Disclaimer: Yup…I still own nothing.
Chapter 10
Buffy shrugged off her black leather jacket, draping it over her desk chair. Yawning, she glanced over at her alarm clock, its angry red numbers glaring 1:00. The blonde smiled. She was lucky; the slaying that night had been minimal, so she was home extra early. That thought amused her; 1:00 am was most people's idea of late. Nonetheless, early or not, the blonde girl was exhausted. Her muscles ached, and she had a killer bruise, not caused from vamps so much as slamming her leg into the corner of her desk the other day. Thus, she decided to call it a night.
Tara stood still, afraid to make any sudden movements. Invisible or not; she was no match for the Slayer, whose abilities in late-night combat didn't require her opponents to be easily spotted. She watched from the other side of the room as Buffy stretched, sighing and yawning alternately as she headed over to her dresser. It wasn't until the witch saw her pull out a pair of blue-cotton pajamas that she realized what she was doing.
"Oh Goddess…" The poor woman groaned softly.
Unfortunately, it wasn't softly enough.
"Hello?" Buffy looked around her dorm cautiously, grabbing a stake from inside her coat, "Is anyone there?"
The room was still; Tara didn't even dare to breathe. However, just as the Slayer was in the midst of putting down her stake…
"Achoo!" Tara sneezed. It wasn't one of those silent, unheard sneezes either; this one was loud.
"Who's there?" The Slayer asked again, "Come out and fight me like a…" The college student paused, unsure of what to call her unseen opponent, "Whatever you are!"
Tara rolled her eyes at the young woman's antics, as Buffy stiffened, waiting for her adversary's inevitable movement. The blue-eyed one stayed still, waiting for the Slayer to end her pursuit. But instead of giving up, the blonde lunged after her unseen companion, missing the witch's head by an inch. That was it; Tara couldn't just wait for her friend to land a stake correctly; in fact, she found the prospect of staying alive quite enticing. Besides; she had a kid waiting for her; and she needed to get back.
Meanwhile, in Tara's dorm room, a little girl was stirring under the covers.
"Mommy! Eeemah! Come back!" The red-head awoke, covered in sweat, her clothes and sheets torn and ragged. What had just happened; where was she? The memories came flooding back. She was safe in her mother's bed, and adrenaline-pumped from her frightening nightmare. The child couldn't recall the exact details, but she did remember her parents-both of them, were there. So where was her Eemah? She knew here Mommy, at least, was supposed to be here…
"Mommy?" The four-year-old frantically scanned the room for her lost relative, "Mommy; whewe awe you?"
Jumping out from under the sheets, the girl searched the depths of the darkened bedroom. There were only dust-bunnies under the bed; something she knew Aunt Anya would not appreciate, and all corners of the room were filled with spell-books and CDs. The desk chair was empty too, save for the shopping bag or two Tara had set down on it, and the closet? There was no way she was going near there. It freaked her out. After this thorough exploration, the child decided there was only one thing that could have happened; her Mommy must have been kidnapped. That would explain the torn sheets and stuff, right? And if that was true, then it was Willow's responsibility to save her. Hence, grabbing a baseball bat; the only weapon-like thing her mother had allowed her to hold, the little red-head set out.
"Don't wowwy." She assured Tara, as if the woman could hear her, "I'll save you."
"Aargh!" Cried that Slayer, chasing the transparent creature around the room, "Take that!" She threw a punch that grazed Tara's delicate shoulder.
"Ow!" She moaned, silently, as she crept closer to the door.
"Oh, no; don't you try that!" Buffy smirked at her opponent, "I'm not letting you get away that easily." She swung her leg around to knock the unseen force off it's feet, when, all of a sudden, she stopped in mid-air.
"Sorry, um, I'm not really in the mood to, um, do this, uh, right now." The witch deepened her voice to preserve her identity.
"What do you mean; you don't want to do this now?" She stared at Tara's general area, "You snuck into my room, for crying out loud!"
"Yeah; and I'm, uh, sneaking out." Tara dropped the Slayer's ankle, taking the split-second it took for the girl to regain her composure to unlock the door and run out into the hall.
"You get back here!" The blonde called from her doorway, shaking a carefully manicured fist, "This isn't finished!"
But Tara wasn't listening; she had a destination, and she needed to get there-fast. Who knew what time the garbage truck came?
"Mommy?" The little girl questioned, heading down the hallway, "Awe you hewe?"
No one responded.
"Mommy?" The child came across a door that was slightly ajar, and, seeing the warm glow from within, decided to enter into the light, "Mommy?"