A/N: I was planning on letting my last chapter sit for a couple days before I updated, but I had a couple ideas that wouldn't leave me alone, so here I am again, sitting in the dark, typing on a laptop I can hardly see, since I can't turn on a light or it will wake up my roommate. Anyway, back on topic, I hope you like it. R&R ~ Babbles~
OH! I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but I decided to change the rating to M, seeing as how there is violence and blah blah, all that good stuff. Going to try my best to put my first lemon on here soon.
Willow was humming to herself as she watched Buffy and Faith through the window. So far, everything seemed fine. Buffy was circling around the dark slayer, listening while she talked but not letting her guard down.
"All around the Mulberry bush, the Buffy chased the Faith," she sang under her breath. She heard Tara giggle behind her.
"I'm not sure either of them would appreciate the whole monkey/weasel reference, sweetie," Tara told her.
"Baby, what does her aura look like?" Willow's sudden change into seriousness surprised the blonde for a moment but she turned and focused on Faith.
"Sad," she answered, her brow furrowed. "She's changed from the last time I saw her aura. There is still darkness, but its not the same kind of darkness. This is not a darkness from the intent to do evil, but a darkness from guilt and pain."
"Like mine was?" Willow asked, not wanting herself and Faith to be alike in any way, but she knew that they had more in common than she preferred.
"Somewhat. Magical darkness and emotional darkness are different. However, the darkness from the pain, that is similar." Willow nodded and tilted her head towards the kitchen.
Tara followed her redhead into the kitchen to join Xander and Anya. Giles had taken the three girls into the living room to wait for the Slayers. Xander was currently explaining to Anya that she was the only woman he wanted and that the girls could not hold a candle to her. Willow watched Tara listening to the couple bicker and the redhead's heart warmed to see her love's crooked smile.
Goddess, I love this woman, Willow thought. As her mental babble started, Tara smiled wider but didn't interrupt. Every time she smiles I fall harder. I wonder why they use the word fall? It seems so abrupt and hard. Loving is much better than that. Yeah, sure, it hurts sometimes, but most of the time, it's just like floating. Kind of like…falling up into love.
"Sweetie," Tara said to her. "Really? Falling up?" Willow blushed. She had forgotten for a moment that she was not alone in her head. She didn't mind though. She liked that all her thoughts and feelings were in the open with Tara. "I like it," Tara declared.
Xander and Anya were staring at them strangely. Tara realized that she had spoken out loud.
"Okay, now I know I'm missing something. For real guys, what's going on?" Xander asked.
Should we tell them?
Why not, Tara said with a one shouldered shrug.
Willow started explaining to them about soul mates and told them about what Tara had found in the book upstairs. When she got to the part about hearing each others thoughts, Xander started to shift uncomfortably.
"So you did a spell?" He asked, searching Willow's face for any sign of her dark self.
"No," Tara answered for Willow, and proceeded to explain about the bond when two parts of a soul are reunited. She also decided to tell Xander about the redhead's aura, seeing that he was worried for his best friend when it came to anything magical.
"No darkness? What does that mean," Xander asked, hoping for the best, but he didn't want his dreams shattered.
"It means that Willow is safe from the darkness now. She can use magic, good magic mind you, without being tainted by the darkness. And if she does have to use a dark spell, as long as she's using it for the right purpose, for the light, she will continue to stay in the light."
Xander felt as if a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders and he came around behind the witches to gather them in a hug.
"I told you, Xander, you can't have orgasms with the lesbians," Anya said.
"Haven't changed a bit, Anya," Willow said with her eyes sparkling with mirth.
"Mr. Giles?"
"Yes, Kennedy?" Giles looked up from his book.
"What's the deal with the redhead?"
"Willow? Whatever do you mean?"
"What's with her and the blonde?"
"Oh, Tara? They're a couple. Why do you ask?"
"No reason," Kennedy said unconvincingly and went back to staring at nothing.
Giles cleared his throat and started cleaning his glasses in a ruse so that he could watch the girl. Her face was set in hard tones and her eyes seemed so cold. I'm going to have to keep my eye on this one, he thought.
"So you're really here to help?" Buffy asked Faith.
"Yes, B. I know I did a lot of fucked up things, and I have no right to ask you to trust me. But I want to fix it, I want to make up for it. If you'll let me."
Buffy nodded and indicated for the other Slayer to follow her inside. When the door shut behind them she heard Xander yell from the kitchen. "Scoobies assemble!"
They all shuffled into the living room and Dawn came downstairs to join them.
Giles began a long-winded explanation about the first evil and about an occult group that was determined to end the slayer line. He told them about an attack made on the Counsel and how that meant they had lost many resources and ways of protecting the potentials. All the potentials they could find were going to be sent to the Summers' residence for protection and training.
"Which is one of the reasons I'm here," Faith interrupted.
"More girls? I already have to share the bathroom with Buffy!" Dawn whined. Giles gave her a stern look. "But I mean...protecting…saving lives... yay?"
