Angst/Drama/Smut Rating: PG-13 for light innuendo
Setting: Sunnydale – The Summers House & the barracks
Disclaimer: I in no way, shape or form own the characters or dialogue that is borrowed from BtVS; they're owned by Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy et al. All original characters are in no way connected to them except by me in this forum. No money is involved; this is simply for my own pleasure, and hopefully the people reading too.
Feedback: Is all I can ever ask for...
Author's Notes: Well, hello everyone, so happy you're here. I'd like to thank everyone for reading, and those that have been leaving comments as well. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. I try to take the time to respond to you individually, but if I've somehow missed you know that you make my day. Let me start by saying that there will be a temporary hiatus on the story while I have surgery and recover. The story has not been (and will not be) abandoned, never fear, and hopefully while I recover I'll be able to work on the next chapters as usual. Now with that out of the way, music was as follows: The Smashing Pumpkins "Oceania", Eva Cassidy "Simply Eva", Metric "Synthetica", and A Place to Bury Strangers "Worship".
I know what I have given you. I do not know what you have received. - Antonio Porchia
After turning off the light, Willow slid into bed next to Tara. Tara opened her arms and Willow snuggled in close, wrapping an arm tightly around Tara's waist. They lay quietly in each other's arms, with the steady drumming of Willow's heart under Tara's hand, and strong rhythm of Tara's heartbeat under Willow's ear.
"What a day, what a day," Willow whispered; she knew Tara was not yet asleep.
Tara kissed the top of Willow's head while she tightened her embrace. "Yes, love, it has been. Lots to take in, isn't it? Can you believe little Dawnie, though?"
Willow traced aimless shapes along Tara's lower back and hip as she spoke. "In a way I can, baby. It really drives home for me, at least, that Dawnie isn't that little girl I always see in my head when I think of her anymore. She's almost eighteen… an adult, and I think we all need to come to terms with that quickly, one way or another."
"Mmmhmm, like Buffy said, Dawn did what she never could. We really don't know what Buffy's reasons were, what stopped her for so long. I mean, she could have done it at any time, long before they were... involved, so what always stopped her? I just wonder what the price was for Dawnie, what this has done to her. The worst part of all is that I think in a way Dawnie loved Spike," Tara said thoughtfully. "And now, now there's all of this… end of the world stuff happening all over again."
"I can't even begin to imagine, honestly. Maybe we should talk to her, or just you know, let her know that we're here if she wants to talk about it," Willow said pulling back to look at Tara in the half light of the orange glow pouring in from the sodium-vapor lamp outside of their bedroom window.
Tara smiled, and stroked Willow's hair. "I think that's a good idea, Will." Tara leaned in to kiss Willow softly.
Willow hummed lightly. "Tara-kissage… the best there is," she said.
Tara laughed gently and nuzzled her nose against Willow's. "We should sleep, love. The research starts tomorrow, and we also have to start the training of our coven."
Willow nodded, turning her head to yawn sleepily. "I was actually hoping we could recruit Dawnie into the research fold tomorrow on a permanent basis. We have too much to do on our own, and we won't be able to be the workhorses this time, and neither can Giles. He has a lot to do with the gathering of the potentials. Dawn is our best, most reliable option; Xander can help, but you know how he is."
Tara began to stroke Willow's hair again. "You're right, and I think Buffy won't put up much of a fight about it anymore now either. I just wish Dawn hadn't had to prove herself that way."
Willow gave Tara another squeeze. "I know, baby, me too. Buffy has tried so hard to shelter her from even doing research for so long," Willow said thoughtfully. "You know, I was younger than Dawn when I cast my first spell, Buffy too, when she started slaying… I guess you don't get much of a childhood when you grow up on the hellmouth." Willow sighed heavily and yawned. "We have to be realistic, too; we need her, and we wouldn't have to watch her every move, you know?"
"I agree," Tara replied her hand stroking Willow's back gently.
