Tara was surprised when there was a quiet knock on the door not long after daybreak. The hotel was still quiet, the only sounds the small ambient noises of water flowing through pipes, the soft creak of floorboards, and she'd assumed that she was the only one awake until she heard the knock. She didn't want to leave Willow, so she called quietly for them to come in, sitting up against the headboard as she did so. Dawn entered and shut the door behind her.
The younger girl crawled up on the foot of the bed, careful not to disturb Willow. "Is she okay?" Dawn whispered as she looked Willow over carefully. The witch appeared to be sleeping peacefully on her side with her back to Tara, tucked under the blankets with obvious care. Tara was sitting next to her lover, but was sitting on top of the blankets, her arms crossed over her chest to keep herself from anxiously touching Willow and inadvertently waking her up.
Tara smiled tiredly at Dawn, dragging her eyes off of Willow's steady breathing. "Actually, she's been sleeping like a baby."
"But you haven't," Dawn said quietly. "Have you slept at all?" The blonde witch shook her head, looking down at her lover. "She's not going to be happy about that, Tara. You know she worries about you just as much as you worry about her."
"I know Dawnie. I just couldn't stand not being able to see for myself that she was okay. And we've all gone longer than this without sleep before."
Dawn sighed, shaking her head at her elder. "Willow loves you, Tara. She'd never even think about leaving you for some sex addict demon."
"I know that," Tara said quietly, ducking her head and sending a wave of hair across her face.
The younger girl reached over and touched her arm to draw her eyes up. "Then why are you so scared about it?"
"What if this demon is right, and I can't help her? What if I'm not enough? What if this demon is the only one that can help her and I have to let her go?" Tara asked, the anxious thoughts that had kept her up all night rising in her throat to choke her.
Dawn thought carefully before she answered, smiling softly. "Tara, you saw how hard she's been working. She lived with that coven in England and she's been really careful about what she does and how powerful she is. She knows how dangerous it is now. She knows how deep the darkness inside of her is, and how much it cost her last time she crossed those boundaries. She'd never let it happen again. It's like, her worst nightmare now. Well, that and losing you again." She paused and looked Tara in the eye. "She'll never let either one of them happen." It was clear as she spoke how she felt about her surrogate parents, the people who'd protected her during that horrible summer after Buffy had died.
"When did you get so smart, Dawnie?" Tara asked, smiling fondly at her friend.
Dawn grinned, relieved to see the smile. "You were gone for a year. We all had to do things we didn't want to do."
"Like grow up?" Tara asked teasingly.
"Yes, and Buffy still won't let me get my driver's license! I'm a junior in high school and I can't even drive yet," Dawn complained, barely keeping her voice down and glancing guiltily at Willow.
"Buffy's old enough to be graduated from college by now and it could be argued that she can't drive yet either," Tara responded, grinning.
"American driver's licenses won't work in Scotland anyway, Dawnie. You'd just have to relearn how to drive on the wrong side of the road. Might as well wait until we get settled," Willow chimed in, her voice sleepy, rolling over to look at them. As soon as she saw Tara's face she knew that her partner hadn't slept. "You need to sleep, baby," she chided gently.
"Told you she'd know," Dawn said, smirking at the blonde witch.
"Dawnie's very smart," Willow said seriously, nodding. "Why didn't you sleep? I know you're exhausted."
"I just couldn't." Tara shrugged, knowing that the excuse wouldn't help her avoid Willow's concern.
"Not good enough," Willow said promptly, crossing her arms across her chest and putting on the resolve face. "Dawnie, can you tell everyone I'll be out once Tara falls asleep? You guys don't wait on us for whatever we've got going on today."
Dawn grinned. "Sure thing, Will. I'm pretty sure Giles is already downstairs looking for more stuff on that demon lady. I'll just go help him." She bounced off the bed lightly. "Good night, Tara. Sleep good."
"Bye, Dawnie. Thanks," Willow said as she left, shutting the door behind her.
"Willow…" Tara tried to explain herself, but the resolve face didn't waver.
Willow opened her arms. "You come here," she said simply. Tara slowly lowered herself in her lover's arms. "I know you're worried and scared, but I won't let you wear yourself out. I'm awake now so there's nothing to worry about, alright? I'll be here, and you can sleep."
