AN-Sorry for the lack of midweek update last week-life, you know. By my estimate we are about half way through the story. Comments, concerns, thoughts in general? I'd love to hear them.
Chapter Eleven-The Eye of the Hurricane
The ride back to the city was quiet. Tara had fallen asleep with her head and arms draped over Willow's lap almost immediately and the Scoobies were all too tired to even chat. Xander had stopped for a large coffee and they had made good time back to the firehouse before the morning rush hour took hold.
Willow hated to disturb the bruised and exhausted woman. "Tara. Tara baby. You need to wake up. Just enough to get upstairs and get you settled somewhere."
Sleepy eyes did their best to open. "But I'm at the firehouse. I should go home." Tara suddenly felt guilty and didn't want to impose anymore.
Willow opened her mouth to begin her protest but didn't get the chance to start.
"No." Buffy stated firmly. "We need you here, where we can protect you. And we need to know what happened." When she saw Willow's raised eyebrows she added, "When you are up to it, of course."
"Let's get you a nice hot bath and some clean clothes first." Willow began to steer Tara up the stairs before she looked back over her shoulder at her friends. "Thank you guys. Let's get a few hours of sleep and reconvene for lunch."
Tara was only in the bath for a few minutes when she reemerged in the clean clothes Willow had given her.
"I didn't expect you so soon. Are you sure you don't want to just relax?" Willow found herself fussing around Tara, not quite sure what to do.
"I'm fine Willow, thank you." Tara yawned uncontrollably.
Willow took her hand and led her down the hall and into a small guest bedroom. "I put some clean sheets on the bed in here. Rest, sleep. I know you must be exhausted."
"I am tired Willow, but we need to talk. I have to tell you what happened." Another huge yawn interrupted Tara's speech.
Willow sat Tara down on the bed and tucked her legs under the comforter. "Later, that can wait a few hours." Once she had Tara settled Willow headed for the door.
"Willow?" Tara's eyes were already closing. "Stay with me, please?"
It took Willow only seconds to step out of her shoes and slide into the bed next to Tara. She stroked her hand gently through blonde hair. "Of course I'll stay, you never need to ask."
Tara felt herself relaxing immediately into the soft touch. "I was scared. I've never been so frightened. Thinking about you was the only thing that kept me sane." A few stray tears worked their way down her cheeks.
"Shhhh. Go to sleep. You're safe here. I promise." Willow murmured over and over until she felt Tara's breathing even out. She looked down in wonder at the peaceful beauty she was holding. All her life, her training, fighting, stopping apocalypse after apocalypse, focusing her magick. Now she knew why she had gone through everything. She needed to be prepared to protect this woman. It was what she was meant to do, if Tara would let her.
Willow found herself relaxed and calm. She scooted down into the bed a little until Tara's head was resting on her shoulder and she fell asleep with a smile.
When Willow awoke alone she jumped up and ran down the hall to find Tara and Buffy eating snacks while Tara told the Slayer about her kidnapping and captivity. Tara looked up with a shy smile. "Willow."
"Are you giving Buffy all the good info without me?" Willow pouted and grabbed a handful of chips as she sat down.
"Only the boring parts." Tara shifted over closer to Willow. "Which is most of the story except for the beginning and the end."
Xander and Anya joined them for lunch after which Tara filled in the group on what had happened, everything from the pacified workers at the farm to her run into the hills and subsequent imprisonment with the vampire guards. She described her interactions with the cloaked man in as much detail as she could recall, but found herself leaving out the fact that the man knew Willow. She thought the other witch should hear that fact first.
"I'm worried about this creepy guy who was in charge. Any human who can get vampires to be his minions concerns me." Buffy threw out. "Any idea about who he is Tara?"
"No, not really." Tara gave a glance towards Willow. "I think he can do magick."
Now it was Willow's turn. "He can. He pushed back against my spell in the orchard, hard. With dark magick."
"Well duh. We saw the hair and the eyes." Anya rolled her own. "Glad to see that is all gone by the way. Quick work of the de-black-rooting."
Willow hadn't even realized her hair was back to normal. She usually had to actively center herself to dispel the dark magick effects. It must have happened naturally when she was resting with Tara. "Huh. Thanks, I guess."
Everyone in the group was pondering the information Tara had given them and thinking about what to do next. The silence made Tara nervous. "Willow, maybe you could take me back to my apartment now. You guys have been great, but I should get home and see the damage."
Tara was assaulted by multiple voices arguing with her at once. Buffy's won out. "Tara I meant it when I said you need to be here for us to protect you. Your apartment isn't safe."