"Quite," Giles said. "This is the safest place for them right now. Some of the girls, like Kennedy, have already started their training. Others will need to start. This is very serious everyone. We may not know what's coming, but we have to prepare."
"Told you," Xander muttered to Willow. "Doom, gloom, and apocalypse."
"Okay," Buffy said, taking charge. "There's nothing we can do tonight. We'll start training soon. Let's get you girls situated. Until we can figure something out, you'll have to sleep here in the living room."
"I'll go get some blankets and pillows," Dawn offered.
"Thanks. Faith, are you staying here, or do you have somewhere?"
"I have no where else to go, B," Faith answered quietly, "but if you don't want me in your home I understand."
Buffy opened her mouth to reply but Willow interrupted, and what came from her mouth surprised herself just as much as everyone in the room but Tara.
"You'll find that our family can be very forgiving, Faith."
"Thanks, Red." Everyone agreed and Faith was sent to put her things in Buffy's room.
They laid out pallets for the girls and said goodnight to Giles when he left. Tara and Willow went to the kitchen to get dinner ready.
"We're going to need to go shopping soon, with the girls being here," Tara commented as she stirred some kind of pasta in a pan.
"We'll make a list tonight with the girls and go tomorrow," Willow said.
Xander walked in with a smirk on his face. "When the Willster starts talking lists it's my cue to leave. Just wanted to say goodnight ladies."
"Yes, we are going to Xander's for a night filled with many orgasms," Anya told them.
"I'm sure," Tara said, watching Xander blush and pull Anya out of the house.
After dinner, Buffy went out to patrol and Faith stayed to keep an eye on the house. She was gone for maybe an hour before bursting through the door, yanking a whining blonde man with her towards the basement. Tara and Willow stopped their impromptu water fight while washing dishes to stare as the Slayer roughly dragged him down the stairs.
"Andrew," Willow whispered. Tara put a comforting hand on the redhead's shoulders.
"I need a chair and some rope down here," Buffy yelled from the basement.
Willow went downstairs to help Buffy and Tara moved to find the items she asked for.
"What's going on," Kennedy asked Tara.
"I'm not sure. Couldn't sleep?" Tara asked politely.
Kennedy shrugged. "So… you and Willow?"
Tara looked up from rummaging through a drawer looking for rope, narrowing her eyes as she caught the tone in the girl's voice. Her answer was short and not as polite. "Yes."
"How long?"
"Years. What's this about?"
"Your red head is hot. I'm just trying to find out how tight you two are." She gave Tara a smirk when she started advancing toward her. "What? You going to hurt me? What are you gonna do? Glare me to death? I can take you."
"You think so?" Tara said sweetly. She stopped walking towards the girl.
"Sure. I've seen your type before. You're a side kick. You don't fight."
"You haven't done your homework, have you little girl?" The rope that she had dropped back in the drawer started snaking out of it's own accord.
Willow stopped trying to hold down Andrew, standing up straight and looking up.
"Something's wrong," she said.
"What?" Buffy asked. Andrew had given up struggling to watch the witch.
"Something. Is. Wrong. With Tara," Willow said as she ran up the stairs. She found Tara and Kennedy in the other room. Tara was standing perfectly still except a finger she had lifted up, which she was twirling in slow circles. Kennedy seemed paralyzed as a snake of rope wound itself around her legs and was inching up towards her torso.
"Tare?" Willow's voice was scared. Tara's head turned towards her but her face was blank. Her eyes were unseeing. She looked back at Kennedy and began twirling her finger a little faster. Willow hesitantly placed her hand on Tara's shoulder. "Baby, stop. Please."
At the touch on her shoulder, Tara gasped and fell to the floor. Kennedy ran back to the living room, looking over her shoulder. Willow was on the floor next to her lover, gently shaking the blonde's shoulder.
"Willow?" Tara's voice was weak and small. "What's happening to me?"
"I don't know, baby. I don't know." Tara buried her face into Willow's neck and began to sob.
"It's like I couldn't stop. She made me angry…and then it was like I couldn't control it. I-I could s-see it all h-happening but I had no control."
Willow comforted her lover for a few minutes before they got up to retrieve the chair and rope. "We'll figure it out. We always do."
"He's not going to talk tonight," Buffy said tiredly. She had been downstairs questioning Andrew for several hours before joining the witches at the dining room table, which was currently littered with books. "What's the research for?"
"T-trying to find out if…if I'm p-possessed," Tara said, looking up from her book in frustration.
At Buffy's concerned look, Willow began explaining all the strange things that kept happening to Tara.
"Great," Buffy said dejectedly. "This is just what we need right now." Tara winced. "It's not your fault, Tara. I'm sorry. I'm just tired. We all are. Why don't we get some sleep and we'll do some serious Scoob-age tomorrow?"
The witches nodded and the three women went upstairs, not noticing the dark haired girl watching them from the living room. She was tense and frightened and didn't relax until she heard the doors upstairs close and lock.