Tara nodded, already feeling herself starting to fall asleep. She looked up at Willow, smiling as the redhead stroked the dark circles under her eyes. "Only for a little while, okay? I want to help with the research."
Willow leaned down and kissed her. "We'll see. Probably Giles will find something soon, and they won't even need us." Her lips moved to either cheek and she kissed her again.
"Please Will, promise." Tara was almost asleep, but she didn't want to give into it until she'd gotten this promise from her girlfriend.
"Four hours at least, then I'll wake you up. And don't even try and fake it. Deal?" Willow reasoned, fingers stroking through Tara's hair. Tara could only nod as she finally succumbed to sleep. Willow just curled herself around her lover and shut her eyes, her own anxious worries keeping her awake.
Four hours later, she regretfully woke the blonde up. Tara rolled onto her back, Willow leaning on an elbow to look down at her. "Feel better, baby?" the redhead asked, touching her face softly.
The blonde nodded, smiling sleepily at her. "Thank you for resting with me."
Tara leaned her head forward, a hand reaching up to pull Willow's head down, kissing her. Willow reacted immediately, opening her mouth and gently pushing her way into her lover's mouth. She shifted one of her legs, planting her knee in between Tara's legs. Tara's other arm came up to pull Willow's waist tight against her. Willow pulled back slowly, both girls breathing hard. "Too much?" she asked quietly. Tara shook her head, pulling her back down.
Several hours later, Willow was amused to discover that Tara had fallen asleep again while she had been in the shower. She made sure the blonde was comfortable before she quietly snuck out of the bedroom. She hurried down to the lobby, anxious not to be gone long. She rushed into the office, the others scattered around the room. "I'm not staying, I'll take some books back upstairs with me. Tara's sleeping, I don't want to be gone when she wakes up." She looked around. "Are you guys having any luck?"
Xander shook his head. "Still can't find anymore information about the demon, but Giles has some stuff on a way to shield you."
"Have you guys eaten anything?" Dawn asked, leaning her head on one hand while she turned pages with the other. Willow just shook her head, scanning titles on the table.
Giles stood up to retrieve another book from the shelf. "I can bring the information I have up to the suite shortly if you want to get something to eat for yourself and Tara."
"Thanks, Giles. Everybody, I really appreciate all the help with this." She scooped up several books before dashing back out, crossing to the kitchen to pick up some food before rushing back upstairs.
She snuck back into the bedroom and had just put the books down beside the bed when Tara started to wake up. She slid back onto the bed, leaning over to kiss her lover on the forehead. Tara stretched slowly, groaning happily. "Did I wear you out, baby?" Willow teased, clicking on the bedside lamp.
Tara cracked one eye open slowly. "Mmhmm. Why are you wearing clothes? Did you go somewhere?"
"Just downstairs to grab some books. I didn't expect you to be awake yet. I got us some food too. We kind of missed lunch."
Her lover's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "It's after lunch?"
Willow smiled and nodded. "Yeah we were…busy…it's almost two."
Tara stretched again, turning to put her head in Willow's lap. The redhead reached down and absently started playing with her hair. Tara's eyes slipped closed and Willow adjusted the shade on the lamp to keep the light out of her face. "Giles said he might have a way to shield me from the demon. He said he'd bring it up here soon." Her voice was low and distracted as she spoke, most of her attention on Tara, watching the soft strands flow around her fingers.
Tara groaned, head rocking into the touch. "That means I have to get up."
Willow grinned, laughing. "I really did wear you out."
"Hey, you can wear me out like this any time you want to, baby." She frowned thoughtfully. "You didn't just sleep with me to make me sleepy, did you?"
Willow laughed again, leaning over to press a kiss against her lover's hair. "Tara, we didn't make love for a year, we have a lot of time to make up for. I might have wanted you to rest some more, but the only reason I will ever have for sleeping with you is because I love you and I want you."
"That's two reasons," Tara corrected her, smiling happily, pleased by the answer.
"They go hand in hand. Like fish and worms. Um, bad metaphor…"
"Oh baby, you trying to turn me on?" Tara asked, smile turning playful, and she giggled.
"I have to try now?" Willow asked, faking indignation.
