A little bit of hokey-pokey

A/N Ok, so this is labelled as 11.5 because it's a rewrite of The killer in me but I've reordered it so it appears after Showtime instead. It'll make sense later don't worry. But this is to avoid order confusion. So rewrite of KIM, obviously this has a heavy Willow/Kennedy vibe so will be quite different and that's why it alters the order of the series but not too much.

Sunnydale, the world without shrimp 2003

"I think it would be a good idea for the potentials to see something real, get some real advice, or we're fighting blind Buffy." Giles stated across the table, they were discussing next steps after defeating the Turok-Han. The girls needed more than just training, they need advice, real advice from someone who knew. Someone who could give them strength and guidance. They needed vision. Buffy was sniffling around her mug of cocoa, tissues in her palms as she tried desperately to get over her cold. She was all fluey. And she was feeling very sensitive and special but surprisingly easy to persuade.

Whilst the others around her - a list culminating to Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, Giles, and Andrew still tied to the chair. Spike was not present as still chained up in the basement trying to generally avoid the rest of the seemingly hundreds of people in the house just in case the First returned to him. Dawn was also not present, she'd been relegated to keeping everyone else upstairs, which was proving difficult as they wanted to know what was going to happen, Kennedy was getting on her nerves, trying to push the other brunette out of the way.

The others were about to start desperately trying to persuade Buffy that this would be a good idea, for one they would all get the bathroom back for a few days. But everyone had their own reasons: Anya would get some good breakfast for once, Andrew could try some more of his plan to gain Buffy's approval, Willow and Tara would get their room back for a while and that had its perks, and Xander would have a girl free head for a couple of days, and he'd be able to finish fixing the windows without people getting in the way.

"You know Buffy I think Giles has a point here." Tara said trying to act serious and not at all teased by the hand stroking over her thigh. She would look over and curse Willow if she wasn't so tempted by the woman. Willow smiled and nodded along and joined in, she had ideas about what her and Tara could be doing with their room as soon as they got it back. It'd been weeks since they'd had a moment to themselves and well, it was building up. They'd had to be so chaste with all the girls in the house.

"Yeah, 'cause you don't want them to fall behind in their training." Willow added as a weak excuse, she hadn't much else. Giles gave the get-a-roomy pair of them a glare and scowled, they were such children. But he did agree with them about the training so his gaze ventured back to Buffy. Who was between sneezing, laughing and crying at this point. She saw right through Willow and Tara and knew how much the pair of them needed a break, call it slayer's intuition, or that Willow had been complaining all week about it.

"Guys, guys, I agree with you, plus I'd like my house back for a few days. Granted that you'd be able to take them Giles, I am all fluey." Buffy said, making everyone else breathe a silent sigh of relief and look at Giles for the final permission. Buffy even held up the waste-paper bin with all her used tissues for real fluey evidence. Giles shook his head lightly, sighing and huffing considering that this would be good for Buffy to have a break, she could concentrate on herself for a bit. Willow and Tara could continue to develop their magic, Buffy could spend some time getting Spike fighting ready, and Xander might finally have the time to fix that bloody draught in here.

"Fine, I'll take them out into the desert and hope you get better." Giles reluctantly said, even though it was all his idea. The vision quest had gone rather smoothly the last time anyway, he'd be fine. Absolutely fine, with all those teenage girls, in a car, for hours. Maybe it was going to be horrendous after all, Buffy wasn't half as girly as some of the potentials, and they'd be sharing a rather small space. Oh bugger, what the hell have I let myself into?

"Where are you too off to?" Buffy said walking out of the basement and into the kitchen to be greeted with two very happy, smiling witches. It was like she'd walked into a bit of a moment between the two of them, but the spell was quickly broken as they broke their easy gaze to answer Buffy's question. They had dressed up, Willow wearing some brown pants with a top that plunged a little lower than she was used to but had been tempted into by Tara whom she'd caught staring when she'd tried it on. Tara herself was wearing a long skirt, one of her usual's and her leather jacket. It had serious sentimental value, she wasn't not going to wear it.

"We're just off to the Bronze, date night." Willow said cheerily with a wink, Buffy knew exactly what that wink meant. It was Willow's 'I'm getting lucky tonight wink' not that she saw it often but she could always sense its presence when Willow started looking cheeky. Tara gripped Willow harder at that wink, she knew what it meant too, she'd seen it more than Buffy, she was experienced in all things Willow.