"I can't just live here, at the firehouse! This is your home. I'll reinstate the wards on my place, I'll be fine." Tara found her resolve fading fast but tried to sound confident.
"Tara, you were targeted. Your place was broken into by demons. Whoever the evil warlock guy is he is going to be irate that you got away. Consider yourself a firehouse resident for now, I insist." Buffy stood with her hands on her hips and with her sternest Slayer look.
"You should listen to her. You're more than welcome here Tara." Xander.
"I could still use your help at the store if you promise not to get kidnapped again." Anya pitched in.
Willow sat and listened to Tara try her best to disagree with everyone. Maybe she had read the situation wrong. She had assumed Tara still wanted to be with her as her girlfriend, and that it was only the kidnapping that had interfered. But the way she was almost desperate to return to her trashed and dangerous apartment, maybe she wanted to be alone. Maybe Willow's display of dark magick had caused her to reconsider.
The voices were too much in her head. Willow didn't even realize her feet had carried her out of the common room and into her adjacent bedroom until she sat down on the edge of her bed, her hands in her lap. Her emotions were in flux again and tears were filling her eyes.
"Where did Will go? Willow?" She heard Buffy calling for her a few minutes later, but she just couldn't face them right now.
Willow heard Buffy mumbling and then saw Tara standing in her doorway. "Can I come in?"
Willow nodded without looking up. She didn't want Tara to see her upset.
"May I sit?" Tara patted the quilt next to Willow on the bed.
"I guess we should have talked first, before everyone else got involved." Willow decided it would be best to just yank off the band aid quickly. "I should never have assumed you would want to stick around. I mean you have your own life and everything. We would have gotten you out of that horrible cave no matter what, because that's what we do, you know, help people. You are certainly someone I want to help no matter what. We just thought you should probably stay, in one of the spare rooms of course, until we know you are safe. But you can go if you want to, you know, get away. From us, from me."
With that Willow's lung capacity maxed out and one traitorous tear leaked out and fell onto the hands folded in her lap with a plop.
Tara knew as soon as Willow started to speak that she had made a mess of things again. Willow's voice was high and strained from emotion. She was having trouble following the speech, but there was no disguising the last bit. Willow thought she wanted to get away from her, which was the furthest thing from the truth.
Tara had never been offered something so freely. A place to live? Where she could be safe and around people who cared? Her instincts had immediately flared again, to run and hide, assuming there was a hidden catch. No one just gave you a place to stay without expectation.
But she had told herself while being held captive that she was going to move past those imprinted childhood thoughts and behaviors, and now was a chance to show it. She took Willow in her arms and hugged her. Goddess that alone felt so good. "Will? Do something for me?"
She felt Willow nod against her shoulder. "Anything. What do you need?"
"Take me to my apartment. Right now." Tara squeezed tighter. She could feel the other woman tense and then sigh.
"Ok." Willow started to pull away to get to her feet before she let out a sob, but Tara didn't let go.
"Take me now so I can pack a few things and get back here before it gets dark. I want to move everything I care about by tonight."
"Really, you mean it?" Green eyes lifted up for the first time since they had started talking.
Tara nodded. "I'm so sorry. It's such a generous offer to let me stay here. You should know I have issues accepting kindness from others, but I should have trusted that you were only trying to help me. Goddess Willow, look at what you have done for me, you saved my life! And I repay you by making you think I want to get away from you."
Tara lifted her fingers to Willow's chin and moved her face up until she could reach her lips for a lingering kiss. "I want to be where you are Willow, nowhere else."
Buffy and Xander insisted on going along to provide 'muscle', which made the move that much faster and safer. Tara gathered her clothes and a few boxes of personal items, saddened to see most of her magick books gone. As she locked up for the last time, she looked over at the main house. "I should tell Mrs. Darby where I'll be, she might worry."
The Scoobies exchanged glances before Willow took Tara's hand and led her towards the car. "I need to tell you some things, including about Mrs. Darby. Let's head back first, it's getting dark. Xan, will you drive?"
Tara paused before getting into the back seat next to Willow and examined the house more closely. The grass was long in the yard and curtains covered all of the dark windows. It looked like no one had been there for a while. "She's dead, isn't she?"
Willow had gotten in already and reached out to draw Tara into the back seat before answering. "Yes baby, she is. I'm so sorry."
Tara's mind was whirling again. "It's overwhelming. My brother in jail. My father is dead. Sarah is dead, Javier is gone. Now Mrs. Darby? What is going on Willow? How can this all be happening?"