With a few more soft kisses, the girls began to slip into sleep. Their last thoughts of the day were of what tomorrow would hold and all they had to do. Willow was making lists sleepily in her head as she fell asleep. They had to test the skills of Jacob and the twins, and work with Dana to begin their training accordingly. There was also the matter of getting Claude up to speed with spell ingredients as well.
During their earlier conversation with Buffy, Willow and Tara had been brought up to date on all the new weirdness that she and the potentials had been dealing with in their absence. On top of all the details of training with the coven, they also had to find out more about the blind minions and the Nosferatu-esque vampires that kept springing up like cockroaches.
This was just the beginning of the end – again.
The sound of laughter and the smell of coffee wafted up the stairs and through the house. Willow tied a knot just above her belly button in the linen shirt she was wearing, as Tara slipped on a blue t-shirt and Willow watched her dress. Willow slunk up behind her grinning mischievously, and eased her hands into the front pockets of Tara's shorts and kissed her neck.
Tara tilted her head to give Willow better access to her long slender throat. Willow nibbled and sucked on her neck while Tara purred her approval, and reached back to pull Willow's hips tight against her. Willow growled and sucked harder on her neck just below her ear, and quite in plain sight. Tara knew she would be sporting a bright new love bite on her neck when Willow was done, and she couldn't care less.
"Mmm, someone woke up feeling frisky this morning," Tara chuckled at Willow's insistent mouth.
Pulling away from Tara with a loud pop, Willow nipped again at her neck. "I woke up next to you, what more do I need?" she replied sweetly.
Tara laughed and turned in Willow's arms, kissing her soundly. "Suck up," she laughed.
Willow wiggled her eyebrows as she cupped Tara's bottom and gave it a firm squeeze while she smiled wickedly. "Ahh, but you have such wonderful things to suck."
Tara laughed loudly. "You are horrible, Willow!"
"And yet, you love me still," Willow teased, the picture of innocence.
"I do, you know that I do," Tara replied in a husky purr.
Willow kissed her once, barely brushing their lips together, but what started out as a simple kiss quickly grew into a heated make-out session. Tara had unbuttoned Willow's shorts and slid to her knees as she pulled the knot free from Willow's shirt. She was pressing wet kisses into the warm skin of Willow's tummy, working her way lower, when a loud knock at the door stopped her.
"Guys?" Buffy called through the door.
With Willow half dressed and Tara on her knees in front of her, they froze like deer in headlights. Looking first at each other and then at the door, they were both willing the door not to swing open.
"Yeah," Willow squeaked out quickly then coughed and tried again. "Yeah, Buff, what's up?"
"Breakfast is being made, you might want to come down before it's all gone," Buffy said.
"We'll be right down." Willow called out.
They heard Buffy's footsteps as she moved away from the door, and once she was gone they burst into laughter. Several minutes passed before they got themselves under control enough to make their way down the stairs. When they came into the kitchen they made a beeline for the coffee pot. Looking into the dining room they could see Stephan, Jake, Xander and two young women they had yet to meet.
Livy was at the stove cooking an omelet, and turned to smile at the pair. She pushed a small dry erase board at them that asked what kind of omelet they would like. Willow picked up the board and noticed that it still had a cord attached to it when she turned it over, which made her snicker.
Both Livy and Tara looked at her in confusion, and Willow just shook her head waving off their unspoken question. Willow told Tara to just get whatever kind she wanted and they could share, before she wandered off to find Dana. After a quick circuit of the downstairs, she went out into the backyard.
She found Claude pruning herbs with Dana bundling them to be hung to dry, and Buffy sitting alone in the sun. Her head was tilted back and her sunglasses on. Willow walked over to Buffy, her shadow falling over her friend. Buffy slid her sunglasses down her nose to look up at Willow; there were circles around her eyes making the stress she was feeling obvious.
Willow pushed Buffy's bangs off her forehead, and smiled down gently at her. "Hey."
"Hey, Will. Sleep well?"
Willow nodded. "You don't look like you slept at all though."
Buffy smiled sadly. "I didn't."
"You have to rest, Buffy," Willow scolded and sat on the wide arm of the wooden lawn chair.