"Absolutely not," Tara replied, leaning up for a kiss. Their teasing was interrupted by the sound of Giles entering the suite, and Tara groaned again, dropping her head back in frustration. "I guess that's my signal to get dressed."
Willow shot her a look, green eyes able to picture what was under the sheets easily. "I can handle this and you can just wait here for me. You don't have to get dressed." She blatantly ran her eyes down her lover's body and gave her a brief but thorough kiss.
Tara blushed crimson, sitting up and pulling the sheet over herself, breathing hard. "Clothes. Clothes are good."
Willow pouted. "Just don't get used to them," she ordered as she stood up, turning at the door to look back at her lover. "I'll just be out here talking to Giles. No hurry."
"I'll be right there." She looked around at the scattered mess of clothes on the floor, still holding the sheet to her chest. "As soon as I can find my clothes."
The redhead grinned widely as she opened the door, winking at Tara as she shut it behind her.
Giles had books spread across the breakfast table and looked up when Willow appeared. "Is Tara resting well?"
"Oh, she was, but she woke up. She'll be out in a few minutes." She joined him at the table, hoping that he didn't notice the blush on her cheeks. "So what kind of mojo do we have to work to keep this demon out of my head?"
He slid a book around to her, pointing out a relevant passage. "Do you intend to meet with her?"
"I don't intend to have sex with her, so that might limit my chances to meet with her. If she contacts me again I can ask her if she'd be willing to meet somewhere else, but I'm not going to her realm."
"Well, so far, she's contacted you when your mind was vulnerable - when you were sleeping, or concentrating on a spell. If this spell works the way I think it will, we should be able to block her out of your sleeping mind. She'll still be able to contact you when you're practicing magic, but the spell would let you sleep in peace."
Willow nodded, reading. "That's much better than nothing. It looks complicated though, it's going to take some work to get it set up." She looked up from the book. "Would I have to sleep alone, or could Tara stay in the field as well?"
"That would be her decision. The spell will create a field that will prevent magic being used within it. It would be safe for her to be in there with you, but you would both be unable to use your magic until the spell is brought down."
"Do I have to stay inside the field or can I move in and out of it?" Willow asked. "I don't like the idea of being trapped with no magic."
Giles consulted another book. "We should be able to create the spell around your bed and you can enter and leave at will. You'd only be powerless within the limits of the spell."
The bedroom door opened and Tara came out, fully dressed. "What did I miss?" She joined the pair at the table.
"Giles found a spell that can block magic within a confined space. If we put it around the bed, it'll keep her out of my head while I'm sleeping."
Tara nodded, smiling. "That sounds great, what a relief."
Willow touched her hand, wanting the blonde's full attention. "Baby, you wouldn't be able to use your magic inside the field. You'd be defenseless if you were in there with me."
Tara sat down in the chair beside her, thinking. "Willow, we're sleeping next door to the Slayer in a hotel full of slayers. There's nowhere else on Earth I'll be safer than with you."
Giles coughed uncomfortably. "Yes, well, we have some supplies to gather, but we should be able to have the spell activated before you go to bed tonight."
Tara stood up. "I'll clean the room while you two get the supplies."
Giles stood up as well. "I can get what we need. I'll talk to Wesley about the supplies on hand. We should be able to get anything else we need from a local magic shop. Is there anything else you two need me to pick up?"
Willow shrugged. "All of our supplies were in Sunnydale. We should restock on the basics. Tara and I can come with you. We just need a few minutes to straighten up and eat. We can meet you in the lobby after you talk to Wesley."
The former librarian nodded. "Buffy is going to help Faith with the training this afternoon and Dawn and Xander are still researching so we have time to shop for our supplies." He consulted some books, writing. "I'll just make a list of the supplies we need for the shielding spell."
"Thanks Giles. We'll scarf these sandwiches and we'll be right down," Willow replied, heading into the bedroom with Tara.
The blonde was scooping Willow's clothes off the floor. "The only downside to our having multiple outfits is now we have to clean them. We'll have to do laundry soon," she commented, shaking out a shirt and hanging it over her other arm.
Willow opened the closet door. "In the mean time, let's just put them in here. We can go to a laundry mat sometime soon."