Willow felt that need to protect Tara come over her again as they tucked together in the back seat. "I don't know yet, but I promise, we will find out and those who are responsible will pay."
It didn't take long to get Tara's things stored away in 'her' guest room. Both Willow and Buffy had assured her that she was welcome to stay as long as she wanted. They explained that other Slayers sometimes came through town on various missions and stayed in one of the rooms, but there were several so space was not a problem.
Anya had ordered takeout so they all sat down to eat. The combination of food and the additional emotional news of the day had Tara falling asleep at the table.
"I guess I need to head to bed before I end up face down in the kung pao." Tara joked. "Thank you again, for everything. I never knew people could be so kind and I'm so glad you came into my life. I'll try to make it up to you somehow."
Xander smiled and blushed while Buffy tried to wave Tara off slightly embarrassed.
"I could use some help tomorrow at the shop." Anya proposed before plopping a spring roll in her mouth.
Willow jumped up. "Tara needs a few days of rest Anya. She's been through a lot."
"Oh fine, don't get all defensive there little butch." Anya rolled her eyes.
Willow just scowled at the ex-demon before pulling Tara away. She waited in the guest room while Tara got ready in the bathroom. When Tara got back she pulled off her robe and left it on the end of the bed.
Tara was in a cream silk nightgown that reached her mid-thigh. Willow couldn't breathe as she approached. "Wow, Tara, you look beautiful."
"It's just to sleep in Will." Tara bashfully slipped under the sheet. "But thank you for the sentiment."
"I know you're tired, but can I kiss you goodnight?" Willow moved up until she was sitting next to Tara.
Tara reached up and touched her lips to Willow's. "You don't have to ask."
Willow found her mouth didn't want to leave Tara's and she followed her back as Tara lay her head down on the pillow, still kissing and now half on top of the blonde. Her pert breasts crushed down into Tara's soft chest and she moaned from the back of her throat.
Tara's arms lifted and wrapped around Willow's back as the kiss deepened. She felt her nipples harden under the thin layer of silk and she pulled Willow closer until no space remained between them. But when she felt Willow start to move her body to lie completely on top of her, she knew this was not the night to make love for the first time. They were both too tired and emotional and she wanted to give Willow everything she deserved. "Willow. We need to stop sweetie."
Willow knew Tara was right, but her arousal was raging for this amazingly sexy woman and it took her a minute to register what Tara had said completely. She buried her lips into Tara's neck and tasted her skin with light kisses as she allowed the rest of her body to cool down. "I know, but I don't want to." She finally mumbled with her lips still on Tara's pulse point.
Following several false starts resulting in more kissing Willow finally disengaged from every part of Tara but one entwined hand. She stood by the bed and walked backwards until only their fingertips were touching. "Goodnight Tara."
It seemed natural to follow with 'I love you,' but neither she nor Tara had said those word yet and now didn't seem to be the time. Willow did her best to convey the sentiment with her eyes and her smile before she took one more step and they were no longer in reach of each other. She turned and slipped out of the room and down the hall to her own bed where she was asleep in moments knowing Tara was safe.
Tara fell asleep feeling more protected than she ever had in her life. She knew the firehouse was warded and she had a powerful witch and slayer sleeping down the hall. Unfortunately, none of those facts could overcome the panic she felt waking up from a nightmare shaking and crying.
In her dream the cloaked man had held her in the orchard, tied between two trees with vines. His eyes were more than black, they were filled with darkness as he taunted her. "You're going to die tonight."
"Why? What'd I ever do to you?" Tara didn't understand what was happening. The face of the cloaked man got closer and closer until all she could see was the depths of the hatred in his eyes. It was like looking into the fires of hell itself. A flash of pain covered every inch of her body as he spoke again.
"Bored now."
"Willow." Tara tried to wake up the redhead gently, but found she was just too deeply asleep. Faced with the options of returning to her own room to shiver and stare at the walls or slipping in beside her girlfriend and hoping she wouldn't mind Tara chose the latter. She was still trembling slightly from the fear that soaked into her bones when she closed her eyes and saw images from her nightmare.
Tara tried to comfort herself by looking at Willow in the dim moonlight. She was wearing a t-shirt and pajama bottoms covered in coffee cups. Tara settled down as much as she could without disturbing Willow's sleeping space, but as soon as she fully relaxed she found a warm, lithe body turn and tuck tightly against her and an arm flung protectively over her waist.
Concern that she had woken Willow was short lived when she heard quiet muttering. "No frogs on the history test."
Tara couldn't help but giggle and relax. Willow felt so good against her. Explaining the nightmare could wait until morning.