"I know, but there's just so much to worry about, Will. Giles left this morning, and he'll be back in three days with two more girls," she whispered with concern. "I was thinking after breakfast, maybe I could take you and Tara to the barracks. To see if there's something more we can do to keep everyone safe while they're there?"
"Sure, Buff. We can do that. I'll ask Jacob what spell they've been augmenting and we can do some tinkering of our own," Willow grinned. "We want everyone as safe as possible."
Buffy looked relieved and some of the tension she was radiating eased as she slipped her hand into Willow's. Willow sat down next to her in the grass keeping Buffy's hand in hers, turning her face towards the sun as well. They sat like that for several long moments enjoying the warmth and each other's presence.
Willow gave Buffy's hand a gentle squeeze before she let it go and rose from her spot, walking over to where Dana and Claude were working quietly. The closer she got, the more she could smell the different herbs that had already been trimmed and prepared to hang for drying.
"Good morning, Sisters," Willow greeted them.
Dana was sitting Indian style in the grass, and looked up from the bundle she was tying the thread off on. "Good Morning, My Lady."
"Good morning, My Lady," Claude replied as she looked up with a smile from the sage she was trimming.
"Do you have any idea how odd that sounds?" Willow giggled. "I keep expecting Lady Rowan to pop up out of nowhere like she always did."
Dana and Claude laughed with her. "Well, Willow, it's what you and Tara are for all intents and purposes. You're both now leading and training your own coven. We should get the others used to saying it," Dana said seriously.
"Although, technically Jake will be the only one you can hear saying it," Claude chuckled lightly.
"There will be others," Dana said knowingly.
Willow raised an eyebrow. "How many more will there be, Dana?" She asked curiously.
Dana didn't look up, she just kept bundling herbs. "There are three more that will be here with us, but…" she shrugged.
Claude looked at Willow surprised. "How does she know that?" Then Claude looked at Dana. "How do you know that?"
Willow's smile was tinged with sadness before she winked conspiratorially at Claude. "She just knows, and she's more reliable than Xander's magic eight ball. Take my advice; listen to her when she says stuff like that," she said trying to lighten the mood Dana's pronouncement had made, and deftly made a subject change. "After breakfast, Tara and I are going to the barracks with Buffy. When we get back, I'd like for us all to get together again. Tara has some ideas on what herbs we'll need immediately for healing, and what we'll need for spellwork, Claude. I'd also like you to help us test the others, Dana."
"Yes, My Lady," Dana replied respectfully.
Taking her cue from Dana, Claude said with a smile. "Yes, My Lady."
Willow walked back towards the house shaking her head and chuckling again. She reached for the door knob just as Tara opened it. They both jumped back a bit, and then giggled at each other. Willow reached out to take Tara's hand as she stepped through the doorway.
"I was just coming to get you. Our breakfast is ready, sweetie," she said with a smile.
"Good, I'm starving!" Willow said with a grin. "Hey, baby, after we eat wanna go take a look at the barracks with Buffy? She asked if we could check out the spell they've been using to hide the potentials." She picked up two glasses of orange juice from the island and followed Tara.
Tara had picked up their plate, with a large omelet oozing cheese and mushrooms and taking up most of its surface in one hand, and their forks in the other. "Sure. I'm curious to see what spell or spells they've been using. I keep thinking it must be more than one."
Just as they sat, everyone else at the table rose and began clearing their plates away. Xander stopped before them with two girls in tow. With a flourish, he pointed at Willow and Tara who both stopped with forks midway to their mouths.
"These fine ladies are Willow and Tara. They are our Wiccans of Witchery… our Mistresses o' Magicks… Priestesses of Prophecy… Vixens of Voodoo… wait, you guys don't do voodoo do you? We really don't need zombies on the hellmouth too… again," Xander shuddered as he rambled on enthusiastically.
Willow and Tara looked at each other with amused expressions on their faces.