Tara sighed and reluctantly dropped the clothes into the closet. Willow leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I know how clean you like to keep things, but it's just for a few days." Tara turned her head, kissing Willow. The redhead pulled back as they both heard her stomach growling. Tara grinned at her, feeling almost overwhelmed by how happy she was. "I guess I'm hungry," Willow said sheepishly. "We have been kind of busy all day."
They both dug into the sandwiches Willow had brought up, holding hands casually. They quickly finished eating and rejoined Giles down in the lobby.
"You girls ready to go?" Giles asked. "Angel loaned us his car again so we wouldn't have to drive the bus."
Willow paused in the doorway. "I know we need the information, but Xander and Dawnie have been working hard all day. How about we give them some time to chill while we're gone?"
Tara smiled fondly. "That's a good idea, sweetie."
The redheaded witch went into the office. Dawn was leaning heavily on one hand, yawning. Xander was reading, one hand curled around a cup of coffee. Willow smiled at her friends. "Hey guys." They both looked up at her. "We're making a run to the local magic shop. You guys take a break until we get back. We can pick up on the research after dinner."
Xander frowned. "You sure about that, Will? We can keep going with the finding nothing at all."
She smiled again, shaking her head. "I really appreciate all the help you've all been giving me, but you need to rest. She'll still be there whenever we get back. You guys go take a nap, or watch a movie, or something."
Xander looked over at Dawn. "What do you say, Dawnie? Up for another movie night?"
She grinned and subsequently yawned. "I might take a page from Willow and Tara's book and fall asleep before the menu, but I'll give it a try."
They pushed their books back, standing up. Dawn squeezed Willow in a hug as she walked out. Xander put his arm around her as they both went back into the lobby. "Hey Tara, you guys have fun at the magic shop." He and Dawn started to walk up the stairs. Turning back around, Xander called, "Come get us before you guys eat dinner."
Willow laughed, rolling her eyes at him. "Sure thing, Xand."
They found the supplies they needed for the spell easily and picked up some other basics. The phone rang as they were leaving the magic store and Willow answered it. "Hey Buffy, how's the training going?" Willow asked as she dropped her bags into the trunk of the car.
The Slayer sounded distracted and out of breath. "Fine. I'm calling because some guy from Germany called for Giles, something about the demon chick we've been trying to find."
"Okay, thanks Buffy. Make sure to get a number we can call him back on. We're on our way back."
"I'll do it. See you soon."
They hung up and Willow climbed into the backseat of the car. "Buffy said some guy called from Germany for you with information about the demon. She's getting a number for us to call him back on."
"Excellent. Hopefully we can put this business with the demon woman behind us soon. I'll call him back as soon as we get back to the hotel."
The traffic wasn't bad and they pulled into the hotel a few minutes later. Willow and Tara carried their magic supplies up to the suite while Giles went to return his phone call. They opened the suite door to hear Dawn and Xander laughing at a movie. They waited for a quiet moment to cut in front of the television, dropping the bags in their bedroom. As they came back into the living room Xander pulled his legs up, giving the girls room to sit on the other end of the couch.
Dawn paused the movie, turning around to be able to see them better. "So what's up?"
"We're going to do a spell to keep the demon out of Willow's brain while she's sleeping and Giles is on the phone with someone with information about the demon," Tara summarized.
Xander nodded, smiling. "Sounds good. Well, until he gets up here, how about you guys join us?"
Willow nodded back. "How's Buffy doing with the slayers?"
He shrugged. "She's been outside all afternoon. We'll have to grab her for dinner and get an update."
Dawn turned the movie back on and they watched it quietly for a while until the door to the suite opened again to let in Giles. She turned the movie back off and they greeted the Watcher.
"Xander, Dracula is on the phone for you." The carpenter jumped up, rushing out the door without waiting to hear anything further.
"Don't even think about leaving this hotel!" Willow yelled after him. "I'll know if you do, Xander!"
She opened her mouth to talk to Giles, but Tara spoke before she could. "What did you find out about this demon?" Willow could tell that Tara was still anxious and soothingly squeezed her girlfriend's hand, giving her a smile.
Giles sat down in an armchair, hands unconsciously fiddling with his glasses. "Well, this Saga Vasuki teaches powerful witches. Her training is highly sought after, but she chooses her own students and won't teach just anyone." He glanced at Willow. "No one's ever turned her down."