"Yep, we have our room back and we thought we um-" Tara paused, blushing a little, she still felt a little embarrassed being overconfident in front of anyone except Willow. It was the way she acted when they made love, but in front of Buffy, or Dawn or Xander, or anyone for that matter, she felt the blush creeping over her skin and the heat usually from Willow's hand bursting through her. "Well, I mean we um..."

"What Tara means is that we should get going because we have plans, you know- later." Willow said the last part in a kind of whisper, Buffy nodded along, understanding what Tara meant the first time, but she didn't want to embarrass her friends further. Tara looked a little relieved that Willow had taken the reins and her smile returned, remembering their plans.

Before the pair of them could dash off, Willow remembered Buffy had just been to see Spike. "Um, Buff how was he?" She said gesturing towards the door concealing the stairs to the basement. Buffy shook her head, looking down at the picked nail beds of her fingers, she was still sniffling a little but her cold was generally better. She couldn't really say anything clearly she didn't want Willow to worry about her and therefore blow off her and Tara's date because she knew how much the two of them deserved it. But she didn't exactly want them to go either, she could do with a girly chat right now. But their date, Buffy focus.

"He's ok. In the goes part of comes and goes I guess. It's an off day, he'll be ok." Buffy replied hesitantly, still picking at her nails as she regained her focus and looked up at the redhead. "I do want to talk about it though, maybe in the morning, I think there's something up with the chip." As soon as she let the words loose out of her mouth she could sense the tension rise in the room. Buffy and Tara knew Willow was about to suggest they research, but as much as that would've pleased her, Buffy knew they had to go. Just get out of the house, for a night, get some air and some time alone.

"Willow no- before you say anything. No. You two go, get out of here already, we can do this tomorrow. He'll be the same." Buffy returned to Willow's enigmatic smile. Then immediately shooing the pair of them out the door, not that either of them complained. Instantly joining hands again, and smiling brightly as they walked away from the family home and towards the Bronze.

They'd been walking for a couple of minutes enjoying simple jots of small talk and just basking in the silent serenity of each other's company. When Tara spoke up, her voice soft into the night but cautious. "Do you think Buffy is really ok Will?" Willow looked over to see the graveish look in Tara's too blue eyes. She thought for a few seconds before wondering about it herself. Buffy'd seemed ok, a little down about Spike maybe, but that might be the love talking, Willow almost smirked at her own joke, but refrained when she again met with the pools of sorrow Tara was giving her.

Taking both of her lover's hands in her own and holding them out in front of her she reached up and the stroked Tara's cheek, making her smile weakly and blush. "I know what you mean, she seemed a little down about Spike. But she's Buffy she'll be fine. She'll bounce back." Willow said brushing off the serious tone in Tara's heart. She knew they needed this night for them so she told her heart to quieten down and go back to Willow's gorgeous green eyes. So she did. Stare a little bit because she could. Then she may or may not have let eyes rake over her girlfriend's smartened body, her legs a little longer than usual in a pair of black heels, and her figure really exposing through thin fabric. If she wasn't so absorbed in the staring she would've probably advised Willow to go put on some thicker layers for fear of getting pneumonia.

"Hello? Sweetie my eyes are up here." Willow said with a smirk and a gentle chuckle as she had most definitely caught Tara in the throws of eyeing her up, and granted she'd put effort into looking this hot just for their date, but they were in the middle of quite a serious comforting moment. Tara coughed gently once she'd realised what Willow had said, pulling herself together. Glancing back up to Willow's eyes.

"Huh? Oh yeah, hi eyes. Sorry you're just really pulling off the 'hot girl' look, you always do but tonight, well it's reached a whole other level." Willow giggled as she pulled her sappy, silly woman into her side tapping their heads together as they continued to walk the street towards the Bronze.

"What are we gonna do with you eh?" Willow agreed into the night, her hips swaying slightly as she leaned further and further into Tara's grip, their hands finding each other and grasping tightly. Legs bumped and knees made strange crumbling noises, but nothing in this world would distract them. They were warm and content and their hearts leaped to each other in a magic neither could explain, Tara's mother had been right all those years ago. Tara's love was always going to be special because of the goodness within her, it over spilled and cost her things, but she never let her kindness falter for any reason. But she was special and her love reflected that, like watery moonlight. She was a gift, from the Powers or not we shall never know.