"Uhh, yeah… anyway Will, Tara this is Vi and Tammy. They'll be here with us at Casa Summers for a few days doing their rotation." Xander pointed to a lanky redhead with hair cut in a bob and a darker shade than Willow's, and a blonde that could have been Buffy's twin.
"Hi," Willow and Tara replied politely, and then began to eat their omelets.
"Okay girls, let's go find Buffy," Xander said, and the two potentials waved goodbye.
"Oh, she's in the backyard, Xan," Willow said around a mouthful of food.
"Thanks, Will," Xander smiled as he left.
Walking through Sunnydale with Buffy was a little unnerving. Everything was silent. There were no sounds of traffic or children playing in the distance; no televisions turned up too loud or radios blaring – no signs of human habitation at all. It seemed even the wildlife was aware; there were murders of crows on telephone wires all over but they still did not utter one sound.
Willow and Tara walked hand in hand, while Buffy still had her dark sunglasses on and her hands shoved deep into her pockets. As they approached downtown, they finally saw two other people in the distance hurrying towards a car and leaving quickly. Willow threaded her free arm through one of Buffy's and pulled her close trying desperately to impart some comfort to her friend while gaining a little of her own.
Buffy slowed her pace a little and smiled weakly at Willow and Tara. "It's been like this for a little over a month now."
"But that's good, right? I mean, we can just focus on keeping us safe, right?" Willow tried to sound hopeful and failed.
Buffy tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace, and silence fell between them again. They arrived at the door of the gym down from The Magic Box, and Buffy held her hand to the door. It glowed for a moment and then the audible sound of a lock opening was heard and the door swung inward on its own.
"Giles and Jake figured out a way to also have the spell recognize us and only us," Buffy said as they walked through the door.
"What happens if the spell doesn't recognize the person at the door?" Tara asked.
"Well, for one it sends an alarm all through the barracks," Buffy replied.
"And we come runnin', Blondie," Faith said as she appeared armed with three potentials behind her armed to the teeth as well.
"So it tagged us as we walked in too?" Willow asked, and Buffy nodded. "How is the spell being keyed to everyone?"
Buffy shifted for a moment looking uncomfortable. "You might as well tell 'em, B," Faith said.
"Thanks, Faith," Buffy said tightly. "The only way they could come up with to be that specific was blood, Will."
"Blood and what?" Tara asked coolly.
Buffy and Faith looked at each other. "Just blood," Buffy said.
"We all pitched in a drop, an' Ol' Tweedy and The Broom Crew have been usin' that," Faith added.
Willow raised an eyebrow. "'The Broom Crew'?"
Faith rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you ain't that dense, Red. You know, your little groupies."
Willow and Tara both roll their eyes at the term "groupie" being applied to their coven. Willow shot a glare at Faith, who just smirked in return. Willow crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to play Faith's game. Taking a deep breath and turning her back on Faith; Willow moved next to Tara and slipped her arm around Tara's waist.
"Well, that's one way to do it, I guess. It would definitely make it very specific, but blood magic can still be fooled, it can still go wrong," Tara said. "All it would take is one drop from any one of you in the right place or the wrong place, rather…"
"And you'd all be done for in a matter of minutes," Willow finished. "No passing go, no collecting two hundred dollars, just a couple of really dead slayers and a gym full of potentials."
Looking at one another, something passed between them silently. "We can do better," Willow and Tara responded in unison.
Buffy sighed with relief and agreed. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. I knew you guys would have a better solution once you could check it out, see where it could be made stronger."
Faith laughed. "Bet you never thought you'd be head of security did ya, Red?"
"Well, someone has to be the brains of the operation, anyone can be the brawn," Willow snarked.
"Hey! Slayer standing here! Right exactly here!" Buffy groused.
"Sorry, Buff. You know what I mean," Willow said, then turned to Tara. "Baby, what are you thinking? I hope are your ideas for a new spell are maybe some with a little less with the icky blood factor?"
Tara nodded, then took Willow's hand and began to walk away. They started walking down along one wall, and when they got to the corner, Tara stopped and looked up. In the rafter, you could just barely make out what looked like a small sachet. Scanning the corners, they began to pick them out in the corners of the rafters placed strategically.