Willow returned his look. "Well someone's about to," she said seriously, turning her head back to look at Tara.
"Do we have any clues on where she is?" Dawn asked.
Giles nodded. "Of a sort. I was told how to contact her so you wouldn't have to experience the pain of her forcing her way in."
"I'm not having sex with her," Willow said plainly, her hand taking Tara's.
"Ah yes, the way I was speaking of doesn't involve sex. Just a short ritual. You wouldn't be entering her realm, but you would be able to converse with her," he quickly clarified, blushing uncomfortably.
"Thank God," Tara said, closing her eyes as she breathed a sigh of relief.
Willow grinned sideways at her. "If you're so disappointed I can change my mind about the sex thing," she teased, squeezing her lover's hand.
Dawn laughed as Tara opened her eyes, shooting a look at the grinning witch.
"Not funny," Tara responded, grinning herself, her relief palpable.
"There is a small hitch. The ritual can only be done at the…ah..um…" He looked supremely uncomfortable and leaned over to hand a sheet of paper to Willow. "You can read it for yourself."
Tara read over Willow's shoulder, glancing at her girlfriend's face as she finished reading. "Oh…well. Thanks, Giles. I'll…um thanks, Giles. I can handle this." Willow was blushing bright red and he looked just as uncomfortable as she did.
"How much longer…er…when will you be able to perform the ritual?"
"Should be this weekend by the latest," she responded, keeping her eyes locked on her hands, cheeks still burning hot.
Dawn was looking curiously between the two. "What is it? What's the big deal? Does she have to be naked or something?"
"No, Dawn," Giles spoke quickly, glancing at the witches. Abruptly he stood up. "I'll go prepare for the shielding spell. He rushed into the witches' bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
Dawn looked at the door and back at Willow. "What's going on? Why's Giles freaked?"
Willow glanced at the door with a small smile. "Giles has never had daughters…or a long-term live-in girlfriend. I think living with a thousand slayers might drive him around the bend." She looked back at Dawn. "I can only perform the ritual on the first day after my…time of the month."
"Oh…" Dawn grinned. "So that's why he freaked. Giles is scared of girl stuff."
Willow grinned back, her blush fading. "I guess so."
Tara smiled. "We shouldn't pick on him. Girl stuff is no fun for anyone."
Willow looked at her, nodding. "You're right, baby. We should go help him with the spell. It's not his fault that demon is a creepy pervert."
Dawn grinned, standing up. "I'm going to go see how Xander's doing on the phone with Dracula." She paused. "Do you think he can get turned into a man-bitch over the phone?" she asked over her shoulder as she left the room.
Tara and Willow joined Giles in their room, all of them silently resolved not to mention the details of the ritual to spare themselves more embarassment. "What do we have to do?" Willow asked.
Giles held up a vial of white sand. "We define the perimeter of the spell with this. I think we should make a circle that encompasses your bed, but we'll have to lift the bed to make sure the circle is complete. Could one of you lift the bed while I make the circle?"
Tara glanced at Willow. "Maybe I should do it. Just so the she-demon doesn't take it as an invite to hurt you again." Willow sighed and nodded, stepping back.
Tara recited the spell and the bed lifted smoothly off the floor, finally hovering about six feet from the floor. Giles quickly started the circle of sand, careful to keep it steady with no gaps. When he came out from under the bed, he nodded to Tara who carefully placed the bed within the circle, cautious that no corner was left out. She thoughtfully left the bed about two feet from the wall.
She took a deep breath as she ended the spell. "What's next?"
Giles consulted his instructions and pointed to a bag of candles. "We place the candles at two foot intervals around the circle." Willow took care of putting the candles between the bed and the wall.
She climbed down off the bed, careful not to disturb the sand. "Are we going to have these lit all the time or is this just for the initial spell?"
Giles looked up from grinding up ingredients. "Once we perform the spell only the circle of sand needs remain in the room. The candles can go."
Tara and Willow set out the remaining candles while he finished combining the dry ingredients. Once he was finished he showed both witches the incantations they would need to recite to do the spell. They got into position and lit the candles. At Giles' nod they began the spell. The sand glowed brightly for a moment before fading to black. Giles carefully dropped the mixture he'd made into each of the candle's flames, moving in a clockwise circle around the room. The last candles were behind the headboard and he had to stretch his arm carefully, anxious not to touch the circle of sand at his feet. As he finished, a red wall of light shot up toward the ceiling, gradually becoming transparent.
