her, coming through the magical barrier she had raised and drenching her in moments. Pulling herself up to her cold feet she shivered as she looked around. She moved over to the now wet bike and she bent down picking up the fallen keys. As she did so a thick drop of blood spilled out of her nose, hitting the floor before being diluted by the sprinkler system.

Without thinking about it Tara put her hand into her joggers pocket to retrieve the tissue she knew was in there. Only she found it a soggy wet mess of paper, and she shook her head at her only silliness. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and then hurried over to the elevator.

Leaning forward heavily on the wall where the button was breathing heavily she pressed it with her finger. Almost immediately the doors squeaked open to reveal Willow on the floor and Kennedy bent over her trying to get her to wake up.

"W-W-Why didn't you get her back upstairs?" Tara asked breathing heavily as she looked into the lift.

"We couldn't leave you." Kennedy shook her head. "Buffy's first rule." She looked down at the devastation in the corner. "What did you do to it?"

"That's not important." Tara pushed herself into the lift and dropped to her knees again wiping the drop of blood form her nose. "Willow?" She whispered. "Sweetie."

"She won't wake up. I'll go get an ambulance." Kennedy pushed up and moved to the door.

"Is she breathing? Have you checked her pulse?" Tara blinked oddly out of focused eyes at the SIT as she rested her palm just above Willow's lips feeling for breath.

"Okay." Tara gently ran her hand over Willow's cheek. "Come on baby don't do this to me." She rubbed the back of her fingers over soft pale skin.

Slowly Willow's eyes darted a bit behind her eyelids before they struggled open.

"No, you were attacked by…" Tara turned to Kennedy. "What was that thing?" She asked of the SIT catching another thick drop of crimson blood on the back of her hand

"I'm okay." Tara gently eased Willow back to lean against the side of the lift. "Kennedy would you close the doors." She asked looked at the dark haired girl.

Kennedy came back in pushing the button only to have the door closed and the machine clunked its way to a start.

"Thank you." Tara said politely thankful that it didn't take long before they reached their floor.

For a moment Tara was about to refuse the offer but instead she drew in a breath.

Kennedy quickly moved over picking up the redhead and trying not to show it as she struggled down the hall with her.

"I can walk." Willow protested slightly but she was deposited in her bed before she knew what was going on.

Trying to ignore the near blinding pain in her temple, Tara pushed down the hall after them reaching the front door only when Kennedy had put Willow on the bed.

"She's right behind us Will." Kennedy assured scurried around to get her plumped up on pillows.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" Dawn came scurrying out of the kitchen. "I already called her." She ran over to help Tara stand up.

"I-I-I'm fine." Tara dabbed the back of her hand to her nose to see if it was still bleeding.

"You're bleeding." Dawn put the cuff of her shirt over her hand and dabbed it up to Tara's nose.

"It's nothing." Tara shook her head and regretted it instantly. "Could you get me a towel?"

"Yes." Dawn hurried off getting her a tea towel and racing back with it. "Why is it doing that?" She squeaked.

"Why is what doing what?" Tara asked, she heard the baying of a fire truck. No doubt contact via the fire alarms in the garage had sent them rolling.

"Why is your nose bleeding? It's like when Willow took on..." Dawn's eyes went wide. "You did magic, you did Glory magic."

"Dawnie it's alright." Tara held the towel to her nose with one hand and rubbed the other one on her hair.

"There was something hurting Willow I had to stop it." Tara replied her voice dropping.

"But you don't do her type of magic." Dawn shook her head holding up the blood on her sleeve.

"It better not have been, I'm not having anyone else go around doing that." Dawn tried to warn her but it was more of a plea.

"I promise you." Tara took Dawn's hand lightly. "This is because of power channeling, not because of the type of magic."

"Thank you." Tara smiled softly. "I'll take the offer of that sweater up now." She added as she helped through the apartment.

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Shades of Gray

By The Rainbow Writers

Copyright © 2003

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