"How many more rooms are there?" Tara asked.
Buffy thought for a moment. "There's here, the workout space, what Xander turned into a dorm for the girls, then a rec room, the weight room and the bathrooms. Did I leave anything out, Faith?"
"Nah, you got it, B," Faith said.
"How many more windows and doorways are there?" Willow asked, tapping her index finger against her lips as she thought.
"There's a wall of windows in the weight room," Buffy said as she thought.
"An' at least two doors to every room, yo'," Faith added.
Willow and Tara walked to the middle of the room and continued to look up at the exposed beams of the ceiling and the pattern they made, looking for anything that might be significant to the spell.
"Are all the ceilings like this? Exposed beams?" Tara asked.
Buffy and Faith looked at one another. "Umm, I'm not sure. I don't think I ever paid any attention." Buffy answered. "Faith?"
"Got me, I don't spend a lot of time starin' at the ceilings," Faith said with a shrug.
"Let's have a look then," Tara said with a nod.
She and Willow made a quick circuit of the room, pointing here and there as they went before moving on to the other rooms, studying the ceilings and door frames all the while. Buffy produced a notebook and several colored pens from somewhere for Willow, and now they were back in the main room.
Willow and Tara were sitting with their heads close together. Willow would write furiously, and then Tara would make little sketches of each of the rooms. They both were making notes around the sketches; they would pause to look at one another as if they were having a conversation.
Buffy, Faith and several of the potentials had gathered around to watch Willow and Tara go back and forth without ever actually speaking a word out loud. Looks and gestures took place of actual words between them, as they worked through several pages of notes and sketches.
One of the new potentials sat on the floor and watched them entranced. She was a striking older girl dressed in denim and moccasins. Luminous deep set brandy colored eyes stared intently, from smooth russet colored skin complementedby long jet black hair in a braid that fell to her waist.
"Do they always work like this, so well with one another, in silence?" She whispered up to Buffy reverently.
With a wry smile, Buffy answered softly. "They do. Willow and Tara just keep getting better and better together, too."
"My unci (prounounced oon-chi) and my tunwin (pronounce to-weeh) could work like that," she said.
"And you said what?" Faith asked.
"Sorry, my grandmother and my aunt; my grandmother was a healer and she taught both my mother and my aunt. I can remember playing in the kitchen while they worked like that. It's fascinating to watch," she answered.
"Joanie girl, you got some screwy ideas about fun, lemme tell ya," Faith replied.
Joanie smiled. "I don't know, Faith, maybe you do."
Tara's head popped up and she looked over the group that had gathered for a moment before she locked eyes with Joanie. Willow stopped and turned to look at Joanie too. She cocked her head to one side and studied Joanie specifically; turning back to look at Tara, they both rose and approached the little audience that had formed to watch them work.
Once before the group, they both sat down in front of Joanie, whose eyes had grown large as she watched them move towards her. Tara smiled up at Buffy, and Willow continued to study Joanie intently with a soft, knowing smile on her lips.
"We have some good ideas here, and they'll be strong," Tara said excited and a little breathless.
Willow offered Joanie her hand, palm up, and when Joanie rested her hand atop Willow's, the air around them crackled and sparkled for a moment. Joanie sat shocked, looking at their hands still resting together, speechless.
"And Joanie's going to join us," Willow said confidently.
"Will, she's a potential," Buffy said obviously confused at what was happening.
Tara smiled and shook her head. "That may be, but that's not why she's here, Buffy…"
"She's here for us," Willow finished her sentence again. "That is if you'd like, Joanie, we would like to train you with us and the rest of our coven."
Everyone was quiet while they watched the trio. Willow held out her other hand palm up to Tara, who rested her hand on top of Willow's and Tara then offered her hand palm up to Joanie. Again there was the sparkling and the air shimmered around them. The potent scent of sweet grass and sage filled the air around them quickly.
Joanie looked up at Buffy and Faith. "I think maybe I should go with them."
TBC…