He stepped back, surveying their work. Willow poked tentatively at the barrier, grinning as her finger slid through, ripples of light moving away from her hand. "It feels cold." She looked at Giles. "Should I try it?"
He nodded. "Try something small. If we've done it correctly, the barrier should prevent anything from happening."
She stepped carefully inside the barrier, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She murmured a spell but the barrier flashed and nothing happened inside and she looked at them with wide eyes.
She stepped back through the field after a moment. "It feels weird to not be able to use the magic. At least there's no withdrawal symptoms. The uncontrollable shaking and night sweats were a pain." Tara smiled a little sadly, reaching over to take her hand. Willow smiled back, squeezing her fingers. "Worth it though. Totally worth it."
Giles double checked his directions. "We should be able to remove the candles now. The field will stay up until the sand is disturbed. You two will just have to be careful not to step on it accidentally."
Tara nodded, stepping carefully into the field. She slowly tried to summon a tinkerbell light and looked surprised when nothing happened. She came back out. "I'm glad we'll be able to keep her out of your brain."
"Thank goodness it's not permanent though," Willow said, eyeing the space she knew the field occupied.
Giles nodded. "Well, after you perform the ritual, we'll be able to put this whole business behind us."
They heard someone come into the suite and they quickly blew out the candles and reentered the living room. Dawn came out of her bedroom, carrying several pills in her hands.
"Buffy sent me up to grab some aspirin for her," she explained.
Willow frowned in concern. "Is she okay? What happened?"
Dawn was quick to explain further. "She's alright, just has a headache. She's still getting used to being the boss. They're done with training and Buffy is waiting for us in the dining room. Xander has news from 'the dark master.'" She imitated Xander's sniveling with a grin.
"Dawnie," Tara chided her as they walked down to the lobby. The younger girl shot her an apologetic look as she crossed the dining room to drop the pills in her sister's hand. The Scoobies gathered their dinner and seated themselves together.
"How'd the spell go?" Buffy asked, poking at her food listlessly.
Tara smiled. "Seems to work perfectly. We both tried it. Just, if anyone else goes in our room, be careful no to disturb the circle of sand around the bed."
"Thanks for the heads up," Xander said, taking a drink.
"And how's Dracula today?" Buffy asked, mustering a grin.
He rolled his eyes at her. "He seems lonely. He's got the specs for the castle he told me about. He's mailing them to us here. If everything looks like it will work, we can send someone to check it out and we can finally start putting down roots."
"Excellent," Giles said. "Thank you, Xander."
Willow glanced at him, turning her fork over in her fingers idly. "Maybe that could be our trip? You and I can go check out the castle."
He looked up at her. "That's a good idea, Will." He glanced at Tara, who smiled reassuringly at him. "Thanks. We should have the information on the castle in a few days. Will that mess with your ritual for the demon lady?"
She glanced at Tara, blushing lightly. "I need to do the ritual this week. I'm not sure which day yet. Probably Thursday or Friday. Could we wait until then?"
He nodded easily. "Sure thing, Will. I don't want us globetrotting if you're still being stalked by this demon." He looked at Tara. "And I'm sure nobody else does either."
"Thanks, guys," Buffy chimed in. "I really appreciate all the help you're giving me with the slayer stuff."
Willow looked over at her in surprise, her expression echoed by Xander. "We're family, Buffy," she said seriously.
Xander spoke up. "I had an idea I wanted to talk to you about. Along the lines of helping with the slayer stuff." He turned his head to look at Giles. "How about training me as a Watcher?"
The Watcher choked on his food immediately, Buffy reaching over to pat him on the back helpfully.
Xander grinned widely. "I'm going to overlook my instinct and pretend that was an accident. What do you say?"
Giles was gaping at him, stunned.
"I think you broke him," Dawn commented.
"I think it's a great idea," Willow chimed in earnestly.
Buffy nodded. "Me too."
"You need the help. And I want to help." He hurried on to circumvent the protests he knew the others would raise. "I know that I help with the research and the rebuilding of stuff that breaks, but I want to be a real part of this. I know it's not going to be easy, but I think it's something that I'd be good at."
