AN: Thank you for your reviews. BTVS doesn't belong to me.
*Shane's Dream*
The landscape that stretched out before her seemed worse than the Underworld. The sky was pitch black with the ground dried up and rivers of blood flowed. All she could see was blurry figures and her hand that held a very familiar sword. It was a two handed blade with a skull on the hilt and the blade was black with blood running down it. As if she was mindless, Shane attacked one figure after the next but for some reason she felt that she should try to stop.
"No, stop, DAMN IT, STOP!" She screamed as she stabbed through the last shadow and it faded to Buffy.
Shane bolted up from her bed and gritted her teeth trying not to scream out. She ran shaky hands through her damp dark blonde hair. 'Oh Ares, what in the hell was that? It must just be a reaction to the news that Dad's sword was taken. I should have seen it before. Increased unrest and my eyes, it's the swords effect on the world.' She was snapped out of her thought by a knock on her door before Buffy entered the room.
"Hey, sorry if I woke you up but I wanted to see you before me and Faith go out." The blonde greeted and sat down next to her on the bed immediately Shane pulled her into her.
"No need to apologize, Buffy. I just woke up actually. So, what are you and Faith doing?" The demi-god asked kissing the top of Buffy's head as the slayer laid her head on Shane's shoulder.
"I think going shopping for Tara's birthday gift. We will be back later so don't worry.
While that was going on, in the kitchen Tara was watching Faith clean up after breakfast. The brunette had been determined not to let her girlfriend clean up after having made the food.
"So, what are you and Buffy doing again?" Tara wondered.
"Oh, some slayer thing." Faith stated trying sound offhanded but the blonde Wiccan didn't look convinced so when the brunette hybrid turned around she corrected herself, "Damn, fine I'm going to get your present and B is coming along so you and Shane get some sibling time."
"Faith, ready to go?" Buffy questioned as she walked into the room with Shane following behind her.
"Yeah, I'm all done here." The brunette said as she walked around the counter and gave Tara a kiss good-bye. "I'll see you later."
"So, any breakfast left?" Shane looked around for some food.
"Sorry, I only made enough for Faith and me. We knocked on your door to see if you wanted some but you didn't answer so we thought you might need the sleep." Tara explained. "What do you want to do today since you are free?"
"I think we should really talk. I feel like I haven't really tried to talk with you since I came back in your life. So, ask any question?" her young sister looked down as she thought.
"Why didn't you come back?" she asked in a small voice. "Did you just not want to see us again?"
"No, no, I-I-I di-didn't think…." Shane paused and kept taking deep breaths trying not to break down. "I didn't think you or Mom would want to see me again not after what that bastard did."
"You didn't even come to Mom's funeral. Why would you stay away if you knew what was happening? You could have stopped him. You could have protected us but you didn't care!" Tara shouted and the object of her anger felt like she had been stabbed.
"Damn it, I do care! You and Mom were all I thought about after I went to Olympus! I attacked Ares after I found out what the bastard was doing blaming him for what I saw!" She kept trying to calm down before she continued, "After I regained consciousness, I believed that it was my fault. When Ares told me mom died, my first thought was that she died hating me and I continued to believe you hated me too."
"Then, why did you leave in the first place? Mom told me you had a choice to go or not. Why did you decide that leaving was the best option?" The calming blonde asked.
"When Ares took me aside that day, he told me that I would be putting my family in danger if I didn't come with and that monsters love untrained demi-gods. So, I left with him to keep you and Mom safe." Shane snorted. "Like that did me any good. I'll understand it of you want me to leave you alone now.
"I-I-I I don't want you to go again. I'm sor…"
"Please, don't apologize for feeling something." The demi-god stated looking into Tara's eyes and, seeing she was about to cry, Shane hugged her little sister tightly. "I do love you, Tara"
Across town at the mall, Buffy and Faith were searching through two stores for something Tara might like. They had separated to cover more ground and so that they didn't end up liking the same thing to get her. Buffy was looking at a rack of blouses she thought the blonde Wicca might like when her arms were pulled into a hold behind her back that she couldn't get out of. Her capturer turned the slayer in the direction of a sandy blonde haired woman wearing black leather pants and a yellow tank top. Buffy felt a chill run down her spine, when the woman's crazed smile was on her.
"You must be the latest model. Oh, don't worry; we have a friend in common." The mysterious woman pulled a slip of paper or something out of the pockets and slipped it into Buffy's. when she pulled her hand out, she took her time running her hand up the slayer's body and what she whispered in her ear stunned her so much that they had time to leave with only one message, "Tell Shane, Tiffany says hi."
AN: Tell me what you think and please review. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