Giles blinked and closed his mouth, swallowing. "Thank you, Xander. Your help would be greatly appreciated." He looked at the young man seriously. "And you will be a good Watcher."
"He's going to learn from the best," Willow said, glancing between her best friends and the older man they all thought of as a father.
"That's true." Buffy grinned widely at him.
Giles looked at the young people at the table. "Well, thank you, all of you." He took a deep breath. "Xander, we can begin your studies as soon as you and Willow return from Scotland, if you wish. That will give you time to deal with your trip and I will have time to figure out how to adapt Watcher training to handle multiple slayers. Perhaps we can have a Watcher for each squad of slayers." His voice trailed off as he began thinking.
"Sounds like a plan," Buffy said. "Hopefully the castle will work out and we can start with some serious planning soon."
"We're doing well so far. No one in history has ever done anything like what we're doing," Giles said reassuringly.
Willow grinned. "That means there's no one to set a high curve."
Dawn groaned. "Don't remind me about school."
Tara spoke up. "Dawnie, we probably should talk about school a little bit. You didn't get to finish your junior year. We should talk about getting you back in school."
Dawn looked at Buffy. "Where am I going to go to school? We're going to be traveling and then maybe living in Scotland. How can I get my diploma?"
Buffy looked back at her sister with a shrug and a sigh. "I don't know, Dawn. It is something to think about. We don't want you to be a drop out. You have way too much potential to waste." She glanced down at her plate. "You deserve your chance to get out of this life."
Dawn glanced around the table at the others. "This is something we should talk about. I want to help too. I don't want to just turn my back on you guys. We're family."
"We know you do, Dawn. We are family. We have to look out for each other. At least finish high school, though, okay? I'll never try to send you away again, I promise you that. But we won't resent you if you want to leave," Buffy said seriously, looking her sister in the eye. "Mom would've killed me if I didn't at least make you finish high school."
Dawn nodded. "I know. I'll finish high school at least. And maybe I can find a college near wherever we end up."
"Thanks, Dawn," Buffy said, smiling thankfully at Tara, grateful to not have to be the one who had brought it up. "We'll find a way for you to finish high school. I'll add it to my list of things to do."
"What's on the list for tonight?" Willow asked, looking over at the Slayer.
She sighed heavily, dropping her head onto a hand. "I have no idea. Giles?"
He looked at her thoughtfully, compassion on his face. "I can't think of anything." The others looked at him in surprise. He met their looks evenly. "You have the night to yourself, Buffy."
They smiled at him gratefully. The Slayer needed this more than she realized.
"What's on the docket for us?" Xander asked.
Giles shrugged. "I was just going to check and see if any of the slayers have sent in addresses for the new slayers. Other than that, I think Faith was going to take the slayers here out on patrol."
"So we're all free?" Tara asked, looking at him.
The Watcher nodded and the young people grinned at each other. He smiled and excused himself to Wesley's office to use the computer.
Dawn jumped to her feet and Willow grinned up at her. "Where are you going?"
"I don't know. I just want to move and jump around or something. When's the last time Buffy had a night off with no crisis to deal with?"
"Can we just relax tonight?" Buffy asked and they could all hear the weariness in her voice. "Dawn, how about you find us another board game? Preferably one with nothing to do with world domination or strategy. I get too much of that in my day job."
Dawn grinned, throwing her arms around her sister's shoulders. "Sure thing, Buffy." She went to check on the hotel's stash of games, leaving the table in a pocket of silence in the midst of clamoring slayers.
"I'll meet you guys upstairs." Buffy glanced around the room and sighed. "I'm going to step outside for some air." She got slowly to her feet and went through the lobby and out the front doors of the hotel.
The rest of the Scoobies exchanged a long look. Tara stood up. "You guys keep Dawn company. I'll go check on her."
Willow sighed. "I should probably go help Giles with the computer, but I'll catch up in a second."
Xander nodded, moving to intercept Dawn while Tara followed Buffy outside.
The Slayer was leaning on the wall, her eyes closed. Tara moved to stand beside her, not saying anything.
"Did you guys draw straws or something?" Buffy asked without opening her eyes.
Tara smiled. "No, I volunteered. We're worried about you. Would it be a stupid question to ask how you're doing?"
Buffy cracked a small smile. "No, not stupid. I honestly don't know how I am anymore. I've almost forgotten how it feels to rest. I don't see another opportunity for that coming anytime soon. The town is gone. The Hellmouth is closed and I should have time off, but now I have to deal with all these girls. And Spike…" She paused heavily. "Spike…he saved us. Did you see that?"
Tara nodded. "I did. He really loved you, Buffy."
She sighed. "I know that."
Tara took a step closer to her friend's side. "I'm so, so sorry."
Buffy turned in a rush, hugging Tara tightly. She was surprised to feel tears running down her face. "He was so different. He did so much for me. He loved me so much, Tara."
Tara held her friend tightly. "I know, Buffy. I know."
"I loved him too. I did. I never told anyone." She was sobbing against the witch's shoulder.
Tara lifted a hand to the Slayer's hair. "He knew it. He knew how you felt about him. I know he did." Buffy just sobbed and Tara just held her. Slowly her sobs slowed and she leaned her forehead against Tara's shoulder.
"Sorry, Tara. I don't know where that came from." The Slayer's voice was still tired, but under control.
Tara lifted Buffy's chin to look her in the face. "You never have to apologize for being honest, Buffy. You've gone through more in the last three weeks than happens to most people in a year. You have to let loose sometimes. None of us will ever begrudge you emotions."
Buffy wiped her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Thanks, Tara. I appreciate it, but I don't have time to break down like this."
Tara smiled gently at her. "I understand that, sweetie. Just remember that any of us are ready to listen any time you need us."
Buffy rolled her shoulders. "Can I go upstairs without giving myself away?" Tara nodded and the Slayer smiled back at her friend. "Thank you, Tara. I mean it. I can't do this without you guys."
"We love you, Buffy. We're family, remember?"
They turned to go back inside. "I'll never forget it."
The rest of the Scoobies had already set the board game up on the floor of the living room and changed into their pajamas by the time they got back up the suite.
Buffy grinned at them. "Give us a second to get changed and we can start."
They separated into their bedrooms, Willow following Tara into their room. "How is she?"
Tara faced her partner, drawing in a deep breath. "She's got a lot of stuff to work through. She's exhausted and lost. There's not much we can do for her except try and help her as much as we can."
Willow leaned up and kissed Tara on the forehead. "Thanks baby, you're a good friend."
Tara smiled and squeezed Willow's hand. "We'd better get back to the game."
Willow grinned. "I'm doing nothing to stop you from changing into your pajamas. I'll just stand here and enjoy the view."
Tara smirked, raising a finger to point at her. "You keep your hands to yourself." Willow pouted and Tara looked at her over her shoulder. "Just for now, baby." The redhead grinned widely at the addition, the tip of her tongue poking out from between her teeth.
"This had better be the shortest game night ever," Willow declared, running her eyes over her lover.
"Sweetie, everyone is exhausted. I'll be surprised if the game goes more than five rounds." Tara finished putting her pajamas on and they went back into the living room. Buffy was right behind them and they joined Xander and Dawn on the floor. The two had poured glasses of milk for everyone and Xander had surrendered his stash of cookies to the group.
They played for a while, a radio playing softly in the background. Gradually, everyone started drooping. By the time Giles came upstairs he was amused to see that no one was really even paying attention to the game, instead they were all just resting, leaning against each other. Willow and Tara were curled up next to each other, leaning against the base of the loveseat and Xander had a Summers sister leaned against each shoulder.
He cleared his throat and his young charges all looked up at him blearily. "Perhaps it's bed time?" They all slowly got to their feet without speaking. "I'll pack the game up for you. You all just go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."
"Thanks, Giles." Buffy was the first one into her room, Dawn following her. Xander helped Giles with the game and the two men went into their rooms. Tara helped Willow up, pulling her into their room.
As the door shut behind them Willow turned to look at the circle of protection they had set up for her. Tara saw what she was looking at and gently kissed her lover on the cheek. "I'm looking forward to getting to sleep tonight."
Willow looked at her with a smirk, putting her hands on her lover's hips and gently pulling her closer. "But not anytime soon, right?"
Tara smirked right back. "Oh, of course not."
